Every year I get a new ornament for our tree. My mom always got me and my brother an ornament and it was so special for me to have a tree full of ornaments with memories attached to them when I moved a few provinces away with my then-boyfriend (now husband). I’m continuing the tradition for my girls, but this year I changed it up a bit and had them help me make ornaments that will help us to remember just how small they once were.
This is Ashlyn’s ornament:
Basically, you cover the child’s hand in white paint and have them (carefully) grab the ornament. Let it dry and use markers or paint to draw faces on the ‘snowmen’ and decorate as you like.
And this is Rowan’s:
This is even easier – just flatten some clay (or in my case, Crayola Model Magic), press baby’s hand into it to get a lovely handprint, cut out using a cookie cutter, punch a small hole at the top for the ribbon - I used the end of a paintbrush - and let dry. If the handprint doesn’t work out the first time, just re-roll the clay and start again. I painted Rowan’s handprint with a bit of sparkly paint to give it a bit of dimension.
These also make great presents for grandparents and are easy enough to do in the days leading up to Christmas!
It’s a tale as old as time, and now it’s coming back to theatres in Disney Digital 3D! I vividly remember seeing it the first time in was released in 1991 (wow, does that make me feel old all of a sudden!) and it’s been one of my favourite movies ever since.
In case you haven’t seen it before, here’s a little synopsis. “The film captures the fantastic journey of Belle (voice of Paige O’Hara), a bright and beautiful young woman who’s taken prisoner by a hideous beast (voice of Robby Benson) in his castle. Despite her precarious situation, Belle befriends the castle’s enchanted staff—a teapot, a candelabra and a mantel clock, among others—and ultimately learns to see beneath the Beast’s exterior to discover the heart and soul of a prince. ”
I loved Belle and her book-worm tendencies (and because she was a brunette!) and I still remember the words to all of the songs; I can’t promise that I won’t be singing along while I watch. It’s a classic story and I can’t wait to take Ashlyn to see Beauty and the Beast in Disney Digital 3D as her very first movie!
To celebrate the theatrical release, Disney is holding special screenings across the country on Saturday, January 7th .
You can see the trailer below:
One lucky reader will win 1 family pass for 4 to see BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in Disney Digital 3D for Saturday, January 7th at 10:00 am at SilverCity Gloucester (Ottawa)!
Tell me who your favourite character from Beauty and the Beast is (required).
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Contest closes DECEMBER 31 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
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Have you heard about HEXBUG® Nano? All of a sudden they seem to be everywhere! They’re tiny (1.75 inches each) little micro robotic bugs that uses the physics of vibration to skitter along and explore its environment on smooth surfaces. They can even flip from their back to their front and vice versa! It’s fun to watch since you can’t be sure where exactly your HEXBUG will go next.
While you can set them loose on any flat, smooth surface and watch them go, they’re even more fun if you use one of their habitats! The HEXBUG® Nano Spiral Starter Set is a great way to see how much the HEXBUGS can do. Featuring 2 levels, you can watch your HEXBUG make his way up and down the spiral ramp. All of the habitat sets are expandable and interchangable so you can combine as many habitats as you’d like as you grow your collection. It’s important to remember that the HEXBUG Nanos don’t always stay inside of their habitats so make sure to keep an eye on them in case you get an escapee.
My favourite Nanos are the ones that glow in the dark! They have their own special habitats that also glow in the dark, but of course they work on any of the Nano habitats. I can see this being a big hit at sleepovers!
Each habitat comes with a unique mutation of Nano. HEXBUG Nanos run on ‘bug food’ (akaAG13/LR44 batteries, which are included and are available for purchase where you buy HEXBUG products). HEXBUG Nanos are recommended for ages 3 + and are available online and in many stores nationwide.
I’m having so much fun this year, getting ready for Christmas with my little elf (Ashlyn) by my side! She’s really into all of the preparations this year, and she loves to bake, so I thought it would be a lot of fun to have a few of her friends over for a cookie-decorating play date last week.
