Comments on Not to brag . . .: Ready, Set, Go

Ummmmm... I am that mom. I shop all year, keep t...

2011-11-16T14:03:12.215-06:00

Ummmmm... I am that mom. I shop all year, keep things in a gift closet, hide things in the basement, organize it all on a spreadsheet, etc. I know, I know.

I just finished my Christmas shopping last week. I LOVE that the pressure is off and I can now enjoy the holidays. Luckily my kids are young and still want "easy" things. Toys. I just blogged about all of that here: http://www.take10withtricia.com/2011/11/whatcha-might-not-knowchristmas.html

Our Santa gift this year will be a play kitchen for all 3 kids along with pots, pans, food, etc. Right now we play tea set EVERY night so I'm looking forward to some more menu options! HA!

Preemie sized clothing fits Cabbage Patch kids wel...

2011-11-15T19:02:13.386-06:00

Preemie sized clothing fits Cabbage Patch kids well. You can usually find it for next to nothing in the clearance racks at Marshalls or TJ Maax.

Target also has a really inexpensive doll care set (or at least they did about 18 months ago) that came with a pack and play, little car seat (with straps to buckle), a portable high chair, changing pad and a couple of other little things. Jamie still plays with all of them. I try not to worry that she has named my old Cabbage Patch "Psycha" and has declared that she's part of the "mean team."

Great ideas!! I am feeling very overwhelmed by th...

2011-11-15T13:12:19.909-06:00

Great ideas!! I am feeling very overwhelmed by the Christmas gift thing right now. I too, have a hard time planning ahead. I've already gotten emails from two sisters in law wanting ideas. Even there, I want to provide thoughtful suggestions, rather than the top five things N. has ripped out of the Target catalog and will be left behind by January 15th. However, I also struggle with getting them what they actually want, not what I think they should want. I'm starting to get a little panicky, and that usually means I start spending too much money. Thanks for heading me down a different road!

I have already assigned J. the job of transforming an old bookshelf (the three shelf kind from KMart I used to have in my classroom) into a dress up closet for N.
I really want to move my old desk into O.'s room and make it be his own project/drawing space, but can't quite get my own junk cleared off of it to do so.
I have no ideas for poor L. Maybe a giant cardboard box for him to load and unload -- just throw different junk into it everyday?
So, will you say Santa did these things, or take some credit?
N. uses my old baby clothes that my mom kept for her dolls. She doesn't care that they are often too big. Do you have any of Sweet P's tiny stuff left?

Your kids are at such a fun age for a creative Chr...

2011-11-15T05:36:48.755-06:00

Your kids are at such a fun age for a creative Christmas like you've described: DO IT NOW! Otherwise, you will blink your eyes, and the only thing they will want is a Kindle Fire and a new HDTV for the basement.

I LOVED when my kiddos were into imaginative play like this, and we actually did set up a nursery for Isabel. Good luck, and make sure you post some pics!