Christmas - Tacoma,WA

if a Wii got broken in 5minutes - there was a problem, Houston! :)

this W. needs some mental therapy - I'm all great about not having clutter but a kid needs crayons and coloring books - believe it or not - it teaches them something - to stay within the lines, color, etc...oh my...

Either a DS or a DS Lite would be good...the games - they have a ton of age appropriate games like Star Wars Jedi, Brain Game, Spongebob Squarepants and much more...

GOOD LUCK!!!

if you get the wii remember it only comes with one controller and nunchuk so you'll have to buy extra. plus the games are a little more expensive. but my kids (5 & 7) love the wii and their ds. especially my boy. they have good wii games for the kids, but they are a little harder to control than the ds's. unless you get action games. my kids like Just Dance (and their mom would probably like it too). the carnival games are fun. and the sports. mario is fun bc you can use the remote like a controller by holding it sideways. they also just came out with the 20 yr anniversary Mario games (mario 1,2, 3 and lost worlds.) but you have to have the classic controllers. they would probably like those, too. and mario kart. that's fun. and supersmash bros brawl. (i'm just naming the ones my kids like that are easy for them to play)

Ask the mom about the electronics. Moms can have strong opinions about them. I like the expiereince gifts mentioned..like goto movies, get ice cream, making memories kind of stuff.

I agree with some of the other posters that maybe you should run your ideas by her before you purchase, just to be sure. That being said my nephew is 7, and got a ds when he turned 5 and a wii when he turned 6. He likes and plays with both a lot.

If the mom is willing to take them places, I'm a big fan of experience gifts. A membership to a local zoo or children's museum, a waterpark, a show they would like, etc. Takes up no space and it gives them the opportunity to do something different.

The mom sounds like a control freak. Poor kids not getting to use their creative energies. Wii is a great present. My grandson has one and it's been a real treasure for him. He plays with it alone and when a friend comes over they both can use it.

I'm a planner like you and have already bought some gifts ; )

One of my granddaughters received her DS when she was 6. It kept her occupied for long stretches of time, the only problem was that she had SO many games (around 10) she would misplace them, even with the case she had for them. Or she would trade them with my nephew, and then the parents on both sides were trying to retrieve the ones they'd bought :-/ Now that she's almost 10 she hasn't played with it for a couple of years, she prefers online games or Wii.

I think a Wii would be better for your sons as the two of them could play together, but will their mom have a TV they can hook it up to, or say they need a new one? She sounds like the type of person you or your husband should always run your ideas by to see how receptive she is and what she says...you don't want her donating a brand new Wii before the boys have used it!

I think you should ask their mother before you make any purchase. Perhaps she's like me, and would toss out anything having to do with video games. That would be a waste of your money!

Don't know about the nintendos, but my boys aged 3, 5 & 6 all love our ipads. They play games, color, draw, read, watch movies etc. If you can stretch to it, it's a great resource, and takes up no space.

The Kinnect with the Xbox is awesome. Worth checking that out instead of the Wii. The Wii has been out for a while the Kinnect is newer.

I agree that the Wii is a great gift. My only concern, however, is that the mom will think it's too "messy" in the sense that along with the main unit, there are the remotes that have wires that connect the remote with the nunchuck- which are needed for many games.

Also she may not like the thingy that sticks to the top of her brand new flat screen tv (sorry, I don't know what it's called- I guess it's some kind of receiver that gets the signal from the remote- it has adhesive so it can stick to the top of the tv and a wire that runs down the back of the tv and connects to the main unit). It doesn't sound to me like a good gift- just because of the OCD mom. If you want to get one, I'd keep it at your house.

I'd go for the DS Lites. My 3 boys have had them for years and not broken them. The plus side for the mom is that they are small and easily tucked away ;)

Look at the Kinnect too (part of Xbox)...it has lots of games like the wii, but with no remote...the screen just "sees" you move and puts your moves into the games.

I'd ask about the electronics, a lot of us control how much screen time our kids have. Experience gifts are usually a good option for no-clutter; you should probably check on magazine subscriptions as well. If she doesn't mind paper Highlights has a lot of cool things for kids including puzzle book subscriptions.

I actually agree with her about the washable crayons, they made a huge mess with my kids so I just gave them regular ones instead. Washable ones are water soluble and that means that they start to dissolve in little sweaty hands. When we needed no-mess (visiting friends who didn't have/want kids) we used the Color Wonder markers and coloring books.

