Gift Ideas!

I LOVE (truly I do) LOVE giving gifts. I like shopping for good deals and sweet things that people didn't even know they wanted until you gave it to them or at least, making people smile because they were thought of. If I had endless time and money... oh man! Watch out world! I'd knock your socks off with warm fuzzies of affection.

So while two kids are napping, instead of wrapping or cleaning or packing, here's some nifty gifty thoughts:

• If someone has recently moved into a new place... a welcome mat is a fun and sweet gift. Just did this for a dear co-worker and noticed she had it out last week. Plus you can get darn cute ones. 
• NOISE MACHINES are the bestest. Like a fan but without the air and various tones to the wirrrrr. They are well worth $49. They go on sale once or twice a year for $35. I just bought us one more because I'm scared ours will go kaput. I (try) not have Evan used to this but I hate shushing our big kids all the time during his nap. Travelling in a hotel? Hearing annoying neighboors in the floor above you? Your brother-in-law snores when he comes to visit? Answer: NOISE MACHINE. You're welcome, sleep. 
• Napkins! I do love me a CONSUMABLE gift that won't collect dust especially for the folks that have everything. Everyone likes nice, disposable, possibly-themed napkins. Target had some I bought my mama that I find so stinking adorable for winter but really, anytime of the year is a good idea for napkins. This also falls under the "think of something they use then you could get a nicer, more expensive version" - another idea when gifting.  
• Gifts with a purpose... the Syria mess got me all up in arms and so I stumbled on this gift catalog with items made by refugees. Make sure your organization is legit and money actually goes to your cause instead of "administrative costs." Again, great for folks that don't need anything. 
• For moms, personalized jewelry (the cool, not cheesy kind) with their kiddos names (definitely include any in heaven here too) are going to be a win. 
• Smartwool socks. Oh man these are awesome. 
• Tiny screwdriver. We use our free one all the time. Handy! Tiny! Cheap!
• Amazon prime. $99 but would be a great gift for anyone because free shipping! free music! free books! a feeling of status and "no problem that party is Saturday! I can prime that!"
• White Elephant? Try passive aggressive notes! Hilariousness. 
• Sorel. Merrell. Uggs. Fancy, expensive boots or slippers or shoes. Not easy to pull this off, but we all need good, supportive, cute footwear. Our elderly future feet will thank us. 
• Massive quantities of something they use daily or often. One year I got my dad thirty (fifty, maybe) fingernail clippers because he always has one and always looses them. 
• For anyone that writes lists, awesome paper or sharpies are a win. I own so many, many markers and pens and yet, I feel I can never have enough good writing utensils. 
• Gift basket you come up with! Target. Go to the "dollar spot" section and just have fun. Add some items from personal care (everyone needs nice shampoo or tissues or toothbrushes). If you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joes or ALDI, add dark chocolate or other such goodies. Done. Add a gift card if you need more umphf. 
• On the gift card line, boring some may say but you can make it more creative with the "presentation". My bro-in-law always makes fun of Kohls for being "not a sustainable business plan" and so their date-night JL Beers gift card was wrapped in three Kohls boxes stuffed with the fifteen Kohls bags I had around. Har har. 
• If you want to get something but don't have it or need to wait for a better price, etc, make a scavenger hunt (or some other game/poem) that ends with a photo or description of the item (or you could just wrap that). That extra effort will make-up for the item not being there (probably).  
• If you are buying for someone not living in their "home" state or country, something from home at Christmastime will melt them. A necklace with the shape of their state. An art print of home. Something that shows them familiar. 
• Mini spatulas for kitchen folks. LOVE my mini spatulas. Get them about anywhere these days. 

Kids and Babies

• Plan Toys makes some pretty cute toys and games. We have one from there, nicer wooden. So cute. In that same vein, HABA toys (including some of the cutest little red-headed dolls).
• Books. Greg would put this a-o #1 on his list too. But for kids, a good book that engages them is always a win. Dragons Love Tacos is hilarious (cheaper on Scholastic). Try Better World Books for used fun. 
• Legos. Just a great gift for a long many years. Mr. Eli may be getting the Millennium Falcon and I'm fairly certain his dad will have just as much, if not more, fun putting it together. 
• Magformers are great because they'll span ages. Kohls sells them so you can use a deal there. They do go on sale so don't buy for regular price. 
• Go handmade etsy or local if they seem to have everything... there's always an adorable idea that's not mainstream that will be a hit. 
• Scripture Lullabies. Such amazing music. Goes on sale over Thanksgiving each year for 30% off. So calming and not annoying. Such a win. 
• Baby bibs. All the rage and so darn useful. Make sure they are absorbent materials. 
• Fun band-aids. Because you don't want to cover a boo-boo (or made-up boo boo) with plain, brown boring. 

And no matter who, they will appreciate a thoughtful photo gift. I did photo books for my nine-year-old niece and my 73-year-old dad. Shuttefly has free codes, often, A bit of a learning curve but well worth the time. Otherwise, just print a photo and buy a frame. Sometimes people just don't have the energy to buy a frame for a certain photo. If you gift it to them all done, wha-lah! Just don't judge if you don't see it on display at their house. Ha! 

Okay naptime is ending. That'll get you thinking, folks!

-hlk

Gift Ideas.

I truly enjoy gift giving. I have to restrain myself or we would not be able to pay the bills. Seriously. I love to buy gifts.

It's hard, though, if that's not your thing. So here's a few ideas for you, if you need a 'lil kick in the pants.

