Joy

Most of you reading this blog know that I'm a Mormon, or member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as we call ourselves. (Yes! We really are Christians! Right there in the name of our church.) ;-)

One of the unique things about our Sunday meetings is that we have a "lay ministry," or no professionals at all--everyone in a leadership position is a volunteer. And since we have no professional pastor or minister, everyone who speaks or teaches in our Sunday meetings is also a volunteer! A few weeks ago, I was asked to speak on the topic of joy during our main Sunday meeting. Today happened to be our Christmas program (since many of the people in our congregation are graduate students and won't be here on Christmas, we do it a few weeks early).

So during today's meeting, after the sacrament was blessed and passed, our ward choir (again, all volunteers) sang "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." Then an older sister in our congregation gave a beautiful talk on coming to Christ, then the choir sang, "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful." And then I spoke, and then the choir and congregation together sang "Joy to the World" and the meeting ended and we went off to the next couple hours of church with individual classes for children, youth, and adults. (If you want to attend a meeting, come with me if you live locally--yay!!--or you can search for a local congregation using this website).

But anyway--this is the message I prepared and shared today.
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Good morning, brothers and sisters. I was asked to speak on joy today. I’d like to begin by giving you a bit of background on our family to contextualize some of my remarks. My husband, Neil, and I have been in school throughout the entirety of the fourteen years we’ve been married. We met at BYU just after he returned from his mission; he was a new freshman and I was a sophomore.  Our daughter Abigail was born at the end of my first year of graduate school; we have added five more children to our family while Neil has been pursuing a Ph.D. During this time, I have also taught concurrently at Purdue to support his studies. It has been a long road with many challenges.  At times, joy has been in short supply. In Psalms, we read that “weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” I have had many nights—and mornings—of weeping, but joy does come.

Elder Oaks teaches us that “joy is more than happiness. Joy is the ultimate sensation of well-being. It comes from being complete and in harmony with our Creator and his eternal laws.”

In my experience, joy is both something for which we must actively work and is the goal of our existence. As we learn in 2 Nephi when reading about the experience of Adam and Eve in the garden, Men—and women--are that they might have joy, but our knowledge of how exquisite this joy is is itself based upon the contrast with misery. This is something we see through Alma the Younger’s experience, when he remarks “there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.”

Elder Richard G. Scott teaches that “I do not minimize how hard some of these events are. They can extend over a long period of time, but they should not be allowed to become the confining center of everything you do. The Lord’s intent is that each of us finds joy, as [we] obey the commandments, have faith in the Master, and do the things that are necessary to have joy here on earth.”

This, then, begs the question—what do we do to have joy here on earth?

Our leaders teach that there are 3 levels of joy—the first is appreciating the simple beauties in life, and is akin to the way children view the world. Elder Oaks remarks, “When I think of happiness or joy in this life, I begin with some experiences that are simple and basic. I remember a two-year-old immersed in a soft ice cream cone. I think of a child loving a puppy or a kitten. The more mature can also experience joy in what is simple and basic—in flowers and other growing things, in a sunrise or sunset or other beauties of nature, in wholesome companionship.”

We can first find joy through appreciating the small but wonderful things in our lives. The second level of joy is actively seeking out ways to experience joyful moments in our lives.

In my own life, I have dealt with the specter of severe and debilitating depression. It has been a real effort for me to find joy in my life, and I have found that it is something that I have had to work very consciously to achieve. What I have learned, more than anything, is that joy does not always come on its own. I cannot sit back and wait for bliss to wash over me. I have to construct my life so that joyful moments are possible, likely, and frequent. Joy takes work. One thing we have done in our family is actually sitting down and making a list every season of the things we want to do together as a family. Doing this allows us to have time together where we actually enjoy being together, giving us the opportunity to feel that fleeting but incandescent joy in those idealized moments that do not come naturally in days that are otherwise packed with laundry, homework, and all the minutiae of daily life.

