[JessFinds] A family architecture firm

Miss Crab shows restraint, careful thought and placement in her home.

Gonzo threw a bag of candy at a pile of frosting.

I opted for a small cabin with a fire pit.

My mother-in-law proved to be a wicked master of the icicle.

My husband's fine work. Note the stained glass window, gravestones and yes...red door.

[JessFinds] Open letter to my family and friends

Dear Family and Friends*;

There is no tactful or polite way to say this, so I will just blurt it out: Unless you plan on sending seasonal clothing or travel toys ... please hold off on the kid presents until we are in our new home. I know they are darling girls who deserve lavish gifts that would embarrass the Hiltons and Trumps of the world. I know that you wanted to send the full-size carousal and the matching set of twin ponies. But we just can't pack a carousal and the ponies on a big moving truck. Okay. We could, but it might be a bit inhumane for the ponies. I am sure PETA would take issue with that.

To put it plainly... I don't wanna pack it. I would also feel cruel giving a great toy to my girls only to take it away promptly and put it on a truck for a month (we will be living in extended stay corporate hotel housing while our stuff will be living on the truck until our new home is ready for move in).

*Friends: I love your babies. I know you love mine. I would love to spoil your offspring rotten but this season is all about the move for us. You are off the hook!

We are planning a much scaled back version of Christmas this year.  Not even sure if we are breaking out the decorations as, well, they are already boxed up and it seems like an exercise in redundant packing.

• Travel toys are greatly appreciated as 4 and 6 year olds don't generally take well to being strapped to a seat for 7 hours out of a day while careening down the interstates at 80mph with two angry cats.

• Clothing - comfy! Soft! Gonzo loves pairing a cotton dress with legging/pants. Crab is all about soft pants and tops. Both girls could use some fleece. Gonzo is a size 4 T and Crab is a size 6. Adjustable waistbands are a big deal because as much as Crab loves wearing pants, the pants like falling down to her ankles. Gonzo loves everything and anything pink. Crab still likes purples and greens. Anything that coordinates is great for being on the road. 

So that is my tacky open letter. Thank you for holding off on the ponies this year (and the custom embroidered personalized saddles).

Love to all,

[JessFinds] Holiday Gift Guides

Each autumn, I put together a Crave List for each of my children. It is both a wish-list and a gift guide. Admittedly, we do have family that go off the list for Christmas ideas. But more importantly, the feedback I have received over the years from bloggy parents and grandparents has been great. I am no expert, but I do love curating fun finds. Our Crave Lists (Marie has Lust Lists) are some of the highest repeat traffic areas of our blog.

There are very practical items along with crazy $$$ out-of-this-world ones (check out the pirate bed or cottage bed for this curated round!) I think of it as inspiration boards and ideas.

Note: If you are family and actually interested in the girl's stats... Miss Crab is a girls size 6 but has an itty bitty waist so we look for pants that are adjustable. Shoe size is 11.5 toddler.  Miss Gonzo is a size 4T and wears a size 9.5 toddler shoe. Parker loves all things purple and green. Paige goes nuts for pink.

I am trying something new this year and hosting the gift guide off-site via Kaboodle. You can just click the link to go directly or wait for the slide show below.

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What do you get a six and a half year old tomboy for Christmas?
6 (1/2) YEAR OLD GIRL - Crave List 2010

  

    

    

                      Six Year Old Gift Guide   jessfinds             

    

  

  

                          

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What do you get a 4 year old force of energy for Christmas?

4 YEAR OLD GIRL - Crave List 2010

  

    

    

                      4 Year Old Gift Guide   jessfinds          

    

  

  

                          

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What do you get for a really long cross country road trip with two kids?

ROAD TRIP - Crave List 2010/2011

  

    

    

                      Road Trip Gear                          jessfinds             

    

  

  

                       

(MarieFinds) Holiday Spirit

Today, little miss Super Squirrel suggested that we should take her old tea set and give it to kids who don't have one. And when I suggested that in the coming weeks, we should sort through her toys to give some away, she offered up that we should take them to Santa Claus for other kids who don't get toys. Melted my heart.

[JessFinds] Fancie Fannies: Me, only smaller. And wooden.

I am having a custom order done on Etsy as a Christmas present for my almost 4 year old.

This is NOT me or my family, but you get the idea.

Fancie Fannies on Etsy does these darling little wooden peg-people and will customize them for you. I thought it would be great to have a little wooden doll set of our family. Especially Preacher in his little white collar and black shirt (awww). I will post photos of mini-us when they are done. I know Gonzo will go nuts over these.

Her little creations are so sweet they are almost edible - check out Goldilocks and the Three Bears:

Fancie Frannie's Goldilocks and the Three Bears - $20

And right now I am smitten with her astronauts and space shuttle!

