This year to make sure I kept our kids Christmas ( and our bank account) in check, we're sticking to the READ, WEAR, WANT, NEED categories.
I got this idea off of pinterest and I think it was one of the best things to come from the hours of mindless scrolling that Pinterest inevitably brings about. *double sigh*
Basically each of our children will receive one item from each of these categories and that is it. Done. No more presents.
P.S. this is actually much harder to do than I thought! Gosh, I love getting christmas presents for people!! So, that being said this blog post will help me out. I will not only tell you what I decided to get my kids of Christmas, but also what I thought about getting them. You know, the runners up gifts. So, at least in my mind, those back up gifts will get the credit they so deserve.
First off, Tabitha ( my almost 1 year old)
Read: I got her Peek-a-moo, we had a similar book in the series "Peek-a-zoo" for Ransom but it was a used copy and sadly didn't make it to Tabitha. I think she's gonna love it as much as Ransom did his book.
The runner up for my book choice for Tabitha was Sense and Sensibility: A Babylit Opposites Primer. I've told you about other favorite from this author "Pride and Prejudice: A Babylit Counting Book" in another post. I think this one looks like its going to be just as good! Maybe I'll get it for Tabitha's birthday!
Wear:
So, just to go ahead and spread the love just a little bit and show you that I have other addictions....I got my next present for Tabitha from my OTHER favorite website/drug: Zulily ( if you aren't already a member ( its free) go click on that link, and if you then purchase something I'll get $15 bucks. So that'd be cool!)...They have revolving deals on this site and the things I've purchased have been babyleggings, high quality toys, like Melissa and Doug toys, Manhattan Toys-all for ridiculously good deals. The addictive quality about this site?! Well, shipping is a basic $5 shipping...and after you buy ONE item and pay your five dollar shipping...ALL YOUR OTHER ORDERS THAT DAY ARE FREE SHIPPING. Whaaaat!?!? And that's the story about how Abigail ordered tons of stuff in a feverish fit at 11:45pm and then woke up the next morning wondering what in the world I'd done....true story. I had to cut myself off for a while. *sigh*
Ok, so back to the point: I got Tabitha this rockin' little hat and gloves set on Zulily .....sadly as I mentioned the sales over there are revolving and its no longer available. Here's a teeny tiny picture so you can be sad that you missed out:
The runner up in the "Wear" category was this totally awesome bib and I ended up not getting it because it just didn't seem as fun as the hat and gloves as far as Christmas presents go...but it's still super cute and I LOVE these "smock" type bibs. I have one from IKEA that I got for Ransom ( so its boy colors) and she has to wear it all the time, the bib below however came in SO MANY adorable patterns that it was hard to pick my favorite. Bird cages? Win. Especially now that it's winter-its the only thing that protects ALL OF HER PERSON from her ANIMALISTIC eating habits is this :
Need: OK, lets be honest...this is the category that has to be a little bit "flimsy" when it comes to Christmas presents. You don't want your kids opening underwear on Christmas morning. So please notice that this isn't a need per say...
This is another Zulily purchase that I got a month or so ago so sadly I don't have a link for you. But I have something similar for Ransom and I wanted Tabitha to have her own: It's a dinner plate that has her name on it. Ransom has one that has a Hippopotamus on it that he loves, and Tabitha's has a tree made out of butterflies.
Let me just say though, personalized items are always a fun gift for kids.
My runner up for Need for Tabitha was kicked out of the running almost immediately. Mostly because it was for me. Not her. Haha! Though she IS in a major "take everything out of the basket" phase so I suppose she would have liked it:
Bottom line is that up until now Tabitha's toys have been relatively little and nonintrusive. Buuuut they are now starting to make their presence known and I'm in need of more storage around the house. I love these brown baskets because I can stick them almost anywhere!
Want: Best category for sure!! And definitely the
most fun to buy! Lucky for me, Tabitha's birthday is on January 5th so anything that's left on my list for her, I can always carry over to her birthday! YAY!
I'm so excited about this present, her very first Baby Doll! After extensive research I went with the Stella Doll. I loved that she was completely soft, that her paci was a magnet rather than some weird hole left behind in her mouth when it wasn't in. I loved that she had "beans" in her limbs and body to create some comforting weight. I also loved the accessories for future presents. Isn't she cute?!
One of the many runner-ups to the Doll was this adorable little shopping basket set. Tabitha is SO into taking things out and putting things in, that I figured she'd enjoy something like this. It also had the added benefit of hopefully growing with her and becoming a good imagination game in the future. But, in the end, I went with the doll because, lets face it, I wanted to be the one to get her her first doll. How I love to be a Mommy to a little girl!!
Does anyone else love Amazon Wish Lists as much as I do?!?! I'm a HUGE fan and I have them going all year for each of my kids as well as for myself. Its not all fun and games ( presents etc.) sometimes its things like socks or the kind of magical spot cleaner that I can only find on amazon-but I keep it all on my wishlists for easy access. Anyway, if your interested to see other things that I put on Tabitha's wish list that didn't make the cut or will end up being presents from Grandparents etc, then feel free to take a look!
I don't know why Amazon isn't paying me. I'm basically their minion at this point. *sigh *
3 comments:
As long as Amazon is in business, my brother has a job, and I have a reason to live here. So keep buying! :-)
-RM
We've really like doing the want, need, wear, read for Eden's last few birthdays. Of course, this birthday (along with a watch, popcorn book, and pirate ship) she got action figures as the need because I argued she "needed" them to make playing with the pirate ship possible :). Eden's getting gymnastics classes and gym clothing for Christmas (Lucy is getting a vintage Fisher Price dollhouse I found on Craigslist cheap and the Belly Button Book thrifted).
I'm curious if you do stockings too? We usually give one nice gift, something to wear, something to read, and a stocking. I'm not sure I could give up the little trinkets! They are mostly practical or thrifted, but some are just fanciful- new toothbrush, lip gloss, a couple sweet things and a few garage sale finds (school bus hot wheel for Lucy, dino dvd for Eden).
I love amazon wish lists too!
does this mean that they only get 4 gifts total or they are only getting 4 gifts from you and your husband but then still get more gifts from family?
I love the idea of only 4 gifts but I am not sure I could get grandparents on board...it would be nice if they would instead make investments or pay for lessons...hmmm so much to think about...
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