*note: I may add more as time goes on*
Toy Brands:
Plan Toys
HABA
Selecta
Automoblox
Schleich
I'm Toy
Melissa & Doug
Brio
Vilac
Grimm's
Book, Toy & Clothing Websites:
Moolka
Oompa
Amazon
Craftsbury Kids
kidonyc
Mahar Dry Goods
Ape 2 Zebra
Maya Papaya and Tony Macarony
The Red Balloon
Barefoot Books
Black Wagon
Zappos
Clothing:
Tea Collection (Daily Tea)
H & M
American Apparel
Hanna Andersson
City Threads
Kit + Lili
Fooey (unfortunately, no longer in business)
** I am so sad that Zutano no longer fits them!**
Shoes:
See Kai Run
Converse
Crocs
(I also love Merrell and Ecco, but can't get over the cost...)
Books:
Please Baby Please - Spike Lee
Cat in the Hat - Dr. Seuss
Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendack
If You Give a Pig a Pancake - Laura Numeroff
Peek (a Thai Hide and Seek) - Minfong Ho
Ain't Gonna Paint - Karen Beaumont
I Like Myself - Karen Beaumont
The Dot - Peter Reynolds
Ish - Peter Reynolds
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush - Sophie Fatus
We All Went On Safari - Laurie Krebs
I Know a Rhino - Charles Fuge
Brown Bear (and all subsequent bear books) - Bill Martin & Eric Carle
Mama, Do You Love Me? - Barbara M. Joosse
Everyone Poops - Taro Gomi
Whoever You Are - Mem Fox
I Love My Hair - Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Good Night Chicago
Good Night New York
The Perfect Orange - Frank P. Araujo
It Looked Like Spilt Milk - Charles G. Shaw
The Time of the Lion - Caroline Pitcher
Abiyoyo - Pete Seeger
Old Black Fly - Jim Aylesworth
Won't You Be My Kissaroo - Joanne Ryder
Blue Hat, Green Hat - Sandra Boynton
I'm going to do an entirely separate post on music... coming soon!
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
twin chatter
This evening, after putting the twins to bed in their room, Jon and I went downstairs to watch a movie. After a while, we started hearing suspicious noises coming from our bedroom. Jon went upstairs to survey the scene and found both Izzie and Elijah just hanging out in our bed. When he asked them what they were doing in our room, they replied "It's a better room".
Later, we came back upstairs to make sure e & i were tucked in and found them laying in one bed together, chatting away. Jon asked them again why they like our bed, and Elijah replied "Oh, because it's so comfy".
I concur, but it loses a bit of its comfort when there are four people and a dog jostling for space...
Later, we came back upstairs to make sure e & i were tucked in and found them laying in one bed together, chatting away. Jon asked them again why they like our bed, and Elijah replied "Oh, because it's so comfy".
I concur, but it loses a bit of its comfort when there are four people and a dog jostling for space...
Thursday, November 27, 2008
thankful
What are the twins thankful for?
e: Ethiopia!
i: Barack Obama!
We spent the day with Jon's family, and my mother in law outdoes herself every single holiday. She is an incredible cook, and always mixes old standard favourite recipes with new experiments. Everything is always delicious, and the only bad thing about it is that it feels like she doesn't get to properly enjoy the fantastic meal that she prepares because she's so busy making certain that we all have everything we need.
Anyway, At dinner this evening, each of my children said something that melted my heart. When Jon's mom was finally able to sit down at the table, Izzie turned to her and said "Thank you for sitting by me". And then, without any sort of prompting, Elijah said "Thank you for cookin'".
I love my children beyond measure. I am thankful for the privilege of being a part of their lives every single moment of every single day. They are truly remarkable, and I am so proud of the little people that they are becoming.
I also know that I have spent a lot of time focusing on what I *don't* have lately. Holidays are hard for me, and I'm not sure how to move beyond that fact. But I do want to acknowledge what we *do* have as well.
Jon's mom is a fantastic grandmother. The twins adore her (and everyone in his family!) and she always makes sure to have some special treats for them whenever we see her. I am so grateful to her for raising my husband, and for the important role that she continues to play in our lives.
e: Ethiopia!
i: Barack Obama!
We spent the day with Jon's family, and my mother in law outdoes herself every single holiday. She is an incredible cook, and always mixes old standard favourite recipes with new experiments. Everything is always delicious, and the only bad thing about it is that it feels like she doesn't get to properly enjoy the fantastic meal that she prepares because she's so busy making certain that we all have everything we need.
