New Daycare Toys For Christmas

 

As I've explained throughout the years, instead of giving each child a present to take home, I buy daycare a new present each week from Thanksgiving to New Year's. The short story is that the kids spend so much of their time at daycare that it makes more sense to get them toys they can play with at daycare than a gift they could take home. Of course, I'm coming up on thirteen years in business, so there's not a lot of toys daycare "needs." I didn't do any big gifts, but instead went the replacement and upgrade route.

1.) Big Pop It squares showed up in the fidget bin the first week. The littles use these when they play the floor is lava because it "tickles feet."

2.) New Christmas books quickly became favorites. My Butt Is So Christmassy made the kids giggle a lot. I had to send disclaimers home for parents so they knew what their kids were talking about when they heard them talking about "Christmas butts."

3.) Duplos are a favorite around here. I really wanted this giant set, but our Duplo bins are already rather full, so I settled on a the Wild Animals of the Ocean and Wild Animals of South America sets. They stayed set up for a day before the kids took them apart and built their own sets.

4.) The car sets, whether it's our bin of Hot Wheels or the Wheelies, are played with constantly. The kids have been racing the cars lately, so I got a four pack of Little Tikes Crazy Fast cars. It was love at first race!

5.) Little Tikes never disappoints. I saw this First Food Delivery Set and had to have it. What I didn't realize is it has some small felt pieces (for taco toppings), so I had to take some of those out, but overall this toy was a big hit. Even my ten and twelve year olds played with it (but refused to let me take pictures of them playing with the daycare toys).

6.) I couldn't forgot about my daycare bigs. They always come back for part of Christmas break to hang out with their daycare friends. They played board games constantly over the summer, which means there were a lot of missing pieces to the two most popular games, Life and Clue. They also love Ticket To Ride, so I nabbed a New York pack when it was on sale in the fall. The bigs also love Lego and creating houses, hotels, and mansions. Lego plates always seem to be in short supply because they're always used, so I grabbed a handful of them when they were on sale for $6 a piece. My minis broke into the games over the weekend and approve of games with no missing pieces. 

Holiday Gift Guide Made By Tweens And Teens For Adults Who Don't Know What To Get

Who really wants to read another gift guide made my someone claiming to know what kids want?? Not I! Let's face it, sometimes those things are WAY off base or all about the affiliate links (which this will have some of, FYI). Now that the minis are out of the Santa stage, we've hit a sweet spot. I can't tell you how many times we've been shopping recently and they come to the cart with something in their hands, asking, "can this be for Christmas?" I feel like we're nailing every Christmas gift this year....because they've picked every single one out. They have quite the list, but they narrowed down their top four gifts to receive, as well as their top four experience gifts. 

1.) "These mini Yankee candles are so cute!! They don't last very long, but we got them for $2 a jar and that's really good for Yankee candles." - Elizabeth, age 10

2.) "Roblox is a really fun game to play with your friends. The gift cards are turned into Robux to use throughout the game." - Harrison, age 12 and Max, age 14

3.) "Mini Brands are so much fun. I like the Disney ones and the Foodies. I like to collect them. My friends and I bring them to school and trade sometimes." - Elizabeth, age 10. While she said Mini Brands, the others said Harry Potter Lego sets. "We're trying to collect them all." - Harrison, age 12. They are well on their way to collecting every set (I admit with a head shake and a broke bank account).

4.) "My mom got us these Gap sweaters last Christmas to wear to the She and Him concert in Chicago. They're so comfy, I even wear mine to bed sometimes. It's one of my favorite shirts to wear. They're warm too." - Max, age 14

They're top four experience gifts to give:

1.) "My mom and dad went to Utah in 2020, you know, before the pandemic started. My mom told us all about these ice castles and they look so cool! Now we finally get to go in the winter." - Elizabeth, age 10

2.) "A Broadway play or musical is fun. We make a night or afternoon of it, with dinner before. We have to dress in nicer clothes too." - Harrison, age 12

3.) "Glass blowing or an art class is something unique and can be educational." - Max, age 14

4.) "Disney or a big vacation. We got Disney World tickets one year and spent two weeks doing a tour of Florida. A cruise would be cool too....we haven't gotten that one. Yet." - Harrison, age 12

4 Things To Buy This Week

 

The days are crisp, but warm. The nights getting colder. I've had to turn our heat on a few nights and my kids complained, "it smells like something's burning." Tis the season. It was high time I buried myself into all things fall. I bought new fall pieces, decorated, and stocked up on all the fall snacks.  Some were a bigger hit than others. Wondering what you should buy? These are my favorites:

