What Do I Get for Baby’s First Christmas?

Christmas is always a joyous time of year! There are so many wonderful things to look forward to amongst the hustle bustle. It’s made even more special when you are also celebrating Baby’s First Christmas!

So when you are trying to figure out how best to celebrate baby’s first Christmas, you surely contemplate what gifts to give. The reality is that your little one likely doesn’t understand what the season is all about, much less have the ability to open their own gifts. Here are some ideas to help celebrate baby’s first holidays without going overboard.

Pick a few great learning toys that you can unwrap with the baby. These are toys that you would likely get for them anyhow, so just wrap them up and make them that much more special for Christmas. Sure wrapping them up is more for you than them, but it’s a tradition that you just must practice.

Go to some local mom to mom sales and pick up a few stocking stuffers. You can get toys that are gently used at a fraction of the price. So if you want to get some gifts for baby to open but don’t want to spend a ton as they may be short lived, picking up some toys from a mom to mom sale may be a great way to give something to your little one.

Wrap up some new DVD’s and books. You can have quite a few things to open with your little one, and these are certainly items that will come in handy. If your baby is very little then this may be something useful down the road. Otherwise these can be used right away and be something that baby can enjoy the benefits of very quickly.

Look for sale items and stock up. I have been looking for sales on toys since October and have stocked up on some very nice items. I may not give them all at once because there’s so many toys that it could be overwhelming for my daughter. However I’ve got some great options and some nice gifts to wrap up, and I got each and every item on sale. It will never matter to her, but it helped with our Christmas shopping this year!

Baby’s First Christmas can be so much fun and with some shopping expertise and an eye for sale items, you can have plenty for them to open without spending a ton.

Don’t Spend Your Whole Day Cleaning

One of the most frustrating aspects of being a Mother is how much disorder children bring into our lives. The house is strewn with toys, streaks of grape jelly decorate the walls, and the floor is sticky with who-knows-what substance. Your youngest child seems to wake up sick on every holiday and your middle kid throws tantrums in the most unexpected places embarrassing you to the core. Kiss predictability goodbye until you ship your kids off to college. Don’t let disorder drive you nuts. Instead of chasing your kids around all day picking up every block they toss onto the floor, or wiping down every sticky fingerprinted window, just relax. Does the thought of relaxing while watching tiny saboteurs rip your house to shreds evoke shudders of anxiety? Don’t let it. Here’s why you should wait until the end of the day to clean and tidy. If you do it any earlier, your house is going to get destroyed again. And again. And again. The result? Frustration and resentment towards your kids and your role as a Mother. Do this instead. Have a designated area in your house for toys. Either have your children play ONLY in that room or allow each child to select three toys to bring into the common area of the house. Right before dinnertime, put on some peppy music and make a game of cleaning up the house. Have the children put the toys back where they belong. As for messes, only clean them up immediately if they are going to cause a permanent stain. Otherwise, wait until your pre-dinner clean-up time to give the house a quick wipe-up. Why do the same thing over and over and over again and drive yourself crazy? Put one big clean-up time on your daily schedule and let yourself have fun with your kids the remainder of the day!

Clutter Control!

Beyond Easter Baskets!  Looking for an easy, attractive way to control clutter in your house, and in your child’s room?  Try an array of baskets.  The kids can’t seem to keep books stacked neatly on shelves?  Try a laundry basket.  If a big gawky plastic basket doesn’t fit your decor, try a wicker laundry basket.  You can find them at home goods stores or even Walmart, and they make a great portable, simple way to corral those board books that seem to multiply. 

Try smaller baskets for crayons, video games (especially the small ones like those for Gameboys), hair bows, and even kitchen counter clutter like vitamin bottles, coffee accoutrements, and snacks.

Reuse Old Album Covers

If you have some old album covers hanging around the house that you can’t get rid of, perhaps you can turn them into something useful: Wall organizers! Paper and Stitch has step-by-step instructions on how you can create delightful and practical pockets for storing bills, artwork and more:

I am on an endless quest to keep myself organized at home, especially in my studio/office, which is quite small since I share the space with my love. Anyway, our office is the only room in the house that we have neglected to paint and I wanted to come up with a way to make it cheerfully colorful AND organized. This is what I came up with…

Travel meds

If you travel with kids, at some point you’re going to have a sick child on the road.  It might be a bout of carsickness, or an allergic reaction, or even a fever.  Keep these few necessities in a ziplock bag at all times, and grab it any time you hit the road.

