My Latest Snag: Christmas Gifts for My Children.
I bought nearly all of my children’s Christmas gifts this past week, fearing sell-outs and shipping delays — the only items I am holding off on at the moment are articles of clothing/items I believe will go on sale as a part of Black Friday promotions. I did end up adding a couple of new items to our list that are idiosyncratic to the interests and needs of my children. We bought mini this extravagant Maileg dollhouse for the mice she’s been collecting since she was born. My mother-in-law and I have always had fun giving her Maileg gifts together, so she is planning on furnishing the house with precious Maileg furniture! I am so incredibly excited to set it up under the tree for her.
We also bought micro this Kartell ghost chair in blue, which, at first glance, sounds incredibly boring, but he and mini always fight over the pink Kartell ghost chair we have set up at mini’s small table in her bedroom, and now he is old enough to want to participate in projects, color, paint, etc.! At the moment, he also simply loves climbing into the chair and slipping out of it, climbing in, climbing out, climbing in, climbing out. I’m excited, too, to be able to occasionally serve them dinner at that table, sitting in those chairs, for special occasions. (On special occasion, we let them watch movies in the living room while eating dinner.) Note: if you are thinking you might have more than one child, and even if you aren’t, probably best to get a table with two chairs that go with it from the get-go, even just for entertaining other little friends. (This one is cute.)
I bought a couple of other smaller toy items for them both, many already shared on this list, as well as a Kiwi Crate subscription (STEM activities curated by age!), but I did also buy micro this service station. I love the Janod brand and I was feeling as though micro needed his own “play universe” — a true second child, he has simply played with everything mini owns, including her duplos, magnatiles, Little People. I wanted him to have something his own.
You’re Sooooo Popular: Gucci Flats.
The most popular items on le blog this week:
+These MAJOR Gucci flats. I guess we’re all in the mode of self-splurging and wanting special shoes for the holidays? (More trendy footwear here, and more chain-embellished goodies here.)
+Turtleneck sweatshirt. (I own in the tan color. It has a nice thin weight — easy to layer.
+CHIC melamine dinnerware set.
+My beloved bed blanket. (25% off with code STOKES.)
+One of my children’s favorite toys — GREAT gift. A slow-burn toy for sure.
+Lacquer trays at a great price.
+Cute under-$20 dress shoes for a little one.
Weekend Musings: Hitting the Reset Button.
How do you hit the reset button after a bumpy day, or week?
Earlier this week, my sister and I decided that we would not spend Thanksgiving Day together. She and her husband live in Brooklyn, and we had already all decided not to travel down to D.C. for the holiday to see our parents, but had been hanging on the hope of spending the day with one another given that we live across the bridge. Given the scary spikes in case counts, we made a somewhat last-minute decision against it. And though my brain and resolve told me one thing, my heart rioted. I found myself in a terse funk for the rest of the afternoon, unable to shake it off and baffled by the intensity of my response. I also couldn’t quite figure out what I felt — Upset? Sad? Disappointed? Caught off-guard? This shouldn’t be a surprise, I kept telling myself. We’ve canceled almost everything else anyway. What is really going on with you? It took a long, cold walk with Tilly and my own thoughts and then a long, tearful conversation with Mr. Magpie to realize I was, actually, angry! I was, to quote one of my favorite books on mini’s bookshelves, “mad…spicy mad.” I have felt many things this year about coronavirus, most of them on the sad and scared side of the emotional spectrum, but I hadn’t yet clocked anger.
I assume many of us feel this way right now. We are all fatigued and frustrated. News of the vaccine is spiriting, but it also leaves us feeling frenzied: can we hurry up?!? Can we fast-forward to the part where we have been inoculated? Ahh!
Mr. Magpie, ever the even keel, said two important things to me that night. First: “Let it all out.” And he stood in the kitchen across from me, nodding his head, as I unloaded. Then: “Now knowing that nothing we do today is going to change the outcome of Thanksgiving, how do we make tonight better? How do we hit the reset button for tonight?” And so we did all the things we have been doing since the dawn of this pandemic to muddle through: we hugged one another, we escaped into the TV (currently totally obsessed with the HBO show “The Undoing”), we sat down to a delicious dinner. And, just to make sure the reset button was fully depressed, I put on my favorite Hill House tartan nightgown, lit all the candles in our living room, and opened a bottle of champagne. It helped.
How do you hit the reset?
Post-Scripts: The Faux-Fur Vest.
+OMG I am obsessed with this longline grooved faux-fur vest (on sale). SO chic! Debating between the navy and burgundy…I need this.
+This pretty Dondolo dress was just restocked in all sizes!
+If you have been swooning over these Jimmy Choo mules (which I have been seeing everywhere and which would make the most FUN holiday shoe), know that Tory Burch has a similar style for about half the price.
+Just the cheeriest turtleneck sweater for a little one.
+Your at-home NYE look, sorted.
+Minor closet upgrade: going to put all of Mr. Magpie’s shoes in clear boxes. (More of my favorite home gear/organization items here.)
+Currently in the market for a bowling set for my little ones. We were really trying to think up more “active” activities for them as we head into the colder months, especially since we recently decided we will not send them to the playground anymore. This simple set is my front-runner since it has 10 pins (most of the toddler sets I’ve found only have five or six?) and I am anticipating my children will want to play at the same time? But then again…how gorgeous is this wooden set? Melissa & Doug always gets good reviews, too. Any suggestions?
+More indoor activities for small children here, and of course you could always go to my personal child activity guru, Myriam.
+This ultra-chic Maje cardigan is on sale!
+Advent starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving! (If you need a last-minute calendar for children, Target has some fun options here and here, and some Advent wreath ideas here.) I like to give mini (and now micro!) something small every day of Advent — sometimes a piece of chocolate or bundle of crayons and sometimes bigger items. It does take some advanced planning. A couple of things I have on hand this year: sticker books (we love the Usborne ones and these little Dover ones, which are perfect for commute to school on days where I need something to get her out the door), winter animal figurines (I can put one or two in the pocket every few days), WaterWows, play-doh.
+I have heard great things about this detangling brush. I adore my Mason Pearson brush but I do find I need a separate detangler just out of the shower, and have been using a Tangle Teezer for years now, which does a good job of working through snarls, but I find that I fling it out of my hand routinely. I wonder if the proper handled brush might be a better solution.