Holiday Gifts for Toddlers

[Note: I was going to title this post Holiday Gifts for Toddler Boys but then I realized that I love (and loved) many of these items as a kid and I am not of the male persuasion. A kid at heart? Yes. I’ll wear that badge proudly]. 

So, without further ado: Holiday Gifts for Toddlers (and the adults that would like to re-live their childhoods)



I always hesitate a bit when writing these gift posts. The primary reason is that we’re trying hard to have the focus of the holiday not be centered around getting piles and piles of (admittedly wonderful) new things.

So there are perhaps one or two toys from the below lists that our son is actually receiving.  Of course, in ferreting out the things we’re going to purchase, we discovered lots of other great gadgets. But sadly those lovely items will have to entertain another child as they won’t be coming down our chimney come Christmas Eve.

First, let’s talk about what Ben’s list looks like.

It can be summed up simply as: duplos.

I know this because he has me rewrite his Christmas list on a daily basis. There is never anything besides duplos; but he’s worked himself into a tizzy deciding which sets he really, truly needs.

He tells me, most sincerely, that he has to have them all. I try not to roll my eyes within his view but I find myself exiting both the conversation and the room several times an hour. It’s going to be a long time until Christmas, let me tell you.

The kid goes through obsessions like he changes clothes (frequently). But at least he stays true to his toy genre for the duration of the crush.

Here is today’s list. Tomorrow’s will, I’m sure, be different.

Duplo Garbage Truck
Duplo Jake and the Neverland Pirates Hideout
Duplo Big Farm
Duplo Town Treasure Attack


Is your child not duple obsessed? Here are a few other items that caught our eye:

Learning Resources Pretend and Play Doctor Set $34 What kid doesn’t love giving his mom an injection? It’ll only hurt for a little while, Mommy! Plus, I like games that let me lay on the ground and pretend to be dead. Weirdly enough, it’s relaxing.
Whoopee Cushion $4 This one never gets old. Ever.
Learning Resources Science Kit $26 Mini evil scientists unite! I was a big fan of ‘potions’ when I was a kid. Mostly it involved mixing the shampoo, conditioner, and body soap all together in a big puddle on the shower floor.
Peaceable Kingdom Funny Faces Sticker Fun $10 [for another option see below] Pirates with mascara and hair bows? YES.
Magnatiles 32 pc Set $52 Parents rave about these magnetic toys. Personally, I like that they’re lovely jewel tones, not the god-awful primary colors that most toys sport these days.
Ikea Fundera Building Blocks $10* We like towers in our house. Because you can knock ‘em down. Destruction is a winning theme ‘round here.
Builder Color and Activity Book $4 Great for road and plane trips. We have another one by the same author and it’s fantastic. Comes in several themes.
Duplo Royal Castle $90. He’s been begging and begging for this one. But $90(!) for a few pieces of colored plastic. I’m not sure I can drink that kool aid.


*Speaking of Ikea: One thing that didn’t make our list is a tent or teepee. Ben has one and has little campouts in his room every night. His own personal reading nook. Ikea has a pretty nifty version here.

Here are a few things that are quite popular around our house:

Preschool Sticker Activity Book $6 We love this thing, as evidenced by the fact that it’s looking pretty sorry these days. The pages are drawn-upon, the stickers have been stuck, and we’re ready for a new version.
Tape Player. Price varies. So admittedly this one is only good if you have tapes. My in-laws gifted Ben a tape player and about 20 tapes that were leftover from my husband’s early years. Ben adores this thing and it goes to bed with him every single night. All the goodies are obtainable: Peter and the Wold, Sesame Street, Joe Scruggs. Plus it’s (knock on wood) indestructible. Our best recommendation: Seek out the temple of Ebay.
Melissa and Doug Make-a-Face Sticker Pad $5 Ok so we don’t actually have this one but I think we may spring for it in the near (cough Christmas cough) future. Comes in the typical variety: crazies, animals, and princesses.
Mind Ware Marble Run $34 It’s hard not to buy all the awesome toys from my childhood. This one was (and continues to be) a winner in our house. Just don’t let the baby vacuum up the marbles with her mouth.
Melissa and Doug Reusable Sticker Pad $5 Another road trip winner. This one comes in a ton of versions: Habitats, City, Princess! Does a cheetah live underwater? It does in Ben-Land.


