Here's the deal. Noah has a May birthday and Jake has a early June birthday.
Every other word that proceeds from their mouths while either watching TV or meandering the aisles of Wal Mart seems to be "I WANT this for my birthday"
Rewind back to January. Remember my organizing kick? Yeah...well, it seems that no matter how many truckloads of stuff I haul outta here, they are quickly replaced by more truck loads of stuff. It's like a law of physics or something...which I wouldn't really know anything about because I'm terrible at anything remotely related to science.
I need your help. I need to pick your brains. This morning I read this post at one of my favorite blogs. She lists some gift ideas that are outside the box. Movie tickets, gardening kits etc.
What are some birthday gift ideas that I can give to family members that are not going to cause a truckload of stuff to come back into our home/teeny tiny garage?
Or are there any toys that are WORTH the space?
Last tid bit of info: Noah will be 8 years old and Jake will be 4.
Alright all you creative people out there, let me have it :)
Posts
OK, I don't know if this will help, but something we do for Princess is take her somewhere special - the zoo, the aquarium, the children's museum, etc. I know you live in Tiny Town but maybe you guys could drive somewhere? That way it could be a little getaway for the boys and you wouldn't have to bring a ton of junk into your house.
ReplyDeleteSomething Tracie did for her little girl a few weeks back was take them to a hotel for a swimming party. She rented a room and they had pretty much free reign of the pool. I think she said she spent about $100 total and that was for the room, plus dinner at chick-fil-a & breakfast. You'd have to get all the details from her. I like the $100-and-done part of it. :)
I liked what she said about going to the children's museum...
ReplyDeleteWhat about bowling, having a bowling party with Noah and a few friends. Or going to a video arcade.
Maybe Jake would like that too.
What about getting them one big thing? Having friends and family chip in...maybe He wants a fancy bike. How about a trip with a few friends to an amusement park, go on rides?
I wouls also ASK the boys...say "hey, this year we'd like to do something special for you, instead of buying you a bunch of "stuff" is there something you'd like to DO instead?"
Pool party? Horse back riding? Go carts? Mini golf?
Oh, as far as family members go, maybe they could donate money for the expenses if you have to travel anywhere or since they live relatively close (I think???) they could come and join you guys.
ReplyDeletei like the hotel swimming party idea... no mess to clean up after its over!!!
ReplyDeletei don't have any thoughts to add to this - sorry! but i will be back to read what others come up with. its a great question!!!
We let the birthday kid pick a favorite place to eat, they get two gifts, and a movie pack. My girls are 13 and 124 so it works. I like the hotel swimming party thing and the special trip to like the zoo.
ReplyDeleteBTW we still have the year long battle with..."I want this for my birthday, or when its my birthday can we do this..." I'm scared this will go on until I'm older and grayer.
my kids are so 13 and 14 not 13 and 124
ReplyDeleteI loathe giving toys as birthday gifts to other kids...b/c I loathe it coming right back at me. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDoes this make me a bad mommy?
One thing I love to give as birthday gifts...especially if it's summer...is a bright and funky beach towel with the child's name monogrammed on it.
Rachel is right. I did the hotel-pool-party thing for Karsyn (10) this year. It was super fun for the girls...and no mess in my house!
word verification = jotumshi
is that a new type of sushi??? ;-)
The older I get, the more practical I'd like the gifts to be. I'm so over having my carpet look like the toybox exploded... not to mention what a hazard that is.
ReplyDeleteLast year, we did too much for their bdays... They share their parties, but we had 3 extravaganzas!
So...
For our girls, we've gone to giving them a 'special day' as their gift. They pick a restaurant for a meal (with the family) and pick a modest toy (usually at target). I'm also a sentimental girl, so having them document something like painting a canvass or picture that can be framed. This is my favorite thing right now! What a treasure to have later... and they didn't complain about not having a huge party.
The idea of letting them choose to do an activity with a friend, take a picture of them and framing it for their room could be a nice gift too... and could be changed out with each 'special day'.
