Today Wishpot Mom Expert Dana of Babyluxe Daily and The Winning Pitch shares a story that her and her child enjoy reading together.
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The best thing to do on cold chilly nights is to curl up with your kiddos in front of the fire and read all the classics stories!!
Now my 7 year old is doing a lot of the reading and most of our holiday story books are getting too easy for him. And since it’s 2008 and technology is great we can sit with the laptop and read stories we find online! You will be amazed at the treasures in reading you can find via the internet!
Nothing is better than an old book with torn pages {I shouldn’t say old, I should say a “loved” book with torn pages}, but it’s fun, and cheap, to search all the free engines online and find brilliant stories, especially for this season.
So here’s one for you today that my sons enjoy, to help you bring in the New Year after your holiday is complete!
One cold morning Maurice awoke from his dreams and sat up in bed and listened. He thought he heard a knock at his window; but though the moon was shining brightly, Jack Frost had been so busily at work that Maurice could not see through the thickly painted panes. So he crept sleepily out of bed, and opened the window, and whispered: “Who is there?”
“I am,” replied a tinkling voice. “I am the little New Year, ho! ho! And I’ve promised to bring a blessing to everyone. But I am such a little fellow I need somebody to help me distribute them. Won’t you please come out and help?”
“Oh, it’s so cold!” said Maurice; “I’d rather go back to my warm bed; ” and he shivered as Jack Frost, who was passing, tickled him under the chin with one of the frosty paint brushes.
“Never mind the cold,” urged the New Year; “please help me.”
So Maurice hurried into his clothes, and was soon out in the yard. There he found a rosy-cheeked boy a little smaller than himself, pulling a large cart which seemed to be loaded with good things. On one side of this cart was painted the word “Love,” and on the other “Kindness.” As soon as the New Year saw Maurice he said, “Now please take hold and help me pull;” and down the driveway and up the hill they travelled until they came to an old shanty.
“Here is where I make my first call,” said the New Year. Maurice looked wonderingly at him. “Why, nobody lives here but an old man who works for us; and he hasn’t any children!” “He needs my help,” said the New Year; “for grown people like to be thought of just as much as children do. You shovel out a path to his door, while I unload some of my blessings; and the little hands went busily at work, piling up warm clothing, wood, and a new year’s dinner, the New Year singing as he worked:
“Oh, I am the little New Year; ho! ho! Here I come tripping it over the snow, Shaking my bells with a merry din; So open your door and let me in.”
Old Joe, hearing some noise outside, came to the door, and when he saw all the nice gifts the tears ran down his cheeks for gladness; and as he carried them into the house, he whispered: “The dear Lord has been here tonight.”
“Where am we going now?” asked Maurice, as they ran down the hill. “To take some flowers to a poor sick girl,” answered the New Year.
Soon they came to a small white house, where the New Year stopped. “Why, Bessie lives here,” said Maurice. “I didn’t know she was sick.” “See,” said the New Year, “this window is open a little; let us throw this bunch of pinks into the room. They will please her when she wakes, and will make her happy for several days.”
Then they hurried to other places, leaving some blessing behind them.
“What a wonderful cart you have,” said Maurice; “though you have taken so much out, it never seems to get empty.” “You are right, Maurice, there is never any end to love and kindness. As long as I find people to love and be kind to, my cart is full of blessings for them; and it will never grow empty until I can no longer find people to help. If you will go with me every day and help me scatter my blessings, you will see how happy you will be all the long year.”
“A happy New Year!” called some one; and Maurice found himself in bed, and his sister standing in the doorway smiling at him. “Have you had a pleasant dream, dear?” she asked.
“Why, where is the little New Year?” said Maurice; “he was just here with me.”
“Come into Mamma’s room and see what he has brought you,” answered his sister. There in a snowy white cradle he found a tiny baby brother, the gift of the New.Year. How happy Maurice was then! But he did not forget his dream. Old Joe and Bessie had their gifts, too, and Maurice tried so hard to be helpful that he made all his friends glad because the happy New Year had come.
