With this holiday season in full swing, People.com is rounding up our favorite stars’ most popular presents to give their loved ones this year. Hollywood’s Favorite Baby Present Gift Guide includes top celebrity gifts for our favorite babes, including Rockabye Baby CDs. May every night be a silent night this holiday season!
Just in time for Thanksgiving comes a true slice of American apple pie—in the literary sense, that is.
If you have an older sibling or cousin, chances are they were fans of The Happy Hollisters series of children’s books that reigned supreme during the 1950s and 1960s. The stories followed the adventures of a suburban New Jersey family who solved a slew of mysteries, investigating everything from monsters to Mexican idols.
Now, back in print for the first time in decades, the book is available in paperback in honor of author Andrew Svenson’s 100th birthday. Written under the pen name Jerry West, Svenson modeled the Hollisters on his own family. The black-and-white illustrations evoke a simpler time when kids were satisfied just by playing outside (remember when you didn’t have to be forced to “go play?”) and creating their own dramas. Don’t be surprised if the stories seem familiar; Svenson also wrote under separate pen names for The Hardy Boys and The Bobbsey Twins, too. So put down that iPhone, take a break from texting and instead take walk down memory lane.
The Happy Hollisters is available at Amazon and makes a thoughtful holiday gift for any bookworm.
If you’ve had your fair share of The Great Pumpkin and would rather not sit through yet another Harry Potter flick, it’s time to return to some oldies, but goodies in the Halloween genre. So, pop some popcorn, grab a comfy seat and get ready for some “spooktacular” viewing. Here are our top 5 picks, again. See our first article of Top Classic Kid-Friendly Halloween DVDs.
5. Ghostbusters
Your kids should know why the catchphrase ‘Who ya gonna call?’ still lives on. This movie gets bonus points for coining “I’ve been slimed!”…long before the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards made it fashionable.
4. Edward Scissorhands
A landmark film that put Johnny Depp in a class by himself. We don’t know what we like best: the candy-colored American suburban setting or Scissorhands’ incredible er….handiwork on the neighbors’ shrubbery.
3. Beetlejuice
When a couple of ghosts set out to scare new home owners, mischief and hilarious antics undoubtedly ensue. We still get a chuckle every time Michael Keaton utters this movie’s title.
2. The Nightmare Before Christmas
The title may be deceiving because this memorable stop-action flick pays homage to spooks and spirits—not Santa Claus. Tim Burton and friends deliver a unique story that reveals what happens when the King of Halloweentown experiences Christmas.
1. Monsters, Inc
Little ones will delight in the reversal of power in this Disney flick that has the scary guys afraid of a small child. This is one place that knows how to “scare up” business.
The 4th of July is nearing once again, and it’s time to show your patriotic spirit. Kids can get into the fun with a ton of craft ideas over at Kaboose.com. Here are some of the best crafts that will let your kids be creative while showing their fondness for the red, white, and blue. For more detailed instructions, including pictures, check out the link to each craft.
Crepe Paper Flag
What you’ll need:
11″ x 14″ piece of white poster board or cardstock
4 24″-long pieces of red crepe paper streamer
3 24″-long pieces of white crepe paper streamer
1 20″-piece of blue crepe paper streamer cut into 4 equal strips
1 extra piece of white crepe paper streamer, approximately 8″ long
6″ x 6″ square of white or blue construction paper
Scissors
Ruler
White craft glue
18″ long piece of white yarn
Shipping tape
How to make it:
Trim the poster board to 9 ¾” x 14″.
At the 9 ¾” end of the poster board, measure out ¾” segments, you should have 13 all together.
Use a pencil to draw a line upward from each measurement to use as a guide for your flag’s stripes.
Cut the four strips of red crepe paper streamers in half (lengthwise) to create a total of 8 24″-long strips.
Cut the three strips of white crepe paper streamers in half (lengthwise) to create a total of 6 24″-long strips.
Apply glue the first section of the poster board using your penciled line as a guide. Take one of your strips of red streamer and position it about a ½” of the streamer so that it hangs over the top of the poster board. (See photo.) Place the streamer over the glue on the poster board, patting it down flat. You will have a considerable amount of streamer left hanging over the edge of the poster board.
Repeat step 6 using a white strip, overlapping the red strip slightly.
Repeat steps 6 and 7 until all strips are in place. You will have one extra red strip left over. Save for another project.
