Decorating the tree

by Brie One of my favorite parts of the Christmas holidays is the tree. I tried a fake tree but I missed the smell too much. There is nothing like having a beautiful looking and smelling tree in your house when the world outside is cold and dark.

Since having kids our tree has taken on a different appearance. All the breakable balls stay wrapped in tissue in their box in the basement. As do the long, pointed old-fashioned metal icicles I fell in love with one year. Instead, we have come to embrace a kid-friendly tree that is perfect for our four- and two-year olds.

Here's what's hanging on our tree:

- Gold ribbon and beads: The ribbon was bought one year at a fabric store and the beads were a hand-me-down from my mother-in-law. They both add a burst of colour to the tree. Best of all my four year old daughter can put them on herself.

-Paintings of favorite book characters: For my daughter's second Christmas my mom painted and laminated a bunch of book characters to hang on the tree. At the time the girl didn't know who Madeline or Franklin were, but she does now and she likes to point them out. I know that these ornaments will be special keepsakes as the kids get older.

- Images from last year's calendar: In desperation one day last December I hit upon a great afternoon craft. I took the calendar that was about to expire off the wall and cut out all the Beatrix Potter pictures from its pages. With a little ribbon and a hole punch the homemade ornaments were ready to hang on the tree. I liked them so much I kept them and they are hanging on our tree again this year.

And just today the kids and I strung popcorn and cranberries to hang on the tree. It is a messy job but I love the white and red colours on the tree.

 I know that as the kids get older we will be able to introduce more sharp, pointy and breakable ornaments. Until then, I am happy to stand back and admire our tree.

Brie is the mom of a 4 year old daughter “the girl” and 2 old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

A wonderful toy store in Orléans - LMNOP Toys!

by Joanne About a year ago my family found a wonderful place… a place filled with Playmobile, Zoob, Melissa and Doug… and only a 5 minute drive from our house!  LMNOP Toys and Games is a local toy store filled with toys that will feed your child’s imagination and creativity.

Located in Orleans next to Sobeys’s (corner of Trim and Innes) this wonderful place stocks the most amazing toys.

If Santa is looking for French language toys – he will find many to fill his sleigh!  What makes this store number one on my list is it carries lots of French language toys.   If you are francophone family or your child is in French immersion, you know that it is not always easy to find educational games in French – they have a wonderful selection of French language board games to choose from.

If the good boys and girls on your list want toys they can build - they also have a wonderful selection of Zoob – if you are not familiar with Zoob it is a great building toy that kids can snap together and make many different creations.  My little man really enjoys his Zoob.  We play with it often – the limits are his imagination!

For the hard to shop for grandparents who love doing puzzles with the grand kids they have a wide selection of Ravensburger puzzles for all ages.

It is our first stop for birthday presents and where my kids often spend their allowances!

When I am looking for something extra special, not the typical present that takes a dozen AA batteries and will keep my kids occupied for hours – I know I can find it at the wonderful LMNOP toys.

LMNOP Toys 5160 Innes Road Orleans Ontario www.lmnoptoys.ca (613) 834-8697

Joanne  is the proud mom of Amélie (8 years old) and Mathieu (5 years).  She is new at blogging and you can find her at Our Money Pit.

Giving back to the community

by Krista As my family embraces the holiday season, my husband and I have decided to make a concentrated effort on educating our children as to how they can help to support those in their community who are less fortunate than them, and why it is important that they do that.  We are very thankful for our happiness, health, and home, and we know that others are not as fortunate.  We want to show our children that that is not right, and that we together can do something to help.  I remember doing that with my parents when I was young, and I hope my children will grow up to remember the same.

Here is a list of a few of the ideas that we have discussed or investigated.  Some represent a monetary donation or a donation of time and some require both.   While I have small children that I want to involve, not all of them are applicable for families with young children.  I've noted age limits or restrictions where I could, but it is always best to check with the recipient of your donation to see what age is appropriate for participation.  Some will encourage the participation of little ones, but others might require that they take a limited role

The Ottawa Foodbank is a local institution that helps to feed families in need as well as supply food to shelters and other programs for their meals.  I am sure that you have seen the bins in many large grocery stores in the area.  This month, we will be targeting their "most needed list" with a donation each time we shop.  I also looked into whether we could volunteer in any capacity, but our children are way to young.  If you do have children 12 or older, you can volunteer together to do things like work in the warehouse, do office work, or work at special events. The volunteer contact information is on their website.

The Christmas Exchange also seeks to provide assistance with feeding families in need, through the Christmas hamper and store vouchers programs.  When I was a child, we used to always do Christmas baking while listening to their radio-thon on CFRA.  While the telethon has taken place, there are still opportunities and events for our family to get involved, listed on their website.  Their are volunteer activities for older youths listed on the volunteer page.