Mom Expert Wendy shows us the stuffed Menorah from PopJudaica.com she featured on her blog, Babies Gotta Have It.
Happy Hanukkah!
You should also check out her cool Movie Noodle gift list. Very cool movie gift baskets for that hard to shop for person on your list or that movie buff in your family.
Today Wishpot Mom Expert Dana of Babyluxe Daily and The Winning Pitch blog gives us her high tech picks for holiday gift ideas. Thanks Dana!
As I browse over my 7 year old and my 8 year old niece’s gift wish lists {to Santa still thank goodness}, I realize my sister and I could possibly spend into the thousands on just gifts for them alone! Seriously, A Nintendo DS {with of course games to go with it}, a $200 digital camera, the Wii and all the accessories, a fancy dancy IPod, a Pink Laptop, to just name a few…how do parents afford it now a days; I miss the days of Legos and Lincoln Logs on their lists!
Let me give you some other ideas and products {more affordable and durable; you know you’ll buy the high end electronic only to have it break when someone sits on it after it falls into the couch no more than a week after Christmas} I have found to replace expensive techy products for kids.
Check out my post on BabyLuxe {daily} the other day on LeapFrog, this company can not be bet! More affordable than the IPod and the DS, try the Crammer and the Didj. Still appropriate for that age group, fantastic graphics and memory, PLUS educational thrown in! These two products are brilliant {as are all of LeapFrog’s products}! They have a similar look as the more expensive ones and have all the same features, and more, so why not stick with a company we all love and save a few bucks.
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Okay, the Wii, I agree this is a fabulous product for “families”, so instead of tagging this one as just for one child, give it as a gift for the entire family. And you certainly do not need all the bells and whistles right away, the accessories and games are all pricey so spread out purchasing them throughout the year.
I would have never thought an 8 year would need her own laptop but the way the schools are run now a days, homework can be completed online and submitted to the teacher electronically, how cool is that??! So, just maybe, an 8 year will need her own “computer”, not necessarily a laptop. Purchase a refurbished computer or of course shop the sales. A desktop is much cheaper and for an 8 year old and up, it will work perfectly for what they need it for. The laptops are for the convenience of wireless and traveling, not something kids need access to as of yet.
Finally, a digital camera. I’ve gone through a few expensive digital cameras over the past couple years as they are extremely sensitive and must be handled with care, again, not something for a 7 year old boy! So, a cheaper more durable solution is the FisherPrice Kids tough digital or Vtech Kidizoom camera for the preschoolers and look at this cute and durable little digital camera for the older kids, the Argus Bean Sprout. Perfect for the younger photographers and durable enough to travel with them to the playground or wherever their fun life’s take them!
Amanda is owner of a chic hair bow shop called Simply Sweet Bowtique . She also writes on her personal blog which she also does reviews called Mommy Mandy .
While she is currently holding her own Holiday Gift Guide on her personal site she wanted to point out some of her top picks from handmade shops! Just so you know her Holiday Gift Guide is offering some fantastic giveaways with items for the whole family! So be sure to check it out.
First and foremost I think we all need to decorate our homes and get in the spirit of Christmas. I am in love with the glass blocks from Design a Line . I bought the All Is Calm Glass Block and just love it. Yes the block is heavy but it is beautiful!
Another site I love is Firefly Jewelry . One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is the Custom Soldered and Hand Stamped Photo Pendant Necklace. Pendants are dual sided! Use the same photo for both sides or choose a different one. The 3/4 inch sterling silver disc is stamped with the name of your choice and birth date. (up to 13 letters/letters may be used) Hanging off the disc is a crystal of your choice in color with a smaller clear crystal. The charm has been polished and buffed and the letters oxidized to stand out.
These jewelry pieces are beautiful and any mom would love one!
