Hey y’all,

It’s here!!! My Holiday Gift Guide for 2018 is live, which is crazy because that means Christmas is around the corner!

This year, I’m focusing on two main ideas or themes, with a few “wild card” gifts thrown in the mix- books and reading, and self-care. It didn’t happen on purpose, it just so happens that those are the products that have most caught my interest this year!

First up, of course, in the spirit of the holidays, are the perfect gifts for the kiddos in my life! Like I said, I am loving books for my kiddos this year, but of course they have their fair share of toys sprinkled in!

For the Kids

Captain LaPlank: The Perfect Pirate

Captain LaPlank: The Perfect Pirate is a funny, engaging new book that my kids are pretty obsessed with right now! This great read entertains while ever so subtly delivering a message around imperfection, leadership, and learning to live with mistakes.

I love this book because the rhyming pirate adventure tells a funny story of LaPlank, and since Anissa has been learning about rhyming, she loved being able to practice that skill while I read to her. The story tells about LaPlank, a perfectionist, and his crew, who begin making minor mistakes and are shown the plank! It’s a classic and timely tale of something our culture today struggles to overcome, the desire to be perfect and in control. Every day, children and parents are bombarded by images in the media of perfection, and we have much to learn from LaPlank’s epiphany, “It has nothing to do with ship captains and crews—perfection’s not something that pirates can choose. They’d bungled their business but those are the breaks—mistakes are just something that everyone makes!”

This has easily and quickly become a favorite bedtime read for us! An emerging children’s author inspired by Dr. Seuss, Flibber T. Gibbet wrote the whimsical cautionary tale of Captain LaPlank: The Perfect Pirate, and artwork and illustrations by Rob Foote. Captain LaPlank: The Perfect Pirate (September 2018) is available on Amazon.

Squishmallows 

The Squishmallows plush toy line is an award-winning, international phenomenon that my kids are obsessing over! These plush toys come in all shapes and sizes, and are literally the softest, squishiest toys my kids own! Over 10 million have sold in North America since fall 2017 launch. 

From domestic, sea and farm animals to fantasy creatures like unicorns, more than 50 styles of these cuddly characters are available and definitely make the perfect gifts and stocking stuffers for under $5, $10, $20 and $30 (depending on the size). Squishmallows range in size from the 3.5-inch “clip-on” styles to the 16 and 20-inch sizes.

Squishmallows are available for purchase online, and at national gift and retail chains. BONUS: There are even medical benefits of Squishmallows, especially for people with anxiety and sensory issues or kids on the spectrum.

The kiddos love their Squishmallows and even made a little unboxing video when they received their Squishmallows (the blue one is a 16 in Puff and the pink one is a 13 in Fifi!)

Paint-Sation

I’m so excited about this one because the kids are absolutely infatuated with this one! Paint-Sation is every mother’s dream come true, paint that won’t spill or make a mess! As soon as I heard about this, I knew it was something we had to have in our home. Our little ones love to paint, but every time I pull out the paint it’s a whole big ordeal, I have to sit with them to make sure they don’t spill it, and then it’s a big clean-up event. But with Paint-Station, even if children turn the pod upside-down, the paint won’t drip out. Children simply touch their brush along the specially-designed bristles, and they’re ready to paint. I also love that it has a little easel set-up,. turning any table into the artist’s workspace.

Grab a Paint-Sation for your little artist here! Can’t wait to see what creations my little ones come up with!

Little Splashes of Color artwork

little splashes of color is a beautiful shop that produces gorgeous nursery wall art collections, including decor for boys (trucks, trains), girls (unicorns, mermaids) and neutral (ABCs, animals, and more). I love this line because they are easy to mat and frame in standard sizes, and they are painted in a style that can grow with the child and even appeals to some adults. They are available in 6 different sizes and priced at $17-65, which is a steal, considering how gorgeous these prints are!

Luc and Bell Jewelry

This could really be for the Mamas or the kids! These beautiful bracelets are handmade and each piece is made to remind people of their own strength and the circle of friends around them. These bracelets are beautiful, dainty, and most importantly, meaningful. Each one has a red bead symbolizing strength and protection, a heart for love and an animal specifically chosen for its commitment to family and community – like a penguin, an elephant or a wolf.

Packed with meaning, they are small enough to be perfect stocking stuffers, and are ideal for support groups, families, friends, teams, and children. I grabbed the pink elephant bracelet for Anissa and she hasn’t taken it off since it arrived!

Luc and Bell bracelets retail for $12 and a portion of their profits are donated to children in need. Visit www.etsy.com/shop/Lucandbell, www.lucandbell.com and find them on www.instagram.com/Lucandbell

Adora Adoption Baby Doll

Adora Play dolls make the perfect gift for any kid, and at under $50, they are a great gift at a reasonable price! These hypoallergenic dolls are 100% machine washable, and come with multiple accessories to make play time a great time.

For Anissa, I received the Adoption Baby Precious, and I just know Anissa is going to love it! Her Precious baby comes with a  Certificate of Adoption, Pacifier, Hospital Bracelet, Disposable Diaper, Pink Blanket and Crib- the perfect 9 piece playset! Anissa is already such a little mommy that I just know being able to adopt her own little baby will be such a treat for her this Christmas.

Grab your own Adora Play Adoption Baby at www.adoraplay.com.

Nelle and Alice: The Garden Crawler

Another great book for your kiddos this holiday season is Nelle and Alice, and even better around our house because I have a curly-haired girl that loves seeing other girls that look like her!

Nelle and Alice is so great for so many reasons. One, the story is rhyming, and Anissa is learning rhyming in Pre-K, so it’s great to help her recognize rhymes. Also, the illustrations are breathtaking, and each page tells an entire story just in the pictures alone. Finally, it explains the life cycle of a butterfly, which was so much fun to teach Anissa about! She was fascinated with the idea of a cocoon and how a butterfly becomes a butterfly!

You can find the hardcover of Nelle and Alice on Amazon for less than $20! Grab this gorgeous book for any little girl in your life!

So, what are you getting for your kiddos this Holiday season? 

XO,

Amanda
Disclosure: I received free product from Squishmallows, Adora Play, Luc and Bell, Paint-Sation, Little Splashes of Color, and a copy of Captain LaPlank and Nelle and Alice, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.