It's been a little quiet on the blog lately. As we get closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas things tend to get a little crazy around here. There are so many parties to plan and attend, so many gifts to buy and make, so many winter activities to do and people to meet up with. If you are struggling to get through the holiday season like I am, I suggest you download one of these beautifully design holiday planners from Eliza Ellis. I cannot believe these are free! There are 7 gorgeous designs to choose from and so many different worksheets. Sometimes I just need to write things down to get organized and these planners are perfect for that.
We have a lot of family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we would like. So this year I'm going to put a little twist on Parker's Christmas list. How about instead of giving Parker a Christmas present our friends and family give him a Christmas gift? The gift of your time. We are blessed to have so many toys at home and Parker is far from needing a new one to add to his collection. Of course every kid loves new things but I challenge you, friends and family, to give him the gift of your time or an experience instead of a new toy or clothes. I know it may be difficult for those who live further away but that's why it's called a challenge! All we want for Christmas is you.
This post is inspired in large part by Christella Morris' The Gift of Not Giving a Thing and my older sister's confession that she stashes unopened Christmas and birthday gifts in her garage in an effort to cut down on the clutter.
Parker's Christmas List
1. Parker is obsessed with airplanes right now. I'm sure he would love another airplane toy. But you know what he would love even more? To spend a couple of hours watching planes take off from the airport or maybe visiting the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum on Miramar Road. The look on his face when he spots a plane in the sky is priceless.
2. Parker's other favorite thing right now is The Hulk. Or as he says it "Hulkiees". He freaking loves Hulk. Everything is "Iron Mans" (his term for all superheroes) and "Hulk" these days. There are literally hundreds of Hulk toys out there but you know what would be really cool? If you went to the Marvel Experience in February for Parker's birthday or came over and played superheroes with him for an afternoon. It would be a great opportunity to see his Hulk smash!
3. We love visiting new places and taking pictures for the blog. Little man literally has a camera in his face all the time. Parker is always curious of our Tuan's big camera and loves to push all the buttons. How about you take him out for a photo field day? It doesn't need to be anywhere fancy. He would probably get a kick out of taking photos of Frank or his toys. He could be the next Hawkeye Huey.
4. If you absolutely just want to buy a gift, Parker would love a gift subscription from Citrus Lane. Their boxes are always well curated and we can receive them throughout the year instead of just in December. Let's spread the love around.
5. We love reading books! Here are some books that I think Parker will really enjoy. The catch? Try to make time to read the book with him...over and over and over...
6. When in doubt, give cash. We're Asian, this is totally acceptable and most definitely preferred over new toys. Here are some creative ways to give cash gifts at Christmas time.
The bed is feeling a bit crowded these days with the addition of a slew of Parker's favorite superheroes. First we couldn't get him out of our bed, now we have to put up with all his friends too. We are still co-sleeping at 21 months.
Gobble gobble! Get your little one excited for Thanksgiving by making these festive and fun Turkey Spoon Puppets. These puppets are simple, inexpensive and fool proof. Kids can play with it as a toy or you can add it to your Thanksgiving tablescape. Ready to get started?
1. Cut masking tape into varying widths and wrap around the handle of the spoon.
2. Paint the spoon. Let dry for 1 hour. Remove tape once paint is dry.
3. Cut out beak and tattler shapes from felt. Glue beak, tattler and wiggly eyes to the head of the spoon.
4. Glue feathers to the back of the spoon. Let dry for 4+ hours so glue can completely set before playing with the puppets.
[All my supplies were purchased at Michaels except the wooden spoons. Not pictured: scissors and masking tape. Don't forget to use your 40% off coupon!]
[I saran wrapped Parker's high chair tray before I let him paint. The paint is easily removed with warm water and soap. He didn't want to wear the cute apron I bought him so I put him in a throw away shirt. I knew there was a purpose for those tacky souvenir shop tshirts!]
[Parker and Kaden's spoons after painting. All of the colors from the paint set mixed so well together. I love how they turned out. The slight shimmer is fantastic.]
[I placed two glue spots on the spoons and let him add the eyes]
Update: Congrats to @bongla12! You've won our very first giveaway. Thanks for being a loyal reader. We hope your little one loves her new princess tee!!
As much as I love dressing Parker up in button downs, a cool tee is my go to item when I know we are going to be out playing. The "Eat, Football, Sleep" tee from KidTeez is my new fave in Parker's current rotation. Seriously, how cool does he look? I love the typographic art.
Let's take a moment and talk about how excited I am that he finally fits 2T clothes. The possibilities are endless now that he is out of onesies (though KidTeeZ carries those as well)! I want to note that KidTeeZ is currently switching the type of t shirts they print on. Parker is wearing a 2T shirt in their old tee and it fits perfectly. I also have some 2T shirts in their new tee and they are HUGE. Like down to his knees huge. The discrepancy in size is crazy but they are working on transitioning all their tee designs to the new tees. I have to say that the new tees have a nice slub to them and are softer. It's like humor and comfort had a love child.
Now let's get to the exciting part. The folks over at KidTeeZ have generously partnered with me to giveaway a tee to one of YOU! This is the first giveaway on the Parker Project Blog and I hope you enter and share this with all your friends.
Giveaway Rules
To win a free tee (up to $15 value), follow @kidteez and @sdmama on Instagram and leave a comment below letting me know which tee you would like to win. A winner will be announced on November 6. There are hundreds of different designs to choose from on https://www.kidteez.com/!
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[Sneak peek of Parker courtesy of Hello Pinecone Photography]
Last year, we took a cute photo of Parker for our holiday cards and called it a day. I had just discovered Hello Pinecone Photography and we missed Erin's mini sessions by a week. A week! Ugh. Fast forward one year, this mama was determined to get glammed up to have our holiday photos taken by Erin. Outfit planning for holiday our mini session with Erin was fun. I started with finding a color scheme that hinted at holidays without screaming CHRISTMAS. Once that was decided on, I found the perfect sequin dress at H&M and Tuan and Parker's outfits fell into place. I love the detail on the J Crew sweater Tuan wore and Parker's little blue coat. What are you planning to wear for your holiday photos this year?
Also, reminder that today is the last day to enter the giveaway. Click on this link for more details.
It's official. We have rehomed Beans. The decision to rehome him was a hard one to make but after his week long "vacation" at Kristen's house, it was clear that it was the right decision to make. Beans has always been a cuddle bug and it was hard to give him all the attention he deserves because Tuan and I are both allergic to pet dander (Tuan much more than me). After Parker came along, I had even less time to spread the love around to my fur babies. Now he gets all the cuddles from his new mom. He gets to hang out on the couch, watch tv and veg out. He gets to go on walks where he barks at old ladies in North Park. Thank you Kristen for being awesome and loving Beans and all his fatboy cuteness!