And for the kids I just love Apple Blossom Baby . Earlier this year I was able to review one of the fun jingle balls and my girls LOVED it. I highly recommend these soft balls for all kids. Beautiful designer fabric comes together to become a great play ball perfect for babies and toddlers.
Be sure to see all of my favorite Great Handmade Gift Ideas . I’ll be updating each day as well!
By Wishpot Preschool Mom Expert Jessica McFadden of A Parent in Silver Spring
As a mom of two preschoolers that loves to shop ‘til I drop AND save wherever I can, the holidays can provide the greatest gifting challenge. I believe parents need innovative, interesting gifts for their preschoolers with price tags less than $50 each. To give you a hand, I have compiled an exhaustive gift guide on my website, A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews, that showcases hundreds of fabulous gifts for everyone on your list. There are also 80 awesome giveaways interspersed amongst the gift guide for lucky readers.
And since I’m the Wishpot Preschool Mom Expert, of course I had to make a $50 and Under Holiday Gifts for Preschoolers Wish List on Wishpot. Here are some of my suggested items to help in your playing of Santa or preparation for the eight crazy nights:
Discovery Kids FRS Walkie Talkie Watches $29.95
With 22 channels and a super high frequency, kids can play spy and communicate up to 1.5 miles away from each other! It has a voice-activated mode that transmits when you start talking. There are ear buds for covert communications and the set is expandable - you can add more sets for a larger network. Forget the kids, this is so Mission Impossible, I want these!
Green Toys Enviro-Friendly Tea Set at The Pajama Squid $25
This tea set is made from advanced environmentally friendly materials and proves that green can equal cute! 17 piece set includes tea pot with lid, sugar bowl with lid and creamer, demitasse spoons, cups and saucers.
K’NEX Sesame Street Building Sets $10.99 Each
These brand new Sesame Street themed building sets are created especially for preschoolers and allow tots to create custom versions of their favorite sesame characters. Choose between Super Grover, Abby Cadabby, Elmo, Ernie, Cookie Monster and my daughter’s favorite, Oscar. Perfect to stimulate and delight the building urge in kids 2-5. Not only will this be under the tree at my house, it will be my go-to 3rd birthday party present for 2009 - just stick a bow on the cute plastic carrying case and go!
Ultimate I SPY for Wii $39.99 or I SPY Fun House for CD-Rom $19.99 Play I SPY like never before! These new games based on the beloved seek-and-find picture books allow kids to navigate 3-D riddle screens, play paddleball or complete puzzles to solve I SPY riddles. The games combine eye puzzle gameplay of I SPY with active play on the Wii or computer learning skills via CD-Rom. Special surprises abound!
Pandamania Game from the Smithsonian Institution $14.98
Kids squeal over the pandas at the zoo, learning about animals and playing new games. This exciting new game from the Smithsonian Institution will have your kids racing around the board to gather the food their panda needs. They’ll be having so much fun, they won’t realize it’s educational. For 2 to 4 players, ages 5 and up.
Car Carrier Semi With Cars by East Laurel Woodcrafts at The Pajama Squid $28
This cool car carrier semi with cars is by Kentucky crafters East Laurel Woodcrafts. The wooden toys are finished with a non-toxic toy and wood oil to preserve the natural wood feel. Each piece is uniquely its own and absolutely beautiful.
Disney’s The Hidden World of Fairies Hardcover Interactive Book $14.99
Do you have a little one that is super excited about the new Tinker Bell movie? Then this book is the perfect gift! This illustrated book allows kids to enter the fairy world with fairy facts and includes lots of interactive elements, like secret notes, miniature books and a removable fairy talent medallion. Disney Fairies: The Hidden World of Fairies offers fairies fans an intimate glimpse into their favorite magical world.
