Just in Time for the Black Friday Sales. . . or not. . .

My blog friend (whom I've never met and who I'm sure doesn't know who I am!) Sarah has a great post on Christmas ideas for kids. Hers is beautiful, with photos and cute little things she has to say about each toy/game/doll/book. I've gotten great ideas from her before and like to share her post. You can see it all here!

I have a smaller list (and I lack all the beautiful photos!), but I did think it was time to update our "favorite things." And, I did go to the painstaking trouble of linking up most things for you, so you can easily find what I'm talking about!

Hopefully, there will be some ideas in here for the special people on your list this year. Admittedly, we are trying to stay as simple and uncluttered as possible in our small space (which is impossible with six children, I think!). We are opting not to purchase Christmas gifts this year. . . but there are still some fun things that can fit in our (giant, homemade, wonderful) stockings! These are also good birthday gifts and even some gifts that are family-building for any time of the year.

Trampoline even in the Snow

Curtis-Kid Approved Favorites








For Outside Fun:

• Razor Scooter
• Razor Rip Rider
• Unicycle 
• Lightsabers 
• Trampoline. A serious must-have for our boys. Hours and hours and hours. . . 
• The Flying Turtle. M (3) draws a lot of attention when he zips around our neighborhood on this. He has his own style!

  

  M on the Turtle

  

  T on the Rip Rider

  

















Indoor Fun:

pattern blocks

•  Build a Road
• Trains and train tracks
• Zoobs
• Tinkertoys
• Bristle Blocks
• Rainbow Loom
• Knitting Loom
• Legos
• Pattern blocks. Our kids get creative with these. They are an assigned quiet time activity one day/week!

Games:

• iQ twist game: A good game to keep an individual occupied for a time!
• i Q Fit game: Another version of the IQ game.
• The Settlers of Catan- This game is great for my older set (9+) because it does take some time and perseverance.
• Telestrations- We've just played this recently and it really got us laughing. It works best with those who can sketch and write on their own.
• Quirkle- A favorite with my younger crew. M is good at this one (3) and it's often played with the older kids, too.
• Rack-O  The kids and The Lawyer joke that I always win. I don't always. . but I've enjoyed this game since childhood!
• Rummikub. This is a version of rummy with tiles; teaches number sequencing and patterns!
• Sequence They have a "kid" version, too. Our kids have played the adult version from about age 4 or 5 on up. This is a great game for teams and up to 12 people can play.

Books: (There are too many good books to list! Here are just a few off the top of my head.)

• Jesus Storybook Bible- We just LOVE this book. We've gone through 2 already.
• Harry the Dirty Dog- There are more books in this series; all super cute and fun for me to read to them.
• Billy and Blaze- T (6) wanted ALL of these books when he was 4 and he has loved them. They are also good books for early readers.
• Ralph Moody Little Britches series. My biggest boys have loved these and read and reread them (starting at about age 8 or 9).
• Miller Family books. These are good for reading aloud as a family. It doesn't get much better for instilling good values and reading wholesome family stories.
• Danny and Debbie books or Don and Joyce books, and A Hive of Busy Bees. These are right up there with the Millers!

Media:

• The Pineapple Story. There is a book and audio cds. We really enjoyed listening to the audios in the van.
• G.A. Henty books on tape. We prefer those read by Jim Weiss. My boys (age 4+) love these; there are battles and blood, intrigue, and plot twists in these historical fiction books. Others (like L) might find them to be a bit dry and not their cup of tea.
• Your StoryHour audios. Favorites to listen to in the van. We have borrowed some from friends.
• Runner from Ravenshead. A favorite of the 2-8 age set. Very simple but really sweet with children actors.
• Kipper. Still . . . ever and anon. . . a favorite around here. The big kids are still drawn in if they hear Kipper and before I know it, everyone is gathered around the computer screen to watch the same episodes they have seen a hundred times!

AMAZING Norwex! (or, How to Remove Permanent Marker from Your Mac)

IF you have young children
WHO occasionally escape direct supervision
  AND find things like permanent markers (or scissors- gasp!)
    AND then exercise their creative genius
      IN ways you really wish they hadn't. . .

IF, say, a particular two year old uses a red permanent marker on the lid of your precious Mac laptop (last year!). . .

I think I was crying when I took this photo.

THEN, you need Norwex Cleaning Paste. It's just marble flour and coconut oil and soap- but it did what all the internet concoctions I "researched" could not do. With just a dab of the Norwex paste on my kitchen cloth I removed the remaining red permanent marker stains from my laptop in seconds. Pretty cool.

Loving It!

Memorial Day Weekend... a summer kick off... a time to remember (and I always cry!) and give thanks for freedoms and sacrifices and LOVE.

Giving thanks today for . . .
1141) Homemade yogurt. The easiest, best yogurt I've ever made, thanks to teeny tiny yogurt cultures. I just sprinkle it in the clean jars, add (properly prepared) milk, put it in the oven (with only the light on) and in the morning we have jars of yogurt!
1142) Lipstick with just a hint of orange oil. After reading about the hazards of lipstick (Mercola.com) and other standard cosmetics, I'm especially thankful for my new NYR tube.
1143) Our TowerGarden is growing lush and beautiful and I'm loving the delicious herbs and lettuces. Plus, it's beautiful and the fountain sound is so peaceful to me.
1144) Cleaning our house. Not frequently enough, but still it is fun to me when I can clean with just water and special Norwex cloths. Love the enviro cloth with the polish cloth. And the cleaning paste worked wonders on our shower.
1145) Things to learn. I'm totally fascinated by colon hydrotherapy right now.
1146) Kids all excited to feed G his first food. (Even though he wasn't very excited about the banana  or the green bean tonight!)
1147) New babies. Welcome Adelle! And Brooklyn! And Hudson!
1148) Cool night breeze after a warm day.
1149) Water- so refreshing with a drop or two of wild orange or Slim and Sassy.
1150) Bagpipes and drums and red, white, and blue and salutes and handshakes and heritage.