One idea stems from a super great gift my husband gave me one year. It was shortly after I started working at CIU. The bookstore next to my office sold Clearly Canadian sparkling beverages in peach! So random for this small southern school bookstore to sell that gem from my childhood! I told Greg one day about them (including how much they cost, with my discount $1.22 or something like that). He remembered and later as a surprise, he made a bunch on tiny envelopes and put exactly $1.22 in each. He also put a Canadian flag sticker with funny Canadian sayings on them (this was pre-kids when he had time). He gave me probably 20 or 30 of those little envelopes. It took me a bit to figure out what it all was... but as soon as I did I loved it. Such a sweet, thoughtful gift! Now a Starbucks giftcard is not as cool... but if you happen to know what drink your gift recipient gets, you could have the card for that drink's exact amount plus city-specific tax (ie, $4.35).

Consumables. For people that are hard to buy for, consumables are great. Nothing to be stored or collecting dust. Pride of Dakota type mixes or jellies or deliciousness. I bought quite a few gifts at Trader Joes this year (mainly chocolate goodness!). Or Harry and David pears, yum! Some non-food consumable ideas: a Rosemary tree (Trader Joes yet again!), any cool plant, or decorate for them with a swanky wreath.

Supplies for something they already make/use. One year I bought Greg's grandma chocolate chip cookie making supplies (since she makes them allll the time). You could buy the flour, sugar, chocolate chips. Up it with a new pan or cool silicone spoonula (seriously, spoonula's are SO great). Or perhaps it's as simple as paper towels and paper plates because they are about to host family. Practical yet thoughtful!

Gift certificates seem not-personable. But if it's to the right place it can be somewhat personable. A bookstore for a book lover, etc. Try a certificate for something they could or should use! A fitness place if they are often talking about working out (this could backfire though). A car wash if they like a clean car. Any certificate that includes babysitting is also great. Greg's parents gave us a combo movie certificate, dinner certificate, and babysitting as a gift last year! Very great!

Sentimental. You can't go wrong with a photo in a frame. Try an old photo of family or a place. Last year I printed a photo of my dad's favorite place (the road to the hunting shack) on a canvas print. Or think back to a date or memory that makes you happy with your gift recipient and get a certificate for that restaurant, a promise of a date at that park, a reservation at that hotel, etc. Just make sure to maybe say what the connection is (for us sentimental people who can't remember!).

For babies, my co-worker told me about Indestructibles. Books made out of that tough, thin paperish stuff that envelopes are sometimes made out of. I ordered one for Annalee and Alexia this year - they are truly a GREAT book for littles because you cannot rip them! But if you really want to up this idea, Highlights has a subscription to this same type of no-tear book (but with actual words more book-like), so you could buy the kid a subscription for a year and they'd get a book a month!

For kids, Legos rarely go on sale. They are classic. Most kids like them. They sell girl-colored sets now too. They also sell just small sets if you are on a price limit.

I was going to type up some other favorite things but my child is awake. Hopefully this will get you thinking of a sweet gift!

-Heather

Conflicted.

My revelation tonight: I live linguistically conflicted.

These maps are awesome (they describe so much of why it took me a few years to be acclimated 'round here). I feel I have a story for every single one. Even the bubbler (my old boss was from Wisconsin).

Kudos to that statistics student and linguistic prof. Check it out and have a laugh as you realize your regional biases.

-Heather

Stores and Shops.

I have enjoyed Christmas shopping because I truly love finding gifts for people. If there was a job shopping (online) for people, I would totally do it. I'm almost done with our lists (which feels good, my how I love a completed list) but I'm always up for a deal.

I learned a tidbit about two stores that I wanted to share in case you didn't know either:

Bed, Bath & Beyond. I knew you could use expired coupons there but I didn't know you could use more than one in one transaction! As long as you have the corresponding right amount of items or cost, you can use as many as you'd like at one time. I used four $5 off $15 purchase coupons and one 20% off one item coupon together. I rarely go there but they send me coupons all.the.time. Now I can save them and use them together!

Jo-Ann Fabric/Crafts. You can also use multiple coupons in one transaction here. They just need to be different barcodes. They always mail and e-mail me coupons. I used five 50% off coupons and one 40% coupon in one transaction last week. They were all different coupons, no copies or anything.

Also, if anyone is shopping at LL Bean, I have two 15% off your entire purchase coupon codes. They expire 12.22.12. Plus they have free shipping, no minimum and a $10 gift card if you spend $50. Here are the codes so first use, first get: NJ0509595430 and GW7107232400.

And lastly, if you want to shop chefscatalog.com, I have a free shipping code that expires 12/31. Leave a comment if you'd like that code because I don't have it in front of me.

Happy, joyful giving!

-Heather

Bambino Land.

I like to shop. Usually. I used to like to browse through stores, get a (crazy) good deal, find the perfect gift, or just enjoy the walking. But post-Eli, I don't get to do that much. I can online shop much easier though! 

Well, perhaps you like online shopping. And if you have a kid or are going to have one or if you need to buy a gift for a baby... I have a must-have. Really, on top of my so-stinkin-glad-we-have-these list.

Eli LOVES his muslin blankets. They are awesome for swaddling because they are made of breathable fabric. They are large, light, soft. They are also great for absorbing spit up, wiping noses, soothing... really they are Eli's go-to item even now, much past the swaddling stage. I highly suggest them.

Bambino Land is a small company based out of Winona, MN and they have the bestest, softest muslin blankets. If they made big people blankets, I would want one. I would suggest getting their blankets over the others out there... we have the others and these are better.

If you use this unique discount code (Q4D7), you can get 30% off and I get a $5 credit for referring you. I think this code expires on the 29th but it may be longer?! Also, for Black Friday, they have free shipping. UPDATE: THEY HAVE FREE SHIPPING FOR CYBER MONDAY TOO!

They are expensive. I remember people telling me they were a must-have and I gawked at the price. But now I know, totally worth it. Bambino Land sells other organic cotton items (I've never tried but I'm sure they are sweet too). They will also have deals periodically on their facebook page so like them to be in the know on that... though free shipping is rare.

-Heather

No Innovations.

