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I know everyone is scrambling to fulfill the random gift requests our children ask of us ( I just Amazon primed a whoopie cushion), so I thought I’d share a few gift ideas perfect for the little boy into all things construction. I think we have nearly all of these items, so I can honestly say they are all great gifts a toddler boy will love. These gifts fall more so into the 2-4 age range. Nearly all of these are available on Amazon, so they’ll get here in time for Christmas. Most of the others are at retailers where you can do in-store pick-up or pay a minimal amount for shipping to get here in time for Christmas.
My top 3 picks from the list:
- If you have a little finicky eater, buy this NOW. It was gift we received last year when Braden was starting his selective eating phase, and it made eating so much fun for him, and he would eat a lot more because of this plate and utensil set. We still use it to this day.
- This book has been heavy rotation in our house. We’re a big fan of the series, and we have the original, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site and the second one in the series, Mighty, Mighty Construction Site as well. I know it’ll be a Christmas book we will read for years to come.
- We received this crane as a gift when Braden was 2, but he probably was more into it around ages 2.5-3. He still plays with it all the time, and it’s such a well-made piece since it’s made out of wood, and also functions as fun decor for his room.
With all the gift giving this season, I’m sure there might be some parents who are also experiencing a child who seems to have a lot of wants…I know I’m not the only one after talking to a few friends, so I thought I’d also share a note about encouraging kids to be grateful. See below for more details.
Some thoughts on encouraging kids to be grateful
My kids occupy all my time these days so making sure the season is special for them is pretty top-of-mind for me. I’ve tried to manage Braden’s expectations this year, letting him know he will only be getting three gifts from us because Christmas is not really about gift giving but rather spending time with family. Why 3? Because that’s what the three wiseman gave Jesus, and I just don’t want more stuff in our house/playroom. I know he’ll get other gifts from grandparents and friends, and that’s fine, but from us, he will be receiving three items. And, I told him our family vacation next month is our big gift for us all.
I’ve found that even at the age of 4, there is a lot of FOMO going on. Braden has come home from school recently telling me that a kid at school has a snowman shirt and he wants one, too…or that someone is going to LEGO land and he wants us to take him. I’ve really made an effort to explain to him that not everyone has the same experiences or gets the same toys. Does anyone else struggle with this? Per the norm, I’ve been googling a lot of articles for tips and came across this one, which includes 10 Ways to Raise a Grateful Kid.
Two weeks ago, I encouraged Braden to draw cards for troops overseas. My chiropractor’s office does care packages to troops, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to try to teach him about giving to others. I’m not perfect, and neither is my child, but it’s important to me to at least try to instill gratitude in him so he doesn’t have a sense of entitlement and is compassionate to others. Braden insisted on coming with me to the chiropractor to drop them off, and he was so proud of what he did and excited to show them to the person at check-in and tell the dr. about them. Sappy mom moment…but it nearly brought me to tears. He’s currently working on making some cards for his school teachers (to include with some gift cards!). We also made some homemade cards for grandparents and mailed them a couple of weeks ago. I’m a big believer in handwritten thank-you notes, so I want him to understand that something like that goes a long way.
So, maybe it’s writing thank you notes, or drawing a card to give to someone else as a gift, but there are some really easy ways to teach kids to give back a little this season.
We’re a little over a week away from Father’s Day so I thought I’d share my picks for gifts for the dads in your life. I did consult with my husband on a few of these, and I think many of these things are right up his alley. But, I did think about some different life stages (i.e. the new dad) that a lot of my friends are going through when I rounded up my selections. I think there is a little bit of everything on this gift guide!
The countdown is on! Christmas is less than 2 weeks away, so that means most online orders need to be put in this week to make standard shipping times. Eek! I try every year to not be a procrastinator, but here I am again, scouring the internet for gifts for family and friends. I love monogrammed or personalized gifts — maybe it’s the Southern girl in me — so I’ve curated a list of some of my favorite things this season. Some I already have like this 
I know I’m not the only one drinking the Fixer Upper/Magnolia/Chip and Joanna Gaines kool-aid. The Gaines’ authenticity and refined modern farmhouse style has won over many, myself included, and their new Hearth & Hand partnership launched at the