Poor third kid. Always getting the leftovers. Wearing clothes on their third cycle through (sometimes more if they were shared with cousins.) Forced to go along to all the activities the big kids want to do.

And when it comes to toys, what do they need? Nothing really. By the time he came around, we had it all. Well, certainly not all, but just about all we need for a baby to grow into learning and play. He is certainly expressing any particular love of anything other than whatever his brother and sister are playing with at that exact moment. Our kids multiply enough trouble in this home; we don’t need to also multiply the toys by three.

I imagine I can’t be the only parent with a subsequent child and this struggle. So I thought today I might share some of my ideas for the littlest guy in our house this year. It' won’t come as a surprise to you that there are books in this gift guide. Lots of them. But a few other things as well to keep it interesting.

Add more of what you already have and love.

If you told me I could only choose to keep one toy in our home, I would choose magnet tiles. Everyone loves them, they look pretty, and the play is endless. But because of their versatility, this also means they have to be shared amongst three sets of hands. I’m sure you see how that goes.

What’s the answer? More of the same!

Building toys are my most favorite gifted item for my children. In fact, I have an entire gift guide devoted to this coming soon. There are so many options out there to choose, none better than the next, just different. While you could keep adding new and different building materials, I think its a better idea to just add to what you already have. Choose a few of your family’s favorites and add to those sets. It will send a message to the always forgotten third child that they are invited to play with the big kids too.

Something bigger everyone can enjoy.

Often we think the item we choose for a baby needs to be specific for their age. We look for toys marketed just for babies or toddlers, forgetting those babies and toddlers grow into bigger kids. They will outgrow those baby toys before you get a chance to throw away the box in which they came. This is why I think it is important to remember it is okay to choose something they can grow into. Obviously you wouldn’t want to give them a box of micro machines, or whatever else is an obvious choking hazard. But a big outdoor swing is something the whole family can enjoy (an idea I would put on our list if I could figure out a place to hang a big swing.) Leo received extra large building blocks and a tent for his birthday and everyone has had fun with those. Nothing is sweeter than seeing all three children playing together with the same activity (for at least those sweet couple of minutes, anyway.)

This year, I am making Leo something I have always admired but never felt we had enough room. I am putting together a light table. While I know he will love the lights and colors and a table just his size, I imagine the other two will be drawn to it just as much, especially on those dark days of winter. There are also great manipulatives to add to its enjoyment, like these fillable shapes and transparent letters. Does he need to know about his shapes and letters yet? Absolutely not. But the other two will enjoy it and he will grow into them too.

Board books that won’t bore you.

When you once made a career of working with young children, and then you have a child of your own, and then you have three children of your own, you rack up a few hundred reads of the same board books over time. Perhaps you don’t tire of the Sandra Boynton or Eric Carle or Leslie Patricelli books you have memorized by now, but I find I am getting a bit bored. So I have been on a hunt to spice things up in our house. And I have discovered there are so many charming not to mention beautiful board books available. Here are some that we either have or are on my wishlist.

A Little Stuck

Little Pea Boxed Set

TouchThinkLearn Wiggles

Jojo’s House

Dress Up Jojo

Panda’s Love Pickles

A to Z Menagerie

A Forest’s Seasons

Alphabet Street

If it has to be a toy, make it pretty.

Okay, okay, okay. So you don’t want to buy more blocks, and you don’t want something big, and you already have enough books (impossible!) These new to me toys caught my eye and I thought I might share. I love beautiful toys. I use them as art in my home. The anger that comes from seeing toys strewn about is lessened when the toys are pretty. Toy marketers love me. But if you are on the hunt for something new and different for your too often neglected third child, here are a few ideas.

Wooden Rainbow Stacker

Geometric Stacking Blocks

Wooden Peg Dolls

Transparent Wood Blocks - Great for light table too!

Wooden Letter and Number Peg Board

Car Race and Ball Hammer Tower

In December, everyone is talking about hygge. Bring on the cozy candles, the comfy blankets, the easy light filled gatherings with friends to collectively flourish in these darker colder months together.

But by March we start to lose our hygge. The hot cocoa has run out. The candles are down to the nubs. The fluffy white snow that sparkles in February is smeared with layers of muck.

And yet this is when we need hygge the most. We need the reminders that winter time fun is only available to us for a few more weeks. Cozy can come in many forms. And when we share this season with the ones we love, it makes it all worth it.