Anyway, At dinner this evening, each of my children said something that melted my heart. When Jon's mom was finally able to sit down at the table, Izzie turned to her and said "Thank you for sitting by me". And then, without any sort of prompting, Elijah said "Thank you for cookin'".
I love my children beyond measure. I am thankful for the privilege of being a part of their lives every single moment of every single day. They are truly remarkable, and I am so proud of the little people that they are becoming.
I also know that I have spent a lot of time focusing on what I *don't* have lately. Holidays are hard for me, and I'm not sure how to move beyond that fact. But I do want to acknowledge what we *do* have as well.
Jon's mom is a fantastic grandmother. The twins adore her (and everyone in his family!) and she always makes sure to have some special treats for them whenever we see her. I am so grateful to her for raising my husband, and for the important role that she continues to play in our lives.
Monday, November 24, 2008
e & i's favourite things, 2008
Plan Toys Rail Set:
They play with these animals every single day in a bunch of different ways. They have parades, they stack them, they're starting to do some role playing with them. The animals are remarkably realistic, and even anatomically correct. The only criticism I have of them is that they're not to scale (a dog and a baby elephant are the same size...)
Clear View Sensory Table:
Perfect for splashing around with water and bubbles in the summertime, learning the concepts of sink and float, and washing toys. Right now it's in our living room filled with packaging peanuts. Sensory tables are fun, and there are even lists online of things to put in your sensory table.
And now, I will reveal their upcoming Christmas gifts:
Their big shared gift:
Pottery Barn Kids Tall Activity Table
*disclaimer* I can only justify the cost of this because I managed to buy it entirely with Thank You points and it will double as a coffee table in our living room...
I even found a simple safari themed playmat for the top that can be used either with their train set or their animals.
Some smaller presents:
Bilibos:
Books:
Candela Tooli Night Lights:
Our turtle nightlight has been fantastic, but after nearly two years of nightly use, let's just say he's seen better days. Time to upgrade to something a little more sophisticated. These adorable rechargeable little guys are the perfect nightlights for the preschool set. I love that they're portable, colourful, and so gosh darn cute!
American Girl Bitty Twins:
How could I resist? Seriously.
We went in to the store the other day (which is an experience in and of itself. There's a doll hair salon, a doll hospital, and a place where you can have a photo taken with your doll... There are even doll holders in the bathrooms!) Anyway, all of the employees were going on and on about how e&i looked like the bitty twins.
I love Plan Toys. Reasonably priced, sustainable, wooden toys in bright colours with whimsical designs. I knew the twins would love to have their own train set (based upon the fact that they make a beeline to the train table at the bookstore), so we started with this basic set. I love that it's compatible with Brio, and has all sorts of fun accessories.
Clear View Sensory Table:
And now, I will reveal their upcoming Christmas gifts:
Their big shared gift:
Pottery Barn Kids Tall Activity Table
I even found a simple safari themed playmat for the top that can be used either with their train set or their animals.
Some smaller presents:
Bilibos:
Books:
Candela Tooli Night Lights:
American Girl Bitty Twins:
How could I resist? Seriously.
We went in to the store the other day (which is an experience in and of itself. There's a doll hair salon, a doll hospital, and a place where you can have a photo taken with your doll... There are even doll holders in the bathrooms!) Anyway, all of the employees were going on and on about how e&i looked like the bitty twins.
preschoolers
Last week, we signed the twins up for preschool. They'll start attending in January, and go 3 days per week for 2 hours each day. I'm really excited for them to make some new friends, develop positive relationships with their new teachers, and have lots of fun. I'm thrilled that I'll have 6 whole hours to myself!
We visited the classroom and were able to meet one of their teachers. She seemed extremely nice, and was impressed with the twins' colour recognition and ability to follow directions (Hahaha! Clearly that will change as she gets to know them better!).
Isabel is totally ready to jump right in to school. Every day she asks "can we drive to my school?" Elijah, not surprisingly, is more reluctant. We've been talking with them about what they might do at school. They're both excited to sing songs, read books, and play in the gym. Elijah was very happy to learn that their classroom has a train table.
In honour of their school enrollment, we bought them new "school shoes" and they each got to choose their very own backpack. Elijah chose a monkey, and Izzie picked a panda bear.