• After purchasing a Sunday sleep set last spring and falling in love with the fit, material, and durability of each piece, I didn't hesitate to jump on the Old Navy tunic shirt. Quite honestly, while I wear the shirt to bed, I wear it hiking, to dinner, etc. It's a thin, comfortable material that goes well with leggings. I also grabbed a one piece sleep jumpsuit. It is also beyond comfortable and cute. So cute that the ten year old requested I find one in her size too.
• My kids are obsessed with good smelling candles. They even requested candles in their bedrooms once the room makeovers are complete. Yankee Candle recently had their fall scents on sale and I stocked up. Even the littles squealed with glee when they saw the Halloween images on the candles in the daycare room. Great buys! I'm gearing up for Black Friday shopping (as requested by the minis, otherwise I wouldn't be participating in those shenanigans) by making a list of the Yankee holiday candles we'll be purchasing.
• Last Friday, on our way up to Duluth, MN for our fall hiking trip, I realized we forgot to pack our allergy meds essentials. We made a quick stop at a Target along our route. These grey sweatpants greeted right inside of the door and I was drawn to them. They're fleeced line, incredibly cozy, and wash well. Did I really need a new pair of comfy pants? Probably not, but these are definitely my new favorite.
• While at that same Target where the grey sweatpants called to me, I came across the Favorite Day Monster Mix on an end cap. It had been months since I had the mix and it called to me. So, in the cart it went. Now I'm obsessed all over again. The best part is, my oldest is allergic to peanuts, which means no one messes with my treat! I'm not a heartless monster, I did nab some goodies for my kids. Halloween pretzels and fruit snacks found their way into the cart too.

13 Of My Current Favorite Things

Life doesn't slow down. In fact, it gets crazier as time goes on. We've had a crazy, rough patch lately that has kept me from doing, well, many things. Including writing, sharing, and creating. It can be a soul killer, so I carved out some time (and by that I mean I did without some sleep for a night) to balance myself a bit. I figured I'd better share some things that we've been loving the last several weeks.

1.) We love Beaverdale Confections, but they outdid themselves with our Easter purchases. I got each mini a chocolate egg filled with candy for a grand total of $31. I can't get over how amazing these were! I didn't even worry about any other candies because these eggs had it covered. It wasn't a ton of candy, but the perfect amount for the minis.

2.) With three kids to feed, clothe, and shelter, I'm constantly on the lookout for deals. I've bought quite a few pieces of their wardrobes from Amazon Essentials clothing line and I am quite impressed! The mini's winter puffer jackets are comparable to Old Navy or Gap's (maybe even a slightly better quality) for a fraction of the cost. We were so impressed with the coats that we bought spring jackets, running shorts, and sweatpants for their Easter baskets. All pieces seem to be holding up well and my thirteen year old tells me the running shorts are the most comfortable shorts he owns. Even if these clothing pieces don't last long, I won't fret about it because the price can't be beat.

3.) I'm obsessed with herbal teas. Teavana is my new favorite with Peach Tranquility, Jade Citrus Mint, and Apple Cider teas being my favorite. I would gladly head to Starbucks each and every day for these teas, but I've also found the containers at Target and have my cupboard stocked with my three favorite flavors. For this week, at least.

4.) Our family are huge Lego fans (my husband and children freak out over the sets and put them together, while I enjoy a quiet household) and the boys are Harry Potter fans. They love the Harry Potter Lego book sets and are out to collect them all. New sets went on sale at the beginning of the month and oddly enough, we don't have them all. Yet.

5.) On my Bucket List this year: go to a Lumineers concert. Getting crossed off this fall: the Lumineers Brightside tour at Wrigley Field. I am so ridiculously excited, as are the minis who requested to go too.

6.) Gosh, we've eaten some FANTASTIC food this month. On the list: Parlor (the buffalo cauliflower and Proud Mary pizza were the stand outs), Michael's Pizza (the margherita pizza is our go-to), Tasty Tacos (for catering we got all original flour tacos, but the bean and cheese flour taco is my go-to along with flour chips, guacamole, and hot sauce), Palmer's boxed lunches (I don't particularly enjoy deli meat, but I get the Market Turkey every time and it's stellar), and Christopher's Take n' Bake (the chicken parmigiana will forever be my favorite).

7.) I love a good podcast....when I don't have anything to do. I find myself distracted if I have a podcast going while I'm writing, so I only listen to them while I walk the dog, exercise, or just looking to wind down. My currents listens are Welcome To Our Show, Tape Notes, and The Daily.

8.) We also love a good game. Card games are easy to take with us wherever we go. We currently bring Exploding Kittens, I Should Have Known That, Just One, and Scattergories just about everywhere. No one can say no to a good board or card game.

9.) Fidget toys are the "it" toys. My children will die if they ever read that I used that expression, but I did because it's true. There's all kinds of fidget and sensory toys, but I carefully pick out what I get. My latest sensory toy was Pop Fidget Sensory Blocks. These take some concentration to build and can also be used for the mindless, 'pop, pop, pop' the kids like to do. I can easily put these down in front of kids ages 4+ and have them completely occupied and engrossed for a while. 

10.) During our Civil Rights Trail road trip, the minis and I were looking for something a tad lighter after some heavy days learning. Since we were in Birmingham, we chose the nearby Oak Mountain State Park. We fell in love with the extensive trail system and all that the park had to offer. We would easily go back to Alabama just to visit that park. 