Additionally, Elder Scott specifically mentions being creative as a way to bring more joy into our lives: “Select something like music, dance, sculpture, or poetry. Being creative will help you enjoy life. It engenders a spirit of gratitude. It develops latent talent, sharpens your capacity to reason, to act, and to find purpose in life. It dispels loneliness and heartache. It gives a renewal, a spark of enthusiasm, and zest for life.”

Elder Oaks teaches: “Another source of happiness and mortal joy is the accomplishment of worthy goals, simple things like physical exercise or more complex goals like the completion of an arduous task.” I couldn’t agree more with this—I am an ardent runner for two reasons. One, in a more temporal sphere, is the feeling of joy and satisfaction I feel when I cross the finish line of a major goal race. Two, running alone is the time when I feel most connected to the Savior. It provides me the time and physical space away from the needs of my family and daily life to pray and listen for hours on end.

This brings me to the third way we find joy in mortality, which is of lasting and eternal significance--the joy that comes from a unification with our Heavenly Father and Savior as we strive to draw closer to them.

At our most recent conference, Elder Nelson taught, “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.

When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!”

At Christmastime, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who has bourne our griefs and carried our sorrows, who experienced the most bitter pains ever known so that we might in turn experience the most exquisite joy ever known—our redemption from sin, the reunification of body with spirit after resurrection, and our ability to live with God in the eternities. Surely, as the Psalmist wrote, this is a joy of the morning.

The Savior’s peace passeth all understanding. So does the joy which he offers us. Elder Nelson asks, “If we focus on the joy that will come to us, or to those we love, what can we endure that presently seems overwhelming, painful, scary, unfair, or simply impossible? What repenting will then be possible? What weakness will become a strength? What chastening will become a blessing? What disappointments, even tragedies, will turn to our good? And what challenging service to the Lord will we be able to give? Joy is a gift for the faithful  It is the gift that comes from intentionally trying to live a righteous life, as taught by Jesus Christ. Every day that you and I choose to live celestial laws, every day that we keep our covenants and help others to do the same, joy will be ours.”

We can find joy in our lives through striving to appreciate the small good things, the beautiful moments, through working to create more of these moments in a myriad of ways, and through striving for a deepened relationship with our Savior and Redeemer. In closing, I would like to share my favorite verses from the Book of Mormon, where the king of the Lamanites asks Aaron how he can draw closer to the Lord, saying:

"What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy."
And upon Aaron’s response that the king should repent and call upon the Lord, the king cries,

“O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day.”

As we, in turn, give away all our sins to know the Lord, as we strive to seek out joy in our daily lives, we can truly come to know him, to experience the peace which passeth understanding, to experience the fullness of joy that cometh in the morning with the Savior, and we will rejoice. May we at Christmastime and all year long strive to more fully appreciate the tremendous gifts which we have been given, and find joy in the journey back to our Father in Heaven. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Sources:

Richard G. Scott: Finding Joy in Life (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/04/finding-joy-in-life?lang=eng&_r=1)

Dallin H. Oaks: Joy and Mercy (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1991/10/joy-and-mercy?lang=eng&_r=1)

Russell M. Nelson: Joy and Spiritual Survival (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/10/joy-and-spiritual-survival?lang=eng&_r=1)

The Book of Mormon:
     2 Nephi 2: 25: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2.25?lang=eng
     Alma 22: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/22.18?lang=eng

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Favorite Christmas Books

This was SO HARD to narrow down my favorite Christmas books! We have two basketsfull sitting by our fireplace. Expect another post in a month or so on my favorite winter books because that's my sneaky way of sharing a few more favorites. ;-)




The Tale of The Three Trees--I don't think I have ever made it through this book without crying. Three little trees dream about their futures--one wishes to hold treasure, one wants to be a great sailing ship, and another wants to stand tall on the mountain and point to heaven. The three trees grow up and are chopped down. One becomes a lowly feed box for animals, but one night a mother puts her baby in the box and the little tree knows he is holding the greatest treasure in the world. The second tree becomes a little fishing boat, and one night when a man calms the storm, the tree knows he is carrying the King of heaven and earth. And the third tree is sawn into beams and left in a woodpile until the day she becomes the Savior's cross--when He is resurrected, she knows that "God's love had changed everything...it had made the first tree beautiful. It had made the second tree strong. And every time people thought of the third tree, they would think of God."

