gifts? no gifts? or saving for gifts?

Last week I posted about Owen's GEO party...and I'm so happy to hear there are other geology-loving kids out there too!  Such a great thing to be into.

Some of you left comments about the party invitation I created in Illustrator---specifically the part about "please no gifts, just come play with us".  This is actually a topic that's been on my mind for a while now, so I thought I'd write this follow-up post to see how you guys feel about it too. 

Parties are so much fun.  And I really feel like it's more about having fun with people you love, rather than parents feeling obligated to run to the store 20 minutes before the festivities, to buy a random gift for the birthday kid. 

Now that being said, we've gone both ways with gift-giving at our house.  Some years people have brought gifts; and other years I've written "no gifts please".  And I definitely discussed the topic with Owen first, so he understood that we would still give him a few family gifts on his actual birthday.  But this was more of a celebration for him and his friends.  And he was totally fine with it.  In fact at the end of the party he said "For my whole life, I'm never EVER going to forget that party! And the treasure hunt!" (even though his friend's ended up with most of the treasure) Oh man, heart-bursting.  Those words made it all worth it.



I guess I'm just testing out all the waters; trying to see where we all feel comfortable.  And I'm not sure what the answer is.

But sometimes--and I don't mean to offend here---I think gift-giving at kids' parties is a bit excessive.  It just seems that when I show up to a party and there's a giant mound of gifts piled on the fireplace, which sometimes aren't even opened till after the guests have gone home...well, it just feels unnecessary.  And I don't mean to be a downer about it.  I know giving gifts is fun!  I love finding that perfect gift for someone I care about--something I know they'll love.  But I also know that it can be hard to find a birthday gift, when you feel obligated to bring one, or when you're not really sure what the child's interests are, or when you're trying to stay within a budget.
If I'm going to give a gift, I just want it to be meaningful.  And sometimes that can be hard to figure out.

Do you guys feel that too?
Am I alone here?
You can just call me Scrooge.  It's okay.

But before we go there, let me share a cool idea that really got me thinking, outside of the box....outside of the wrapping paper box?  Eh?  Eh?  Because a company called Sow contacted me and I really like their concept.

You know that I only partner with brands that I feel are worthwhile and clever.
And this is a really great idea---it's such a smarter way to give gifts.  So tell me what you think of this...

Instead of giving traditional gifts to someone, on Sow you give goals.
Meaning, instead of giving a somewhat random gift you can give a monetary donation to help a sower reach all types of goals like a college fund, a special trip to Grandma's house, baseball camp, a new bike....whatever that Sower is working towards.
And anyone can sow, at any age, and for any reason.  Totally awesome.  I'd love to put $10 towards my niece's Sow project, rather than buying some random princess toy that she might not even like (and which will probably end up in the thrift store pile in a few months...cause that's what happens at our house)

The funny thing is, Casey and I have been doing a very similar thing over the years for his parents, with birthday and Christmas gifts.  We just didn't know there was a website for it.  Well, there wasn't. But now there is!  In lieu of gifts for his parents, we've been putting some money in their bank account to be used JUST for fun trips and travel.  But the Sow site makes all of that even easier. 
And it's easy to open an account--it's free. Yay!

So for a child's birthday party, or for grandparents that don't know what to get for the grand kids, or for that special graduation gift, etc. this would be a really fun way to give and support a goal for someone; something that has a really big payoff.
It's pretty genius.  And I love the video explaining how mom Tanya came up with the idea.

What do you guys think?  About gift-giving in general and about Sow?
I'd love to know your honest thoughts....cause I'm still figuring it all out.
But Sow sounds like the new way of giving.  A way to give with a purpose, that is.
I guess I should make my inlaws a sign that says "i sow....for travel...."

"Mom! Her camera prints magic pictures!"

A fun thing happened this week....I finally got a FujiFilm Instax Camera! (amazon link)
Well, I guess "we" got a camera.
It sort of belongs to Lucy, and me.

And we've gone crazy taking pictures.
Cause it's a whole new art, and adventurous way of taking pictures!  INSTANT photos you can actually hold and share with a friend?...like it was in the good old days?? Yes! But improved, with more features, a tripod mount, selfie options, a cute rectangle shape. 
It totally blew my kids' minds.  And I'd forgotten how fun it was to HOLD a real picture. And to have that instant fun. 