Last week (was it last week? I've lost all concept of time in MN-land), Eli and I did something I thought I'd never do. 

We went to one of those photo-studio places. You know ... the ones with the fake backgrounds where they try sell you expensive packages and your photos are ready in an hour. Yeah, that sort of thing. They have them in malls and in shopping areas. A few of our friends use them often. So one day I woke up and decided I wanted to try it. Since Eli had just turned 18 months, I thought an "official" 18 month photo would be good. I called them and we were there a few hours later. Bam.

And I didn't love it. I thought maybe I would. I wanted to. I really did. But I didn't have a great experience. I think that mostly falls on the fact the photographer was a bit of a dud. She didn't seem to care about Eli, getting him to smile. She just wanted to get her 3.2 shots of each background and move on to the me-buying them stage.

Also, I knew what I was looking for. A shot of Eli standing and smiling with a minimal background. But did they ask me what I wanted? No. They just did their thing. I did insert my thoughts (can we get one with him standing now?) and the pose I chose was from that suggestion!

I have decided to do a little pro-con list for you, in case you have ever wondered about these places. This is just my experience with one place (Portrait Innovations) and I am a self-proclaimed photo snob... so keep that in mind.

PROS

• If you are okay with only one pose, you can get a lot of photos printed for only $10-20. It's quite cheap. 
• It's fast. You can get an appointment within hours, have your photos printed and in the mail to family three hours later (like I did). 
• If you rarely take photos of your kid(s), it's a great way to get a shot of them to share and have in the memory book. It may not be the best photo ever, but at least you have one. 
• I think this would be a wonderful idea to those that have lots of kids and don't get enough group shots of them.... because taking photos of lots of kids is tough and hard to be intentional about doing. Again, it may not be the best shot of each of them, but at least you would have one decent, purposeful shot of them together for the memory book. 
• They cater to kids. In this store, there is small play area. I did see a "no drinks or food" sign as we left and I laughed at that... how can you have no snacks for a 1.5 hour (that's how long they say it can take) window of time? I was glad it took us less time and that they let Eli eat. 
• It's good to have physical printed copies of photos to give out. How many photos do I take of Eli but never print and mail? This forces you to get them out to doting family and friends. 

We got ALL of this plus an ornament for $18 total.

CONS

• The end result is a very church-directory-look for most photos. This is due to their studio-type backgrounds and lighting. 
• It's a very canned process. They aren't very innovative. They have a certain way they do things. Four backgrounds, about three-four shots in certain poses for each. I knew what I wanted but they didn't ask me, they only wanted to know why we came in for photos (birthday, holiday, etc). They are used to people that come in and want them to just do everything for them. I am not that person. 
• How good your experience is, I believe, is very much based on the employee you get as your photographer. If you have one that cares about their job and is willing to work with your child/ren to get them to smile or be silly, you are going to have a much better experience. We did not have that. There was a wonderful employee that was playing with Eli and I so wish she would have been the one to take the photos.
• After the photo shoot, you have to sit through each photo and say which one you like best. It feels just like the eye doctor. Which do you like better? A or B? Right or Left? Then you have to go through all the ridiculous packages (where they make their money) and say no...no... no... Honestly, if the shots of Eli would have been spectacular, it would have been harder to say no. I'm also good at resisting people selling me stuff I don't want. 
• You really have to love one pose... because you will get a lot of that one pose!
• It can be expensive. The normal packages with multiple poses start at $100 or so and keep going up.

Verdict?

If you aren't like me and don't take a crazy amount of photos or if you have ten kids and need a good family shot, then definitely try these type of places out. It's worth it! And even though I didn't love it, I'm glad we did it for the experience and the nudge to get more physical printed photos out to family and friends.

And if you'd like one of these Eli photos, let me know. I think I have 17 left.

-Heather

Book Win.

I will post a photo of our costumed-kid later but for now... I must recommend this book-buying site: Better World Books. They are awesome. They support literacy throughout the world plus are environmentally conscious. They donate books for every book purchased. Win.

From them:

Better World Books utilizes the value of the book to fund literacy initiatives locally, nationally and around the world. Know that your purchase will help us in our efforts to promote and support our literacy partners and their initiatives. Your order has provided much needed funding that is instrumental to the efforts of those whose passion it is to provide the world's least fortunate with the opportunities that literacy affords.

They are having a flash sale that UDPATE: ended at 4pm ends today where you buy 5 (or more) used books and you get 50% off plus free shipping. No code needed. I bought seven books for $15 with tax. Christmas shopping for Eli. Win.

But the best? This shipping confirmation that made me totally laugh and think "I want to share this with people."

Hello Heather,

(Your book(s) asked to write you a personal note - it seemed unusual, but who are we to say no?)

Holy canasta! It's me... it's me! I can't believe it is actually me! You could have picked any of over 2 million books but you picked me! I've got to get packed! How is the weather where you live? Will I need a dust jacket? I can't believe I'm leaving Mishawaka, Indiana already - the friendly people, the Hummer plant, the Linebacker Lounge - so many memories. I don't have much time to say goodbye to everyone, but it's time to see the world!

I can't wait to meet you! You sound like such a well read person. Although, I have to say, it sure has taken you a while! I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but how would you like to spend five months sandwiched between Jane Eyre (drama queen) and Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (pyromaniac)? At least Jane was an upgrade from that stupid book on brewing beer. How many times did the ol' brewmaster have one too many and topple off our shelf at 2am?'

I know the trip to meet you will be long and fraught with peril, but after the close calls I've had, I'm ready for anything (besides, some of my best friends are suspense novels). Just five months ago, I thought I was a goner. My owner was moving and couldn't take me with her. I was sure I was landfill bait until I ended up in a Better World Books book drive bin. Thanks to your socially conscious book shopping, I've found a new home. Even better, your book buying dollars are helping kids read from Brazil to Botswana.

