Thanksgiving Leftovers

“I don’t like that.”

“That’s gross.”

“No way.”

“Ewwww!”

“I can’t eat that, I will get sick.  Seriously!”

Kate is a very picky eater.  Not in a bad way, I mean considering other kids her age, she is pretty adventurous.

She loves sushi, especially eel.  I think she would reconsider if she actually knew what an eel looked like or that it is just a big, icky water snake.  Maybe I will spring that on her when she gets older.   I am an evil stepmother after all.

She also loves pumpkin pie, dipping hot dog buns in Italian salad dressing, and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls.  She has a box hidden in her room so that she knows there will be some for her when she visits.  She made the mistake of leaving the box where Daddy could find it and needless to say, Little Debbie was “eaten by the dogs”.

However, there are some foods that will never pass her lips.  Mayonnaise is the biggest one.  How can someone not like mayonnaise?  No butter either. THE HUMANITY!!

She only likes “grandma’s cheese” which is shredded mozzarella.  Grandma makes pizza from scratch, including shredding the blocks of mozzarella.  Kate won’t eat a chunk of mozzarella, but shredded is ok and so are sticks.  No other cheese will do.

And don’t let any of the foods on her plate touch each other because that is actually the Eighth sign of the Apocalypse.

So you can imagine, Thanksgiving is a bit of a challenge.

Turkey? Only white meat, and there will be consequences if any kind of fat or skin even touches her plate.

Green Bean Casserole?  But no fried onions please, they look like worms.

Mashed potatoes? No butter. (She does this just to hurt me, I know)

NO sweet potatoes, even though we promise that they taste just like her beloved pumpkin pie.

Are you even serious suggesting the cranberry sauce?  Please!

Rolls?  Yes.  Got Italian dressing?

So if getting through the pain of the actual Thanksgiving dinner isn’t enough, there is the traditional meal.  Leftover Friday.

We’ve solved that problem by taking her favorite thing in the world, grandma’s homemade pizza, and instead of the traditional pepperoni, we top the dough (or you can use a Boboli crust) with a spread of mashed potatoes mixed with gravy (instead of tomato sauce), shredded white meat turkey, broccoli florets, and sliced mushrooms.  Then cover the entire thing with grandma’s cheese and bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

For the grownups, one of my favorite things to make is stuffing cakes.  I take any leftover stuffing, moisten with some gravy and an egg, and form into patties which I fry in a little bit of butter and olive oil.  Top the cakes with a dollop of cranberry sauce, a spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes, and on top of that, pile on some of the leftover turkey and top with a good handful of shredded Smoked Gouda cheese.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Serve with a nice side salad of mesclun greens, sliced Granny Smith apples, toasted walnuts, and vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard to cut the richness of the cheese.

Start your own tradition of Leftover Friday!  Feel free to share recipes and ideas for recipes by commenting on this post.  I would love to hear how our HearthSong customers enjoy Thanksgiving leftovers!

By Dyan C, website producer and affiliate manager

The Countdown to Christmas

It’s the most favorite countdown of the year for adults and children alike.  Christmas advent calendars started 150 years ago in Germany and are going stronger than ever nowadays.

I remember when I was a child and our family would have one of the thin box calendars that I’m sure had a very fun or beautiful image on the front.  However, as little children we weren’t excited about the front picture.  We were excited about what would be behind each little door that we opened – a small piece of chocolate!  The chocolate combined with one more day down in the countdown to Christmas meant everything to us as little kids!  My family now moves a snowflake from pocket to pocket each day.  But what’s amazing is that I see the same excitement I felt about that little piece of chocolate in my son’s eyes about moving the snowflake.

Times have changed since I was little and with so many different themed advent calendars it is fun to give your kids the option of what kind they want.  Hearthsong has several styles of the chocolate calendars available today although if you have more than one child it could be interesting each night!  I speak from experience with four siblings.  We also have the Nativity and Dear Santa sticker calendars that any child would enjoy.  These styles of calendars get you through the year and you pick up a new one next year.

If you’re family is wanting a more “long-term” calendar there are ones available with biblical verses to help even the smallest of children understand the Christmas story.  There are also 3-dimentional calendars some even with drawers holding small surprises inside.  HearthSong’s 3-D Advent Tree includes figurines and even a game to enjoy for the holiday.

