What Miss Sonia got for her birthday
Sonia turned 12 this month.
Which means that a year from now, ¾ of my children will be teenagers.
(!)
Sonia is still her petite self, which makes it extra hard to believe that she'll be 13 in just a year's time.
Fortunately, teenagerhood at our house has seemed better than toddlerhood at our house in many ways, so I think a houseful of teenagers is going to be fine.
(All four of our kids will be teenagers at the same time eventually. But only for about 6 months. 😉 )
Anyway.
You all are usually interested in what mindful shopping looks like at birthdays, so I thought I'd do a rundown of what we got for Sonia.
(Mindful shopping at birthdays basically means that we try to carefully consider what we buy, choosing items that are well-made, will really mean something to the recipient, and will provide lots of hours/years of enjoyment. It's not as killjoy as it initially sounds!)
First up:
Although Sonia already had a rolling backpack, it was a smallish Tinkerbell version (see the birthday she got that backpack here), so I knew that once Zoe got a super cool rolling backpack, Sonia was going to have serious backpack envy.
(I was right. "Mom, what I really really want for my birthday is a backpack!")
So before I bought Zoe's, I made sure that there were two non-matching Jansport rolling backpack styles that I could buy, as I thought matching prints could be confusing.
Jansport doesn't make a lot of color options in their rolling backpacks, but I managed to find two fun prints, both dots, but each different enough to match their personalities.
Sonia's (the Driver 8) is a little bit fancier (more compartments, mainly), but I got it for about the same price as Zoe's, thanks to a 20% off introductory coupon code and 9% cash back through Upromise.
(I bought the backpack from eBags. It's the same price as on Amazon, BUT shipping is free and you can get a 20% off coupon code by shopping through this tell-a-friend link. So that makes it a better deal than Amazon.)
The Jansport backpack comes with a lifetime warranty, so as long as Sonia still digs green polka dots, she should be able to keep this backpack for many years to come.
We also got her a pair of owl earrings from Novica, which I bought when I had a coupon code.
And since Sonia has always loved gum, we visited Five Below (a dollar-type store) and bought her a large and random assortment of gum.
(Gum is not a mindful purchase sort of thing, except for the fact that it DOES bring Sonia great joy....)
Lastly, Strawesome recently announced their new turtle glass straw design, and as soon as I saw it, I knew Sonia, our turtle lover, would be delighted to have one. So I ordered it right away for her birthday.
That wraps up what Mr. FG and I bought for her!
From her siblings, Sonia got a pack of watercolor notecards (blank, for painting her own designs), 4 Copic markers, a Spirited Away stuffed animal, and a Calico Critter dentist set.
You should see the teeny dental tools....so cute! This would be a nightmare with toddlers, but at our stage of life, it's perfect.
She got a nice mix of presents...edibles, toys, art supplies, and a some practical, but fun items, so she's a happy 12-year old.
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P.S. In case you're interested: Sonia's Tinkerbell backpack, which is still in good shape, got re-homed with one of my nieces, who is quite over the moon about it. She can't really understand why Sonia didn't want it anymore. "Did she cry when you brought it to my house??", she asked. 😉
This post contains affiliate links. All items for Sonia's birthday were purchased with our own money.
It is so nice that she still plays with toys and wanted them for her birthday. Children today are growing up way too fast and it makes me so sad. The Calico picture made my heart smile! She is beautiful and I love her glasses!
We loved the teenage years at our house too.......and the college years even more 🙂 It is such fun to see your children grow into adults !!!
Your children are very petite! I didn't really realize that until I saw the last picture of Sonia in the swing. I'm pretty sure my three year old is almost as big as her! I tend to "grow" large kids
Happy Birthday Sonia!
Yeah, she's definitely the most petite of my kids. Joshua is 6 feet tall and Lisey is 5'7'' and still growing, and Zoe is pretty average-sized for her age too. I think Sonia's probably a little taller than she looks in that photo, since she's all scrunched up into the swing.
But Sonia has always been a peanut, and I'm guessing she is just going to be a small person (with a big personality. We always say she's a big person in a small body!)
The dental set is freakishly adorable!!
For what do your girls use the rolling backpack? Just curious since they don't have a need for a school bag and you guys don't travel much.
They use them when we go on vacation and also whenever they have sleepovers at friends' houses. So yeah, they won't get nearly as much wear and tear as they would if we needed them for school every day (which bodes even better for their longevity).
Oh I love regifting items that the next little person adores. That comment about did Sonia cry made me smile it is so cute. Wish Sonia a Happy Birthday and tell her she's beautiful. I love hearing about your family's birthday traditions.
I know, right? Her question made me laugh! So sincere and so cute.
I was coming to say the same thing...what a cutie!
Looks and sounds like a fun birthday all around. I'm glad that while it looks like Sonia got some good items she didn't get mounds of clutter and stuff (an issue I know will happen with my daughter once she's old enough to have birthday parties.)
