I'm a big fan of the printables from Montessori for Everyone. There are lots of freebies there as well. Have fun!

I feel similarly about my Nook. I haven't spent much- $50 or less- but the books I really want I want in "real" editions. I thought I'd use my Nook for the throwaway fiction I don't want taking up physical space, but I've realized I wasn't buying that stuff before I had a Nook. I'm too much of a librarian for that! I'm not even using it for e-books from the library. Honestly, I haven't picked it up in ages. If DH or I traveled a lot, I might be a different story. Wish I'd sold it before gh holidays! Proabably not much of a market now...

I love Growing Greens. Green Mountain has them and maybe Diaperware. They are one-size very trim. There is also a hemp version but I really prefer the cotton.

This family had seven girls, a boy, another girl, then a boy (so far): http://inashoe.com/ I saw a show on TLC years ago about a family with 13 boys then a girl. In real life the most I know are a family with four boys, girl, girl (deceased as an infant) then boy and five girls and just this month a boy. I have three boys and have always felt I'd have a big family of boys. Don't know if we'll have more children but I'd love more little guys! :-D

The brands of paint mentioned in the OP do need to be mixed with water. I use baby food jars too. :) I'm not familiar with Da Vinci, OP, but I use Stockmar because it's non-toxic. I used to buy Grumbacher from A.C. Moore but it has questionable ingredients. There was a thread on a Waldorf forum recently about choosing paints. I can PM you if you're interested.

DH proposed to me on Christmas Eve after church (actually a fun story since I "ruined" the proposal) but it took some hard thinking while I was reading this thread to remember that he did give another present that year...a Wizard of Oz ornament. I used to collect them and I think he gave it to me early. The proposal is obviously what sticks out about that year!

I picked other too. Most popular here are blocks and their Fagus and TAG trucks. Puppets, trains, and Duplos other than that.

I was thinking about this thread nursing the baby overnight, and I wanted to add that for us, there are two things that make us "Waldorf," or at least "not mainstream." First, that our children have no screen time. This was a decision we made before becoming parents, before we knew anything about Waldorf education, but was based on child development reading and the effects of screens on young children. Not always easy, as I sit here on a computer, and DH loves his iPad which fascinates them. However, in the early years, this to us is non-negotiable 364 days a year (on Christmas we allow a short holiday classic). The second is that the boys spend time outside every day, no matter the weather. This has meant some investment in the proper attire. What's that saying, "There's no bad weather, only bad clothing?" We have rainsuits, snowsuits, wool underwear, and good boots. In the summer, we're outside the entire day. In the winter, I aim for two hours minimum (hard this winter with a newborn). There is nothing better for children than time spent in the fresh air. This is also a very Charlotte Mason idea. I was also inspired by her writing on outdoor time. ETA: We have lots of nice, natural, open-ended toys, but when I think about the quote in my signature, I think the "lovely things" is more about the natural world and a cozy homelife. It's NOT about having fancy things. KWIM?

Wool underwear! Love it for layering and playing outside. :) I think the PP's list is good. Some of my favorite parent books are the Seasons of Joy ebooks, A Child's Seasonal Treasury, You Are Your Child's First Teacher, All Year Round, Simplicity Parenting, and Heaven on Earth. For kids we love Gerda Muller, Elsa Beskow, and Sibylle von Olfers. Favorite toys are blocks, wooden animals, vehicles, and silks! Favorite toymakers are Elves and Angels, Grimm's Spiel und Holz, Fagus, and Ostheimer. We like Stockmar and Lyra art supplies but also use a fair amount of Crayola and make our own playdoh.

We are selling and buying right now and the market isn't too bad in our general area, though we are in a slightly awkward location: in the country outside a small town. We are selling for very close to our asking price and making a decent profit on the sale. We're buying a house for much less than we're selling for but is lovely and in a great neighborhood. We hadn't intended to sell at this time of year with a brand new baby (our house wasn't even listed) but when the offer came in, we knew we'd better take it and run! Hoping that all who are selling are successful soon! Definitely familiar with the uncertainty and feeling of limbo! :grouphug:

Oh, and Around the Year with the Trapp Family is a great resource. You can read the text here: http://www.ewtn.com/library/FAMILY/TRAPP.TXT Selections and ideas here too: http://vontrapp.wordpress.com/ Thanks, Nicole! It's going to be an adventure! We got out the Nativity set this morning and so far the palm trees and some sheep have arrived. The boys are so excited!