Well, it is tough when you live in a small town - but as far as suggestions for gifts what about a zoo membership to your closest zoo or a gift card to Chuck E. Cheese or whatever you have within a days trip....I have also made up silly coupons before to give my kids that they liked things like 1 meal of your choice, 1 turn picking the tv show watched, 1 turn picking the movie rented, 1 free "wear what you want" day, 1 "get out of cleaning room pass" etc.....
ReplyDeleteWe started breakfast in bed this year for the birthday boy/girl (somehow, though, my family "forgot" when I had my birthday! my mom and sisters chipped in for the kids to get a zoo pass and a children's museum pass. i love the hotel pool party idea. i also like the beach towel idea - i was just thinking last night how i appreciated some hooded bath towels we got for christmas for the kids - not another toy and definitely a use to them. we got ainsley a kite for her bday - thought we could use it as an "experience" for the day - but it wasn't windy enough. i've also seen others give just a "day pass" to a local children's museum or play park so you're not giving another toy but rather an experience. look forward to reading more ideas from others! we have 5 birthdays right in a row if you include me and my husband! i'm thinking we may just need to plan a vacation every year around that time to cover all the celebrations!!!
ReplyDeleteOK - so I'm not a mom yet, but most of my friends have been for years... so I have been able to watch and get some good ideas.... so of these ideas have come from Christmas gifts as well...
ReplyDeleteIf both of your boys like to swim... you could a family pass to the local pool as a joint gift for both boys and then get them fun pool stuff (goggles, swim suit, diving rings). This is fun all summer -
This one is more pricy.... A family here has got a family pass to a local amusement park for the summer....B-day/Christmas gift.... they had grandparents and any family who would normally lavish unneeded toys pitch in. They go like three times a week for a few hours... The kids come home dead tired.
One family here who has boys took their kids to a minor league baseball team... The boys did not know the difference from major and minor and loved the game and hotdogs...
I can't wait to use these idea's myself.... NOT LONG NOW!
Kaye-that cracked me up. I always said my oldest was going on 21, but 124 might have worked for her, too! I was smiling when I read that.
ReplyDeleteI think the "experience" gifts are the best. I love Shannon idea of a kite. What a great family outing/picnic that could be. If there is a particular sport they love--tickets to watch a big league game or swimming at the hotel pool. All great ideas! I think we all have too much "stuff" in our lives. And we will never remember those kinds of gifts in the future. We remember the trips and fun with our family.
I give ice cream sundae kits. I fill a pail (or whatever) with everything you can think of to put on ice cream and then we have an ice cream party!
ReplyDeleteYou can always DO something special too, instead of GIVE. Like have a moive dinner date with just the birthday kid or whatever they happen to be into.
For spring/summer birthdays I sometimes put together a bunch of outdoors things that will eventually run out. Like bubbles and chalk and washable paint (my kids like painting the sidewalks) and then some sand toys (as I find at the end of every summer the sand toys are down!)
Good luck!
I agree with all the comments. One birthday girl I knew told every friend that came to her birthday party to bring a toy for kids less fortunate instead of for her. I thought that was sweet.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I know a cool zoo in Omaha, if you want to go that route! : )
Some of my ideas are
ReplyDeleteMcDonald's gift certs (or which ever place the kids like to eat where they can play?)
Family membership to the Zoo
Gift card to the movie, bowling, local kid play place, putt-putt, etc.
Outdoor toys, balls, pails and buckets for the sand box, goals for soccer, slip in slide...etc
New Bible, Bible cover or bag.
Sleeping bag.
New lunch box or over night bag or back pack
Beach towel, bath towel.
Disposable camera(s)
That's about all I have for now :-)
I always wish for gift certificates to indoor fun places (my kids have winter birthdays). We never get them, but I wish. I'd also love a piano lesson paid for or certificates to art class, etc. Maybe you can make a list of places the kids like to go for family and ask for gift certificates/cards to those places.
ReplyDelete-FringeGirl
Sonic gift card.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger my aunt used to give me McDonald's gift certificates every year, and I LOVED it. That said, the banker in me says set up a savings account and ask people to give their gift into the account. I know the kids might not like it now, but they will definitely appreciate it later, and if you have a party or go bowling, museum etc. that should be exciting enough of a gift for now, plus even if you suggest a specific gift, at least one or two people will give tangible toy-type gifts that will be satisfactory for the boys I think. Wow, no way that should have all been one sentence! haha
ReplyDeleteI got nothin' but these other people are geniuses. Great ideas!
