5 gifts to make your kids they will actually love

That time of year is around the corner where we need to start thinking gifts. Many want to keep gifts simple, to keep the message in focus of what Christmas really means. Or If you are like me and need to keep it on the cheap...oh no whats pc now? Frugal. Ok if you are FRUGAL like me here are some gifts your kids are sure to love. I have market tested these on my kids, and I have a lot of kids to test them out on. So unless my kids are weird (and please don't tell me if they are) then your kids will probably like these too.

Homemade Hot Cocoa - You kids will love to spend the rest of winter sipping on this delicious creation. A container for each kid ensures no fighting over who got more. Make it a christmas tradition and your kids will look forward to getting it every year even as adults. I know I look forward to it! Wow, that was a pretty good sell. I should get in to writing commercials! Anyhow, I made this for my mil a few years ago and she still talks about. I guess thats a hint I should make more.

Rag quilt or Fleece Blanket - I make a quilt for each kid when they get old enough to enjoy them. IE...when they stop peeing their beds. But then the younger kids noticed they didn't have anything special to sleep with. So I had to figure out what to make them that they wouldn't destroy. Good old polyester. That even my kids can't destroy. I got a bunch of scrapes at Joanns super cheap and made some blankets up. First I made the fleece blankets with the fringe. It was really easy to make. I made 3 in an hour. They were different sizes but who cared? Not my 2 yr old thats for sure. Then a few years later when I bought a bundle of fabric and it had a bunch of fleece scrapes in it. But- they weren't big enough for a blanket. I had to figure out what else to make with it. As if by fate I went to Joanns and there, hanging as a display, was a fleece rag quilt. Genius! The first blankets I made are now 7 years old and going strong.

Sleep masks - I have to admit only my girls like these. My boys just can't get in to them. I really wish they would because then when the sun pokes round the horizon at 5 am I don't get woken with, "I can't sleep, the sun is shining in my room." This is a good way to recycle some favorite clothing or blankets that has seen better days. When I asked my daughter what her favorite things have been that I made for them, this was the first thing she mentioned.

Superhero capes - This one my kids bugged me about for the longest time. First I told them they had to wait till I wasn't working so much. Then they had to wait till my fingers weren't swollen like sausages. Then it was when I wasn't busy nursing a kid. After about 8 months I finally just put aside everything else and made them the capes. I should have done it 8 months ago. They love them. And all my clothes pins stay where they belong. Not to mention my towels stay clean. Here are my 8 superheros:


5. Personalized Pencil Holder - I made my kids out of soup cans, construction paper, gliter, stencils and glue. But you can make yours out of wood and carve their name in it. Or ceramic and paint their names on. My kids used theirs for years and years. When they were destroyed in the move, the kids asked for new ones. And really we love any excuse to organize.