This year is the first time we are on the sleep-away camp circuit. My daughter's excitement is palpable. Despite the looming freedom of a few weeks as empty-nesters, most of the parents that send kids to far-flung camps still want to hear from the spawn on occasion. That's where a cellphone with unlimited talk time might come in handy. Just kidding! Instead we pick these no-fuss camp cards.

You might get your active kid to send one of these...they are so cool. Personalized cards from StationeryStudio.

Realistically '??fill-in'? cards are the way to go. They are easy enough to fill out that your sleep-away campers will write home. In keeping with the company'??s witty voice, kids will appreciate the simplicity and possibly drop you a (life) line. We suggest pre-stamping and pre-addressing. The set of ten cards, pen and envelopes ($8.99) can be found at Amazon.

If you are after something a little sweeter, we like this journal from Pepper Pot. It's got 208 pages to fill and a zipper pouch. Buy on Amazon $24.55for a pack of two.

More serious scribes might enjoy this set from Morethanpaper.com (in main feature). Perfect for the prepster who will be away for months. This canvas zippered case holds: 1 writing pen, 1 address sheet, 6"x9" clipboard, 5 foldover notes, 5 flat correspondence cards, 25 padded letter sheets and 15 envelopes ($28). Monogrammning also available.

Momtrends was not paid for this post. We did get samples.