[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] Foot Painting. Everyone is doing it.

Me: "Uhhh. Gonzo? What are you doing in there?"

Answer: "Foot painting."

[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.

********************

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             

    

  

  

                          

******************** 

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          

    

  

  

                          

********************

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             

    

  

  

                       

[JessFinds] Scenes of Halloween (2010)

Pixie, Kobold, elf and sprite
All are on their rounds to-night-
In the wan moon's sliver ray
Thrives their helter-skelter play.

Fond of cellar, barn,or stack, 

True unto the almanac, 

They present to credulous eyes 

Strange hobgoblin mysteries.

Cabbage-stomps-straws wet with dew- 

Apple-skins, and chestnuts too,

And a mirror for some lass, 

Show what wonders come to pass.

 Doors they move, and gates they hide, 

Mischiefs that on moon-beams ride 

Are their deeds, and, by their spells,

Love records its oracles.

Don't we all, of long ago, 

By the ruddy fireplace glow,

In the kitchen and the hall, 

Those queer, coofllke pranks recall?

Eery shadows were they then-
But to-night they come again;
Were we once more but sixteen,
Precious would be Halloween

-- Halloween by Joel Benton

[JessFinds] Gonzoschool

One child staying home for a headache and slightly raised tempurature.
The other child ... well ... she is channeling her inner dictator (just like her mama).
Me? I am already exhausted.

BUT since we are all here, lets try to combine preschool/kindergarten/first grade learning all together today!

Hahaha!

We have had weather, circle time, songs, reading, scissor time, snacks and crafts. Now I need to get running around outside time in as well as a bit of math. And lunch. Can't forget to feed them.

Show and tell time - Gonzo has a plastic red fish in a lunchmeat tub filled with water (Ponyo)
Miss Crab has an otter. And a ball. The otter likes to chase the ball. Nuff said.

Cutting and craft piles -- plus masks. 

Sorting activity - I had to put together gift bags for Halloween anyway!

[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. 

[JessFinds] GonzoSchool ... Completion of Week ONE

I have waxed on about how much I adore my husband's iPad - today I enjoyed it even more when I used the Montessori lesson apps to do some math and alphabet work with my 3.5 year old. She took to it like a natural! Two things amazed me...

1. Montessori techniques are over 100 years old, yet regardless of techologial advances kids just gravitate towards the hands-on learning and are naturally pleased with the reward of completing a task independently.

2. Technology has made it possible for my littlest daughter to trace alphabet letters (sandpaper letters) with the rewarding scritchy sound, she can sort the red wooden bars and do basic math using visual reinforcement... all via an iPad! Maria Montessori would be so thrown for a loop on this one.

Obviously it cannot replace the actual texture of sitting with sandpaper letters, but the fact that Gonzo was pleased with her tracing of the letters and learning the accompanying sounds is pricesless. A nice reinforcement tool. Plus, there is the fact that we can trust 3 year olds with technology that would have blown our great-grandmother's minds.

I saw that the same app group (Montessorium) is coming out with a moveable alphabet app. Can't wait.

[JessFinds] GonzoSchool ... Day II

The book "Cow" by Doyle and Rinaldi has beautiful artwork that make for a good stage...

If only we had a green rug...

Gonzo experiments with the farmer trying to milk the pig.

Work projects - counting up to 5. I made the flowers so each has the right number of dots to reinforce the numbers. Gonzo has no problem counting to 20 when it comes to counting objects but does not recognize the actual numbers yet.

What is preschool without glue? (safety scissor project in foreground)

[JessFinds] Me? Homeschool? NEVER.

The summer hiatus is over and I am back!

My contract was not renewed for fall, so I am (once again) unemployed. Sigh. This means that Miss Gonzo will not be attending a "real" preschool because, well, we can't afford it. This also means that she will be attending the School of Mom.

First day of preschool: September 13th, 2010. 

We started off with the theme of cows. We checked out 5 books about cows from the local library. Today we began with this one:

We watched an old episode of Sesame Street on YouTube that showed where milk comes from. We also looked up information about cows who sleep on waterbeds. I will let you Google that one.

Today we achieved the following:
1. Baked biscuits
2. Cleaned the living room
3. Read "When the Cows Come Home"
4. Did two safety scissor projects, practiced cutting straight lines
5. Talked about Red (worksheet)
6. Worked on writing readiness (4 worksheets)

And now, we are relaxing with a snack and watching Ponyo on a rainy day. :-)

[JessFinds] June is a sneaky month

The June countdown has begun!

My eldest (Crab) is done with her Montessori program on the 18th. Then I have the feared "transition time" from regularly scheduled school activities to the willy-nilly chaos of summer.

