Thursday, December 5, 2013

Christmas List ~ 2013

Once again I am posting my childrens' Christmas wish list.  Things are a little different this year than they have been in previous years.  We used to set a budget for each child and buy them as many gifts as we could within that budget.  While it was great that we stuck to a budget and didn't go into debt for the holidays, it was bad because our kids were getting way too many gifts.  Christmas morning was turning into a nightmare.  The kids would open gift after gift without showing much appreciation to the giver or all of the thought and effort that went into that gift....not exactly how I want my children to celebrate Christmas. 

So, this year we changed how we do things.  We still set a budget for each child to make sure we didn't go into debt, however, we are only buying each child three gifts.  They will get something they want, something to read and something to wear.  They will still get gifts from other family members but at least the gifts coming from Mom and Dad will be limited to three.  I am also going to try to fill their stockings with things they actually need (socks, new undies, cool toothbrushes) or things that they actually really want (small Lego sets, favorite candy, art supplies) instead of random junky toys that I find at the Dollar Spot. 

*Small confession ~ I didn't actually just stick to only one item for each category.  For instance, each child did receive a few books bundled together, however, I figured this was ok because books are fabulous and not junk!  Plus, my kids are reading nuts and would fly through one book by the time lunch rolled around on Christmas day.  I also got them more than one item of clothing but again I think that's ok since they actually really need winter clothing. 

So, without further ado, here is what the Herrera kids are getting for Christmas!

~ Annie~

Want ~ Disney Infinity for the PS3  I was so lucky and stumbled upon a great deal for this the week of Thanksgiving!  It is normally priced at $75, which I was prepared to spend.  I noticed that it was going to be on sale for half of that on Thanksgiving night, however, I was not going to leave my family and guests to go shopping on Thanksgiving.  I wandered into Target earlier in the week with the intention of buying this at full price.  Thanks to a wonderful guy in the electronics department though I got it for half of that!  Apparently, Target already had it marked down on their website so they price matched it for me!  Score!!!  Annie's grandmother and great-grandmother are getting her some of the characters to go along with this system (the Frozen girls, Dash and Violet from The Incredibles).

Wear ~ Annie has a thing for owls these days so I knew this shirt from Old Navy would be perfect!  She also asked for a fleece or sweatshirt so I got her this one, also from Old Navy.

Read ~ Annie is a big fan of the Warriors book series and a new one was just released so that is what she got!  I also have a dear friend (Hi Heather!) that is a rep for Usborne books so I got Annie this book to feed her creative side.  I also purchased her a few Nancy Drew graphic novels that were on her list.

~ Megan ~

Want ~ Megan has really been into Legos lately.  So, when she asked for the Lego Friends Summer Riding Camp I knew it was worth the money.  It would be something that she would play with for hours.  I never see Legos as a waste of money because they are the one toy that is consistently played with by all of my children at various ages.  I got a great deal on this right before Thanksgiving and only paid about half of what it is going for now!

Wear ~ I opted to get Meg a dress from Old Navy and a shirt from Gymboree.  It's so hard buying clothes for girls at this age.  Most stores carry things that are either too grown up or too childish for this age.  I would venture to say that the majority of Gymboree's clothing is too childish for Meg but occasionally I will run across something that I just know she will love.  That was the case with this shirt!  It's trendy chevron plus it's sparkly! 

Read ~ Of all of my children, Meg is the one who is not a book lover.  She reads when the mood strikes her, which is pretty much never.  She does still enjoy reading the Rainbow Magic Fairies books so that is what I went with.  I also ordered her a couple sticker books that she enjoys doing.

~ Lily ~

Want ~ Here again is another Lego fan!  Lily wanted the Lego Ninjago Golden Temple, so that is what she will be getting.

Wear ~ I ordered several shirts/leggings sets from Gymboree for Lily.  She prefers to wear dresses for the most part, however, that can be a bit chilly in the colder months.  She will wear leggings and tunics if they are soft and comfy.  Gymboree has the most comfy leggings for my Lily so I ordered her some with matching tops.  I also ordered her a skirt that coordinates so she can mix and match a bit.

Read ~ Lily is really into comic book style books these days.  A big favorite with her is the Tiny Titans graphic novels, but since we own all of those I went with a Superman version instead.  She is really into super heroes these days so I figured this would work well.  I also ordered her some new Lalaloopsy easy reader books and a few sticker books (like Megan).

~ Noah ~

Want ~ Yet another Lego fan!  Instead of a specific set of Legos I purchased a big bucket of Legos for Noah.  I ordered it from the Lego website, which oddly enough seemed to have the best price on it.  I also ordered him a box of doors and windows so he can build houses to his heart's content.  I did purchase him one small set of Lego monster trucks since he loves anything that combines Legos and cars!

Wear ~ Noah was in need of a pair of winter boots.  So, I found a cute pair of slip on winter boots at Old Navy that would fit the bill.  He is forever playing outside, even with cold and yucky weather.  He had an old pair of rain boots that he favored but the lining had become detached and they were a bit on the small side.  Not to mention that his feet would get cold in the winter months.  So, now he has a warm pair of boots that he can pull on himself and head outside to play in the muck this fall/winter/spring.

Read ~ I opted for another Usborne book.  See Inside Trains looked like it would be right up his alley.  I also ordered a beginner dot-to-dot book from Usborne that I can use to help him with his numbers.

~ Claire ~

Want ~ Claire is into horses.  She loves anything that has a horse on it.  She calls them "neighs" and pretty much goes nutso when she sees a real horse.  So, I knew that getting her the Klip-Klop Stable was the way to go.  She will have so much fun with this!

Wear ~ I ordered Claire some leggings/shirt sets from Gymboree.  She is always in need of new clothing since she is forever staining her clothing.  Gymboree had a great 40% off sale right before Thanksgiving so I took advantage of that along with a 20% off coupon.  Claire wont really care about new clothes but I really enjoy shopping for my last little girl.

Read ~ I ordered Claire a book from Usborne.  It's called On the Farm and it looks super cute!  I also plan to find a paint with water book for her.

So, that's it for the Herrera kids!  I think they will all be happy with their gifts and I am certainly happy that we won't have a living room taken over by ten million and one gifts and kids with bratty attitudes on Christmas morning.