(An earlier version of this post originally appeared on Work It Mom / Milk and Cookies; I’m in the gradual and painstaking process of moving a number of them to this site.)

Here is the problem: The twins have been invited to the birthday party of a little girl turning five. I need two presents by this weekend. I’m looking for things that cost about ten dollars, although less would be even better. I have a few things I’m considering buying, and I also have some maybes on the gift shelf.

Stomp Rocket Jr Glow Kit. My mom has a stomp rocket and the kids LOVE it. I would prefer to get one WITHOUT the “glow” feature, but the glow one is marked down to $7.20 [back then it was, while the non-glow was $15] AND comes in a “junior” version, so…

 

Crayola Telescoping Pip-Squeaks Marker Tower. Maybe it isn’t the same in everyone’s house, but at our house we have an endless need for marker replenishment.

 

Hello Kitty Shirt. [Originally this was a non-holiday Hello Kitty shirt. The one I got isn’t available now, and this is my favorite from the ones currently on the Target website—but if I were getting it for a birthday party, I wouldn’t choose a holiday theme.] This is my top favorite idea for Elizabeth to bring as a gift. Elizabeth LOVES Hello Kitty, and I thought it would be fun to buy two of these and have Elizabeth wear one to the party and bring the other one wrapped. Also, I happen to know the family isn’t rolling in money, so it might be nice to give something practical. [We did do this. It was especially fun because when Elizabeth arrived at the party, the birthday girl said, “Ooooooo, I love your shirt!!”]

 

And these are the things I already have on the gift shelf:

Paperoni Variety Pack. This would be a little more than I wanted to spend, except I bought it on a sale for $7.99 at Target a few months ago and put it on my gift shelf. But I hesitate, because my 9-year-old had a set of these and found them frustrating.

 

Pixos Alphabet Pack. At $16.99, this would be substantially out of my price range—but I found one at 75% off at Target a few weeks ago. Since the twins and the birthday girl are all starting kindergarten, a letter-themed kit seems timely and fun. She could make her name! But again, I wonder if this might be too difficult for a 5-year-old.

 

Melissa and Doug Magnetic Dress-Up Maggie Leigh. I think it might be too young for her.

 

Kittenwar: The Card Game. When I saw this in the Bargain Books section, I confused it with the Kittenwar Postcard Book, which is what I ACTUALLY wanted. The game is played like War: each player puts down a card, and the person with the higher-ranking kitten takes both cards. This seems fun but it looks SMALL as a gift.