Eight Great Gift Ideas Handpicked By Me From the Sky Mall Catalog

A Good mother thinks of everything and leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the health and wellbeing of her family. But it seems that the perfect gift for a good mother is hard to come by these days. That's why I've found the perfect gift for the mother who really cares about her family:

The Disaster Preparedness Kit

Will you and your family survive a disaster or terrorist attack? How will you contact your family when communication services collapse? Do you know how to "shelter-in-place" during a disaster or chemical attack? Can you survive without the aid of police, fire or medical services? Prepare Your Family To Survive Disasters--Natural or Man-Made--with this 2 Disc CD/DVD Disaster Supply Kit. Includes over 1,000 pages of printable guides, checklists and info packets. Disaster and FEMA instructor John Kane provides in-depth information previously available only to emergency responders. DVD running time is 35 minutes. Windows and Macintosh-compatible. $24.99

But no Disaster Preparedness Kit would be complete without this as a stocking stuffer:

EVAC-U8 Smoke Hood

This emergency escape hood gives you 15 life-saving minutes to exit the fire area, eyes protected from smoke and soot, and lungs blessedly free from toxic carbon monoxide, and other deadly by-products of fire. That's why smoke hoods have been recommended by such travel safety experts as Ralph Nader. $75.00



Men love ball caps. Am I right? I think I am. But, com'on, Guys! How warm can that old ball cap be when there's a windchill of -15*F outside? Your forehead must be freezing!!! Well, listen up, Wives of America. I have found a terrific gift for you to give you husbands and sons!

Ball Cap Warmer

Split in the middle, this ear warmer fits around your hat's bill, keeping head, ears and forehead warm. Four-way polyester stretch fabric has a soft, microfleece lining and a jersey knit outer to repel wind and snow. One size fits most. USA/Imported. $19.99


Just because your mother didn’t make you soak your hands in bleach when you came home from school, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make your kids do the same. Times have changed! All good moms protect their homes from invading microbes, right? So why should you expect your mom’s way of storing her toothbrush to really work? After all, most toothbrushes are oozing with millions of invisible terrorists, just waiting to kill your kids. Don’t let them win. Give your family this gift:

The Million-Germ Eliminating Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer

This compact device from VIOlight uses proven germicidal UV technology (the same kind trusted to sanitize hospital instruments) to eliminate up to 99% of the millions of germs that can accumulate on your toothbrush, including streptococcus and listeria. The battery-powered device sanitizes a single toothbrush in less than 10 minutes, and packs easily in a suitcase or toiletry bag. With automatic shut-off. UV bulb is rated for 2,000 hours of use. Runs on two AA batteries. 2" W x 8 1/2" L x 1" D. (4 oz.) $29.95

I don’t know about you, but the thought of having to breathe the same air as that gross smelly man laying on the sidewalk makes me think I’d rather turn blue. It seems that everywhere I go, there’s tons of unsavory characters with I wouldn’t be caught dead talking to, much less breathing in their gross sub-par air. Well, here’s the perfect gift for the distinguished human, who deserves a higher quality of life:

Ultra-Mini Personal Air Supply

The world's first wearable air purifier, Air Supply substantially reduces pollutants, dust, smoke, pollens, germs, perfumes, odors and allergen particles floating in the air, so clean, fresh air is released to your mouth, nose and eyes. This unique, laboratory tested ionic wind technology projects trillions of air cleansing ions from its grill that electronically charge pollutants, resulting in cleaner, fresher air while traveling. Incredibly tiny and lightweight, Ultra-Miniature Air Supply the most powerful output of any wearable air purifier. Takes one CR123A lithium battery, (included). (Before flying, please check with your airline regarding inflight usage.) Available in Black or Clear. PLEASE SPECIFY COLOR. Measures 2 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/4"; 1 1/2" oz. Made in the USA. Includes handy travel pouch! $129.99

Speaking of things that men love, I'd give anything if my husbo loved me as much as he loves golf. How 'bout it, ladies!? I don't mind the fact that he's never home - that's a blessing! But I'm sick and tired of hearing him gripe about how un-ergonomic his golf shirts feel. Grrr! My blood pressure is rising just thinking about all that money I wasted on buying him un-ergonomic Christmas gifts . Good thing they make these:

Ergonomic Golf Shirt

Features magnetic faux button closure, drawstring hem, narrow-cut shoulders, and ventilated underarm gussets for maximum golfing movement, comfort and flexibility! 100% cotton knit in White or Navy, sizes Medium (46" chest), Large (48" chest), Extra Large (51" chest). Please indicate color and size when ordering. $69.95


What do you give the girl who doesn’t think she’s worth the trouble? If you give her a sweater, she’s just hate the way she looks in it. If you give her a gift-certificate, she’ll just use it to buy a lame CD that she’ll listen to while crying over a bowl of icecream. If you buy her a car, she’ll probably just crash it into a tree while drunk driving home from a one-night-stand. Well, look no father! You can cure her self-hatred with this great gift:

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF Anklet

“Believe if Yourself” That's the inscription on the charm of this stylish anklet. It's the perfect way to boost the confidence of any self-doubting gal. Made of sterling silver, it's fully adjustable and features a heart-shaped lobster-claw closure. 10" long. Handcrafted in the USA. $42.00


To be a successful executive these days, you have to know everything. But how do you find the time to learn when you’re busy merging companies, trading stocks, laying off employees over 40 and denying women of their maternity leave? What’s that other important executive going to think when you can’t talk about the “Moby Dick” at the business luncheon. Imagine the great look on your prospective clients’ faces when you quote a line from “As I Lay Dying” in your attempts to woo them into using your companies services. As fast as you can say “It’s a Deal” or “We’re taking your 401K away” you can be caught up on thousands of classic books with this great gift:

Book Summaries

It's every executive's dilemma: Too much to read! But successful business people don't let the books pile up, now that there's a smart way to stay on top of what you need to know: Soundview Executive Book Summaries
While you attend to running your business, our skilled editors monitor the thousands of new business books published each year. Then we select the 2% that can make a measurable difference to the work you do. Next, we prepare a fast-reading, 8-page print summary and 20-minute specially-scripted audio summary that present the key ideas and important insights of the books you want to read. You get the substance of each book, expertly extracted in a way that preserves the author's spirit and intent. That way, you will find practical techniques you can use immediately, and a wealth of ideas that will put you far out in front. 20 minutes is all it takes.
Your subscription includes summaries of the top 30 books of the year, sent in monthly installments. And you also receive free access to the Soundview website, where your summaries are available in your own Online Library, along with additional information on key books and authors. $159.00