If the colder weather tends to make couch potatoes of your kids, then consider toys that inspire them to exercise more than their thumbs. Some ideas:
A favorite among toy experts, Wild Planet's Hyper Dash (ages 6 and up; $24.95, hyper-dash.com) has an electronic "tagger" and five "targets." Place the targets far apart and watch your kids dash to where the tagger tells them to go; they can try to beat their best time or compete against each other. "It's like a relay race, but you can do it indoors," says Alison Marek, the managing editor of "TDmonthly Magazine," which is a toy industry trade magazine.
This holiday season, rent the movie "Big," then order the updated Dance Mat Keyboard from FAO Schwarz, where Tom Hanks' character perfected "Chopsticks." See if you and your kids can hop, skip and dance some tunes of your own (ages 3 to 7; $45, fao.com).
What child doesn't love to slide around on hardwood in his stocking feet? Funslides attach to sneakers and work on carpets (ages 6 and up; $19.99, visit funslides.com for locations).
The ever-popular Dance Dance Revolution video game provides such a good workout that some schools use it in PE class. The home version of the game uses a mat consisting of nine squares on which to "dance" while you attempt to keep up with the musical commands that are on the screen (ages 6 and up; various formats, starting at $39.99 with dance mat included; konami.com).
Ann Pleshette Murphy is ABC's "Good Morning America" parenting expert.
"Studies have shown that wearing a properly fitted and safety-approved bicycle helmet can reduce head injuries by up to 85%," says John T. Gill, M.D., spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. "Still, only about half of cyclists bother to put on a helmet before they ride."
Helmets can reduce biking head injuries as much as 85%.
In addition to wearing a helmet, there are other precautions you can take to make sure your bike-riding experience is a safe one. "Don't turn your brain off when you climb on the saddle," Gill says. "Most injuries result from rider error. Knowing what to do, and paying attention to your surroundings, can help you avoid ac-cidents." Also, be sure your bike fits you properly; a poor fit can lead to lack of control. Even while cycling indoors, adjust the seat to your height to avoid injury.
And stay well hydrated when you bike -- even during the cooler months.
The iPhone may be coveted by all, but some of us aren't keen on handing over such a sophisticated (and expensive) device to Junior. Fortunately, there are options when it comes to "kewl" hybrid gizmos.
Play videos, music and games on multi-task media players.
Nickelodeon and Imation recently rolled out their Npower line for multi-tasking tweens. The Naked Brothers Band Fusion Digital Media Player ($99.99, at memorexelectronics.com/npower) lets you play videos and preloaded Java games, listen to music and view photos. Navigating the features is simple, which I learned from my young tester who didn't even bother to read the instructions. Within minutes, he had connected with the Nick characters and was sucked into a video -- and ignoring his parents.
If your tween is endlessly IM'ing on the family PC, you might want to check out the Z2 ($149.99, zipitwireless.com), a sleek handheld with flip-out color screen and keyboard that lets you send instant messages and store music and photos. The device's WiFi capability means users can hook up to an existing wireless network nearby and text for free through IM services at AOL, MSN and Yahoo.
Now's a good time to try a new perfume, as many fragrance houses debut their latest for the holiday season. But how do you know what fragrance will fit you?
Tanya Killeen, a beauty buyer for Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, recommends picking a classic fragrance and building from there: "Find your basic scent, then layer on others. So, if you're going to pick a seasonal winter scent, like Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir, go with the shower gel and body lotion. Then put something like the Orange Blossom on top of that.
You'll have a musky fragrance as your base, with citrusy on top of that."
A fragrance specialist at a perfume counter can help you figure out which layers work together.