I often get the best life lessons from books I read with my kids. Today I’m rounding up a collection of books that remind us exactly how to find hygge. Most are more specific to winter, but the lessons can be applied to any season of life when we forget how to be cozy.

Cozy Light, Cozy Night This is the best place to begin because this beautiful book shares how to find cozy in all seasons. Because we don’t just need cozy in the winter.

The Cozy Book Another fantastic book reminding us there are so many ways to find cozy. Its not just blankets and hot tea.

Mice Skating The little mouse loves winter but he has to convince his other friends, who prefer to stay inside, of the joys that can be found outside, with the help of a cozy hat and pine needles for ice skates. It’s darling, and also includes puns about cheese. I love a good pun!

When the Moon Comes The pictures alone are worth a look for this book. But I love the idea of having a ceremony to mark the season to bring out this special time. It’s a reminder that you can’t skate on a pond in the summer, so you better get out there while you still can!

Loud Winter’s Nap This turtle just wants to sleep his way through the dreary cold winter. With a little help from his friends, and a sled mistaken as a bed, he discovers winter is fun after all.

Windows This little boy discovers one of my favorite past times, walking the streets at night and peering into other people’s homes through the lighted windows. (Creepy?) Spring and fall are perfect times for this because it’s finally a little warmer for a night walk. And this book captures the cozy beauty of an evening walk.

A Snowy Nap Jan Brett books are always a delight for the eyes. This poor hedgehog has a major case of FOMO when all his friends tell him of the wonder he misses when he hibernates at winter. With some help, he discovers he can enjoy winter peeking through a window while under a cozy blanket in the warmth of a home.

Penguin Problems Do you suffer from complaining too much? So does this penguin. I have never laughed and cried so hard at a book until I stumbled upon this one. The penguin, in all his grumpy complaints, discovers maybe life isn’t so bad. This is for the person who is DONE with winter, or maybe who never liked it to begin with.

Over and Under the Snow This series of books is such a delightful look at the magic of things we can and can not see in nature. I am particular amazed by the secrets under the snow. Appreciating the miracle of Mother Nature is one of the best ways to seek gratitude in a long winter.

Owl Moon This book has been and I think always will be one of my favorite children’s books. It reads like a whispered poem. And another reminder that when you bundle up and go out into the cold, you might discover magic you could never have experienced otherwise. Especially if you are not doing it alone.

Being a critic of books is impossibly challenging for me. I’m an enneagram nine. I like all the books! 

So my first go at creating a Best of Books List for 2018, I struggled to pair it down. I mean, if I finished the book, I probably liked it, so it’s worth sharing, right?

But actually, I realized I began approaching my list in a similar exercise to creating my Reverse Bucket Lists, by scrolling. First I looked through my lists on Good Reads. This was helpful to at least remember the early part of the year and what I read. But then I scrolled through my pictures, once again. I saw moments of reading to the kids on the hammock. Sitting on the beach blanket while the kids played in the sand. Early morning reading with Mike by the Christmas tree. A special shared chapter book with my biggest. A brand new reader snuggled up with her little brothers. 

And with each moment I remember a book. Because the experience and the feelings surrounding it are what bring that book alive to me. My senses are sharper when I take notice. And when my mind is sharp, my memories are strong. 

So today I share Eighteen books that evoke a personal experience. For some it’s a physical place in which I remember reading. The beach, the hammock, the couch under a blanket. For others, it’s a place in time. A difficult pregnancy. A foggy newborn stage. A challenging stage of parenting. And for some, it’s a moment that I realize is one of a momentous milestone. Like seeing her read a book for the first time. Or reading our first chapter book series together. 

From picture book to early chapter book. From researched non fiction to memoir. From critically acclaimed literature to cozy mystery. From new to me authors to old favorites. From the book everyone is talking about to the treasures I just happened upon. Here are eighteen books that evoke a memorable book reading moment. The kind I hope to fall into again and again in my reading life. Happy reading friends!

Picture Books

Everything you Need for a Treehouse

Mama Seetons Whistle

Mamas Belly

Pie is for Sharing

Children’s Fiction

Little House in the Big Woods

Secret Garden

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

Non-Fiction and Memoir

The Gardener and the Carpenter

Reading People

When Breath becomes Air

To Bless the Space Between Us

Fiction

This is How it Always Is

Flight of Dreams

Storied Life of AJ Fikry

Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society

The Royal We

Still Life

Woman in the Window