The Golden Girls Go To The Nutcracker...and of course have a photo shoot beforehand

I never had any family traditions around the holidays. I never really gave it any thought until I actually had children of my own. I love the idea of looking forward to the same special thing or event every year - a moment, or day that I can share with my girls and always hold near and dear to my heart. I decided to take it upon myself to start the tradition of taking my girls on a mother/daughter date to see the Nutcracker every year around Christmas. 

As I have talked about many times on the blog, dance has been a huge part of my life - and really a part of who I am. I love all types of dance and have studied most of them at some point or another in my life (and had the shoes to prove it). In the last few months M has developed a love of ballet. I started her in classes back in September, but even before that she was running around the house dancing and saying "mom! Look at this arabesque!" thanks to June from the Little Einsteins. When I purchased the tickets for the Nutcracker back in the fall she and I started watching videos from different productions on You Tube. She knew a lot of the music already, again thanks to Little Einsteins, and old Mickey Mouse cartoons like The Three Musketeers, so she was hooked instantly. 

Yesterday we got all dressed in matching outfits (see above for our Golden Girls - as Marlo called us - photo shoot) and headed into the city for the 1 PM matinee. I had tears in my eyes from the moment we stepped into the gorgeous lobby of the Boston Opera House. Looking down at my little girl smiling ear to ear as we headed into the theater just warmed my heart. "Are we going to see the Sugar Plum Fairy soon?" She sat in her booster seat (and we had damn good seats too) with her little paper crown on that one of the students gave her in the lobby, and asked me repeatedly when she was going to see her beloved Sugarplum Fairy. And then the curtain went up...

...and M fell dead asleep. 

My heart broke a little as she laid on my lap and snored away. I tried again and again to wake her up to see the dancers, but nope, she was out like a light. And you know what? I don't blame her. I forgot how boring and dark the first half of the Nutcracker is! Luckily she awoke when intermission began, I pumped her full of M&Ms and she was back. The Sugarplum Fairy came on stage in her sparkling tutu and M just put her arms around me and gave me a huge kiss and didn't let go while her precious Fairy danced on stage. And of course I started to cry...it was a moment I will never forget. 

Who knows if dance will mean so much to her in the years to come, but right now she is my little ballerina who makes up her own ballet moves with funny names and "gran jetes" around the house ever chance she gets. I look forward to Val joining us on our yearly adventure into the city, but definitely won't be until she is at least 4 as my little monkey does not sit still! 

Get Crafty: Christmas Swirly Paint Balls (or at least that is what I am calling them)

Looking for a quick and simple Christmas craft to do with your kiddos? Look no further. This is something that I used to do by myself before kids, but I decided to let M have a go at helping me out this year - and she loved it! All you need are some glass (or plastic) Christmas ornament balls and some craft paint. I got my balls online here and purchased some craft paint at the craft store (duh).

First remove the metal top of the ornament, then squirt some paint in there. Swirl it around and boom! You're done.

Well, it technically is that simple but I have a few tips and tricks.

1. Use only 3 or less colors of paint. If you use more, they tend to mix together and turn brown. No one likes a brown Christmas ball. Ha. 

M had a ton of fun picking out the color combinations
(see how this turned out below)

2. Use less paint at the beginning and then add paint as needed. 

3. Add in a glitter paint to give your ball a nice shimmer. Everyone loves something sparkly. 

4. Once you have swirled the paint around inside the ball so that all the glass inside surface is covered in paint turn the ball upside down and place on top of a plastic cup. This will allow all excess paint to pour out into the cup. 

5. Leave the ball upside down for a good 30 minutes, and then check on it. You might have to turn it around to allow paint to settle in a different part of the ball because sometimes when it is upside down for too long you might get some empty spots again. 

The ball that M started up above turned out to be this gorgeous
one in the front!! 

6. I like to turn my balls (ha- turn my balls :) at least 3 or 4 times because the paint will take 24 hours to dry and by turning it you can achieve different designs. 

7. Experiment with color combinations. Sometimes the oddest combinations turn out to be the most beautiful!

And the last step is to hang your balls!! Ok, enough with the ball talk. 