You see, Lucy's friend got an Instax Mini 8 Camera (amazon link) for Christmas (which comes in the cutest colors, omg---Yellow, Pink, Raspberry (amazon links) Ahhh!)...and it sort of started the whole conversation.  She hung out at her house one afternoon and they took all sorts of cute pics together and wrote little notes to each other on the bottom.  And when she got in the car, she kept telling me about this cool camera Kaytlin had.   It was a camera that could take pictures and print them RIGHT away!  I had to chuckle.  What a different age she's growing up in.
Then she said, oh Mom, I would totally love one for my birthday!

And then another fun thing happened.
That very week I was contacted by FuijiFilm to see if I'd like to try out their Instax Mini 70 Camera.
Haha. Timing is everything.

Why YES Fujifilm.  In white or yellow please!
A week later this showed up on my door:

....which just made me smile.  A cute little white camera!  Mmmm.  It's so small and lightweight; it's such a great size and fits right in one of my zipper pouches.  Of course we may need to get a cute case (amazon link) for it too.  But I like how this pouch can hold the camera and some packs of film (amazon link)

So the day it arrived I wrapped it up in a box, and Lucy was super surprised on her birthday that I actually remembered our conversation about the camera.  Heh Heh.

And then I informed her that I might need to use the camera at times as well, which she was cool with.  And then we started taking pics and figuring out the settings, and flash vs no flash, AND...taking selfies.
First try, we only got Owen's eye.  Second try, we noticed the "selfie mirror" on the front.  DUH.
And we got both eyes in.

You see, a whole new exciting art to explore: the Instax Selfie.
I mean look at the cute little mirror on the lens!  Brilliant.

I honestly wasn't expecting to have as much with the photos as we've been having.  We all love watching the "magic" happen as the film develops.  And whenever a friend comes over, it's time to take a pic and give them a souvenir when they leave.



There are so many ways you can display the photos:
• on a cute rope with clothespins
• on a magnet board
• taped to the wall
• you can trade them with friends and writes notes on the white space
• mail one to your grandma
• use your Instax for a photobooth!  Instant photos to pass around.

But here's what I'm doing with ours.....

Last year I started a guest book for our new house, and I wanted it to be more than just names.  I thought it would be fun to take a picture of each person that stayed, paste it in the book along with their personal note, and then it would be a Guest scrapbook thing.

But it just wasn't working.
Since I couldn't print the photo right away, I'd ask them to leave room on the page for a photo (which I planned to insert later)...and I never knew exactly what the size of the photo would be.  So instead I have blank pages waiting for photos.  Or pages with photos and no messages.
Bascially---Fail.

So instead I bought a normal Guest Book and we started using that, which has been fine. 

But when the Instax mini showed up, the whole vision came together!
Ahhhh.
INSTANT photos is what I was missing!

I mean, seriously.  How perfect??

Now a guest can take a photo, or two, or three, whenever they want.  They can tape it into the book, write a little message, and the scrapbook will start working!  They can even draw pictures or doodle or whatever sparks their interest.  I can totally picture my Dad getting into this.

I know it sounds silly, but I'm so happy I figured this out.  And how convenient that I left a blank page at the beginning of the book to get the party started.   The kids and I snapped a photo of each person in our family and wrote our own message on the first page:

Now whenever a guest comes....I'll (ask Lucy if we can borrow the camera) and set the supplies and some welcome goodies out in the room.
Instant happiness in the works.
Yay!

Okay. Have you ever wanted an Instax camera?
Now's your chance.  Today FujiFilm is giving away a $100 VISA card that you can use toward the purchase of your own camera and film.....

New Video: How to grow Wheatgrass, for Easter! for Home Decor! for juicing

Spring is officially here!
I mean, it was 90 degrees today in Texas. What?  I guess the groundhog was right.
It's here early.
And so I've been rushing to get this new video out to you guys....because it just screams Spring time!

And it's something I've been dying to share with you for a year now, ever since my friend Katherine showed me how simple it was....

 Just take a little bit of wheat (I purchased mine here)
And turn it into Wheatgrass!
It's so much fun to watch---for the whole family.

