Bo Peep Blog

I overheard someone say in the store today, “The stocking is now worth more than the presents under the tree!”  I understand the temptation to just stuff and stuff and keep on stuffing, but if you do like we do and open the stockings first thing on the morning of the 25th, your kids only need a few things that will grab their attention.  Leave the big opening extravaganza for when the grandparents arrive!

With that in mind, I have a few inexpensive stocking stuffer suggestions.  No iPods (or iPads!) here.

This photo has Lunchskins, which make a great gift for adults and kids; eco-crayons; a colouring wallet; Sookie belts (made in BC) and chimpsticks from Fred.  All $20 or less and either practical (belts) or entertaining (who doesn’t like colouring?).

This picture has one of our last precious B’s – handmade in Vernon, BC – as well as a sock monkey.  Some kids just gotta have teddies.   For that difficult-to-stuff sock toe, we have Dimpleskins Sniffles, as it is that time of year, as well as hairclips from Clippo and ponies from Bugalug.  Boys and girls alike are trading the Dandybandz, and who wouldn’t enjoy some glow-in-the-dark flashlights?  Gaia skincare (shampoo pictured here) is the perfect stocking stuffer for babies and we have yet to meet a toddler who didn’t like Plan toys!

For the older kids!

Last but not least, there are those challenging tweens.  For him, there is a great 3-boxer-pack from Quiksilver, or one of their thermoses.  Not pictured, but available in store, we also have Volcom water bottles.  The Quiksilver watch might be your main present….but it will definitely fit in that stocking!  Roxy socks for the young lady are always popular.  And don’t forget mom (or dad!) – we have some great stainless steel coffee cups that just need that perfect picture.

No matter what goes in the stocking, it’s the sentiment that counts.  We are looking forward to Christmas and we hope you enjoy your time with your family this holiday season.

We were very excited to get Lunchskins in!  They are made by a company called 3GreenMoms in the States and appeal to us on many levels.  They are made from fabric (not plastic), are made domestically, support fellow mompreneurs and are good for the environment.

You can read lots of information on their website, but here’s our review.

We love them!  They take up less space in our lunchbags and you can really put pretty much anything in them, short of soup or yogurt.

Sarah's Balanced Day lunchbag with sub-sized Lunchskins inside

Sarah’s kids take sandwiches in the sandwich size bag, the whole family has used the snack size, and great big lunches go in the sub-sized bag:

This is a BIG Florida orange in the sub-sized bag

The lunchskins take up a fraction of the space of a traditional plastic container, which is great when you have hungry people to pack for.  They wash up easily – they are dishwasher safe, but we just wash them by hand – and dry inside-out overnight, ready for the next day.

So far, they’ve just been used for food at our house, but we can easily see the kids filling them with other things.  We will be watching for tadpoles in the spring!

All in all, a two thumbs up review from our family.