Fancie Frannie's Rocket Ship - $30

If I had an ounce of painterly talent in me, I would love to buy blanks and try to create my own little wooden people and playsets. I did not inherit painterly talent from my artistic mother (sigh). My brother did! He can draw and visualize ... I can only grunt and point. So, today I grunt and point at these adorable figures.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation to review this product / product line. 

(MarieFinds) The Lust List 2010

Jess has a Crave List. I do my Lust List. Lust is a little less practical I think. Fall is in full swing here in the fabulous Pacific Northwest. Today is downright chilly. But beautiful October chilly - cool, clear, blue, gold and green.

Things I want under the tree this year:

A classic / retro apron. (I actually asked for this this year ... though I won't have it in time for Thanksgiving, unfortunately.) For Portlanders, they sell some fab ones at SweetWares (http://www.bakerandspicebakery.com/sweetwares/).

These boots from Ugg. I have a pair of classic Uggs that I never would have bought for myself. I love them. They are perfect fall /winter boots. Perfect slippers. The most comfortable shoes in the world. And I only feel a little weird about the Paris Hilton thing. These are a little dressier, and hopefully just as comfortable.The most beautiful coat in the world ... but I will never buy it for $700. God, I love Kate Spade.

Another item I am actually hoping to acquire this year ... a new crock pot. My good one crapped out, and I need a replacement. I love that this one goes stove top to insert, but I have heard there are some issues with the finish peeling. On the market for a good one, if anyone knows of one off hand.

[JessFinds] Adopt a Zoobie Pet™ - GIVEAWAY!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED


The winner (#13) has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond! Congratulations!

Remember how I mentioned that I was on Team Zoobie?

As if I could not love them more, the fine folks over at Zoobie headquarters have generously offered to provide a Zoobie Pet™for a JessFinds.com GIVEAWAY! (Insert screams, fainting, clapping, ovations and hurrahs here.) Could those Zoobie-makers be any cooler? I would quit my day job and move to Utah to work for them, but my day job right now is "mom" and quitting that is generally frowned upon. Okay - back to the GIVEAWAY!

GIVEAWAY! Ends on Monday, October 11th at 11:59pm EST. Seven (7) chances to win a Zoobie of your own!

Image courtesy of Zoobie Pets™Online Store

Zoobies are incredibly well-designed toys with multiple uses. A Zoobie is a plush toy, a flat pillow and a cuddly blanket. Zoobies are recommended for ages 3 and up but safety tested for all ages.

As mentioned in the previous post, Miss Crab has Kojo and Gonzo has Raj. When I told them we were doing a Zoobie GIVEAWAY for a lucky family they were very excited. Then Gonzo got quiet ... "But I don't have to give Raj away, right?"

No honey, you don't need to give Raj away.

Okay - so let's get to the good stuff. You really want one. I know.

MANDATORY ENTRY REQUIREMENTS - US ONLY

• EASY! Visit www.zoobies.com and look through their collections. Choose a Zoobie Pet™ and in the comments section of this post, write (1) First Name, Last Initial (2) Your email (3) Your Zoobie Pet of choice and (4) who the recipient of the Zoobie will be.

Sample "Bonus Entry" Comment

BONUS ENTRIES BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU! We use a random number generator to pick a winner and you can get up to 7 total entries. That means, you can leave SEVEN separate comments on this post. Just label them as Bonus Entries! Follow the instructions for each bonus entry to be valid. Have fun! If you alrady fan or follow us, just mention it in your comment. You don't have to be a new fan to win.

• BONUS ENTRY 1: Follow JessFinds.com via Google Friend Connect (GFC) or Networked Blogs (links on right hand column). Include your details as above and add "I follow you on _____" Then let us know via comments.

• BONUS ENTRY 2: Become a Fan of JessFinds.com on Facebook and comment on our Facebook Page that you are now a fan. Then let us know via comments.

• BONUS ENTRY 3: Become a Fan of Zoobies on Facebook. Leave a message on their wall saying: " I am a fan thanks to @Jess Finds." Then let us know via comments. 

• BONUS ENTRY 4: Follow Zoobie Pets via Twitter - www.twitter.com/zoobiepets. Let us know via comments and include your Twitter handle. 

• BONUS ENTRY 5: Follow JessFinds.com via Twitter -www.twitter.com/jessfinds. Then let us know via comments and include your Twitter handle. 

• BONUS ENTRY 6: Copy and paste:  I entered to win a Zoobie Pet™ from www.JessFinds.com! @zoobiepets @jessfinds #giveaway  on your own Twitter. Or Blog about it and link to this giveaway. Then let us know via comments! 

A total of 7 possible ways to win the Zoobie Pet™ of your choice! Good luck!

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PROBLEMS OPENING UP COMMENT BOX ON BLOGGER? Some people have reported that Internet Explorer will block the pop-up comment box or mess with the verification. No problems with other browsers have been reported. 