My kids love it when I start growing grass, so they can see the progress happening each day.
And in just a week, you have darling springtime grass.

Which looks so cute all bushy in a large container.

Or you can grow grass in little containers and place them in your window sill, or use them as name place holders for a party, then give them away as gifts!
So many options.  And SO perfect for Easter! (coming up in 10 days)

You're going to die at how simple this is....easier than other processes I've read about.Come watch!

Just hit the Play button below and enjoy. [tube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4CeHc21lJM, 680,383[/tube]

Owen's Geo Birthday Party, with gifts? or no gifts? 2

Owen is obsessed with gems, minerals, diamonds, and anything that sparkles. It must be the age, because a lot of his friends are into them too.   If it's library day, he's checking out books about emeralds.  If he's in the backyard, he's searching for "gems" under the deck.  For Christmas, Casey even got him a small pickaxe, so he can break rocks open and search for geodes.
It's a good thing his Grandpa is a geologist.  He's got all the expert info he needs.

So for Owen's 8th birthday, I asked if he wanted to have a GEO party with his friends---something based on geology, geometry, and geodes.
SURE!!
He was totally into it.

And it was such an easy party to throw.
I guess because I like to keep birthday parties simple...just a few games/activities, a few treats, and plenty of time for the kids to play.

I also like to keep the groups smaller, about 8 kids or less, so it's almost like a play date.  Cause I just feel like some of the kids get lost in the large group, including the birthday kid.

To prep for the party, I gathered some simple treasures that I knew Owen and the other kids would like--fake diamonds, fake gold pieces, rock candy, chocolate coins, and plastic coins.  My original idea was to hide gems and gold in the dirt and let the kids go digging for them, like a geologist.   But then Casey thought it would be more exciting to have an actual treasure hunt.   So while the party was happening, he and Lucy came up with riddles and clues, and hid packages of treasure in different spots around the yard.  Then I had little gold buckets for each child to hold their treasures as they found them---which became their party favors to take home!

For the geometry part of the party I covered the table with brown painter's paper, and as the kids arrived at our house, they could draw shapes and pictures all over the table while eating snacks and pizza.

Then we did something I've always wanted to do!

The classic toothpicks + marshmallows thing!  Haha. Does it have a sophisticated name?  It's been floating around Pinterest for years.  And before Pinterest, I'm sure it was floating somewhere else.
And you know what....it was so fun!  Why have I waited so long to do it??

After the party Casey and I even sat at the table and made shapes for about an hour.  Simple pleasures.  And the kids were so proud of their creations.  I think one of these was a space craft??

After geometry fun, we played some other simple games, had the treasure hunt---which the kids LOVED and went crazy over.  We had the famous:

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake.

Yummmm.

I could eat it every day.
And that was pretty much the party...in a short 2 hours!

Because, aside from diamonds and marshmallows, here comes the slightly more serious part of the post....
Well, it's not serious.  But it's something I've been thinking about for a while and I'd love to know your thoughts.

Instead of opening birthday gifts, we opted to write "no gifts please" on the invitation...and I discussed it with Owen before doing it and he was totally fine with it.  In fact at the end of the party he said "For my whole life, I'm never EVER going to forget that party! And the treasure hunt!" (even though his friend's ended up with most of the treasure) Oh man, heart-bursting.  Those words made it all worth it.



So, we've gone both ways with gift-giving at our house.  Some years people have brought gifts; and other years I've written "no gifts please".  I guess I'm just testing out all the waters; trying to see where we all feel comfortable.  And I'm not sure what the answer is.

But sometimes--and I don't mean to offend here---I think gift-giving at kids' parties is a bit excessive.  It just seems that when I show up to a party and there's a giant mound of gifts piled on the fireplace, which sometimes aren't even opened till after the guests have gone home...well, it just feels unnecessary.  And I don't mean to be a downer about it.  I know giving gifts is fun!  I love finding that perfect gift for someone I care about--something I know they'll love.  But I also know that it can be hard to find a birthday gift, when you feel obligated to bring one, or when you're not really sure what the child's interests are, or when you're trying to stay within a budget.

Do you guys feel that too?
Am I alone here?
You can just call me Scrooge.  It's okay.

