Few things thrill me more than holiday cards (though, have been off my game in recent years). This year, the folks from minted.com sent us some samples .... They're GORGEOUS. If you order by Nov. 9 they'll throw in free shipping if you use offer code FREESHIPNOV.

Am particularly fond of the "vintage" & "yearline" options ...

Holiday Photo Cards, Christmas Photo Cards & Photo Cards at Minted

The holidays are full of heartwarming tales about good deeds. AOL and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® have partnered to bring you Nice One -- a collection of our favorite true stories. You can also read about the lifesaving work taking place at St. Jude, how you can participate in the St. Jude Thanks and Giving® campaign and the many ways you can donate if these stories leave you feeling inspired. They can't not;)

They also have an online store a

nd - of course - you can give to St Jude through their charitable retail partners, just look for the Thanks & Giving magnifying glass at participating retailers.

For every parent who ever said no to a REAL hampster (including this one), this year's "it" toy is classic ... It's a Zhu Zhu pet hamster, appealing to both boys & girls (plus parents too since there's no gross cage to clean). Holidash has a clear blog post about them & their YouTube video. They initially retailed for $8-$10. I would have snatched up a bunch at that price ... They're currently going for 4X the original price on Amazon, but at least you can still get one if you're willing to splurge .... Wonder if you can buy the pretend animal & buy real hampster toys and pocket the change (real hamspter toys currently way cheaper than Zhu Zhu accessories). Will try to figure this out. Here's photo + LA Times article with video.

Catchy title for an important new campaign from the Ad Council ... Have had them all ... Rear Facing Convertible, Foward-Facing Convertible, Booster No Back ... Though it's estimated 75% of kids are NOT secured correctly in their car seats. It's all about the fit ... Or, "LATCH."

SEAT INSPECTION LOCATOR

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has developed an interactive new web site to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. On July 16th, 2009 at exactly 9:32am wechoosethemoon.org goes live, marking exactly 40 years to the minute after the historic launch. The site, powered by AOL, will recreate Apollo 11's lunar mission, minute-by-minute, with an interactive features that let visitors experience the mission as it happened, using archival audio, video, photos and "real time" transmissions. You can register to receive "real time" updates during the four-day mission. Was lucky enoug to get an advance site demo. Is truly STUNNING ... You won't believe your eyes & ears.

Here's the PSA Whoopie Goldberg referred to when we spoke on The View. It's definitely worth a look:

RELATED: YOUR TEENS SECRET ONLINE LIFE

TIPS & MORE TIPS

As discussing on radio stations nationwide, this little guy may just be onto something & have the perfect marketing window of opportunity -- LENT. Meet the : NO CUSSING CLUB.

It was cute to see Alex on MSNBC interview the site founder, 14 year-old McKay Hutch. Is one of those times wish was there with my kids.

RELATED ARTICLE & THE VIDEO THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING FROM PARENT DISH.COM

• AOL Personals, http://personals.aol.com: Valentine's Day countdown and informational articles such as "10 Fun Valentine's Day Facts" and "Valentine's Day Dining Etiquette for Men"
• Switched, http://switched.com: Creative ways to use the tech you already own to make inexpensive gifts and technology gift guides for him and her
• AOL Radio, http://www.radio.aol.com: Offers a music genre within the radio player called "Valentine's Day" focused on Love Songs, Love Stinks, Country Love and Romantic Jazz
• Holidays, http://holidays.aol.com: Featured stories include "Love Scopes: What Love Type are You?", "The Worst Proposals Ever" and "What Your Flowers Mean"
• AOL Home, http://home.aol.com: "Amazing Bedroom Transformations" and "10 Feng Shui Tips to Improve Love & Romance"
• WalletPop, http://www.walletpop.com: "Valentine's Day on a Budget"
• AOL Health, http://www.aolhealth.com: Quiz asking "Which Valentine's Candy Has More Calories?", plus featured stories "Sex Every Couple Needs" and "Libido Enhancers for Her and for Him"
• ParentDish, http://www.parentdish.com: Includes stories on kids and romance and Valentine's in the classroom
• Lemondrop, http://www.lemondrop.com: "Most Annoying Couple Behaviors," "What to Do if You're Single" and "Worst V-Day Gifts"
• StyleList, http://www.stylelist.com: "21 Things That Make Every Woman Hot" and "Red Lips are HOT for V-day"
• Asylum, http://www.asylum.com: A guy's gift guide
• Gadling, http://www.gadling.com: Valentine's vacations, deals, and assorted travel tips
• Luxist, http://luxist.com: High-end chocolates and other gift ideas
• KOL, http://www.kol.com: Printable Valentine's Day cards and quizzes for kids
• AOL Latino, http://latino.aol.com: "How to Celebrate If You Don't Have a Partner," "Recipes for a Romantic Dinner" and "Valentine's Cool Gift Guide"
• BlackVoices, http://www.blackvoices.com: "The Inspiring Love Story of the Obamas" and "10 Inexpensive Ways to Woo Your Lover"
• Digital City, http://www.digitalcity.com: Information about everything from romantic restaurants and anti-Valentine's Day spots to the hot spots for singles
• Moviefone, http://www.moviefone.com: Countdown of the top 25 romantic comedies of all time
• AOL Television, http://www.television.aol.com: Countdown of television's most memorable love triangles of all time
• Spinner, http://www.spinner.com: Countdown of the meanest love songs of all time

