Stocking Stuffers 2012

I know!  Christmas is over, let's move on already.  But I can't quite yet.  I have some housekeeping to do.  First, what I filled the girls' stockings with, plus Ed's, and whatever else I feel like writing to help myself out for next year. 

For the girls:

A few months ago I took them to the American Girl Doll store at Tyson's Corner.  They'd just started new earning charts for AGDs, and since we conveniently have a store close, I took them to oogle at all the dolls, accessories, beauty salon, etc., and also the price tags for those things.  While we were there, though, I noticed the DVD's were on sale for $5, by far the cheapest thing in the store, so without knowing much about them, I picked up these three.

 What a hit!  They have watched all three, some more than once already, since Christmas.  They seem to be really well-done movies with good messages, or at least not bad ones.  Each has a different historical setting, and my older two girls have really incorporated these into their imaginative play, and asked me many questions about things like hobo camps during the Great Depression and orphanages in the early 1900's.  Good stuff.  Great deal.

Stripey leggings for Hazel and Ginger, cutie shirt for Poppy

Lots of food stuff: Pop Rocks, Animal Crackers, M&M guy, and a hot chocolate snowman went in each stocking.  The older two also got those candy cane Pop Drops with Tootsie Roll centers.  The Nutkao snacks didn't fit, so I will save those for Easter baskets, just 3 months away!

Everyone got a new Pony, and a cutie finger puppet, which I stuck on the end of...

Smencils!  Watermelon for Ginger, Orange for Poppy, Root Beer for Hazel.  And these slap bracelets I picked up on our beach trip.

A plethora of hair things, to replace all the lost/broken clips and headbands from the past year.

Socks for Poppy, since I'm still squeezing her into 6-12 month size ones.  Everyone deserves to have socks that fit.  

Keychains and floss

That about does it for the girls.  In Ed's stocking I gave:

• a bag of his favorite granola
• movie passes
• a new SmarTrip card (enough with scrounging for change in the morning)
• prepaid carwash card
• toothpaste
• a bottle of his favorite hair stuff
• dental floss
• cinnamon Smencil
• M&M's
• a photo mousepad of the girls
• a balloon animal kit 
• toothpaste tube squeezer 

I guess that's all I feel like writing about for now.  I need to write at least one more Christmas follow-up post, but that's good for tonight.

What's for Christmas 2012

I have finally, FINALLY, finished Christmas shopping.  I don't know why it's so grueling, but somehow it is.  I just hate to spend money on anything that might not get good use, so I agonize, maybe too much over some things, wondering if this or that will be just right.  But what's done is done and I truly hope I am not only done shopping, but also done returning.  That has also been part of this journey.

So.  Each kid gets roughly something to wear, something to read, something to play with.  And this year something to eat, too, for fun.  Hazel needs clothes more than the other girls, so she is getting more clothes.  For a "big" gift, we were going to get everyone proper bikes.  But then our neighbor gave us two really nice gently used bikes, in Hazel's and Ginger's sizes.  So only Poppy is getting a bike.  The other two can just live with the other stuff they're getting.

Poppy (2 1/2)
To wear:

To read:

To play with: 
The guitar is really the "play with" gift.  She calls it a "bitar" and wants one so badly like Hazel's.  This one is a toy from World Market and it's very small, just Poppy's size.  I tuned up the strings a bit so it does actually play, but I don't know if it really holds a tune.  I don't think it matters to her.

The stroller I picked up at a consignment sale for $2, so she's getting that, too.  She ALWAYS has at least one, but more like 4-5 baby dolls or stuffed animals in her arms at all times, and takes a rotating set of them everywhere she goes.  I thought she might like a new way to get them around.

Ginger (5yrs 11mos)
To wear:
It's cruel that with her slender frame she's the most fun to dress, but as the middle child, has the fewest new clothes needs.  I love the excuse at Christmas to get her something new.

 

To read:

I got both the puzzle book and a set of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books at the afore-mentioned consignment sale.  You can never have too many books.  Especially when they're 25 cents each.

To play with:

To eat:

Hazel (7 3/4)
To wear:
This kid needs everything.  She doesn't even have a week's worth of pants because she has outgrown at least three pairs I got her for fall.  And she's hard on clothes.  What does fit, she's going through fast with stains and holes.  So I'm just trying to keep up.

