10 Gift Ideas for the Little Lego Lover

My son is OBSESSED with Legos, but sometimes it seems like you can only buy so many sets, know what I mean? On a recent trip to Costco, I wanted our trip to seem more legit than just going to eat at the food court, so we walked around browsing, and they had some great books that caught my eye. I thought I'd pass along the ideas, along with a few more, for anyone else thinking ahead to the holidays!

1. I posted last year on Facebook that we had gotten this Lego Ideas Book for our son's birthday.

This is NOT a book with instructions. Instead, it is a large, coffee table-style book filled with Lego creations organized by theme. It gives ideas on different ways to use specialty bits and bricks they may have gotten in other sets. It also has interesting interviews with people who build Legos professionally. My son still spends hours thumbing through this book, and even has us read pages for his nightly bedtime story. "Be creative with your bricks! You can use different bricks to achieve the same effects. If you don't have green cabbages for your farm truck, but you have yellow bricks, you have hay bales!" Zzzzzzz for me.... !!excitement!! for him.

Other books I saw at Costco.... We don't own these so I can't speak to how loved they might be, but all three of my kids were clamoring for these at the store!

2. Lego Minifigure Year by Year

3. Lego Play Book: Ideas to Bring Your Bricks to Life

4. The Lego Book

5. Building Brick and Minifigure Ice Cube Tray/Candy Melt
While we didn't use these for our Lego Birthday Party, lots of other parties I saw online did! How fun would these be to make ice cubes, candy, crayons, and more!? My kids would love these!

Photo credit: amazon.com

6. Lego Candy

photo credit: amazon.com

As seen in the cake we made for Parker's Lego party, these Lego brick candies actually stick together! My husband and I may or may not have stayed up playing with these little guys. Fun and tasty, they would make a great stocking stuffer!

7. Lego Advent Calendar

I have always wanted to get one of these for my kids, but I never have. I'm tempted every year, though! Maybe 2013 is the year.

8. Lego Alarm Clock

Maybe if I got this for my son, he would actually be willing to get up for school! Nah, doubt it.

9. Trio Blocks

photo credit: amazon.com

Okay, I know these look kind of "young" compared to what Lego guys might normally be into. And it's true that we started buying these for my son when he was probably 2 years old. However, these are still a building favorite with my crew and their cousins (ages 4-11). They create all sorts of buildings, vehicles, animals, and bugs. We actually keep a tub of these over at Grandma's house because it can entertain the 6 kids & cousins endlessly, and they're much easier to clean up.

10. Giant bag of Peanut Butter M&M's

These have nothing to do with Legos. But, um, hello? Who would not want to be the recipient of a giant bag of the best M&M's on the planet? Does anyone have me on their Christmas list this year?

I'd love to hear any other reader ideas on what to get for a kid who loves Legos!

Easy Homemade Lip Gloss Tutorial!

So yesterday my 7-year-old asked if we could start planning her birthday party, which is coming up in a few weeks, and I told her no, since I hadn't blogged my lip gloss recipe from her birthday party last year. Seems reasonable, right? Not to her, apparently. So I guess I'd better get going.

Need a simple, fun craft for a birthday party or a rainy day? Here is the absolute EASIEST way to make homemade lip gloss.

I was inspired by the most at Meet the Dubiens, but needed something easier for the format of a birthday party. My daughter was having a pajama party/spa night-themed party, and I wanted the girls to make the lip gloss themselves for a craft. Pretty much every recipe out there I've seen involves heating a bowl full of Vaseline. Hmmmm... sounded kind of unsafe to have around a bunch of sugared-out 6-year-olds, and also not as interactive as I'd like a birthday party craft to be.

So this was our solution....

We decided to spoon the Vaseline into little Ziplock baggies ahead of time. I got small containers, so we only did a little bit of Vaseline in each one (maybe two or three of these spoonfuls - see picture of filled bags below). I think we let each girl do two or three flavors.

Here we go.... all ready for the party guests!

First, the girls held their baggie in a bowl of warm water. They need to hold it there until the Vaseline melts. And, uh, this is my own daughter doing one of our practice rounds. I did not have all our party guests sit on the counter next to bowls of hot water. Only the best for my kids.

Then, open it up and sprinkle some powdered Kool-Aid in there. We had all the different flavors of Kool-Aid in little bowls, and just had the girls put a few pinches of the Kool-Aid in their bags.