But hey, enough about me, I've been asked to brief you on a few things:

That's punny. I love supporting companies that rock my world.


-Heather 

UPDATE: I'm sure they will have another sale soon... it's worth liking them on facebook or keeping them in mind for future! 

Stitching in Time.

My dear friend Cindy has an etsy shop and I'm going to shamelessly plug it.

If you need something cute crocheted for a baby, she's your person. A crocheted hat has become my go-to baby gift. I love them on girls because you can do big sweet flowers. But Eli's leaf hat he wore was super adorable and boy-ish so these things work for boys, too.

I asked Cindy if she would make a teeny-tiny rainbow on a white hat for a friend having a rainbow baby boy last month. I was worried it would look girly, but indeed it works for a boy! I love this hat. I'm going to buy one for every new rainbow baby I know! And you should do the same. Really, I guarantee their parents will appreciate you acknowledging their baby journey, their loss/the storm and the joy and promise that has come.

Considering I thought the term rainbow baby sounded stupid when I first heard it, I've really gotten into it, eh?

Here's the hat up close and on the sweet rainbow baby last month!

Sweet, eh?

Go here to visit Cindy's Etsy Shop: Stitching in Time.

Cindy has also made the main part to Eli's Halloween costume: a Yoda hat. Adorable, it will be! I can't wait to share photos of that sweetness.

-Heather

Swagbucks.

Do you know about Swagbucks?

If not, I'm going to tell you.

It's basically a search engine, like Google. You type in what you want to search BUT you also get awarded for using their search engine. You are awarded with Swagbucks. Sometimes you get them when you search, sometimes not. But they add up.

Once you get 450 Swagbucks you can turn them in for a $5 Amazon gift card! You can "make money" by searching.

That's the very basic, that's what I do. You can also get other gift cards or products, but Amazon gift cards are the best deal. You can also earn Swagbucks by doing surveys or watching videos or playing games or signing up for stuff... the Swagbucks world is a whole online community of stuff. But all I do is use their search engine and I've probably earned $80 in Amazon gift cards since I started two years ago.

Okay, maybe that sounds a little anti-climatic. But $80 in Amazon money for just using a specific search engine? Easy.

You also get Swagbucks for referring people. So I refer you (click here or go to swagbucks.com/refer/grether) and then once you get rolling, you can refer other people and earn Swagbucks. How grand.

The easiest way to actually use the thing is to install their search toolbar. It's up there when I open a new window and I can just type in whatever I'm searching for. Usually about every five or ten times of searching, I'll get Swagbucks. You'll see it say "Congratulations, you've earned eight Swagbucks!" with a big dollar looking graphic. I usually have to enter in a three-digit code to prove I'm not a robot in order to have the Swagbucks entered into my account (which happens automatically, you don't have to do anything). You also get one Swagbuck (one measly little one) every day you use the toolbar. But hey, every one counts!

I'd like to mention that there seems to be no method to the madness of getting awarded Swagbucks. You could try some sort of algorithm (wow, I sort of know what that is) to figure out how they award them, or you could just search for a whole day and see what happens... but that would be a waste of a day and really, don't you have better things to do?

For those of you that randomly search for stuff on the Internet and are willing to install this toolbar, go for it. I feel it's worth it.

Plus, I will get Swagbucks for referring you as long as you click through this link: swagbucks.com/refer/grether. And that makes this post totally worth Eli's nap time.

-Heather

Stella.

I really can't hear the name "Stella" without hearing Brando from the messed up movie/play "A Streetcar Named Desire". It's just stuck in my head.

Even though Greg gives Eli most of his baths, I do occasionally and every time I say "Stellllla" out loud. Why you ask? Because of Eli's soap.

It's called Mustela and it's European and I have no idea how it's pronounced. But it reminds me of the name Stella, thus why I break out the Brando.

And it's the BEST baby wash. It's expensive. But worth it! We've used it on Eli since his first bath.

A few reasons why I love it:

1. Apparently it's good for cradle crap. Eli never had any.
2. It doesn't have a very strong smell (I don't do fragrance). The smell is light, pleasant and you just want to take a deep breath of Eli. So good.
3. Eli's got some crazy sensitive skin (thanks to us) but he has never had any reaction to this stuff. He also hasn't had too dry/too oily skin or any break outs or peeling... that could be his skin but I think this soap may have something to do with it.
4. Our first bottle has lasted since May (even with a broken pump). We just bought another that we'll break out in a week or two. And we have given Eli a bath almost every day (every other just recently). Even though it costs $16.49 at our Buy Buy Baby... when it lasts that long and is this good, it's so worth it. 
5. It's not even soap. I just looked it up here. It's soap-free. It says it's especially for newborns but we may just use it on him until he leaves for college. Ha.

I just thought you should know. A bottle of this stuff would be a great baby gift. And if you want your kid to smell like Eli (which I highly suggest), use it! Mustela Dermo-Cleansing (Cleansing gel for Hair and Body) on Amazon here.

In case you are wondering, I don't get anything for product endorsement. But I should, eh?

-Heather

Better Gift Ideas.

Need some ideas for Christmas gifts? Here are a few sites to try that are better-than-mainstream, fair trade, good-for-the-marketplace sites: 

Uncommon Goods
I posted this one on the kid's gifts list, too. Some crazy items. They have a post for Top Christmas Gifts 2011 with something for all ages... they even have a "gifts for ____ " search... I just did a search for man gifts: ridged glass guitar picks, beer making kits, scratch-off-where-you've-been map... really they have something for everyone.

Feed Project
Go to Feed Shop to buy a bag, t-shirt, accessory and at the same time, fight hunger and eliminate malnutrition. There are a plethora of bag options. "Help feed the children of the world" is one of their catch phrases. Who can't love that?

SERRV
Handmade with a story. I am drooling over this fair trade, handmade, non-profit site with such a host of lovely, unique and useful items.

