ONE WEEK!
I'm really (really) bad about figuring out what exactly I want for Christmas until the holiday is suddenly upon us! But I'm awesome at shopping for everyone else - here are presents for 5 categories of people if you're looking for ideas (most links are Amazon affiliate links, so I get a teeny percentage of your purchase and will probably use it to buy birthday presents for Cecilia...):
ONE
For her (or me!):
Elizabeth headbutted me a while ago and I lost the backing for one of my pearl earrings. These are the ONLY earrings I ever wear, so I've had to branch out and realized that I just don't have any decent studs... Enter Christine! She's a friend who has an online boutique with beaaaaautiful jewelry - there's seriously something for every style, from vintage-inspired to costume to simple to hipster. Check out her shop here: https://www.chloeandisabel.com/boutique/thefinishingtouch
If someone (*cough* Andrew! *cough*) happened to be looking for jewelry for me, here are some of my favorites:
 |
| Little Bird Stud Earrings |
 |
| Crystal Square Stud Earrings |
 |
| Teeny Tortoise Stud Earrings |
I know, I'm boring and am only asking for studs - I love love love some of the others, but babies are always pulling and poking and I don't want anything to get broken!
Organizational things:
Storage Bin with Handles
and Command Hooks
to help organize the shoes, scarves, mittens, coats, etc. that get piled up by the front and back doors. It's bad, friends. I don't like the storage bin above best, I think I need to hit up IKEA and get some, but we're going to get rid of the piles, by golly!
This book:
Pope Awesome and Other Stories
A NAP!!! Twins, friends. Twins. I need a nap.
And in a similar vein, a maid service wouldn't go unappreciated ;)
TWO
For the grandparents:
Photo book - Snapfish is almost always having a sale on photo books, so I try to keep recent photos uploaded and make a bunch of photo books to send out to the grandparents/great grandparents.
Photo ornaments - You can get kits at craft stores or make them via other photo sharing sites
Family portrait - frame it and send it off, it's a good excuse to get professional photos done!
THREE
For the siblings:
Hallie was right on the money with this one - I told my brother-in-law about it and he immediately said, "Yes. That. My wish list doesn't matter."
Granite Drink Chillers
So that one's easy enough!
Also this cookbook:
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Seriously the best ever - they offer explanations as to why they use certain cooking techniques and ingredients, which is hugely important to me. Mostly I prefer to use online recipes because of the reviews, but I don't need reviews for these recipes because they've already been perfected!
FOUR
For the kids:
I really want a marble run. But it's not happening any time in the near future, because... Choking, you know?
Enter this:
Rollipop Ball Drop
We're ALL having fun with this one - it was a birthday present for the twins but John Paul plays with it more than anyone else. We got one for Andrew's 1-year-old godson and I have a feeling that his big brother is going to be playing with it a ton, too! Seriously, this is my number one gift recommendation for kids under 5!
Richard Scarry Busytown Game
This is for John Paul - I'm hoping he and Cecilia can play it on their own, but I think it'll be a good opportunity to spend time with them while the babies nap.
Thinkfun Roll and Play Board Game
THIS is for John Paul and Cecilia and I have very high hopes - I have a strong feeling Cecilia will memorize all the cards and they'll be able to play it together all the time! We have approximately zero board games that they can actually play right now, so we're stocking up now.
FIVE
For the family:
Our family membership to the National Children's Museum is about to expire, so I'm hoping we'll get another! Things like this are awesome options if you don't want a lot of *stuff*, and want to be able to spend more time together. We didn't take advantage of our membership a ton this year (because twins...) but I know that this upcoming year will be easier.
Booze.
An Amazon Prime Membership (free 2-day shipping and streaming videos for a year? Sweet!). Heck, now is a REALLY good time to get a Prime Membership for yourself - you can get a free 30-day membership and get free 2-day shipping on all your Christmas gifts! And if you sign up through my link, even if you cancel it, I get $2!
Not sure? Check their wish list! Kelly makes it easier for you in this post:
Shopping on sites that aren't Amazon? Check ebates first to make sure you're getting cash back if you can! Use my link and you get extra money and so do I! It's win-win! They even have some Amazon categories where you can get cash back, so make sure you've covered your bases.
And with that very lengthy post, I direct you back to Hallie and the other Five Favorites ladies!