Of course Santa is always a welcome sight at Christmas and there are calendars featuring the big man himself.  It’s also fun to see how the elves countdown to Christmas in our Evergreen Elves Countdown Calendar.

Whatever kind of advent calendar your family chooses for your countdown, the best part is seeing the excitement in your kids eyes as you spend time each evening to countdown another day until you’ve counted them all down and it’s time!

by Shannon L, executive assistant

Choosing the Right Toy for a Child

You would think that given all of the toys manufactured and sold throughout the world and all of the expert advice that exists about raising our children, it would be a snap to determine what toys to give the special children in our lives. As merchants, we at HearthSong recognize first hand that the hardest part about choosing the right toys is the time and effort it takes to weed through the many. We are always on the lookout for or developing playthings that will enable children to blossom and grow through open ended and imaginative play; those that will provide opportunities for children to be children; those that will incite laughter, glee, and engagement in active play; and those that through all stages of childhood, will instill wonder, excitement, delight and a sense of accomplishment and self awareness. A tall order for any one toy certainly, our desire is to offer an assortment of toys and gifts for all ages that you the parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend will feel good about giving to the children in your lives.

From the time our company began, we have intended to encourage parents and other caregivers to follow their own hearts in raising their children. We can all look back to our own childhood to think to what most influenced us that we might give the best of that experience to our children. We at HearthSong, understand that ultimately it is you and your relationship to the children in your lives, your knowledge of their interests, and stages of development and propensities that will determine the most appropriate gift. We endeavor to make it easier for you by offering a wide range of carefully selected toys, crafts, and other gifts, recommending age appropriateness, and ensuring the safety of all we offer. We recently even added a gift center that allows you to shop by your child’s interest and the price ranges you are considering.

My daughter has “grown up HearthSong” as she was born shortly after I joined the company and is now nearing the age of sixteen. When I think back to the gifts she most treasured, those she was most inspired by, those that nurtured her development and enabled her imagination to soar, I understand better how she came to be the thoughtful, artistic, creative, social, detail oriented, texture and color loving, intelligent young woman she is today. She spent more time in her little kitchen than I did in mine; she now loves cooking especially with her uncles. She was often at her easel painting, drawing on any paper she had nearby, or shaping wax or clay; today she is a talented young artist. She nurtured her dolls and animals and made them a part of her every day world; she remains sensitive to all around her today. She created imaginative costumes from my silk scarves; she remains a fashion enthusiast today. Most of all, she loved playing with friends and interacting with family and today she welcomes the opportunity to play games (especially Qwirkle) with friends and family and of course, remains quite social.

One of our biggest beliefs here at HearthSong is that the very best gifts and toys are those that are shared by many when given. We love hearing from customers about how our Domino Race was the hit of Christmas and that even grandparents got down on the floor to play with it; how a very special Uncle produced performances for hours with his niece when she received our Doorway Puppet Theater and Storytelling Puppets; how Qwirkle was the most popular present under the Christmas tree captivating six and seven year olds, their grandparents, moms, dads, aunts and uncles alike; and, how our unique craft and design kits just might have influenced a young adult’s career.

Please let us know your thoughts on toys and their place in your child’s life.  We look forward to hearing from you and to the opportunity of providing you with quality toys, gifts, and experiences for years to come. Happy Holidays!

by Beverly F, Vice President, Merchandising

Imaginative Play

I was speaking to my mother-in-law the other day and we got on the topic of my working for a toy company.  I asked what Mike’s favorite toy was growing up, thinking silently that it was probably something very technical, since he loves building things (and blowing them up). He loves fantasy, strategic, and role-playing games, so the thought of his favorite toy being perhaps toy soldiers or wooden blocks seemed quite reasonable.  So you can imagine my surprise when I learned that Mike’s most favorite toy was…

A single roller skate.  Yep.  Not a pair, just one.

And it was everything to him.

A truck, a race car, a train, bug crusher, and his favorite, a white airplane with orange landing wheels…

My favorite toy was a kitchen set my mom had picked up at a yard sale for $5, which was big money way back then. Certainly not as nice as the Island Kitchen Set we sell, it was made of metal, probably aluminum, and it had seen better days.  Avocado green with red plastic dials and handles, silk-screened pictures of milk, butter, cheese, and chicken legs in the frig, and a peeling picture of a roasting turkey on the oven door. It was everything to me.

