Fabulously Useful Websites For Women and Families

Host Bee on Monday, July 27th, 2009

Websites That Do It All!

For Moms

Discover Great Music for Kids – if you’ve had enough of your little one’s favorite songs, head to Jitterbug to discover great, independent music for kids! You might even add some of these songs to your own play list!
Find an Old School Amusement Park - tired of long lines and super scary rides, find simple thrills at one of the old school theme parks listed in Cookie Magazine’s Recommendations for Old School Theme Parks.
Predict (Or Avoid!) Your Child’s Nickname – the homepage of Mommy and Me offers a unique service! Just type in the name of your child, or a name that you’re considering, along with the sex of the child, and sit back while a list of potential nicknames is generated! Is this fun or scary?
Discover New Children’s Books - after your 100th reading of Good Night Moon, Just One More Book might be the site for you! This site has reviewed a countless number of children’s books and allows you to search for titles by author or subject matter. Pod casts of the reviews are also available.
Find Age Appropriate Media Reviews – have you ever taken your children to a movie and wondered with a groan, “should I have brought them to this show?” Guidance for all of your media appropriateness questions (books, films, video games, websites and TV) can be found at Common Sense Media.
Get Out of Town - whether you’re getting away with girlfriends, kids in tow, or looking for a romantic escape, Traveling Mamas has everything you need to know!

For the Super Busy (and isn’t this all of us?)

Avoid Awkward Phone Calls - these just might be a thing of the past with Slydial! This voice messaging system allows callers to bypass a phone call that could be picked up and instead takes you directly to that number’s voice mail! Genius!
Snag Rental Car Deals - instead of searching the entire internet for the best deal, Rental Car Momma brings all of the major agencies together in one site! Some discounts can exceed 50%!
Lose Weight - at Sensei, you’ll find an online weight loss coach suited to your schedule, needs, food favorites and more. Easy to cook recipes incorporating your preferences are provided each week along with advice for eating out. The first two weeks are free and the following weeks are very reasonably priced!
Have Home Essentials Delivered to Your Door (For Free!) – Alice is an online supermarket that stocks all of life’s essentials and allow users to select the products that you use regularly (think: TP, detergent, trash bags, etc) and have them delivered to your doorstep, with scheduled restocking! Alice automatically finds and applies coupons and is typically priced lower than other retailers! It’s a win-win
Book the Best Seat on a Plane – on your next flight, to make sure that you have the best possible seat, as well as accurate information about the amenities offered (or more likely, not offered!) use Seat Guru’s airline seating charts to identify these seats and enjoy a more pleasant flight!
Manage Your Money – Mint.com has been highly rated by PC World and The Wall Street Journal as the best way to manage your finances for free! The site allows you to organize all of your accounts in one place, track spending, set a budget and much more!

For Life’s Fun Times

Toast a Long Distance Friend – ever wish that you (living in New York) could buy your old college roommate (who lives in California) a birthday cocktail? Well wish no more! Givereal makes it possible for you to give the gift of a cocktail (okay, or a soda!) any where in the United States that accepts credit cards! Cheers!
Organize a Group Gift - Take the work out of organizing a group gift by using Lolligift! This website allows you to start a gift pool, have friends chip in using PayPal or a credit card and then go shopping! Gift suggestions are also provided!
Plan Your Party Food and Beverage Quantities - Are you expecting more than a few guests? Use this easy planner from Real Simple to calculate just how much food and drink you’ll need for your crowd! There’s a second feature that figures in kids if they’re invited as well!

For the Entertainment/Education of our Kids

Create Works of Modern Art - who hasn’t looked at the works of Jackson Pollock and wondered “why couldn’t I do that?” At Jackson Pollock, children and adults can both enjoy his creative, splattering artistic process!
Find Out How Many People Share Your Name – How Many Of Me is a fun and informative site allows users to enter their name and determine just how many others share that exact same moniker.
Take An Arm Chair Field Trip – a visit to Meet Me At the Corner’s Facebook page will allow kids to watch over fifty short videos filmed by other kids their age. (Parents must log in first) Young film makers review famous destinations, interview famous artists and writers and some people with unique hobbies!
Turn a Cast Off into a Special Toy – Teddylux Recycled Cashmere offers a fabulous service: taking worn out or moth eaten cashmere sweaters and turning them into adorable stuffed animals! Using your old sweater or one of theirs, the hand crafters at Teddylux will add modern fabrics, grosgrain ribbon and buttons to turn out a unique and lasting new friend!

For the College Bound Crew

Make a Match with a College – at Zinch, high school students can create a free, online profile that highlights their talents, skills and interests in a way that a typical college application may not capture! Over 700 colleges are already using Zinch to find applicants who they would like to recruit. The site also matches students with scholarships!

For Fashionistas At Heart and Those Who Aspire to Be One

Find High End Fashion at Low End Prices - Haute Look, Gilt Group, Rue La La, Billion Dollar Babes, Bad Joan, The Outnet
Work With What You’ve Got, Figure Wise – no matter what your shape or size, a visit to MyShape will give you an opportunity to enter your personal measurements and then shop for clothes based upon your body shape, type and style.
Work With What You’ve Got, In Your Closet - This innovative site allows users to upload images of clothes and accessories that you already own and then create outfits, find a personal style or refine the style that you have right now at Closet Couture!