Hey Hey!
It’s Tuesday and it feels like December here in Texas! WAHOO! The high yesterday was 45 and today it’s 48. That is CRAZY for October in Texas. Needless to say, I’m wearing ALL the layers, have a fall dinner in the slow cooker, and will be lighting the fireplace any minute.
Today, I’m teaming up with Fancy Ashley for Tuesday Talk. It’s the third Tuesday of the month where we chat about anything and everything!
I try to come up with topics I really would love some feedback on since we’re “TALKING” in these types of posts. And I’m totally pulling a Hobby Lobby. Yes, before Halloween has even happened, I want to discuss a few Christmas things. I know. I know. There’s time for it all, but really today is more like a brainstorming session. Several family members have asked about Christmas ideas for the kids, so it got me thinking about some of the best gifts they’ve gotten through the years. If your kids are like mine, they receive gifts they play with or use all year long. And then they also receive gifts, they’re excited about for five minutes and then it’s never picked up again. Those gifts are wasters-they waste money, they waste space in our house, and I’m trying to avoid those this season. All those decluttering books would be so proud of me for even attempting to avoid those. 🙂
This is a list of some of the items my kiddos have received as gifts they’ve genuinely loved…
Garmin Vivofit Jr.–I got these watches for Nixon and Ebby Lee last Christmas. They wore them all the time until their bands broke {so I’d think about getting a replacement band for back up-I didn’t have those and we lost the actual watch part when they broke}, which happened because you had to stretch the band to get them on/off. My favorite thing is they could set the timer on the watch, always knew what time it was, and WATERPROOF! I’d highly recommend these for gifts! All three of my big kiddos will be getting one this year!
Dude Perfect–I’ve shared before we’re Dude Perfect fans in our house! Whether it’s a Dude Perfect t-shirt, hat, or toy my boys are all about any of the above. If you have a Dude Perfect loving kiddo, you might want to check these out.
Nerf Guns–These are a can’t miss with my boys. Did you guys know you can pay $7 for a teeny Nerf Gun and go all the way up to $300 for one with all the bells and whistles? I didn’t know that until I was searching. WHOA! My kiddos do not have those particular guns in their closets. 😉 These make great birthday gifts as well. They’re my go-to for boy’s gifts.
Favorite Player Jersey-Nixon’s at an age where he’s not “into” many toys. Last year he got a favorite player’s football jersey for Christmas and was a big fan. If you have a kiddo who’s into sports, grab his favorite jersey.
Basketball, Football, Soccer Ball, Kickball, Tennis Balls…you get the idea.-95 percent of my boys time at home they’re outside throwing, kicking, or passing some kind of ball. It doesn’t matter how many they already own, they get excited about a new one.
I-Pad Mini-My big kiddos got these for Christmas one year. We leave them put up most of the time so when we head out on a trip, have a crazy rainy weekend, or just for a more special occasion…they’re a treat! You can find refurbished I-Pads and other devices for great prices right now.
Race Track-I got this for Nixon years ago based on the recommendation of a friend with a kiddo a little bit older and we still have this track upstairs. Anytime other kids are over I hear them playing with it.
Sleeping Bag-All four kiddos got these last year and we use them all the time! We let our kids sleep in our room once a week and they use their sleeping bags.
Bike-This is pretty self-explanatory. 🙂
American Girl Dolls and Accessories-Ebby Lee goes in and out of stages where she’s really interested in her American Girl dolls and then she won’t play with them for ages, but the good news is those dolls and accessories are built to last. Britt will get the satisfaction of playing with them-as well as grand babies.
Easel-Ebby Lee’s favorite thing to play is “school”. She got an easel for her birthday one year{I think} and still plays with it.
That’s my short list of the Slaughter Kids’ Favorite Gifts. I’m always on the hunt for great ideas and I know you moms, grandmas, aunts, and friends are as well. PLEASE let us know what gift has been a hit for the kid/kiddos in your life. I’d love to get a jump start on my Christmas shopping and I’m hoping you guys give me some great ideas! Thanks in advance! And now I promise to not discuss Christmas-until November 1st. 😉
XO
It’s Tuesday and it feels like December here in Texas! WAHOO! The high yesterday was 45 and today it’s 48. That is CRAZY for October in Texas. Needless to say, I’m wearing ALL the layers, have a fall dinner in the slow cooker, and will be lighting the fireplace any minute.