To read:

Another great way I get free or cheap books for Christmas, and other occasions, is on Paperback Swap.  Love that site.

To play with:

I know, I'm late to the game with Legos, but they've never been interested.  Then at a recent playdate, Hazel liked them.  So we'll give them a try.

To eat:

Naturally, I can't divulge what Ed is getting because sometimes he checks in here.  I will say, at first I struggled, like most years.  But then I've had a few good ideas, and I'm running with them. 

Last Saturday my Mom and I took the girls shopping for gifts they could get each other and us parents.  In past years we've done this at CVS and Hollin Hall Variety Store, both good options.  The best place is small but not too small - you don't want too many choices or too much walking.  Also there needs to be a nice variety of small price items.  This year we went to Big Lots.  The big girls each had $35, some of which was their own money; Poppy had $20.  We walked around first, to get the lay of the land, and to give the girls some general ideas and suggestions.  Then we split up - Hazel went with me, and Mom took the little girls, then took Hazel again to get my present.  Hazel did pretty good with her math, and staying in budget, though she did have to make some tough choices and swap on over-price gift for Poppy out for a better gift for Ginger.  I felt her pain; these are the difficult choices a Christmas shopper has to make!

After shopping, we went out for subs for lunch.  When we got home, I helped each girl wrap.  Despite best efforts to hide in bags, I saw everything the girls got me (an earring holder, bath poof, chip clips) - very cute.  But I have pretended not to know, and Ed will help them wrap them.

How's your Christmas shopping going?

Teacher Gifts 2012

It is that time of year.  Again.  Ginger finished preschool last week, and I'm not ashamed to say I cried like a little girl - seriously, bawled - at the end-of-year music program.  Saying goodbye to her tiny two-year window of preschooldom was painful, a pain whose only alleviation was the giddy little thrill of putting together a year-end gift for her amazing teacher.

Teacher appreciation week was last month, and our class pooled contributions for a generous restaurant gift certificate for her and the school's music teacher, so our year-end gift was simple.  I'll just let you know now, this post holds no new ideas, just a rehashing of former ones I've posted - ain't broke, don't fix it.  It's just a good way for me to keep track of who we've given what, when.

And while I was on the teacher gift vein, I've ordered/bought/planned the ones for Hazel's teachers, too, even though she still has a few weeks.  Hazel has three teachers - a man and a woman that job share as her 1st grade teacher, and a wonderful grandmotherly full-time teacher's aide.  So here's what we're doing.

For Ginger's preschool teacher AND Hazel's woman teacher - a copy of Ex Libris by Anne Fadiman, a personalized "Ex Libris" stamp, and two different colors of archival quality ink pads.  I ordered the stamps from Etsy - there are a lot of cool ones on there!  This one for Ginger's teacher:

And this one for Hazel's:

For Hazel's man teacher, you have to know he has two children under 2, and the poor man is a walking zombie of sleep deprivation, though he has still managed to teach my 7-year-old to read fluently this year so I'm not complaining.  It's just that every time I talk to him he asks, "How old is Poppy again?" followed by a recent anecdote of extreme parenting that he doesn't remember he already told me last time.  But he's always got a smile on his face, and Hazel adores him.  So, keeping the family orientation of his life in mind, I'm sticking with the no-failer - my favorite ice pops book (or maybe I'll try this one) and a set of star-shaped popsicle molds.  Take a load off this summer, Mr. B.

And for Hazel's teacher aide, who has put up with heaven-knows-what this year, I'm taking an idea from a comment on last year's post.  When we went strawberry-picking last Saturday at Homestead Farm, I stopped into their farm stand for a bag of buttermilk pancake mix and a jar of peach melba preserves.  I hope she can have some leisurely breakfasts this summer on us.

Finally, that picture at the top of this post?  It came attached to a funny - and practical - article I found about teacher gifts here.  It's nice to know I'm at least not on the wrong track.

Gift Guide: What to Get the "Experienced" Mom

Many of my closest friends around here are expecting.  And this time, instead of the thrill of a first baby, it's their third, fourth or fifth.  And whether a traditional shower is held for her or not, I think each arrival is cause for celebration, and to me part of that means gifts.

