Being a full-time working (out of the home) mom can be exhausting.  There is always something being left undone due to lack of time or energy.  After working all day, feeding, bathing, and chasing kids around all evening, all you want to do is sit and relax.  That’s why simple things like sending birthday wishes or a “just thinking of you” card to a friend often fall through the cracks.  Even if you remember to buy a card, you may forget to actually mail them (not that I would ever do anything like that).   Thankfully, I just discovered enGreet.com, an online greeting card store that sends out real cards through the mail.

Not only does enGreet send out the cards for you, but they print and mail them within one business day.  You can choose cards for all kinds of occasions – holidays, birthdays, sympathy, friendship, etc.  You can even find some fun non-traditional cards.  You can customize each and every card to suit your needs, upload your own photos, and there are even several handwriting style fonts you can use to write a personal message.

Want to send some special Valentine wishes out but haven’t had the time to shop for a card?  For only $2.99 plus postage, you can have it out in the mail tomorrow!  The even have St. Patrick’s Day cards!  You can also schedule your cards to be sent out on the date you specify if you like to think ahead.

EnGreet also had an e-mail reminder service so you never forget a birthday or special date.  Soon, they will be integrating with Facebook as well and will be able to import your Facebook contacts’ birthdays.  They will also have an option to sign up for text message reminders when it’s time to send a card or follow up with a phone call.

I have a feeling enGreet.com is going to change the way I send cards from now on!

I’m not sure how exactly it happened, but it seems we are already in the second week of December.  That would mean that Christmas is coming up in no time!  If I give it too much thought I’ll be in full panic mode.  I usually have pretty much all of my Christmas shopping done by now, but I’m sad to say this year it just didn’t happen.  Life just gets busy, you know?  Besides my usual holiday shopping, baking, etc., I also have a Bat Mitzvah to attend and will have 6 extra guests in my house for 10 days or so.

I’m still sorting out my lists and trying to come up with gift ideas for a few people, but if I don’t figure it out soon, I’m heading over to Snapgifts.com and taking care of them all in one swoop.  Did I mention that some of those gifts have to be mailed halfway across the country? I have friends and relatives in Oregon, Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama that I still need to buy for.  Fortunately, some of them are coming here to visit but the rest will have to be shipped.

Snapgifts.com is a website where you can buy gift cards and send them directly to your family and friends. They carry both local (only in select markets, but will be expanding soon) and national brands to suit nearly anyone on your shopping list.  You can purchase either traditional plastic gift cards or an e-Gift Card that is sent directly to the recipient’s e-mail to be printed out.

If you still can’t decide what to get that special someone on your list, you can let them do the deciding for you by sending them a Snapcard.  Snapcards are e-mailed directly to the recipient, along with your own personal message, and can be redeemed for any of the 600+ gift cards on Snapgifts.com.  It’s almost too easy!

So that I could try the entire purchasing process out, Snapgifts offered me a $25 gift card.  I redeemed my code tonight for a local restaurant that my family likes to eat at and it was so simple.  I just clicked on the card I wanted, selected the amount, and then filled in my information.  When I checked my e-mail, I already had notification that the gift card was purchased.

I’m anxious to see what other cities are added for local gift card purchases.  I never know for sure what stores are available when I buy gift cards for out of town friends and Snapgifts solves that problem.  I will definitely be using Snapgifts in the future!

If you still have gifts to buy, I highly recommend checking out Snapgifts.com.  For the entire month of December, they are offering free shipping on all gift cards! Just enter the code “freeshipping” when you check out!

Holiday shopping season is here again and the Global Influence network has some great gift ideas for you, tried and tested by real moms. Click on the links to check out what our team of reviewers had to say about each of these gift ideas, and then take a moment to enter our fun giveaway and take a chance at winning some of these fabulous products.

Featured Reviews

Pouchees – Busy moms need all the help they can get to stay organized and keep life as simple as possible. The Pouchee is the perfect solution to keeping all those little things together, putting everything you need, right at your fingertips.

Duck Hunter – Duck Hunter turns the excitement of the hunt into an activity the whole family can enjoy. Launch the duck in the air and try to hunt it down with the toy shooter as it flies freely in the air. A fun choice for those who love outdoor sporting.

CardStore cards- Personalized holiday cards are an important item on everyone’s to-do list and often a hassle to create and print. Cardstore.com has everything from family photo cards to invitations for your big holiday party, simplifying your holiday season.

Great Holiday Gift Ideas

Things Remembered Custom Couture Jewelry

Just Elfin’ Around

Card Cubby

Harumika By Bandai

Harumika Runway Showstopper

Harumika Style Starter

Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo

Strawberry Shortcake Playset

Kota Monty Rex

Wall to Wall Basketball

Nerf Pocket Vortex

Busy Ball Popper

Talking Chuck Truck

Leapfrog My Pal Scout

Leapfrog Tag Jr

Leapfrog Scribble and Write

Animal Planet Polar Land Playset

Animal Planet Dinosaur Playmat

Onionhead Adult/Teen Feelings Pack

OnionHead Children’s Feelings Pack

Onionhead A-Z Feelings Magnet Set

FotoboxPlus

MeTime Tees

Fun Holiday Giveaway!

For this holiday guide, we want to share the love with the blogosphere! Some of our generous sponsors have donated prizes to be given away to lucky readers! To enter to win one of the following fabulous prizes, simply fill out the form here: http://tinyurl.com/y8t92rw

Prizes include:

Things Remembered Custom Couture Jewelry

Pouchee

Elfing Around

Harumika

Onionhead Feelings Pack

Nerf Wall to Wall Basketball

Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo

MeTime T-shirt

Entries will close on December 6, 2009 at 11:59 PM EST. Winners will be contacted by email after the close of the contest.

