Starting Wednesday, December 9th, a group of bloggers, including Buried with Children,Mayhem & Moxie,7 Clown Circus, Scary Mommy, Adventures in Babywearing, The Extraordinary Ordinary, & Mama’s Losin’ It, will be hosting, Blog, Bid, Hope, a three day auction, to raise money on behalf of the Liz LogelinFoundation, as well as Anissa Mayhew.  I’d tell you more about them in this post, but I think it’s important that you read about these special women for yourself.  The various auctions will include blog designs, accessories, baby gear, art (SPACE MONKEY!), and more.

The Space Monkey auction will be featured at Mayhem & Moxie, but I encourage you to visit all of the sites and check out the wonderful variety of items.  We are happy to be donating a Space Monkey, and proud to be invited by such a lovely group of women to participate in Blog * Bid * Hope.

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Let’s face it, we all deserve a little something, don’t we??  I’ve compiled a small list of things parents will enjoy. 

Asha Patel Designs has a unique collection of jewelry that will fit any personality.  Threads are simple hand-cast sterling discs that are simple and elegant, and meant to bring the wearer “luck, love, peace of mind and more”.  Get Your OM On are again, simple and elegant bracelets & a fashionable way to stay calm and quiet the world around you.  Word to Your Mother is a beautiful pendant displaying “Mom” in 9 languages.  This sweet necklace comes in sterling & gold with the option to add diamonds…and if there’s any fast way to a mom’s heart…

Daisy Princess Paperie offers a gorgeous selection of stationary, invitations, and assorted paper products.  They have classy, fab, silly, pretty, girly paper and everything in between.  What better way to send holiday thank yous, New Year’s invitations, and even a card “just because”?  Daisy Princess also has calendars, art paper, and totes, if you’re looking to buy for that person who has everything.

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Kaboose offers some really fun, kid friendly Hanukkah crafts that your family can do together and that you can use to teach about the holiday and your children can use to celebrate Hanukkah!

To learn more about the Hanukkah holiday, click on this link! You’ll find countless stories and explanations of this holiday!

A few of the dreidel crafts that I like the most are the dreidel magnets and the dreidel milk carton!

To make the Dreidel magnets you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Print off the Dreidel stencils and cut out the dreidel shapes.
2. Choose three or four different coloured foam craft sheets.
3. Trace each cut-out dreidel stencil onto the foam craft paper using a black marker.
4. Carefully cut out each foam shape. Try to cut just inside the black marker lines so that no leftover ink will show on your shapes. (Tip: If some marker does show, just flip over the foam cutout and use the marker side as the back of your magnet)
5. Stack all your cutout dreidel pieces on top of each other, with the largest one on the bottom and the smallest one on the top.
6. Using a few dabs of white craft glue, glue each foam cutout on top of the next, twisting them slightly so that they fan out and make a neat design.
7. Wait 15-20 minutes for the glue to set and dry. Don’t worry if you can see a little bit of white glue. When it dries, it will become clear.
8. Once your dreidel is dry, cut a half-inch piece of magnet off the strip, peel off the paper protecting the adhesive backing and press it firmly onto the back of your foam dreidel.
9. Turn it right-side up again and decorate with glitter pens or loose glitter.

Tips:

• Using a six-inch piece of fishing wire, poke a small hole into the top of your dreidel and pull the wire through so that it looks like a charm on a necklace. Use the wire to attach your magnet to special Chanukah presents.
• Add pre-cut foam letters and shapes to your magnets to personalize them even more.
• Cut out lots of different Chanukah shapes, like Menorahs, Magen Davids (Stars of David), candles and latkes, and glue them all together for a great big festive magnet!

To make the Dreidel milk carton you’ll need:

How to make it:

1. Take a small, empty milk carton container and wash it out thoroughly. Dry it gently using a kitchen towel.
2. Close the spout on the container and tape it shut using a small piece of masking tape.
3. Using a kitchen knife (parents, please do this part for your children) cut a small incision into the bottom centre of your container, just long enough to put a Popsicle stick through.
4. Paint the entire milk carton whatever colour you choose. If the paint looks streaky, do another coat.
5. Wait an hour to make sure the paint is completely dry and then add the letters Nun, Hay, Gimel and Shin (pictured below) with glitter pens or craft glue and loose glitter to the four sides of your dreidel, one letter on each side.

