All Things Christmas

Back in early November I had posted some good sources for free letters from Santa. I had also included the website Northpole.com which is the perfect Christmas Eve site. It has stories, ElfChat, e-cards, educational worksheets, recipes, crafts,and the ever popular NORAD (so kids can track Santa). A friend of mine also told me to check out the Portable North Pole. At this site, you can have a personalized message from Santa delivered to your kids. It is pretty neat. Imagine your child's face when they get a personalized video message from Santa (you can even download their picture).

Misconceptions About Mommyhood: Part I

Do you ever think back to the little scenarios that played through your head when you were pregnant? Whether they were concerns you had or things you imagined doing with your children, when you look at your life now, how do they compare? Eventually we all have our own realizations with which we must come to terms.

1) There is no pitter-patter of little feet. It is more like a herd of rampaging elephants or rhinos.

2)After having children all of your bad habits will fall by the wayside in your quest of being the perfect mother. Yeah, right, maybe in the little world that exists in the far recesses of your mind or the lalaland that you visit while dreaming. Nope, I still eat chocolate chip cookies for breakfast (on occasion, like this morning...does it count that they were homemade?), don't exercise as much as I should, and am still a procrastinator.

3)You will not eat the food off of your little ones plate at least not until they are much older. First, because they will mash it in their little hands and then put it in their mouths and proceed to spit it back out onto their plate. Yech!

4)Yes, you to will have your backyard become a plastic jungle. No backyard mommy oasis exists here.

A picture of our plastic jungle

A Shy, Little Munchkin

What a busy day! It is amazing what holds little ones' attention. This morning we hosted my daughter's playgroup at our house. It was our annual Christmas playgroup. We ate goodies that I had baked such as cookies and cupcakes. My daughter had helped bake by putting the cupcake liners into the muffin tin. She had no interest in any other part of the baking. I also had healthy fare such as raisins, grapes, strawberries, string cheese, and a mix of goldfish crackers and pretzels (yes, I consider goldfish crackers healthy). With a plate full of food, my daughter was only interested in the strawberries and licking the sprinkles off of her cupcake.

My daughter had been so excited for her friends to arrive. When she heard the doorbell she was off and waiting anxiously for her friends to come in to play. Once they were inside though her enthusiasm waned and she became a shy, little munchkin. She had more fun observing and taking it all in. I had a craft for the little ones. Many of the other kids played instead of doing the craft. Not my daughter. My daughter feverishly was working on putting together her foam penguin and snowman photo frame ornament even before the others sat down. She loves crafts. That is one thing that can hold her attention.

When the little ones exchanged their Secret Santa presents, she was more interested in watching the little boy whose name she had got open his gift (she had painstakingly decorated the wrapping paper with stickers yesterday). After he had opened his present, she slowly and meticulously opened her gift. If she unwraps all of her Christmas presents at that pace, Christmas morning is going to last a long, long time.

Em had got princess markers and coloring sheets. Even before her guests had left, she had ripped open the box to get to the markers so she could color rather than handing out the goodies for the other little ones. She said good-bye to everyone from her booster seat as she continued coloring. Eventually before the last child had left, she ventured down among her friends.

In the afternoon we had the MOMS club Christmas party. Again, Em was so excited when we pulled into the church parking lot. She started exclaiming, "friends, Mommy, friends!" She launched herself from her car seat as I unlatched her seat belt. As soon as she was out of the car and greeted her one little friend, she became my shy, quiet little munchkin again. She played by herself for the most part in the middle of the chaos. With so many children, toddlers and elementary age, packed into the basement of the church, you would have expected squabbles and tears but there were none. The kids played so well together and apart. The noise level was deafening, as you can imagine. Some did crafts and some played with miscellaneous toys.

I had so much fun today just observing my little munchkin in her little Christmas shirt with her glasses sliding down her nose. I can't wait to see the little woman that she will become. Will she still be a shy, little munchkin or will she come out of her shell and be precocious? I can't wait to find out.

Amazon Magazine Deals

Each week Amazon has new deals. This week O, The Oprah Magazine is only $5 for a one year subscription. This deal expires Saturday at midnight, so act fast. The following magazines are all $5 and under with the $5 discount:

Maxim
Disney Family Fun
Parents
Fast Company
Horse Illustrated
Inc.
Spin
Pregnancy

Note: The discount is applied when you place an item in your cart and checkout.

