Archive for November, 2009

living
November 29th, 2009

Gift ideas for Mom/Grandma

Sometimes getting gifts for my parents can be challenging. For instance, if there is something out there that my mother wants, at this point in her life she has likely already gone out and gotten it.

So, in the spirit of my last post about getting ready for Christmas early (let’s hear it for avoiding stress, the zoo in the stores and the over-spending that can happen when you’re feeling frantic!), here are a few ideas I thought I’d throw out there. Please feel free to add any others that come to mind. It will make finding just the right gift a whole lot easier for all of us if we put our heads together!

All of these gift ideas are under $50 and do not require entering a mall. 

The sentimental gift:
A hand-painted coffee mug or tea cup has proven to be a winner time and time again for me. Let your child loose with some paints at Gotta Paint or The Mud Oven for half an hour, and voila — a thoughtful, but useful keepsake. If you have a baby, my favourite thing is a handprint in bright paint. All items are dishwasher-safe and make a cheerful addition to the home or office. (less than $30)

The practical gift:
My friend Jen told me about this nifty little invention that her neighbour came up with called Towel Locs. You know how your bathroom hand towel seems to always end up on the floor? Not with these little babies! I was worried about the safety of these with toddlers, but Jen says the locking mechanism hasn’t failed her yet. (less than $25 incl. shipping) 

The lasts-all-year gift:
A subscription to a magazine is the gift that keeps on giving — arriving at the mailbox all year long. And the best part is, there’s a magazine for every taste. From hobbies, to popular entertainment to history and sports … you name it, it exists. Canadian Magazines has a special on now that if you buy two magazine subscriptions, you get one free. (approx $25-35)

And if 2009 calls for some special attention …

That special gift:
Sometimes you really want that something special. For my mom’s 60th birthday last year, we gave her a Tiffany bracelet. She hasn’t taken if off since! There’s lovely silver jewellery (starting at $150), crystal Christmas tree ornaments (starting at $80) and freshwater pearl earrings ($180) and bracelets (starting at $270). All available online at www.tiffany.com.


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November 26th, 2009

Ho! ho! ho! ribbit! ribbit! ribbit!

*** at the bottom of this post you can vote for which children’s charity will receive a LeapFrog donation of toys — please voice your suggestion! ***

It’s time to get serious about Christmas!

Like many things I used to scoff at, shopping early for Christmas is something I now do. I used to think that people who shopped early for Christmas were either too organized for their own good or just plain liked shopping far too much.

Now I know the real reason to shop early for Christmas: it saves time and money! The romantic notion I used to have of always shopping the last week before Christmas is gone. Now, a  family and a budget = early Christmas shopping for me.

LeapFrog Toy Testing
In preparation for Christmas, I’ve accepted an offer to test out LeapFrog toys. If you’re not familiar with LeapFrog, Stella describes their toys like this: “They are a little bit tricky, these toys. They trick you into learning.”

The original email I received described my potential involvement like this:

The online community is a very important audience for LeapFrog. Although we would love for you to post product reviews on your blog, this comes with absolutely no obligation on your behalf.  If nothing else, we’d be happy to provide LeapFrog products to you and your friends to try out.

I had already bought LeapFrog toys in the past for Stella, my oldest child. We still have these toys in full-functioning order more than five years later — and both children still take an interest in them. So this sounded like a win-win situation to me.

The original idea expressed to me was that I could host a playdate and let people try out the LeapFrog toys. All toys could be kept by the testers. There was no obligation to blog about LeapFrog or their toys. But if I did choose to blog about them, there was no obligation to speak positively about them (i.e. I was free to write a positive, negative or neutral review). For the time and/or expense involved in hosting a playdate, I would be provided with an honorarium.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be sharing LeapFrog toy reviews with you, as written by friends and neighbours who’ve agreed to test them. I’ve picked a group of testers with children of different ages, genders, dispositions and learning preferences so that you would get a more broad review of these toys than just that of my own family.