We found that adding a little drop of water to the powder sort of "activated" the color and made the color of the lip gloss much more vibrant.

After that, have the kids squish the Kool-Aid and Vaseline together until they are well mixed.

Finally, cut a small piece off the corner of the Ziplock and squeeze the lip gloss into your container of choice (no mess!). We got these in the beading area of Michael's, and they had several sizes to choose from. We went with small ones so that the girls could make several. Let the girls decorate with stickers, if desired!

Here's how they looked in the gift bags with the other party favors - so cute!

The girls LOVED this craft, and the lip gloss actually tasted pretty good! And, after cleaning the Vaseline off of that one spoon, I was suuuuuuuuper glad I didn't have a big bowl of Vaseline to clean out. So, enjoy!

I guess I'll give up hope on Google Reader ever coming back. Have you done this yet? -->Follow my blog with Bloglovin

How to Speak Kid: Ending the Clutter Guilt

How many items of clothing can they wear at once?

It's pretty widely agreed-upon in the world of organization that holding onto things out of a sense of guilt is not a good idea. But how often do we say to our kids something like, "You can't get rid of that! Aunt Amy bought that for you for your birthday and you haven't even worn in yet!" or, "I gave that to you for Christmas and you've barely even played with it!"

Stop and think - do we want to convey to our kids the message that they should hang onto things just because of guilt? Isn't that a habit that many of us are actively try to break?

As adults, things should be in our homes because we love them and use them. Difficult as it might sometimes be, this is a lesson I'm trying to teach my kids from the time they are young. Then, hopefully, when they are adults, it will spare them the guilt-induced anxiety of agonizing whether or not to keep the hideous cat sweater just because it was a gift from grandma.

The last time I went through my 7-year-old's closet with her, we made a deal. I held up each and every article of clothing, and she either said "Good" or "Done." "Done" could mean that it doesn't fit anymore, it's not comfortable, she doesn't like it, whatever. She doesn't need to explain it to me. At first this was hard for her to get used to. "It's just itchy around my neck," she'd say regretfully, looking up at me with big, anxious eyes. "Don't worry!" I kept assuring her. "You can get rid of stuff you don't want anymore. You don't have to explain it to me. If you don't love it and wear it, I don't want you to keep it." She also gets a lot of hand-me-downs from her cousin, some of which are really nice, but just not her style. She doesn't need to keep those. She doesn't need to keep gifts that she doesn't play with, clothes that are uncomfortable, toys that she's outgrown, or anything she doesn't use and love.

Obviously if you have a child constantly begging you for things and then not wearing or using them, you'd need a different plan. But I don't even mind getting rid of something that one of my kids begged for every once in a while. Have you ever bought something you really loved at the time, only to find that you didn't really like it after all? Or someone asked if you were pregnant when you wore a certain dress, or it didn't fit right, etc.? I try to give my kids the same allowances. Maybe she really did love the Hello Kitty shirt when she begged for it, but then someone in her class said only Kindergarteners wear Hello Kitty. Maybe the swimming suit looked really cute to her at the time, but the stitching was terribly itchy. It's okay. It's okay as adults to get rid of things we don't use and love, and it's okay for kids to get rid of things they use and love. Getting rid of it is no more wasteful than letting it sit there, unused. If anything, it's less wasteful because someone else can be using it.

So next time you're going through your kid's room with them, think carefully about the messages that you're conveying about their possessions. Think about your own goals and attitudes about clutter and organization, and the ways we all wish we were better. Maybe, hopefully, with some understanding and grace, we'll get a generation that won't grow up afraid to get rid of the cat sweater. Maybe someday I will be so brave.

How to Speak Kid: Magic Trick for Clean-Up Time!

So this is my youngest. She's three. She can do so many things - get dressed, set the table, get on her coat and shoes, write her name, and throw an epic tantrum... it certainly seems like she should be able to clean her room! But I'm facing the fact that she actually still needs my help, and this summer I came up with a way to get it done that she (and my other kids) absolutely love!

