With budgets tighter for the holidays, we’ll be taking a look at some of our favorites (old and new) that deliver a great product at a lower price point.

Press n Go Inchworm (International Playthings)
Lamaze Pond Stackers (Learning Curve)
Color Surge (Crayola)
Moose in the House (Gamewright)
Racers (Lego Systems)

I’ll be on the Today Show tomorrow with some of our Platinum Award winners. It’s always hard to select the eight or so products to feature. It’s a process we do with our producer each holiday season–but it always feels uncomfortable to leave so many of our favorites behind. The good news is that I’ll be doing another segment as we get closer to the holidays–which gives us a chance to showcase more of our award winners.

We don’t make these products, we don’t sell them–but in the end we get really attached to the ones that we love. Joanne’s personal favorite is the Trotter Pony from Lamaze. It makes a trotting sound when you move the pony around. It’s a running joke in our family since I missed the lesson about what a pony is when I was little. I was at an important meeting back when I was practicing law and ponies came up-not exactly sure how. It was at that moment that I learned that ponies are not little horses….so now when my mother trots the pony around our office, it’s a reminder of some early lesson I missed. Or as I like to tell it–sometimes when you get to the third child in the family, some things just don’t get there!

Anyway–so tune in or watch it on the web. I’ll be on in the 9-10 hour with a really cute group of kids.

I just got back from the polls…the line was longer than usual but there was an excitement in the air. As always I walked away from the polling station feeling so grateful to my ancestors who had the courage to take the leap and come to America.