Product Spotlight:  Addictive Nanodots
February 24, 2010 – 8:33 pm | No Comment

Is it magnetic building blocks?  A costume jewelry making kit? A stress ball? A science fair project waiting to happen? Metallic putty?
Nanodots ($29-$39), a toy for children 8 and up, is all of the above.  …

Read the full story »
Frugal Glam

Styling and fashion tips, beauty tips & product reviews, deals & coupons to local/national retailers

Metro Life

Modern motherhood, political talk, current news, schools & education, metropolitan life

Moms: Uncensored

Family life, relationships, kids, job, other moms, nothing is taboo!

prestO Change

Women open up about changes they’ve experienced–whether it be dramatic, by their own choice, or by external circumstances.

This One Time...

Nanny horror stories, parenting horror/humorous stories, stories about the best moments of motherhood, etc.

Featured, Frugal Glam »

Product Spotlight: Addictive Nanodots
February 24, 2010 – 8:33 pm | No Comment

nanodotsIs it magnetic building blocks?  A costume jewelry making kit? A stress ball? A science fair project waiting to happen? Metallic putty?

Nanodots ($29-$39), a toy for children 8 and up, is all of the above.  I visited Toy Fair 2010 in Manhattan this week–and, of the hundreds of toy vendor stalls I passed, the Nanodots display ended up being my favorite.  The company owners, two young guys in white lab coats and black-frame glasses, had a curious cluster of visitors checking out the stunning demo designs on display.  And playing with the wonderful shiny, teeny magnetic spheres.  And begging for samples.

In one person’s hands, the Nanodots became an elegant necklace.  Another visitor seemed to have randomly manipulated the microconstructors into a double helix.  Yet another attendee was simply squishing the dots happily between palm and fingertips.

I asked for a sample–and I was presented with a pretty flannel pouch containing about 50 magnetic spheres in black, silver, and steel finishes.  I couldn’t stop playing with the little suckers.  I toyed with them in my pocket while I strolled around the show.  I molded them into rings and strands and flat polygon shapes over lunch.  I shaped them into a ball.  Thoroughly addictive.

I asked Tim Szeto, the company’s Director of Sales and Marketing, to tell me more about Nanodots.  His face lit up as he explained that each Nanodot is essentially a perfect model of a carbon atom–and that the beauty of the product is that there are about as many different patterns and designs as there are varieties of organic molecules.  In fact, Szeto had even consulted a brilliant Hungarian mathematician (Janos Szaki) to arrive at the perfect size-to-strength ratio for each little magnet.  Geek heaven–I was hooked.

Danis Save and Tim Szeto, owners of Nano Magnetics

Danis Save and Tim Szeto, owners of Nano Magnetics

Szeto also stressed the company’s “no-rules” approach to the product.  Customers will not find instructions and design patterns on the website–instead, they will soon find a Facebook-style community where Nanodot enthusiasts can share their designs with one another.

I purchased two sets for my 12-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son–and watched as they opened up the boxes and got their hands into the gold and silver magnets.  At their favorite Chinese restaurant, the egg drop soup went untasted; and the beef satay got cold on the pu-pu platter.   While my daughter adorned herself with a long silver strand, earrings, and a faux lip piercing; my son constructed a perfect tetrahedron.  And other patrons turned around in their booths to admire the wonderful metal balls.

My daughter told me later, “Mom, this is the perfect toy.  It can get kids to stop text-messaging and just talk to people while they play with the dots.”

My recommendation:  take advantage of a 10% discount for Presto Pink blog readers by entering the code PRESTOPINK at checkout, and order several from the website.  It’s a great, unusual gift for older school-age children, teens, and adults.

And guess what?  Presto Pink offers gift-shopping services.  If you’d like to have a gift closet fully stocked and ready for friends’ birthday parties, give Presto Pink a shout.  They will help you organize your buying, locate excellent deals, and wrap the gifts up beautifully.

Check Out Our Services!
February 17, 2010 – 4:12 pm | No Comment
Check Out Our Services!

This week only!
Schedule any service with Presto Pink and receive 15% off the hourly rate, plus a free hour to use towards your first service or your next!
Do You know what our blog offers? Here’s …

Valentine’s Day Allure
February 13, 2010 – 4:49 pm | No Comment
Valentine’s Day Allure

Reveal A New You! or Show him One More Reason to Love You!

Here are our Top 10 Valentine’s Day Looks
For more styling advice and inspiring looks, visit out Style & Fashion pages!

