Nothing fancy, just a list of really great gifts that we’ve given, own, have on our wishlists, or are considering giving to our loved ones. With sales popping left and right this week, my hope is that somewhere in this list, you’ll find something that speaks to a personal connection with one of your loved ones (always the best gifts!) — or will at least get your wheels turning :)
For husbands, dads, and brothers: — A phone tripod he can keep in his wallet (we have and love this!) — An at-home car wash. I did this when John started a new job a few years, and it made his car look mint condition. — The Psychology of Money. A fantastic, compulsively readable book. Would be perfect for any grown-up! — A Solo stove. At least in my circles, this seems to be the gift of 2021, and I’m here for it! — A National Parks Pass + Landmark tee — Red Clay Hot Sauce variety pack. We bought this Southern trio for our hot sauce-loving brother-in-law a few years ago and it was a hit! — A Ted Lasso mug. This would make me so happy to sip from every day, but alas I do not regularly drink a beverage that requires a mug. — A handful of smart plugs to set a scene — A new game — Anything from this post I wrote about John’s wardrobe favorites (so many good things in there!)
For moms, sisters, and best friends: — A sweatshirt for your favorite reader — Or the “anywhere” sweatshirt from my pal Merrick for your wanderlust gal — The best conversation cards (I wrote them! :)) — Half Baked Harvest Super Simple or any cookbook by Jenny Rosenstrach (my favorites: How to Celebrate Everything and The Weekday Vegetarians). Make it extra-special by earmarking recipes you love or think she should try first! — A Write the Word journal and Faith action deck. Most WTW volumes have been out of stock for awhile but as of today they’re almost all back, including two of my favorites: Confidence and Fruit of the Spirit! — These pajama pants are clearly needed by some fabulous person — If you live close enough, a restaurant gift certificate and a night of babysitting, if needed — These serving trays from Rifle are absolutely gorgeous. It was so hard to choose but I have this round blue and white one to keep things corralled on my dresser and I love it so much. — The most darling butter dish. I love the yellow and green palette! — Pretty gold beaded hoop earrings — A subscription to The Atlantic, Our State, or your news media of choice. The media landscape is having a tough time to the detriment of us all – if you think a publication is doing a good job, support them.
For parents or in-laws: Obviously many of the above options would be good fits, but a few additional ideas…
— A Skylight digital photo frame. We gave one of these to my in-laws a few months ago and it has been a hit! So easy – you can send photos straight to it from your phone, so it’s easy for us to send new snaps at the end of a busy weekend or driving home from a hike. — A fresh wreath (coastal or buy one locally and add a bow – these are the ones we use!) — Something beautiful from Farmhouse Pottery. I think the style of their goods is just so timeless and beautiful. Go for a petite pitcher and pair with a jar of maple syrup or splurge on a pantry bowl and pair with a Stonewall Kitchen pancake mix (the best!!). — Floral tea for one set. So lovely and obviously I’m biased because of the name :) — Tickets to go to a game or show together. (For example, my Dad loves the UConn women’s basketball team and for awhile we’d buy him tickets whenever they were playing a team close to where we were living.) — Thymes Frasier Fir candle (absolutely magical) or a National Park-themed candle (whose purchase supports public lands) — A charcuterie board from a local company. In the Triangle, we’re lucky to have both Raleigh Cheesy and Boards & Bites to choose from! — A flexible book light that goes around their neck for easy reading in bed (or repair work, knitting, camping, and more) — A gorgeous pastel rainbow wind chime for their garden — This coffee table book of timeless hymns — A photo mug with the kids or grandkids (yes, they are 30% cheesy, but also beloved) or a photo wall calendar
Lots of fun ideas in last year’s guide, too. And of course, keep in mind that these categories are just starting points – mix and match to your heart’s content! You know your loved ones best!
Up next: Annie’s birth story! Perfect for the week of Thanksgiving :)
If you’re anything like me, your internet life is absolutely awash in gift guides right about now. I have NEVER seen them this early and in such force. Not without reason, but still – I kind of feel I’m drowning in them.