Some local churches and houses of worship also have programs where you can "adopt" a family, and build a hamper containing, food, essential goods and small gifts.  St. James United Church in the Glebe is one of those.  By contacting organizations that offer hampers (many of Ottawa's houses of worship are listed here), you can see if your family can help to build a hamper by purchasing the items they need, pack hampers and wrap gifts, or deliver hampers right before Christmas.  There are opportunities for younger children to help out in all aspects of this process, but some tasks may be more suitable than others, so please remember to let whichever organization you help out with know that the ages of your children so that you can ensure they will help out when they are volunteering.

Many local elementary, middle and high schools also get involved with food drives, charitable fundraisers and holiday meals.  Our children are not yet in school, but if you do have children in school, these drives and events provide a great opportunity to talk about those less fortunate, and why you support the activities.  You can help out by volunteering with your child, or in the school.  If they are holding a Christmas dinner, you may be able to help by cooking or serving with the child.

A number of local restaurants and houses of worship also hold free meals for those less fortunates on Christmas day or the days leading up to it.  The Newport Restaurantin Westboro is one such establishment.  They have been hosting a Christmas meal for as long as I can remember and accept all sorts of food donations, as well as need volunteers on Christmas day to help out.  The best part?  They accept volunteers of all ages!  When I called to ask what we can do to help, they told me that young children are welcome to help out, provided they can carry a plate! If you cannot make it on Christmas day, they also accept food donations in advance.  Please contact them to see how you can help out.

There are also a few institutions in Ottawa that host holiday meals. The Mission is one that holds the meal in advance of Christmas, in case you were wanting to volunteer, but unable to do so on Christmas day.  Their meal will be held on December 19th.  In addition to using volunteers on that day, they have an ongoing need throughout the month.  Youths aged fourteen and up are eligible to help out with their parents at the Mission or their events.  If your children are too young, they may still have a need for prepared foods, that you can make together.  This year, we will be baking desserts for their holiday meal.  Please contact them to see if they have further need.

In the lead up to Christmas, we will also try to bring some toys to children in need. This can be accomplished in a couple of ways. One idea that I had was to go shopping as a family and pick out toys or games that our children would like, but donate them to Toy Mountain, which only accepts new toys.  The other was to clean out our toy bins, and donate the toys and books that we don't use anymore to a shelter, or church, or a thrift store.  Thrift stores, like Value Village take all sorts of donated goods, including toys, and help out lower income families by offering themfor sale at low cost.

Lastly, we will be gathering up our old snow suits to donate to the Snowsuit Fund, which will pass them on to children in need.  The children can help us with this task by gathering the pieces and matching up hats, mitts and boots, and then dropping them off with us.

December is a busy month, and I know that we are not going to be able to do all of the ideas that I listed above, but I hope to involve the children in some of the ones that we have planned.  I know that not everyone celebrates the holidays in the same way, or at the same time, but I hope these activities give you a starting off point if you are looking to help out in the community.

Do you have any other ideas?

Krista is married to Willy and mom to a 3 year old son, Woo, and 2 year old daughter Goose. You can find her at Life in the Hutch or on Twitter @kgraydonald

Santa photos

by Lara My friend's mother has this lovely scrapbook and all that is in it are pictures of her kids (and now grandkids) with Santa over the year. I LOVE that scrapbook - it's not even my family and I love photos with Santa and seeing them evolve over the years.  I knew that I needed to have a scrapbook like that and so photos with Santa are a must do on our list every year.

Now, photos with Santa aren't quite as simple as just showing up at the mall, especially if you are.... picky about Santa's beard let's say.  Not all of Santa's helper Santas are all created equal, if you know what I mean.

I have a favourite Santa - he hangs out at Place d'Orleans and we call him Santa Pierre.

As long as the kid isn't crying and Santa looks good - you've got a great Santa picture in my opinion :)

If you like Santa Pierre, you can call Place d'Orleans to find out when he'll be there.

But even if you can't manage to see him, all Santa photos are amazing :)

For some extra Santa fun, you can get a personalized message from Santa for your kids from Magic Santa - something Kiernan loved both this year and last!

Do you get photos with Santa? Do you have a favourite place to go?

Lara is mom to 3.5 year old Kiernan and 1 year old twins Quinn and Juliette. You can read her blog at Gliding Through Motherhood.

Teacher gifting 101

by Angela “Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect.” - Oren Arnold

To a teacher...a mug?

What to give the person who shapes your child’s life daily? Or, as it is more common, the “people”, as it is rarely one educator these days who cares for our children day in and day out.

What is appropriate? What is too much? Too personal? Too cliched? What if you don’t like your kid’s teacher? What if you just don’t have the money this holiday to gift the teachers you want to?

Who knew Christmas time gift giving at the school was rife with so many questions...

There are no rules about “having” to give your child’s teacher a gift at Christmas ( or any other time of the year). Teachers do not expect gifts...but we as parents often feel a great responsibility in recognizing their service with a yuletide gift. I have been giving teacher gifts for 11 years now. My oldest is in grade 10 and I admit to having been swept up in the gift-a-thon that can become the tissue strewn school hallways that last day of class before Christmas break.

