Christmas is Coming, the Dog is Getting Fat

While a calendar may be a glaring reminder of how quickly Christmas is coming, it rarely forces me to acknowledge how close the big day really is. Rather, it is the not-so-subtle reminders surrounding me that often provide the best sense of time. I may not have a plump goose, but I do have a dog that hasn’t been walked in a while. I may not have a partridge in a pear tree, but I do have a toddler who keeps climbing the tree. And while, I may not be able to correctly sing the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” I can list twelve reminders that Christmas is only days away:

The Not-so-subtle, Only Twelve Days till Christmas Reminder List

1. The extra $3 for gift wrap is starting to sound like a deal considering the pile of boxes that need to be wrapped.

2. My friend’s Christmas cards are arriving while mine are still at the store waiting to be picked up.

3. Eggnog is losing its appeal.

4. The Christmas tree is getting top heavy as “irresistible” ornaments make their way out of reach from sneaky hands.

5. Five catalogs come daily in the mail versus ten from last week.

6. I’ve caught myself seriously pondering how Santa would come down the chimney.

7. I finally admit defeat in the attempt to make presents from scratch.

8. The list of gifts to buy suddenly doubles over night.

9. My happy holiday smile is being ambushed by my lack of sleep.

10. I have the sudden desire to buy even more toys.

11. The words “Christmas Cookies,” makes me giddy.

12. I am more excited for Christmas morning than my kids are.

Happy Holidays!

A Christmas Letter

Dear Santa,

I may only be two-years-old, but I’m no dummy. In fact, I can almost name all 29 letters, which brings me to my point. Everyone keeps telling me that I need to write you a letter for Christmas, but I don’t know which one to mail you? My favorite letter is “H”, but I really don’t want to give it away. Could you settle for a “X”? Please let me know as time is running out. I don’t know why it is running, perhaps if it were walking I could figure this whole mess out. I bet I could also figure out who this “errands” is my mom is always running after as well. For Christmas I going to try to catch “errands” and give it to my Mom, I bet she will really like that.

P.S. Please remember to put “mine” on all my presents so I know which ones are mine! Oh, and label Mom and Dad’s presents “DON’T TOUCH!” so that Brothers knows not to touch them. Thanks!

All The Great Times With Mom In The Kitchen!

I bought them the Deluxe Let's Cook Kitchen. They use it all the time now and giggle while whipping up a storm with the Deluxe Let's Cook Kitchen.

With our Deluxe Let’s Cook Kitchen, kids can cook up a feast without getting a single dish dirty. This adorable kitchen is one gift all the young chefs in your life are sure to enjoy.

Find it here at Toyopia

Toys and How They Can Make a Lasting Impact

When we reflect on our childhoods, we can all recall what some of our favorite toys were and who game them to us. My uncle gave me a barbie van that I played with for hours and hours. Those memories playing with the van and the fact that my uncle picked it out especially for me will always serve as an everlasting connection between my uncle and me. When I look at the children in my life now, I seek to find the right toy for their birthday that will light up their face and hopefully provide them with a lifelong memory of me. My family always teases me for not being much of a cook and using the microwave far more frequently than the oven. My little nephew has participated in this humorous banter so for his birthday I bought him the Plan Toys Microwave. He uses it all the time now wile grinning from ear to ear because he said he thinks of his auntie during every use of his Plan Toys Microwave!

The Importance of Buying Age Appropriate Toys

I love toys. The problem is that I often love them more than my kids. When the new toy catalogs come, I excitedly flip through the pages while attempting to suppress my desire to purchase every toy that catches my eye. From simple building blocks to complex construction kits, I love and often want them all. Over the years however, I have learned that while I want them all, my kids are often better off not having them all. Kids certainly need a strong variety of toys but what they don’t need are toys that are beyond their developmental stage. As a parent, it is easy to believe that a toy rated for an older child can help to foster your child’s imagination or creativity, but all to often that it not the case. When faced with a challenge far above their developmental level, children often become frustrated and quickly give up, which robs them of the a vital learning experience, learning by doing. Parents can unknowingly exacerbate the problem by stepping in to help. Helping a child “play” or “build” a toy that is above their developmental level can instill in them the “I can’t do this myself” belief and work ethic. As a science teacher for many years, I saw first hand the negative impact this belief can have on learning. When faced with a challenging lab or assignment, many kids simply ask for help, without ever attempting the figure out the problem on their own. Upon helping them, it quickly became apparent that in these kids eyes “to help” actually means “to do.” If, as parents, we allow our kids to passively watch us “help” them rather than actively “help”, we are unintentionally teaching them to take the easy way out and have someone else do the work for you. Purchasing age appropriate toys however, can help prevent the problem all together. Age ratings on toys goes beyond mere choking hazard concerns. A child’s developmental age and the appropriate challenge level of the toy are also considered when a rating is established. Age appropriate toys not only limit the levels of frustrations in kids, their appropriate level of difficulty allow kids play the active role in the helping process, thereby allowing parents to take the passive role. To help find age appropriate toys, all toys at Toyopia are categorized by age group. By doing so we hope to help you find not only a toys your child loves, but one that will help them developmentally as well!

Sing Your Heart Out

Before having children I could probably sing a few versus from Old McDonald and get through most of The Wheels on the Bus. Now I am an expert of these and many other classic children's songs. In fact, I find myself humming them to myself even when I am not with children in tow. My children also know all the classics, but mostly from school. In our house these songs are not king, our made up family songs are the ones requested time and again. I started making up songs in the van. Both my children were not great car travelers. Crying for no particular reason seemed to reign on my parade more times then I care to remember. So I started to sing, I'd sing about what I saw out the window or what we were about to go and do. I'd repeat the same melody over and over again and soon I'd have a chorus from the back seat adding on to the song. My husband travels for work and so when he goes we have our own missing Daddy song we sing. The melody is Leaving on a Jet Plane by Peter, Paul and Mary, but the lyrics are all our own. Now I catch my daughter singing her own songs to her brother. I told her she should be a song writer when she grows up, she replied to me, "I'm already a song maker." That she is.

Simple Tips for Encouraging Your Kids to Read

Most kids love to read, but often forget that they do. A forward-facing bookshelf is not only very space efficient, it is also a great reminder for kids that reading can be fun. In his book, The Read Aloud Handbook, Jim Trelease compares shopping for cereal with kids “shopping” for entertainment. When walking through the cereal isle, the super fun (often sugar-loaded) cereals are always front and center, at kid’s eye level and within reach. Why? Because grocery stores and food manufactures know that kids will want and often demand what the see right in front of them, so in other words, it works. Cereals displayed at eye level routinely out sell cereals on higher shelves. So, as Trelease suggests, why not use this approach to reading. By placing a forward-facing bookshelf in your play area, kids not only see the books, they will see the appealing front covers of the books and want to read. There are several different types of these bookshelves on the market, but there are a couple features you want to look for. First, ensure that the front cover of the book is visible (not hidden in a sling). Second, make sure it is deep enough to hold several books (so you don’t have to constantly rotate books). Third, check for durability as kids are often forget the art of being gentle. Lastly, make sure you have read The Read Aloud Handbook as it will benefit you and your children for generations to come.

Bottom Line: Forward-facing bookshelves = kids who read (by choice!)