Gift Ideas for Kids

Green Toys Tea Set - $19.59

Sugar and spice and everything nice.  That's what little girls are made of.  Tea time is a time-honored tradition among little girls.  Honor them with this eco-friendly tea set.  Make sure to bring friends - stuffed and real. 

Little Tikes Grillin'
Grand Kitchen - $179.99

 "Imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery." (~Charles Caleb Colton)  Children flatter us all the time.  This kitchen set helps them to accomplish it while being in a safe environment.  A kitchen like this can also teach them teamwork when they are playing with siblings or have friends over.  The question becomes: What's for dinner?

Tool Belt with Accessories - $30.95
Note: Tool Belt is Made in the USA

The wonderful thing about this tool belt is that it could be used by little girls or boys.  They can imitate their mommy and daddy.  It's always fascinating to watch the things that children build.

Jonti Craft Toy
Workbench with Drawer - $407.32

This bench is a wonderful addition to the tool belt.  It gives kids a place to imagine and build and learn, while having a place to store their building tools.

Dunecraft Butterfly Glamour
Garden Science Kit - $18.41

We received a Monarch Butterfly costume last year to review and ever since, the girls have become so much more aware of butterflies.  I love toys that encourage learning and play.

Dirt King Tricycle Purple - $219.00

Tricycles are a great gift for kids.  It encourages movement and play.  The best part is watching their faces the first time they are able to do it on their own.  Priceless.  (Don't forget a helmet and pads.)

Personalized ABC book - $39.95

Teaching children their ABCs and 123s is always exciting to watch.  Having a book that also includes their picture encourages further interest in wanting to learn. 

Eco Friendly Reusable
Lunch Bag - from $16.95

In addition to being used as a lunch tote, this bag can also double as an art tote for kids.  They can put their coloring books and crayons, markers, and drawing paper and have a great place to tote them around and store them when they are done.

Hoot Wants Ice Cream? Pillow - $19.99

Here's a decorative and creative pillow that will fit in well in any child's bedroom.  Kids love their stuffed animals and this one comes in the form of a pillow.  Great for travels too.

What's on your gift list for kids?  Please let me know.  If you like this list, let your friends know.


Karina

Let's Connect

What Did My Child Just Say?!

Kids surprise us sometimes with the things that they say.  They are like a really good salesperson - you just never know what is going to come out of his/her mouth.  The words horrified or aaawww come to mind when thinking about a conversation with a child.

Both of my girls are so dear to my heart.  I am humbled and honored that I have been given the opportunity to stay home with them and teach them.  I heard my 1-year old Baby Bina from the kitchen.  She was talking to the dog.  They are best friends, you know.  He even attends the girls' tea parties.  Bina cupped his chin in her hands and told him, "You're perfect just the way you are."

When I heard that my heart melted and then I thought, "Did my child just say that?  That is the sweetest thing, even if it was to the dog."

Has a child, yours or otherwise, ever surprised you with something s/he said?  I would love to read your stories.  Please share them here.

Karina

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Karina
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Mother's Worst Fear....Would You Know What To Do?

I love having breakfast with my girls.  I watch how they interact with each other and each moment brings about a gratitude that words escape me to describe.  This morning we sat down to eat like every other day.  I was feeding Bina while Lyla ate her breakfast.  I had just fed Bina a spoonful of food as I looked over at Lyla.  Her mouth was open in a choking motion.  Her face was quickly turning red and she was not making a sound.  Fear encompassed me.  My baby is choking.  In a matter of seconds, I threw her tray to the ground and had her out of her high chair and on the ground to administer the Heimlich maneuver.  By the time I got her on the ground, back facing me, she says, "I ok."  I turned her around.  Her face is no longer red and she is speaking.  Oh Dear God.  Sound.  Amen.  The tears falling from her eyes were round and larger than normal.  I will never forget them.  Her expression - vulnerable but upbeat.  I asked her if she was ok.  She looked at me and smiled, cleared her throat and said, "Yeah."  I watched her for a few seconds.  She smiled again and repeated, "I ok."  I continued to watch her as I went to pick up her tray.  She says to me, "Mommy made a mess," describing the food that had fallen off her tray and onto the floor when I launched the tray.  She appeared to have already moved on.  I tried to, and for a minute or two, I did, as I put her back in her high chair and put the tray back on the chair.

She resumed eating what was left of her breakfast.  I finished feeding Bina her cereal and fruit.  I actually was calmer than I expected.  I suppose because I knew what to do in that very moment and was actually able to do it in that very moment.  I remember going to the pediatrician's office we all joked about when it's your own child, sometimes we forget common sense assessments.  Not this time.  I was so grateful (and quite frankly proud of myself) that at this very moment when my baby needed me, I reacted as I should have.  Thank you, God.

 I described this same scenario to my husband.  He said that if it would have been him, he would have yelled for me because he probably would have frozen up and not known what to do.  That statement made me wonder how many parents and caretakers out there would have reacted the same way as he said he would have.

I offer you the opportunity to, at least, acquire the knowledge of what to do in that very moment and hope that it NEVER happens to you.  Here is a link to the American Heart Association's Heartsaver Courses.  I went through the prompts.  I clicked on "Find a CPR Class," and input my zip code.  The next screen asks which class you want to take and the list is long.  If you are not sure which class would best suit your needs, there is a wizard in which you can answer some questions to assist you in the process of finding a class for you.  The only thing that beat knowing what to do when my child was choking was the fact that she is ok.
Do you have an up-to-date CPR card?  Have you ever experienced something similar?  (I really hope not.)  Has this post prompted you to take the class?  (I really hope so.)  Please send me your thoughts.

