(this gift certificate was created online, for free, in 5 seconds at IvyJoy.com)

I haven’t posted any new gift ideas in awhile! That’s because (as Ms. Gift mentions) GiftGirl and I recently welcomed GiftBaby to our family!

I’m tired. Very tired. So is GiftGirl.

We have received many, many wonderful gifts from family, friends, co-workers, and even clients!

All of the gifts have been much appreciated, and we are very thankful.

But, the best gifts we have received have been from family and friends who have come to our home and given their time. My mother has come a number of times and helped out with dishes, laundry, making beds, etc. My sister-in-law came over and cleaned our bathrooms and vacuumed! My father, step-mother, and mother-in-law have all come over bearing food! OK, so they bought the food - but they took the time to think about it, pick it up, bring it over, and eat with us. (my sister-in-law, the same one who toiled in the bathrooms cooked a homemade brisket that took 4 hours to cook - yummy!)

If you are trying to figure out what to give to an expecting mother (and dad too), think about giving your time to help them around the house.

Here are some ideas:

• Laundry
• Dishes
• Vacuuming
• Bathrooms (this is truly a gift!)
• Running errands
• Cooking
• Yard work

Or, just a general offer to take care of whatever needs doing

This gift can be given before or after the baby is born. Consider giving someone a homemade gift certificate at the baby shower, bringing it to the hospital, mailing it, e-mailing it, whatever.

Above I mentioned that the gift certificate I created for the image was from IvyJoy.com. Here are some other sites that can also help you create customized gift certificates:

• LastMinute.com
• Regiftable.com
• GiftCardDesigner.com
• MicroSoft Office Gift Certificate Templates

The sites listed above are OK, but not great - so if anyone knows of another website where you can generate a personalized gift certificate, let us know!

Check out this page on our site for additional expectant/new mother gift ideas …

With GiftGuy away taking care of the new addition to the family I decided to stay with the baby theme.

The announcement and arrival of a newborn typically comes with…presents! Blankets, clothes, toys, diapers, cookies… Wait, cookies?

Ok, maybe everyone doesn’t receive cookies but they should with this great idea from Mrs. Beasley’s Bakery.

Mrs. Beasley’s, known for their delicious baked goods, features a baby book filled with some tasty treats for Mom. The box (which is perfect for storing baby photos, hospital bands, cards, etc) comes with 50 mini cookies and 6 brownies along with a personal page for recording baby milestones.

The best part is it only costs $29.95! A perfect gift upon arrival or even as part of a baby shower present. Order your Mrs. Beasley Baby Book today!

With GiftGuy and GiftGirl welcoming GiftBaby this week (Congrats GiftFamily!) it had me thinking about cool gifts for new moms.

I came across the Oopa Baby Cashmere Baby Sling at My Kidz Got Style and had to read more.

The sling is not only made of cashmere (love it) but it is designed to be stylish, can be worn in a variety of positions and each one is hand-made and one of a kind. (Red is the only color they have available) It is one size only, measures 78″ in length, has no pocket and is dry clean only.

Being cashmere it’s a little pricey ($405) but just think how comfortable and soft both mom and baby will feel in it. I’m sure any mom would be grateful for this gift.

Check out the My Kidz Got Style blog for some other cool ideas for new moms and kids.

And, be sure to browse our own page with additional gift ideas for expecting mothers …

Luxist reported in November that the Beckhams gave their three boys an out of the ordinary tree fort, costing around $50,000!!!

The ‘TreeTent‘ from Neiman Marcus is a 13-foot tall pseudo-building boasting a 9-foot diameter, hardwood floors and a round mattress inside. That’s a pretty big tent/tree-fort/whatever it is!

While most of us can’t afford to buy our kids glorified tents costing $50k, we can explore other options.