Tess's Tree Book Review

Recently I had the opportunity to review the children's book Tess's Tree. I came across the book when I was researching educational game sites for children. It was written by Jess M. Brallier and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, two friends. Jess Brallier, a publisher and author, was inspired to write Tess's Tree by a friend's daughter and his own losses. He has written over two dozen books including Who was Albert Einstein and Presidential Wit and Wisdom: Maxims, Mottoes, Soundbites, Speeches, and Asides: Memorable Quotes From America's Presidents. Peter Reynolds is an illustrator (he illustrated the Judy Moody books), author (of The Dot and Ish), the owner of the Blue Bunny bookshop in Dedham Square, Massachusetts, and founder of Fablevision.

Do you know how it feels to have something you loved taken away? That is how Tess feels when her beloved tree is cut down after being damaged in a storm. She acts out, as those of us know who have little ones, by reacting like any other child. She lashes out with screaming, kicking, throwing her toys, and tears. Then, after shedding her tears, she decides to have a funeral to honor the life of her tree. To find out how special Tess's tree was to her and to others, you need to finish reading this lovely book.

It brought back how my sister and I used to climb the tree at my grandparents house. They used to watch us during the summers while my parents worked. The branches were low enough to the ground that we could climb it easily. We would be content to sit on the lower branches. Only once or twice was I ever adventurous enough to climb to the top. The tree sat outside my grandparent's kitchen window so if they wanted to check on us, all they had to do was peek outside the kitchen curtains. That tree still sits there.

Jess M. Brallier and Peter H. Reynolds talk about Tess's Tree on YouTube. Hear them talk about how the story came about and what the lesson is that we can all learn from this tale.

The book is beautifully illustrated. There is a clip of Peter Reynolds drawing Tess. In the clip he explains how he uses ink, watercolor, and whatever beverage he has handy to create his illustrations. He truly brought the words of Tess's story to life.

This book will resonate with any generation. We have all encountered loss at some point in our lives. Tess's coming to terms with the loss of her tree is inspiring and serves as a reminder that while saddened at our loss, life goes on. Our memories of what we have lost will remain as will the lessons we have learned. Your heart will feel full after reading this story.

You can read the online version at Funbrain or Fablevision. You can also purchase your own copy at your local bookstore or at an online bookseller such as Amazon. A literature guide (this appeals to the teacher in me) is also available for teachers who are interested in incorporating this story into their curriculum. Books can also be ordered from Peter Reynold's bookstore, The Blue Bunny and can be autographed by emailing Janet@dedhambluebunny.com with information about how you would like the book signed.

A special thank you to Jess M. Brallier, Peter H. Reynolds, and HarperCollinsPublishers for providing me with a copy of Tess's Tree for this review.

Free 20 Song Starbucks Sampler

Become a fan of iTunes on Facebook and get a free 20 song Starbucks Sampler download. Artists include Moby, Sting, and more.

Holiday Gift Giving Guide: Part IV

Charitable Giving

This is the time of year where charitable organizations seem to be going into overdrive trying to meet the needs of the people they serve. I urge everyone to step up this holiday season to give back to their communities. There are many ways to give back this holiday season. Don't have a lot of spare cash? You can give back without breaking the bank.

1)Remember that charitable donations can be used as tax deductions.

2)You can give the gift of your time rather than a monetary donation.

3)No time to shop and to lazy to write a check? Give a few dollars at the grocery store checkout. Many organizations team up with grocery stores or other chain retailers so customers can donate at the checkout.

4)Ask for people to give gifts or donations to your favorite charity.

5)When you find great deals in the stores, buy extra and give to local shelters or put bargain toys in the Toys for Tots boxes. If you are a freebie junkie and like to sign up for freebies online, donate your freebies to families in need. If you earn free gift cards or checks from online survey sites or sites that reward you for shopping online, pass on your good fortune to those in need.

6)Clean out your pantry and give to a local food bank. I always buy extra of everything around the holidays (since everything is on sale). Donate extra cans to local shelters. You can always get together with some friends or neighbors and do a food drive amongst yourselves and then have a volunteer deliver the food to a local shelter. If you are having a holiday party, have everyone bring a can of food to donate. A list of local food banks in your area can be found at feedingamerica.org.

7)Clean out toy clutter. Have your children choose several toys that they no longer play with and donate them to a local program that serves children (ie. churches, day cares, or after-school programs). NOTE: Before giving away toys, make sure they have not been recalled by checking the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission's website.

8)No extra cash to spare? Consider donating your unused computer cycles to worthy scientific research such as fighting cancer or climate prediction. All you have to do is install a computer program on your PC. Urge others to do the same. Check out PCWorld or DistributedComputing.com for more information. I was first introduced to this idea in the fictional book Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen.