• A bottle of children’s benadryl.  It can be used for runny noses and allergic reactions.  It’s also usable by both adults and children. (make sure to follow labeling instructions.)
• A bottle of children’s ibuprofen.  Treats everything from fevers to headaches to other aches and pains.
• A few Tums for kids and parents.  Sometimes too much takeout and riding can cause an ill tummy.
• A thermometer, bandaids, a tube of antibiotic cream, and a liquid measuring cup for meds. 

Of course, if you’re making a road trip, it always helps to have an extra change of clothes for each child and a pack of wet wipes (for all ages) within quick reach.  I always keep a small tote bag with these in the back of my car, even if there are suitcases.  I also line the backseats of the car with a doubled sheet for road trips to catch everything from crayons to crackers to spills (including ‘carsickness!’)

Short List of Chores

Every organized home has a minimum number of chores that need doing on a consistent basis in order to stay looking clean. What each of us needs to do is decide what that minimum list is for our house… and stick to it. With these tips from OrganizedHome.com you can find out what your magic minimum is.

What’s on the list? Every family has slightly different needs, but most Magic Minimum checklists provide for these functions:

basic accounting chores: bank deposits and bill-paying
meals and menus: clean dishes, grocery shopping
laundry: necessary clean clothing
home management: once-a-day pick-up, weekly cleaning of bathrooms and kitchen

Clutter Control

Spring Cleaning is a wonderful annual event. With the rebirth of nature all around us we yearn to have a fresh start ourselves. Out with the old and in with the new. Well…how about just out with the old? No point in cutting the clutter around the house only to replace it with more clutter. Here is a great and easy way to tackle the clutter in your house this spring.

1. Attack one room at a time. Edit out anything that doesn’t need to be in there. Have a trash bag in the room and four bins. Label the bins: “Sell”, “Donate”, “Re-gift”, and “Storage”. Be discriminating and unsentimental. If you haven’t used or worn something in years, what’s the point of keeping it?

2. Take the “Donate” bin(s) immediately to your local thrift store or charity.

3. Plan a yard sale or list items from the “Sell” bin(s) online within a few days of finishing your Spring Cleaning. If you wait longer, the items will just collect dust and probably never leave the confines of your house.

4. Store the “Re-gift” bin(s) in a clean, safe place in your home that is easily accessible. Write a list of the contents and tape to the outside of the bin(s) to refer to when a special occasion arises.

5. Put away the “Storage” bin(s) in a space such as the attic or unused closet as soon as possible and write a list of the contents to tape to the outside of the bin(s).

Even though the term is “Spring Cleaning”, if you really want to keep your house in tip top shape, follow this advice each season!

Stop Clutter with Baskets

My mother-in-law has always used this simple tip from Unclutterer.com - baskets on steps can help clean up clutter! You could use a stair basket just to collect items that belong upstairs, but my mother-in-law used it for my husbands two sisters. Things that came in the mail, notes, items found about the house were collected and put in a stair basket: one for each of them. When his sisters would come home from school, inevitably they would grab the items in their basket as they made their way upstairs to their rooms. It was a perfect solution!

Baby Closet Organizer

Okay, we have all been there.  We are in a hurry trying to get our child dressed properly and we cannot seem to find that one pair of shorts that we need to match that one shirt.  And then we cannot find the socks, and then the shoes.  Every drawer is maxxed to the top by crumpled-up clothing and blankets that we’ve tossed around in our search.  By the time 20 minutes has gone by, we are utterly frustrated that our house is so disorganized that we have decided to change the outfit completely…and so the madness starts again. .

Well, I came across this product on babyearth.com and I really think this is a must-have for every person out there.  It is a Baby Closet Organizer , and I got so excited when I saw this that I am personally going to buy one for my son’s room!  Maybe even two!  The Baby Closet Organizer is an essential to get your child’s room organized and decluttered.  The organizer easily hangs on to your closet rod so no assembly is required, and it has 8 shelves underneath so you can fold clothes or blankets or store toys.   In addition to this, the Baby Closet Organizer has compartments on the side of it so you can store your child’s socks or shoes or anything else you see fit to store in it.