Seriously, I cry every time--it's such a beautiful little book.

 

The Friendly Beasts, illustrated by Tomie dePaola, is another fabulous one--it's an old English carol. The donkey, cow, sheep, and dove each take turns telling how they played a part in the Savior's first days on earth. It's a very simple tune with beautiful words, and my children all love to take turns singing different parts. The illustrations for this one are simple and lovely.

We love these sing-aloud books for Christmas, apparently, because I have three more favorite carols-turned-books! 

Good King Wenceslas is one of our favorite carols--I still remember Juliet singing loudly "Good King Wence is lost, looked out," when she was two or so. This version is beautifully illustrated and includes the full text, plus some simple sheet music in the back which Isaac is currently playing as I type. I love the message of this carol--the mighty serving the lowly: "Therefore, gentle folk, be sure, Wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing."

Perhaps my very favorite Christmas carol of them all is the Little Drummer Boy. I've searched for years and years to find a book about the carol, and last year I finally found this one! (Bonus: it is currently 1 cent on Amazon!) I love the message that even when we think we have nothing to give the Savior, our very best is good enough. (Okay actually my favorite carol is "In the Bleak Midwinter" for this reason, but...nobody's illustrating that one yet.) Really gorgeous illustrations on this one too, and another one that always makes me cry.

Hilary Knight's The Twelve Days of Christmas is such a gem. The illustrations are beautiful and intricate (my kids love following the antics of the little raccoon from page to page). I love everything that the "true love" gets up to with all her gifts...a packed poultry shed with tally marks for different types of birds on the side, canning pear jam, etc. So cute and such delightful illustrations--just total exuberance and joy! This is out of print, but you can pick up a copy for $4 or so and it is TOTALLY a steal.

Speaking of out of print books, I am so darn glad that Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree is back in print!! This is such a gem and one of the ones I remember most vividly from my childhood. Mr Willowby's Christmas tree is too tall for his parlor, so he chops off the top and that little top makes its way through household after household (each chopping off a bit more of the top as it grazes the ceiling) until the tiny tip of the tree makes its way to Mistletoe Mouse. Seriously just the cutest rhyming story with great illustrations--it's so fun to read, and one that practically begs for fun voices for all the different characters (including lots of animals!).


The other book I remember most vividly from childhood Christmases is The Christmas Tree That Grew (also out of print, also 1 cent on Amazon!). Three different families who occupy different levels of an apartment building and who know each other only in passing are united by a rapidly-growing Christmas tree, Totally impossible and totally the sweetest story ever.

It wouldn't be Christmas without How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This one stays out all year long and we read it all the time. I'm going to assume you know the plot, but make sure you read it with the Boris Karloff voice. ;-)


And Clement Moore's wonderful poem, "The Night Before Christmas" is one of my most beloved books. This edition, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline, is my favorite. I love all the tiny little details (in fact, I love them so much that our Christmas puzzle this year is very similar to that first page with the cutaway of the house!).

Last but not least, Eve Bunting's Night Tree is such a gem. A family goes every year "through the bright Christmas streets to where the dark and quiet begin" to decorate a tree for the animals (all kinds of edible goodies). I love this one so much. The text and illustrations are absolutely beautiful.

So those are my top favorites--but gosh it was hard to winnow them down! More favorites here just in case you're as obsessed as I am.

Did I miss any of your favorites? I'm always looking for new ones!!

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New floors + a few daily life photos

Over the last few weeks, virtually all our spare time has gone to ripping out linoleum/carpet to install new flooring, preparatory to (someday) selling our house. It's been a pretty monumental project and I am sooo happy it's 90% done! Just a few more transition strips to go and then it's all done.