My job contract wraps up on the 30th. I am truly hoping that it leads to continued employment in the fall. I really enjoy the people I work with and keeping my resume fresh while I keep myself available to my kiddos. In the meantime, I can't set up Gonzo with a school in the fall until I know whether I will be full time or half time or ANY time.  Good thing I do well with uncertainty.

We are going to have a faboo family visitation/vacay that has been almost two years in the planning for Preacher. I am already harassing my bestestest and dearestest on Facebook about planning events while we are out west.  I have lists of things that I attempt to do each time I visit. I never completely satiate my need for Pacific Northwest happiness, but it is a start! To quote Nick & Laura: "NO ACCENT."

Sidenote about Stumptowns: I have lived in two Stumptowns (1) Guernville, California (Russian River) and (2) Portland, Oregon. Captain Ainsworth is credited with coining the phrase ... and I got married at his historic home in Oregon City. According to Wikipedia, the only other two are Whitefish, MT and Matthews, NC. Maybe I need to spend some time in Whitefish? Maybe not. 

My baby girl turns SIX in July. We usually have a giant blow-out backyard bash in her honor AND as a way to kick off the summer. Not so sure we are going to do it this year. Still working out those details. Maybe in August? I want to throw a traveling carnival type of theme. Carnies. Small hands.

Still hoping to get some mid-week camping and a few oddball adventures in to the summer along with plenty of beach time with some of my favorite people. 

[JessFinds] Living Simple, or How I am Failing at Clutter Control

I just posted about one of my favorite blogs and then I swung around in my office chair, surveyed the room around me and cringed.

When we had Miss Crab, we stuck to a very simple aesthetic. She had quality toys in a limited amount. A few craptastic-plastic pieces that would go the way of Craigslist or a friend the minute she outgrew it. I swore we would never have the jungle of brightly colored plastic.

Gonzo came along, and we continued with this aesthetic although the volume increased a bit and we got a little more lax. Still - no jungle.

No jungle ... but a mess nonetheless. My children do not pick up after themselves. Hell, my family does not pick up after themselves. How did this happen? How is it that my eldest attends classes in one of the most orderly schooling methods (Montessori) and yet can't seem to put anything back in its place? Or that my youngest when faced with "pick it up or I will throw it away" will say "throw it away" defiantly?

Piles of crap. My house looks like a mini-episode of hoarders. No wonder I look longingly at design blogs! My children don't enjoy the toys they have because they are scattered, bits and pieces everywhere. Some upstairs, some downstairs, some in the linen closet (??).

What methods for culling the mess do you use? I am a unnervingly balanced left brain / right brain gal - ok, maybe a little more left brain leaning - and I wonder if that is where my inability to stick with a system comes from. Some things I love artistically displayed...some things I love appropriately boxed and labeled. I have a love affair with my label maker, closet systems and storage boxes. I also have a love affair with haphazard style, creative displays of found objects and eclectic travel momentos.

I need direction. I want to start tossing things until there is little left. 

[JessFinds] Report: Die-Die-Dye!

I tripped across an article online that led to more articles (and then more medical studies and finally to Web MD) about the impact of artificial dyes in children's diets.

There are kids who have dye sensitivities / allergies and will break out in hives, etc... when exposed. But then there are the rest of our kids.

My kids have been consuming an ungodly amount of those crappy anything-but-fruit gummies. MIL loves to buy them, the kids love to eat them. Multiple times a day. It has really ramped up over the last four months or so. They have no nutritional value. I was concerned about the sugar content.

I am concerned about everything. I have a heightened awareness of foods right now thanks to two years of avoiding poultry and red meat, my struggle with losing weight, my new nutritionist, my kids being picky eaters, etc... The nutritionist has mandated (I need mandates) that I take control of my kitchen, pantry and groceries. I have been a fan of Mark Bittman forever and love his healthy outlook towards food. I love the idea of sustainable eating, buying foods in season, supporting farmers markets and "shopping the perimeter" of supermarkets to avoid all the processed junk found in the aisles. As you know from my posts, I think Jamie Oliver is dreamy for attacking how our kids eat.

So I am committed to eating good food. Less food but better food. Healthy eggs from healthy chickens. No sickly meat products. Knowing where my food comes from.

Ahhh... but the kids. The kids want hot dogs and mac n cheese. And I allow it. Because if I didn't, my 5 year old would look like we were starving her. She lives on air as is!

Fortunately, they do love carrots and broccoli and edemame and whole grain breads/ pastas. So that is something.

And that brings us back to dye: It is poison. Plain and simple. It can cause reactions ranging from mild moodiness to outright sociopathic behavior. It mimics ADHD. It can cause sleeplessness and irritability. In other words, as if it were not hard enough to raise rugrats ... we have dyes making them behave worse?

Most European countries have banned the use of Red and Yellow due to their adverse affects on children and the UK followed suit. Us? No way. Pretty colors sell food.