I produced on the finest meals for myself, my stuffed animals, and of course, the family dog, Buffy.  Looking back, I feel really bad for teasing that poor dog with the promise of real “people” food only to serve her air on a plastic plate.  She fell for it each time though.

I think as adults, we forget that children can make anything out of nothing.  Giving them open-ended toys- toys that aren’t defined by with just one purpose, promotes imaginative and creative play, lets them make-up stories and situations that present problem-solving opportunities. And maybe, just maybe, gives them the chance to discover what they want to be when they grow up.  Mike grew up to be a wonderful husband…and pilot.

And before I came to work for HearthSong, I was a professional chef.

I am really proud of the fact that here at HearthSong , our merchants recognized the importance of such toys and created the Imaginative Play department, filling it with really wonderful creative products.

by Dyan C, website producer and affiliate coordinator

Fish Kisses

I have to admit, when I first saw GelGems, I wasn’t impressed.  Sure they were pretty, some even really cute, but they seemed like one-time-use kind of toys, especially the themed ones like the Fairy GelGems, Construction GelGems, and particularly the Gold Fish GelGems.  When the opportunity came to take some of them home, I figured it would be a perfect way to entertain my 10 year old stepdaughter and her friend who were visiting for the weekend.  I figured 10 minutes tops and then I would hear, once again, that they were bored.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Admittedly, the girls looked at the packs of Gold Fish GelGems and were not terribly impressed.  When I explained that they could decorate the windows (but please not the walls), they perked up and ran upstairs.

AND WERE QUIET FOR 2 HOURS.

Seems that Gold Fish GelGems have a whole story behind them, they are not just regular Gold Fish, but superhero Gold Fish that swim in the ocean, investigating crimes against other fish and solving the mystery of who (or what) stole the special sparkly coral from the coast off Australia.  Also, they liked to hang out and make crowns out of seaweed, hearts, and bubbles.  Most importantly, they don’t like to kiss, as suggested in the packaging, because frankly, kissing is gross.  And so are boys (in the humble opinions of two 10 year old girls).

by Dyan C, website producer and affiliate coordinator

Light Up the Night

It’s time I made a small confession.  I use a nightlight.  Having grown up with a house full of cats, dogs and big, bulky furniture it was a safety necessity to have some kind of light in order to get around when it was dark.  I still have cats and big, bulky furniture and therefore I still have to have a light to see where I’m going at night.

Sometimes kids, parents and adults have reasons they need a little light when all the bright lights go out at night.  Perhaps there’s a fear of the pitch dark where you can’t even see your hand in front of your face.  Parents may try to encourage a quiet time to help their kids calm down before heading to bed.  Or you may just be like me – wanting to make sure you don’t step on a cat or stub your toe on the dresser.  HearthSong has some great options to shed a little light on a rather dark situation.

First is the Moon in My Room.  Imagine being able to see the 12 stages of the moon right in your bedroom!  You can let it do its own cycle as the room gets darker or use the included remote to cycle through at your own pace.  This provides a nice glow to the room for that extra security.

Second is the Star Theater that allows you to enter a given time, date and place and the planetarium adjusts to project that night’s sky in your room!  How phenomenal is that?!?!  Then to add an even better element to you can send a meteor across the sky.  However, I don’t think it’s the same as wishing on a falling star.  Take this great activity outside with the star dome and match up the sky in your back yard to the planetarium.  This is a great calming activity, but still exciting that your child will feel comforted falling asleep to the glow of the “night’s stars.”

Third we have the Orion Relief Globe that when unlit gives you details including geography, national boundaries, raised equator and more.  Then you switch on the soft interior light to reveal mountains, rivers and underwater ocean topography.  It’s like a mini Earth Science class in addition to a nightlight!

Fourth is the awesome power of Nature’s Fire.  How cool would it be to see your kids’ friends’ expression when they tell them there is an underwater volcano in their room?  Not only will the light from these underwater giants provide a calming atmosphere, but watching the colorful “lava” bead erupt and then float down will help drift your little ones into dreamland.

Fifth and finally is the fun Rainbow in My Room.  Providing a soft glow this multi-colored rainbow comes on with the wave of your hand and gives a magical glow for ten minutes.  Sometimes that’s all the time you need to get around at night.