My Favorite Holiday Gift Guides

I had high hopes of of creating my own BBM gift guide this year, but instead I decided to compile a list of other gift guides for you to peruse. No need for me to spend the time making a list when others have done a splendid job of it already! Here are some of my favorite gift guides that I found for the 2013 holiday season!

Modern Parent's Messy Kids (MPMK)
This is the end-all-be-all of gift guides. You really don't have to look any further than MPMK's yearly compilation of gift ideas. They have it broken down into 10 different categories, i.e., Best Learning Toys for Quiet Time and Independent Play, or Best Building and Constructing Toys, making it all the more easy for you to find something for the kids you know so well. They have reviewed over 250+ toys, games and puzzles and asked countless parents, teachers and care-givers for their input when putting the lists together. You won't be disappointed with this gift guide!


Daily Candy gifts for Littles
Who doesn't love the Daily Candy emails? I remember receiving these 10 years ago. I would look forward to them each day, waiting to see what these ladies thought was the coolest thing to buy or see. They have compiled a great list of unique gift ideas for kids of all ages on their site. My favorite being this personalized memory game by Pinholepress.com that I have already ordered for my girls!

Personalized Memory Game c/o pinholepress.com

Real Simple Gifts for Kids
I love me some Real Simple magazine. I always pick it up and read it on plane rides, or when I am feeling like my house could use some organizing (which is always). Do I actually ever take the advice in the magazine? Of course not. I just waste my time looking at all the clean photos of people's anally neat closets and pantries and perfectly organized purses. But they do put together some great gift guides. Check out this one for kids for some unique gift ideas, including this fabulous monster hoodie. I want one in my size ASAP.

Monster Hoodie from cutesybutnotcutesy.com

They also have some amazing ideas for stocking stuffers, including this Ryan Gosling coloring book. Totally absurd, but every girl needs one right?

Yummy Ryan Gosling coloring book from blueribbongeneralstore.com

And for you parents with teenagers or tweens (God help you :) they have this gift guide full of unique gifts for those older kids with 'tude. I should add that I want everything on this list - what does that say about me?

Animal head from cardboardsafari.com. I want this!!

Time Out New York
Time Out New York compiled a great gift guide this year full of things you can find in New York City as well as online for us out-of-towners (or foreigners as we are considered by all New Yorkers). They have broken it down by age range, making it easier for you to shop for the kids on your nice list. I am in love with this all-in-one dinner set by Doiy Design.

If you live in NYC you can pick one of these up at E.A.T. gifts

Queen Oprah's Favorite Things
And then finally the gift guide for the rich and famous, or those that don't mind spending hundreds of dollars on truffle oil for their grandmother. Oprah's Favorite Things - because who doesn't need a chocolate nativity scene? I know I don't!

$79 for 3 baby bibs. BIBS. Bibs people!! Come on, Oprah. 

If you didn't find anything to your liking in the lists above be sure to visit my favorite gift giving sites below:
- Uncommongoods.com 
- Etsy.com
- Landofnod.com
- The MOMA store

The "IT" Toy of the Year?

The Doc will be in at our house this Xmas!

Remember when Tickle Me Elmo came out and there were riots at stores because people had to have it for their children at Christmas? And the Furby? And Play Station 2? Or 3? And all the hype surrounding Nintendo Wii? I will never forget that episode of South Park, where Cartman can't wait until Christmas to get his Nintendo Wii so he freezes himself in the middle of nowhere and Butters is supposed to unthaw him, but forgets, and he isn't unthawed until like the year 3013? And by that time the Wii is totally obsolete (obviously.) And then the episode of The Office where Dwight buys all those princess dolls and sells that at an absurd mark-up because they are the "it" toy of the holiday season? Yeah, I watch a lot of tv.

I am a sucker for these kinds of things now that I have kids. Last year it was the Elmo Rocks doll that I told my parents M "had to have" so they bought it weeks before her birthday (which is the first week of December) and had it shipped to our house. She opened it, and was full of excitement, and sang along with Elmo...for about five minutes. I think in the past year she has used it for a grand total of 30 minutes...tops.

