Hottest Christmas gifts for 2009

Gifts for Everyone: Top gifts for 2009

We’ve scoured the internet, magazines and browsed stores to come up with a list of items that will sure to be a hit with your loved ones. We chose award-winning toys, cookware known for quality, and hot electronics that are flying off the shelves. We found bestselling games from Europe that are just making an entrance into American stores and of course items with fair prices. We know your time is valuable so we did the research for you. One tip, items are generally much cheaper on
Mojella.com and will be even cheaper if you choose a vendor that offers free shipping. Merry Christmas!

For Her:

Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue

Stainless-Steel Programmable 5 QT Slow Cooker

Kindle

All-clad Pan

Ugg Slippers

Necklace, Dogeared, “New Beginnings”

Necklace, Dogeared, “Love”

Kodak Zi8 HD Pocket Video Camera (Black) NEWEST MODEL

For Him:

Wii

Zune 30 GB or 80 GB

Book, “Manhood for Amatuers,” by Michael Chabon

LG 50PS80 50-Inch 1080p Plasma Broadband HDTV

Amazon.com gift card $50

For Teens:

HP Mini 10.1-Inch Pink Netbook – Up to 6.75 Hours of Battery Life

IPod

Pink Zune

D.J. Hero

For Kids:

Elf on a Shelf

Autoblox

Hide and Seek Monkey

Mindflex

Lego Mindstorms

Starwars force trainer

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate book for girls ages 9-12

Dinotrux book, ages 4-8

The Magician’s Elephant book for ages 9-12

Snap Circuits PRO SC-500

Zhu Zhu Funhouse

Football guys

Swinxs

For Twilight Fans:

New Moon — the Movie Board Game

New Moon soundtrack

New Moon 2010 Wall Calendar

Stephenie Meyer: Twilight/New Moon/Eclipse/Breaking Dawn CD Ppk (Audio CD)

New Moon Poster – Robert Pattinson Chest – Twilight Saga

First Day of School jitters: Book ideas to help our kids ease into the transition

1. My First Day of Nursery School

by Becky Edwards  for ages 2-4 years

2. First Day

by Joan Rankin  for ages 4-6 years

3. First Day Jitters

by Julie Danneberg  for ages 6-8 years

4. Back to School Mallory

by Laurie Friedman for ages 7-9 years

All books are found on www.mojella.com

Tips to increase your child’s reading skills over summer

Summer is a valuable break in routine for kids. The pressure of homework, soccer practice, social angst, getting up early are finally diminished. Free time gives children space to be creative as they have to develop their own activities. It is also a time when students typically regress in their academic skills. Teachers spend the month of September reviewing  concepts from the past year just to make up for the regression of skills. At Mojella.com we are putting together a reading program for parents to implement during the summer. Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Set up a reading time 3-5 days per week. Right after breakfast, afternoon quiet time or before bed are a few ideas. Make sure the time is non-negotiable.

2.Child spends about 20 minutes reading. Younger children may need less time.

3. Pre-reading age: the parent reads to child asking questions and affirming the childs comments along the way.

4. If the child is reading independently, he/she can read one book or one chapter if it is a chapter book.

5. One time per week, grades K-5, the child reads aloud to an adult.

6. Keep track of the books he or she has read.

7. Provide incentives like stickers, bookmarks, icecream, fun erasers or pencils.

8. Share reading with independent readers. Take turns once a week by taking turns reading one page.

9. Model! Read your own book while your child reads.

10. The most important!!!! To determine if the book is an appropriate reading level ask your child to read the first page to you. If he or she misses 5 or more words on a page it is too hard. You want your child to be successful and enjoy the story. Get an easier book.

Have fun!

Stay tuned for a summer 2009 booklist.