Today, I’m teaming up with Fancy Ashley for Tuesday Talk. It’s the third Tuesday of the month where we chat about anything and everything!
I try to come up with topics I really would love some feedback on since we’re “TALKING” in these types of posts. And I’m totally pulling a Hobby Lobby. Yes, before Halloween has even happened, I want to discuss a few Christmas things. I know. I know. There’s time for it all, but really today is more like a brainstorming session. Several family members have asked about Christmas ideas for the kids, so it got me thinking about some of the best gifts they’ve gotten through the years. If your kids are like mine, they receive gifts they play with or use all year long. And then they also receive gifts, they’re excited about for five minutes and then it’s never picked up again. Those gifts are wasters-they waste money, they waste space in our house, and I’m trying to avoid those this season. All those decluttering books would be so proud of me for even attempting to avoid those. 🙂
This is a list of some of the items my kiddos have received as gifts they’ve genuinely loved…
Garmin Vivofit Jr.–I got these watches for Nixon and Ebby Lee last Christmas. They wore them all the time until their bands broke {so I’d think about getting a replacement band for back up-I didn’t have those and we lost the actual watch part when they broke}, which happened because you had to stretch the band to get them on/off. My favorite thing is they could set the timer on the watch, always knew what time it was, and WATERPROOF! I’d highly recommend these for gifts! All three of my big kiddos will be getting one this year!
Dude Perfect–I’ve shared before we’re Dude Perfect fans in our house! Whether it’s a Dude Perfect t-shirt, hat, or toy my boys are all about any of the above. If you have a Dude Perfect loving kiddo, you might want to check these out.
Nerf Guns–These are a can’t miss with my boys. Did you guys know you can pay $7 for a teeny Nerf Gun and go all the way up to $300 for one with all the bells and whistles? I didn’t know that until I was searching. WHOA! My kiddos do not have those particular guns in their closets. 😉 These make great birthday gifts as well. They’re my go-to for boy’s gifts.
Favorite Player Jersey-Nixon’s at an age where he’s not “into” many toys. Last year he got a favorite player’s football jersey for Christmas and was a big fan. If you have a kiddo who’s into sports, grab his favorite jersey.
Basketball, Football, Soccer Ball, Kickball, Tennis Balls…you get the idea.-95 percent of my boys time at home they’re outside throwing, kicking, or passing some kind of ball. It doesn’t matter how many they already own, they get excited about a new one.
I-Pad Mini-My big kiddos got these for Christmas one year. We leave them put up most of the time so when we head out on a trip, have a crazy rainy weekend, or just for a more special occasion…they’re a treat! You can find refurbished I-Pads and other devices for great prices right now.
Race Track-I got this for Nixon years ago based on the recommendation of a friend with a kiddo a little bit older and we still have this track upstairs. Anytime other kids are over I hear them playing with it.
Sleeping Bag-All four kiddos got these last year and we use them all the time! We let our kids sleep in our room once a week and they use their sleeping bags.
Bike-This is pretty self-explanatory. 🙂
American Girl Dolls and Accessories-Ebby Lee goes in and out of stages where she’s really interested in her American Girl dolls and then she won’t play with them for ages, but the good news is those dolls and accessories are built to last. Britt will get the satisfaction of playing with them-as well as grand babies.
Easel-Ebby Lee’s favorite thing to play is “school”. She got an easel for her birthday one year{I think} and still plays with it.
That’s my short list of the Slaughter Kids’ Favorite Gifts. I’m always on the hunt for great ideas and I know you moms, grandmas, aunts, and friends are as well. PLEASE let us know what gift has been a hit for the kid/kiddos in your life. I’d love to get a jump start on my Christmas shopping and I’m hoping you guys give me some great ideas! Thanks in advance! And now I promise to not discuss Christmas-until November 1st. 😉
XO
Great ideas! I 100% agree – no more junk! My kids always love board games. On this year's list is Apples to Apples Jr., Boggle Jr., and Jenga. They got Life, Reversi, Clue, and Monopoly in the past and still play with them all the time. 2 of my girls (age 7 and 5) want subscriptions to Little Passports this year. My oldest (age 10) wants a Chromebook – she uses Google classroom a lot for school, so since she's heading to middle school next year, it will be well used. My favorite gifts to give them are experiences – tickets to a show, a getaway weekend, etc.
