Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…
This is for those of you who have asked what kind of things [we and] KB would like for Christmas:
Luke 2:7 - 13
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Note from Mom and Dad on Christmas…
This is for those of you who have asked what kind of things [we and] KB would like for Christmas:
We hope to raise KB to know what the holidays are all about. Help us to balance the wants with the needs and present them with what will help her to grow in the way we want her to go. Let's bring in toys that are responsible – even in this small way our monies will shape their future, both in where the money goes and what it brings home to them.
When it comes to gifts, please keep in mind "less is more". A few quality items that will last are a much nicer way to go. Also, the more simple the toy, the more the imagination is used – and the more use the toy will get! Here are some ideas:
Things we love:Things we love to avoid as much as possible:
- Things made of natural materials (wood, cotton, silk, wool).
- Toys that use the imagination rather than toys that use batteries.
- Waldorf or Montessori style toys – toys that are real things (musical instruments, gardening tools, art supplies) or that encourage creative play (play food/dishes, cloth baby doll, wooden blocks and cars), push/pull toys
- Books!! (esp ones with real pictures!)
- Magazines like “Ladybug”, “Wild Animal Baby” or “Little Kids National Geographic”
- Things we can do as a family like: Annual passes to State Parks, Jungle Gardens, the Children's Garden, etc
- Hand-made things (if you aren't crafty, www.Etsy.com is a wonderful place to purchase everything for adults and kids.
- Clothing, sizes 12M & up (please note, we only wear dresses & skirts - so no shorts or pant sets please!)
Some great places to shop:
- Toys made of synthetic materials such as plastic - and *especially* battery-operated ones!
- Items depicting cartoons/companies (ie - toys/clothes/books with cartoon/TV characters such as... Sesame Street, Dora, the Wiggles, Backyardigans, Carebears, Barbie, Bratz, etc.)
- Any edible items which contain dairy or sugar!
- www. rosiehippo.com, www.oompa.com, www.threesisterstoys.com, www.babyworks.com, www.novanatural.com, www.willowtreetoys.com,
- http://www.babymoonflower.com (local Sarasota mom… love the blocks &Toddler Zoom Cars, she sells!)
- Locally: Toy Lab, Funtoysia, [Baby & Kids at] Bennetts, and Learning Express all carry these types of toys.
- "Melissa & Doug" is a good toy brand that I've also seen locally - at bookstores and even Home Goods
- Don't forget, buying USED saves money & prevents waste! www.Ebay.com, www.Craigslist.com, www.Amazon.com, & 2nd hand stores (locally, Pitter Patter & Snappy Turtle Consignment stores are awesome!) hold many treasures...
We thank you for your understanding!
~KB's mommy & daddy <3
DH was home *all* day... so after stopping in to Best Buy to make a return & check on the job application B put in earlier today.... we spent a good part of the afternoon walking around Barnes & Noble, drinking our coffee (I love coffee!!), and looking at all the fun books. With Christmas coming up quickly, the economy being as it is.... a lot of people seem to be looking for frugal alternatives for Christmas gifts this year. I am especially intrigued by how many people are considering making homemade gifts... which was apparent by all the neat crafty books! Not knowing myself, what I was going to do for KB for Christmas... and not really wanting to get more toys for KB (esp not battery-eating, plastic ones - we're trying to stick to the "simple is better" thing)... I found myself leaning towards also making something. But what? Then I found it, in this book....
Sock and Glove: Creating Charming Softy Friends
So then I had my idea... what if I made a few of these little birds... and then buy Heather (my wonderful crafty sister) some brown yarn to knit or crochet a "bird's nest"?? So that's my idea... what do you think??
Now all I have to do is get the book [oh*twist*my*arm!]... find some red socks... and then figure out something I can do for my hubby!!! -- I am SO excited!!