THE IMPORTANT DETAILS IN SMALL PRINT:

This GIVEAWAY is for one (1) Zoobie Pet™. Does not include the Jumbo Zoobie Pets™. Winner will be picked via Random.org and has 48 hours to respond before I re-draw a name. I will include a screen capture of the winning random number. This givaway is for the US ONLY.  International entries will be discarded (sorry). Giveaway is valid for those 18 and over. Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM EST on Monday, October 11th. Zoobie Pets™ will be responsible for shipping the product to the winner. I will provide Zoobie Pets™ with the address, winner's selection and additional contact information if needed. Prize selection subject to availability (you may need a second choice, be nice about it).

I did not receive any compensation for this review or giveaway. I am just a great-big fan of the product and Zoobies LLC offered to provide one to a lucky reader.
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[JessFinds] Zoobies

 I am on Team Zoobie.

Website: www.zoobies.com

A few months back, we recieved two Zoobie animals (Koko the Croc and Raj the Tiger). Miss Crab and Koko partnered up. Gonzo chose Raj.

Any child facing airline travel as the - gasp - holidays approach? Keep this in the back of your parent travel arsenal. The animals are soft and cuddly, easy for my 3.5 and 6 to carry through airports. They function as cozy travel pillows with the added bonus of a soft fleece blanket inside the animal that can be removed and re-stuffed easily.

Without fail, every child we encountered in airports pointed and yelled "PILLOW PETS!!" which just shows how effective that TV commercial is AND how susceptible kids are to advertising! We did encounter a few Pillow Pets on our travels, but my girls were standouts with their Zoobies. And they educated every child (and adult) on how theirs was special along the way. My little marketers.

The big difference? Zoobies have the blanket. Pillow Pets do not have a blanket inside.  Zoobies also look like "normal" stuffed animals, not like folded in half pillows.

We were out of town for about two months and were staying with various - tolerant - friends and family during our travels. These functioned as insta-beds for my kids as well as soft companions for all of the car and plane travel. We even saw a few being sold in the various airports we passed through, so travelers are on to the idea. Me? I. Will. Do. Anything. To. Keep. My. Kids. Behaving. On. A. Plane.

I am also a fan of any product that serves multiple purposes. There is a huge selection to choose from on their site. I have not encountered any discount codes or giveaways of late but a friend suggested I contact the company to see if they would be willing to do a giveaway for JessFinds.com.


Disclaimer: I did not recieve any compensation or free products for this review.

[JessFinds] Crave List for 5.5 Year Olds

Each year I publish a list of things I think are great for the upcoming holidays. Who would have thought these lists would become so popular? I have received emails asking when my next list will come out! Mom's everywhere from Arkansas to the UK are visiting our little blog for inspiration. This is the 5.5 year old crave list ...the 3 year old list is up too!

Miss Crab is a wee slight thing who believes (strongly) that she is a pirate. No really. So what does a pirate find endlessly amusing?

Stats: Miss Crab is a 5T (toddler) or XS girls (size 5 regular girls). She is weighing in at a whopping 37.5lbs. She wears a 10 - 10.5 toddler shoe.

Oh-Bento! Obento or Bento Boxes as they are commonly known are a big hit this year for parents with school-age kids. I am currently entranced by the Yubo brand. It seems so, well, efficient! How could any child resist healthy snacks packed in such a adorable container? I love it in orange with the included "peace" faceplate option. But get this: it has a custom pirate faceplate option. The addition of the medium containers would complete the set. I just found out that someone has picked up the set for Miss Crab. I love it when family shops off the blog! Woo!

Gonzo and Crab tend to, ahem, quarrel over certain things but they both seem to be madly in love with the little fuzzy creatures that make up the Calico Critters collection. We have purchased the carrying case with a family (squirrels for Gonzo and cats for Crab). The case opens up to reveal a mini-doll house of sorts.  They each will want this kitchen for their playcases. Miniature perfection.

GeoSafari Talking Globe Jr. I have been researching globes for something like six months. I find in interesting that around age 5, children naturally start wondering about distance and the world around them. This interactive globe is designed for the K-3rd grade set.


I get it - this is completely over the top! But a pirate ship bed is certainly crave-worthy. The details that have gone in to it are amazing. I think it runs $2k (gasp). I wonder if my crafty husband could make something like this?

Playmobil "Take Along" Pet Clinic is their newest addition for the holidays. Miss Crab saw it and instantly was drawn to it's mini cats and the ability to take care of them. Like a pirate should.

One day, I witnessed my daughter playing with Barbies in her preschool. I was a bit shocked. She has never shown interest in Barbie at our home or in stores. I asked her what she liked about it and she said it was "fun to play people." Only Hearts Club girls are a sort of anti-barbie in that they (a) look like actual girls and (b) don't have nearly the level of pink in their wardrobe (c) don't look like prosta-tots (Bratz Dolls anyone?). I am a fan. Wish they made some boys too. I have seen them in Target stores and online. They have a "horse" line and a "princess" line - neither one engages my daughter. She likes the regular kid line. We picked up "Lily Rose" for her stocking.