11.) The youngest mini is currently on the fourth book of the Laura Ingalls Wilder book series. She's loved them so much that we began visiting the sites the family once lived. Our first visit was to Burr Oak, Iowa to see the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and the Masters Hotel. I can't say the boys are thrilled about our visits, but they go along with them. It helps a lot that we've visited Living History Farms since the minis were young, so they can identify what life was like in the time period.

12.) We did this at Howell's in May 2020 and it was a highlight! We were gone traveling much of last year's goat cuddling season, but I highly recommend you give it a try. I called it goat therapy because there's no way to be unhappy when you have little goats climbing all over you!

13.) I completed dry January with no issues and even made it through February. Of course, April brought many family gatherings which found us sitting around with drinks in our hands. Seltzers are a favorite of mine and I love these even more because they're from local Iowa breweries! Big Grove and Toppling and Goliath will get a good chunk of money from me during this summer seltzer season. 

My 16 Favorite Fall, Holiday, And Winter Things

 

Time has flown by. We traveled, learned, wrote, worked, and all of life's great things. Somehow, despite making lists upon lists of the things I've absolutely loved, I failed to actually share those things. Everything from unexpectedly amazing winter coats to shows and movies to stream to things that have made our lives easier. Here's a look at some of the things that made my list the last several months:

1.) It's winter and there's really no better time to curl up in a warm blanket and watch TV. Some of the good ones: Virgin River (Netflix), Being The Ricardo's (Prime), Creamerie (Hulu - I can't decide how I feel about this one, but I can't stop thinking about how I want a season 2 to clear up the cliffhanger), the Harry Potter special (HBO Max), and tick, tick...Boom! (Netflix).

2.) We've enjoyed many good eats the last several months as well. Kava DSM has a healthy, tranquil vibe that I've spent time just sitting in the space, sipping a smoothie. While in Chicago, we discovered La Fournette in Old Town. I personally recommend the raspberry jam filled beignet. Eileen's Cookies provided yummy treats for us during the holidays. I love their to go tubs, but their sugar cookies are my ultimate fave. Smoothie bowls, beignets, and cookies may keep me full, but Starbuck's peach tranquility has kept me warm on chill days.

3.) When the minis and I needed new winter coats before heading off on our fall road trip, there were zero sales in our usual stores. Instead, I gave Amazon essentials a try and I couldn't be more pleased. The puffer coats are thin, but extremely warm. Water resistant and (so far) hold up well whether it be from hiking, snowboarding, or general roughhousing in the backyard. All of that for an excellent price point. I bought these winter coats in the off season and got them for around $20 a piece.

4.) The Art Institute is one of our favorite museums in Chicago. Barbara Kruger has an amazing exhibit running through January 24. Our thirteen year old fell in love and said words that you would hear from any reviewer, including, "riveting," "powerful," and "thought provoking."

5.) She and Him put on an amazing Christmas concert at the Chicago theater. I'm a big fan of the band regardless of what they're singing, but their Christmas tunes are some of the first I listen to each season. Ingred Michelson had a new Christmas album out. The minis felt the song Merry Christmas, Happy New Year was a must listen. Meanwhile, I'm eagerly awaiting Friday when the newest Lumineers album Brightside is released. 

6.) On a fall trip to Waubonsie State Park in southwest Iowa, I stopped at the cutest roadside apple orchard called Mincer Orchard. They only take cash and we had limited amounts on us, so we got a few varieties of apples to try. I have no idea what variety I ate, but it was by far the best apple I've ever eaten. I can't wait to return to this family run orchard this fall.

7.) I was skeptical about making hot cocoa bombs at first. Though they are extremely time consuming (but obviously I'm making them again for Valentine's Day), they aren't difficult in the least thanks to these trays. I have another set ordered before we make our Valentine's Day batch to hopefully help with the time aspect of it.

8.) Christmas brought new electronics to our household. I'm extremely happy with my brand new hp laptop that doesn't have to be plugged in at all times. The minis are thrilled with their new Acer Chromebook. They love the touchscreen feature because they seem to forget their laptop screen isn't touchscreen.

9.) Daycare received many new toys for the holidays (check out what daycare received here). One of everyone's favorite is the giant rock a stack. Thinking this would be a great toys for the babies and one year olds at daycare, it's mostly played with by the toddler and preschool crowd. They tend to get creative with the rings, using them as bracelets, anklets, necklaces, and occasionally (when I can't stop it in time) throwing devices.

10.) I love the ease of delivery services. I also love a good deal. The best deal I found for dog food is through Petco. Buy seven bags, receive the eighth bag free, as well as free repeat delivery right to my door every six weeks. 

11.) Nearly nothing beats a cuddly baby. Nothing beats a cuddy baby with soft clothes. Zyte baby makes incredibly soft and easy to clean infant and toddler clothing. Stock up because orders of $85 or more get free shipping.

