Liz 2.0

Here is a list of great items my family loves or would love to have this holiday season. I’m sure you already know the hottest items on everyone’s lists I’ll try to introduce you to some unique and different gift ideas for everyone on your shopping list.

Check out all the lists: Guys & Gals / Boys & Girls / Babies / The Whole Family / The Grands



Here are a few gift ideas for the boys and girls in your lives.  I’ve separated the lists but as we all know girls and boys love to play and any of these gifts could be given to either

For Boys

Z-Curve Bow by Zing Toys is one of our favorite outdoor toys in our family.  We purchased this a few months back and have enjoyed setting up targets around the back yard and running our own “Top Shot” challenges. It takes a bit of coordination to get the arrow hooked onto the bow but my five year old seemed to get the hang of it pretty quickly. Age: 6 - 15 years Shoots over 125 feet / left or right handed / arrows made of soft, safe foam We also own the Zing Shot which is super fun and very easy for young hands to operate.

Chuggington Wooden Railway Series by Learning Curve We are huge train fans in our house. We especially, Thomas the Tank Engine.  Since we nearly own every piece of the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway series. Our five year old was excited to see they now make Chuggington (a disney junior television show) play sets that are compatible with his other wooden trains. The engines in this series are of the same great quality as the Thomas trains we’re used to. I personally love the vibrant colors.  Age: 3+

Trackmaster Cranky and Flynn Save the Day Playset You know my kiddo is a huge Thomas & Friends fan and he’s started his Trackmaster collection. Cranky (the crane) has been one of his favorite characters and his wooden Cranky gets lots of play. This Cranky Crane is 29” tall and is remote controlled operated, and what boy doesn’t love a remote! My kiddo loves that Cranky can lift up a whole engine. In case there is a fire, Cranky can drop a special crate and Flynn the fire engine comes to the rescue Includes cargo, cargo car, docks, loading destination and a complete loop of track Age: 3+

Cabbage Patch Kids Vintage Dolls I am a sucker for vintage toys! I love finding toys from my childhood and introducing them to my kids. This year one of the hot toys are the vintage inspired Cabbage Patch Kids! They have that familiar yarn hair and fabric bodies. Even the packaging is classic CPK.  I can’t wait to introduce this childhood favorite to my daughter in a couple years. I still have a few of mine tucked away in the garage. It looks like they have 4 different dolls available.  Age: 3+

Trunki (Ruby) by Melissa and Doug We are super big fans of our Trunki (Sunny). Our kiddo loves to pack up all his toys to take to Grandmas or on vacation. The hidden compartments are just right for storing those little treasures. Our five year old loves riding around the house on it. Age: 3+

Berry Sweet Kitchen I’m a big fan of play kitchens and another throw back character from my childhood Strawberry Shortcake is back! How cute is this kitchen! ;The stovetop creates magical sounds as you cook – the frying pan sizzles, a cooking pot boils, and the tea kettle whistles to let you know the tea is ready!  Includes kitchen playset, frying pan, cook pot, tea kettle, plates, cups and three cooking utensils. Ages 3+

I’m joining in on the Dare to DIY blog party hosted by NewlyWoodwards

For the next few weeks she has picked themes for the diy challenges.

This week’s theme is:

Party Date: Monday, Nov. 14

Dare to… be thankful!

Take some time making your own DIY Thanksgiving project. It could be a fun Thanksgiving advent calendar, a banner or something completely unique. Post about what you made, how you made it and photos in its new home.
(Last year's)

I took my inspiration from the uber talented Becky Higgins, in 2010 she made a grateful poster that was set out for all her family to write on.

Photo Credit: Becky Higgins.com

Now that my oldest is able to write his letters I wanted to start this tradition this year. I used a chipped frame that we had lying around the house and a piece of poster board trimmed down to size. I used my old school Sizzix Die Cutting machine to punch out the letters for Thankful, out of some brown cardstock I had in my craft supplies. The hardest part was getting the letters lined up and glued on looking straight. Each of us picked a color to write our blessings on the board. It has been fun to see what makes my 5 year old thankful. Like, eating 3 candy, arbys, outside, look mom is on there too!.  He also is very excited to have such a large writing area and as you can see likes to write super big!

The poster sits low on the wall so that my son can easily reach and write. I sit the pens on top and that is working pretty well. It sits right outside our bedrooms and is visible from our living room. I like having it in a high traffic area so we are reminded to be thankful and to document those blessings.

My goal is to make one of these each year on Nov 1st and keep it going until Christmas or the new year. It will be fun to look back and see what we were thankful for at different points in our lives.

Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best! Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!" You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!