Toy Shopping for the Holidays? Read THIS First...

The robotic fish, of which I have half a dozen, are listed. The detachable tail poses a choking hazard.

It is the season to be shopping and the focus is definitely on the children's Christmas List. Every year, a new wave of toys is pressed upon us as we try to sort the best for our brood. We can become overwhelmed. Of course the appeal to the child is going to determine which toy they gleefully open Christmas morning, however as parents, we need a baseline. Safety. That is why we regularly check Recalls.gov where the governance of toy safety is maintained and presented to the public. You can even receive updates. Clinical Pediatrics released a study showing an increase in toy related accidents in children by 40%. Most injuries are in the under six range and are related to choking hazards. Another big concern are scooters which are popular all over the world but accidents are heavily abated with the use of a helmet, knee and elbow pads. Protection is power.
Check out the article via CNN.com

A Kiwi Christmas in Photos

Here are images from our Christmas in New Zealand. Instead of the snow we were used to in the Pacific Northwest of the US, we now had sunshine and sprouting plants. Though we hit up Santa in October before travelling back to NZ, we embraced the modest decor and Father Christmas of the Pacific Rim. We learned the beauty & benefit of using recycled scarves as gorgeous wrapping paper. We had pavlova with fresh strawberries. Mom did last minute shopping, the children wrote letters to Santa and the entire family did heaps of baking. Our family prayed for peace and welcomed Thorin to the manger scene to visit the Baby Jesus. 

It was a beautiful holiday in our home and we hope it was the same in yours.

Now onto the New Year!

Let's get social...

Like us on Facebook

&

Follow Us on Twitter

A Very Mobile Christmas

Today is Christmas and we are celebrating this year in the town where both of our families live. It is wonderful spending the holidays amongst loved ones and we are building memories that no gift could buy. The children are loving all of the attention and love that they are receiving which is truly priceless. Now all of this is well and good but the reality of Today is that we became a mobile band of merriment. Our day had us visiting three different events, all of which included a meal and gift giving. We packed up 3 children ages 0-8 and seemingly moved with ease from party to party. Our trunk was full, the kids, who awakened at 4:30 to "catch" Santa were quite restless, and we loaded/unloaded 3 times with overly full bellies. We had smiled, hugged, greeted and played with 3 sets of family members completely exhausting ourselves. By the end of the day we were ready for our annual Christmas nap which began as soon as the car left the last house. It was a beautiful sight to behold in the backseat of our car as all three heads lay crooked yet comfy. They didn't stir and this was the truly a Christmas miracle. It is sometimes worth it to make several trips all over town to be with family. I loved every minute of the craziness. It is just a bit of what the holidays are all about. Merry Christmas everyone.