BOCA BETH Spanish Learning Beginner Set $31.99
My 2 and 4 year olds are jabbering en Español thanks to the Boca Beth early language learning program. This set comes with the DVD “Mi Casa/My House,” the music CD “First Songs in Spanish,” their very own puppet of the Boca character and a bilingual coloring/activity book with more than 40 pages of Spanish & English fun. Parents will appreciate the How To Guide for second language instruction. The Boca set is truly a valuable educational gift that feels like a toy to the kids.
Here are the other sections of the A Parent in Silver Spring Reviews gift guide, for easy Windows shopping for everyone on your list:
KIDS & TOYS
STOCKING STUFFERS
TEACHER & HOSTESS GIFTS
WOMEN
MEN
TEENS & TWEENS
BABIES & EXPECTANT MOMS
ECO-GIFTS
HOLIDAY PHOTO CARDS
Mom Expert Andrea Diuguid is a SAHM, web designer, crafter, preschool teacher and casual photographer. She features her work on her blog Take It Smiling and contributes to www.picturemycamera.com.
I have three children. My eldest is a 7 year old boy, my middle a 4 ½ year old girl and my youngest child, a boy, is 13 months old. Of course, three children means we have three times the norm of many, many things: food, laundry, doctor’s visits, TOYS.
So, as we approached my youngest child’s first birthday, I thought long and hard about what to give him. Friends asked, “What does he need? What doesn’t he have?” Do you know I couldn’t answer? Sure, our doctor kit is now approximately five years old and missing a few pieces, but do we NEED a new one? No. Sure, my son already enjoys pushing around cars and trucks but since he’s got so many left from my eldest, does he NEED new ones? No. How about clothes? Nope, have them left over from my eldest as well as many friends. Hmmm…
Then, it hit me. Can you ever have too many books? No way. I don’t know about you, but I read 2 – 3 books per night, per child so that’s a lot of reading. Translation: that’s a lot of repetition. We’ve been reading the same bookcase-worth of books for SEVEN years now. Ouch. (It actually is painful sometimes.) With this is mind, I decided to have a book-themed party where everyone could give the birthday boy a copy of their favorite book. This worked beautifully for our guest list as the vast majority of kids invited were the friends of my other two. They’d been read to all their lives so I figured they had to have favorites. I was so right and, as I gazed at the very manageable stack of new books after the party, I was at peace. Gone was the usual post-party angst regarding where we’d put all the new STUFF. Where would all those tiny pieces go so they didn’t get lost? How long would it take my fingers to heal after untwisting all those wires to free all this STUFF? Instead, it was “Ahhhhh. Look at that lovely pile of books for us to read.”
But I’m not the only one with a lack-luster library. Why not consider rejuvenating your friends’ libraries this year too? They will thank you for not giving their child another THING to collect dust once the thrill wears off (ever notice how the thrill doesn’t wear off of books for kids?). To get you started, here are my absolute favorites, appropriate for children birth through third grade (at least):
O
n The Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier
This gorgeous tale describes the wondrous happenings across the planet as your child was born. I’ve made sure each of my children have their own copy so that they will always know how very connected they are to our environment as well as joyful we were upon their arrival.
I Hate Everyone by Mij Kelly
Selfish Queen Bee learns to be polite in this clever story. The typography lends to the excitement; as the Queen yells louder, so do the words on the page. The richly colored images are sure to entrance your child as they learn that being nice is the best way to be.
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he Napping House by Audrey Wood
Can you spot the little flea in each picture? Did you notice each animal moves just a bit on each page? Your child will enjoy predicting what’s next by looking at the pictures in this fun book. The day may start sleepy but it sure ends up bright!
B
ear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson
If you’ve never read any of the Bear books, you are in for a treat! In this episode, beautifully illustrated rhythmic poetry tells of Bear’s friends caring for him when he is sick. Each animal does something special for Bear and, in the end, Bear cares for them when they become sick. It’s a sweet tale of friends caring for one another.
Also look for Bear Wants More (featuring American Sign Language for “more,” Bear Snores On, Bear’s New Friend and Bear Stay’s Up (a Christmas story) and Bear Feels Scared.