Sure you can buy one of those nightlights that you just stick in the wall and be done, but where’s the fun in that?  HearthSong’s items think outside the light and give options for educational, fun and de-light-ful help with a dark situation.

by Shannon L, Executive Assistant

Habitadule for Building Creative Spaces

Kids learn by doing.  That’s an old saying we’ve all heard before, but at Hearthsong, we take it seriously.  After all, play is a serious business for kids!

They need building materials, toys and tools that teach important awareness like spatial relationships – how things/objects fit together to form a pleasing (we hope) shape, or a pretty picture.  They also need toys that spark creativity and curiousity and foster self confidence.

Children need time to manipulate objects large and small and experience what they can build that is unique to them.

They also need beauty in their lives.  Too often these days toys are not beautiful and don’t offer a child that special “AH”moment when they experience the esthetic behind the toy.

Habitadule is one of those building kits that is unique in what it offers kids.  The design is very simple but once you see what kids can build with these panels it becomes obvious that the simplicity allows imagination to flow and blossom.  It doesn’t direct a specific form, but suggests.  Even once a child has build a structure and looks at it from a different angle or from inside, they will notice light patterns they didn’t see at first.  They will peek through small cut outs to see the world in a whole different way.

Who knows what this might mean for a child — it can foster a life-long avocation, spark interest in a career or simply give a child a quiet space to curl up with a good book and relish their special and unique spot in the world!

We offer many different types of fantastic toys and kits that we hope will stimulate creativity, spark imagination and focus a child’s observation skills – and we strive to find toys that can enhance appreciation of beauty no matter where it’s found.

We’d love to hear stories and comments about your child’s experiences with Habititule or any of our other toys!

by Roberta J, senior product manager

Holgate Toys – Made in the USA

We have found some really impressive folks making toys in this country.  Some have been in business for over 100 years, some are much younger, but they all have some things in common.  They all truly love the toy business and care a lot about what they make for our children.

We have worked with a few companies to build our Made In USA collection for parents and grandparents looking for a simple, quality toys made in this country.

One company in particular I’d like to showcase is Holgate Toys in Pennsylvania. Below is the history of the company, a great old black and white photo of the workshop and some really interesting tidbits about the toys and who designed them many years ago.

Holgate has made great toys for many generations of kids in this country and we wish them many more!  We offer the Rocking Color Cone, Handeez School Bus, and Pull Along Caliope to name a few you can find in the Made in USA collection.

The Holgate tradition started back in 1789 in a colonial village called Roxborough which is close to the center city of Philadelphia. That year George Washington was elected the country’s first President and the US Constitution was signed. Holgate began making feather dusters, broom handles and too handles. Generation after generation of the Holgate family continued making wood products. In 1929, they expanded into the emerging kindergarten program and under the direction of Jarvis Rockwell, brother of the famous American illustrator Norman Rockwell, started making wooden toys.

Holgate is located in north central Pennsylvania and surrounded by one of the most diverse hardwood forests in the world. Holgate buys the majority of its dimensional wood products from a lumber company that has a tradition in the forest industry dating back to 1855. This company locally owns over 120,000 acres of forestland and all their holdings are part of the Forest Stewardship Council. They are self sustaining, containing more wood today than they did over a hundred years ago. Their land is home to bald eagles, black bears, wild turkeys, active meadows, springs, creeks and beautiful watersheds. They are naturally healthy forests – growing trees only from sunshine, water and nutrients from fertile soils. They are not a tree farm but a living, active and diverse natural ecosystem. In the mid 1990’s this company received the White House award for sustainable forestry practices.

Holgate uses a variety of hardwood including Pennsylvania cherry, hard maple, red oak, ash and other species. The wood is carefully cut, sanded smooth and finished with non-toxic water based paints. Holgate toys have always been independently attested for US safety standards. The company is proud to say Holgate toys are made in the USA!

By Roberta J, senior product manager

Good “Green” Fun

With growing concerns about the safety of the toys, eco-friendly materials are a great alternative and will be guaranteed to last for many generations.

Tips While Searching For Eco-Friendly Toys

Wood -Toys made with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)-certified wood, mean that the products were constructed from sustainable wood in a responsibly managed forest and will provide long-lasting entertainment.

Organic -All-natural fibers labeled on cotton, hemp or wool, are made without the pesticides and chemical fertilizers that are dangerous to younger kids who might chew or suck on their toys.