And of course, what girl could live without the Soldier Fortress set from the Pirates line? Ok, we ended up buying this. It will be under the tree for Christmas. It has a real working lighthouse! Come on! That is just too cool. If you are a parent looking for a good deal on this item, visit ReallyGreatToys.com. They offer free shipping on items over $40 w/ free gift wrap.


To help build up her sea legs, a good pirate could use this indoor activity balance board w/ maze inserts.


I found out about Curly Q Cuties from one of my favorite sites: zrecommends. Kids can create their own monster and the plush version will be delivered to their door! This would be such a fun $25 stocking stuffer gift-certificate.




Now, clothing is never all that exciting for the holidays - but there are certain exceptions: Tea Collection is one. My pirate refuses to wear anything too girly, too dressy or perceived as itchy. This collection from Daily Tea are church-ready outfits in colors (and textures) a pirate would approve of.


Mom is all about educational toys, so the telling-time game is completely mom-approved!

A knitting machine! Indoor activity that prepares the child for outdoor play. Excellent. It is 15 degrees? Make your own (pirate) hat, kid.


Miss Crab loves puzzles so this combines two of her favorite things.

[JessFinds] Crave List for 3 Year Olds

 Each year I publish a list of things I think are great for the upcoming holidays. Who would have thought these lists would become so popular? I have received emails asking when my next list will come out! Mom's everywhere from Arkansas to the UK are visiting our little blog for inspiration. This is the 3 year old crave list ... the 5.5 year old list is up too!

Gonzo is very excited about Christmas this year - she is all about Santa breaking in to her house and leaving her "stuff." She has already asked for a puppy, a goat and a variety of farm animals.

Gonzo wears a size 3T with most of her clothing now. Her shoe size is a 6.5 to 7 toddler.

These are so cute. I could probably learn how to make them, but for $8 I figure it is worth it to let someone else do it! Crayon Rocks from Magic Cabin.

Gonzo is crazy for the Three Little Pigs. These interactive stories are a great way to keep her entertained and allow her to tell the story.

Another Gonzo obsession is Hansel & Gretel. Seriously. It freaks me out that my daughter has latched on to this dark tale of abandonment and cannibalism, but ... ok!! She would love the finger puppets and acting out the story. The only place I could locate this was Amazon.com.

And more in the Hansel & Gretel department! This is from one of my favorite booksellers, Powells.com. The illustrations look amazing.

This cardboard playhouse is begging to be decorated. Target has this fun "indoor" crappy weather activity available for $20 with free shipping right now. I would jump on this for any 3 year old.  They also have the castle available for $24.

My baby has outgrown her crib and it is time (really, it is) for her to transition to a big-girl bed. The Matrix Kid System looks like so much fun. 

Automoblox! This set of three wooden interchangeable cars (they lock together like a lego) are so cool In these great colors too! I think I want a set for myself. And while we are at it, I think I should make a case for Crab getting a set too.


iMac compatible keyboard for kids. Do you realize how many PC compatible learning programs and keyboards there are? Mac needs to jump on this bandwagon. I converted to iMac a few years ago and I would love it if my kids could use it too! I just found out that someone grabbed this for Gonzo - I love it when family shops off the blog! Woo!


I have long-admired the Calico Critters line of toys. Doll house play but with little woodland creatures! Squirrels! Bunnies! Kitties! We bought Gonzo the carrying case (pictured above) and the little squirrel family for Christmas. I think what I like best about this line is the ability to add on to it as inexpensively or as expensively as you choose. Big sister Crab thinks these are cool too and will also be getting a carrying case and family (cats, hello). Both girls will want this kitchen set for their little carrying cases.


I would love to learn how to put together these felt play food sets that are found all over Etsy. In the meantime, I nod to the experts! I love that this set comes complete with little play teabags.


Tutus! Hello. Shameless self promotion here. I think that all 3 year olds should be outfitted with a tutu from Chi Chi Tutu.

Playsilks are a big deal in the Waldorf education model, but I think that any open-ended toy is good stuff. These can be capes, dresses, blankets or wings! A set of 2 or 3 would provide endless entertainment for a 3 year old.

No - I am not insane. Plan Toys makes great musical instruments for kiddos! If it was a whistle, or a trumpet ... we would need to discuss my mental state.

Not too long ago I purchased the Tag Jr. system for Gonzo. Her sister has (and loves) the Tag system. I think the following books would make a great addition to the Tag Jr set:
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan Share Book
Pooh Loves To ... Book
Panda Bear Panda Bear What Do You See? Book