Well today I just started pinning some stuff on my "Christmas Gifts 2012" board on Pinterest, specifically for the girls. Now Val doesn't really need presents. She will be 4 months old when Christmas rolls around, for crying out loud. I could give her an empty milk carton and she would be all giggles. She is way too young for gifts this year. But M, she has her big third birthday coming up in just 4 weeks, and then of course Christmas right after that, and I feel like this is the first year that she actually understands what happens during the holidays. Plus, I LOVE giving people gifts. I like to put a lot of thought into gifts, give them something creative, or something they would never buy themselves, but possibly hinted at wanting some time in passing. That is why Christmas is my jam!

So while I was pinning things, I did a search for Doc McStuffins, as that is M's latest favorite "program" as my husband and I jokingly call her shows (that is what my 89 year old grandmother calls all her shows she watches on tv and I just love it.) I came across this fabulous doctor's bag, which I know she will die for (and will probably drive me insane as she tries to check my heartbeat for the 1000 time, but I will smile and let her) and then saw this interactive doll as well.

As I do with all my purchases on Amazon, I first read the reviews. I saw that multiple people said not to purchase it on Amazon as you could find it at Target or Toys R Us for half the price. And then one of the reviews referred to it as the "IT" toy of the season, and to get it fast. Well, you know I had to have it then!! So I looked on those two websites, only to find that it was sold out online - but is listed for $29.99. I did a search online to see if I could pick it up in stores and it was sold out at every Toys R Us within 50 miles, as well as Target...in the northeast! So I tried my parents zipcode in Florida - SOLD OUT EVERYWHERE!!

No wonder on Amazon it is listed for $60, double the price of everywhere else! You can't get it anywhere and it is already November. And of course it says on there "only 6 left" so obviously they are a hot commodity! I took a second to think about this - was I really going to spend $60 on a toy, that I had never seen in person, that is really only $30 in value (and probably cost $5 to make) just because it seemed like the most popular toy of the season? You bet I was.

And now that I have purchased it, and thought about it a little more as I write this post I now think that this is the greatest marketing ploy that a toy company could come up with...

Release a toy (or game), that features a recently popular or new animated character, in a limited quantity  (maybe one or two per store) to Target and Toys R Us just before the holiday season, when the dedicated shoppers start their shopping. Have someone go online and and write reviews on the sites talking about how this is the greatest toy they have seen all year, and a "must have" for your little girl (or boy.) Toy then sells out, due to high demand and low quantity. Mark up the toy by double and sell on Amazon, now calling it the "IT" toy of the season, and mention how you "can't get it anywhere else."

Put in shopping basket...check out! Done!! You got this idiot Mom you marketing geniuses!

Watch when I got to Target next time it is on sale for $9 and there are 1000 of them. Blurg.

Get Crafty: the Elf on the Shelf

Christmas is just 10 days away (yikes!) which means if you're like me you're running out of time to finish up shopping and running out of ideas for your Elf on the Shelf!

5 Categories of Outdoor Christmas Decoration Craziness

I walk my dog for at least 45 minutes each morning (well I should say my husband or I walk her, as he has been subbing for me during some foot issues the past few months.) And if we don't pack up and go to the park, weather permitting, we walk around our the grid of streets in our neighborhood. It is a somewhat working class neighborhood, with lots of small homes built in the 60s and 70s (we live on the edge of town in a newer developed area). It is also a very Irish Catholic neighborhood, which can be said for most of Boston and Greater Boston.

On this 45 minute walk I have a lot of time to think about things: how I am totally out of shape (at least once or twice a week I make the decision to go on a diet, which lasts until lunch), how sometimes I wish I didn't have a dog to walk, how sometimes I wish I lived somewhere where it was 60 degrees every day, what dance moves I would throw at Justin Timberlake if we ever were to meet at a club and have a dance off (it could happen, and I am prepared.) Most mornings I try to come up with posts for the blog, and today was no different.

As I walked along, trying to get my pooch to stop pulling me, and trying to not get blown over by the 30 MPH winds I started to notice the varying degrees of decorations in people's yards in the 'hood. And the more I observed, the more I realized that all of these people's houses fell into 5 different categories. So here goes:

Mama J's 5 Categories of Outdoor Christmas Decorations:

1. Scrooge. Ok, so calling the people that don't decorate Scrooge is a little harsh. I realize that these people might not have the financial means for decorating, or they might not even celebrate Christmas. But maybe they are people that hate the holidays and think decorating is bourgeois, so let's just call them Scrooge for now. Bah Humbug - put up a wreath people.