So I am going to try something. We are going to extremely limit and/or remove all dyed processed crap from our home. And I will report here, what we observe.

As many of you know - Miss Crab is, well, already sensitive. And my perfectly happy Miss Gonzo has been anything but happy over the last four months. I wonder how closely that is related to her consumption of non-food foods. We may have reached dye overload. I am interested to see how this plays out.

Miss Crab asked me: "Why would they put stuff that is bad for kids in foods that kids eat?" How do you explain to a 5 year old that the food industry is anything but safe? That it is all about bottom line, not quality of food? Or that the people who make food targeted to kids don't really care a rat's ass about kids?

[JessFinds] Oh Dee Doh!

Curiouser and Curiouser!

I am excited to the point of yelling from the rooftops! Oh Dee Doh has picked up Gonzo's birthday party and it is featured on their site.

I am rolling around in my bragging rights.

You will find all of the party planning links for our Mad Hatter Tea Party on the right hand column.

They even, very sweetly, mentioned JessFinds.com. So if you found us by way of Oh Dee Doh, say hello!

[JessFinds] Daughters

A nice walk on the beach before dinner - Gonzo and Crab with their friend K in the middle.

I love my girls. Uh oh. Sappy post warning. 

Before all other things in my very full life, I am a mommy. I love that. I wish I could go back and tell 21 year old Jess she is going to love being a mom and actually be really damn good at it. She is going to love being a mom so much that she will remember her life before kids with a sort of fuzzy nostalgia but actually wish she started having kids sooner.  And now she will stop talking about herself like she is not in the room.

I want my daughters to know this: I will do anything within my power to give them them a boost in life. Emotionally, financially, physically (Hey, I have two kidneys you know). I don't care if they are brilliant (they are) or beautiful (they are) I just want them to have an endless capacity for happiness. I want them to be filled with wonder. I had children because I was confident I could rise to the challenge of helping shape competent, productive, caring citizens of the greater world. It is true that I would settle for "is nice to animals" or "does not bite" on occasion. But the greater goal is there. I did not have kids with the intention of being done when they turn 18. Being a family means you are never done.

I want my girls to be able to protect themselves but never have reason to. I want them to know I will always take their side, no matter what. I also want them to know I am trying my hardest to be their role model. Boy am I a flawed example of the human species but I do have a lot of good intentions to pave my road.

I am also smug and self-righteous in my motherhood. I am ok with that.

[JessFinds] Gonzo's 3rd Birthday

Once upon a time ...

The March Hare, the Mad Hatter and Alice.

 

The people here behave curiouser and curiouser.

The table is set ... for a very important date.

 

Extra padding on the chairs for little guests - a dormouse might show up you know.

A little Alice at each wonky place setting...

Some of the guests have arrived!

First stop -- the Mad Hatter's Millinery. 

Next ... follow the White Rabbit through the rabbit hole to Wonderland! 

  

 Sugar roses (in bright red) thanks to Cupcake Social on Etsy!

 

Lots of little tea goodies - cookies, mini cakes, cheese sandwiches, peanut butter, nutella...

The Mad Hatter serves the tea...and spills a bit too.

 Alice truly enjoys a good cup of tea.

The Mad Hatter made sure all of the guests were properly entertained.

[JessFinds] Party Prep - Setting the stage

I spent most of this morning making tissue pomanders.

 

... and hanging them up with filament. 

 ...and making paper lanterns and using the existing lanterns and extra tulle.

... and now it is almost 3pm and I still have a ton of stuff to get done.

[JessFinds] When Baby Gonzo became Miss Gonzo

I have had a pinched nerve in my shoulder that is driving me nutso, so it could be the heavy-hitting narcs I am popping (perhaps), but I am turning in to one of those sentimental fool moms.

My baby - Baby Gonzo - is no longer a baby.

1. Last night was the first night that the crib was empty. She slept in her big-girl bed in the same room as her sister. We held off on the crib-to-bed transition because we did it too early with Miss Crab and she staged a sleep demonstration out of protest. On the floor. For months on end. I figured it was smart if we could let Gonzo stay in her crib as long as she liked it - and if that was age 16, so be it. She climbed out once, around age 18 months. Did not like falling. Never did it again.

2. She has not used a diaper in over six months. God bless her for that one! I am doing the happy-done-with-diapers dance.

3. Her pull-ups have been dry overnight for the last 7 nights in a row! Who is this child? Where is my baby? Even Miss Crab can't claim that glorious achievement. Miss Crab does have the excuse of entering a sleep coma each night though.

4. She is more talkative than I am. Seriously. The kid out talks me. This, in itself, is amazing. And frequently, her vocabulary rivals mine. I love it when she uses words like "perhaps."

Even Preacher, who does not share my endless depths of sentiment for our unruly youngest, quipped that he missed her barking orders at us this morning from her crib. Hee.

[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