We're researching segment material for "The View" re: teen trends and this article caught our eye ... Think for so many years we were all so concerned about what kids were doing on the computer. The truth is, that thing in their pocket -- the cellphone -- has an awful lot of the same capability (for better or worse).

The Washington Post ran this piece re: sending nude photos on a cellphone. What's most striking is how culpable you may be if you forward that email/text. Worth a read & perhaps a dinner-time conversation ....

HERE IS THE SINGLE BEST RESOURCE FOR MORE INFO. There are several articles specific to social networking.

www.safetyclicks.com

RE-RELEASING ..... CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW FIRED UP THESE GUYS ARE TODAY?

This is Jeff ... I've worked with Regina for a long time and she was nice enough to give me the OK to post this Pittsburgh Steelers' viral video today. It's a Steeler fight song performed by a group of young teens who call themselves "The Pop Rocks." Here's the backstory on the kids who make up the band, via KDKA in Pittsburgh. They range in age from 11-13.

Their performance is set to the beat of Pat Benetar's smash hit "Heartbreaker and it's been taking YouTube by storm with nearly 300,000 views so far. Full disclosure: I AM A BIG STEELERS FAN ... so as you can imagine, this was just too good to pass up. Check it out ...

This is fun .... BUILD A SNOWMAN -- AN ARTISTIC ACTIVITY.

If you've got real snow, here's how to build the real deal:

Introduction

Instructions

Steps

Tips & Warnings

• If you're having a hard time rolling and packing the snow into sections, try using buckets. Find three that are of descending size and pack them with snow, then upend them, dumping the snow from one bucket on top of the other.
• You can spray your snowman with colored water to add rosy cheeks.
• Your snowman's days are numbered, so take plenty of pictures.

Overall Things You'll Need

• Spray Bottles
• Mittens For Everyone
• Scarves
• Snowman Kits
• Carrots
• Food Coloring
• Cameras
• Film
• Buckets
• Cameras
• Carrots

Rumor has it the J Crew website crashed as Americans flocked to check out "Crewcuts" -- the J Crew line for kids. What a great pick. J Crew posted a classy congratulations message. Here's an article on how this product-placement of all-product placements came to be & how -- smartly -- they even customized the outfits to make them a little more couture. My mother always has that touch. She can take something of the rack and tweak it until it reaches new heights. My mother is resourceful. So too -- it seems -- are the Obama's & the folks they surround themselves with. RELATED POST: What Suits Does Barack Wear?

Upload a shot of your little bundle of joy and for $39.95 the folks at FlattenMe will transpose your child's headshot into a high-quality personalized story book. Choose from six themes including under the sea and pirate adventures, and a title that aims to add a dash of fun to potty training.

FlattenMe has also lauched a new line of personalized invitations and thank you notes. A set of 12 cards is $20.95, includes envelopes and is printed on heavy 110 lb. paper.

We're familiar with the motion picture rating system for movies, but video games are little trickier. New site http://www.playsavvy.com/, takes some of the guess-work out of it. Here is a terrific round-up explaining the ESRB Rating system -- there are actually seven different ratings & 30 content descriptors (e.g., comic mischief, crude humor, etc.). PlaySavvy.com is a savvy site to check before purchasing a game as a gift this holiday season.

SEE: What is the ESRB Rating System? - The savvy parent's guide to games - AOL PlaySavvy