New Holiday Traditions: Jolabokaflod, The Christmas Book Flood

I realize this is the exact wrong time to be talking about Christmas but I seem to be running about two months late in all aspects of my life today so here goes:

On Christmas Eve the kids always get a pair of PJs and a book. Then we all sit down and read The Polar Express, which was a tradition in Chris' family growing up. The adults cry. Every time. 

(image by rawpixel via unsplash.com

This year we incorporated another Nordic tradition, this one from Iceland: Jolabokaflod, the Christmas Book Flood. 

The story goes like this:

During WWII, import taxes on foreign imports were painfully high so the stoic Icelanders turned to paper, which was still relatively cheap. Books became their newest gifts of choice during this difficult time.

Today, the tradition continues. Iceland has an unusually high literacy rate and a healthy publishing industry: each year a free catalog is distributed to all home with a list of every published book. The vast majority of the country buys their books between September and November (the 'flood'), in preparation for gifting favorite stories to loved ones on Christmas Eve. Once the special night arrives, everyone cozies up with chocolate and reads far into the night.

Naturally, it doesn't take much to sell me on chocolate and books so this tradition was a slam dunk, as far as I was concerned. Unfortunately, we all got the flu on Christmas Eve and it was an ill child, indeed, that didn't even have the heart to touch her giant chocolate bar.

Sigh. We'll try again next year.

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

Pinhole Press

Peeps,

Do you ever run across a company’s website and instantly adore all their products?

It’s not something that happens frequently for me.

Yesterday I was in search of some holiday card inspiration and stumbled across a stationary store called Pinhole Press.

Oh my.

Instantly smitten.

Their products have vibrant colors, thick papers, and panoramic photos. There is also a simplicity of graphic design that appeals to me.

Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Labels! For wine bottles, favor boxes, and snail mail.
2. Photo albums. Peeps, you KNOW I am a sucker for a stellar album. Especially ones that have lie-flat photo spreads.
3. Mini Book of Names and Faces. I made one of these for Ben last year. I thought I was so cleaver to come up with this idea. Nope. It’s already been done. And their super-thick pages and spiral binding will probably hold up better than mine.
4. Flashcards. A is for Apple, B is for Ben... Perfect for that little kiddo that is learning the alphabet.
5. Memory Game. I’ll bet you a triple decker chocolate fudge sundae that you can’t beat my sister-in-law Alex at Memory. The girl is amazing. That said, I think this may be the personalized Christmas present for Ben that I’ve been looking for this year.  Family members? Goofy faces? Favorite animals? The possibilities are endless.


I’ll keep you posted.

xxoo,

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

State of the Baby Report

Peeps, 

Happy Wednesday!

A few weeks ago we put together a 'yearly progress report' for Benjamin. I finally got it printed (11x17 size, about $2) but we're still deciding where it should be hung. Frankly, we're half way towards needing one for his second year, perhaps we should wait to hang it until we have a pair. 

PhotoBoother

Peeps,

Have you stumbled across the website called PhotoBoother? Basically, you can turn any four pictures into a photobooth strip, pick a border style, and then download (free) or order the finished product.

Easy peasy.

Rant O' the Day

Seeing as the baby has gone on a nap strike this week, our weekend without him can't come soon enough.


Good god. GO TO SLEEP, DEAR CHILD.


In other news, if you live in the Seattle area, Costco is selling organic flame retardant-free PJs from Hanna Andersson for $13.

We adore HA pjs:

Considering that they're normally $32, the Costco price is a steal.  I'm not going to own up to how many I bought.

Usually they have piles of beautiful "girl" print PJs and absolutely nothing for boys. But this time around my friend Jennie said she bought the boy's version for her sweet baby girl. We're going to have matching bambinos!

Baby Book Update

Update on the Book of Benjamin:

I believe I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was bummed out about a few things in Ben's baby book, specifically:

One of my favorite pictures had a blue line running through it, 

and, 

I wish I'd moved the text over a bit so it didn't get caught in the middle of the book crease, rendering it illegible. 

I wrote MyPublisher a note, saying that overall I was exceptionally happy with the finished product, but that I was a bit disappointed about these two items. A short, friendly note, not snippy, and not demanding anything in return. Just a bit of customer feedback. 

They apologized profusely and sent me a coupon for an entirely new version of the book. 

Wow. I am beyond impressed. I made a few corrections and uploaded a new version last night. I am just thrilled with their commitment to their customers. 

