a peek inside the fishbowl

Is it just me, or do kids get harder to buy for as they get older? I wanted to share a few ideas of things that we ALREADY love here at Casa Fishbowl in case you’re looking for some ideas for the tweens and young teens in your lives.

A scooter
Sarah’s first cheapie scooter broke and I didn’t want to buy another cheap one only to have it break again so we bought a white Kick scooter for Sarah for her birthday back in April. We decided to spend a little extra because we knew she was going to get a lot of use out of it. And she has! She rides that thing every day and she rides it pretty hard. We ordered this model through Fishbowl patron Tag Along Toys and I’m so glad we did. That thing is pure awesome; a smooth quiet ride with tough oversized wheels. We’ve never had a single issue with it. In fact, it was so good we bought a second one for Emma. Mark secretly wants one too.

Buckyballs
I bought gold Buckyballs (pictured here) for Mark but I keep finding the girls playing with them. They’re very powerful little magnets and that you can use to make shapes. It has been described it as a cross between an erector set and silly putty, and I think that sums it up pretty well. Buckyballs are NOT a toy. Do not buy them if you have little kids. I still secretly live in fear that someone is going to some in their mouth without thinking or that they’ll drop a couple on the floor and the dog will divebomb thinking it’s food. Either of these scenarios could result in Horrible Things happening. Like Death. But hey, they’re old enough to play with them. I think. Sigh. [Update: seems the company that makes them has lost the battle and won’t be producing them anymore. Get yours while you can.]

Nanoblocks
I first wrote about them here.

As you can see, Nanoblocks are like super tiny Lego, and very fun. They’d make a great stocking stuffer!

Xbox Kinect
If you’re looking for a console game, this is it. I’m looking around for a new family game to play this Christmas and I’m considering Lego Lord Of The Rings, which is getting good reviews. The Lego series of games are very fun for the whole family. Lego Indiana Jones was particularly good.

TIP: Do not buy video games on impulse. Read reviews before you buy, otherwise you’ll get stuck with a crappy game. Trust me on this.

iPod touch
My kids got iPod touches for Christmas from their grandma and grandpa last year and they LOVE THEM. (They come in new colours this year, check ’em out.) If you do get them an iPod, make sure you get a protective case for it. Also, pick up some iTunes gift cards that can be used for music and apps. Every teen I know is dying for iTunes gift cards. Our girls are hankering for cool speaker docks (which also act as chargers) like this one at Best Buy.

And while we’re on the topic of electronics, my eldest has asked for this Fujifilm instax mini 7s Instant Camera. It is admittedly pretty cool but I’m not sure what to make of it. It’s not cheap to use. It basically costs $1/photo. (It takes this film, which costs $19.99 for a pack of two. Sigh.)

BOOKS
Books are always under the tree, but for the first time in my life I’m not sure what to buy. In case you’re also thinking about buying books for your tweens and teens, here are a few past posts regarding some of our favourite books… with lots of reader suggestions too.

Board and card games
Our kids are koo-koo krazy for board games. Some of our family favourites include Sorry, Life, Rummoli (a new one for us), Squarrels, and Uno to name a few.

Djeco creativity kits
This is another item I’ve bought at Tag Along Toys and I’ve written about these fabulous creative art kits many times before. I cannot recommend them enough. The kits range in ages/abilities/design and media: lacing, painting, colouring, stitching, sand, glittering (is that even a word?) but the results are always gorgeous and totally frameworthy.

The Djeco website is a real treat, so take a moment and visit.

Finally, I want to leave you with some teen-related gift picks from terra20 that I thought were pretty cool AND have a real live teen’s stamp of approval. You can read it over on their website.

Tell me, do you have tweens and teens in your life? What’s on their lists? Share some ideas and help out the rest of us!

Oh my heavenly stars.

A few weeks ago Ikea offered to provide me with a $100 gift card to purchase any IKEA items I needed to create some unique holiday décor – table settings, tree decorations –  anything I could think of for the holidays. Little did they know that I was already planning on upgrading some of our decor in time for Christmas. And since we’ve just moved back into our home the timing couldn’t have been better.

So I picked myself up and went to Ikea for part of the afternoon, but as soon as I stepped over the threshold I encountered my first problem. I had no idea whether I should opt for place settings, tree decor, or what. So I decided to grab lunch and mull it over before starting my shopping journey. (HELLO SALMON.)