Once I realized that I had invited a total of SIX 2-2.5 year olds, plus their five siblings ranging from newborn to 11 months old (and mommies, of course!), I thought it was the craziest idea I’d ever had but despite the general chaos it was so much fun!
I used a gingerbread recipe that I found on a forum I frequent, and I used the confectioners icing recipe from Joy of Baking. They were fun to make, fun to decorate, and we’re having fun eating them now!
Gingerbread Men
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Stir in molasses and egg yolk.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; then blend into the molasses mixture until smooth.
Cover, and chill for at least one hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
I found that my dough was crumbly, so I needed to knead it for a couple of minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Frost or decorate when cool.
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Directions
In an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and well blended. Add the vanilla extract.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beater.
Add the milk and beat on high speed until frosting is light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes). Add a little more milk if needed.
Tint frosting with food color, if desired. Place the frosting in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and decorate the gingerbread men as desired.
We take a lot of pictures. So many that Ashlyn hears the click and says “cheese” without bothering to look up from her craft or snack, and Rowan makes a mad army-crawl towards the camera as soon as she sees it! I love having all of these memories documented, but our shelves are getting overrun with photo albums and it’s expensive to print individual pictures. I recently learned about Elephoto, a company that produces high-quality photo books and other photo-related items and is 100% Canadian!
The fact that Elephoto is Canadian is a huge bonus because it means I don’t have to worry about hefty international shipping fees, unexpected customs fees, or my book getting stuck at the border for weeks. All orders are printed and sent for delivery within 3 business days, and if you order by 11:59pm on December 18th using standard shipping the order will arrive by Christmas! Order using express shipping and you can place your order until December 20 at 11:59pm.
Elephoto offers hardcover photo books in sizes from 8×8 to 12×12 and you can access your pictures from Facebook or Photobucket, or upload them from your computer. There are a ton of stylish themes: everything from vintage to baby to holidays and much more! I’m working on a book of our family pictures that were taken in October and so far I’m finding Elephoto easy to use and very user-friendly. I really like that I can change around the order of the pages in case a certain layout doesn’t quite work with the pictures that I want to use, or delete it altogether and chose something new.
I find the pricing quite reasonable and I think a few relatives will find a photo book from Elephoto under the tree next year! You can use the code BABYBRAIN15 to save 15% on your order.
One lucky reader will win a $50 gift card from Elephoto (shipping not included) to make your own photo book (or whatever else you choose)!
To enter, look around Elephoto and tell me what you’d make (required).
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Contest closes December 24 @ 10pm EST; open to CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
Kids need more than just toys, but try to convince them of that! When I can find items that are practical but still fun I love to give them as gifts, and I think that the Kidorable Dragon Knight Collection would make a great gift for any little man – and some little ladies too.
The Dragon Knight collection is primarily steel grey, with lots of dark green dragon and red fire accents. The raincoat features the coolest hood I’ve seen – it looks like a helmet! The umbrella has 3D dragon horns and wings, and the handle looks like a sword. I don’t think you’ll have a hard time convincing a young knight to use this umbrella on rainy days.
For the week of December 5-11, you can use the coupon code DRAGON7 to receive a free Dragon Knight umbrella with your order over $20 (make sure to add the Dragon Knight umbrella to your cart first).
One lucky reader will win a Dragon Knight Umbrella from Kidorable!
To enter, tell me what else you love from Kidorable (required).
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
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Follow @NotJstBabyBrain on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (RT 1x per day and leave me the link to your tweet in your comment) #Win Dragon Knight Umbrella from @Kidorable via @NotJstBabyBrain http://notjustbabybrain.com/?p=3438 #giveaway #HGG #kids
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Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
We all have them – the “impossible to buy for” people on your holiday list. For me it’s my brother-in-law’s family; they’re wonderful people but they never seem to need or want anything – and I’m sure they say the same thing about us! We’re all fortunate enough to have more than enough ‘stuff’ but that doesn’t mean that we don’t want to get them something to open on Christmas Day. My solution? Give an experience instead of an item!