Ten Thousand Villages
In that same craftish spirit, more delightful gifts with a conscious. They are online but they have stores, too. I went to one on our first anniversary in a little town in Canada. I know you could find something you would treasure: like this Tree of Life platter from the West Bank. Or this gorgeous gray scarf. So awesome.

Threads of Yunnan
I was on the SERRV site and stumbled across these beautiful ornaments from Threads of Yunnan... which made my heart do a little flip. I spent a summer in the Yunnan province of China in 2004 and I saw this facility, met some of the workers and bought a few of their items. Love, love, love.

Trade As One
I happened upon this site and just love this birdie tealight holder and this sweet crocheted nativity set. Another fair trade site, they say "your spending can connect you to a story of hope and dignity for the poor."


Other Ideas?

Charities
If you want to give to a charity but you are worried about where your money will actually go and would like some accountability, try the Better Business Bureau charity site, you can search for specific charities and even find ones that meet their high Charity Seal (stamp of approval) like Compassion.


Norwex
Shameless plug here, really. I, the picture-perfect unsalesman, sell this sweet environmentally friendly cleaning and personal care supplies. An Enviro Cloth, super great antibacterial microfiber, will transform cleaning. Get one for your mom. Your mom-in-law. You. Whatev. It's surprisingly worth it. Order from me online here or check out my old blog here... but you'll need me to explain how to use it to make it really worthwhile so contact me if so.

Amazon Prime
Give someone that is online savvy a year subscription to Amazon Prime where you get free 2 day shipping with no minimum order. We have a student trial for a year and it's so nice!  And addicting. And dangerous.

Magazine Subscriptions
This is always a go-to gift for the person that has everything. What woman wouldn't want Real Simple in their mailbox each month?

Gift Certificates
I know, I know. Boring. But get a little creative on the store for the certificate and you may just have a winner. Think Williams-Sonoma or a local restaurant.

Consumables
In my desire for less is more, I think consumables are a stellar gift. Anything you can use up sort of falls under this category, namely food. You can make them food (I do up a big 'ol batch of chex mix for our neighbors). And I'm all about the nifty gifty food basket. Or chippers. Oh, yes, folks, now we are talking! Chocolate-covered potato chips deserve to be on everyone's wish list.

I could keep going but I'm getting tired typing so I know you are getting tired reading! Go, gift something awesome this year! (Sidenote: my goal is to give at least one person something they didn't even know they needed/wanted until they open it).

Giving is so stinkin' fun.

-Heather

Gift Ideas for Little Ones.

Do you have a little one to spoil? Here are a few suggestions I have for things to buy (sidenote: there are many wonderful ideas of crafty crap I could list here too, but I'll refrain.):

Green Toys
These toys are made in the US from recycled milk jugs! I love the texture and color of all the toys. Best part: there is no questionable chemical crap in them so kids can stick them in their mouths or eat right off them! This is especially awesome because Eli puts everything in his mouth these days. He has the stackers and dishware but I'm certain he'll be acquiring the dump truck or tool set or other boyish items soon (I'd buy every toy they made if I could).

Ali and Marian (nieces) have the tea set. I adore this set because you can actually use it for tea and crumpets! You can buy Green Toys on Amazon and a host of other places.

Best Kids Bible EVER
I love most everything about this Storybook Bible. If you have a kid and want them to read the Bible, this is a must have. The illustrations are amazing. Jesus isn't some cheesy white dude. It is ridiculously well written; I learn a lot when I'm reading it to Eli. It's read in Matt Chandler's house and our resident theologian (Greg) also approves. Here's a quote from the first chapter:

"No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure....There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them."

It's delightful. Buy it from their site or from Amazon or even Wal-mart. Eli's copy is actually his sister's, a gift from the China crew and one that is treasured and well-loved in our household.

Scripture Lullaby CD
Aunt Jill loves this music and they gave it to Eli. It really is spectacular music... so not cheesy and completely calming. Perfect for nap time. This would make an excellent baby gift... but I would listen to it when I need something mellow so it's not really only kid's music. And the graphics on their web site are awesome.

Band Set
Musical instruments are fun! We bought this music-in-a-box set for Ali for her first Christmas and she consistently played with it for years... which is why it's making this list. If a kid can get years out of a toy, that's a good purchase. Our friends bought the same Pum Pum Drum for Eli and I love the colors! So cool.

Here's to hoping Eli gets his dad's musical talent!

TOMS shoes
If you haven't heard of TOMS, they are a great company. For every pair of shoes purchased, they give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Awesome. I don't have a pair (soon, perhaps) but we have many friends that do and swear by their comfort. They are pretty spendy but you can walk happy, knowing you (or your kids) just gave a pair of shoes to someone else! The kids shoes, Tiny Toms, are so stinkin adorable I can hardly stand it. Maybe Eli (and someone that needs it) will get a pair for his birthday.

Melissa and Doug products
They are wood and they are fun. I hear lots of good things about them and I like their sturdiness. I also bought a magnetic puzzle thing with Maelee's name on it so she can be remembered in toys, too.

IKEA
We just made a trip last Saturday. I love this store. If you have one near by, they have some fun gifts for kids... like a wooden easel, wooden tool bench, kids table/chairs, quirky bedding, felt food/tools/animals, stuffed animals (like the three smooshy cute elephants I was tempted to buy). Best part: their prices are great! And you can get Swedish meatballs when you go.

Uncommon Goods
I haven't ordered anything from this site but I love to browse. You can search by recipient so this is a great site for all ages but they have some out-of-this-world kids gifts like these funny face plates so kids can play with their food, this shovel you wear on your hand like some sort of sandcastle-making super hero, or this sleek and adorable birdie alarm clock. If you have an older kid, I'm sure you'd find something here.