But before we go there, let me share a cool idea that really got me thinking, outside of the box....outside of the wrapping paper box?  Eh?  Eh?
A company called Sow (not to be confused with Sew. Haah) contacted me and asked if I'd share an idea with you.

And you know that I only partner with brands that I feel are worthwhile and clever.
And this is a really great idea---it's such a smarter way to give gifts.

On Sow, you give goals to someone, instead of giving gifts.
Meaning, instead of giving a somewhat random gift, you can give a monetary donation to help a sower reach all types of goals like a college fund, a special trip to Grandma's house, baseball camp, a new bike....whatever that Sower is working towards.  And anyone can sow, at any age, and for any reason.  It's so awesome!  I'd love to put $10 towards my niece's Sow project, rather than buying some random princess toy that she might not even like (and which will probably end up in the thrift store pile in a few months...cause that's what happens at our house)

The funny thing is, Casey and I have been doing a very similar thing over the years for his parents, with birthday and Christmas gifts.  We just didn't know there was a website for it.  Well, there wasn't. But now there is!  In lieu of gifts for his parents, we've been putting some money in their bank account to be used JUST for fun trips and travel.  But the Sow site makes all of that even easier. 
And it's easy to open an account--it's free. Yay!

So for a child's birthday party, or for grandparents that don't know what to get for the grand kids, or for that special graduation gift, etc. this would be a really fun way to give and support a goal for someone; something that has a really big payoff.
It's pretty genius.  And I love the video explaining how mom Tanya came up with the idea.

What do you guys think?  About gift-giving in general and about Sow?
I'd love to know your honest thoughts.
Because Sow sounds like the new way of giving.  A way to give with a purpose, that is.
I guess I should make my inlaws a sign that says "i sow....for travel...."

-

Owen's GEO Birthday Party, with gifts? or no gifts?

Owen is obsessed with gems, minerals, diamonds, and anything that sparkles. It must be the age, because a lot of his friends are into them too.   If it's library day, he's checking out books about emeralds.  If he's in the backyard, he's searching for "gems" under the deck.  For Christmas, Casey even got him a small pick ax, so he can break rocks open and search for geodes.
It's a good thing his Grandpa is a geologist.  He's got all the expert info he needs.

So for Owen's 8th birthday, I asked if he wanted to have a GEO party with his friends---something based on geology, geometry, and geodes.
SURE!!
He was totally into it.

And it was such an easy party to throw.
I guess because I like to keep birthday parties simple...just a few games/activities, a few treats, and plenty of time for the kids to play.

I also like to keep the groups smaller, about 8 kids or less, so it's almost like a playdate.  Cause I just feel like some of the kids get lost in the large group, including the birthday kid.

To prep for the party, I gathered some simple treasures that I knew Owen and the other kids would like--fake diamonds, fake gold pieces, rock candy, chocolate coins, and plastic coins.  My original idea was to hide gems and gold in the dirt and let the kids go digging for them, like a geologist.   But then Casey thought it would be more exciting to have an actual treasure hunt.   So while the party was happening, he and Lucy came up with riddles and clues. And I had little gold buckets for each child to hold their treasures as they found them---which became their party favors to take home!

For the geometry part of the party I covered the table with brown painter's paper, and as the kids arrived at our house, they could draw shapes and pictures all over the table while eating snacks and pizza.

Then we did something I've always wanted to do!

The classic toothpicks + marshmallows thing!  Haha. Does it have a sophisticated name?  It's been floating around Pinterest for years.  And before Pinterest it was floating somewhere else.
And you know what....it was so fun!  Why have I waited so long to do it??

After the party Casey and I even sat at the table and made shapes for about an hour.  Simple pleasures.  And the kids were so proud of their creations.  I think one of these was a space craft??

After geometry fun, we played some other simple games, had the treasure hunt---which the kids LOVED and went crazy over.  We had the famous:

Chocolate Marshmallow Cake.
Yummmm.

And then, instead of opening gifts....for we opted to write "no gifts please" on the invitation (and I discussed it with Owen before doing it).  What do you think about that?  I'd love to know your thoughts...because the whole gift-giving thing has been on my mind for a while.  And I'm not sure what the answer is. 