First of all, I had NO idea how long it would take to get all the paper/glue off from under the linoleum. I hugely underestimated that part of the project (it ended up taking about 20 hours total, most of which I did solo). Basically the process was rip up the linoleum, which went pretty fast, and then soak the glue/paper in hot water and remove it with a drywall mud spreader one bit at a time. The places that had gotten a lot of foot traffic (i.e. the entire kitchen) were the hardest. In total, we did the kitchen, eating area, hallway between our kitchen and laundry room (which used to be carpeted), pantry, laundry room, and foyer. I also painted all the kickboards in the kitchen, baseboards in the pantry and laundry room, and walls in the laundry room behind the washer/dryer. This project also involved moving out the dishwasher, fridge, stove, washer, and dryer. Like I said...pretty intense. It took about three weeks doing it in chunks. 

Bare cement subfloor in our kitchen for about ten days...we broke a lot of stuff.

We lived with a partial floor like this for about five days...we had to be super careful not to step on the edges!

And the finished product!! So beautiful! So much easier to clean, and so lovely lovely lovely. We've done SO much work on this kitchen--new floors, painted the cabinets and changed all the hardware/hinges, removed horrible ugly tile backsplash (which necessitated redoing the drywall), installed new not-horrible ugly tile backsplash, replaced the faucet, painted walls (twice), removed awful wallpaper, etc.

Somewhere in there the kids had a piano recital...Isaac's first! All of them are thriving and learning, but Isaac is seriously learning by leaps and bounds. He LOVES piano lessons and piano practice--only one of my kiddos thus far where I have to set a time limit as to how long he can practice, rather than how long he must practice.

 Case in point...Isaac playing Christmas carols while Nathan plans his invasion of the Christmas village.

We're trying to train Matthew to sleep in his crib. It's hard. This picture is deceptive. 

Last week Abigail made some pretty darn delicious challah, start to finish all by herself.

 Abigail and Matthew cuddling before bedtime sometime last week...

And me with Matthew LONG after bedtime. Wishing he would go to sleep. 

Thanksgiving bits and pieces

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year hosting my parents, grandparents, and my sister Mary Beth. I was so glad they were all able to come spend the holiday with us! And our eleven pies. :-)

 

To be perfectly honest, the prep for this Thanksgiving was pretty intense. Due to people's work and travel schedules, I knew I was going to need to have just about everything possible done in advance, so I basically cooked nonstop for three days, plus the stuff I'd cooked and frozen a week or two in advance (actually, I made the meal we had Wednesday night way before Matthew was even born!). But all the prep paid off and Thanksgiving morning wasn't too crazy AND I even had time to sneak out, run a 5K, and set a new personal record, which I was soooo darn excited about! I did not think I was anywhere near in PR shape so soon after Matthew was born, but apparently I was (23:51, which is 7:41/mile). Also exciting because I've run more miles this week (36) than I have for months (only 30 mpw through the last few months of pregnancy/postpartum and then 32 & 34 the last two weeks), so it's nice to see all the hard work paying off and that I'm seeing gains in both mileage and speed (now ask me how I feel about running all those miles on a treadmill at 11 PM at night).

My mom's Thanksgiving table selfie...look how bright-eyed she is after flying from Hong Kong the day before! She spent 3 weeks visiting my younger sister Rosalind, who is living in HK for a year while her husband does a rotation there for work. Mom wasn't feeling too hot but she still came and was a delightful guest. :-)

Mary Beth holding Matthew right before his nap...haha, he's got some pretty droopy eyes!

And can you tell that my kids were NOT happy about letting their beloved aunt go? She had a 6 am meeting the next morning in her Chicago office. No fun the day after Thanksgiving, but she sure works hard!

Mary Beth had also gone to Hong Kong...she and my mom had all sorts of fun goodies and souvenirs to share with the rest of us!