Just click on any of the hyperlinks in this article, and you will be directed to babyearth.com website where you can order your own organizer and begin the first steps to organizing your home.  You can find the organizer under the “Nursery” tab and then under “Organization”.

So What’s For Dinner?

Dinner is often the most exciting meal of the day. Breakfast fuels up our engines to get us going in the morning. Lunch is there to hold us over and dinner, well dinner is what it’s all about! Dinner is the time everyone convenes around the table and discusses how his or her day went. We’re glad to be home from work or happy that the kids will be in bed soon so we can get a little “me time”. And who cares if the dinner dishes sit until the morning? No big deal. Take the stress out of this wondrous daily event with a little organization and planning. A friend once told me to know what you are going to make for dinner by noon that day, even if you’re going to eat out or get food delivered. Great advice. Some Moms (or Dads) are very organized and have a weekly or even monthly menu planned out. If you’re not wired that way, just try the daily method. When you go to the supermarket, stock up on meat sales and freeze it when you get home. That way you always have a main dish on hand. It’s also wise to stock up on cans of fruits and veggies as side dishes and dinner rolls are easy and fast to make. Or you can just skip the extra carbs. Find out when everyone is going to be home for dinner and then subtract the cooking time of the item that takes the longest. Plan to start dinner then. Don’t forget the extra time it takes for the oven to preheat or a pot of water to boil. And if you are craving carbs, they take time to prep and bake as well. Know all of these things well in advance of dinner time. Have one of the kids set the table, serve it all up, and bon appetit!

Refresh Your Decor

Are you bored with the way your house looks? Is everything just collecting dust and getting old? Are you finding excuses to get out of the house just so you don’t have to look at your dreary decor anymore? Fear not. You can refresh the interior of your house very easily and quickly. What’s even better is that you can do it for free! If you want to be extra ambitious, buy new paint, but you don’t have to pay a penny to give your house a whole new look. Start by editing your rooms by deciding what you’re really sick of looking at and store the items. Try configuring furniture into a new arrangement in the rooms you want to refresh. Once you find one that works for you, take decorative items from other areas of your house, or from storage, and accessorize your rooms. If you don’t mind spending a few bucks on this transformation, purchase new or used decorative pillows and throws to add pops of color around the room. If you’re crafty, you can make these items using some favorite fabric. Finish off your new look by taking a walk around your house and collecting beautiful items from nature such as autumn leaves, unique twigs, or fresh seasonal flowers to drop into a vase. Free, easy, and fun!

Refresh your School Routine

With Spring Break just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take stock of those school routines which may have become just a little sloppy. The Moms’ Buzz has 6 tips to getting your household back on track.

Create Calendar & File Central — Set up an area with a large calendar so everyone in your family can see everyone else’s plans for that month. For added organization, color-code each family member and keep colored markers nearby so everyone can easily mark plans. Nearby, set up file bins marked “To be Signed,” “From School,” and “To School,” so your child can deposit papers you need to see in a regular place right after school and pick up things to go “To School” each morning.

Put a Price on Clutter Storage

Sure you thought that clutter wasn’t costing you anything. After all it’s tucked away where no one can see it, so who does it really impact? What if someone told you that your wasted space was not only robbing you of shelving but also wasting your mortgage? A study done by Ikea shows that wasted space is equal to wasted money. After all, you could be using it for something productive.

“It’s only when you do the numbers that you realise quite what a waste of money hoarding junk can be,” says Jason Mohr, founder of Any Junk?.

The Art Of Hand-Me-Downs

Hand-me-downs are a wonderful thing, unless of course you’re the kid who gets to wear them! Young kids won’t know the difference and probably wouldn’t care if they did. Older kids might be excited to get clothes from an admired older sibling or cousin, but at some point, they like to express their own style and personality. Sometimes the age difference between siblings is too great to make outdated clothes viable to be reworn. When hand-me-downs are an option for your family, they can be a great money-saving tool. The best way to plan to save clothes for a future sibling is to buy gender-neutral clothing. Take meticulous care of each item and remove stains and repair damage immediately. White clothing can be bleached if the label states as such. When your first child outgrows each item, inspect it, fold neatly, and store in a labeled bin by size. Shoes can also be handed down since kids outgrow them so quickly and they don’t suffer much wear. Gender-neutral shoes are also available for purchase and are a smart buy. Coats are a wonderful thing to hand down since they are usually more expensive but can be harder to find in gender-neutral colors and styles. Save some money by reusing perfectly good clothing for your children!