Build Your own

There are a ton of places on the internet that have free plans and drawings available. All you need is a visit to your home depot and a few friends who know what they are doing. Heck, my dad nailed a few pieces of plywood to the tree in my backyard and called it a tree fort - I was perfectly happy with that.

Hire Someone To Build It

This will certainly cost you more than nailing some boards to a tree but there are some really cool designs available out there. Check out Tree Top Builders or The Living Tree House.

Buy a Pre-Made TreeHouse or PlayHouse

This is probably the easiest option and probably the best in terms of value. There are a number of places out there where you can get a cool tree house/fortfor relatively cheap and you don’t have to build it.

Whatever you choose if you have the tree or the yard for it, I guarantee your kids will love having a tree house. Or if you have an extra $50k, a tree tent!

Last week we ran a poll asking “how much should you spend on a kid’s birthday present (not your own child)?”. Of those who responded 51% said that the appropriate amount was $20-$29.

I wasn’t particularly surprised by this response as it’s right in the middle but it did make me wonder what types of gifts you could get for that price.

Here are some pretty cool gift ideas for both boys and girls in the $20-$29 price range:

Gifts for Boys:

Outdoor Shark Tent - This shark tent is just awesome! It fits two children (made for ages 3-6), comes with fiberglass poles that are easy to assemble and really looks like a fun time. It measures 35Hx60Wx84″L so it could be used indoors OR outdoors and can be found at Target. Price: $24.99

Mini RC Indoor Airplane - A mini remote control airplane is fun for a boy (or heck even man) of any age. It has easy to fly controls, comes with a rechargeable battery and is made of foam so it won’t break anything (hopefully). The Hobby Tron site has a great page on it including a demo video. Price: $29.95

Trunk O’ Tricks Joke Set - While magic and joke kits probably aren’t as cool as they used to be, I still think they’d make a pretty exciting gift for someone. This trunk o’ tricks comes with tricks, jokes and props with some unusual names: Monkey Bar Monkey Tunnel Stop-N-Go, Mac-N-Lewis 2-Bit Fez Los Bananas Fantastico! Six Sense Shrunken Head Ape Escape. Price: $22.00

Whack A Mouse Game - If anyone can look me in the eye and tell me that (aside from skee-ball) Whack-a-Mole wasn’t the best game at Chuck E. Cheese, they are crazy. This one isn’t quite as cool but for a small game to have at home it would be pretty fun. Plus, it teaches kids hand-eye coordination. Price: $24.95

Gifts for Girls:

Cool Bracelets/Jeweley - I think jewelry is an underrated gift for kids and teens. I mean come one, one of the essential parts of playing dress-up is your mom’s jewelry! There are a ton of great places to get jewelry but My Fancy Princess has some really great pieces at affordable prices. The bracelet pictured here is a white pearl bracelet featuring Swarovski crystals. Price: $20.00

Magnetic Dress Up Dolls - I have seen these on a few sites around the internet and they are adorable. I loved paper dolls when I was younger but man what a pain. The little flap would rip off or a piece would blow away and you’d lose your favorite outfit. These dolls are magnetic so you won’t be losing any pieces to the wind. Price: $14.99* *Doesn’t fit the $20-$29 but you can always pair it with something smaller

Mani/Pedi Gift Basket - I love painting my nails. I love having my nails painted. I have loved both of these things since I can remember. Some of my favorite Christmas stocking gifts were nail polish and nail files. Put together a small gift basket for a girl of any age. Things you’ll need: Nail polish, nail files, nail buffer, lotion (peppermint is the best), foot file, toe spreaders and anything else you can think of. Price: Your Discretion

Barbie Karaoke BoomBox - The Barbie theme certainly makes this for a younger crowd but the idea is that most KIDS love music and singing. This boombox is so cute and is designed to play an iPod nano. It comes with a microphone, ear buds and a shoulder strap. Price: $29.99

I know there are many, many, many other kids gifts out there that fall into this price range but I thought these were great. What other kinds of gifts are kids asking for these days?