Celebrate

What to do about toys? Your kids want them. You love seeing their little faces light up when they open that perfect gift. Yet finding that perfect gift nowadays seems to mean so much more than a hunk of plastic eye candy. It has to be a balance of fun, safe, eco-friendly, not plastic and not made in China yet still doesn't break the bank. What's a time-challenged parent to do? Luckily, Healthy Child, Healthy World has put together a comprehensive crash-course guide to purchasing toys.

Crafty gal Dawn of UK Lasse in the US generously shared her fabric dollhouse and barn tutorial a while back and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Call me crazy or a sucker for multi-purpose goodies but I'm thinking a certain little half-pint deserves to unwrap one of these super cute fabric homes this holiday season. And depending on how it goes maybe a few of her mini playmates will receive one as well. I can just see it now.

The only outdoorsy thing you've been doing lately seems to be mad dashes from your car to mall entrances. The kids are on constant buzz mode which only seems to be growing in intensity with each passing day drawing you closer to winter break. The insane holiday kookiness is surly pounding you something wicked. Right now you could use a little break to center yourself and recharge before the main event pummels you into next year.

Right now Threadless is holding their pretty awesome Annual Holiday Sale. For a few bucks you can cloth the uber-cools in your life with oodles of artsy irony. The sale includes quite a few $5 tees as well as some for $10 and $15. And let's not forget their super sweet hoodsies, part hoodie part onesie all fun, starting at $10.

Happy Thanksgiving from us to you. Eat lots of turkey, bite your tongue and hold your family tight. Enjoy.

Tis the season for giving and giving thanks. And as we watch our children make their way through mountains of presents it's important for them to understand that along with the getting it's nice to be giving. An easy way to accomplish this is by checking out what a group of Army Corps Engineers in Iraq are doing. They're asking for people to send gently used stuffed toys to the children of Iraq for them to distribute to some very grateful children.

Native tent making equals Thanksgiving fun. Why not get a little crafty with the kids and raise(make) a village and perhaps learn a little something about these cone shaped homes along the way?

Earlier this year the OLPC Organization and Amazon announced their future collaboration regarding the organization's "Give one, Get one" program.

Here come the holiday gift guides, just in time for Xmas/Hanukkah! This one is a kids tech guide. Check out the actual article for product links...

Grownups aren't the only ones who'll have plenty of toys to play with this holiday season. Kids can get in on the action with a surprising array of high-tech stuff to experience, too. I wish they had these toys, games, and gizmos on the market when I was a lad! Check out these options for the tech-obsessed youth on your shopping list.

That's when they say "a what-a what-ia for lunch?" What can be sweeter than mixing a history with food? Teaching through their tummies. And that's exactly what I love about this well put together Cornucopia Lunch recipe compliments of Gourmet Mom on the Go. Her how-to is complete with recipe and instructional video. She's even included a link to a "color and cut out cornucopia activity" and historical background information on the cornucopia.