12.) As it's title suggests, this really is the best sugar cookie recipe ever. We've now made numerous batches of sugar cookies with this recipe and it will forever be my go to. 

13.) Sensory toys such as pop its have become popular in the last few years. The new pop puzzle was a last minute buy and probably everyone's favorite. From the oldest to the kindergarteners who attempted to solve it, it's been the most played with amongst the school age kids at daycare.

14.) Everyone knows some of the best sales happen the day after Christmas. That's how we have accumulated a (slightly un-) healthy amount of holiday decorations. This year we were after these giant Christmas lights. I'm happy to report that we now have enough to put on our house three times over next year.

15.) We're back to spending our winter in our house and with that comes puzzles. We have plenty to keep us busy, but one of my favorite is this vintage newspaper puzzle. 

16.) Wi-Fi Connect was a lifesaver for our big fall trip. The minis were able to do schoolwork easily during our driving days. Admittedly, we had a free trial offer to use, but I will definitely be looking into it again for our upcoming road trips.

Toys For Daycare's Annual Holiday Gifts

Beginning Thanksgiving week every year, daycare receives one new toy each week until New Year's. Since kids spend a fair amount of time at daycare each week, I've always felt it was silly to give them a gift to take home that they couldn't bring to daycare. So instead, daycare receives the gifts and the kids all get to enjoy them each and every day! Of course, at this point it's getting harder and harder to find toys daycare doesn't have (or have had in the past that have gotten broken).

With a variety of ages to please, I think carefully about which toys I purchase. Usually I welcome back bigs during Christmas break, so I try to have one or two new toys just for them and the rest I buy for the preschool and younger crowd. This year there's a few things the littles receive that the bigs will enjoy as well (felt body parts, sensory items and that giant Rock a Stack will likely be used as a toss game at some point), but judging by how much the littles are already enjoying the gifts daycare has received so far, I think I did good this year!

 1.) Giant Rock a Stack (yes, the dog thinks this toy is for him. Also, the littles enjoy wearing them as ankle bracelets, which is quite the sight to see!).

2.) Cardboard gingerbread house with new paints

3.) Building dinosaurs (I will say, the three and five year old had a difficult time with these, so the older kids built them and the younger kids played with them)

4.) Christmas Play Doh and scented sand

5.) Ticket To Ride Europe Edition

6.) Felt Anatomy Apron

7.) Popper Puzzle

Mondays

 

I didn't feel like today was a Monday. It was a good Monday. There were funny lines, tired, but not grouchy kids, messy play, naps, and more playing. Today was the definition of why I do what I do.

Yes, this was extremely messy. Yes, I love it too. It's completely worth it when the child(ren) is rubbing shaving cream all over themselves, saying, "I love you," over and over again. I wasn't sure if they were speaking to me or the activity, but I'm good with it either way!

I definitely had to send disclaimer texts when a child shared his experience of hitting his head and going to the hospital. It happen a couple of months ago, but he told all of his little friends it happened this morning. and continued talking about the hospital. Soon, the kids all thought the hospital sounded amazing and informed me that they too were going to hospital for hitting their heads. I had to send the, "nothing happened today, they just all want to go to the hospital for a nonexistant injury" text. Fun stuff (and also completely hilarious).

Third grade language arts threw me for a loop. I think I rejoiced more than the nine year old when I finally figured out the cross word puzzle....only to realize the cross word didn't have to be turned in. It was just for practice. If the teacher wasn't an online teacher, I'd probably have a smart ass comment or two.

We're trying to teach the dog not to grab food from the kids table, especially right from their hands or plates. He's figured out he should simply lay under the highchair and wait for things to fall. Also, it's a great idea to follow around the same kids who feed you from the highchair because they just hand over the precious stuffed animals. The dog feels like won the lottery most days.

Top 10 Things The Kids Love This Week

 

Usually these are about what has gotten me through a week, but part of getting me through the week is making sure the kids are happy, satisfied, and cared for. These kiddos are amazing. They are kind, care for and about each other, and make me lose my mind just as much as they keep me from losing my mind on my own! 

Here are the top ten things daycare has loved this week:

1.) I'm sure you've seen these wildly popular toys, but the kids have recently become obsessed with them. I've had fidget toys for years, as they're great at getting kids to focus, but the Pop Its are a new buy for me. 

2.) The kids have had a great time playing You've Got Crabs. I have yet to play it, but they make it look fun! 

3.) Their ultimate favorite new card game is Cards Against Humanity Family Edition. There are LOTS of laughs while playing every day.

4.) We use A LOT of water bottles during the summer. I surprised the minis with these National Parks stickers to put on our blank bottles. They had a great time going through the stickers, pulling out all of the Parks we've been to, and reminiscing about our trips.

5.) Usually we like large beach towels, especially for swimming lessons and quick trips to the pool. Of course, when we have to pack a lot of items, smaller beach towels work best. We found these to roll up easily and take less room to pack and are absorbent. We grabbed a dozen of them and we'll probably grab a few more.

