Okay....what are you getting the kids for xmas?

[FarmerChick]

hey Pat you should be taking them shopping for toys

Nicole is 5 and she understands prices......she says I want a toy at the store I say, ok, and you only have $4 to spend.....she sees that $24 Barbie and says, oh I can't get that can I? I say nope, go find a price tag that is $4 or less.

believe me she has learned to add and subtract like an adult now cause of me taking her toy shopping lol


LOL we just wrote our letter to santa and she had a blast writing it herself....all her own letters without any help from me except for spelling help lol

Her letter is this:

Dear Santa
Please bring me some toys
I was good
love Nicole

hey, Santa can handle that lol---and we pinned it to the bottom of the Christmas tree haha

I have a blast watching her enjoy Christmas and all the excitement

 

[patandchickens]

hey Pat you should be taking them shopping for toys
Nicole is 5 and she understands prices......she says I want a toy at the store I say, ok, and you only have $4 to spend.....she sees that $24 Barbie and says, oh I can't get that can I? I say nope, go find a price tag that is $4 or less.

Oh, the 6 year old can do that now. In fact he's actually quite good at math. The 3 year old is not yet to the point of interpreting dollars-and-cents prices and once you get past about 5 he's not all that hot on 'which numbers are bigger than which other numbers'.

The thing is, and I say this from having done it once, they spend about 95% of their time looking at the big expensive flashy aisle-end-display things and then getting all bummed or cranky about not being able to afford them. (Or being told "over my dead body!" )

The biggest problem is that they don't have a great internal idea yet -- especially not the 3 year old, obviously -- of what sorts of items are LIKELY to fall in their price range. See earlier comment about 3 year old wanting a (real actual) combine. He is saving up for one with his allowance. Seriously, he is. We told him how long it would take. He doesn't care

(And frankly I am not enthusiastic about taking them shopping in a toy store at all, either, since experience suggests it just makes them start whining about "I want a <this>" or "how come I don't have a <that>". Does that make me a weenie? Oh well.)

I suppose this means I am being derelict in my duty as a modern mom, of teaching them to be good shoppers LOL -- but you know, they are fine at *other* aspects of shopping, like doing price comparisons in a grocery store, and I am pretty sure that when they get older they will not find it hard to learn to shop within a price range.

I'd just rather not open that can of worms too far yet.

Of course I guess I'm sort of *assuming* they acquire more self-control and more cynicism about ads/packaging as they get older... and maybe that is not a good assumption!

I dunno. They LIKE making things for each other, or picking out favorite items to give, so it works fine for us for now.

Pat

 

[FarmerChick]

no Pat you aren't being a weenie when it comes to not wanting the "whine" lol I hear ya there.

I put a very fast stop to the whine. I told Nicole point blank if the 'whine' comes then ya get nothing. Kinda like training a puppy of course hahaha.....I must say to this day I had maybe 3-4 whines in a store. Now I never have a whine. I say put it back, it goes back....but man can she grab things off shelves very fast.

yes I hear ya on the big displays that fascinate the kids. Those retailers try to get ya by the cahoonies all the time thru the kid. That Barbie stuff is thru the roof on price. I only got 3 things she wanted cause there was no way I was paying those prices...like $79 for a small Barbie house with a flushing toilet?? where is the fun in that YUCK
hahaha

she is good in the food store...she doesn't jump on candy thank goodness but she sure can throw a hundred different packages of cookies in the cart when I ain't looking!

ahhhh--kids

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Let's see...
DD - 8 is getting a 22 rifle with a scope. To be used under strict supervision until otherwise noted. She already has targets & safety gear from her bb gun, so ammo & a book called Beyond Fair Chase, about the ethics of hunting. Then I'll stuff her stocking with some lip gloss, fingernail polish, & other girly stuff.

DS will probably get a big remote something. He's not into guns at ALL, so no matching presents. He'll get a few small bottles of cologne, chapstick & deoderant.

Then they will both get a few choose your own adventure books, drawing pads, new crayons, pencils & markers.

 

[Blackbird]

Tabatha.. When should I expect MY .22?
MINE was 'borrowed' and never returned!

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

We have been unable to have children, but even so, I see massive gift giving to be a disservice in the end.

Growing up our family handled it during the few years that we actually exchanged gifts, by drawing names.
We were also placed on a $25 budget. Period. More time was spent in preparing to give on each of our parts, then on receiving.

 

[THEFAN]

My little one is getting:

Blender to make smoothies 20.00 nice metal one

2 oz of silver 30.00 shipped


CHINESE TOYS and ELECTRONICS FOR THE LAST TIME!!


I had to put some thought and some realism into this topic. I have decided on a moral ground , I am done with consumer holidays. I feel like I just woke up from the matrix on this one. For Thanksgiving 70% of our dinner was local or grown by us so I will look at Chirstmas with the same goal. 100% spirit of the holiday and as natural as possable. . Good for the soul I feel.

 

[abifae]

It's not for Christmas, but while sewing machine's are on sale, I'm getting my nieces a sewing machine. Household need. Their dad is rejoining the world and needs medieval Welsh clothing. And the girls do goth and lolita. And they have no sewing machine.

Sad panda.

I'm taking donations for them and have three friends helping

 

[patandchickens]

sewing machine. Household need. Their dad is rejoining the world and needs medieval Welsh clothing.

Medieval welsh clothing being, I'm sure, noted for being constructed on modern lockstitch machines... LOL

Sorry, not criticizing at all, just struck me as funny

Pat, heading out of town for not quite a week, y'all have a good time, see ya when I get back

 

[abifae]

Have you ever tried to hand sew an entire outfit? BOOOOOORING hahaha.