And here’s the thing about gift guides – though I scour them compulsively, 80% of the ideas in most are immediate nos for me. Even in the very best ones, only 50% or so are even worth considering at all.
And yet – I still read them, because sometimes all you need is just one gift that perfectly speaks to your loved one. I hope you find a few of those special things in my gift guides for 2021. Most of the ideas are pulled from items we own and love, have gifted, or have enjoyed at the home of a loved one.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to share a gift guide for your favorite grown-ups, one for stocking stuffers, my personal wish list, and the actual gifts we’re getting our three kiddos this year.
Today: kids!
Gifts for your favorite babies:
I like to keep gifts for babies (and their parents!) simple and practical. My best suggestions are in my “favorites” series – see here for gifts for babies at six weeks, five months, eight months, one year, and fifteen months.
Gifts for your favorite toddlers and preschoolers:
— A big box of colorful Duplos (hugely used by our kids for so many years) — A set of MagnaTiles, because yes, they’re as good as everyone says they are. If you already have a set, add an extension like the cars or the bases. (MagnaTiles and PicassoTiles are interchangeable!) — A sweet felt outer space and planets set — A play kitchen (unsurprisingly, PB has gorgeous ones) + play food (anything Melissa & Doug is perfection!) — A Micro Kickboard scooter. These are hands-down the best scooters – we’ve gifted them to both of our kids around age 2, 3-4 is the sweet spot, and June still enjoys riding hers at almost 6 although she more often rides her Razor, which the grandparents got her. — A sweet princess-inspired dress that’s fun for dress-up but simple enough to wear to school. June has the Aurora! — A mini shopping cart. It makes sense that these are metal because they are absolute magnets for kids of all sizes. — Horse leggings (soooo many cute options from Boden!) — Alice & Ames dresses, because they are the twirliest with the best patterns (this is my favorite print right now!)
— A comfy pillow for her bed so she can cozy up and read (we got this one for June when she started kindergarten!) — A baking set: the prettiest pink baking sheet, a pale blue cutting board, confetti tools, the best baking book, and/or a Liberty of London apron — A flexible book light for reading in bed (this sunshine one is also cute!) — A bold “read more books” pennant for his room (lots more options here!) — This very adorable hand-drawn coloring book — A framed story map from her favorite book (so many amazing options: Hogwarts, Chronicles of Narnia, Anne of Green Gables, the Hundred Acre Wood…) — A bike (we LOVE June’s Priority Start!) — Walkie talkies. I think our kids would be obsessed with these. — A sweet shirt with a sweeter message from a company started by a teen with autism — A Kiwi Co subscription. This is a perfect grandparent gift. June (5, almost 6) looooves her Kiwi boxes and can do them independently. Shep (3) just started receiving the Koala crate and he loves being like big sister. June or a parent needs to help him complete his projects. — A game you can play together: try Cover Your Assets, Ticket to Ride, or Boggle (more ideas here!) — A Highlights magazine subscription — Personalized stationery like this colorful shadow text set or this firetruck set. (June would also LOVE the monogrammed notepad from this same shop.) — Piccolina has the sweetest tees and dresses inspired by trailblazing women — Bike wheel lights. We’ve gifted these to several nieces and nephews and they are always a hit! — This stunning set of The Chronicles of Narnia. Expensive but WOW what a statement (and no better books to splurge on!) — Our favorite type of gift: an experience. Try tickets to a game or show (even a high school musical or college basketball game!); a membership to a museum, zoo, or aquarium; a ride on a local train; a tea + pedicure date; or movie tickets.