6.) We had a lot of the items needed for our daycare Olympics Week, but I had to purchase a new volleyball net because the stakes to our old one went missing (either kids or a dog is responsible). It doesn't go as high as I had hoped, but it's versatile and perfect for kids under 12. 

7.) I made up my own watermelon slushie recipe for the kids and myself last week. It's been one of my favorite treats this summer. Check it out here.

8.) Speaking of treats, Bauder's Pharmacy has peach ice cream that is to die for. I hadn't had any in years, so it was quite special when Hubs came home with some.

9.) These may have made the list back in the spring, but they deserve a shout out. I usually stay away from Lakeshore art projects simply because I can get nearly the same products elsewhere and for a better price. I can't remember why but I ordered these suncatchers and they are the best suncatcher kit I've ever done with daycare! Well worth the price.

10.) I bought new sand toys to take to Texas and we dug them out of our beach stuff for our sand box. These ice cream sand toys have been played with a lot over the last few weeks. The kids requested these make their way into our play dough toys rather than back into our beach bags.

Friday Faves

 

On this first Friday of official summer vacation (let's be honest, our summer pretty much started at the beginning of May when we left for our Texas road trip), I'm thankful for these things that have helped get me through the week and made things go as smoothly as could be expected. I would love to say that I'm sharing this and then headed into a weekend of relaxation, but the complete opposite is true! We're beginning what is known as "the month from hell," or "birthday month," or "dance recital month," or "busiest freaking month ever." You choose what we go with, but you get the idea. 

Nothing like asking summer to be kind one minute (read that one here) and then just diving in. 

1.) With our house once again filled for the summer, silverware always seems to be in short supply around here. I purchased a cheap silverware set from Walmart with last weekend's grocery order. Now we're no longer running out of clean silverware, but the kids actually prefer the cheap set to our other! Apparently it's lightweight and easier to use than our nicer set. 

2.) Love, love, love the movie Cruella! I didn't have big hopes for it, but I fell in love with it when we viewed the movie via Disney+ last weekend. The soundtrack is also phenomenal!

3.) I know I tell you about this every single mosquito season, but seriously, Bug Soother is amazing for our bugs here in the Midwest. Admittedly, this all natural spray did nothing for us in Texas, but it's like magic here in the Midwest.

4.) Summer is here and that means popsicles, mud kitchens, and water balloon fights! I'm happy I got these simple, reusable water balloons last year. No little bits of balloons all over the yard and the fun doesn't stop once all of the balloons have been thrown because all you have to do is dip them in water and they're good to go!

5.) Today is National Donut Day. That means donuts all day long! 

6.) Donut Day today, free fishing weekend is up next! Check out this out if you're looking for places to go.

7.) A daycare mom and friend gave me a bottle of mango moscato. It is the perfect summer drink and best way to end the week.

9 Thursday Favorites

 

The weather this week has been superb, making for lots of play time outside!

I realized today that there's been a lot of new loves this week. Between adding an infant to the daycare mix, prepping for an epic road trip, and that final stretch of homeschool, it's been a BUSY week. Here are the things that have made my life a little bit easier and better this week: 

1.) I live in flip flops. All year long. I treated myself to new flip flops. Not any flip flops: Crocs flip flops. Hear me out on this. Crocs are easy on the feet, they don't look terrible, they're waterproof, and they hold up really well. I went basic with my new purchases, so they can go with anything and everything. You can never go wrong with white flip flops and black strappy sandals.

2.) I decided I needed multiple wrap carriers for the new daycare baby, since I need to be on the go all day long. Not only do I have my trusty K'Tan, but I also purchased an Acrabros wrap carrier and I'm in love. The Acrabros is stretchier and a thinner fabric, which is perfect for those long four hour naps baby likes to take while I wrangle the others for their naps! Both wraps are easily washable and so far, the fabrics haven't worn down in either.

3.) I've had this Scoop A Bug set for a few years and it never gets old. Especially when I put the bugs in a sensory bin with black beans. The kids keep busy searching for the bugs in the beans, scooping them up, sorting them, hiding them again in the beans, and then starting over. It's been hours of entertainment for them for the last two weeks.

4.) What screams it's spring? Neon paint. Crayola Neon is my favorite. We've painted Mother's Day gifts with it. We've done driveway painting with it. We've window painted with it. It's bright, colorful, and washable.

5.)  Pizza night is a thing at our house. It usually happens every week or two. This week I wanted something a bit different. We took a chance with this Pizza In A Bowl recipe and it was a hit! We subbed the ground beef for spicy Italian sausage, no cream of mushroom soup, and added black olives and green peppers. 

6.) In case you weren't aware of our tick run-in last weekend (read about that mess here), we were in HIGH cleaning mode on Sunday. We took our Highlander to Mister Car Wash for a thorough cleaning inside and out. We were extremely pleased with the results. Plus, it kept our Sunday free because if we would have done it ourselves, we would have spent a few hours on it!