H
ow Do I Love You? By P.K. Hallinan
This fun rhyme describes all the lovable things about your child (“I love it when you’re happy and I’m sorry when you’re sad. And even though it may not show, I love you when you’re bad.”). It’s a wonderful way to reaffirm a parent’s love for their child, no matter what their behavior. The drawings are vividly colored and lots of fun!
This author/illustrator has an entire series of love-affirming books worth checking out.
M
y Very Own Name
Animals gather round as a new baby joins the wood. To decide the baby’s name, each animal offers a letter. “D” might come from a donkey or a deer, for example. Based on the information you provide upon ordering, the animals spell out your special child’s name. The birthdate of this woodland baby matches that of your child as well. I’ve purchased this book for all of my children. When they were younger, they loved hearing their names as part of the story. As they grew, they began identifying the letters presented my each animal. The illustrations are gorgeous as well.
L
ittle Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry & the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
This quick board book is such fun to read. Your child will love how they, as the reader, speak directly to the mouse about his juicy, red, ripe strawberry and the very big hungry bear who loves to eat them!
G
o Track a Yak! By Tony Johnston
Go on a silly journey to save the little baby who won’t eat. Thanks to outstanding typography, you’ll find yourself in character as a dim-witted dad and cranky witch. My children have enjoyed the story on many levels over the years; different parts make them laugh as they get older.
S
ixteen Cows by Lisa Wheeler
Join Cowboy Gene and Cowgirl Sue as they each call their eight cows in for the night. But, when a storm blows down the fence, the herds mix and mayhem ensues. Through witty rhymes, we find Cowboy Gene and Cowgirl Sue in love and the herd size doubled!
T
he Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
Do you deal with any picky eaters? Can you image SEVEN of them? This rhyming tale will entertain you and your picky eater as you watch one mother become exhausted by her seven silly eaters… and then watch their favorite foods magically combine to make one delicious birthday cake for Mom!
O
ld Turtle by Douglas Wood
This fable describes how all things are connected here on Planet Earth. Beautiful watercolors vividly depict the land and creatures of our world. This is a MUST read for children to help them understand the importance of preserving Earth’s ecology.
For even more book ideas, check out my list “Children’s Books – MUST HAVES” on Wishpot.com.
Andrea Diuguid is a SAHM, web designer, crafter, preschool teacher and casual photographer. She features her work on her blog Take It Smiling and contributes to www.picturemycamera.com.
Today Wishpot Mom Expert Dana of Babyluxe Daily and The Winning Pitch blog shares the first annual BabyLuxe {daily} gift guide! Thanks Dana!
This is BabyLuxe {daily}’s first Holiday Guide and we’re so excited to share it with everyone! Tons of remarkable companies offering fabulous gifts for the little darlings in your life; even WishPot has joined our Holiday guide to help make shopping easier and less stressful for all involved!
Our Holiday Boutiques range from décor items for the entire home from Burke Décor and eco-friendly essentials from NewBorn Mom, to unique toys from Pure & Honest Kids and trendy clothing from Ladybugs and Lilypads; and so much more!
The Fun for Kids section has everything you need for itty bitty Divas at Princess Time Toys and the cutest puppets from Happywhosits!
Paper & Keepsakes; check out Paperluxe Studio’s brilliant stationary items {perfect gifts for women, men, kids…awesome teacher gift!}, also visit PeaceLily Designs for a truly unique and beautiful twist on mobiles not just for the nursery! Of course there’s more!
So much to see in the Gadgets & Gears section! Made By Angie wipe containers always make fabulous gifts or try a luxurious Secure2Me blanket for baby! What about the best strollers on the globe from Let’s Go Strolling and Tots on-the-go!
Clothing, shoes, accessories and more! Collect discounts from many of our Holiday Guide Sponsors and do all your shopping from home; save with discounts or free shipping plus save on gas! Happy Holidays everyone!
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