Every year, my husband and son typically get me flowers, a card, and a reservation somewhere for Mother’s Day. It’s insanely appreciated and really more than I need. Last year, it was an added bonus that my son swallowed a loose tooth during our brunch outing. Since he didn’t choke on it, it’s ok… we can laugh about it now. Frankly, he needed a little something to slow him down from mowing down the restaurant’s fruit cart. Also, my underwear drawer is already filled to the brim with Tooth Fairy booty.

That said, if you’re looking for a little something extra to give mom this holiday, here are three lovely (but sort of late) selections that won’t break the bank.

Onion Goggles
This mom likes a good cry — but not when that cry is initiated by cutting onions. My husband got me a pair of these a year or so ago. They make me feel like a superhero and work like magic. [About $20 on Amazon.]

Roku 3
My family doesn’t have to buy this for me. They may not even realize it, but we already own it. I reviewed this compact box last month (see my Roku 3 Review on Big Picture Big Sound), so I speak from experience by saying your mom/spouse will love this. It provides access to over 750 channels of entertainment and if mom doesn’t want to share it with you or hear your snarky comments, it has a built-in headphone jack. [$99 on Amazon.]

Wonder Woman Apron
It says you think mom is one of the greatest superheros that ever donned a pair of go-go boots. It also says you love the dinners that she makes and feel badly that those leave her with so many stained shirts. [$18.99 on Amazon.]

Kohler just announced its latest and presumably greatest Numi toilet. I say “presumably,” because I will never be privy to a $6000 toilet. I could easily blow six grand on crap, but I’m not going to blow six grand on something for crap.

This is the ultimate piece of high-tech decadence, with Bluetooth streaming, heated seats, and a funky fresh light show for times when your crap is too lengthy for a magazine article. It also has customized bidet features. That basically means that if you like the spray to be akin to a fire hose, but you don’t want to super-soak your houseguests, it can be a private feature.

Check out this awesome spectacle in my write-up on Kohler’s Newest Numi Toilet for Electronic House.

It also sent me in search of the best Wonder Woman-themed wares money could buy. After all, I’m always on the lookout for a little something I can sneak to my friend in the mail. Frankly, I was sort of shocked at the lack of goodies. Yes, there are caped socks, notepads and mousepads. You should see the bad-ass stuff that Batman has, though.

That said, I did find the above set of Wonder Woman decals, which are designed to coat your KitchenAid mixer. I blinged out my mixer with superhero decals earlier this year, but if I had an ounce of space to spare, it would most definitely get dedicated to the Amazon princess.

Check out the decals and a few of the other goodies that I found in my article on 7 Super Wonder Woman Gifts and Wants on GeekMom.

Courtesy of ® & © 2013 Universal Studios and/or HMH. PBS Kids ® Public Broadcasting Service.

A few weeks ago, a new DVD came out called Curious George Swings Into Spring. If you’re too cheap to go out and buy one, get ready to fire up the DVR. PBS Kids will be airing the one-hour special absolutely free for you cheap-Os, in honor of Earth Day.

Around this house, we’re pretty big fans of this little monkey. In fact, I am dreading the day where my son is completely over the whole Curious George thing, because I’ve always enjoyed the books, the movie, the TV show and all of the merchandise. In other words, this DVD was a must-have.

It’s important to note that the animation on this special isn’t like the movie, but is more on par with the PBS series. That said, this little monkey is as curious as ever, mainly about the concept of spring. At the beginning, George discovers that spring is that season in the middle of winter and summer — but as Hundley the dog notes, “It’s a new mess that George didn’t know how to make yet.”

To George and The Man with The Yellow Hat, spring is all about breaking into song in the park. To Hundley and the Doorman, it’s time for some spring cleaning. Hmm… one of those sounds like a much more appealing special for children, doesn’t it? However, a busted pipe has the building’s residents seeking alternate shelter and Hundley heading out to the country with George and The Man with The Yellow Hat. There, they help Hundley learn to love spring — whether he wants to or not.

My 6-year-old’s said he really enjoyed the special and added, “I didn’t know this was a music video. I like that.” Yes, this special includes music. It’s not Jack Johnson, but it’s certainly a nice touch. If you need a further endorsement, my son immediately asked for a repeat viewing, so I don’t think he minded all that much. Neither did I.

This sweet special certainly got us pumped up for spring. In fact, we ended up spending the weekend prepping lettuce for our garden, with tomatoes to follow very soon. We also filled up the bird feeder — and believe me, the birds have been waiting for that! If you don’t have a bird feeder, PBS Kids has a little project showing you how to make one using a plastic bottle. It’s really easy and even teaches a little about recycling.

Curious George Swings Into Spring airs on PBS on Monday, April 22, 2013. Check out local listings for airtimes or snag one on DVD. Enjoy!

PBS provided me with a screener of this for review purposes.

That is the real Judd Apatow retweeting my Blu-ray review for his latest film, This Is 40. I found the movie to be very true to my life — except that on a daily basis, I don’t seem to run into Paul Rudd nearly enough. Check out my Blu-ray review of This Is 40 at Big Picture Big Sound.