Homegrown Stimulus Plan: Start A Garden

My 4 year old son and I have started growing carrots, lettuce, red peppers and basil right inside our kitchen window. If you don’t have an existing plot, this is the year to start one. If time is limited, plant your herbs amongst some flowers. Stick a tomato plant in a container. Anything you plant is going to save you money. Growing a fruit and or vegetable garden gives you a sense of satisfaction that nothing else provides. I love watching my children pull cherry tomatoes off the bush and popping them into their mouths. Our Zucchini crop became so plentiful last year that we made every kind of zucchini bread and muffin you could think of. (comment for the recipes) Owen, my 4 yr old, started calling the Zucchini by he and she. They became his friends. When I try to picture the Victory Gardens in the 1940s I see community, a common cause, and a sense of fulfillment. Growing, sharing produce with neighbors, posting posters around town promoting the Victory Garden effort, children helping with the harvest evoke a longing in me be a part of this movement.

Victory Gardens

Victory Garden

Whether its a Victory Garden, Peace Garden, Freedom Garden…or Vegetable Bed…the Intention is the Same!

I am so excited about the revival of Victory Gardens. I see it as victory over debt, victory over reliance on big food corporations, victory over pesticides and chemicals and most of all victory in helping our environment. There is nothing like getting your hands in the dirt and growing your own food. The joy I feel when I can feed my kids the food I have grown is so fulfilling. My husband and I started  an online comparison shopping business. One of our goals is to do a feature on Victory gardens. We want to provide reasonably priced garden products for first time or seasoned gardeners as a way to support this movement. I think the more we can educate people about gardening the less overwhelming it will be for them to start their own garden. Way to go to those who are trying to start this movement that will give people something to feel a part of and save them some money.

More to come: I am researching this topic like mad.

Check out our website for fruit and vegetable seeds, garden tools and tips on gardening. www.mojella.com

Less Choices = More Content

In my recent blog I said that the vast array of choice we are confronted with brings about anxiety and stress. If we make one choice will we be missing out on potential happiness by not choosing the other? If I don’t join that group and join the other will I be missing out on lost opportunities? Nothing is forever. You can always reevaluate and change. The energy we waste emotionally, physically as well as others energy listening is lost time! Make a decision and move on. If it was the wrong one then change it. I hear from so many moms, friends their anguish over making decisions. Here is some advice, “you are going to be okay.” It sounds simple but it is true. I am trying to cut down my options. Even if I don’t save the extra $50 cents on a can of soup, sometimes it is better just pick up the closest can and move on. I promise you, your anxiety level will go down. I found an awesome website. www.mojella.com. It takes all the stuff for sale on the Internet and simplifies it. You get the cheapest and best seller within seconds. Now I don’t have to search the web for hours looking for that camera, book or toy. Blessings to you who read this!

Choices

I was reading a journal on psychology today as I was waiting for my  4 year old son to finish up with his therapist. It was talking about how unhappy people are yet hundereds of articles and books have come out in the last year on how to be happy. So why aren’t people happy? What is happy by the way? Content, peaceful, zen, fulfilled, joyful are a few words that came to my mind. Why has our society become so unhappy? Who says being sad is so bad? A range of emotions are healthy, sad, glad, mad, happy. Choices. What parenting book out of the thousands do I ascribe to? Which family counselor do I send my 4 year old to? What pair of designer jeans should I get, Citizens, Seves, Joes, Js the list goes on. Do I hold my son back for Pre K or go to K? Does my daughter go to private or public school? Do I join that organization, or that one or the other one that is suppose to be good. Which organic milk do I buy at Whole Foods? There are 5 to choose from that cost the same. What classes do I sign my daughter up for, dance, soccer, music or gymnastics? You get it. The problem, if I choose one option I might miss out on an opportunity that would bring happiness to myself or family. I think people are so stressed over all the options that they have lost their sense of purpose in life. Once we commit to a choice we let go, move on and feel a sense of relief. But, in order to commit to a choice we must have clear goals and a sense of purpose in life. My goal for my daughter, to enjoy some physical activity and maybe learn a new skill. Great, she wants to do gymnastics. I am sure there are complelling reasons to do soccer but we are committing to this choice for now.  Our choices aren’t forever!  Wouldn’t it be so much easier if everything was simple and there was only one choice for everything? I did put her in gymnastics, public school, bought the Joes jeans and store brand milk. I feel content. I am moving on to the next set of choices: what kind of coffee I want.