Tips:

• How to play the Dreidel game: This game should be played in groups of four. Each player gets an equal amount of gelt. (In Yiddish, gelt means money or gold. You can use pennies, candy or nuts). Put another amount of gelt in the pot. Then, each player takes a turn spinning the top. If it lands on Nun, the player receives nothing. If it lands on Hay, the player takes half of what’s in the pot. If it lands on Gimel, the player takes all of the pot, and if it lands on Shin, the player puts one piece of gelt into the pot.

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Christmas is a magical time for children.  In an effort to cultivate this magic with fibs and folklore, I feel just swell about our purchase and exploitation of elf labor (don’t feel too bad for him.  Seriously, guys, he sleeps ALL DAY LONG.)

Several weeks ago I told my four and five year old that I had received an email from Santa.  I told them that we’d been chosen to be one of a few select families to have a special guest in our home until Christmas time.  Two days ago a box came (from the North Pole, of course) and contained a box with an elf (don’t worry, there were air holes) and a book of explanation.

The book is written like any other children’s book, but generally tells your child about your elf’s purpose and explains the rules and boundaries of his visit.  It asks you to name your elf.  Ours is called Charlie!

Basically, you get the elf and can not ever touch him for fear of sucking the Christmas Magic out of his body.  He can not speak to you, but he can always hear you.  You can tell him anything.  At the end of the day, after you’ve fallen asleep, he’ll (with the help of Christmas magic) come to life and fly to the North Pole to report your good-doings to Santa himself and tell Santa all of your wishes.  When he comes back he’ll hide and you’ll have to find him the next day when you wake up.  On Christmas Eve, Santa will pick him up and take him back to the North Pole until next year… when hopefully he’ll request to be a part of your family again.

I found a great website for the Elf on the Shelf! My children love it.  They particularly love visiting the North Pole where you can do things like visit the see Santa’s workshop and Mrs Claus’ kitchen.  The website also has interactive games like cookie decorating!

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All of my Fiber Guts have been hand knit with painstaking care!  Many of these products include or are made from organic fibers.  Most of the yarn I use is spun and dyed by local artists.  This means that each skein of yarn is one-of-a-kind.  I don’t knit with patterns, so every hat, scarf, headband, arm-warmer (and more) is unique!  Not only will you never see someone else with the same design, but you probably won’t see much of the same yarn either.  When I knit using non-local yarn, I purchase high-end fibers that usually include mohair, silk and are often made of merino wool.  I do not knit with itchy wool.  What’s the point? I always support the small yarn shops that line the Streets of Fabric Row and South Street in South Philadelphia!  My favorite non-local yarn is made by Spud and Chloe and my favorite local yarn is made by Black Bunny Fibers.

Many of my knits include needle felted designs.  I really enjoy the process and the imagination in creating needle felted embellishments! It’s satisfying to jab unspun wool with felting needles and watch it become something prettier!

Later this week you can expect to see wrist warmers and a new macbook case!  It’s my goal to have 25 products on my page by December 25th!

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It’s no secret around these parts that we love music, books, arts & crafts.

Lately, Noel has been doing LOTS of dot-to-dots and color by numbers.  I’ve been amazed by the progress he’s made doing these.  He’s learned numbers up to 50, and can visually tell us those numbers.Elliott found these Kumon workbooks at Target, and we will absolutely be purchasing more.  I’ve been so pleased with the Number Games book, and there are tons more.  It looks like there are many choices appropriate for all ages, 2 & up.  This is one of those gifts that you can sneak in that’s fun and educational.  What a concept, eh?

I love Costco.  Have I mentioned that?  I’m also a big fan of Crayola, since I grew up in their hometown of Kansas City.  I found this Crayola Colossal Creativity Collection there for $20 (Amazon has it listed for 2 x that, which is why I encourage you to go to Costco!).

This has everything imaginable: Glitter glue, the ever-popular box of 64 crayons with the sharpener in the back, markers, True to Life markers, Pipsqueaks, colored pencils, modeling clay, and a packet of Twistables.  I’m sure I’m forgetting something…and did I mention IT WAS $20!?!  Unbelievable!  It comes in a big storage tub, so we put all the colors in our Stash, and threw all of our coloring books and drawing pads in the tub.  Organization and tons and tons of colors.  Perfect.