Etsy
Of course I couldn't let this post go by without a shout out to the handmade and loads of creative gifties out there. Try searching for your favorite sports team to find something unique (oh how I have had to resist all the cute Chicago Bears onesies and hats and toys on there). Or try this cool store for a bunch of toys made out of wood (I so want the wooden camera... for Eli, not me. Okay, maybe me.). Or how about a sweet felt alphabet? I may try my hand at making one someday, but I love the look of felt letters. If I was buying for an older kiddo, I'd try etsy for something unique.

Books
Yes, books are awesome just because. When my parents moved this summer I found some of my most treasured books from my childhood, whose stories are so familiar they were like good friends.You can't go wrong with a good book.

Now, that should get you rolling and give you some ideas besides whatever main-stream toy companies are offering this year. (To be fair, Eli is totally getting the Playskool Elefun Busy Ball Popper because he IS Eli the Elephant and I have weakness for elephant themed gifts! And I have a coupon!).

-Heather

I'm working on my "giving with a conscious" post with some awesome sites you can buy gifts for the whole family AND help the world. I'll have that posted soon!

Cash Back Sites.

This title really should be I Think You Should Know 5 or something like that. But I'm bucking that trend and going with the subject matter for title.

I like to shop. My days of lackadaisical shopping in the clearance isles of my favorite stores are long gone (I mean how do these mommas shop with their 2.5 kids?!). I have embraced online shopping even moreso now that Eli is here. We have free shipping with Amazon Prime right now and man is it dangerous...a few clicks and I can have something at my door in two days! YIKES! (Did you know that you can get a free year trial of Prime if you are a student? Think .edu email address. Now, be careful or you could end up with some fancy kitchen tool hand-delivered to you by some hard-working UPS guy).

I digress.

The real reason for this post is to encourage you, when you are not shopping at Amazon, to jump on the bandwagon of cash back sites. Seriously, folks, this is like free money. And since it's almost gift-giving official season, I am helping you here.

The basic concept?

1. Your mother-in-law needs a crock pot. A fancy one.
2. You comparison price-shop online and find one at cooking.com for $100.
3. You sign up for a free account at Ebates because they have 5% cash back at cooking.com.
4.  You click on cooking.com link from your Ebates page, find said crock pot, and buy that baby.
5. Ebates in it's magical cyber wisdom knows that you bought a $100 crock pot from their link and therefore they owe you $5.
6. You become smart and keep shopping online through Ebates.
7. Ebates sends you a quarterly check.
8. You deposit check at your bank and do a happy dance. Also, you do not tell your MIL you made $5 off her crock pot.

Okay, get it?

I am going to tell you about the two cash-back sites I use.

Ebates is my favorite. You don't have to do anything to get your money. You just go to Ebates (be signed in), find whatever store you want to shop at (literally thousands of stores), click that store and Ebates will open up a "tracking ticket" that looks like this for a few seconds:

.
Then it will just take you to the site (Target in this case). You shop and check out as normal (without closing the window, doh!). Ebates will post your money a few days later into your ebates account. Then you get a check like this (this is mine from August along with my freaky, beady eyes staring at you):

If you've earned less than $5.01 cash back in a three month period, they'll carry over your money to the next check. I've been doing this for a few years (made $50) and I've never had a problem. Money just shows up. Awesome.

If you click my referral link here and sign up, I get $5 if you ever actually purchase anything over $25. Or you can click on this logo to sign up:

I've never referred anyone (besides my sister... um, Am, where were you on this like a year ago?) but I think more people need to be doing this!

The other site I started using this summer is ShopAtHome. Sometimes Ebates doesn't have the store I'm shopping at OR they have a higher percentage of cash back (because both sites have double cash back days and other such fun incentives). It works in the same way, but opens a new window and has different wording for tracking.

ShopAtHome payments are made each month when your account reaches $20. If your account balance is less than $20, it rolls over to the next month. I haven't received a check from them yet but a check for $47.71 will be mailed after 10/31 to me! Heck yes! 

I have a referral link with ShopAtHome, too. If you sign up and make a $30 purchase in 60 days, I get $5 and you get $5 too! Click here or this logo to sign up for an account.

Random Thoughts on Cash Back Sites:

1. Don't accidentally close your window and then start a new window without going through the cash back site! I have done this! Bad.
2. I find it easiest to shop around, add stuff to my cart even, then close the site. Then I go through the cash back site and go straight to my cart. Most often my items are still there and I can do an easy check out without the worry I screwed something up.
3. I'll sometimes use the search tool on either site to help me find the best place to shop for a certain thing or to find the most cash back. Some decent sites are 10%!
4. Both sites also list coupon codes if they have any when you search for your store. These nifty codes have given me free shipping or percentages off more than a few times.
5. If you are buying your husband an expensive guitar, get cash back! Then you can take the cash back and spend it on yourself. 
6. Amazon is not on any cash back sites but you will be surprised at how many other sites are (Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Children's Place... think almost every site ever).
7. You can check your tracking at both sites if you are curious. 
8. Sometimes I buy stuff for really cheap (okay, all the time, I'm a deal shopper) and I think "this isn't worth it for cash back."  That's dumb. I may get just 17 cents here, 9 cents there (yes, these are actual amounts I have made) but they will add to whenever I do buy something big. 
9. With Christmas coming up this is a great time to online shop. And with the money you make, you could give better gifts or give it to someone who needs it! Giving is FUN! 
10. It really is easy. I hope you are already doing this. And I needed an even ten to round out this list. 

That's enough. Go. Sign Up. Shop. Make money.


-Heather

PS - Does anyone use a different site and like it? Let me know if so. I'll jump on another bandwagon for sure.

Mail: Flat Rate Boxes.

It's been awhile since I've told you something I think you should know. But I'm making up for it by giving you a great tutorial on something I have come to know well:

US Post Office FLAT RATE boxes.

