2. As busy moms, we might not be able to write a page a day, but one line a day? That just might work! The 365 entries in this One Line a Day journal appears five times on each page, allowing you to revisit memories as you return each year. ($11.50 on Amazon)

 

Charitable Sense

1. If you don’t yet walk around in a pair of TOMS shoes, consider this holiday season a perfect time to snag this trendy and comfortable gift that gives back. The New Holiday Collection offers a wide variety of choices for adults and children, and with every purchase, TOMS gives a pair of news shoes to a child in need. ($54)

2. Each of these Recycled Coffee Burlap Sack Christmas stockings are made in Guatemala through a fair-trade organization and sold by greenheart. Perfect for your mantle or to hang in your kitchen over Christmas, and you know your purchase helped its designer earn a living wage. ($32 each; each is unique)

3. This Handled Willow Basket could make a great hostess gift if you are a house guest or party guest over the holidays. Handmade in Haiti; offered through SERRV, an organization that encourages third-world artisans market their craft and offers fair wages for their products. ($22)

4. These are the most beautiful blankets Kate has ever seen. And if you read the “Our Story” section of the site, you will see how beautiful their story is, too. Handmade from vintage saris by mothers and daughters in Bangladesh, many of who have survived sex-trafficking; offered through Hand-and-Cloth, a faith-based organization serving these at-risk women. ($98; each is unique)

5. Jen’s family has given the World Vision MICRO gift card as a gift before. Your friend or family member can choose who to invest in and as the money gets repaid they can invest again.  A gift that TRULY keeps giving.

 

6.  These owls are on trend this season in shiny mercury glass and on top of that 50% of every sale of these owls from West Elm will be donated to St. Jude children’s hospital.  You can’t go wrong!

Faith

 

1.Looking for a way to start daily Bible reading with your children? The Jesus Storybook Bible takes children on a journey through the Bible and teaches them to recognize the theme of God’s redemption in each story. Karen recommends this for both children and parents! (Storybook only for $11.55 on Amazon or get the deluxe edition for $16.49 and pop the CD in on road trips.)

 

 

2. For the advent season, pick up Truth in the Tinsel, An Advent Experience for Little Hands, an ebook by Amanda White. This ebook will lead you and your children on your own experience through the Christmas Story. You’ll take a few minutes each day in reading the Christmas Story directly from the Bible, making a fun ornament craft and talking about it together. ($4.99)

 

3. Every kid needs a nativity scene that they can interact with, and there are plenty of great options. Fisher-Price offers a quintessential nativity play set complete with stable, Little People characters, and an angel that plays “Away in the Manger” ($35) and Playmobil has a more grown up nativity set that includes a storybook, six adult figures, an angel with a star wand, plenty of animals, and a funky cardboard backdrop. ($25)

 

Mom as Manager

1. Renae has had her eye on these momagenda planners for a while now. The feature that seems most useful is the unique week-at-a-view format that includes separate rows for mom and up to four children. The planners also sport fun patterns and colors, have pages for “party planning”, “vacation planning” and other events, and even have a place to list all your favorite websites! ($49.95 for the faux crocodile momAgenda desktop planner) **These are now on sale for 20% off with free shipping for Black Friday!**

 

2. This clever and adorable insert made out of sturdy canvas by Pouchee keeps all of your essential purse supplies in one place and makes transferring between bags super simple! ($24.40)

 

3. Rachel loves Real Simple organizing products, like the user-friendly Shopping List. Includes check boxes for weekly staples and extra lines for your special items, and would make a great stocking stuffer!. ($9 at Target)

4. Been searching for the perfect wall organization system? Pottery Barn has you covered with their Daily System that allows you to pick and choose what pieces to include, such as a whiteboard calendar, cork board, letter bin, or chalkboard. Rachel has one hanging in her dining room! ($12 – $54)

 

Adoption

1.This is another great gift idea from Lisa Lehmann’s Etsy store for someone in your life that is adopted, is about to adopt, or is finalizing their adoption.  The saying couldn’t be more true or echo Maggie’s sentiments as an adoptive mom better……On one side of the token it reads, “that you grew not under my heart, but in it,” and the other side says, “not flesh of my flesh, or bone of my bones, but still miraculously my own.”

 

Good Cents

1. Save…Shop…and Play in Grand Rapids with GRKids.com PERKS card. Includes special monthly deals and year-long discounts at your favorite local haunts.The perfect gift for moms who are looking for activities to do with their kids, MCG readers get $6 off through December 15 with the code MCGPERKS!