My conclusion was this: I am a busy momma! And busy mommas need a wee corner of their very own to rest, regroup, and recover from The Busy Winter Season. (Am I RIGHT?)

And I knew exactly which corner needed a boost, this one right here:

Since we’ve moved back in the house, our living room has been looking a little lonely. It’s not hard to see why exactly. I’d always planned it to be a comfortable space to read (remember my bookshelves??) and lucky for me, Ikea was going to be a great place to start.

I had no real plan other than (a) the couch needed major COZIFICATION and (b) there needed to be something warm added to the nekkid end table on the side there.

I also decided that this was a good opportunity to switch up the ol’ Christmas colours. So instead of the usual reds and greens I went blue and silver and white; soft and peaceful colours for my cozy corner!

And so, with that in mind, and a belly full of salmon, I set out and found:

• An OFELIA blanket. This was the best purchase by FAR and transformed the couch into an ACTUAL destination. (I know that sounds silly, but it’s true. It’s a SIREN CALL TO COMFORT). Anyway, we love our new big soft blanket. I thank the Ikea people for the size of it, because tall people like me are always annoyed with teeny ineffective throws that barely cover our feet.
• A pair of lovely winter-themed glass cylinder vases (a steal at $9.99). I cut some big branches and hung some silver ornaments from the branches (also from Ikea) and placed them on the table, one set inside the other.
• This 3D paper star pendant called STRÅLA ($12.99). It gives off a lovely warm light and I have it on ALL THE TIME, er, when it’s dark anyway. It’s on my mantle right now, which I will be decorating with evergreen branches and pinecones soon! (NOTE: Light bulb sold separately!)
• Candle holders galore, along with a package of tea lights that will last me until Christmas 2013. I picked up this candle dish too, which fit the bill perfectly.

Here are a few shots I took last night:

Please don’t comment about the haphazard chair placement. We had people over and are still moving stuff around ok? :)

Also from Ikea, but not part of this spree, a faux fur rug I used to line the inside of the coffee table and a string of battery-powered star-lights nestled down in it.

What’s missing from our cozified living room is a couple more cushy pillows (the more the merrier!) and a shaggy area rug. And the mantle. I definitely need to get that done.

In case you’re wondering, I BARELY went over my budget. This whole project cost exactly $100.40. (I uploaded the receipt for your amusement. You will have to click to embiggen.)

I am so happy with my little cozy corner! I love to curl up there with a cup of tea and just THINK. It’s amazing how restful it is now, and how little effort it took to get it that way. Unfortunately, I’m not the only one who’s noticed the transformation… my daughters gravitate to that spot like flies to honey.

If you head out to Ikea, please note that the bulk of the holiday decor is right by the big row of cash registers near the exit. Candles too. (I almost wish I had started there!) ALSO, expect these things to fly off the shelves quickly. They always sell out before Christmas.

Anyway, thank you Ikea, for giving me a chance to sneak in a little shopping spree and create a comfortable nook where I can recharge my batteries.

What about you, dear fishies. Do you LIKEA (get it, LIKE/Ikea! Haha!) my choices?

a.k.a. 25 days of Christmas

Here we are again! Fa la la la laaaaa! I can’t believe it either. Is it really almost December?

Allow me to summarize this annual activity for newbies that may be reading along.

Once upon a time, instead of buying chocolate advent calendars for our young daughters I decided it would be more interesting to plan one Christmas-related activity every day throughout the month of December. No chocolate, no shopping, and no cheap gifts — just family time —  a mix of big activities and small. We call it our Family Advent calendar, and it’s essentially 25 small envelopes with written messages inside them, and it’s become a very major holiday tradition here at Casa Fishbowl

You can read more about how to make your own advent calendar, get some ideas about some activities to do, and read more about why this has been such an awesome family tradition over on a past post I wrote about it here.

Last year I pared it down to 12 days but we talked about it this year and the girls told me they want to go back to the full 25 so I am rejigging my list to include more tween-friendly activities. (I’m still working on that part, but if you’re on Pinterest you might be interested to see my Family Advent board if you’re looking for some ideas.)

If anything, our Family Advent Calendar has been a great way to keep me organized, and encourages us to celebrate a quieter side of Christmas that sometimes seems to be losing out to the frantic spendy side of things.

I know a lot of you also do a variant of the Family Advent, and I always love to hear about your own traditions and see what you’re doing. If you’re tweeting about it please tag your tweets with #familyadvent so I can see what you’re up to!