Mailing doesn't sound exciting, you say. Well fine... go spend more money than you should when you ship your Grandma's birthday gift. Smart people, yes, smart people will listen up.

Here's all I've learned about shipping using the flat rate boxes.

First, you pick up the boxes at your post office, no charge. There should be a red kiosk with all the different sizes at your local PO. I believe these days they only have Ready Post mailers that you have to pay for and these... but to be safe, make sure they say Flat Rate Box under the Priority Mail logo.

Again, no charge. You could walk in there and grab every single box they have and walk out. You would also look a little crazy doing that. And remember, using these boxes for non-postal use is fraud. Or something bad like that. It's a no-no.

Let's talk size. There are four sizes of boxes (large, two medium, small). They also have envelopes but those are boring so I'm skipping them in this post.

Large Flat Rate Box | 12" x 12" x 5-1/2"
First Medium Flat Rate Box | 13-5/8" x 11-7/8" x 3-3/8"
Second Medium Flat Rate Box 11" x 8-1/2" x 5-1/2"
Small Flat Rate Box | 8-5/8" x 5-3/8" x 1-5/8"

There is a DVD in the Small Flat Rate Box and one sitting in front of the second Medium Box, just to help you visualize size. Oh, and Eli is in the large box. There is a BIG difference in size from the Mediums to the Small. The Small is just a tease, really. You can see the DVD inside there barely fits the width. Still not convinced?

"Please know that this box is small!"

Trust me, it won't fit much without some serious finagling on your part.

Now the most important part - cost. No matter where you send it in the domestic US:

Large Flat Rate Box $14.95
Medium Flat Rate Boxes $10.95
Small Flat Rate Box $5.20

This is the cost NO MATTER HOW HEAVY the box is! It can be up to 70 pounds! I'd like to see you try that!

Because it can be ubber heavy, the real challenge here is to FIT whatever you can in the smallest possible box. I'm a big fan of the first medium box. It's long and tall and comes with it's own sticky-strip adhesive on both sides so you don't even have to use your own tape (the others don't have that feature). Make sure your contents don't alter the shape but that doesn't mean you can't stuff and tape that baby FULL.

Get your box ready and then you have two ways to pay for it. First, the traditional: get in your vehicle, drive to the PO, wait in an invariably long line, then pay and hand it off. Or you can pay for it online and print your mailing label! You go to the Postage Price Calculator found here, put in your zip codes, select which box you are using from the Flat Rate Service options and follow the instructions. You even save like 45 cents if you buy it online!

After paying online (you do have to create a little USPS account), then printing and attaching your label to your box, you may drop off your box at the PO (save the waiting in line to pay) OR you have the "Schedule a Pickup" option when paying online. This means you can schedule a pick up at your home from your postal carrier for free!

If you do this, your carrier will pick up your ready-to-go box whatever day you have it scheduled and you can even tell them how/where (do you want them to knock, will you leave it on your front step, etc). I love when JT saves me a trip to the PO!

Non-Flat Rate Box Tangent
Now you can use the online price calculator and print your shipping labels for non-flat rate boxes, too, but you do have to know the exact weight of your package in order to do that. Unless you have an accurate scale, it's probably not worth doing that for your regular packages/envelopes. Sometimes when I have a good guess, I'll use the online price calculator to just get an idea of what it'll cost me to ship priority versus parcel post ... or if it would be cheaper to go with the flat rate.

For example, shipping a package in my own box (a non-flat rate one) with just a one-ounce weight from Columbia to Williston would cost me $5.38 parcel post, $5.60 for priority. Shipping a 1.1-ounce package from Columbia to Williston would cost me $7.96 parcel post, $9.15 for priority. WHAT A DIFFERENCE one ounce makes! I would never know this if it wasn't for the nifty Postage Price Calculator.

Basically, if it's a light padded envelope deal, I usually try go parcel post if I have the time or regular priority if its not small enough to fit in the flat rate box. If it's heavy (anything over a pound), I go flat rate.

International?
You may be wondering about international flat rates? They are much, much spendier and they have a weight limit of 4 pounds. You can use the same boxes as above, but the price is different for each box and depending on what country you are sending it to. The cheapest is by far the Flat Rate Envelope... for here to China it costs $13.95. But this "envelope" is no package. As you can see (again DVD on top), it's small and it's hard to fit anything not-flat in it:

However, once I fit a couple of cookie mixes, some socks, candy, stickers, etc in one of these. I used a lot of tape. But $13.95 is easier to do than $45 or $50 for the medium and flat rate sizes. Basically, use the Price Calculator if you are planning on shipping overseas. And don't forget you still have to use the custom forms and all that jazz.

Fun?
For added enjoyment, decorate the white space of your box. I'm a big fan of polka dots. The reason I have learned all about shipping is mostly because of our nieces and nephews. And I know they enjoy their gift even more when we decorate the outside of the box!

I hope you have learned something. And I hope you are understanding the greatness of the flat rate boxes, my friends. And now you know if it fits, it ships.

Oh, and Eli is rolling to his side these days. And still attempting to eat anything that comes remotely close to his mouth:


If you click twice, you can barely see his very faint birthmark on his right bicep/arm roll!

-Heather

Hope Does Not Disappoint.