Also, the Calico Critters for some reason remind me of the animals found in Beatrix Potter's stories, but perhaps a bit more updated.
Your birthday posts inspire me so much! I have a 4 uear old and a two year old and I hope they will enjoy mindful gifts. Can you please write something about combating pester power in children? How do you teach them to live in a very consumerist society? My 4 year old is already asking for toys he sees in shops 🙁
Here's something we've done since my first could talk: when we go to a store, they can tell me what they like, not what they want. This is a lot more pleasant and it becomes a conversation together, that I like this bag because blue is my favourite colour and I can reply saying well, I like the orange one more, and we talk about the things being pretty or useful, etc. It removes the wanty-ness. It takes a bit of doing to instill, but you then become able to go to a shop without all the I want, I want! bleugh.
I don't know how brilliant my advice is, but I found it helpful to have my kids only watch PBS kids (no advertisements), as most TV programming has lots of ads to encourage purchasing toys. We would have a conversation prior to shopping and while we were shopping along the lines of "it's fun to look and you may even get to hold the toy, but we aren't buying any toys today" and "let's say goodbye to the toy now" and then stick to your guns.
Ah, still nice for them to have a good quality one that can "grow with them".
Perhaps it's also handy for Calico Critter transport
It's funny you should say that, because I've just remembered that Sonia's dentist set was indeed rolling around in the new backpack last week. 😉
Whaaaaaat? She can't be so grown up looking already! My oldest boy turned 5 recently, and my other boys are turning 3 and 1 next week! We had been given some toys made by "WOW" which are well made, and when I saw some on sale at Aldi... Yes, good ol Aldi, it was obvious what I should get for my March birthday boys. No batteries and all the pieces from different sets can be used together. http://www.wowtoys.com/
Oh and I love your positive statements about teenagers! Every stage of kiddos can, and hopefully should, be mostly wonderful! Not that there aren't brutal moments with three kids crying at once, but mostly good things!
Yep. Every stage I've been through so far has had upsides and downsides, so I think the best thing is to just focus on the upsides of whatever stage you're in at the moment!
Oh, that's so cool! And toys without batteries are the best. So much less frustrating.
I love the Calico Critter dentist set! That's hilarious. And awesome.
I followed the link to Sonia's 5th birthday and laughed about the scotch tape. When I was that age I loved envelopes. If someone gave me my very own box of envelopes when I was 5, I would have thought it was about the best present on earth.
Yes. Glue and tape are perennial kid favorites, it seems!
Your niece sounds like the sweetest.
Ok, I'm 30 and every time you post about Calico Critters I pretty much squee. I want these guys for myself! Maybe someday I'll have kids who will be into Calico Critters.
HBD Sonia!
GirlFriday,
I say a rather unfrugal, if you want the Calico Critter get them for yourself. Then you won't have to share with your children!
Separately, loved your niece and her concern for Sonia. So sweet and so cute.
Goodness she is your mini-me!!!
My daughter just started wearing glasses 3 months ago. I would love to know where you order glasses and how they've held up.
Also do Any of your children wear contacts?
If so, I would appreciate any information in that area as well.
This pair is from the eye doctor's office, but I bought them before I was aware of the online places that sell children's glasses. There are a number of online shops that carry children's options, not just adults.
My kids don't wear contacts....Sonia's the only one that needs glasses so far!
I didn't have a name for how we "do" birthdays, but I like your "mindful shopping" term.
And I'm excited to know that my 10-year-old will still like Calico Critters at age 12.
When I was growing up, due to a blended family, we had 4 teenagers for a couple years! 13, 16, 16, and 17. What my parents really noticed is how much food the boys ate! We had 3 boys and 1 girl, you have 3 girls and 1 boy so the food situation may not be the same at your house. I wonder if you'll have to adjust your food budget as the kids become teenagers.
Yes, I think if I had three boys instead of three girls, we'd be going through a lot more food!
Luckily for my food budget, none of my children have a linebacker body type (or appetite), so we haven't gone through quite as much food in the teenage years as some families do.
How cute that your niece, although quite delighted that she got such a great girt-- that she was concerned for her cousin! So caring and sweet.
Wow, when I read your post, it worked out that the spacing had your "About Me" photo next to Sonia's. She really is your little "Mini Me"!
Sonia looks beautiful! So grown up and happy â˜ºï¸ Happy birthday from some Canadian readers, Sonia, enjoy your lovely gifts
Happy Birthday to Sonia and Mr. FG!
What a beautiful family. And a wonderful example of what's truly important. Also, Jansport is guaranteed for life? My fluorescent green bag is going on 20 years without a sign of wear! Sadly , no polka dots...
So lovely to see that your daughter is still enjoying childhood. I am so impressed and very envious. My experience in Canada when my kids hit that age was they started smoking, sneaking out of the house, attending parties and engaged in promiscuous and dangerous behaviour even though we raised them with morals and Christian values. Whatever you are doing differently, keep it up!