9)Give your extra change to the Salvation Army. The familiar holiday bell ringers with the red kettle are a familiar holiday sight. Now instead of just taking spare change, some also take credit cards. No more excuses at the door, folks.

10)"Gifts That Give" are gaining in popularity such as Kohl's Cares For Kids merchandise. I bought three of the books (from the If You Give a Cat a Cupcake series) and the stuffed moose that they are selling this holiday season for Christmas presents. They were only $5 each and 100% of the net profits go towards children's health and education programs across the country. Since 2000, they have raised over $126 million dollars, a staggering amount. Note: Kohl's coupons can not be used on this merchandise.

11)If you are interested in giving to your local community but don't know where to begin you can start by finding local organizations close to you by visiting JustGive.org and entering your zip code. You can also check out your local newspaper during the holiday season. Our local newspaper published a booklet of local nonprofit organizations and what donations they could use for the holidays, a wish list of sorts.

My husband and I plan on starting a fund next year where we put away about $75 a month. After Thanksgiving, we plan to decide as a family where the money will go. This way our daughters learn about saving and about giving back. It is our way of giving back, especially since we know what is like to be on the receiving end of the compassion and generosity of strangers. Back in 2008 our then 4-month old had to have heart surgery. The day we found out about her heart defect, we were on our way to the nearest children's hospital. Our liaison at the hospital put us in touch with the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald House has had a special place in our hearts ever since.

Our favorite charities:
Ronald McDonald House
Toys for Tots
Children's Miracle Network (our nearest children's hospital benefits from their generosity)

Have a giving and blessed holiday!

Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part III

If you are looking for some last minute Christmas gifts, here are some of my favorite Christmas gifts for this season:

1) Kodak, Shutterfly, or SeeHere allow you to create books, puzzles, ornaments, stickers, and other photo gifts.

2) Gift baskets are always a good standby. Keep in mind to stick with a theme. Beware that these can add up pretty quickly. It is best to fill a gift basket with items with smaller price tags.

3) Crafts, Wine, and Coffee Clubs that send a new selection each month are a unique gift. Kids Craft of the Month offers a 6 month and a 12 month membership where children will receive two new crafts each month along with stickers, tattoos, small toys, jokes, games, or some type of activity. Caribou Coffee offers a Coffee of the Month Club.

4)Magazine subscriptions (Amazon often has great deals or you can checkout Magazines.com) can be a welcome gift.

5)Teething Bling by SmartMom (I hate not being able to wear jewelry with my teething infant so this solves that problem.) are perfect for mothers of young ones.

6)The Discovery Expedition Entertainment Projector is perfect for my hubby since his Christmas break from work is going to be spent on finishing our basement.

7)Avon's Cashtastic Earmuffs look and feel like cashmere.

8)Avon's version of Jennifer Groover's Butler Bag is designed for a fashionista.

9)In case of emergencies (especially those that are nature related), it is ideal to have on hand LL Bean's Emergency Weather Radio.

10)The Crawford Headband from ModCloth that will make you look like a chic flapper (totally impractical for day to day but I love vintage inspired items). This would dress up any outfit on New Year's Eve.

11)SwitchFlops and Ballet Flats by Lindsay Phillips are designed for shoe lovers that want to have versatile pieces in their wardrobe. The sandals have interchangeable straps and the ballet flats have snazzy snaps so they can go with any outfit. No need to have 4 different pairs of shoes.

12) Parents of infants will fall in love with the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Take Along Soothing Projector.

Christmas Traditions: The Twelve Days Before Christmas

This year with a 5 month old and a 2 year old, we have been a little slow getting the house decorated. On Thanksgiving Day, both of my very spry 80-something grandparents were hospitalized for separate medical conditions. The tree is up but undecorated, the old wooden sled that normally sits next to the front door decorated with a swag and bow still sits in the garage somewhere, and boxes of Christmas decorations sit on a shelf in the spare bedroom, untouched. We are slowly pulling things out but it is hard since my hubby works long hours.

I have been thinking a lot about family traditions. I want my daughters to enjoy this time of year and to realize that it is about family and not just presents. Since we are a little behind this year, I made my checklist of things to do before December 25th. Boy, do we have a lot to cram in before the big day arrives. It is pretty fitting that I have 12 things on our list and there are at least twelve days before Christmas (I have a few extra days built in...)

1) Help choose and decorate the Christmas tree. (We got the first part done.)

2) Make faux gingerbread houses using graham crackers, icing, and candy and also yummy marshmellow snowmen.