So I've done some thinking.  What do you get such a Mom, someone who is well-versed and well-stocked, who has developmental toys for every age, the parenting books she knows and likes, clothes in every size for both genders, and receiving blankets coming out her ears?  There is still plenty, and you would be a very thoughtful friend to get her something she will actually need and use (read: not blankets.  Or stuffed animals.)  I nudged a few friends for ideas, and added them to my own.  And here I give you a pretty darn good resource list.

DISPOSABLES

I don't care how many kids she has; she will need diapers (unless she's gone cloth - doesn't hurt to find out.)  You could get her any size from 1 to 4 and they will be much-appreciated and definitely used.  One friend told me she had a baby shower for her second that was just diapers - she said they didn't have to buy diapers for almost a year!  Amazing.  What a gift.

Other disposable-type things a new Mom always needs:

• Baby wash (my favorite is California Baby calming)
• Diaper cream (fav - Weleda Calendula cream)
• Nursing pads (fav - Lansinoh)
• Diaper pail liners - just find out what kind she has and get some liner refills - not glamorous, but very thoughtful!
• Wipes

REPLACEMENTS

Along a similar vein to disposable, are things that she may already have, but it's nice (and sometimes necessary) to have new ones for the new kid.  This includes things like:

• Baby washcloths
• Board books (don't be afraid she'll already have the one you picked - if she does, it is probably all chewed up and falling apart and a new one is great; if she doesn't, bonus!)
• Bibs
• Pacifier clips
• Baby spoons
• Sippy cups
• White onesies
• Burp cloths

"LUXURY" ITEMS and NEW GADGETS 

Two categories in one here, and these comprise more traditional baby gifts.  But since this Mom has so many of the necessities, it can be nice to get her a not-so-necessity, maybe something she's always wished for but could never justify buying.  But, it still has to be useful!  Just for example:

• A PBK chamois crib sheet - so soft!  
• Wipes warmer (especially for winter babies)

The baby item industry is always booming, and there is constant and endless innovation happening there.  Which means there are always new cool things coming out, and she may not have something that's come out in the last few years.  One time when I was pregnant with Poppy, in 2010, I spent a whole afternoon alone at Babies R Us, walking up and down every single aisle just to see what was new since Ginger had been born in 2007.  I found some of my favorite new stuff that way.  A few new-ish things she might not have, but that I think are clever and useful, are:

• Teether jewelry
• Stroll-Away stroller hook
• Mommy Hook (I love mine)
• A subscription to Brain, Child: the magazine for thinking mothers  

CLOTHING

Is now a good time to address clothing?  Because here's what happened.  I recently attended a shower for a woman having her third girl in three years.  It was well-attended but I was so surprised that every gift but two that I remember was clothes.  It's true a third might like a thing or two of her own, but I am positive that family did not need that many new girl clothes.  The two gifts that weren't clothing were mine - a baby timer (with batteries) - and a gift containing home pedicure things for the mom.  Which I'll talk about in a minute. 

My feelings are: if she's having her first of a gender, clothes are a great way to go - of course she will need them!

If she's having a gender she already has clothes for, but you just must get clothes because they are so cute and fun (and I don't judge or blame you for that), elevate.  Skip Carter's and Target.  She will probably be shopping there herself. Get less for more and buy quality, somewhere she wouldn't normally shop, and get this kid something really nice.  Almost every mom I asked responded how nice it is to have at least some new, clean things for the baby.

FYI American Apparel is one of my favorite brands for soft, unadorned baby separates, especially for boys.  I love their karate pants and onesies.

And. One friend suggested getting a baby bathing suit, swim diapers, and sunscreen (hand me down swimsuits are always a little loose and pilly.)

HELP & SERVICES

Dude, you know what this mom needs most?  Some help.

