Christmas Presents

We’ve had a week or so to enjoy some of our new Christmas presents,  so I wanted to tell you about some of our favorite unique gifts.

Sarah got these plastic serrated knives:

She loves helping us in the kitchen but can’t be trusted with real knives yet, of course. Since these are serrated they really can hit things like bananas and lettuce. She loves really getting to help, and we like knowing they’re safe for her to use.

This was our family game this year:

When I was searching for a game for us to buy I just wanted something f that Sarah could understand and something that wouldn’t drive Robert and me nuts. This game is great! We all like it! You roll a large soft cube with colors on it and draw a corresponding colored card. The different cards are categories like finding colored objects around the house (find something red, make an expression (make a surprised face), count (pat your head seven times), animal noises (bark like a dog). It teaches colors, taking turns, counting, and creativity. And there isn’t a loser. Everyone wins! Perfect for a two year old!

This is kind of an unusual concept - Dry brushing:

Have you ever heard of it. It’s supposed to increase circulation/blood flow. I’m not sure if it works, but I do know that I love getting scratched and this feels great on my arms, legs, and back!

Robert likes frying things, but we don’t like how unhealthy it is, and I don’t like the smell. Enter the Air Fryer:
 
I’m pretty sure Robert has used it every day since Christmas. It makes great French fries and sweet potato fries. It also made good chicken.  For enough fries for the three of us Robert uses about 2 Tablespoons of oil, but after they're cooked at least a tablespoon of oil is left on the pan, so we're consuming less than a tablespoon of oil total between the three of us.  Pretty healthy!  Robert likes that he can start it up and leave it alone while doing something else in the kitchen.  It doesn't require frequent stirring.

Himalayan salt massage stones:
 
I love getting a good massage, and these stones are great!  We made the purchase at Bed Bath & Beyond, but Amazon sells the same item.  They get fully heated in 1-2 hours, but you can leave it on as long as you want.  It's heated with a very small light bulb so it doesn't waste much electricity.  I'm not sure about the negative ion air purifying stuff that it says it does, but I do know that they feel great, and it's actually really pretty when it's plugged in.

Pressure cooker:

We've used this once so far to cook a whole chicken.  Robert couldn't believe how fast it cooked.  I'm excited to use it on a regular basis, and I know Pinterest has a million recipes for it.  Have you used one?  What are some of your favorite recipes?

We also got annual family memberships to the zoo and discovery center, which are great activity options!

What were some of your favorite Christmas presents this year?