This year we all used fabric markers on the tablecloth to write the things we were thankful for--I'm hoping that in another 30 years that tablecloth is full of awesome memories...which are still legible. 

Over the last few weeks I embroidered everyone's name on felt leaves to use as place cards. It was a fun little project to do while I was reading stories to the little boys in the afternoons.

More droopy-eyed Matthew on my lap. Poor little guy was starting to come down with a cold and not sleeping so well. 

My grandparents--such a treat to have them here! It's a big trip for them and I was so grateful that they were willing to come!!

 We blessed Matthew in our home on Friday morning (an ordinance in our church similar to christening). Neil gave him a wonderful blessing; my favorite promise was that Matthew will grow to be known as an honest and faithful man who serves his family and his Father in heaven. I was so grateful that my dad and my grandfather were able to be there to assist in the blessing, as well as one of my good friends from BYU days who is a member of our local clergy (huge thanks to him for being willing to come over on a holiday weekend!). I'm grateful for the good and righteous men in Matthew's life who will serve as examples to him as he learns and grows to be like them.

And then this is pretty much how I spent Friday afternoon after everyone left...I NEVER nap but man oh man I was so worn out! Then I woke up, ate some Thanksgiving leftovers, and ran 8 miles...and then did exactly the same thing on Saturday. 

Christmas Gift Ideas

I've been working on this post for a few weeks--I hope it's helpful!! I have benefited SO much from reading similar posts by other bloggers that I thought I should do the same and pay it forward. :-)  We have gone through what seems like a gazillion toys/books, but this list is whittled down to our very favorites. This definitely represents more of where my kids are now (i.e. no Barbies), but these are all toys that all of my children have loved, regardless of gender. They are also the toys that I love and really think are a good value for the amount of entertainment and fun that the kids get out of them. Forgive me for not having photos for every item but we're still in newborn mode and finding photos of everything was kinda hit and miss!

First of all--I am a huge huge huge fan of books for kids. We love the "something to read, something to play with, something to wear" as a starting point for gift ideas. If you're of a similar mind, I've got you covered for book recommendations! Helping your child to develop a love for books is such a tremendous gift. It's also one of my very favorite ways to spend time with my children and is the #1 thing I make sure we do every single day--whenever I am feeling cranky or irritated or frustrated I know that if I just snuggle up with a couple of kids and read aloud for awhile that my mood will improve 100%.

With that in mind, I've given quite a few book recommendations on this blog in the past, all of which are indexed here! This is the very first post I wrote about our favorites back in 2010. We're really into fairy tales, myths, and legends, and I've spent a lot of time searching out the most beautifully illustrated fairy tales I can find, so those are compiled here. Favorite books for each season are listed here (we like to pull out seasonal books and keep them in a basket). These ones have been real hits with my sons--for some reason it was more intimidating to me initially to figure out what my boys would love. Favorite authors, with our favorites by each author, are all grouped together on this post. And last but not least, our favorite chapter books for the elementary-aged set here.

For younger kids:

We loooove Little People...they are fun for older kids and choking-hazard-free for younger kids. These are ones that I don't mind having out on the floor with a baby crawling around! Perfect gnawing size without any ability to actually damage the toy by aforesaid gnawing. :-) We have a bunch of sets but the farm is the first one we started with, and one that's great for the littlest kids who are entranced by animals.

This Melissa and Doug bug jar is my very favorite baby toy--it's cute, makes a variety of interesting (but quiet!) noises, and it comes with its own storage case but is squishable so it doesn't take up much room in a diaper bag. If you buy one baby toy, let it be this.

Another one of my favorite toys for younger kids is a basic doll stroller (doll optional...our kids loved pushing around their dolls but used the stroller to give each other rides!)

A good wooden train set. We started off with that basic one from IKEA (such a great deal!) but we've loved adding on with more interesting Melissa and Doug pieces.