Gifts for your favorite teens and babysitters (mostly girls, let’s be honest):
— The happiest mugs — An instax camera with extra film and LED photo string lights (this is what we got our high school babysitters who helped us all spring and summer when school was closed and it was a HIT!) — Or this instax smartphone printer (for a heftier gift!) — A disco ball. We have one of these in the CWM office, and June is OB-sessed. So maybe also a great gift pick for your five-year-old? — A stack of pretty pastel bracelets (June – and I – would also enjoy these! The perfect gift for everyone, ha!) — Maghon’s Happy Hand Lettering book — A paint-your-own keychain kit. We did these at work – so fun! — Or a classic O key ring — A book of Catherine Newman’s life advice for teens (love her writing so much!) — A very cool, very beautiful rainbow basketball — The best socks — A monogrammed toiletry bag like this bold striped one — A Herschel wallet (this is the one John has!) — An Eno hammock — Our favorite type of gift: an experience. Try tickets to a game or show; a creative class; a barre or workout class or membership; a tea + pedicure date; movie tickets; Top Golf; or a jump park.
Whew! I hope that’s helpful! I’ve rounded up a bunch of ideas, but remember, kids don’t need much to be happy – in our family, we’ve actually found that too many gifts can be overwhelming and dull the whole experience. So choose wisely, and with joy – giving our kids good gifts is a really fun part of being a parent! :)
Hope you all had happy Halloweens, friends! Before I share my November goals, I thought I’d pop in with a quick post on our DIY family Halloween costume – the weather!
Most people who know John know he is an amateur weatherman. It is probably his main hobby – researching weather, looking at all the apps and websites, listening to podcasts and periscopes, following weather people on Twitter. Obviously, he is the go-to guy for any weather-related questions in our circle of family and friends! So when it was time to choose a family costume this year, this was a perfect pick.
But it took us a bit to land on it… June’s first suggestion for our family was the Frozen cast. I know it’s a popular one, but I didn’t feel like we had a strong-enough connection to the movie for it to be meaningful for us. When I gently explained this to her, she said, “Oh, that’s okay. I know: we can all be My Little Ponies!!” Oops, ha.
In order to not subject Shep to dressing up as Twilight Sparkle, I knew I had to come up with something good. Weather popped to mind – I had saved this costume concept from Studio DIY years ago because I knew it would be a good fit for our family – and when I dangled a rainbow costume in front of June she latched on hook, line, and sinker. And the rest unfolded from there! If you’d like to try your own weather costume in the future, here are a few details!
DIY Rainbow Halloween Costume
This was probably my favorite of the bunch – I was so happy with how it came together! We started with a rainbow dress from Hanna Andersson and added a rainbow sash to the top. For the sash, I bought tulle in a rainbow of colors, cut it into strips, and stitched them on (I just cut the stitches at the end of the night to turn it back into her normal dress!). She wore pink leggings and pink sparkly shoes she already had. We did her hair in two high buns and pinned in some white cotton stuffing for “clouds.” The final touch? A rainbow of face glitter (her favorite part, for sure!).
DIY Lightning Halloween Costume
For the most part, I like to keep it simple for the parent costumes. I used yellow reflective tape to make lightning bolts on a black shirt, and John wore gray pants he already owned. He played a noise loop of a rainstorm with thunder and lightning on his phone all evening as we walked around, ha!
DIY Rain Cloud Halloween Costume
I wore this white shirt, this light blue dotted skirt, and navy shoes – all items I already owned. My biggest moment was carrying a clear umbrella studded with felt rain drops, including ones suspended from the rim with fishing line.
DIY Tornado Halloween Costume
No costume could be more perfect for a three-year-old boy than a tornado, amiright? :) Shep’s costume was definitely the roughest of the bunch – I wasn’t positive I could get him into it if I created it beforehand, so I opted to construct it on him… and then I remembered little boys don’t like to stand still, and then we were running late, and then I ran out of hot glue AND staples in the course of making it (!!).
The basic construction was a tomato cage with one rung cut off with duct tape straps across the top to rest on his shoulders. I wrapped strips of cotton batting and gray tulle from top to bottom. I was planning to taper the shape more and twist it off to the side to create more of a funnel, and add little farm animals with hot glue, but alas, supplies and time were not on my side.
In the end, it was tough for him to move in and the metal was banging into his shins, so we shed the cage midway through the night and just wrapped the tulle over his gray shirt and joggers to turn him into a storm cloud :)
And of course, twisting up his hair with a little paste to mimic a stiff wind was the best part.