A great experience, especially for parents who may not make enough time for date nights, is a gift to see a movie in the theatre! The Empire Theatres’ 2011 Gift Card Holiday Program is running right now: buy $30 in Empire Theatres’ Gift Cards you will receive $30 in Empire Theatres Coupons! You can purchase the gift cards at your local Empire Theatre until December 24th, or you can order online until December 18th.
The Coupon Bundle includes coupons for everything from free drinks to reduced admission prices that are valid for different times from January through April, which makes it excellent for students, parents who need a kick to get out every now and then….or a nice gift for yourself as a reward for all of your holiday shopping! You can even buy a gift tin for $1.00 with the net proceeds going to Kids Help Phone. My favourite part is that the gift tins can be purchased separately (even online!) so you can do a good deed and avoid wrapping all at the same time.
Disclosure – I am participating in the Empire Theatre Gift Card Holiday Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own.
Stocking Stuffers are so much fun to buy, and yet can be the hardest gift at the same time! Do you go random, or practical – and do they really have to fit in the stocking? I tend to do a little of both, and then pile everything around and under the stocking too. With 2 young children this year, I’m avoiding the mall as much as possible and looking to my favourite online stores to do the bulk of my shopping. First on my list is Uncommon Goods; With a name like that, you know you’ll find unique presents for everyone on your list! I’m loving this Scratch Map; you scratch off parts of the map to indicate where you’ve been. What a great present for the traveller in your life.
Gifts for Girls shouldn’t be hard for me, but since my girls are so little I still need guidance when shopping for girls over the age of 5. I could see these Crocheted Headphones being a big hit with a few girls on my list (tweens, teens and adults alike)!
Gifts for Boys are a real challenge since I’m surrounded by girls! When I get the chance to buy from “the blue side”, it’s fun to see something that’s not a sea of pink. I can think of quite a few little guys who would be more than happy to come to the table for a meal if it meant that they could eat off of their Construction Plate & Utensils!
I really enjoy that I can get my shopping done during the few quiet moments that randomly occur over the course of the day, and I’m not worried that the recipients will already have anything that I’m looking at on Uncommon Goods. And of course, having my gifts delivered to my door beats loading up a baby and a toddler and dragging them around a mall any day! If only Uncommon Goods could do all of my wrapping too….
Now that the season is definitely turning to winter, I’m turning to a nice hot mug of tea in the afternoons to warm my hands and remind myself to take a moment to myself – a “tea moment”, as Libre Tea calls them. I have a fairly new-found love of loose leaf tea and the Libre tea glass’n poly Mug is a great way for me to enjoy my tea on the go!
I have reviewed the Libre glass’n poly original and was curious to see how the Glass’n poly Mug compared. It holds about 20mL more and I really liked having a handle! As always, I’m not worried about burning my hand on a hot mug because the glass interior and carbonate exterior mean that the inside is hot while the outside stays cool.
The new finer tea filter means that it’s suitable for even more varieties of loose leaf tea, so I can continue to experiment with different flavours. My preferred method of brewing the tea is to place the leaves in the bottom, fill with hot water and drink through the filter but for early morning playdates I can appreciate the option of keeping the tea and water separate until you’re ready to start drinking it!
If there is a tea lover on your shopping list, a Libre Tea glass would be a great gift.
One lucky reader will win a Libre glass n’ poly Mug from Libre Tea!
To enter, go to Libre Tea and tell me what other product you like (required).
For additional entries (leave a separate comment here for each):
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Follow @NotJstBabyBrain on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway (RT 1x per day and leave me the link to your tweet in your comment) #Win glass n poly #tea glass from @libretea via @NotJstBabyBrain http://notjustbabybrain.com/?p=3350 #HGG #giveaway #mom #relax #giveaway #teamoment
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Contest closes DECEMBER 14 @ 10pm EST; open to US and CANADIAN RESIDENTS only.
Please make sure that your profile is public or leave me your email address in each entry so I have a way to contact you. I will use And The Winner Is… to chose the winner and email them. The winner will have 72 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck!
It’s a tale as old as time, and now it’s coming back to theatres in Disney Digital 3D! I vividly remember seeing it the first time in was released in 1991 (wow, does that make me feel old all of a sudden!) and it’s been one of my favourite movies ever since.