We call it "Double Thumbs Up," and here's how it goes: I sit on the floor with two thumbs up. Claire comes up and taps one of the thumbs, and then I say the job that goes with it, like, "Put your clothes in the hamper." When she's done the job, she comes over and pushes my thumb down, then taps the other thumb to listen to the next job. She finishes that one, pushes that thumb down, and then both thumbs pop back up with new jobs. She continues tapping and pushing the thumbs down until her job are all done, and then I sing a little celebration song. Simple and easy, and my other kids love it too. My 6-year-old begs to play Double Thumbs Up when it's time to clean his room, and once I even caught him doing the thumbs for Claire (awwww....).

I think pushing my thumbs down gives them the same sort of satisfaction as I get crossing things off a To-Do list, and incorporating the movement is more effective than them just listening to me blab about what to do next.

I'm sure the novelty of this trick won't last forever, but it's been working for us this summer! Try it out and let me know how it goes!

Summer Fun - Nature Scavenger Hunt!

So at the beginning of the summer, in an attempt to really engage with my kids each and every day, I promised them that every afternoon we would have Afternoon Adventure, where we would do something fun together. This particular afternoon, we did a Nature Scavenger Hunt in our yard. I perused the internet for ideas, and walked around my own front and back yards. Here's what I came up with:

Nature Scavenger Hunt

*a dead leaf

*a leaf with smooth edges

*a leaf with rough edges

*a leaf that is longer than 4 inches

*a dandelion

*a piece of bark

*a tiny blue flower

*a rock that is LONGER than 2 inches 

*measure the car tires _______________ inches

*a pinecone

*a flower with 4 petals

*a smooth rock

*Y-shaped twig

*pine needle

*at least 8 DIFFERENT leaves

*something beautiful

*something interesting

So we had three boys and three girls, so we split them into teams. They worked together to find, measure, and record everything they found. I included measuring a few items, just because I thought it would make it more interesting for my kids.

The kids had such a great time running around the yard, and there was even a lot of helping each other out!

 They were so proud of everything they found!

Afterwards, we came inside and put everything out on the table, and they had to draw one thing they found on their scavenger hunt. I don't know why my daughter looks like she wants to kill me in this picture.

This was a fun, easy idea that all six kids really loved! Try it out!

Kids' Art Area

Our Kids' Art Area was borne from desperation, not inspiration. When we moved into our new home, we had a really oddly-shaped, narrow living room, and we didn't really think we had room for our coffee table. But we wanted to keep it nearby for those instances when we needed it, or in case life turned out to be impossible without one. I decided to push it into the corner and use it for an art area for the kids. We'd keep the art supplies right next to it, and they could just go over there and create. I think it's so important that kids, when they've proved to be responsible, have easy access to art supplies, and the time and opportunity to be creative.

Many years ago, I bought this drawer storage thing for my classroom. Once I started having babies and staying at home, we used it for baby clothes. Loved being able to separate all those tiny little baby things. But we don't have babies anymore, and I realized it would be perfect for storing arts and crafts stuff! FIFTEEN different drawers! The sorting and organization options made me swoon with joy!

For anyone who is super curious about what fills all those bins, here are some close-ups of the labels on the drawers (still loving my Amazon label-maker from Christmas this year! Woot!).

And here's a little sampler picture of some of the drawers.

Since we're in a rental, we put down those interlocking foam mats under the table and chairs. Really helps especially with the play-doh. Also, I have been dreaming ever since we moved in about getting some vinyl for the walls that says "create" and/or "imagine," and this "wall art" is courtesy of photoshop. LOL Just wanted to try it out and see how it would look!

Hopefully this gets your mind going on how you could create an area like this in your home for your kids to get in there and create! In our house, the kids are welcome to use any of that whenever they would like, but they do need to ask permission to paint, and they have to clean up after themselves. Anything else, they have free reign. Believe me, I know it's hard to think about the mess, but it's so important. And really, what better mess is there to be made than art?

Product Review: Hot Wheels Wall Track

As a parent, I always find it helpful to talk to others about toys I'm considering. One of my son's Christmas gifts was a Hot Wheels wall track. I'd read mixed reviews on it, so I thought I'd offer my thoughts now that we've had it for a few months.

Hot Wheels makes several different types of wall track sets, and they're just like a car track that hooks to your wall using Command Strips. My son (age 5) REALLY wanted one for Christmas, but I was somewhat hesitant.

I've mentioned several times that we live in a pretty small house. We'd gotten car tracks before, but one was stepped on and broken pretty much immediately, and the ones that still work rarely got played with. It just always seemed like kind of a hassle to get them out and put them away. My other concerns were lack of wall space, and durability.