3) Watch Frosty, Rudolph, A Charlie Brown Christmas, or the new favorite, Prep and Landing.

4) Go caroling.

5) Mail Christmas cards. (I have the seals for my daughter to put on the envelopes. I have a feeling people will be wondering why the seals are not on the flaps but on odd places on the back of the envelopes.)

6) Help wrap gifts. (I bought solid wrapping paper so my daughter can go to town with stickers and markers.)

7) Help decide where charity money is going and deliver it to its destination.

8) Bake Xmas cookies for Xmas Day.

9) Drive around and look at Xmas Lights.

10) Write a letter to Santa and mail it.

11) Finish Christmas crafts (paper chains for the stairway and something to hang on the refrigerator door).

12) Christmas Eve: Read Twas the Night Before Christmas and open a gift(s) from Mommy & Daddy (new pjs for Xmas morning and the girls' yearly ornament for the tree). Set out the cookies we baked for Santa and treats for the reindeer.

$100 Dollars

Okay, I know a post entitled $100 dollars is eye catching. No, I am not giving away $100. My 2 year old, who has no concept of money was having an interesting conversation with my husband the other morning. She was crawling up on the couch as my husband lay there.

Their conversation went like this:

Em: I need a $100. (She looks at her father as her glasses slide down her nose.)

Bob: You need a $100. (He uses a shocked, questioning tone.)

Em: I have no money. (My husband gives her the "you're two" look.)

Bob: Why do you need money?

Em: Dadda took Mamma's money. (At this point my daughter starts using hand gestures.)

Bob: Is that what Mamma says? (He looks at me pointedly. Hey, wait a minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Em: I want $100 dollars! (At this point my daughter has climbed onto my husband's stomach, as though she needs to make her point more clearly, and starts bouncing up and down.)

Bob: What do you need $100 for?

Em: Puppy. (Huh?)

Bob: A puppy?

Em: A puppy so cute.

This is the point where my daughter loses interest in the conversation and climbs onto the floor and dwaddles off.

Where did that come from? I have no idea where my daughter got the concept of $100 nor the idea that we would pay $100 for a dog. We're support your local SPCA people. I really hope she is not expecting Santa to bring a puppy. Oh, boy. Tonight we are writing our list to Santa. Please, please, if there is a Santa Claus, please don't let my daughter want a puppy for Christmas.

Freebies For You and Me

GMA and Snapfish are teaming up to give away free spiral bound flip books.(valued at $4.99). You do need to pay shipping of $1.99. The code is GMAFREE. This code expires on December 13th.

Become a fan of Stacy's Pita Chips on Facebook and sign up to receive a coupon for a free bag of chips (up to a $3.99 value). When I checked this morning, they were only up to 56,000 fans. They are offering this goody to the first 65,000 fans so there is still time to sign up.

Free Sample of Benefiber Orange from Walmart.com. Once you fill out the online form, it will arrive in up to four weeks.

Guide to Holiday Gift Giving: Part II

-->DIY Inspired Gift Giving
Keep in mind that it is about the quality rather than the quantity of gift giving. It's the thought and the love that is put in to a gift and not about the money spent. Some of my most treasured gifts have been those that have been handmade because those gifts are the ones that come with a story attached. It is these gifts that have evoked emotions in me and therefore when I think of them, see them, or use them, they make me feel something. Usually they make me feel cherished because someone cared enough about me to take the time to craft something just for me.

1) If your a savvy sewer, knitter, or crocheter you can create quilts, pillows, dolls, needlepoint,
scarves, and hats.
2) You don't have to be skilled in the kitchen to create cookie mixes, soup mixes, jarred jams,
butters, breads, and oils. Put them in pretty tins or jars that can be picked up cheaply at
dollar stores.
3) Create your own homemade soaps or lotions.
4) Research your family tree or compile an oral history of your grandparents or great-grandparents lives. I compiled my grandparents' stories about their lives and had them bound at Staples. In the back I added PA Dutch recipes since my grandparents are Dutch.

5) Write something for someone (write and illustrate a book or frame a poem for your loved
ones).
6) Write a song and record it or burn it onto a CD or burn a CD with a friend or relative's
favorite music.
7) Offer to be someone's personal servant for a day (especially if your handy around the house
or an organizer junky).
8) IOUs or coupon books can be personalized by you.
9) Use a photo album with magnetic pages to organize clipped recipes or recipe cards and
present it as a gift.
10) Create a scrapbook with premade pages (made by you) to which the recipient only needs to
add pics.

11) Do something fun (a family outing or vacation).