 

2. Who said that coupon organization didn’t have to be stylish? This Purse Size Deluxe Coupon Organizer attaches to a grocery cart with velcro straps and has 24 thick card stock dividers. ($12.99 from amazon.com)

Looking Home

 

1. Four words: 1. Michael 2. Bublé 3. “Christmas” 4. album! ($10.00 on amazon.com)

2. Not many toys made it to the “favorite” list for all three of Rachel’s kids, but the Tomy Hide & Squeak Eggs? They made the cut, from the shape sorter bottoms to the squeaky tops! ($12.55 on Amazon)

3. For the preschool set, the eeBoo games can’t be beat. The Picnic Game and Tea Party Game operate on the same premise…spread the real fabric tablecloth, spin the spinner, and build your delicious meal! ($12.93 on Amazon)

4. Young elementary kids learning the parts of speech will crack up as they build Very Silly Sentences with this sneaky teaching game. Rachel has never seen her daughter crack up so much as the sentences they build with nouns, verbs, adjectives, and articles turn out so…silly! ($11.69 on Barnes & Noble.com)

 

 

5. One go-to resource in Rachel’s home is Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner. It has tons of ideas for simple and easy activities, games, and crafts for those long winter-bound days. ($11.53 on Amazon)

 

6. These personalized shirts from Red Envelope for the kids are adorable. The cool colors, unique graphics, and cute sayings make them a great gift for any kid!  Now to decide which one to get… ($29.99)

 

7. Beatrix offers high quality products with modern designs and styles. Made entirely from recycled plastic water bottles, the little Eco Packs are great for playdates and weekend adventures. ($46)

 

 

 

Special Needs

1. For babies, children, and adults of all ages, Whole Foods Market exclusively offers Peter Rabbit Organics’ “Garden Fresh” products. Free of harsh chemicals, artificial fragrances and colors, this line of products is perfect for those that are sensitive to allergens. Baby Shampoo and Wash: $14.99.

2. A fun and educational gift for the child in your life that is practicing eye-hand coordination, the Sorting Pie Playset is great for cognitive and fine motor skills (The Therapy Shoppe, $27.99).

3. Rory’s Story Cubes, a speech and language game from National Autism Resources, encourages players to work together to create a story based on visual prompts ($9.99)

4. Encourage abstract thinking with these Dress-Up Trunks from Lakeshore Learning that include costumes to encourage imaginative play. ($99 each).

 

 

Kids and Pets 

1. You gotta get something for the family dog for Christmas…how about a super goofy chew toy? Use one of these Silly Dog Toys  by Uncommon Goods to play fetch and your dog will come running back to you holding the ball in his mouth and looking like he’s grown a handlebar mustache or a giant tongue. Wait…did we say this was a gift for your dog? ($10.00)

2. Did you know there are sites where you can shop online and help animal shelters in the process? Places like The Animal Rescue Site and The Humane Society Store donate to help shelters with every purchase. You can find this adorable Monkey Lunchie at The Humane Society Store ($14.95)…

…or this Paws Galore Insulated Travel Cup from The Animal Rescue Site. ($8 on sale)

3. Show off your pet love with animal themed jewelry from The Magic Zoo, like this turtle charm for a chain or bracelet. ($35)

4. Gift certificates to local pet stores can be very useful gifts as they can be used to buy toys, food, litter, or whatever they need. Some veterinarians offer gift certificates also, which can be used for annual vaccinations, food, and heartworm and flea prevention.

5. GPS Trackers like Tagg the Pet Tracker is one of the better collars in the market and unlike a microchip, can be used to locate a missing pet through GPS. The collars are pricy and have to be recharged, but for the wandering dog it might be a sound investment. ($100 – $500)

 

For the Guys…

 

1. Who wants to “bare all” during frigid winter weather to make a simple text or phone call on your touchscreen phone? These sporty gloves from The North Face are equipped with specialized “e-tips” that are compatible with all touchscreen electronics…and are well-worth the cost being super-warm and skin-tight, so texting is easy! ($39.95 at backcountry.com)

2. Be prepared for anything with these steel credit-card-sized tools from Think Geek. Choose from a bottle opener, ice scraper, spanner wrench (to remove hex screws), or even punch-out guitar picks for spontaneous rocking out…would make a great stocking stuffer! ($6.99 – $9.99)

3. Add to every man’s favorite loungewear collection with a new t-shirt from Threadless.com.  Choose from a variety of geeky, abstract or artsy designs that are sure to please. Note – Many of these t-shirts are on sale for $10.00!

 

4. Treat your guy to a little old school luxury during his morning routine with this Four Step Shaving Kit which includes Pre-Shave Oil, Shaving Cream, Badger-Hair Brush, and After-Shave Balm. Guarantee optimal shaving results while relieving and preventing ingrown hairs, razor burn, tough beards and sensitive skin. ($25 on Amazon)

5. Red Envelope has great gifts that you can’t just find anywhere!  Check out these belt buckles.  They come in a variety of images and are a fantastic way to help your guy leave office mode for weekend mode!

 Written and compiled by all of your Mom Colored Glasses editors and contributors.

We hope you have a fantastic start to your Christmas season and we look forward to seeing you back here during December as we share ideas, thoughts, memories, and traditions for everyone in the family during this extra special time of year.

Merry Christmas!