She sounds like a nut. Anyhow, why don't you ask her about the ds? Or for ideas on what to get them. Magazine subscriptions are fun and can be enjoyed and then recycled. Gift certificates to ice cream hints, movies, disneyworld, aquariums etc. might be a good idea.

I would take them on an adventure, SeaWorld, Disney...do something and make memories. They'll remember that much longer than any gift you could give...Have fun!

I would make sure video games are an option before spending the money, she may not like the idea. My son is a video game genius and has been that way since he saw my DSi at 3 ... so for us pretty much if it's from Game Stop it's a hit. Due to his Video Game passion we have rules about gifts and keeping toys/games etc I do not think kids should have too much in the way of toys either.

I agree with the person who said, don't give them a thing, give them an event -- take them somewhere extra special and very memorable, a big day (and/or night) out, theme park and IMAX films or water park or laser tag or whatever they really, really want to do but maybe haven't ever done. Yes, as five-year-olds they'll also probably wonder "But where's my present?" and you can let them each choose one small item at the gift shop for the "event" place. A game system could be great, but are you sure their mom will even let them use it? If she's controlling, it's possible she might grit her teeth and say "Nice" when you give it but as soon as you're gone she might tell the boys "You can play with it once a month" and they don't see it again. If you do want to do the gaming system, I would have your husband check in with her in a friendly heads-up way, along the lines of "We would like to give this to the boys and wanted to let you know that's what we had in mind." I guess you don't want to give her veto power over your gifts (now or ever) but at the same time you'd be steamed if you found out in a year that the boys had touched the system twice.

I have daughters 10, 7, and 4 and they also have lots cousins their age... My daughters and their cousins all received Nintendo DS several years ago. Last summer they received the IPOD TOUCH (free thru banks membership sign up) and they LOVE it! ALL of them! They all dropped their DS like hot potatos. IF your stepsons have someone around who knows how to download stuff...there are tons of FREE games for ALL ages for them to play with. This is an EXTRA PLUS that I love as I have NOT had to dish out any money to "buy" them games as I did with the DS. Also..they can download/listen to music on the IPOD too. I highly recommend spending a little extra for the IPOD as their mother won't complain that she have to to buy them games at $20-$40 a pop that they get bored with after a couple of months.

Books, magazines subscriptions--National Geographic has some for kids and go to your local library for other ideas--and experiences like zoo memberships or trips, trips to Northwest Trek, Children's Museums or Science Center, etc. The experiences you can go with them and that is double the gift, fun for you and fun for them.

Make a fancy ticket envelope and put it in a box and wrap it up nice and fancy with wildlife or science type paper. Have fun with the presentation of the gift. That makes it triple fun.

Merry Christmas.

I agree about asking her. If she is that picky I would just tell her to tell you specifically what you can buy. Tell her to make a list. Poor kiddos.

I think the Wii is an excellent idea. If you get it and she says no we could use one....lol.

For their age group you might consider a Leapster. My 3 and 5 year old boys have it and they are fun games and educational. They have Star Wars, Cars theme etc.

We don't have a DS so I don't know about it at all, just thought I would give you a suggestion.

My first preference is the TAG Reader though. It's GREAT to have at the Dr. Office, Laundry Room etc. Anywhere I need them to sit and be still be take the Leapsters or the Tag reader. They can sit quietly and not be bored to death. It's sooo much easier. We don't allow them to play whenever they want but I do give them the Tag readers before bedtime sometimes when I am too exhausted to read them stories or when I need 30 min of quiet to accomplish something at home.

I like the idea of the Wii. My kids LOVE the wii. We have some fun games too. My kids like mario kart, Disney DDR, toy story mania, and cars racing.

On a side note I have started Christmas shopping in June. Not much but I have started. =0) SO I do not think you are nutz.

It sounds like you already got a lot of input however, if you are still in need of an idea I would suggest magazine subscriptions, a family membership to the local zoo or science museum or maybe movie tickets. For children who are limited in the things they are allowed to keep or have you can provide experiences that may have a more memorable impact than any thing they might ever own. (I will acknowledge that you would have to rely on the mom to take them, but if she did and liked it you might start something that they continue.)

Good luck and enjoy your trip to Florida!

Rather than a toy or a physical gift, give them an event. Since you're going to visit is there somewhere you can take them for the day? Can you get them a membership for a children's museum or aquarium that they can visit several times throughout the year?

Why not just check with her about what she'd like her kids to have? Maybe she'd prefer registration to a local art class for them so they get the experience and she doesn't have to clean up.

I have known 5 year olds who did well with a DS. I wouldn't want them for my kids though.