Glue the blue strips of crepe paper onto the 6″x6″ construction paper and trim off excess. (See photo.) Glue the blue covered square to the upper left-hand corner of the flag.
Use white glue to add “star” dots onto the blue square. (See photo.) If you want to be historically accurate, add 50 stars, alternating rows of 6 and rows of 5. There should be 5 rows of 6 stars and 4 rows of 5 stars.
Tear the last piece of white crepe paper into 1″ squares and wrap them around the end of a pencil eraser. Press each one onto the glue dots and allow to dry.
Turn flag over and apply some glue to the top, then bend over the excess crepe paper and glue in place.
Attach yarn hanger by using shipping tape.
Parade-Day Water Bottle Holder
What you’ll need:
2 sheets felt any color
Old T-shirt(s)
Scissors
Hot glue
Needle and thread
How to make it:
Glue the two sheets of felt together.
Place the water bottle on to the felt (see photo) and fold felt up and over the bottom of the bottle. Tack sides together with hot glue. (See photo.)
Fold one side of the felt around the bottle, then fold the other side and tack with glue. (See photo.)
Reinforce seam with needle and thread.
Cut or tear t-shirt material into three separate strips. Braid together to form the handle. (See photo.)
Hot glue the ends of the braids inside the bottle and reinforce with needle and thread.
USA Wreath
Foam wreath
Wood letters (USA)
White craft paint
Paintbrush
3 sheets white felt
2 sheets red felt
1 sheet blue felt
Scissors
Red, white, and blue glitter glue
White craft glue
Patriotic star garland
How to make it:
Paint the letters white and set aside to dry.
Cut white and red felt into strips approximately 2″ wide.
Cover a 3″ section of the wreath with white glue. Begin wrapping the white felt around the wreath, overlapping as you go. You can secure the beginning of your felt with a thumbtack if you like. Continue wrapping and glue until you run out of white felt. Finish wrapping with the red felt.
Now that the letters are dry, paint each one with glitter glue, using a different color for each letter. Set aside to dry.
Insert the beginning of the star garland under a piece of the wrapped felt. Wrap the garland around the wreath, inserting the end of the garland into the felt. Secure both ends with some white glue.
When the letters are dry, glue them to the top of the wreath.
Cut the blue felt into 1″ wide strips and glue them together end to end to create a ribbon. When dry, tie it into a bow then glue to the bottom of the wreath and trim the ends.
Cut some more of the patriotic star garland into 6″ long pieces and glue them under the blue bow. Let everything dry.
Tis’ the season for fun and joyful activities! Despite increasingly cool electronic gadgets available to kids these days, coloring seems to remain a childhood activity favorite. If you’re looking for festive activities for the kids, download our free printable Rockabye Baby! holiday coloring page.
Coloring Contest
Have a group of tiny tots? Figure out a fun prize or treat and turn it into a coloring contest! Hang up all of the pages as party decorations to spread some holiday cheer. And kids, don’t worry – no one ever landed on the naughty list for coloring outside the lines.
Don’t forget to check out our other rockin’ coloring pages featuring artwork from our favorite Rockabye Baby! albums, Lullaby Renditions of Guns N’ Roses, Queen and Aerosmith and more! Visit our print and play page to see all of our coloring pages, cupcake toppers and other fun activities.
It’s that time of year again when everyone comes together to celebrate everything we are thankful for…friends, family and for some happy families even a brand new baby. Help them share this joyful holiday with the newest addition to their family the right way – by teaching them the tradition of eating way more than their little belly’s can handle.
We love the personalized “I’m Stuffed” Thanksgiving Infant Bib because of the sensible nature of the item, but especially for the cuteness factor. And let’s be honest-baby is not the only member of the family who will need a bib on Thanksgiving. Unfortunately for those of us at the grown up’s table, these are available in infant sizes only.
Make sure you check out these tips we compiled for making the most of baby’s first Thanksgiving!
Is this a little special someone’s very first Thanksgiving? Here are some interesting links we found to create a baby-friendly holiday.
Babies Today has some yummy sounding Thanksgiving-themed baby food recipes including turkey and cranberry puree, baked acorn squash and sweet potatoes.
Going to Grandma’s this year? Love to Know Baby offers these tips for traveling with an infant this holiday season.