• Dinner - get her a gift card to a place that delivers (i.e., pizza, Thai), has easy pick-up (i.e. Panera, Chipotle, etc.), or a meal delivery service.  Some examples are Grandma's Chicken Soup, Let's Dish, and Send-a-Meal.  And of course you could always make them something yourself.  One of the best gifts ever was a woman I didn't know well emailed me a month after Poppy was born, when all the meal-bringing had stopped and I was drowning.  She told me she was bringing me dinner and gave me three dates to choose from.  It was no-fuss, no-frills, and I will remember her thoughtfulness forever.  Another best-ever gift was when a friend brought us dinner...and a huge shopping bag full of paper plates and plastic cups.  We ate off those for months, and it was the only way I could stay on top of the dishes.
• Massage - I can't think of anything better than a prenatal massage.  Unless it's a post-partum massage.  You know some hospitals offer that service?  What a gift that would be, if you found out where she's delivering and arranged to gift her a massage while she's in the hospital.  That is a true friend.
• Mommy Relief - If I ever have another baby, please oh please, someone get me a g/c for these guys!  I know they're local but I bet most areas have something similar.
• Mani/ Pedi - Just a simple treat almost any woman would love.  But, get her a gift card to a salon.  In reference to the home-pedi gift mentioned above, um, what 7-9 month pregnant mom can paint her toenails and also breathe?  And what new mom has time or thoughts of painting her own nails?  But a salon outing, that is a treat.
• Gift Cards - besides food, help, and nails, the experienced mom needs clothes.  For herself.  Post-partum is a dark time for a woman's wardrobe, as she mysteriously morphs into whatever surprise shape and size she's going to be this time around, but she still has to wear something!  And you know her nursing bras are in a sad, sad state by the third or more child.  My best suggestion here is a mall gift card, so she can buy whatever, wherever. 

GROUP GIFT

Consider pitching in with friends to get her one big nice thing.  Something like:

• a rockin' rad double stroller (she probably has her eye on one)
• a gift card (see above) to a:
•  restaurant
• store 
• mall
• website (my fav - Diapers.com)
• local photographer (for an infant photo shoot - so thoughtful!)
• bookstore (especially Amazon, really)

OK, see?  All is not lost.  So what if she has a girl, two boys, and lots of baby gear?  There are still A TON of really thoughtful gifts you can give her, in any price range!  Hope this was helpful.  And in case you still need more, here are my own Top 5 favorite things to give new and repeat Moms (but step off if you are going to the same shower as me because I get dibs on giving these!)

 1 - Itzbeen Baby Timer (you've heard me sing its praises before; I always include batteries)
2 - Patemm pad (one of the coolest baby things I own)
3 - Chew beads (my favorite "new" baby invention)
4 - Books (kid-approved favorite board and picture books are always the right gift, with the bonus aspect that siblings can enjoy them now, and baby, later)
5 - Happiest Baby on the Block DVD (this is usually a first-time Mom gift, but I lend mine to many "experienced" moms.  Most helpful information I've ever gotten regarding babies' first three months.)

AND.  If you STILL need ideas, I love perusing Cool Mom Picks baby shower gift guide, if nothing else, the ads are always so cute!

What's for Christmas? (pt 2)

Again, mostly for my own record-keeping.  Here's what everyone's getting in their stockings.

All girls:

Clementine in the toe / candy cane on top
Toothbrush & toothpaste
Band-aids
Zhu Zhu hamsters (I got a 3-pack, yay, more batteries!)
Socks
Matryoshka ornament with each girl's initial painted on the bottom (I'm kinda crazy for matryoshkas)

Poppy:

Dora sippy cup
Small notebooks for writing/drawing
Coloring book
Lots and lots and lots of fruit snacks

Ginger:

Sparkly pipe cleaners
Jewel stickers
Gloves
Tic tacs (her favorite church snack)
Skittles (her favorite candy, newly discovered at Halloween)
Charlie & Lola vol. 11 DVD
Wig Out game

Hazel:

Pink guitar ornament (Hazel has been taking lessons for a few months)
Metallic ponytail holders (which I will be borrowing)

Thermos (for taking warm things for lunch; matches her water bottle)
Pretzel M&M's (new favorite candy)
"Principal-for-a-Day" gift certificate (a genius PTA fundraiser)
Charlie & Lola vol. 4 DVD
Paintbrush pens

Ed (always the hardest!):
Carmex
Tylenol
Single-serving mixed nut packages
Slimfast (he drinks it for breakfast almost every morning - bonus, takes up lots of real estate!)
Gum (big Costco box of Trident)
Travel-size shave gel
Camp soap sheets
The Man from Snowy River soundtrack (we saw the movie on TV a few weeks ago and snuggled and reminisced about how good that movie is, both then and now.  And the music remains amazing.)

What's for Christmas? (pt 1)

This is more for my own record-keeping than anything else, but sometimes it's fun to see what other people are getting their kids for Christmas.  I hope this in no way comes off as bragging; that's not at all how it's intended.  In fact, Ed and I made a conscious effort to downsize Christmas this year.  