Grief. It's a word normally associated with death. Because of Maelee, we have known it well. It's taken up residence in our house and we have curled up next to it on the couch too many times. But I have learned that grief is something that doesn't belong solely to death. It is in the aftermath of many types of tragedies or circumstances, too numerous to name. And I could bet all the tea in China that you have experienced it. I never quite put a name to it when it hit us two years ago. I started working at CIU (where Greg is getting his MDiv) coordinating campus visits but eventually was offered a new position I would say was close to my dream job helping first year students transition well. The job was in a great office, working with great people, doing something needed and significant. And it fit me well. Sadly because it was a brand new position, it was the first to go with all the budget cuts resulting from the recession. We found out only months into it that the position would be cut as of May 2009. So I worked for four months trying to plan orientation events that I knew I wouldn't get to be a part of and doing a lot of organizing. And then I was jobless. I had tried finding a new job but higher ed positions were significantly lacking. I had one interview where there were over 350 applicants for one position. Ah I'm getting away from my point... I realized later that I really had been grieving my job loss. I had poured myself into my jobs and my employer (that's how I roll) and when it was taken from me, I went through an array of emotions. Sadness. Anger. Hurt. Bitterness. Frustration. Jealousy. Disappointment. Looking back those emotions sort of mirrored the stages of grieving. And just driving onto campus at times in the last two years would bring up these emotions for both Greg and I. I'd say grief has been a large part of our lives specifically since being in South Carolina. Leaving our lives, family in ND. Ectopic Pregnancy. My job. Maelee. Grief looks and feels different depending on the circumstances. And of course, I'd lose a thousand jobs before losing a child. But any significant loss is going to hurt. And it's going to take time to process. So if you find yourself grieving the loss of someone, something little or monumental, give yourself time to grieve well. Grieve out loud. Grieve knowing it's not hopeless. "and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." Romans 5:5 And if you know someone is grieving, walk alongside them, love on them. Our dear friends have been experiencing the loss of not one but two failed adoptions (where the birth mom decides to parent at the last minute) in the past few months. We've tried to join them in their grief. To let them know we are devastated with them. To let them know it's okay to not be okay. -Heather

Good Site: 22 Words.

Sometimes the most random assortment of observations is completely entertaining.

http://twentytwowords.com/

You'll want to check often.

Also, another site I stumbled upon (thanks yahoo articles for reeling me in yet again): http://dearphotograph.com/

-Heather

Wordle.

You can make free wordle art online here. Type in a bunch of words and it automatically creates an image of those words. You can change the design and text. If you want certain words to be bigger, just type them twice.

Example:

I copied and pasted these few words into wordle...

Grether Grether Grether Grether Greg Greg Heather Heather Maelee Maelee Eli Eli love love family family family peace joy joy April happy happy fun home together forever heaven sweet baby dad mom grandparents bath play nap-time friends thankfulness thankfulness thankfulness

And I got this (I hit randomize a few times and edited the color palette):


Example 2:

You can also put in a blog site and it will wordle your blog! Hilarious to see what words it finds most. I just did our blog and got this:

You have to be able to print to a PDF in order to save your wordle. I can give you details if you are wanting to do this. I did one as a gift for my friend Heather with her daughter's names and other sweet words... it's a good gift idea for a baby loss mom.

And that's my I Think You Should Know post for this week.

Word.

-Heather

I Think You Should Know:

If you buy anything at Kohls* for regular price, you are an idiot.

*Also applies to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

--
I'll be posting "I Think You Should Know" posts occasionally. Purely my opinion. Mostly pointless info. But you may just learn something.

-Heather

Brown and Pink Apron = Pure Lovely.

Aprons remind me of Maelee... for many reasons. I have dreams of her and I in the kitchen with cute matching aprons. I told my mothers this and well, they love me a lot. I got an adorable black and white apron from my mother-in-law and my mom has given me three! So now I have a collection! But the best apron of all is this one that I got from my Aunt Ruth. It's pink and brown! And it has Maelee's monogram on it! She had it made for me by a friend (with an etsy store! genevadesigns.etsy.com) . Thanks for this lovely, sweet, meaningful gift, Aunt Ruthie! I love it!

(I have the "are you taking the photo?" look. Oh well).

I highly suggest taking a browse on etsy if you are needing good ideas for Christmas gifts. There are a ton of people making some amazing things out there and selling them on their individual etsy sites. I think I love it so much because I secretly (well, I suppose not-so-secretly) desire to be like many of these folks and create beautiful, artsy-fartsy items and sell them! It makes my creative juices soar! And I love to support home businesses. So far I bought Ava's gifts and some maelee jewelry on etsy. Love! Where else can you buy a cutting board in the shape of your state? Or a play BLT made out of felt? I just read my paragraph here and decided I better write that no one is paying me to promote etsy, it's just my latest craze!

-Heather

Maelee Jewelry.

For birthday gifts for our moms and sisters, we got them Maelee jewelry. I just got the last one in the mail today. I still love to see Maelee's name and I so enjoyed opening the packages to see the various jewelry they picked out. As a side note, this is a wonderful, wonderful gift for anyone that has lost a baby.... and probably for any mother. These are from five different places - there are many web sites for personalized baby loss jewelry, sadly. Mary, Mom, Jill, Amber and Amy... we know how much you love Maelee and hope you will treasure these. Your gifts will be coming to you soon... but here is a sneak peak!

Mary's necklace (with Maelee's birthstone charm):

Sherry's bracelet (M's birthstone charm and little feet charm):

Jill's necklace (lithograph of lotus flower on front, gMh monogram that stands for Greg, Maelee, Heather on back):

Amber's bracelet (pearls like the gates of heaven that Maelee saw):

Amy's necklace (M's birthstone and name on front, date on back):

Eventually I'm going to get stackable mother's rings for myself... with Maelee's birthstone and our first baby's birthstone (our first baby (lost to ectopic pregnancy) was due Christmas Day 2008). On another note, I googled Maelee's name out of curiosity and found a website called "Maelee Baby" that makes high-end diaper bags and burp clothes. There are diaper bags around the US with "Maelee" written on a metal tag on the front of the bag. Isn't that neat?! The lady that started it used both her daughter's middle names (Mae and Lee) for the name. I actually emailed her to make sure the name was on the bags... If I ever get pregnant again, I may have to splurge and buy one so I have an official Maelee bag and can have her name with me/us wherever we go. -Heather