I Love Social BookmarkingSubscribeDiggdel.icio.usStumbleUpon

Snow Woes
February 9, 2010 – 3:59 am | One Comment
Snow Woes

Today I experienced an epiphany right in the middle of the inflatables play gym.  If I had not had this revelatory moment, I would right now be  mired in shame over my maternal shortcomings.  But, …

Product Spotlight: 5 Cool Things About the Nook E-Reader
February 9, 2010 – 2:19 am | No Comment
Product Spotlight:  5 Cool Things About the Nook E-Reader

Having a trend-savvy, media-wise college-age daughter can be a marvelous time-saver. When I don’t have time to read gadget review websites but really, really want to bring new gadgetry into my life…I just go …

Six Ways to Add Order and Freedom to Your Life
February 4, 2010 – 8:11 pm | No Comment
Six Ways to Add Order and Freedom to Your Life

Once, I read a book on personal finance that stressed over and over again the idea of saving money as a “passion.”  As a way of giving extravagantly to your dreams and goals.  The idea …

Elizabeth Gilbert on Marriage: Committed?
January 31, 2010 – 3:24 am | 2 Comments
Elizabeth Gilbert on Marriage:  Committed?

I just finished Elizabeth Gilbert’s brand-new book Committed:  A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage.  As one of the millions of readers who loved Eat, Love, Pray–and as a newly single mom after 21 years of …

Spring Break Getaway #5: Philadelphia
January 27, 2010 – 5:27 pm | 2 Comments
Spring Break Getaway #5:  Philadelphia

Well, by now I think it’s clear that I’m a big fan of Hotwire.  Everyone knows the one big drawback to Hotwire…that whole “Drumroll, please…” moment when you wait to see if that nameless four-star …

Spring Break Vacation #4: DC in All its Glory!
January 23, 2010 – 11:19 pm | No Comment
Spring Break Vacation #4:  DC in All its Glory!

Why not get away to DC?  Sure, it’s right in our backyard–and a DC vacation may not seem at first blush like a true change of scenery.  But is it possible that you have taken …

Budget Spring Break Getaway #3: Chincoteague Island, MD
January 20, 2010 – 5:23 pm | No Comment
Budget Spring Break Getaway #3:  Chincoteague Island, MD

Is there a horse lover in your family?  Is the classic Marguerite Henry book Misty of Chincoteague sitting on a shelf somewhere in your home?  Chincoteague Island, a resort island located off of Maryland’s Eastern …

Family-Friendly Vacations Part 2: A Week in Williamsburg for $1500
January 15, 2010 – 4:45 pm | One Comment
Family-Friendly Vacations Part 2:  A Week in Williamsburg for $1500

Take the family back and forth between the 18th and 21st centuries for a week for just under $1500.  Williamsburg, VA, about a three-hour drive from DC, has something for everyone–and offers a great combination …

5 Family-Friendly Spring Break Vacations: Part 1
January 14, 2010 – 7:14 pm | No Comment
5 Family-Friendly Spring Break Vacations: Part 1

Brrrrr…it’s cold.  And spring break sure does seem far away.  But a little planning now will make for a wonderful, memory-making, budget-friendly spring break with the kids.  In this post and each of the next …

Teachers, Butterflies, and Roses
January 12, 2010 – 10:33 pm | No Comment
Teachers, Butterflies, and Roses

In another life, 13 years ago, I was a high school English teacher.  In the years since my  immersion in all things classroom-y, I have thought hard about what makes a good teacher.  And whether …

Practical Suggestions for “80-20 Mothering”
January 6, 2010 – 12:46 am | One Comment
Practical Suggestions for “80-20 Mothering”

In yesterday’s post, I suggested (well, actually insisted) that one evening a week is the least a mom should give herself for “luxury time.”  One night a week falls short of the “20-percent-of-resources-for-non-essentials” rule of …

Mothering and the 80-20 Rule
January 4, 2010 – 9:08 pm | 4 Comments
Mothering and the 80-20 Rule

The 80-20 Rule–surely you’re familiar with that tried-and-true budgeting tip.  Spend 80% of your disposable income on necessities–and no more than 20% on the nonessential, the luxurious, or the just-plain frivolous.  In general, none of …

Maternal Infidelty?
January 2, 2010 – 10:45 am | No Comment
Maternal Infidelty?

I have always dreamed of having a daughter. When I found out I was pregnant, I prayed, “Please, don’t let it be a boy…I don’t know what to do with a baby boy…” …