Sometimes--and I don't mean to offend here---I think gift-giving at kids' parties is a bit excessive.  And we've gone both ways on it at our house.  Some years, people have brought gifts; and other years I've written "no gifts please".  I'm guess I'm just testing out all the waters; trying to see where we all feel comfortable.
But it seems that when I show up to a party and there's a giant mound of gifts piled on the fireplace, which sometimes aren't even opened till after the guests have gone home...well, it just feels excessive.  And I don't mean to be a downer about it.  I know giving gifts is fun!  I love finding that perfect gift for someone I care about--something I know they'll love.  But I also know that it can be hard to find a birthday gift, when you feel obligated to bring one, or when you're not really sure what the child's interests are, or when you're trying to stay within a budget.

Do you guys feel that too?
Am I alone here?
You can just call me Scrooge.  It's okay.

But before we go there, let me share a very cool idea that really got me thinking, outside of the box....outside of the wrapping paper box?  Eh?  Eh?
A company called Sow (not to be confused with Sew. Haah) contacted me and asked if I'd share about this with you.

And you know that I only partner with brands that I feel are worthwhile and clever.
And guys this is a really good idea---it's such a smarter way to give gifts.

On Sow, you give goals to someone, instead of giving gifts.
Meaning, instead of giving a somewhat random gift, you can give a monetary donation to help a sower reach all types of goals like a college fund, a special trip to Grandma's house, baseball camp, a new bike....whatever that Sower is working towards.  And anyone can sow, at any age, and for any reason.  It's so awesome!  I'd love to put $10 towards my niece's Sow project, rather than buying some random princess toy that she might not even like.

The funny thing is, Casey and I have been doing a very similar thing over the years for his parents, with birthday and Christmas gifts.  We just didn't know there was a website for it!  Well, there wasn't. But now there is!  In lieu of gifts for his parents, we've been putting some money in their bank account that was JUST to be used for fun trips and travel.  But the Sow site makes all of that even easier. 
And it's easy to open an account--it's free. Yay!

So for a child's birthday party, or for grandparents that don't know what to get for the grand kids, or for that special graduation gift, etc. this would be a really fun way to give and support a goal for someone; something that has a really big payoff.
It's pretty genius.  And I love the video explaining how mom Tanya came up with the idea.

What do you guys think?  About gift-giving in general and about Sow?
I'd love to know your honest thoughts.
Because Sow sounds like the new way of giving.  A way to give with a purpose, that is.
I guess I should make my inlaws a sign that says "i sow....for travel...."

-------------------------------------------

Yummmm.
I could eat it every day.

And then, aside from diamonds and marshmallows, here comes the more serious part of the post....

Well, it's not serious.  But it's something I've been thinking about for a while, and I'd love to know your thoughts.

Instead of opening birthday gifts....for we opted to write "no gifts please" on the invitation...and I discussed it with Owen before doing it and he was totally fine with it.  In fact, at the end of the party he said "As long as I live, I'm never EVER going to forget that party! And the treasure hunt!" (even though his friend's ended up with most of the treasure) Oh man, heart-bursting.  Those words made it all worth it. 

But we've gone both ways with gift-giving at our house.  Some years, people have brought gifts; and other years I've written "no gifts please".  I guess I'm just testing out all the waters; trying to see where we all feel comfortable.  And I'm not sure what the answer is. 

But sometimes--and I don't mean to offend here---I think gift-giving at kids' parties is a bit excessive.  It just seems that when I show up to a party and there's a giant mound of gifts piled on the fireplace, which sometimes aren't even opened till after the guests have gone home...well, it just feels unnecessary.  And I don't mean to be a downer about it.  I know giving gifts is fun!  I love finding that perfect gift for someone I care about--something I know they'll love.  But I also know that it can be hard to find a birthday gift, when you feel obligated to bring one, or when you're not really sure what the child's interests are, or when you're trying to stay within a budget.

Do you guys feel that too?
Am I alone here?
You can just call me Scrooge.  It's okay.

But before we go there, let me share a cool idea that really got me thinking, outside of the box....outside of the wrapping paper box?  Eh?  Eh?
A company called Sow (not to be confused with Sew. Haah) contacted me and asked if I'd share an idea with you.