2. Phoning it In. These are the people that put one to three random, mis-matched, crazy decorations on their lawns. For instance, there is a house down the road from me that has one bush with red lights, a random tiny penguin about 20 feet away from the house, and then on the corner of the property simply a sign that says "North Pole." Not a red and green sign, just a white sign, with black writing on it, on a wood stick that says North Pole. Who are you kidding buddy? These are also the people that scatter decorations on their lawns - like one wicker reindeer who once moved it's head but broke 3 years ago, Santa and his sleigh, that is missing a couple reindeer, and/or nativity scene that consisted of one Wiseman and a Joseph. Yes, I saw all this this morning.

Ok, so this is out of Pottery Barn,
but it is Christmas perfection!

3. Just Right. A wreath on the front door, some lights in the trees or the house, some lovely garland around the doorway, maybe some candles in the windows, a properly placed blow up Santa...that is what I call just right. Just the right amount of Christmas spirit, a little glowing flair...just enough for someone driving by to think "doesn't that house look nice." This is where most of the houses fall in my neighborhood, but then there far too many of in the following category for my taste.

4. Yard Sale. It seems that the people in my town go out to Christmas stores the day after Christmas and purchase every tacky lawn decoration possible that is on sale. And then the following year they place every single one on their lawn - I am not talking 3 or 4 items, I am talking like 12-15. I passed one house today that, was on a corner lot so it had twice as much lawn space, and the owners had put probably 20 random, mis-matched decorative items in a row, around the front and side of their house. It was like a broken down decoration convention; snowman, reindeer, miniature carolers, penguin, nativity, donkey, reindeer that lights up, blow up Santa, another nativity, elf, reindeer whose head moves in a circle, North Pole sign, another nativity, Santa missing an arm, etc. There were no decorations on the actual house, but this sad line of craziness around their house. And these are not big lawns mind you, but more people than I care to think of pack in the madness on their property. I will not even begin to discuss the people who decorate pumpkin headed figures for every holiday of the year on their front lawn. You read that right - Pumpkin Headed Figures...permanently fixed on their tiny front lawns...dressed for every holiday of the year practically.

These are the lights
we go see in FL

5. Balls to the Wall a.k.a. Second Mortgage to Pay the Electric Bill. We don't have a lot of these people in our neighborhood, unfortunately! These are the people that make a spectacle of their house come the holiday season. Their houses are covered in lights, there are moving objects on their lawns, etc.. We drove by one a few streets over the other night who had transformed their back yard (visible from the street) into Santa's workshop. We get a lot of these down in Florida, where my family is from, and there are even a few houses that are famous for it, and a drive-by is part of our holiday tradition. These are the people who pump music out for you to hear when you pass their house, the people that plan for this months in advance, and whose electric bills I am assuming are ri-donk-ulous. They put in all this hard work for every one else's enjoyment, as they sit in their house and watch cars drive slowly by staring in amazement at the craziness they created. They are Clark Griswold.

Where does your house fall this year??

Get Crafty: the Advent Calendar

A couple of weeks ago I was cruising through the craft store when I saw an unfinished wood advent calendar in the shape of a Christmas tree. I breezed by it at first but then found myself heading back to get another look. It had 24 little drawers with pull knobs. "How fun would it be to paint that...?" I thought to myself. At $25 it was more than I would probably spend on a finished advent calendar, so I decided to head home and wait for my weekly "50% off one item" coupon* to appear in my email box and then went back to buy it.

Christmas Books for Kids

Warning: I usually try and be very "holiday-generic" during this time of year, so forgive this post. Unfortunately, in terms of books, we go totally Christmas overload...I'd love to hear other non-Christmas suggestions in the comments!

Every year growing up, my mom bought a Christmas book. She would write a few quick notes about the year (e.g., "moved to elm street, got a dog") on the inside cover. Thirty-plus years later, she has a wonderful collection of Christmas books and we have fun reminders of our family milestones. I plan on doing the same for my kids...of course, I'm just starting so I have to buy a stack of book this year and back date them! Here are some suggestions, beyond the The Polar Express.

The Night Before Christmas: It's a good place to start the collection. Jan Brett has wonderful, detail rich illustrations. Actually, any of her books are perfect for a holiday/winter collection. I also like The Mitten board book. They often have these at Costco.