Lest you be concerned that Ben only has a one-track mind, feast your eyes upon his little side obsession: Pirates.

My mom has the book Tough Boris by Mem Fox, who happens to be one of our favorite authors. Tough Boris is a gem: it has pirates (argh!!), beautiful illustrations, and is a good lesson in compassion and empathy. It’s Ben’s #1 book choice over at her casa.

He also recently sold a bunch of old toys and obtained for himself a mighty pirate ship, courtesy of (you guessed it), Duplo. He loves the fact that it has a cannon that fires a plastic projectile. I hate the fact that it has a cannon that fires a plastic projectile.

Tough Boris by Mem Fox
Duplo Jake’s Pirate Ship Bucky $32
Pirates Match Up Game & Puzzle $9
Melissa and Doug Pirate Finery $24
Melissa and Doug Puffy Pirate Stickers $5


We have a book list coming tomorrow night.

Anything we missed, darlings? What is your kiddo jonesing for these days?

xo,

Sonja

Christmas Gifts for a Three Year Old Boy

We’ve hemmed and hawed over this year’s selection of gifts for the bambino. He was steadfast in his request to Santa: "I WANT TRAINS"! 

But he’s also really into dancing/singing so we incorporated a few musical instruments into this year’s catalog. Hopefully they’ll be a big hit.

Ben’s birthday is at the end of January so a few of items will be saved for that day. 

We bit the bullet and got him a balance bike as his one ‘big gift’ from Santa. On a related note: How come Santa gets all the credit for awesome presents? Totally not fair.

1. Diamond Head Ukulele, Natural (Amazon) $24.99

2. Hanna Andersson Long Johns in Tangerine Sailboat (Serena & Lily) $46. We used a 25% off coupon, which helped a bit.
3. African Rhythm Thumb Piano (10,000 Villages) $14. I love that this toy is made out of a sardine can! In the end I decided it was a bit old for the bambino. Maybe next year.
4. Janod Story - Circus Train (Amazon) $14.16. Great design and colors. And it satisfies the babe’s train longing.
5. Bluesband Harmonica (Land of Nod) $7.95
6. Larry Gets Lost in Seattle (Third Place Books) $16.99. What can I say, I love books that take place in my hometown and the illustrations are fantastic.
7.Wooden Slide Whistle (10,000 Villages) $9. I’m worried about this one. How much whistling can we take before going nuts?
8. Strider Balance Bike (Zappos) $109
9. Janod Magnetic Wooden Toy Plane (Urban Baby) (Haven’t purchased this one - possibly a birthday gift?)

10. Classic Balance Bike (Amazon) $64. Chris and I went back and forth between the CBB and the Strider; as I love the look of the wood. But in the end, the Strider was half the weight of the wooden version and got great reviews. We’ll let you know how we like it. 

He’ll get a few additional things in his stocking: a christmas tree ornament, a few additional train cars, and some chocolates, but that’s about it. And the mandatory handful of satsumas. 

What’s on your list of essential little boy holiday gifts?

xo, 

Sonja

In the Blog-O-Sphere

Peeps!

The Olympics are over. Boo. I loved watching swimming, diving, volleyball and track. My only complaint? I wish they might have shown a recap of some of the other sports during the primetime broadcast. Granted, not everyone finds rowing, sailing, and table tennis to be the most riveting of spectator sports... but a quick summary would have been appreciated.

That said, I SO WANT TO GO TO BRAZIL IN 2014. Then I could get my fill of rowing, sailing...but maybe we’ll skip the table tennis.

In other news:

Check out this cute, crabby pair of suspenders that Ben has been sporting recently. They’re made in Bothell (Washington) by my talented pal Marcilla of Suspended Recreation. They keep his sagging drawers up and are cute to boot! They would be the perfect accessory for a Christmas or Easter suit, too. Pair it with a bow tie and your baby would be tres chic.

