This weekend marks the first of a series of birthday parties my oldest is invited to. And each party, while an excuse for a play date, brings the problem of present shopping.
In our family, smart shopping is the way we do things. We watch prices. We watch the plastic and the pieces. We pay attention to our kids' likes and dislikes. We try to buy responsibly. I confess that even Santa shopped a few times at the kids resale shop this year. But what happens when your kid is presenting the present? Do the rules change?
What do you do when your child, with all the love in her heart, announces she wants to wrap up her Care Bear for her friend because "she just loves blue"? Tell her no, that some people don't want hand-me-down gifts? Present the gift, but quietly explain to the mom the reason why her daughter's getting a used toy? Steer her to something different, like a nice book?
I'll leave it to you all: What would you do? I'm open to any ideas on how to approach this.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Seasonal shopping still in full swing
Winters markets are hot, even when it's brutally cold outdoors.
We hit the first farmers market of 2010 last weekend, and remained pleasantly surprised by what we found at the Indianapolis Winter Market. The building was packed with vendors and shoppers alike, even as the shopping hours came to a close. (So busy, in fact, the Star reported Sunday that the market's averaging 1,500 visitors in its second season!)
We came home with a bagful of apples, a huge glass jar of honey, seed packets (for those dreams of warmer weather someday) and more. We checked out apalca yarn, tasted freshly toasted marshmellows and would have lingered longer had the little guy hadn't had an unfortunate event outside.
Winter markets are definitely worth checking out. It's a great alternative for seasonal shopping, and one small way to beat the winter blues. If you're living around Indy, you have quite a few options--and they're growing every year:
We hit the first farmers market of 2010 last weekend, and remained pleasantly surprised by what we found at the Indianapolis Winter Market. The building was packed with vendors and shoppers alike, even as the shopping hours came to a close. (So busy, in fact, the Star reported Sunday that the market's averaging 1,500 visitors in its second season!)
We came home with a bagful of apples, a huge glass jar of honey, seed packets (for those dreams of warmer weather someday) and more. We checked out apalca yarn, tasted freshly toasted marshmellows and would have lingered longer had the little guy hadn't had an unfortunate event outside.
Winter markets are definitely worth checking out. It's a great alternative for seasonal shopping, and one small way to beat the winter blues. If you're living around Indy, you have quite a few options--and they're growing every year:
- Indianapolis Winter Farmers Market, (downtown Indy)
- Bloomington Winter Farmers Market
- Hancock County Winter Market,
- Hummel Park in Plainfield
- Pendleton Winter Farmers Market
- Traders Point Winter Green Market, (northeast Indy, technically Zionsville)
Saturday, January 2, 2010
About those resolutions...
Chatting in the car this morning, I announce that my resolution for the year was to help my family eat and be healthier.
My 4 year old pipes up: "My resolution is eat dessert after dinner."
My 4 year old pipes up: "My resolution is eat dessert after dinner."
Green on the cheap - Diapers, dishwashers and more
Shockingly I went to Babies 'R Us yesterday, and stumbled on a few finds worth sharing:
Despite my efforts to make major headways on the potty training front, I still need disposables for day care. Earths Best diapers are on sale for $5 a package, limit 3. (And just so you don't think they're in smaller packages, a size-4 package had 30 diapers inside).
Also, somewhat unmarked were their cleaning products. There's a clearance tag but no actual price marked on them at our store. I checked at the register and was able to score 20-packs of Method dishwasher tablets (which are phosphate-free) for less than $3.50 each. There were also Seventh Generation cleaning products, including laundry detergent, marked clearance, but I either didn't have a need anything they had at the time, so I don't have a price on those.
I believe the sales are this weekend only, but it may be worth stocking up while you had the opportunity!
Despite my efforts to make major headways on the potty training front, I still need disposables for day care. Earths Best diapers are on sale for $5 a package, limit 3. (And just so you don't think they're in smaller packages, a size-4 package had 30 diapers inside).
Also, somewhat unmarked were their cleaning products. There's a clearance tag but no actual price marked on them at our store. I checked at the register and was able to score 20-packs of Method dishwasher tablets (which are phosphate-free) for less than $3.50 each. There were also Seventh Generation cleaning products, including laundry detergent, marked clearance, but I either didn't have a need anything they had at the time, so I don't have a price on those.
I believe the sales are this weekend only, but it may be worth stocking up while you had the opportunity!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Blessings of a year gone by
Having been through one of the most personally and professionally challenging years of my life, I'm not sad at all to see 2009 go.
Yet while walking through my silent home, staring at the faces of my sleeping angels - yes, even my husband looks sweet at night - I'm reminded that I have much to be grateful from the past 365 days.
This year, I've watched my oldest blossom and my youngest develop his own personality (even if it's a fiesty 2-year-old one). And, with the exception of more ear infections than I care to recall, both of them are healthy and (usually) happy.
This year, I've watched my husband, whose industry was one of the first hit in the recession, re-develop confidence and succeed as a born-again college student. To say I'm proud of all he's done under the obstacles we've faced is an understatement. College is a challenge in itself. To do it as a parent who's trying to pay a mortgage is a whole new ballgame.
This year, we've had to rethink our priorities in life, and we've realized we can live with far, far less than we thought we once could. Not that we're perfect, mind you, but we're take things a bit easier than perhaps we would a few years' back.
And I've been blessed to realize that, despite our challenges, we've had help along the way. Where fair-weather friends faltered, others came to be. Where budgets on paper may not have seemed to work out, we've amazingly accrued very little extra credit card debt as a result of this journey. And I'm happy to report that two days ago my husband accepted a permanent part-time job that will work around his classes. So, yes, a little bit of faith - and a heck of a lot of patience! - never hurts.
Hopeful that 2010 will bring more blessings to your lives as well! Happy New Year!
Yet while walking through my silent home, staring at the faces of my sleeping angels - yes, even my husband looks sweet at night - I'm reminded that I have much to be grateful from the past 365 days.
This year, I've watched my oldest blossom and my youngest develop his own personality (even if it's a fiesty 2-year-old one). And, with the exception of more ear infections than I care to recall, both of them are healthy and (usually) happy.
This year, I've watched my husband, whose industry was one of the first hit in the recession, re-develop confidence and succeed as a born-again college student. To say I'm proud of all he's done under the obstacles we've faced is an understatement. College is a challenge in itself. To do it as a parent who's trying to pay a mortgage is a whole new ballgame.
This year, we've had to rethink our priorities in life, and we've realized we can live with far, far less than we thought we once could. Not that we're perfect, mind you, but we're take things a bit easier than perhaps we would a few years' back.
And I've been blessed to realize that, despite our challenges, we've had help along the way. Where fair-weather friends faltered, others came to be. Where budgets on paper may not have seemed to work out, we've amazingly accrued very little extra credit card debt as a result of this journey. And I'm happy to report that two days ago my husband accepted a permanent part-time job that will work around his classes. So, yes, a little bit of faith - and a heck of a lot of patience! - never hurts.
Hopeful that 2010 will bring more blessings to your lives as well! Happy New Year!
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