Over the years, I have become more relaxed in my gift giving habits. And this is a good thing. Lessons learned from over doing. I have my teacher gift giving down pat now. No more last minute rush to Winners, overspending in panic and guilt ;).

But I wondered...is what I choose to give every year the right thing? Is it appreciated or unnecessary? The holidays are expensive...no one wants to give a gift that is not wanted. But even more importantly, I want to give gifts that really say “thank you”. Being blessed with a large circle of friends who are teachers (even a few who have survived my kids) , I decided...who better to ask?

Skip the potential teacher gift fails and listen to the people who know!

So, teachers from Alaska to Long Sault, Ottawa to San Diego were all polled this week in a search for the perfect teacher’s gift.

To be honest...I was a little surprised by how absolutely similar their responses were, across the land. Teachers love interesting books and wine but mostly?  Little things made by the students they love. Pretty straight forward.

The big surprise? They're not such big fans of home made food. Now, I think this would depend on your familiarity with the teacher...but several mentioned a bit of an aversion to home baked food gifts.

Except chocolate, of course.

According to my completely unscientific survey...a most definitive “yes please” was given to the following gift ideas, from my posse of educators: -something handmade *by the child* -handmade cards ( no gift ) -a book you *know* they would enjoy ( about a shared interest, not random) -unique book related gifts - bookmarks! Handmade? Even better:) -gift cards were appreciated for coffee and...books:) -wine (if permitted)

What teachers wish you would not buy... -pencils, pens, stationary -homemade food -those super cheesy #1 teacher things (ornaments, mugs, pads of paper)

Overwhelmingly, something heartfelt and handmade by the child topped all their lists...even more than wine. Hard to believe, I know.

It seems almost too easy. And a reprieve from the thought of braving the dollar store with your child/children, allowing them to purchase with their own money, some chatchke that will likely just end up in a corner of a desk...when something crafted by their hands would sincerely warm their teacher’s heart.

So, where to find these heartfelt, handmade ideas?

Time for an admission...I am not a crafty mama...the thought of making versus purchasing makes me a little antsy...so I took the time to explore some ideas for homemade, teacher loving, child manageable, parent tolerable ideas that will leave everyone feeling warm and fuzzy:)

Here are my three favourite ideas to get you started...for you non naturally crafty types;) (and those crafty ones among us, please share and post your best successes in the comments)

For little hands - Frames decorated with buttons, stickers or flowers (sorry...you didn’t escape the dollar store after all...). Easy for your preschool or kindergarten child to glue and fill with a hand drawn picture ( that can be switched out for a photo later).

For your middle elementary school child - NoSew Pillows. We received one from a babysitter once with my daughter’s initial on one corner. It was adorable. With some fleece, a pair of scissors and some batting, you have a charming gift that can be personalized with an initial or beads or a iron on patch if desired.The easiest directions I  found are here.

NoSew Scarves are another fab option, easy and funkifiable - and good for a male teacher! (These were my two favourite guides)

For your high school kid...just kidding. Apparently secondary school teachers are just plain out of luck. No gifts for you according to real life educators everywhere.

Another option for Christmas gifting at the school, if you are looking at having to buy gifts for several teachers for several kids plus the school secretary (who is so good to you when your kid forgets her pizza money and covers for her out of her own pocket for the third time this year), is to provide a gift for the staff room or front office.

My daughter has two homeroom teachers, a music teacher, a science teacher and a drama teacher...it can get expensive quickly. Staff gifts are thoughtful and share the Christmas joy:). A gift of coffee and flavoured creamers for the school coffee maker, or a Timmies gift card for the front office are lovely ways of saying thank you. A FarmBoy fruit plate on the last day of school has also been a big hit in our school - healthy and refreshing and not much over 20$ for the whole staff. Or a gift basket, filled with candies ( may I suggest local Ottawa giftbasketeer www.shophaven.ca ?). I know it is more food...but who can resist candy?

My other favourite Christmas thank you speaks to the love of books that all the teachers mentioned. Bring your child to the bookstore ( the clearance section offers up some of the best deals )  and let them choose a book for their classroom, in the name of their teacher. If appropriate, have them write a Merry Christmas 2010 message inside the cover so the gift can be shared over the years in the classroom. Perhaps for younger siblings to enjoy later on!

After all this polling and Christmas present rethinking, I have decided to change my gift giving habits...

This year my little guy is going to be giving frames decorated with flowers, glued on by him. And likely to him...but that will be part of the fun:).

My daughter will be giving scarves to her teachers, designed and made by her. Likely with some bling or at the very least, a little monogramming.

I hope they do not miss the wine ;).

Angela is mom to a teen, tween and toddler, wife of an intrepid businessman, master of two big dogs and she loves her camera-baby very much. She is a displaced montrealer living in Long Sault, Ontario. She blogs at From the Dock.