  

Done with Downton

Yes... I should be done with Downton. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I do look forward to watching this (on Monday nights online). A friend introduced me to Downton last year and I loved it for its historical drama, for the Britishness of it and the period dress and the music. . .

But I'm rather disappointed in Downton about now. There are a few more episodes of season 3 left and I wonder if they are worth watching. I read Rachel's post tonight and though I am less articulate, can give a few reasons why I may not finish the videos.

• Love Matthew. He used to be the one I could count on as choosing the high moral ground. He seems almost chivalrous. Now, I'm disappointed that he gives way to Mary and seems too quiet to be strong.
• Disgusted- absolutely disgusted- by Thomas and Jimmy/James. I do not want to see any more of this drama. Hate that Downton has followed the trend of including these kinds of scenes.
• Creeped out a bit and also confused by Bates' prison drama. I don't think I really understand what is going on there. I keep thinking that I must have missed a few scenes that would have helped me understand this. Seems very dark and dangerous and I never like these scenes.
• Not sure, but I think there may have been a little nudge toward hospitals over home birth with this past episode and Lady Sybil's death. As a homebirth mom, I don't like seeing it portrayed this way. YES- sometimes we need to go to the hospital and sometimes we need a C-section.. but I don't think Sybil died because she was at Downton. She died because warning signs were disregarded.
• Mary. Agh. I want to like her but so much of the time I don't. I don't like the way she treats Matthew (not a good model of being a help-meet to a husband!). I don't like the way she treats Edith (and can't believe her horrible statement by Sybil's bed that she didn't think they would ever get along!). She's likable because she seems strong. . . but is untrustworthy and lacks really softness.
• Sybil's comment on religion in episode 3. Once again, I fear that Downton is going the way of American t.v. (which we don't watch) Sybil says she may know as much as a vicar and though she believes in God, she doesn't know about "all the rest." Glad she believes in God (even demons do!) and agree that what she calls "all the rest" doesn't really matter. But SO sorry that she couldn't have a real faith and hope. The tragedy isn't that she dies in childbirth, but that everyone is so hopeless in her death because they don't have Jesus!
• Lord and Lady Grantham have had their disagreements and difficulties. Their tender moments have been endearing (such as when they are going to be parents again). Now, however, I am saddened that Lady Grantham is turning out her husband (even though I can understand her resentment). I can't expect better, but it would be so good to see an example of someone choosing to do HARD but RIGHT things.
• Carson. He might be the character I like the most at this point. Reliable. Moral. Also protective and loving toward those he deems in his care. Or Anna. She hasn't done much to bother me (except loving a married man- but she didn't know it at the time). And I like Mrs. Hughes. So there are a few good characters still.

The Baby Belly Band

One of the great things about being pregnant again is that there are new, fun things to try for mama and baby. It really is amazing how many neat things can come out in just a few years (or 11 years!) time span. This just adds to the joy and adventure of expecting again.

This time around, my round ligaments began giving me pain early. When exercising, I especially had strong pains in my side that were difficult to relieve. My knowledgeable and sympathetic midwife recommended that I try a Baby Belly Band.

I like it! I really do! This long, stretchy black neoprene band has added comfort for my growing belly. (Think of the kind of black neoprene used to brace knees for sports.) I have less round ligament pain and fewer Braxton Hicks. I feel all snug around the middle where my well-used, weary muscles are not so tight anymore. The only drawbacks I see are so minor: I'm not always sure I like the way my clothes lay over the band, would prefer if it came in nude, and it can be rather warm during these hot summer days. But, seriously, everything feels warm on these hot summer days, and the comfort this affords is worth it.

I give the Baby Belly Band a rave review. To make it even sweeter, I found a small online discount (BBB20) for 20% off.

photo from Baby belly band Home

See Kai Run Review

I don't normally do product reviews (no one is sending me free products, or I might!), but this company impressed me enough that I wanted to share my good experience. If you are in the market for kid shoes, these are shoes you should consider. First, the price is fair (and very good if you find shoes on sale). Secondly, they wear well (except the fluke I seemed to have had with the first pair). Third, they are really, really cute. And fourth, the company is great to do business with.

Back when M was one and just tottering around I purchased a pair of See Kai Run shoes. Loved that they were soft leather and yet had a nice reinforced bottom. They were easy to put on and off (no laces!) and they were super cute red shoes.

BUT... M really started walking and somehow wore this hole right through the toe of the left shoe. (It's not too hard to imagine if you've been around little boys chasing after big boys outside.) I was really sad, however, and had hoped these shoes would last much longer.

I contacted See Kai Run and their customer service was wonderful. They had me send a photo of the damaged shoe. Then, they let me choose a new pair of shoes and they sent them to me- totally free, including the shipping! I was a very happy mama.

So, M got new (blue) shoes. This time I chose the super-cute Park shoes.  M has worn them for months and months and has just recently outgrown them. They were his favorite shoes and he was quite upset when I put them on and he stood up, declaring, "Ouch! Hurts me!"

After such a good experience with this company and their shoes, I'll be looking for another pair.