Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String

Here are a few things I'm loving these days:



FurGOPet

Before we got our cat three months ago, I'd never had a pet that shed, so I was clueless about how to deal with all the hair that kept flying off Paulina whenever we touched her. A regular wire brush worked pretty well to remove all the dead hair that had accumulated on our Princess Paulina while she sat at the shelter waiting for us to adopt her. But this hot summer has required a more powerful device...and FurGoPet is it! The first stroke down my kitty's back yielded the most massive hunk o' fur I've ever seen. After a regular grooming session, I'd almost collected enough fur for an entire new kitty! And Paulina loves it--she's been much less scratchy and rubby since I've been using it on her. It comes in small dog, big dog, and cat models. Also reduces hair balls. $20-$25.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series

How the hell did I miss the original publication of the four novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, by American author George R.R. Martin? (I was working in children's publishing and following the adventures of a certain boy wizard, that's how.) I'd never even heard of George R.R. Martin or his books before reading an article about him in The New Yorker back in April. This was a few weeks before the HBO series aired, and it piqued my interest. I'm currently almost done with the second book, Clash of Kings, and the ongoing adventures of the knights, princes, queens, and "cravens" who live, love, and kill throughout the Seven Kingdoms (and beyond) get better and better with every page I turn. If you enjoy a good fantasy, pick up Game of Thrones and see if you get hooked. It's sort of like Tolkein lite: more sex and incest, less highbrow Englishness. The highly anticipated fifth book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, was just recently published.

Mission Tortillas--Whole Wheat Life Balance Flavor

Kids love carbs (at least mine do!) but plain bagels aren't exactly nutritious. I'm always looking for foods that pack a punch--that are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and other good stuff. Ideally, the foods should come by these nutrients naturally, but that isn't always possible. That's where Mission’s new Life Balance™ tortillas come in. These yummy tortillas are fortified with 23 vitamins and minerals, as much calcium as a glass of milk, have 3 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein each. They even contain heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Roll up whatever healthy filling your kid prefers and you are good to go.