Paint -Looking for a finished wooden toy? Find products that have used a plant-based or natural oil such as nut oil or beeswax. Not only will the toy be safer for your kid, but it’s just as durable as conventional paint.

Some Great Eco-Friendly Toys Available At HearthSong.com

Eco-Trucks

These heavy-duty trucks are made from recycled plastic and sawdust. They then go through a special process to make their outer appearance look like wood, smell a little like wood and last like plastic.

Sandbox

Enjoy the classic look of a wooden sandbox—without the splinters. Made from durable, recycled plastic and wood, it lasts through all kinds of weather. Plus, you can “recycle” these timbers as edging around a play area or raised-bed garden.

Enviroblox

Let kids build amazing sculptures with biodegradable building blocks. The sponge-like material is made from cornstarch and colored with food-safe dye and will stick together when moistened with water. Architecture will last a long time, and when they’re finished they can be dissolved in running water.

Organic Bunny

Simple and pure, this adorable bunny is made of 100% organic cotton and filled with unbleached cotton clippings. Made in the USA by a Vermont-based company called Peace Toys, they are dedicated to making a difference in children’s lives. By introducing green, organic, planet-centered toys during early development, the hope is that children grow up loving and learning about the world.

Read more about each product at hearthsong.com

Encourage your kids to become eco-friendly by joining our Campaign to Reforest America™

With your family’s help, and the contributions of our sister brands like Magic Cabin®, we planted 1 million trees nationwide through our Campaign to Reforest America last year. And we’ve made it our goal to plant another million in the coming year. As part of our Campaign, we support Planting Two for One, where we plant two seedlings for every one tree used in the production of our catalogs—so far, we’ve helped plant more than 1.5 million trees in our home state of Virginia. And, for every purchase you make during the holiday season, we’ll donate one seedling to a state of reforestation program of your choice—go online to learn more about where you can make a difference.

by Carin S, copywriter

A Real Treat

There is no better indicator of the economic situation of this nation than the quality of Halloween candy that will be purchased and distributed this year.   In a good economy, trick-or-treaters can expect name-brand chocolates like Snickers, M&Ms, and 3 Musketeers.  For tougher financial climates, bags will be filled with those “not-so-smart” lollipops, generic hard candies, and off-brand, unknown confections that can be found in the bulk mix bags available at overstock retail specialty stores.  These often feature characters from animated movies that have long since gone to DVD with the promised “soft gummy” feature no having the consistency of gravel.

My dad was in the Navy, we lived on base, and I remember trick or treating as one of my most beloved childhood memories.  Because of the diversity of the servicemen and their families, that night’s bounty could include everything from sweet Chinese rice balls and Phillipino date candies to miniature Korean yogurt drinks and homemade Persian sesame brittle (that was a bit spicy!).  One year, a Turk neighbor down the row gave out little squares of Halvah, a dessert made with semolina flour and honey.

And because we all knew each other, were all part of the same Navy family, nothing was tossed aside or questioned and we were allowed to eat everything.

The big thrill of the evening was heading to “Officer’s Row” and a special invitation to the Admiral’s House.  Because they earned more money than the enlisted personnel, the treats that we received from them weren’t of the homemade kind, they were BOUGHT at the grocery store!  They were REAL treats!

Ah, the ignorance of youth.

The Admiral and his wife, would stand on their grand front porch and hand out candy bars.  But not the “mini” version, but FULL-SIZE Hershey bars.  He would make you work for it of course, with a polite “trick or treat”, then a well-timed “thank you” and a return of his very crisp salute.  It still makes me smile as I remember a group of neighborhood boys, all dressed as miniature Batmans (no one wanted to be Robin) gazing up at the very imposing Admiral and then saluting in sync.  They reminded me of a flock of baby birds (not robins though) waiting for a worm.

Now that I am all grown-up, I look forward to trick-or-treaters visiting my door.  Unfortunately, my husband and I live deep in the country, with no neighbors, thus no neighborhood children, around for miles.  I don’t bother buying candy for that night, knowing that if I bring chocolate into the house, it will be eaten (by me) and I won’t be able to blame the dogs when my husband can’t find it.  Maybe I will make some sweet Chinese rice balls and share them with my coworkers.  Everyone deserves a treat on Halloween…

by Dyan C, Website Producer & Affiliate Coordinator