ReplyDeletefun to read all the comments!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW what yall NEED! A HAMSTER! *smile*
Jedd is so sick with the stomach flu!!!!! SOOOO HOPING THE REST OF US DONT GET IT!!!!!!
IDEAS:
it helps if the toys just get smaller!
Russ and Jedd both love these little "Bakugan" things. I love that they are small! I know you are going... Baku- what?!?! Just go to the toy section and you will find them. They are like a tiny transformer. They pop open when placed on the special playing card. They are actually part of a game.... but they are just fun little toys.
When Russ was about 2-3 we got a toy keyboard with lots of buttons with funny sounds and stuff. They STILL play with it! STILL! AND it is somewhat educational.
Water guns will at least keep them outside!
Pool toys!
It is hard to find fun blankets bedspreads so Diane has let them pic a fun fleece print from the store and made them one for their birthday.
My boys love craft kits and if you make it something that they can make for someone else, you get to give it away! *smile*
i'm thinking about sponsoring a child through Compassion International as a Christmas gift for my kiddos when they get a little older. I'm hoping to pick kids that are the same ages as mine so that they can relate to them and get a better worldview. not as exciting as a video game, but a great life lesson.
ReplyDeleteI have June/July/January girls. The 'theme' parties have been great...where there isn't a goodie bag w/crap it follows a theme...Swimming=beach towel or Camping=Flashlights & Bird houses to paint or Tye-Dye party =pillowcases or t-shirts.
ReplyDeleteWe also have done a lot of CD's or DVD's lately...those don't seem to end up on the floor. (Also, I burn copies of the CD's and I keep the original and give them a copy so when it scratches all to heck I can toss it and make a new one for them.)
We have also given a lot of 'date' coupons for gifts as others have mentioned.
Loved the post you linked, and everyone is coming up with great ideas! I'm taking notes.
ReplyDeleteLegos are 100% worth the mess and effort. My son turned 4 for his birthday and we gave him classic sets. Also, I highly encourage memberships to the aquarium, children's museum or zoo. Kids can play with the facility toys and walk away - it's a wonderful invention.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what the boys say when you say you're donating money in their name to an animal shelter, Love to know how that would go.
ReplyDeleteMovie tickets - good
Zoo tickets - good
Children's museum - good
gift cards for movie/game rentals always work and they get to go back to the store!
ReplyDeleteI agree about the "invasion of the toys"...especially when it comes to boys!!! I only have one right now and the toys are huge and overwhelming!
ReplyDeleteI think the amusement park idea is great...isn't there a 6 flags near you or something like that? or imax tickets...we just saw monsters vs. aliens in 3D...fun! another thing that i love is music/swimming/karate lessons from family. also legos are great and anything that keeps them outside and occupied for a real long time...great!
good luck!
Just found your blog and I love it!
ReplyDeleteBless you!
ah! toys! i clean out the toy room at least monthly, and it doesnt ever seem to help much. i feel your pain. we didnt even get our kids birthday presents because they get so much stuff frmo everyone else (especially the grandparents!!) the party WAS the present (my kids' bdays are 10 days apart, so we do a joint party for now). for christmas their big present was a zoo membership. the zoo about an hour north of us (totally worth the drive) offers a year long family membership for $60. we've renewed it twice now, and we use the heck out of it.
ReplyDeletethats my suggestion, or something similar. i have a friend that did the same thing, but for the childrens museum.
Abby will be 4 May 6th and we are hearing the "I wants"as well. I am making her a "zoo" for her stuffed animals.
ReplyDeleteDoes Noah like to read? The Dangerous Book for Boys is a big hit.
Since about 7 years old, James (now 13) has chosen a good act for his bday. Food pantry, feeding homeless, passing out Popsicles ( his Bday is 7/4) to over heated people on the street. Its always his choice.. he actually started the tradition.
Noah is old enough for a digi camera and they make an awesome toddler one. little space and great keepsakes.
Good luck!