Simplify your Wardrobe

PassionateHommaking.com points out that it’s important to simplify the things you can in order to have more time for important things. The wardrobe is no exception. How much time do you realy have every morning to decide what you’re going to wear that day? Wouldn’t it be easier to have some versatile classics to rely on? That’s the theme behind these tips and tricks.

Select clothing that is versatile
Choos­ing cloth­ing that works for more than one occasion/event is also very help­ful. I like to wear a vari­ety of casual skirts that work well for both around the house, dinner or evening out, and at church. I have one or two fancier dresses for wed­dings and such, but the main col­lec­tion of my wardrobe is appro­pri­ate for both casual and semi-​formal events.

How To Form A Mommy Co-op

Imagine how wonderful it would be if a group of trustworthy Mommies got together and decided to help each other. One could watch the others’ kids while the rest did some shopping. They would return the favor by picking up her groceries while they were out. Or they could come up with a carpool schedule so everyone wouldn’t have to drive to school every single day. Sound good to you? Here’s how to set up a Mommy co-op:

1. Bounce the idea off of some of your closest friends or neighbors. Have those interested commit to the co-op and set up an e-mail account or group chat room to communicate with each other.

2. Come up with a list of chores or favors you’d like your co-op to help each other with. Choose a leader and use a voting system to make decisions.

3. Have a common calendar with everyone’s availability each month. Have each person express how they would like to contribute to the group. (Example: I’ll take the kids to school every day if someone runs errands for me, etc.)

4. Try to have a monthly meeting to make sure everyone is getting what she wants out of the co-op. Adjust accordingly.

5. Keep the co-op rather small so it can be managed successfully. Consider charging a small monthly due to cover gas expenses for Moms who contribute car-related favors.

No need to go it alone…let a Mommy co-op make your life easier!

From To-Do List to Done List

Ever notice that your To-Do list never gets shorter? I’m a big fan of lists and using them to organize my day, but I usually find the list getting longer over the course of a week. Things that I put on Monday but never got to are slipping off the bottom of the list on Friday. To help make my to-do list a more effective task manager I followed tips from Grace’s article on DumbLittleMan.com: 6 Escruciatingly Simple Steps to Create an Amazing To-Do List. Here’s my favorite tip:

Eat dessert first
To that list, add at least 3 of what Alan Lakein (in How to get Control of Your Time and Your Life) categorized as “C-Low priority” items. Make them things you can do in 10 minutes or less; do them first. Then you can get on to the really big stuff with those three items already crossed off your list. Sure it’s playing a game with yourself, but it’s a big psychological boost when you most need it—facing the start of another challenging day.

Tips for Dealing with Clutter

It’s everywhere. It’s on my desk, on the floor, in the bathroom and the garage. Clutter just never seems to leave me alone. I’ve been starting to get a handle on it though, using several different tips I’ve found on the web. My latest find? Productivity 501 had this little tip to share:

Organize electronics and gadgets by type or purpose. Most people accumulate a collection of tools, memory cards, special purpose cables, and electronics. Try to keep these organized by their purpose. For example, you might keep everything related to your cell phone (special cables, extra batteries, etc) in one area, while keeping all your computer related items in another. Clear storage containers are great for this. If you can see through the clear sides, it makes it easy to find what you are looking for. If the items are organized by type, you can find the right container easily even if the item you are looking for isn’t in clear view, you just have to look for other items associated with it.

I have to admit, I’vebecome a fan of those clear plastic bins. We even use them for the kids toys - Hotwheels, Trains, Musical Instruments - it makes them so easy to find.

Planning Ahead for Dinner

It can be exhausting to hear the constant question–what’s for dinner? To help ease that a little preparation can go a long way. Planning ahead for your meals for the week can make your job as head chef of the household run much more smoothly.

If you’ve never visited a meal preparation place, then you can really fill up your freezer quickly with very little effort at all. These fantastic places allow you to either prep a bunch of meals yourself or order online and simply pick them up. All of the prep work and clean up is done for you, you walk away with a basket full of meals that you can easily pull out of the freezer and throw in the oven. These are well worth the money and take the stress off of you!