7.) The Handmaid's Tale season 4 has been long awaited. I've happily binge watched the first couple of episodes with hopes that I'll have time this weekend (in between packing) to watch the rest of the available episodes.

8.) When life gets crazy, I look for things that calm me. This week I'm listening to the Acoustic Covers playlist on Amazon Music. I dig it.

9.) What happens when it's discovered that a ?? year old bouncy seat stops working mid-day? Simply order a new one from Target and have a new one at my front door within two hours. I splurged on a one year subscription to Shipt and so far, it's proven very useful. I don't have the option of simply leaving the house when I need something and my evenings are pretty packed these days (thanks to homeschooling). This delivery service is wonderful for this wahm.

Easter Gift Ideas For The Family

Alright parents, there's one week left to get yourself together and grab gifts for Easter baskets. We tend to not fill their baskets with candy, but admittedly, we/I go overboard on toys and other gifts. The children consider Easter one of the big gift giving holidays, with Christmas and their birthdays being the others. I have not broken it to them that their birthdays are not in fact holidays. We usually give them all of their spring and summer wardrobe for Easter, so it seems like they get a lot. I call that a mom hack, since they're getting things they'll need for the next several months. 

If you're looking for toys to fill their baskets, take a look at my favorites, from baby to teen:

Infant:

• Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes
• Soft books
• Fisher Price Work From Home gift set

Toddler/Preschooler:

• Bubble Popping Sensory toy (this would honestly be great for any age; used as a stress reliever, sensory toy, or as a manipulative for a few quiet moments)
• Garden Building Stem toy
• Little People Cuddle and Play Nursery
• Color and shapes matching egg toy
• Scissor Skills workbook
• Dino egg dig kit

Elementary:

• Walkie talkies
• Lazer tag
• Rock painting kit
• Paint by sticker
• Kites 
• Make Your Own Water Globes

Pre-teen:

• Nail pens
• Oragami kit
• Magic Flying Ball toy
• LED Finger Light gloves
• Slime kits

Teen:

• Stickers for water bottles
• Gift cards
• Journal
• Lego architecture
• Tortilla blanket
• Wireless ear buds
• Escape Room In A Box

Bigger items/Items for everyone:

• Tetherball set
• Arcade Basketball Game
• Backyard games
• Beach toys/towels/swim gear
• Keens/water shoes/slides/flip flops
• Shorts, tees, dresses, tank tops
• Hiking gear

Looking at past Easter pictures and I realized two of the three minis are wearing Christmas jammies on Easter morning!

Favorite Books and Movies of the Week

[Treats for the viewing of the fourth Harry Potter movie]

I am often asked by friends what we're watching and/or reading. My kids seem to be going devouring books right now and their current love on television are game shows. Any and all game shows. They love them so much that every test they take they request it to be set up game show style so they can compete against each other! 

Here are our weekly picks:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - both the book and the movie. The middle mini finished the book, which means we get a "Potter Party" today while we watch the movie! I ordered these Bertie Botts beans for a special treat while they watch the movie. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - The middle mini finished up book #4 and promptly dove into book #5. He's doing an AMAZING job with these books, writing and doing character studies with every book.

Mad About You - I needed a TV show to put on while I create tests and questions about their daily readings. I completely missed that the "new" season came out two years ago! The minis are in love with the show too, which completely surprised me, but we've been watching it as a family this week.

Nomadland - Great movie on Hulu that (if you're knowledgeable about the issues at hand) can get you thinking or be an eye opening experience.

Ellen's Game of Games - the minis LOVE this game show! 

The Great Gatsby - The oldest mini blew through the middle school reading list, so I figured I'd start him on one of my favorite books. So far, he enjoys it too.

What Is the Women's Rights Movement? - The youngest read Who Was Ruth Bader Ginsburg? and made a list of the books in this series she wants to read. She finished Otherwise Known As Sheila The Great and dived right into this one. 

Who Was Jesus? - Another in the Who Was Series that takes a look at the historical facts that are known. I love the approach the book takes and that it doesn't bring religion into it at all.

The King Cake Baby - Mardi Gras required Mardi Gras books. This is by far daycare's favorite one.

Happiest Season - I haven't watched this yet, but since I have a four day weekend coming up, I plan to enjoy this one.

What am I reading, you ask? Oh, just a lot of textbooks, research papers, and worksheets. Every. Single. Day. I have a list of books I'd like to read, but at the end of the day, I'm too tapped out to actually get into any of them! I have mad respect for all of you who are able to read book after book after book. By the end of the day, my bed and an old episode of The X-Files is what I can manage!

February Favorites

1.) We had hoped to find beignet mix at World Market, but they were sold out, so we settled on Cafe du Monde French Roast coffee. The smooth flavors have instantly become one of my favorite coffees!

2.) This song speaks to me because all I do is make things up as I go!

3.) I purchased pH test strips for a science experiment and now my kids (and daycare and other homeschool kids) are obsessed with them! Any food, liquid, or gel is tested asap in our house.

