Smelly Pencils

Say "smelly" and "pencils" really fast and what do you get? That's right "Smencils." Why is this important? Because Smencils really do exist! I know, because there was a package of them waiting for me on my chair when I got to work today.

They sound silly but these really are cool. Made of recycled newspapers (save a tree!) these Gourmet Scented pencils really do smell. And they smell good. My particular favorite is the chocolate scented pencil, but they also come in loads of smells like cotton candy, root beer, bubble gum, and grape.

You can buy regular #2 Smencils and colored Smencils, tool.

PTA fundraising Moms - check this out - The Smencils Company offers fundraising packages, too. I mean, who really wants another bucket of frozen cookie dough when you can have really cool recycled smelly pencils.

Check them out at http://www.smencils.com/

Have you seen the Sea Pals Friends that we are giving away in the magazine this month? These things are so stinkin' cute!

So I was a marine biology major in college so I have a soft spot for ocean critters, but I think my kids are gonna love these too.

What you get is a little stuffed sea creature (kinda like a webkinz) in a plastic package that looks like a squished fish bowl. There is an Angelfish, a Clownfish (Nemo!), a Sea Turtle, my favorite, the Blue Lobster, a Shark and several more. You scratch off the secret code on the inside and log on to http://www.seapalsworld.com/. When you register your critter it shows up in your on-line virtual aquarium.

You can feed your pet and add decorative items to your aquarium. Now this is where I found it confusing. There are games to play, but its not easy to find. You have to scroll down to the bottom of the screen where you see your pet and underneath it will be a small button that reads "Take me to my secret world." Click that and you find your fish's "home" with furniture (can a fish sleep in a bed?) and the Tube Station. Click on that to go to special worlds where you can play games and interact with other creatures. Kids are limited to stock phrases so there its quite safe. Play the games and you can win points to buy cool stuff in the store.

Sea Pals is still adding games, and there are still just a limited number of users, but I'll bet this place is as hoppin' as Club Penguin soon.

I just got the COOLEST book from Silver Dolphin books today. It's called "Explore Within a Medieval Castle." The book itself has a big window in the front that shows an intricate model of a castle. As you open each heavy page a piece of the castle moves with the page, revealing another layer of the castle.

Kids will learn how to become a knight, what a trebuchet is (do you know?), how the castle kitchen is run, even how waste is disposed of.

It's a gorgeous book, recommended for ages 8 and up. I'd stick to those guidelines as the castle itself is very fragile and requires careful handling. It retails for $21.95.