On another note: Why it's a good idea to wait for sales at MyPublisher:

Our book, in the jumbo size, with 100 color pages, a linen book case, a custom front, no logo, and shipping was about $110. 

Which is a lot. 

But considering that without the coupon it would have been $253...well,  I'm pretty darn thrilled with the final product.

Fortunately for us, they have these sales pretty frequently. Hooray!

The Fork Goes On The Left

My Dears, 

If you know me than you are well aware of the fact that I am incapable of setting a correctly placed table. I promise you, I didn’t grow up in a barn. 

Setting a perfect table just isn’t high on my priority list. 

But now…I have a solution. 

Check out that placemat on the right:

Nifty, yes?

Download the free template from The Pretty Blog. 

Things I’m loving: Camera Bags

My Dears, 

I have camera bags on the brain. 

It has become apparent that I need something in which to stick my camera while out walking. Putting the camera in the diaper bag, or around my neck is not cutting it. Too much bumping around. And having lenses stuffed into various pockets is not ideal. Megan can attest to this as she’s the one that caught my zoom lens from zipping overboard into Glacier Bay after it fell out of my vest pocket. 

oops. 

So here are a few that I’m currently ogling:

Nicole Michelles Creations. Beautiful exterior patterns, bright colors inside. 

A simple bag by Seasons Totes. I think something that I can sling over my shoulder would be ideal. And probably the most comfortable. 

Although I love the print on this green handbag, too!

The Ellison Camera Bag by Jeanne Oliver designs is subtle, practical, and simply beautiful. I love it. Plus I think it would hold up well on hikes, endure being thrown in the car, and drooled on by the kiddo. 

The bags from Jo Totes are beautiful - and bold. This one is probably bigger than I’m looking for but I can only imagine all the goodies I’d be able to stuff into it. 

Any of the products by Ketti Handbags. There is a reason they sell out every single week. 

How is that for an unexpected interior color?!

I wonder, could I craft my own? I’m a little intimated by such a large project. 

Things I’m Loving: Tiny Toms

I wish Benjamin wore shoes. He’s exclusively a sock man, currently. But when he does start walking and shoes become necessary, wouldn’t these be lovely?

They’re Tiny Toms!

Never mind that they cost a not-so-tiny-amount of $29. Yikes. I like them a lot less now.

In The Blogging World

My Dears,

Look at this cardigan that my friend Megan made for her sweet baby.

Photo: TangleTown

Isn’t it amazing? Little Baby J looks pretty happy with his new hoodie.

She is also teaching me how to knit so maybe I can eventually craft something similar.

Well, let’s be rational here: I might be up for something of this caliber in say, 10-15 years…

Pictures to come shortly of my 5 (straight, simple) knit rows. I am exceedingly proud of them.

Pinterest

My Lovelies,

Have you heard of the website Pinterest?

Basically it’s a site where you can collect various photos from around the web in one location. Planning a wedding? Tag all your ideas on one board. Redesigning your living room? Grab inspirational pictures and store them together.

Or, you can be a bit more random.

Here is my “Things to Do Before I Die” board:

Too morbid for you? Check out “All Things Baby”:

It takes a few days to get an invitation but it’s well worth it.

Fun, fun, fun!

Things I’m Loving: Wedding Tree Poster

I thought this was a neat idea for a wedding or special event. Instead of an oversized plate, photo album or document, here’s another idea: have your guests sign a leaf on a personalized tree poster.

I wonder if one could make this into a family tree with ancestors...

From Etsy seller: Fancyprints

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:

Are you sick of cute baby stuff yet?

How about cute stuff that comes in both adult and kids sizes?

 Like these awesome slippers (with non-skid soles) from the French company Collegien.

Things I'm loving: Kitchen Stuff (continued)

The Calvin Klein Home "Mollusk" 5- Piece Place Setting

All our plates here at the casa are white. No pattern, no texture, no color. I’ll admit they’re a bit on the boring side but they’ll probably never go out of style and it’s easy to see if the dishwasher manages to miss a spot or two (which is a good thing since I am generally against pre-rinsing, on principal. I like to think that I’m challenging my dishwasher to aim for greatness).

These lovely pieces from Calvin Klein, however, are not boring at all. Classic. Organic. Subtle. 

And, of course, they make me think of clams, which is always a good thing.

Steamed, with a squeeze of lemon, a dash of pepper, and lots o’ butter. 

Yum. 

Not your grandma’s fufu china.