I've been really trying to be more mindful in my life - especially when it comes to what I fill our home with. Holidays get me really excited and I tend to get tempted by all the holiday items flooding the stores but I have been using a few rules to guide me lately that have been working quite well.
I ask myself these questions:
Is this item good quality? (Or does it NEED to be good quality for this purpose?)
Is this item useful?
Is this item timeless or simply a trend?
Does this item make me happy?
Is this item good quality? (Or does it NEED to be good quality for this purpose?)
For holidays, not everything needs to be "good quality." I am all about hitting up the dollar store for candy, crayons, notebooks, stickers, you know things that will just be used up anyway. When it comes to toys or puzzles however, I have learned my lesson that cheaper isn't always cheaper. Buying up every educational foam puzzle from the dollar store has not been the most wise choice. Foam puzzles from the dollar store are flimsy and get lost, torn up, and ruined. A wooden puzzle is much more long lasting purchase.
Is this item useful?
This is something I am REALLY trying to remember. Sometimes useful items are surprisingly exciting to a child. Kids love their own adult like tools. I'll never forget how excited my boys were when I brought home their own child size kitchen tools.
I try to think of things that are not simply a holiday novelty item but rather something that will truly be enjoyed, and used. I love to use holidays as a good excuse to buy a little better quality necessity item rather than a bunch of dinky trinkets. For example, that all natural bubble bath that we love, or the boys favorite fruity organic toothpaste, some good quality shoes or Sunday clothes, or a fun pair of pajamas. Holidays are also a good excuse for me to purchase some new learning tools such as puzzles, Montessori tools, and books.
Is this item timeless or simply a trend?
I use this rule most when I am buying home decor or clothing for myself but there are times when a certain child's toy or accessory becomes really trendy and I have to ask myself this question. I am very sentimental. I like to picture the things in my home being passed down to my children and enjoyed by them and THEIR children. If I can't imagine that item lasting or being relevant for years to come I avoid it - at least I TRY to remember to do that. My family and friends sometimes tease me about the toys I purchase but I have a method to my madness I swear! I don't want to buy my child a plastic tricycle that will get weathered and broken and scratched up. A metal tricycle will age well even if it does get weathered. The same goes for wooden or other good quality toys. I want the items to not only be good quality to but to be something that stays relevant for years. Any child can make fun with a set of blocks.
Does this item make me happy?
I know this may seem silly, but sometimes I am tempted to buy something my children beg for just because they asked for it. However, if this toy is an electronic noise maker that makes me crazy every time they play with it, I am going to regret that purchase on a daily basis. I use this rule for even the smallest things. I am a housewife and I am in my home almost all day every day. I think it's important to make the place you spend a lot of time into a sanctuary. When I worked an office job, my co-workers always noticed this about my desk. I always made it a point to have happy plants, photographs, and decor that made the mundane just a little bit brighter. Not only did it cheer ME up, but others noticed and commented as well. Now, as a housewife, I strive to do the same thing in my entire home. I also add that sometimes the loss of an item can make your home happier. I am learning to stop feeling guilty about getting rid of things that weigh me down or clutter up my home. For me, a neat and tidy home is a happy home and less "stuff" only makes it easier to keep it that way!
Easter:
For Easter and Christmas our family has a few traditions when it comes to the things they receive in their basket or stocking.
Every Easter the Easter bunny brings the boys new ties to wear on Easter Sunday, an Easter themed book, a chocolate bunny, and something Christ centered.
I am a firm believer in mama and the Easter bunny "working together" to find things to fill the baskets. Here are some things the boys have received in the past or I have in mind for this year. Note that these are just ideas that definitely don't all end up in the baskets. I am never totally sure what the Easter bunny will be able to "spring for" by the time Easter comes around. We've got another little basket for him to fill this year now! Sorry Easter bunny! Hehe!
Little Boy basket ideas:
Sunday shirt
Necktie
Summer hat (baseball cap or fedora)
Swim Trunks
Beach towel
Flip Flops
Sunglasses
Sea sponge
Bubble bath
Bath toys
Pool toys
Toothpaste
Flossers
Wooden animal figure
Book
Fun kids music
Coloring Book
Crayons or colored pencils
Stickers
Jesus Coloring Book
Gospel Art cards
Rubiks cube
Small puzzle
Board game
Matching game
Ring Toss game
Moveable Alphabet
Kids dishes
Kitchen tools - banana slicer, crinkle cutter, strawberry huller, egg slicer
Wooden Nesting Easter Eggs
Chocolate Bunny
Chocolate carrots
Annie's bunny cookies or cheddar bunnies
Juice Drink
Baby Girl Basket Ideas:
Easter Dress (SO excited about this!)
Hairbow
Baby bonnet
Swimsuit
Montessori baby toys
Wooden teether
Binky clip
Baby toothbrush
Baby Gym
Bunny onsie
Stuffed Bunny
Here is a link to my Amazon Wishlist for Easter. Also some of my other favorite shops that I shop at for Holidays are: The Land of Nod, Seedling, Dollar Tree, H&M, Target, & TJ Maxx.
P.S. The Easter Basket shown above is from H&M but is now sold out. (I just love using a traditional egg basket for eater.) You can find similar ones at Dollar tree that I am using for baby Penny this year. I would also check local consignment or thrift stores for traditional egg baskets.
Also we usually grow real easter grass to fill our baskets each year but this year with having anew babe and all I am not feeling up to it. Here is a link to how to grow your own eater grass.
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