The small traditions we have for Advent are the wreath with verses, prayers, and a hymn each week, our spiral with Mary and Joseph traveling to our Nativity set, calendar (both those are purely for countdown) and Jesse Tree with verses (this continues through the 12 days to Epiphany). We celebrate St. Nicholas on 12/6 in lieu of Santa. Typically that's a party with family and friends and the boys get their stockings filled. We decorate our tree on Gaudete Sunday and take it down on or around Epiphany. Otherwise our Advent activities are pretty traditional Christmas prep things: baking, wrapping, listening to lots of holiday music, and reading through my HUGE box of Christmas books! The 24th and 25th are pretty standard: fish for Christmas Eve dinner (my husband's Italian), then Vigil Mass or in the morning, presents, Christmas brunch, and we break our screen-free rule to watch a Christmas movie. Our 12 days celebration is a mix. We do a service project or two, last year we hosted a 12 Days party for out of town family, and basically continue the celebration! This year we'll add celebrating our youngest's nameday. He was named for St. Stephen who's honored on the 26th. Of course, New Year celebrations are part of the 12 Days as well. On Epiphany the kings arrive at our Nativity scene, we have Epiphany cake and start to wind down the season. Now, all that said, we're moving early in January somethings might be a little scaled down once we get past January 1!

Second this! She custom made the figures for our castle (smaller scale than what she typically makes) and my sister has also had people and animal figures made. Her work is wonderful, she's quick, and the prices are very reasonable. That said, we've been building our Ostheimer Nativity set for the past several years which IS pricey, but their mini-Nativity isn't quite as high.

We just take the tray out of the bottom to have room for travel mugs... We love ours but my husband's company works for Keurig and Green Mountain so we got our machine for half off (so did our family members) and most of our cups for free (leftovers at work) so the cost for us is very low. I'm still uncomfortable with the extra waste, however. We did buy one of the reusable filters but with so many boxes of K-cups in the basement, we haven't used it so far.

We have this one and love it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/180-6616760-4101239?a=B000I5UEQM

I once worked with a woman whose husband's last name was Beam. They had daughters named Lily Moon and Mazie Sun.

Agreeing with everyone and adding that I have the most luck with sinus cleanses in a very steamy shower. I can imagine how you feel; one of my sinuses is tipped and doesn't drain properly. Feel better soon!

We do shared gifts for several reasons: the boys are close in age (25 months apart), they play with the same things, and our household policy is that all toys are shared other than special dolls/stuffed animals. We differentiate on birthdays with their own cake and celebrate namedays with a special meal, but gifts are for everyone. This year it was a new swingset/climber and sandbox. Christmas they're getting a collection of trucks and books. They have their own stockings but other than consumables, everything in there can be shared around. As the boys get older, this might change a bit of course! With kids close in age and with shared interests, similar gifts makes perfect sense!

A little different idea, but would this work? http://www.moolka.com/jzv/prod/26076/Plan+Toys/Toys/Wooden+Figures/Dinosaurs+and+Extinct/Dino+Explorer?p=c3E9RGlub3NhdXI=

I think the lists of what you need and don't have been very good! I especially like Tylianna's reminder of what Mom needs after a birth! I did want to comment on this though: I've had three babies in four years and each time it's been emphasized to NOT use alcohol on the cord and just leave it alone. It seems to no longer be the standard of care, so check before you or your daughter stock up on these supplies.

I imagine that bonding would only be affected if the parent was detached during feeding...bottle propping, not holding baby close, etc. A warm, cuddly close feeding with bottle or breast is what's going to foster attachment. :)

:iagree: We have several of these. St. Nicholas cookies are an important part of the tradition! ;)

My oldest is 4.5 this Christmas and we're doing trucks. Lots of trucks. :D Other than that, it's all books. These are the only items of interest at this age. I'm getting great ideas from all your lists, though. I've been looking for good, basic telescope and microscope recommendations. :)

I've had one for a year, but I don't think I'll be much help... You don't need much to support it at the most basic level (which is what I need it for). Just plug it right into the computer and go. The Flip website will save and email your videos, though of course you can also save them right to your computer. I'd imagine you can do some editing with the correct software. Other than a tripod, I don't think you need anything else. You could buy an AC adaptor, but it also can charge through the computer. No cords necessary which I love...we have enough of those between the iPods, Nook, and camera! I have read some reviews complaining that the images can be shaky, but I haven't noticed that. Of course, we use it just for day-to-day capturing of the kids. I can't speak to how it would do with heavier use by kids, since ours are still so little they are mostly just the subjects at this point! I think it would be worth a shot; a lot of the marketing seems to be to the tween/teen market and it's certainly an easy camera to carry around.

We do both. :) On St. Nicholas Day we do stockings rather than shoes since my side of the family is Czech. The stockings have chocolate coins, the boys' ornaments for the year, and maybe one other small gift. We traditionally have a party as well and serve semi-traditional foods. We always make St. Nicholas cookies. Yum! I recommend this site for lots of ideas: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=23 We celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany. I have a 12 Days add-on for our Jesse Tree. The kings also travel the house similar to a PP and the boys receive three small gifts: something handmade (gold), something religious in nature (frankincense), and something for the body (myrrh). We make Epiphany cake too.