Oh this is so good! My kids love their watches too! Great topic!!!
Random but a couple of things… where do you keep the easel when she isn't using it? Is this the easel she got? Thanks! LOVE the gift ideas!
The gift that has lasted in this house forever is Legos! My girls (9 and 12) love them and even my high schooler (14) plays with them from time to time. You simply cannot go wrong! Plus they encourage creative play.
Eeeeeeks!!! I'm so excited about the upcoming holiday season!! Those Garmin Jr watches were one of our best purchases!
Christy-We just leave it in a corner of her room. She has it turned so it covers the corner. And-yes, kind of-gets was from Land of Knod but they rebranded it to Crate and Barrel Kids this year. Hers is a few years old so it might be a tad different but probably pretty close.
You pulled a Hobby Lobby! Hahahahahahahaha! So funny, friend!
I have two girls, one the same age as Ebby Lee. She LOVES her Garmin Jr! Any other ideas for a 9-10 year old girl? I'm hoping family members will give experiences like sewing and art classes this year. Even my almost 6 year old is not into toys anymore.
My 3 yr old received the Leap Frog dog for her 1st birthday. It would be perfect fornBritt. It plays music , games and has songs it plays to get them to sleep that is even on a timer. My girl still loves her and recently got into the song portion and singing along. They have a green one and a purple one and you can program to say your child name. I'm a big fan of Leap Frog toys since they are all learning toys. I try to encourage those gifts. What do you store your kids toys in??we have so many little pieces to playhouses, dolls, etc.
Our girls love their Garmin Jrs! Also, the gifts our girls continue to go back to are boogie boards! They come in different sizes but basically you just draw and erase.
My 8 year old boy got Blitz balls last year, like the Dude Perfect guys throw and he still loves them. Also he wants to learn chess so I found a kid chess set on Amazon where it teaches you to play so I’m hoping that’s a hit this year. Lastly, he loves listening to Adventures in Odyssey while he goes to sleep so that is always a good present
My kids are older (teenagers) but both of their favorite gifts last year was a subscription to Apple Music… seriously, more than the Apple watches, designer clothes, and alllll the things, Apple Music was their favorite and they use it every day!
We keep asking for "experiences" instead of toys! Grandparents have been great about gifting us with annual memberships to the local zoo or to our amazing children's museum, etc. For birthday presents, they might get tickets to an event they like to attend (my son loves going to hockey games, my daughter loves Disney on Ice, etc.). Making memories is my favorite gift! But on the toy front, legos are always a hit with both kids, and they are really into gift cards right now! They love having "free" money to shop with!
Yes to those Garmnin Vivofit Jr watches! We've gone through a few replacement bands too but thankfully they are cheap!
That Inspired Chick
I have that same Hot Wheels track!! My kiddo still play with that. He is 8 and my niece is 2. She picks that toy every time she comes over.
We stopped doing real gifts and switched to experiences! Making memories by going to a concert, play, ski trip, etc
Love that you talked about grand babies 🙂
My kids are adults but they used to like anytype of sporting equipment back in the day. Also, I would get them event tickets to things they liked. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
Thanks to baby number three coming in three weeks I already finished my Christmas shopping!! (I know I won’t hace time later!) I just got my kids a big set of mega blocks (we also have Duplos) but they are easily contained and my older nieces and nephews love building with them too- so even if it is a constant source of entertainment I know they will last forever! I’m also getting my kids coloring books for church -there is a Catholic publishing company that has put together a coloring book with an age appropriate summary and coloring picture for the Gospel each week! 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 The kids will love it and it will keep them engaged in Mass!
Good call on the American Girl Dolls lasting forever! My mom saved mine and is keeping them until my daughter (currently 17 months) can play with them!
Do your kids listen to music in their rooms? If so, what do they use to play it?