We also love this stackable wooden train, this wooden car carrier, and these stacking construction vehicles.

Puzzles:

Cubebot--I've mentioned these before, but they are so great! So compact--I always keep one in my purse for on-the-go entertainment (totally saved me in church this week with Nathan!). Perfect stocking stuffer.

My kids are totally obsessed with Perplexus--and they aren't the only ones! A few Christmases ago all of the adults were fighting with the kids over whose turn it was with Perplexus. There are a few different varieties out now but our favorite is the Epic.

Tangoes Junior is such a fun set for kids who are interested in puzzles and problem-solving. Isaac went through a stage where he did these for at least an hour every day. Since they're magnetic, they also work really well in the car.

And last but not least, actual puzzles! We have this big floor one and it's held up beautifully. The quality of Ravensburger puzzles is fabulous, but we've gotten lots of fun out of dollar store puzzles as well (they just don't last as long as the Ravensburger ones). My absolute favorites for younger kids are wooden puzzles made by Schylling, but I think those have been discontinued (have I really been having kids that long?!).

Building/STEM toys: 


Magnetic building tiles--there are lots of sets out there. My experience is that you need at least 100 pieces to make anything really cool, and it's best if you have lots of building pieces (i.e., those fence pieces are kinda a waste). The base plates are a nice addition too. These are the best deals I'm seeing right now--generally anything under $1/tile is a steal, and these are 30% less than that! Playmags 100-piece set or the Magnetic Stick and Stack 120 pieces. We've had no issues mixing different sets--the ones surrounding Nathan are Playmags and Magnatiles.

K'nex--another thing that my kids will spend hours and hours doing! This set has almost 900 pieces AND a booklet detailing 100 possible creations. I find that my kids are less "creative" with K'nex than with Legos (i.e. they really love the instructions to make new stuff, since it's not quite as easy to free-hand new creations), so that is a definite plus. We have this book and it's absolutely amazing.

We love, love, LOVE Legos. There are all kinds of great sets out there, but we are particularly partial to sets which can be configured multiple ways, like this dragon/scorpion/snake or this house. I have to say that I think the Lego City sets are a better value than the Lego Friends sets...the Lego Friends designers seem to have poured most of their energy into the tiny little accessories (which are cool!) but the pieces themselves aren't that interesting and seem to be more big chunks of bigger blocks than actual cool little intricate pieces that can be used in other builds later.

Design and Drill--this is a great toy starting at about age 2. We've even taken this on road trips! Lots of fun pattern ideas in the included cards, so this is a good toy for both younger kids (busily drilling in pegs wherever) and older (actually making more complex patterns).

Snap Circuits--Isaac has this set and has loved working his way through the 300 projects. It's super easy to figure out--really, as soon as a kid can read, they can use these. The projects start out very simply and progress to more complex schematics. Super great, seriously. One of the projects is to build a circuit that plays "Happy Birthday" and you better believe that Isaac builds that circuit every time it's someone's birthday so we can blow out candles to its accompaniment. (He also likes to build the radio circuit so he can listen to NPR...funny kid.)


Luke got these gears last year and has had a total blast with them. They come with a bunch of base plates, but my kids tend to build all kinds of hand-held structures with them (lightsabers!) and carry them around like that. Seriously tons of room for imaginative play with these!

He also loves these flexible tracks--you can build them in all kinds of configurations and the car zooms around and around.



This Roller Coaster Mini-Rail is one of Isaac's current favorites. Several different configurations in the instructions, plus you can manipulate it however you'd like. It's similar to Marble Run, but more complex and with more room for experimentation.

Miscellaneous:

A few years ago Juliet and Abigail decided they wanted to save up for American Girl dolls. It took quite awhile and they ended up taking it really seriously and researching the pricing and durability of different dolls, etc. In the end, they opted for these 18-inch Our Generation dolls and have loved them. Lots of cute outfits out there for them like this one, which is Juliet's current favorite.