DIY Sunshine Halloween Costume
Sweet Annie, the very epitome of sunshine, joined us in a yellow onesie (I hot glued on an orange heart!) and yellow leggings. I bought a half-round foam circle from Joann, painted it yellow, hot glued on triangles cut from stiff yellow and orange felt, and hot glued the whole thing onto a headband she already owned. She could even wear the ensemble in her stroller!
There you have it – hope the weather is fine wherever you are today! :)
I thought I’d share a bit about our inaugural back-to-school dinner, for those who might be interested! Many others have hosted these before me: Merrick has shared some details, Stephanie’s are legendary, and ours was inspired by the Clarkson’s Family Day, too.
I would not classify our 2021 dinner as legendary – it was quite simple and low-key. I anticipate it will be a family tradition for many years to come, though, so there’s plenty of time to build on what we’ve started! While our decorations were fun (June declared them “fancy!” when she saw the candles lit), our kids are still VERY young and were mostly not interested in our introduction of the family scripture theme, ha. Banking on that part coming with time!
So why have a back-to-school dinner?
First, I’ll take any chance to make some everydaymagic. And a fresh school year is certainly something to celebrate!
Some years, a special dinner may be needed to bolster a kiddo who feels nervous or reluctant (definitely not the case for us this year – June was PUMPED).
But mostly, I think a well-timed dinner like this helps to ground our kids in our family culture, family values, and family unit before they’re sent back out into the absorbing and sometimes cold world of school. It’s one more opportunity to remind them they’re loved, they’re liked, they’re valuable, and they’re capable.
Our back-to-school dinner decorations:
Table decorations may just seem like fluff, but as I so passionately argued for years in the wedding space, the setting sets the tone: it tells the attendees this is an out-of-the-ordinary night. It tells them they’re worthy of some fun and fanfare. And it makes the evening more memorable by being unusual.
This year, I set the table with our gray gingham tablecloth (bought many years ago and still going strong!) and everyday placemats. June contributed the place cards, we sprinkled some sequins and star confetti, and I added tea lights in mini mason jars we had on hand. The piece de resistance was the centerpiece: flowers from our yard in a pencil-wrapped vase.
To make the vase, I bought a mega pack of pencils and stuck them onto a simple glass vase with double-sided tape, then tied on the satin bow. Pro tip: I was worried the tape wouldn’t come off the vase, but if you dab it with water, it peels right off!
What we ate at our back-to-school dinner:
I was prepared to cook a family favorite, but the kids requested our beloved Chinese takeout, so that’s what we did! We had build-your-own ice cream sundaes for dessert (Neopolitan ice cream, peanuts, hot fudge, caramel sauce, sprinkles, whipped cream, cherries) and June talked for days leading up to it about how she was going to make her OWN without any HELP, ha. These little bowls were perfect and we’ve been using them daily for after-school snacks, too.
What we did at our back-to-school dinner:
Mostly, we just chatted and enjoyed each other’s company! Such as it is with a five year old, a three year old, and an infant :) We also introduced our scripture theme for the year (Matthew 22:37-39). I feel like I fumbled through this as I do explaining many things about faith, but reminded myself it’s the effort that counts – hopefully that encourages you if you feel this way, too!
The goal is that we would all memorize these verses and be more likely to bring them up in conversation and teaching moments throughout the year. To help with this, I printed out a copy for each of the kids and let them paint simple wooden frames to display them in their rooms. This turned out to be very popular, and they did such a good job! As for memorization, we’re just planning to recite the verses together before bed for as long as it takes! :)
Other than that, John and I told them about some of our memories from kindergarten, and we talked again through how the next day would unfold.
In future years, I would love to include more words of affirmation between parents and kids and between siblings – either in written notes or just going around the table and encouraging each other in a specific way! I also think a back-to-school/first day outfit fashion show and/or dressing up would be fun additions.
And that’s it! Aside from the little bit of decoration prep (my love language), it was really very simple, but a lovely evening to mark a big milestone. I’m looking forward to seeing how this tradition evolves in the years to come! If you have any back-to-school dinner or first day of school traditions, I’d love to hear.