I've mentioned before the way our family approaches Santa.  We've always told the kids he is not real, just a fun story.  In this way we hope to separate his part in Christmas from the Savior's, who is in every way very real.  But just because Santa is pretend doesn't mean he isn't fun, so we still do "Santa" gifts and read books about him.  In fact, Ginger is finding her own way this year; she told me she decided he IS real.  (Digression: the other night Ed and I watched a fabulous documentary called Becoming Santa - totally loved it - catch it if you can.)

So.  This year we decided - and told the girls - "Santa" is bringing them each only three presents: 1) something to read, 2) something to wear, 3) something to play with.  You've heard of people doing something like this.  It appealed to me to keep the budget and present quantity in check, and, most importantly, equal.  They will get gifts from each other and relatives, but here is what they're getting from us.

Poppy (20 months)

Read: Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard.  We got this from the library a few years ago and it's one of my favorites for the 2 to 3 age range.

Wear: I don't have a picture.  I got her a few cute things from the sale rack at Carter's.  She's the one kid around here who doesn't really need new clothes.

Play: OK, the "one thing" in each category is a loose guideline.  Poppy got two.  The purse, she picked out herself at Claire's.  Swung it over her shoulder and proclaimed, "MY backpack!"  So I bought it.  The doll may look like a "whatever" toy, but thought went into it - she wanted a baby doll she could take in the bath since all our others have cloth bodies.  Plus it's more her size.  

Ginger (4 1/2)

Read: Tag Reading System - Ginger saw a commercial for this and said she really wanted it.  I hesitated because I'd rather just have regular books and not more battery-operated STUFF around here.  But Ed said let's give it a try so we'll see.

 Wear: a purple flower velour dress, pink dotted "twirly" skirt, and some purple cords

Play: this random multi voice changer thing.  See, one night in early December I gave Ginger and Hazel a stack of well-chosen toy catalogs and told them to circle things they liked.  Then we went over them together, and I created Amazon wishlists for them from the things they circled.  Some made sense; others seemed random.  But it was a great insight into things they were interested in that I never would have guessed.  Of the things Ginger circled, this appealed to me by having no small parts, low injury risk, taking up little space, and hopefully requiring little adult supervision. 

Hazel (6 1/2)

Read: Hazel loves non-fiction, and we don't have a lot of it. At a friend's house, we once saw Explore and Learn books, which are full of age-appropriate facts, descriptions and stories about almost everything a 1st grader could be interested in!  Unfortunately, they are also hard to find.  Southwestern publisher still sells their books by door-to-door salespeople, usually college students in the summer.  LAME!  I found a few used sellers on ebay and the like, but I had to think about the $80+ price tag for the full set of six.  By sheer luck, however, a member on Paperback Swap was trading a full set, and I had enough credits, so voila!  A basically free full set of gorgeous color, thick-paged, great-condition, non-fiction books that I expect our family will get a ton of use out of for years.  Much better than waiting around for a door-to-door salesman to find us!

Wear: Out of the three, Hazel needs clothes the most.  Lots of growing, and no hand-me-downs. Right now she especially needs long-sleeved shirts, so we got her three shirts and a twirly skirt.  All my girls just love to twirl.  And I'm hoping it may inspire her to come around to tights.  (She hates they way they "itch" - very sensitive skin - anyone know of exceptionally soft tights out there?)

Play: a magic set - this fall, Hazel took an afterschool magic class.  I have to admit, I think it was a waste of money.  She came home with a few lame tricks and even more lame jokes.  And a lot of dumb stories about her teacher's life.  But I thought a little set of simple tricks would be just the thing for her budding interest in magic.

 And...it's kind of tradition to get one big present the kids can all share.  Last year it was an inflatable bouncer, which we still get out from time to time; it's a great boredom-buster.  This year we got the girls a new dollhouse - I love this chalet model by Plan Toys because you can rearrange the two wings and staircases in several configurations for a different house each time.  Also, with minimal walls, it's more accessible and less dark than more traditional houses. 

However.  Just last week the girls finally earned their Wii they have been working towards for 7 months (see this post.)   And they are pretty into it.  I'm afraid the dollhouse may be trumped.  But it's OK.  I can still play with it :)

Next post - stocking stuffers!