I hope that these reviews can help you along with your Christmas shopping. If you’re like me and can’t stand being in a mall, you’ll be happy to know that LeapFrog toys can be bought online from Toys R Us. I’ve used the online Toys R Us shopping — it’s convenient and you can usually wrangle yourself some free shipping. The other convenient option is Loblaws, which also carries LeapFrog toys.

Toy Donation to Charity
So, to help us get in the real spirit of Christmas — do you have a charity that is close to your heart?

As part of my agreement with LeapFrog, they will donate 5 Tag Junior toys (a value of approx $200) to a charitable organization of my choice. The Tag Junior is a reading system for children aged 2-4. I’d really love it if you could provide your suggestion for an organization that is really in need of toys and that could benefit from this kind of donation. And if you have a relationship with this organization, I would be happy to have the donation made in your name.

I will donate these toys to a suitable organization that receives the most votes via the comments by Thursday, December 3rd at noon.

About Tag Junior
tag_junior_images.Par.83315.Image.350[1]

 

You can learn all about the Tag Junior by reading my friend Kelly’s review here.


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November 25th, 2009

The things I didn’t know when I was 15

When I was 15, I didn’t have an inkling of what my future would be like. In fact, I don’t ever really recall envisioning it at all. I never dreamed of a future marriage, a life as a mother, or a particular career. 

And it was at this time that I met a girl named Jackie. I had signed up for a drama class. You might think that a girl with the biggest hair known to man might stand out, but not in this class. Jackie blended in nicely with all these characters.

Later, in grade 13 (remember there used to be a grade 13?), Jackie and I ended up spending a great deal of time together. I only had two courses left to meet my requirements, so I hadn’t bothered to sign up for any others. This left me with more time out of school than in school, and Jackie seemed to be in the same boat. We worked our retail jobs, watched soap operas and generally killed time in enjoyable ways. It was not until the end of the year that Jackie realized I was not skipping classes and that I realized that she did not have spares. So Jackie went to grade 14, and I left town.

Jackie came to visit me for a weekend at my out-of-town university. She was living at home with her parents, where a fridge held food, not just a bottle of ketchup. There were a few other bits of culture shock encountered, and she did not come back for a return visit. But we kept in touch nonetheless. Especially during summers when I would come home to work.

Then she left to go to school out-of-town. This kind of cycle continued for years. Where one of us was in town, and one of us was not. But somehow, for some reason, we always kept in touch.

I didn’t know when I was 15 that Jackie would always be in my life. That when the going gets its toughest, she would be there. That she would marry a friend of my husband’s. That we would be honorary “aunties” to each others’ children.

I’m all soppy and joyful, so I hope you’ll join me in welcoming my beautiful new nephew Benjamin Harry into the world:

benjamin

What things didn’t you know when you were 15? Do you have any lovely, tearful, soppy things to share. Let’s hear’em!


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November 25th, 2009

My daughter, the scientist

How a future scientist views the experience of vomiting:

Stella:  That was the first time I’ve ever thrown up.

Me:  Yes, I think you’re right. You haven’t been sick much in your life.

Stella:  The difficult part is that when the throw-up is coming up your throat, it blocks your breathing.

Me: It does feel like that. But, don’t worry, people throw up all the time and their breathing always comes back.

Stella: The interesting part though is that throwing up gives you a chance to see what your food actually looks like once it’s been digested in your stomach.

How a writer views the experience of vomiting:

Me:  I hope I’m not too nauseous to read in bed.


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November 24th, 2009

Crib recall

An important note for all readers with children still in cribs:

There’s been a recall of a crib sold in popular stores such as Walmart, Sears and Babiesrus. The brand name is Stork Craft drop-side crib and Stork Craft drop-side crib with Fisher Price logo. I feel sick to my stomach thinking about this because four infants in the United States have died from suffocation, while other incidents involved falls from the crib.

On this press release, the recall has been termed “voluntary,” which just enrages me. If it was voluntary, I would think that the company would have recalled the product after a first incident was reported not after government authorities got involved. 

But more importantly, all the specific details you need to know are available on this Health Canada page. Here you will find pictures and details of how to ensure your crib is safe.

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