Storage Bin with Handles
and Command Hooks to help organize the shoes, scarves, mittens, coats, etc. that get piled up by the front and back doors. It's bad, friends. I don't like the storage bin above best, I think I need to hit up IKEA and get some, but we're going to get rid of the piles, by golly!This book:
Pope Awesome and Other Stories
A NAP!!! Twins, friends. Twins. I need a nap.
And in a similar vein, a maid service wouldn't go unappreciated ;)
TWO
For the grandparents:
Photo book - Snapfish is almost always having a sale on photo books, so I try to keep recent photos uploaded and make a bunch of photo books to send out to the grandparents/great grandparents.
Photo ornaments - You can get kits at craft stores or make them via other photo sharing sites
Family portrait - frame it and send it off, it's a good excuse to get professional photos done!
THREE
For the siblings:
Hallie was right on the money with this one - I told my brother-in-law about it and he immediately said, "Yes. That. My wish list doesn't matter."
Granite Drink Chillers
So that one's easy enough!
Also this cookbook:
The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
Seriously the best ever - they offer explanations as to why they use certain cooking techniques and ingredients, which is hugely important to me. Mostly I prefer to use online recipes because of the reviews, but I don't need reviews for these recipes because they've already been perfected!
FOUR
For the kids:
I really want a marble run. But it's not happening any time in the near future, because... Choking, you know?
Enter this:
Rollipop Ball Drop
We're ALL having fun with this one - it was a birthday present for the twins but John Paul plays with it more than anyone else. We got one for Andrew's 1-year-old godson and I have a feeling that his big brother is going to be playing with it a ton, too! Seriously, this is my number one gift recommendation for kids under 5!
Richard Scarry Busytown Game
This is for John Paul - I'm hoping he and Cecilia can play it on their own, but I think it'll be a good opportunity to spend time with them while the babies nap.
Thinkfun Roll and Play Board Game
THIS is for John Paul and Cecilia and I have very high hopes - I have a strong feeling Cecilia will memorize all the cards and they'll be able to play it together all the time! We have approximately zero board games that they can actually play right now, so we're stocking up now.
FIVE
For the family:
Our family membership to the National Children's Museum is about to expire, so I'm hoping we'll get another! Things like this are awesome options if you don't want a lot of *stuff*, and want to be able to spend more time together. We didn't take advantage of our membership a ton this year (because twins...) but I know that this upcoming year will be easier.
Booze.
An Amazon Prime Membership (free 2-day shipping and streaming videos for a year? Sweet!). Heck, now is a REALLY good time to get a Prime Membership for yourself - you can get a free 30-day membership and get free 2-day shipping on all your Christmas gifts! And if you sign up through my link, even if you cancel it, I get $2!
Not sure? Check their wish list! Kelly makes it easier for you in this post:
Shopping on sites that aren't Amazon? Check ebates first to make sure you're getting cash back if you can! Use my link and you get extra money and so do I! It's win-win! They even have some Amazon categories where you can get cash back, so make sure you've covered your bases.
And with that very lengthy post, I direct you back to Hallie and the other Five Favorites ladies!
I love Amazon more and more each day... I ended my post today with ad "ode," to Amazon as well. I think that they are an amazing force in helping small businesses thrive--- first of all, they give small business a platform to sell their products that they would never have otherwise, they also support so many online businesses through their affiliate programs. Plus, now that I have Amazon Prime, shipping is so free and easy that Amazon is pretty much always my first stop when shopping online!
ReplyDeleteThe granite drink chillers look really cool! I need to check those out- they would also make a great "grab bag," gift because I think that just about anyone could enjoy them!!
Too bad we don't live closer! We just got our 4 year old the Richard Scarry game along with a few other board games and I am really hoping he will be able to play them with his 2.5 yr old brother.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, he and John Paul would be SUCH best friends. It always makes me really happy to hear that there's another 4-year-old Catholic nerd out there in the world :)
DeleteCan we all start a Catholic commune?
DeleteI gave you a nap today. Does that mean I'm done?
ReplyDeleteYup!
DeleteOoooo I love memberships as gifts...and the Amazon membership is perfect. We actually just lost our Amazon Prime membership (we used to get it 1/2 off when Ben was a student). and it's only been a few days and I already miss it.
ReplyDeleteThat is the best cookbook. After my ratty family cookbook, that is the one I grab, especially when presented with an unfamiliar slab of meat.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out too. You'll be happy to know that I've passed on my last minute Amazon Prime reliance to my children. Where as we used to take a trip to Dollar Tree on Dec. 22 so the older ones could finish shopping, now they're dumping items in my cart.