The 5th Annual Chiodo's Top Ten Favorite Things

The 5th Annual Chiodo’s Top Ten Favorite Things List

1. Allrecipes.com: I could just about throw out most of my cookbooks, thanks to this awesome recipe website. I use it A LOT when finding good ideas for a quick dinner, a party, or something for the crockpot.

2. Pottery Barn Kids Anywhere Chair: Each of our kids have a red one with their name embroidered on the back. They love them! They are perfect for a child to have as their little comfy spot to call their own. The cover comes off and can be thrown in the washer/dryer. Here’s a hint: you can buy the PBK foam inserts on ebay for much less than they sell them at PBK. It comes brand new, wrapped, and sealed in a PBK box-from an ebay seller!

3. Windex All Purpose Cleaner: Now that my remodeled kitchen has granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, I had to find out how to clean these surfaces. A friend told me about the all purpose cleaner from Windex. Sure enough, the back of it says it’s great for stainless steel and granite plus many other things. And it’s green! Since I seem to use it by the gallon, I’m quite happy with the price and the shine in my kitchen.

4. Biggest Loser Workout DVDs: Okay, we don’t even watch the show. But we had to come up with a way to realistically workout since the cost and inconvenience of joining a gym wasn’t a good option for us. So we started off with the Exercise TV option on the Free On Demand with Comcast Cable and found Bob’s Biggest Loser Workout and Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Buy a couple of sets of weights, put on the tennis shoes with the pajamas in the morning, and you have yourself a good little workout in the comfort of your home. And you get to have quality time with the family since the kids like to participate too!

5. Superyard Metal Gate: Did I mention my son likes to climb and get into everything? Since the fireplace seemed to have this natural magnetism for our Ben, we bought the mommas of all mommas gate to kindly remind him to stay away from things like the fireplace, the bookcases, the Christmas tree. It stretches out wide, encloses in a circle-gives several options for the mobile child. Now if only I could find something to keep him off the top of the dining room table….

6. Melissa & Doug toys: I love good quality toys. And nothing says good quality like Melissa & Doug. They are simple which draws out the creativity in the kid; they are wooden and durable; and they have such a fun selection to choose from-puzzles, games, easels, blocks, etc.

7. DCWV Vinyl Wall Quotes: I am a lover of quotes. I probably could put them all over my house and drive my husband crazy with them. I hold myself back…but not completely. You can find these online or in places like Target or Kohls in the wall art section. They go on very easily-just a little measuring and then rubbing the words right onto the wall. It can transform a room instantly. Big fan.

8. Bud Light Lime: Yes, I’m recommending a beer. No, you can’t judge me. It’s my Top 10 list. I have a general distaste for beer. In my mind, it’s what horse urine would taste like. But I gave this one a try, and I must say…it’s pretty good. I don’t have one on a consistent basis. But when we were working on our house in August when it was hot, dusty, dirty, and overwhelming to the verge of tears…this did the trick at the end of the long work hours.

9. Crest Little Grippers Toothbrush: Found this little doodad in the travel toiletries section at Target for a buck. You get a cute little kid toothbrush with suction cups on the bottom to have it stand up straight by the bathroom sink. And it comes with a travel size kids toothpaste-perfect for little hands to use. Great idea for a party favor, stocking stuffer, or everyday use. My kids love them.

10. Restaurant.Com: This is a great website! You can go on here and purchase gift certificates to use at any number of local restaurants. The gift certificates are usually cheaper to buy than the actual cost of them for the restaurant. (Like you can buy a $50 certificate for $25). But the kicker is this-they have sales on top of their sales. One day, they had a 90% sale on their gift certificates. So you find a local restaurant you like, you see the $10 price for a $20 gift certificate. But, for 90%, you pay $1 (90% off of $10) for a $20 gift certificate! Awesome! Bought several this way and use them for an inexpensive date night or meal with the family.