Karina

A Gift the Kids Will Sink Their Teeth Into

I do not know anyone (yet) that would need this pillow, but I thought it was so adorable that I had to write about it.  What a great concept - a tooth fairy pillow.  I found it at, you guessed it, Your Tooth Fairy Pillow.  It has a little pocket that comes with a toothbrush and toothpaste.  The pocket is also where your child puts his/her tooth for the tooth fairy to take.  How adorable and best of all, yes, you got it, it's Made in the USA.


Have your little ones lost their teeth?  I would love it if you would share your pictures with me.  Post them on my Facebook page.

Karina

The purchase of this pillow will create 78,019 jobs.

Choosing Can Be Puzzling

Choosing gifts for Christmas used to be so simple.  Now with kids, I get overwhelmed.  There are so many wonderful gifts.  I strive to get the girls items that are fun and educational.  I found a puzzle made by Mamasoes that appealed to me.  It has the numbers in bright colors.  Besides the fact that it is Made in the USA, it serves several purposes for both girls.  Lyla can continue to learn her numbers.  Putting together the puzzle assists her with hand-eye coordination and as she puts the puzzle together, she learns color recognition.  This toy would be good for Bina in the simple fact that babies love colors and this puzzle fulfills in that department.  It also does not have little pieces to account for and anyone that is surrounded by mobile babies knows that that is a plus.


How's your shopping going so far?  Have you purposefully bought any Made in the USA items?  I would love to hear (or read) your thoughts and experiences. 

Karina

The purchase of this puzzle can create 106,319 jobs.

Mom Finds Way to Always Praise Child

Now this gift can be appreciated by many.  It is a reward-and-praise chart from the Victoria Chart Company.  The chart serves as a visual reminder for kids (and I'm sure parents and caretakers alike) about how the good things they accomplish do not go unnoticed.  As the parent of a two-year old, there are days when I feel I am being tested to see how I react.  Having this chart would help present an opportunity to turn the situation around.  It is Made in the USA and based on a great value, "Let's raise good kids."

How do you praise your children and loved ones?  I would love to hear (or read) your thoughts.

Karina

This purchase would create 59,382 jobs.

Needle in a Traystack

I recently read about Maria Montessori and her methods of teaching.  It makes sense - create an environment in which children can play and "learn".  Actually, that's how they learn - through play.  I decided to set up a Montessori-style learning environment for the girls. 

Because I am Mom in the USA and today is Cyber Monday, I have been trying to find simple kids' food trays for Lyla to do her activities.  Sadly, I have not been able to find one yet.  I have not given up.  The search just seems to be taking longer than I expected.  The funny thing is that I have a list of items I would like to purchase and that was the first one on the list.  Fear not, though, I will find those trays and then I will let you know where I found them. 

What types of activities do you practice with your little ones?  (Note: I say little ones because, quite frankly, they will always be my babies, even though right now they really are.)  Anyways, I would love to hear (or read) your thoughts.

Karina

The Gift is in The Box

I think whiplash is setting in.  I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is in two days.  I have been trying to think about gifts for the girls.  In my search for products Made in the U.S.A., I came across a cottage at Crafty Kids Playhouses.  It's made out of 100% recycled cardboard!  How brilliant!  Lyla loves playing with boxes.  Doesn't really care what's in the box, just the box.  I keep telling my husband that someone should come up with an idea to sell a box for kids.  Well, ask and ye shall find.  This one goes on the list.

Karina

By the way, this toy creates 124,924 jobs.  Made in the U.S.A., eco-friendly, and creates jobs - there's a feel-good purchase.

A New Food Group....Pizza?

Move over pomegranates!  Pizza is taking over as the new vegetable.   At least that is according to a recent Senate vote on school lunches.  If I may sound a bit more emotional than intellectual for just a moment.  Are you kidding me?!  The U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed that pizza have a total of a 1/4 cup of tomato sauce per slice on it in order to qualify as a serving of vegetable.  Since when is pizza or tomato sauce even considered a vegetable?  Put some sauce on it and call it a day? 

Another part of the bill called for a limit on starchy vegetables such as white potatoes, peas, and lima beans.  I understand from the perspective of a farmer and producer of these vegetables how this proposal could limit their income.  The pizza makers want to keep their income as well.  Who is lobbying for the kids?  The USDA's proposal also called for a reduction in sodium in the foods the children consume.  I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies also love that this bill was turned down.  If children are kept overweight and obese and continue to learn that pizza is a vegetable serving, they become patients earlier in life. 

My kids are nowhere near school age so this does not apply to them.  For some reason, though, this story got under my skin.  As a mom who wants the best for my kids, my jaw just drops that a 1/4 cup of tomato sauce is being counted as a vegetable serving so that frozen food manufacturers can continue to serve their food to kids.  Kids deserve better than that. 

If this story frustrates you, upsets you or just makes you down right mad, check out this petition to improve school food.  One million signatures are needed.  Jamie Oliver began the Food Revolution.  This revolution is about teaching us all the importance of learning basic cooking skills, cooking  healthy, fresh food and getting everyone involved to make this the norm and not just a great thought or t.v. show.  Please sign the petition so our kids don't grow up thinking that pizza is a vegetable serving.

What are your thoughts?  I'd love to hear from you.

Karina