It's hard to believe that my babies are really ready for preschool! They've grown up so quickly.
We visited the classroom and were able to meet one of their teachers. She seemed extremely nice, and was impressed with the twins' colour recognition and ability to follow directions (Hahaha! Clearly that will change as she gets to know them better!).
Isabel is totally ready to jump right in to school. Every day she asks "can we drive to my school?" Elijah, not surprisingly, is more reluctant. We've been talking with them about what they might do at school. They're both excited to sing songs, read books, and play in the gym. Elijah was very happy to learn that their classroom has a train table.
In honour of their school enrollment, we bought them new "school shoes" and they each got to choose their very own backpack. Elijah chose a monkey, and Izzie picked a panda bear.
It's hard to believe that my babies are really ready for preschool! They've grown up so quickly.
confession time
I have been having an incredibly tough past couple of months. For a variety of reasons, I am no longer in contact with anyone from my family, and while that decision is absolutely necessary, it breaks my heart that my family won't be around to celebrate the holidays with the twins.
My mom loved the holidays. Christmas was her favourite time of year, and she truly went all out, baking cookies, making fudge, and decorating every single inch of the house. She had a Snow Village collection that was legendary, and spent weeks creating vignettes in different rooms of the house. There was a town square, a mountain scene complete with animated skiers and ice skaters, and even a coke themed scene in our coke themed basement. (I told you she went all out!)
Growing up, she made sure that the holidays were magical times for me and the rest of our family. I never used to understand why so many people were sad during the holiday season.
Well now, I get it.
It is unbelievably difficult for me to be around happy families right now. Witnessing those sweet moments of family closeness just amplifies how much I miss my mom. It hasn't gotten easier. In fact, this is shaping up to be the hardest Christmas yet since her death.
I'm trying really hard not to overcompensate with the twins. I feel like I want to give them the world, even though rationally I understand that nothing I can buy will ever make up for all they've lost.
My husband and I have been talking a lot about traditions and the need for us to create our own in the hopes that one day the kids will want to continue them within their own families.
I recently heard of a really nice gift giving tradition. I tweaked it slightly, and I think in future years, we'll adhere to this philosophy:
Each person will recieve 5 individual gifts:
something they want
something they need
something to wear
something to read
and something handmade
In addition, the kids will recieve one larger shared gift, and Jon and I will choose something for our whole family to enjoy.
Finally, we will contribute in some way to making the world a better place. We may donate money, clothing, books, etc. or perhaps we'll give our time. Each year around Thanksgiving, we will decide how to give back.
I'm not a very traditional person, but strangely, I do love traditions. If anyone out there has any family traditions that they'd be willing to share, I'd love to hear them!
My mom loved the holidays. Christmas was her favourite time of year, and she truly went all out, baking cookies, making fudge, and decorating every single inch of the house. She had a Snow Village collection that was legendary, and spent weeks creating vignettes in different rooms of the house. There was a town square, a mountain scene complete with animated skiers and ice skaters, and even a coke themed scene in our coke themed basement. (I told you she went all out!)
Growing up, she made sure that the holidays were magical times for me and the rest of our family. I never used to understand why so many people were sad during the holiday season.
Well now, I get it.
It is unbelievably difficult for me to be around happy families right now. Witnessing those sweet moments of family closeness just amplifies how much I miss my mom. It hasn't gotten easier. In fact, this is shaping up to be the hardest Christmas yet since her death.
I'm trying really hard not to overcompensate with the twins. I feel like I want to give them the world, even though rationally I understand that nothing I can buy will ever make up for all they've lost.
My husband and I have been talking a lot about traditions and the need for us to create our own in the hopes that one day the kids will want to continue them within their own families.
I recently heard of a really nice gift giving tradition. I tweaked it slightly, and I think in future years, we'll adhere to this philosophy:
Each person will recieve 5 individual gifts:
something they want
something they need
something to wear
something to read
and something handmade
In addition, the kids will recieve one larger shared gift, and Jon and I will choose something for our whole family to enjoy.
Finally, we will contribute in some way to making the world a better place. We may donate money, clothing, books, etc. or perhaps we'll give our time. Each year around Thanksgiving, we will decide how to give back.
I'm not a very traditional person, but strangely, I do love traditions. If anyone out there has any family traditions that they'd be willing to share, I'd love to hear them!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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