My mom sent us this article on problems that are besetting the Alcan, the highway that links Alaska with the Continental United States. Chris and I drove it back in 2003 - it was a fabulous, bumpy trip.

The kiddo is currently testing out some baby headphones. We decided to buy this particular brand because it has a volume limiter that is built into the headset. We’ll report back on how he adapts to them.

Check out these sandals from Sseko. They are made by women in Uganda and can be tied and styled in a myriad of ways. Read the story of the company here. I love my cheapo flippy floppies but I’m constantly tripping, stumbling, and generally cursing their loosy-goosy fit. I’ve yet to find a pair of sandals that looks good and can travel some serious miles, yet are easy on my high-arch, narrow feet.

I am absolutely convinced the fine folks that inhabit this abode do not have children. Also? It’s my dad’s worst nightmare. He hates the color white. With a vengeance.

Ben has his first kiddie crush: he is obsessed with airplanes. Upon hear that telltale engine roar, he drops everything and looks skyward. Since we live relatively close to the incoming flight path for SeaTac and have a great view of the sea planes taking off on the lake, Ben is getting a lot of aeroplane-watching under his belt. If you take off in the next few weeks, know that there is a little boy in Matthews Beach that is wildly waving up at you.

xxoo,

Sonja

The Big Clean

My Dears, 

I am almost too embarrassed to put this photo up here...

Key word there is almost. 

Haven't you figured out yet that I have no shame?!

My sewing/craft/whatever room morphed into a disaster zone over the holidays. There were half-finished sewing projects, wrapping paper, laundry, and various bits of furniture thrown about higgledy-piggledy. It was a mess. 

Evidence:

 Awful, right?

And, after a marathon cleaning session, we're looking a bit better:

 Not perfect, but better. 

And there is a shiny new piece of equipment:

 Mama is tired of pregnancy fat!

And here is a peek at my latest project:

I got it off Craigslist yesterday for $15. Weirdly, it almost exactly matches a bookshelf that my grandmother gave me (seen in the top photo) but it won't for long. It is due for a [hopefully] fabulous makeover here in the near future. And then, a home in our guest bedroom. 

Finds: Paper Crafts

New paper animals are out! 

Including cute freebies from 3EyedBear:

I’m liking the blue owl. 

And MiboStudio now has an Etsy store:

Peeps,

Do you have things that you covet but can never quite bring yourself to purchase?

Mine tend to be kitchen gadgets and gizmos.

Here is a prime example:

 When my mother-in-law’s sweet parents passed away in 2004 we inherited this lovely glass cake cover. Unfortunately, I never had a cake stand that could accommodate the large size and thus our cakes were always awkwardly perched upon a plate, with the entire kitandcaboodle engulfed by the glass cover. Not so pretty.

And I thought about it every time we had a special event that required a fancy dessert. What’s the point of going to all the trouble of making a splendid confection if you can’t present it with a grand flourish? [Well, besides enjoying said delectable item]

So I bit the bullet and bought this plain white cake stand from Pottery Barn with a few gift cards that I had been hoarding.

Problem solved. Fancy desert, fancy [but not fussy] presentation.

The only problem with coveting things is that once you have something in your possession, you naturally turn your attention to wanting other things. Like the fact that my lovely cake stand comes in a smaller size…perfect as a cheese plate!

oy vey.

Poof! Inflate-a-helmet

Huh. 

A bicycle airbag head-thing that inflates on impact. Or just before impact.

I won't lie: I'm highly skeptical, especially after watching the slow motion video. But I am also intrigued.

From this:

To this:

 

Product by Hovding. 

Things I'm loving

Not in my price range but fun eye-candy, just the same. 

 This tree bed from Anthropologie. Also, have you seen their line of hardware? Including this hook?

Oh my.

Planning on replacing a few knobs on the dresser in Baby J's room with some of their stuff. 

This gorgeous madrone slab dining room table from Seattle-based Urban Hardwoods. Yes, it's $17,800 but that's beside the point. Take a peek at the nice bridge holding the two split ends together at the near end. Isn't that superb?

This sweet tufted loveseat from Terrain. Love the style.