A while back, I had to review the DISH Network Hopper Whole-Home DVR. If you want to know all of the ins and outs about the device, you can read my review. Bottom line: I think it’s awesome. It’s the best thing to happen to TV since the DVR. Yes, it’s a DVR, but it’s a lot more. It’s also caused a lot of controversy.

The Hopper has two features that set it apart from anything else out there. The PrimeTime Anytime feature records everything on ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC during primetime hours. Everything. Don’t like American Idol? You’re getting it anyway. It records across the board and functions like a mini version of on-demand.

Once that stuff sits in the PrimeTime Anytime menu for about a day, you can use the Auto Hop feature to zap out all of the commercials. This option has all four networks pretty pissed and lawsuits are currently flying all over the place. Of course, Auto Hop is basically the same thing we’ve been doing for years with the fast-forward button. However, I guess because you get the occasional glimpse of an Olive Garden ad or something, the networks consider that to be passable.

Instead of lawyers and paperwork, the networks should be sending DISH some fruit baskets, because now I’m watching more TV shows than ever before. I didn’t say that was a good thing, but it is what it is. Here are a few things I’ve watched just because they magically appeared under the PrimeTime Anytime menu on my DVR:

1. Animal Practice: I watched more than one episode of this. I’m not proud to admit that, but nothing states my point better. Also, I love Justin Kirk, so I think that I was doomed from the first promo.
2. Smash: I’m not a musical person, but enjoyed the concept. Then it turned into something else that I don’t really care about at all.
3. Guys With Kids: I wanted to like this. It’s got Anthony Anderson, the guy from Bring It On, and Jimmy Fallon’s name above the title. The laugh track is completely distracting, but that’s probably a good thing.
4. Go On: I call this “not Friends.”
5. The New Normal: I’ve watched every episode and still don’t have no clue whether I like it or not. I will probably continue to watch it until it stops showing up on my DVR.
6. The Taste: It’s 50 percent The Voice, 50 percent MasterChef, and 100 percent horrible.

There’s probably more that I could list, but you get the idea. Unfortunately, some of the networks don’t and they’re coming off poorly. The whole thing has gotten so insane that CBS got CNET pulled from the annual CES awards because they “made” them pull the new Hopper with Sling from its “Best of Show” program. Now, they are threatening poor Kaley Cuoco over some stupid Tweet. She’s on one of the network’s hottest shows, but apparently not free to have her own opinions.

Listen, I get what the networks are saying. Really, they couldn’t care if you watch Animal Practice, Private Practice or reruns of The Practice. They want you to watch ads — all of them. I have news for you, though; people don’t watch them anyway. They want to believe that, but this is when we grab a snack, fill up our drinks, and take our bathroom breaks. Also, the Auto Hop isn’t exactly foolproof. You always get a peek at the ads going into and out of the commercial breaks. Don’t even get me started about the ads at the bottom of the screen during the shows or product placement. I need to get back to my horrible TV…

Read about some of the other Bruce Wayne-worthy features of this home in my article, “Buy This Batman Home Theater,” on Electronic House.

Nine years ago today, I married my best friend. (Cue the “awww” sound effects.)

However, my fondest memory of that day was not the flowers, the prime rib or my new husband’s cousin laying on the sample bed in the hotel lobby. It came before I even walked down the “aisle.” (Those quotes are because it was really more of a hallway.)

We both love the beach and currently live about 5 minutes from the ocean’s edge. So when we found a place that would hold all of our friends and family and even put some of them up for the night, we were thrilled to find out that it was not far from that same ocean. It was a great pre-ceremony picture opp.

The ladies’ car got a little “lost” on the way to the beach, but that’s a whole other story. Just know that it was worth the black-and-white memories like the one that you see above.

After we had exhausted all of our best pre-wedding poses, it was time for some marrying. We all booked back to the hotel and had to do a quickie clean up before the big show. I stepped into the tub to wash the sand off my feet before I was to put on my princess-like wedding shoes. I turned on the faucet and…

SPLASH — right on my veil. The one that had been perfectly crafted into my perfectly coiffed hair. You’d think there had been a bulls-eye on top, the shot was so centered. I don’t remember how much was spent on that hairdo, but it seemed like everything wedding-related had an extra zero or two, so use your best guess.

I guess the chambermaid had come in while we were out, cleaned up the tub, and was meticulous about that faucet. It was a split second, as I had much faster reflexes back then. I didn’t get all bridezilla, but I did call out for my sister, who came running in with a towel.

It was a good story for the reception and it still makes me laugh 9 years later. Happy anniversary, honey!

My house smells like butter right now. It’s so awesome that I wish I could bottle that smell into a butter-scented candle. There must be one of those already; it’s a pretty wonderful scent.

That delicious smell is due to the fact that I just made hamburger buns from scratch. I use Money Saving Mom’s recipe for Bread Machine Buttery Rolls, but with a few tweaks:

1. I sub out honey or turbinado sugar for the white sugar.
2. I use white whole-wheat flour.
3. I swap 1/4 cup of vital wheat gluten for 1/4 cup of the flour. Makes it nice and squishy.

Typically, I weigh out the dough into 3-ounce portions and get out all of my aggressions by flattening each one into a little pancake circle. Then, I let them rise before putting them into the oven for about 11-12 minutes. These are killer right from the oven, but I also put them into the freezer for future sandwiches and burger nights.