Global Influence Member Guides

Need more ideas for this holiday season? Check out the guides that some of our Global Influence members have put together on their own sites! Thrifty Jinxy, Happy Healthy Hip , And Twins Make Five , Because Two People Fell In Love, Mommy Musings , Lipstick to Crayons , Bargain Briana , Mommy PR , Shop With Me Mama, Santa Picks, Rave and Review, Connected 2 Christ , 3 Boys and a Dog, The Classy Closet , Contest Corner, Lisa Reviews , A Giveaway Every Day, HulaHoopinMom, Spalibrations, High Impact Mom, From Cribs to Car Keys

All reviews listed in the Global Influence gift guide were product provided. Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Global Influence.

If you’re looking for a gift idea for that special Mom in your life, check out the great suggestions below. All of these products have been reviewed by Momfluence members to help you find just the right gift. Heck, you may even want to buy them for yourself!

Featured Products

Chic and Carry Wristlet – Make mom’s quick trips out with baby much easier with this great product.

Miessence Organics Mothers Day Set - Every mom deserves to be pampered once in awhile, and these organic body products allow her to do just that.

Sara Lee Simply Sweets Pies – Sara Lee’s Simply Sweets line gives you a delicious way to treat Mom this Mother’s Day with a fast, easy and delicious dessert.

Children Should Come With Warning Labels – Patti McKenna offers a humorous take on motherhood, giving mom a chance to laugh, cry, and identify with her tales.

Roundhouse Designs Desktop Mobile – Roundhouse Designs origami mobiles and wall art are handcrafted creations that make a unique Mothers Day gift.

Roundhouse Designs Jewelry – Roundhouse offers a wonderful selection of handmade jewelry, with styles that are perfect for every mother on your list this Mother’s Day.

Heart of A Mother – Heart of a Mother is a gift book filled with touching tributes to Mothers and Grandmothers, inspirational short stories, poems, proverbs and quotations.

Protect-A-Bed – Protect-a-Bed waterproof mattress covers provide protection from allergens, dust mites, and bedbugs, helping to extend the life of your mattress and mom to sleep a little sweeter.

Ultimate Woman Vitamins- Make sure that mom is getting everything she needs to stay healthy and active with the Vitamin Shoppe’s Ultimate Woman vitamins.

More Great Gift Ideas

April Cornell Shoulder Bag

BabyPlus System

Not Just Any Old Day Keyrings

Menu For The Week Subscription

For My Mother Reflection Journal

Vintage Body Spa

No Throw

Me Time Sportswear

Peek-A-Boobs

Kind Notes

Aventine Hill Bath Products

Treadlight Eco Snack Kit

Name Your Tune CDs

Things Remembered Charm Stories

Diaper Clutch

Pedometer

Lia Sophia Riverside Necklace

Lia Sophia Beaujolais Necklace

Lia Sophia Mandalay Bay Necklace

Lia Sophia Athena Necklace

Lia Sophia Love Dust Set

More Great Gift Guides

The Mom Maven

MomECentric

All reviews listed in the Momfluence gift guide were product provided.
Featured positions were purchased by sponsors. Member gift guides are not affiliated with Momfluence.

This giveaway has now ended.

Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and I’ve seen several people scrambling to come up with the perfect gift for their mother, wife, or grandmother.  That’s why I was thrilled to receive a sample of KindNotes in the mail last week.  I was asked to review KindNotes as part of the Momfluence Mother’s Day Gift Guide.  Not only is it a perfect gift for Mother’s Day, it is a perfect gift for any time you just want to let someone know that you care.

So what are KindNotes?  KindNotes are a container of tiny inspirational messages, each enclosed in a decorative envelope.  Each package contains 31 notes, enough to open one each day of the month.  The container, envelopes, and messages are fully customizable.  You can choose the type of container, color of ribbon to embelish it, and pattern of the envelopes used to contain your notes.  Then you can choose from over 400 inspirational messages, quotes, and proverbs or you can choose to receive blank notecards to write your own messages in for a more personal gift.  For an additional fee, you can also have the messages hand written by KindNotes.

The KindNotes I received were specialized for Mother’s Day and contained notes such as “Everything that I am today is because of you” and “Thank you for all the wonderful and amazing years you’ve given us.”  The notes came in a beautiful glass jar, adorned with a pink ribbon that matched the pink pattern on the envelopes.  My only complaint is that the filling below the envelopes, while attractive, takes up most of the jar and makes it look as though you are getting very little product.

Overall, I think that KindNotes is a great product.  The company is family-owned and each package is individually handmade to ensure quality.  With all of the customization options, they could easily be given for any occassion.

So, are you ready to hear the best part?  KindNotes has agreed to give away one fully customized (up to $45 value) KindNotes to one lucky reader! Keep it for yourself or give it away as a gift.  It’s your choice!  To enter the contest you must do one of the following:

1. Write a blog post linking to this post and www.kindnotes.com, then leave a comment with a link to your post.
2. Tweet about this contest including a link to www.kindnotes.com, then leave a comment with a link to the tweet.  Feel free to copy and paste the following:@deew27 is giving away a great gift from www.kindnotes.com!  Find out how to enter:  http://bit.ly/tkS5n

Contest will end Monday, May 4, 2009 Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. Central.  One winner will be chosen via random.org and notified by e-mail.  Entries that do not meet the requirements when the contest closes will be deleted before a winner is chosen.