4.) The minis requested boxes of chocolates for Valentine's Day instead of toys (which they usually get), but I couldn't pass up these Lego cinch buckets. I'm hopeful to get in one or two road trips this year and that got me thinking. Every time we pack for a trip, it's always discussed how we can't bring Legos with us. Well, these cinch buckets might make it easier for Legos to travel and not end up lost or in a dog's mouth. Once we have a chance to use them, I'll report back on our successes. Hopefully.

5.) I purchased our Highlander last summer because of the uncertainities regarding the school year. Since we wound up homeschooling, having that as our second vehicle has come in handy. As I state above, we have hopes of road trips or at the very least, more exploring on homeschool adventures. Just for those reasons, we decided a car topper would be useful. I purchased this as a gift to myself for Christmas. I can't wait to get some use out of it!

6.) We attended our first event in nearly a year last Friday. Dome After Dark at the Des Moines Botanical Garden was perfect for our first hoorah in this new life. As the weather warms, we plan for more excursions like this, but plan on keeping it to limited ticketing events.

7.) Numerous works of art each week means we're constantly changing out art work in the homeschool room. Since the walls are cinderblock, we've been using 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips to put up canvases. It's worked great so far!

8.) Check out Expressing Motherhood's March 7th virtual show. I'll be sharing a story about parenting in the pandemic, as well as other performances. It's the perfect ending to my 36th year and a wonderful beginning to my 37th!

9.) My parents had a puzzle of us made on Shutterfly. It's been one of our favorite puzzles to put together!

Current Homeschool Faves

Five months into homeschooling and we definitely have our go-to's. Our go-to websites, supplies, learning toys, and even what we wear and/or use each day. These things all help make our days a little bit earier, bring us joy, and are overall things we like. I like to think by sharing some of our faves, other's may give them a try too and discover something that helps their days run smoothly too!

Websites:

• Khan Academy - We use it mainly for math, but is an overall great (and free) resource
• Education.com - I pay for a premium subscription, so we have access to worksheets (that I also use for daycare preschoolers) and games. I enjoy the grammar worksheets and lessons for the younger two minis. The social studies worksheets for the third grader are informative, short, and much better put together than her textbook (that I've stopped using at this point).
• iCivics - This was recommended to us by our assistant homeschool teacher. It's geared toward middle schoolers, who are learning about government. The lesson plans are put together nicely, but the games are preferred and played often by my 7th and 5th grader.
• Prodigy - The kids love playing this math game. It's just for fun, but is so popular amongst the kids that last summer we had Prodigy Days, where each child could bring a device and play.
• Duolingo - The minis practice Spanish daily, but they've also done a few other languages on the site just for fun. 

Museum tours and zoo cams: pick just about any zoo or Museum and you can likely find a virtual tour or animal cams. The minis fell in love with this last spring when we virtually toured National Parks and the National Zoo's panda cam.

For food:

• Damn Delicious - We've tried out a few of the recipes and they are spot on. We tend to eat more vegetarian and even substituting meat for more veggies works well in these recipes.
• Allrecipes African Recipes - the oldest is learning all about Africa this quarter and has taken to cooking African dishes once a week. It's been interesting for all of us!

Must Haves:

• Fuzzy socks - a must in the winter months!
• Expo markers and white boards
• Notebooks - we prefer the cheapo spiral notebooks that I bought for .50 a piece at the beginning of the school year.
• Colored pencils and oil pastels - These are used for art class more than any other medium.
• Math machines and flash cards - I LOVE the machines, but good ol' fashioned flash cards are handy too. I printed some from Education.com

Toys and Books:

Legos - any and all Legos. I particularly enjoy the Lego boxes and watch the kids get creative with building! 

A Long Walk To Water - this has been our bedtime reading this week.

Everything You Need To Know books - great resources outside of the textbooks, that follows their curriculum.

Art kits (such as this) - the minis were lucky enough to receive several for Christmas. Not only do we use them for art class to do a variety of things, but they've been great for our winter weekends.

Gym mat - I broke it out this week since I knew we wouldn't be getting a lot of outside time. It has been a hit with all of the kids, who have been practicing hand stands, cartwheels, and flips.

Friday Faves

A new wooden figurine made for daycare. We're benefitting from Hub's Christmas present!

So, we haven't been anywhere other than hiking (in the cold) at State Parks in Iowa or at our house, so I don't have any "you should totally try place out!" However, I do have some ideas and things that are keeping us busy as we (slowly) await spring's arrival, so we can spend more time outdoors without freezing our fingers off.