He ended up getting this Hot Wheels Wall Track Starter Play Set, and it's been a huge hit.

We solved the wall space problem by putting the track in the upstairs hallway outside his bedroom. I was worried it would get jostled off the wall all the time, and occasionally it does (maybe once or twice a month?), but it hooks right back in really easily. Is this my absolute favorite arrangement? No, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for my kid at this point. Obviously if you had a playroom or bedroom to put this in, that would be better, but we don't. I was originally planning to just leave the hooks on, and take the track on and off, but it gets played with so much that it's just been up since Christmas.

It's extremely durable under normal amounts of kid play. It stays on the wall beautifully, and stays all snapped together nicely. I've had no complaints from my son (or my husband!) about issues with the track. So far, it's held up really nicely. I did have to talk to my son about how it's held up, and let him know that he can't be rough with it, or allow any of his friends to be rough with it. But so far, no issues there.

The novelty absolutely hasn't worn off yet. There's lots of different ways to configure the track to make the cars do different things, and my son likes to experiment with sending different types of toys through the track as well. He and his friends spend HOURS with this toy, and one of his friends' moms even bought it for her son since he loved the one at our house so much. I think it was definitely my son's favorite Christmas gift, and probably one of his top gifts in several years.

Definitely, DEFINITELY recommend this toy!

American Girl Doll Versus Generic - Is It Worth It?

So it seems like every Christmas, the discussion begins... "My daughter wants a doll. Should I splurge and get an American Girl doll, or just get the generic one?" Here is our experience...

I'll start by saying that this was never about having the "American Girl" brand. I never had an American Girl doll, and I don't care at all about that brand as some sort of a kiddie status symbol, nor does my daughter.

When my oldest was 4, she asked for an American Girl doll. She had recently started playing with her older cousin, who had a generic Target one, but we didn't know if the doll phase would last. She's a responsible kid, so we knew she'd take care of it, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that would just sit on the shelf.

So that first year, when she turned 5, we got her the Our Generation doll (from Target). She named her doll Sunny. Sunny was played with constantly, loved, and adored. She was more than getting our money's worth out of her. Two things to note: within a year, the material was coming apart at the neck, and the hair was incredibly tangled and ratty.

When she was coming up to her 6th birthday, she asked for the American Girl BRAND doll. Her cousin had gotten one by this time, and my daughter was in love with its smooth hair, and the ability to play the online game. I told her that I would buy her one for her birthday, but that would be her ONLY present from us. She gave it some thought and decided to just stick with Sunny.

That Christmas, Sunny got a makeover. We did the Doll Hair Detangler, and I sewed her up at the neck. Sunny looked pretty good, but as her birthday approached, my daughter again began wishing for an American Girl doll. I again offered her the same deal. She could have one, but it would be her only gift. For her 7th birthday, she agreed.

I was happy to do it, at that point. It had been over two years that her favorite pastime was playing dolls, and we knew she would take good care of it. Plus, we were making a trip to California and had the opportunity to go to the American Girl doll store to pick one out herself.

Ahhhhh.... the magic.....

 She named her new doll Charlotte....

 And we enjoyed a trip to the American Girl restaurant as well.

She doesn't regret getting Charlotte for one minute. The most important thing to her is the hair. It never gets snarly or tangled, and remains easy to brush out and style.  She also LOVES the online game that comes along with the My American Girl dolls. I love that Charlotte and Sunny are the same size, so Charlotte can use all the stuff we already had - we either make or buy generic for all the clothes and accessories. For my daughter, it was never about the brand name, it was always about having a doll like her cousin's that had "the good hair."

So, is it worth it? If your daughter is young, or you're on a limited budget, I would start with a generic one. Kids' interests change, and I would want to make sure it's something they were going to stay interested in. Also, aside from the hair, the generic ones are fine. My daughter made lots of good memories with her Sunny doll. If the money isn't a concern, or if your daughter is older, and you're confident that she'll love the doll and get lots of use out of it, and/or she will be very into styling the hair, I would definitely go with the American Girl brand. For my daughter, who plays with hers a LOT, the American Girl doll brand has proven to be far more durable. And really, it's pretty comparable in price to a lot of other big-ticket gifts, so I think in 2013, $100 isn't that much to pay for something your child will treasure and play with constantly. So I guess my final vote is: worth it!