The Sweet Smell of Christmas: This is in my mother's collection. We loved it growing up. Seriously, I didn't even know they made scratch and sniff anymore - but they do!

Snowmen at Christmas: Fun story about snowmen coming alive at night. It's like Frosty, but the illustrations make it seem more magical. A simple story good for little ones too.

I'll Be Home for Christmas (Toot and Puddle): Darling story about beloved Toot and Puddle. And you'll see some familiar Boston scenes. This story is a bit more complicated (at least you'll need to be a bit older to pick up on the magical "helper"), so probably better for 3-4 years plus. Although you can always look at the illustrations!

Where is Baby's Christmas Present?: Karen Katz always creates darling board books before for the under 2 set. Simple, graphic illustrations with flaps to keep babies busy.

Your favorite characters (e.g., Olivia, Arthur, Berenstain Bears) all have Christmas books too. What are your favorites?

Spoiler Alert

No I don't have any inside info about how this season of Gossip Girl will end (does anyone but me still watch that wretched show?)...but I am here to admit out loud that I spoil my kid like crazy.

Wanna come inside my playhouse?
Too bad..

Before I had kids I totally judged my friends for buying their kids a lot of toys, and clothing, and fancy gear. I would sit in these playrooms that were filled wall-to-wall with toys galore and think, "my kid will never have this many toys! Why would they need so much?!" But here I am, with a very active 22 month old, and a playroom overflowing with toys, gadgets, playhouse, tent, chalkboard, trains, bins, books, playdough and instruments galore.

99% of this was not bought for a birthday, or Christmas, just simply crap that I have purchased, on a weekly (if not daily) basis for my spoiled little monkey. And you know what? She would be totally happy with 1/100th of the things she has. Hell, she would be happy playing with pots and pans, but I am home with her every day, and if she is playing with it, I have to play with it, and I get bored very easily.

And then there are the grandparents, who like to spoil M like she is the Queen of Sheeba. Every time my mom visits she has new clothes, new toys, old toys of mine, and all sorts of crazy crap for M to enjoy. Case and point: we went to a baptism party on Sunday, for one of my best friend's daughter, and at this party M got to spend time in a playhouse that belonged to my friend's son. She spent probably about 5 minutes in the actual house (and totally became possessive of it and wouldn't even let the kid whose house it was in it without throwing a fit), but because she was smiling and enjoying herself we are now the proud owners of an even bigger playhouse, thanks to Grandma. And M could not be happier. I think if I would let her, she would sleep in this house, which now resides in our ever-so-crowded playroom.

It has gotten to the point where almost every day I feel like I buy something for M. Anything from clothes online to straws she points out at the supermarket. I know she is only 22 months old, but am I already setting a terrible example? I don't even think twice before buying her an Elmo book she sees out of the corner of her eye, what happens when she is older and wants something like a new iPhone (and at this rate that will be when she is 4 :)?

Growing up I was very fortunate to be spoiled by my parents. My father was gone for a lot of my childhood, due to work, so he loved to spoil my brother and I...in the form of cars. My mother would take me shopping and have a personal shopper pick out clothes for me at Bloomingdales. But despite all of these material things we turned out to be pretty awesome, down to earth people, thanks to strict discipline from our parents in addition to the spoiling. While it was an extreme case (not many kids get to go to the Lexus dealership and pick out their new SUV when they are 18 years old, but still have to be home by 10 PM at night) it totally worked in the end.

Like I said above, a lot of times I buy things for her because I need something new to play with. There are only so many times that I can play with her Playmobile Ark, make a flower out of Playdoh or draw a rainbow on the chalkboard. Right now our playroom could entertain a daycare of 10 kids on a daily basis. I will be the first to admit that I have totally gone overboard.

My mom asked me what I am going to get her for Christmas this year and it made me realize that as she gets older I need to save some of these indulgences for that special time of year, not buy something whenever I get the impulse to spend money. Every day is Christmas for M!

Have I created a monster (in myself)? Does she realize that she gets whatever she wants? Is this normal? Why does this child have me wrapped around her finger? What the hell do I get the kid, who is only 22 months old,  that has everything for Christmas?