When you do cook, make extra and you will be surprised at how quickly your freezer fills up. If you make meatloaf, make an extra and freeze it. If you make spaghetti sauce, throw some extra in the freezer and it will come in handy in a bind. Prepping a little extra of whatever you’re cooking that evening can make your mealtime frenzy much easier to navigate through.

Shop ahead whenever possible. If you’re buying ground beef, buy it in larger quantities and freeze smaller portions in individual bags. This can then be used for meatballs, taco meat, or hamburgers. Get a larger package of chicken breasts and freeze these as individual portions. These can then be pulled out of the freezer and thrown into a casserole or simply grilled. Buying in larger quantities will also ensure tht you don’t have to run to the store as often.

With a little bit of preparation and a fair amount of planning ahead, you can make mealtime easy and enjoyable for the whole family. Never have to struggle to answer the question “what’s for dinner?” again.

Staying Home with Your Children

I always knew I wanted to be home with my children. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I had no idea. I hear this sentiment echoed amongst many other stay at home moms I know. So what should you expecte if you plan to stay home with your children? I’ve heard it said before and it’s so true that being a stay at home mom is the most challenging job you will ever love. It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it’s also important to keep a few things in mind.

*Balance is key. You can’t possibly get it all done and you shouldn’t put that expectation on yourself. It’s been said a million times but making a list and prioritizing everything on it can work wonders. The baby may not nap as long as you need her to, feeding may take longer than anticipated–there will be unexpected circumstances that can put a damper in your most well meaning plans.

*Keep the baby interested and stimulated. Whether you join a mom’s group, have playdates, or take a class with baby, ensuring that the baby has social interaction is key. This is not only an essential part of baby’s development, but will help you to get out a bit too. It’s a great thing for everyone, so start slow and pick an activity that sounds like a good  match for both of you.

*Try to break your day into blocks. There’s the morning feeding and then (hopefully) nap, think of what you want to accomplish during that ahead of time. Then there’s lunch and the afternoon block, and then the evening routine. Determining when you will fit in meals, naps, bath, reading, and playtime can make the day run smoothly. This schedule will certainly not always run the way you want it to, but it gives you a guideline to work towards. Structure is good for both of you, but just don’t get carried away because you can box yourself in if you’re not careful. It’s a fine line and you will find the best patterns for you and baby.

*Do whatever prep work you can the night before or on a chosen day of the week. If you find yourself struggling to get everything done, then designate the evening to do certain activities. Washing bottles, taking a shower, and even throwing in a load of laundry can easily be done while the baby sleeps at night. it also helps to designate a day of week to cook up some meals to freeze or do your grocery shopping so that it doesn’t build up and weigh you down each and every day.

Being a stay at home mom is the greatest gift and most wonderful job in the world! With some preparation, planning, and a lot of patience you can enjoy being with that little baby each and every day.

Starting New Family Traditions

The holidays are upon us and that means observing and enjoying old famiily traditions. There are likely certain foods and rituals that you practice with your family each and every year. What about new traditions? If you have a baby at home and are celebrating their first Christmas, why not start some new traditions? Not that the new traditions have to take the place of the old tried and true ones, but they can make the holidays that much more fun for your newly growing family.

Start an ornament or special keepsake collection. We decided that we would get a snowman ornament for the tree each year for our daughter. We started it this year for her first Christmas and plan to get her one each year from here on out.

Designate a special time for you to open presents with your little one. Perhaps allow one present to be opened on Christmas Eve and then the rest get opened the next morning along with the Santa gifts. This can be an easy tradition to implement, and it gets everyone excited when the time approaches every year.

Make a special meal that becomes part of your tradition. You likely eat a huge dinner with your extended family, so how about a special breakfast that becomes tradition? Maybe you have chococolate chip pancakes each and every Christmas morning after presents are open. It’s something simple and sweet that cements your new family’s love of traditions.

Get together with friends or go to a special Christmas day. Before the holidays hit each year, designate a day each year that your new family gets together with friends and their kids. You could also designate a specific day each year that you go see Santa, have some lunch, and do a little Christmas shopping at the mall.

Traditions are what the holidays are all about! Enjoying old traditions and creating new ones are what makes this time of year so magical.