Dan Zanes and Friends are wonderful performers and artists.  Their music is geared toward children, but will appeal to adults, we swear!  Dan added a DVD and a CD to his catalog this year and both are wonderful.  We would expect no LESS!  The Fine Friends are Here will have your kids up singing and dancing with it’s fun songs, and bright images.  It includes old and new favorites:

Track List:

Let’s Shake
Fine Friends
Wabash Cannonball
Water For the Elephants
Jump Up (with David Alan a.k.a. Cyclone)
Cape Cod Girls
El Canario
The Welcome Table (with Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. La Bruja)
Thrift Shop
Monkey’s Wedding
Catch That Train
Colas
Walking the Dog (with David Alan a.k.a. Cyclone)

Music Videos:

Wonder Wheel
Pollito Chicken (with Caridad de la Luz a.k.a. La Bruja)
Night Owl

I’ve already told you about his newest collection of Broadway songs, 76 Trombones, and how much I love it.  Perfect stocking stuffer!

Track List:
1. Seventy Six Trombones
2. Hello, Dolly! (with Carol Channing)
3. I Can Do That (with Derick K. Grant)
4. I Like Ev’rybody (with Brian Stokes Mitchell)
5. I Won’t Grow Up
6. Big On Broadway (with Father Goose)
7. Thumbelina (with Father Goose)
8. Tomorrow (Mañana) (with Sonia De Los Santos)
9. I Don’t Need Anything But You (with De’Adre Aziza)
10. Gary, Indiana/ The Wells Fargo Wagon
11. You I Like
12. The Inch Worm
13. I’m Flying
14. Before The Parade Passes By (with Matthew Broderick)
15. You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile
16. I Am What I Am (with the band aka The Friends)
17. Goodnight, My Someone

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Leapfrog, of course, has items for all ages, but our new favorite is My Pal Scout.  Scout connects to the computer and can be personalized with your children’s favorites & he will even say their name.  Scout teaches early learning skills, such as:

- First words

- Daily routines

- Early number sense

- Feelings and emotions

- Animals

Scout is a great first toy, that is guaranteed to be a favorite for years.

BUY MY PAL SCOUT!

One of the best ways for new parents to bond with their baby is through babywearing.  All of us have been or currently are babywearers and we’ve talked about it many times.  A couple of our favorite companies are TogetherBe and Rockin’ Baby Slings.

I just passed on my favorite “I’ll Stop the World and Melt with You” pouch from Rockin’ Baby Sling onto our new mom *and soon to be new MUM*, Diane.  I can’t wait for her to tell you more about it.  I absolutely loved this pouch.  All of my slings and pouches have been comfortable, but this one is particularly pretty, and so very 70s.  All of Rockin’ Baby Sling’s designs are so unique and cool. 

Rockin’ Baby also has a great deal going on right now!  Through the end of November, you can save 40% on any non-sale item!

Because I’m only toting around 1 toddler these days, I passed all of my carriers but one on to Diane.  I kept my TogetherBe Mei Tai.  The Mei Tai is a great carrier, because it will carry an infant or a toddler effortlessly.  Like Rockin’ Baby, TogetherBe has beautiful fabrics from which to choose.  You’ll carry your baby in style.

The Mei Tai straps might seem intimidating, but once you learn how to tie it on (there are instructions online and with the carrier), you’ll be wearing your baby in no time.

Slings and wraps are a great gift for new parents, and we think these are two of the best places to find quality and style for anyone you might be shopping for this holiday season!

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We were given the Britax Parkway GS Booster Seat to try out this past summer. We have an ever-so-quickly growing 4 year old who more than meets the requirements to ride in a booster seat (just to make that clear). We asked our preschooler what she likes best about the Parkway booster and she said, “The pillows on the sides of my head”. I always ask her if she’s comfortable and her reply is always “yes”.

I feel like she is safe in this booster seat and that matters a lot (obviously). She’s comfortable, which is also great but she also looks secure in the backseat.

I like the safety features of this booster, mainly the True-Side-Impact Protection and the SecureGuard for the seat belt to help keep it in place.

Also, if you’re in the market for an infant carrier; hopefully you also read my post about the Britax Chaperone travel system.

In closing, I just want to say that you can’t go wrong with Britax. The car seats are well worth the money. You can’t beat the safety features and the comfort of the seats. It’s obvious that this company takes kid’s safety in the car very seriously. I have a 4 year old and a 4-1/2 month old and if I had it to do all over again, I would go with Britax. Hands down. I’m not just saying that because they gave me seats to try out. The truth is, you need to make sure your kids are safe in the car and that’s not something to mess around with. If you’re going to spend money on a quality baby or kid product, Britax is definitely the way to go.

*Cross-posted from ParentSphere

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Of course, I added Fiber Gut to this list!

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