•  The minis favorite Valentine candy is back! We bought several bags of Cherry Sours in anticipation that they'll go quick!
• We've been making two new recipes a week in an attempt to order take out less. This stuffed pepper casserole was a hit with nearly every family member. Damn Delicious has some amazing recipes. We're looking forward to try her nacho beef skillet this weekend!
• The youngest mini so kindly shared her Cra Z Snow from Christmas with daycare and it's been a favorite this week. There was an issue with the kids making the "snow fall" and someone got it in their eyeball, but mostly, it's been a fun sensory activity.
• Hub's Christmas gift was a Wen Band Saw and well, it's benefitting me just as much as he loves it. While I'm busy drawing up plans for building projects, he decided to make daycare wooden animal figurines. Not only will they make fun toys, but the kids will also get a chance to paint/decorate them. Big points for both a project (for numerous humans) and a new toy.
• I'm ready to focus on sunny days and warmer weather. That's why I'm already planning our garden. After last summer's garden getting trampled by a new puppy, I've decided raised garden beds are the way to go. The minis will be able to help build them, plant the veggies, and care for them. There are so many plans for raised beds, but I'm digging (pun intended) these plans because of the simplicity.
• We're super excited for the debut of WandaVision. We're planning Family Friday Nights with a new episode and dinner. 
• An unexpected day off because of a snow storm. The minis still have homeschool (they're not thrilled with me), but I'm doing it in pajamas and with season 1 of The Crown on the TV.

An empty schedule for our Friday

My Favorite December Things

As usual, my absolute favorite things on the weekdays is warm coffee and listening to kids play.

I totally missed sharing a Christmas list of must haves, but we've tried A LOT of new things recently. As it turns out, I'm not good at snowboarding. Regardless of the face plants, snowboarding was awesome. I loved it. We've loved a lot of things these past few weeks that have gotten us through these cold weather weekends during a pandemic. With snow storms in the forecast, along with many new face plants in my future, I'll share the things we love with you:

1.) We received (and gave) some great gifts from Bozz Prints and The Knotty Nail. Both located in Valley Junction, Bozz Prints has anything you'll need that's Iowa related and The Knotty Nail has everything from string art kits (my minis love these) to mugs (my shitshow cup in now one of my favorites) to wooden signs.

  

2.) Hot chocolate bombs are the bomb this year. I was lucky enough to be gifted homemade ones (and they were amazing!), but we turned to Beaverdale Confections to go in our Pandmic Gift Baskets for family.

3.) We've been on a breakfast pizza kick. Casey's, Fong's, Scornovacco's. Des Moines has some great options when it comes to this breakfast delicacy. Casey's is still my favorite.

4.) We've had plenty of time for movie and television viewing. Some of our faves to watch the last couple of weeks include: Prom, The Princess Switch (1 and 2), a re-watch of The X-Files, and HBO Max (WW1984 was a must watch, so we treated ourselves to a subscription to the streaming service).

5.) Since we did no big family gatherings this year, we wanted to bring just a little bit of the usual Christmas into our home. As a result, I've found myself making family favorite recipes passed down from my grandparents and great grandparents. Our Christmas Eve feast included homemade pork and chili with tortillas, tamales (from our favorite place in Des Moines), homemade salsa, and conchas. Christmas Day included ham, my grandma's Christmas potatoes, and bread pudding. All VERY rich food that somehow made it feel more like the holiday.

6.) The minis (and mom) were surprised with a Lazer Tag set from my aunt and uncle. We've had some VERY entertaining nights since Christmas Eve thanks to this set. It's so loved that I may order another one or two for daycare this summer!

7.) As we're in the middle of another snowstorm, brand new snow tubes and snowboards may have been my best idea yet. We need to master snowboarding (so far we've only mastered face planting), but both have gotten plenty of use so far and given us so much fun!

8.) Before this school year, I had always wondered how teachers can go through so many Expo markers. Now, I get it. Those things made their way onto my wish lists and Christmas lists because they're so used.

9.) The minis loved their tie blanket art classes so much in the fall that they made some for Christmas gifts. They watched numerous tutorials and tried different methods of the tying. YouTube tutorials of all kinds have been our go-to when we've tried new things this pandemic quarantine. 

10.) After a unit on the stars, planets, and constellations, star gazing has become a thing our family loves to do. Certified dark sky parks are the best places to look up and take it all in. We recently visited Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids, Iowa. Said to have the darkest skies in Iowa, it's definitely a place we'll be visiting again (and likely hiking too!). 

11.) I'll be straight with you, while homeschooling is going better than expected, I've relied on Google A LOT. Especially with middle school science class. Apparently I needed to pay more attention! To help both the 7th grader and myself, I grabbed the Everything You Need to Ace Science, World History, and American History for the 5th grader. My kids read these for fun and it makes explaining things soooo much easier. Maybe my kids just have a lot of questions, but it's given my Googling a bit of a break!

12.) My husband handmade me a charcuterie board for Christmas. Now I'm having fun putting them together. Just for us because, ya know, we can't have gatherings, but hopefully I'll perfect my boards before we can actually have people inside of our home. 

13.) Despite getting a ridiculous amount of Harry Potter Legos this holiday season, my boys anxiously waiting to purchase these Harry Potter book sets.

14.) I happened upon these Virtual Tours on Facebook and it's well worth the money, especially since there's very little traveling happening right now!