We actually gave away our toy kitchen a few years ago (our girls loved it when they were small but the boys were much more interested in the real thing because it produced edible food...apparently they figured that one out pretty quickly). But we loved this set of wooden food--it held up well to Juliet constantly gnawing on it when Abigail created delicious feasts to share!

Pop Art beads--I originally bought these for Juliet, but I am constantly finding the boys decked out in fancy rings, bracelets, and necklaces. These toys are just too good to resist.




We've had a Marble Run set for years and years--it is one of our most-played with toys and one that "grows" well with kids as they make increasingly complex marble routes.

When Abigail and Juliet were younger, I kept these magnetic dress-up dolls in my purse. Perfect activity for the doctor's office, church, the car...I should see how the boys feel about them! :-)

If you have someone in your house who is obsessed with construction vehicles, this set is a must-have. (We have several, actually.) The little machines really can push around wheat berries, sand, dirt, Play-Doh...and they're inexpensive enough that you can easily replace them if lost/broken. Ours have lasted pretty well but eventually gave up the ghost after some seriously hard use.

Remote control vehicles are always a hit--we like this rock crawler and this helicopter. Both are inexpensive and simple enough to allow younger kids to use them without frustration.

Dress-ups! You can never go wrong with dress-ups--both Nathan and Luke have gone through stages where they practically live in costumes (for about two years I went everywhere with a kid in this monkey costume and Nathan is currently wearing this "fire puppy" outfit every day over his clothes). We always like to check out the Halloween costumes right after Halloween, but we've found the Melissa and Doug stuff is much better quality than the Halloween costumes sold in local stores. This fireman costume has been growing strong for almost five years now!

My parents gave Luke this lawnmower when he was two--it is one of our very favorites! It's been a great toy both indoors and outdoors and hasn't even faded or cracked after spending three summers outside in the sun. (I like it because the lid compartment is the first place my toddlers go to hide their loveys...makes my life a lot easier when I'm hunting for them at naptime!)

Books & Coloring:

If you missed the note earlier, for our favorite picture/chapter books, head on over here. I've got pages and pages of recommendations--by author, by season, by genre, by age level...

Star Wars Visual Dictionary--we have a few of these, and I am always amazed at how long my kids will spend looking at it, and how often they reread it. Seriously--this is a huge favorite and almost always out with someone poring over it! This one has more specific info about characters (like really mega in depth) and is also a big favorite.

Coloring books--my kids are HUGE fans of the Mindware count-by-numbers and mosaic books. They are SO worth the money...these last us for months and months, and the kids are so intent! (We especially love them for Conference weekend.)

On that note, Lego books are also a huge hit--we have several of the Idea books. This one is probably our favorite.

Board Games:
Isaac is standing here over my shoulder telling me that I should include Monopoly, Clue, and Settlers of Cataan. We're focusing instead on games that might be new to you. :-)

Battleship--okay, so this probably is an old favorite, but it is SO GOOD that we had to mention it anyway.

TransAmerica--this is like the kid-friendly version of Ticket to Ride (plus it goes a lot faster!) You can play just one round if you only have a few minutes, or you can play 5-6 rounds until your train "falls" off the board as you accrue excess points. This is probably our #1 family favorite these days.

King of Toyko--the kids love this one and will play round after round together. Basically everyone is a rampaging monster and you have to decide whether you're going to attack Tokyo and try to get more points, or play it safe on the defensive. :-)

Blokus--this is my favorite because it doesn't involve advanced strategy--you're responding in the moment to the actions of everyone else as you each try to lay out your 21 pieces while simultaneously blocking everyone else from laying out all 21 of theirs. Bonus: you end up with a really gorgeous mosaic when you're done. This game is simple enough that very young kids can play it, but complex enough that adults can really get into it. Totally my kind of game. :-)

Doodle Quest--another game that's perfect for young kids and adults alike! We've had some very intense family competitions here. :-)

And that should give you a good starting point! Let me know if I missed any of your especial favorites!!


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