If everyone in your family photos ends up looking demonic, check out this advice from Our365 for snapping great shots this Thanksgiving.
Did you promise your mother-in-law you’d be more formal if you hosted this year? How about these funny invites for baby’s first Thanksgiving?
And of course, why not create a table-scape made of babies? Last but not least we had to share with you this wacky idea from one of Martha Stewart’s viewers, who dresses babies up as a traditional Thanksgiving meal to create the weirdest holiday decorations ever. Why? Why ask why, just check out this delightfully loopy video.
The holidays are coming up quick! Get in the festive mood by taking advantage of our holiday specials! Rockabye Baby! albums make the perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer.
We have some exciting new additions to add to your collection this year. Don’t forget to check out our most recent release Lullaby Renditions of Aerosmith. We’ve made the Toxic Twins suitable for tiny ears, so yours won’t be the last child sleeping. If you’re shopping for a Guns N’ Roses fan, then don’t miss our upcoming album Lullaby Renditions of Guns N’ Roses (out 11/10!). Fire up these gentle renditions of GNR’s metal classics to rock your little devil to a peaceful sleep.
Need the coolest baby gift or stocking stuffer, but don’t know which Rockabye Baby! CD to buy? Our new Digital Download Card Gift Package lets the recipient download the album of their choice! The download card comes housed in a beautiful, eco-friendly package containing a digital download card good for one Rockabye Baby! album, an exclusive download code, and clear instructions for downloading. The package is chock full of fun activities like a healthy baby food recipe, paper dolls, a mini baby book , and Rockabye Baby! temporary tattoos.
To make sure your CDs arrive in time for Christmas, please order by:
Dec 12th (with First Class shipping) Dec 19th (with Priority shipping)
This Halloween, Mrs. Winton and I are going stay in while while the boy goes off with his best friend and his family. You see, his buddy’s grandma lives in a rather upscale neighborhood, the kind where the houses give out full sized candy bars. They’re going to try and pull a costume change and double up on the booty. In his younger years we always went out together, exploring many neighborhoods that we wouldn’t have otherwise. Rockridge, Brea, La Jolla and many more lovely towns have entertained us with awesome displays and generous treats.
Anyhow, like I said, me and the Mrs. are staying home. Unfortunately, our street is very poorly lit and the neighbors don’t decorate. In other words–no more than 5 trick or treaters will pay us a visit! So we’ve decided to curl up with a couple of classic monster movies. I thought that it would be a good time to recommend a few of my Halloween favorites that also happen to be very kid friendly, even safe for the little ones.
The Ghost Breakers
First off, a movie I discovered earlier this year–The Ghost Breakers. It’s a delightful Bob Hope vehicle, seemingly one of his lesser know films. Quick paced comedic interplay between he and co-star Paulette Goddard keeps the simple haunted house gags from wearing thin. In a similar vein there’s the much more well known Abbot and Costello Meet Dr. Frankenstein. How many parents remember seeing this on TV back in the 70’s? I certainly do.
The Ghost & Mr. Chicken
Another film that used to screen around the holidays was The Ghost & Mr. Chicken. It’s got Don Knotts, a haunted organ & a Vic Mizzy score. Mr. Mizzy just passed on last week, he’s best known for his Addams Family theme–always a possible option for your Halloween night viewing. The short lived TV series ages quite well, its wit and subversiveness unparalleled in its time.
The Munster
Of course if you want to continue down the old TV route, a couple of Munsters episodes might do the trick. Much more lighthearted and silly than the Addams’, Herman & Lily’s brood are always worth a revisit.
Mad Monster Party
The ultimate in groovy mid 60’s Halloween camp has to be Mad Monster Party. Phyllis Diller, Boris Karloff and pop-psycher Gale Garnett voice a crazy cadre of claymation creatures, very much in the same vein as the Rudolph Christmas special with Burl Ives–if you mixed in mop top bands & cocktail parties!
Anyhow, just thought I’d give you a few ideas to spice up the evening after watching Charlie Brown.
Want to be the first on the block to have a Rockabye Baby! jacko’lantern this Halloween? Well, we do too! Download our free pumpkin carving stencil and you’ll have the coolest pumpkin for miles. Nobody will dare TP your house with our bad bear guarding your front door.
Dec 12th (with First Class shipping)
Check out all our cool, free Halloween printables and activities!