Planning Baby’s First Birthday Party

Let’s face it, birthday parties for kids can get a little out of control. It used to be simple, a celebration with family and a few friends that included cake and ice cream and everyone was happy! Nowadays it’s not a true party without a pony! Planning a first birthday party should be a simple affair but for some reason some people tend to get carried away. As I think of my daughter’s first birthday party, I’ve taken a few things into consideration with my planning. I’ve taken cues from some friends and decided that while it should be a celebration we will certainly keep it easier than others we’ve seen.

Celebrating at home, particularly for a first birthday, is not only acceptable but expected. The real focus of a first birthday is the cake! Everyone attending is fully expecting to see your baby covered in cake by the end of the party, so this should be the highlight of the event. If you make it about anything else like the location, you are simply wasting your hard earned dollars.

Serve a simple meal and everyone will be happy. You don’t need to break your neck cooking up a feast. Let’s remember that this is about a little birthday person, and a feast is honestly wasted on them. I plan to serve a nice but easy pasta bar. I have some friends that have done cake and ice cream, and others that have done hamburgers and hot dogs.

A theme is okay but let’s not get carried away! I’m all about the theme, a princess one for example is super cute. However getting carried away is unneccessary and can be saved better for later birthday parties when the child actually appreciates it.

Having a first birthday party is of course essential and exciting. Keep it simple and make it all about that little baby and their big old birthday cake!

Make Gift Giving Easier

Lifetips.com has another great tip for the frugal mom: peronalized gift labels:

Buy preprinted gift labels with your child(ren)´s names. Anytime they have a birthday party, just stick one of the labels on the gift. No more running around at the last minute for a card. It is also much less expensive than buying individual cards. You can buy them at “customexpression.com”. They work great for gifts for all special occastions. Pick a picture your child loves, have the label printed with “a gift for” and leave space to fill in the name. On the bottom put your own personalized message.

We’d like to take it a step further though: have blank sticky labels available at your own child’s birthday party. When your child opens a gift, stick a label on the boxand write the gift givers name on it. Later, when you’re cleaning up the boxes the labels will remind you who to write thank you cards to.

Be Prepared for Accidents

Being in a car accident always catches you off guard. In the harried aftermath it’s difficult to remember all of the information you need to gather. That’s why this worksheet from unclutterer.com is helpful to keep in your glovebox. Below I’ve highlighted the three things that in case of an accident must be exchanged by California Law. Other party hemming and hawing about insurance? Call an officer to the scene.

Name
Phone Number (or other way of contact)
Proof of Insurance

Unexpected Company…What Do I Serve?

It happens to all of us, especially at this time of year. Either you have the company that drops over unexpectedly or you get a call from your husband to let you know that he’s invited people over. You have been taking care of the kids all day, aren’t exactly looking entertaining worthy, and have nothing prepared to eat. What now? Well here are a few tried and true methods to throwing together a last minute spread of food without ever having to panic.

*Always keep cream cheese and some sort of spread in the house. A good example is a chipotle jam (easy to find in a jar) that can easily be thrown over a block of softened cream cheese, served warm with crakers. Presto! You’ve got an instant appetizer that’s super easy and delicious.

*Keep a jar of sundried tomato pesto in the house, along with some sliced appetizer sized baguettes in the freezer. When you’re in a pinch you can spread the pesto on these breads pop them in the over to broil and you’ve got a delicious appetizer sure to please. It’s made even better if you have garlic and parmesan cheese to mix in, but just the pesto works great as well.

*As it should be part of your kitchen basics anyhow, be sure to stock the kitchen with olive oil, parmesan cheese, and dried basil in the house. If you’re really in a pinch you can throw together crusty bread (have your hubby pick up a loaf on the way home) with this delicious olive oil mix for dipping. It’s sure to please and looks like you actually fussed!

*It helps to have some entertaining basics in the house such as hummus, crackers, a good cheese, and some amazing salsa and tortilla chips. If you’re really pressed for time and need to put some munchies out you can still supply a tasty spread with some of these party basics. The reality is that most people will munch on whatever you put out for company, and these are sure to go a long way.

No need to panic if you have the inevitable unexpected company. By keeping some basics in the house you can put out a spread that will look as if you cooked all day.

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