Elf On the Shelf - Christmas 2017
Day 1 and Day 2
The holidays are upon us as parents. For me as a mom, this means that Elf on the Shelf went into full-gear as of December 1, 2017. This also means that I am going to be staying up late giggling while my child sleeps and I find random places to hide this elf for the next 24 days of December.
Happy Elf Hiding!
Below are the places that we found "Elfia" during her first two nights with us this year!
Day 1: Elfia and the foil-cutter of our wine bottle opener were both found in the wine bottle storage unit of our home. Elfia claimed that is was 5:00 somewhere in the North Pole when we found her.
Day 2: Elfia was found inside of Little Mia's painted rock collection (Little Mia is now 6-years-old).
Side Note: My 6-year-old girl, Little Mia, would like to start her own "rock selling business" - I have been offered an amazing opportunity to have a job in her business to be her "rock business manager in partner" (stay tuned for more about this promising upcoming new business). Little Mia has been working hard painting all of her amazing rocks for her future clients.
Little Mia will be very pleased that she a new potential client.
If you have any great ideas to share with Elfia as to where she can hide, or if you have your own elf with great hiding places, please share them here!
and Melissa and Doug Finger Paint Paper Pad
are great for a Saturday afternoon or for when other kids come over to play (assuming you are able to keep a close eye on the kids). That said, Crayola has lived up to its "washable" promise of its paint thus far. And our 3-year-old daughter loves this stuff. It could keep her entertained all afternoon. We squirt the paint into a mini cupcake tin that we have to separate the colors and we bought a decent set of kids paint brushes as well. The Melissa and Doug Finger Paint Paper Pad
for kids, and there are quite a few different editions. These stories are perfect because they don't "commit" a parent to a long bedtime story, but they are the PERFECT length to get your child sleep enough while not over-committing the parent on a night that the parent is tired and in a hurry --- everyone should have five minutes to spare for their child for a bedtime story. We have several of the 5-minute story books, but out of all of them, Curious George's 5-Minute Stories
(which is a thermostat that you can wirelessly control with your iPhone or Smart Phone) - and it also integrates with the Nest Protect Smoke + Carbon Monoxide Alarm
(which alerts you on your iPhone if there is ever an alert in your home). All three of these are control through one single app on your phone. NOTE: The Nest Cam is better for older children (in our opinion) because with babies, you probably want to have a separate device to be able to constantly look at your baby. 
were recommended by my daughter's pre-school teacher because these thin-sized markers are perfect size for the first steps of helping your pre-schooler learn how to hold a pencil (i.e., these markers are the same size as circumference as a standard pencil). I also love these markers because my pre-schooler can see her progress while she traces the letter of the alphabet in her activity books - the bright colors make her tracings on the paper so much more visible than it does with a standard pencil or even colored pencils. The bright colors are so much more fun for her at this age too, so I think it helps her stay motivated during the learning-to-write process of preschool.
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and Girl's Pink Princess Castle Play Tent with Glow in the Dark Stars by Pockos
as a supplement for your child to have a platform to build on. 
and Melissa and Doug Playtime Fruits
