This is a great idea! I did one years ago where I wrapped the items in tissue and glued them with fabri-tac glue (hot glue in a bottle is what I call it) between 2 long pieces of wide ribbon. Then I hung it off a hanger for each kid. This is WAY cooler and easier to manage!
For boys, target had some neat stuff in their dollar spot, also check dollar stores. try magic tricks, target's shaped playing cards (or get several sets and teach him to play either WAR with 2-3 sets or canasta or kings on the corner with you?), a ball of twine or rope (every boy's/man's best friend for some bizarre reason - mine have adored these at every age), bungie cords to fasten things, duct tape (walmart has some awesome colors including tiedye), check out the tool section of walmart and the dollar store for some cheap tools (hammer, tape measure, level, screwdrivers) for boys AND girls - sometimes they have them in keychain size which is VERY helpful (women should ALWAYS have a reg and phillips screwdriver in their everyday purse - once you do you will be SHOCKED at how often they are useful esp if you have or want nice fingernails!).
Check out items at the register/checkout lane at every store. they now sell little penlight size spray bottle of hand sanitizer that can be refilled with regular alcohol for the same effect. I use mine constantly, esp on toilet seats, shopping cart handles, even restaurant tables if I find them icky or sticky. Once you have plain alcohol in them they are great for cleaning glasses, as that is the main ingredient in most lens cleaners sold in lenscrafters, etc...
On our trip to Dallas I forgot my toothbrush and found a dental kit in Walmart (toothbrush aisle) that was $2.48 and had: nice toothbrush, toothpaste, flosspicks (4), hand sanitizer, and binaca breath spray! The breath spray was really popular back when I was in jr high, so it might be something your difficult child would like (peppermint flavor, strong and not sweet). the other items can each be wrapped or can go into the family stock pile. Binaca spray was $3 at the store we were at sold separately.
I like this idea a lot mroe than the chocolate calendars, just seems more fun to make and open.
If you have one who likes to make stuff you could wrap up unfinished ornaments (wood, plaster or whatever) from the craft store, plus other craft supplies. It would be a neat gift and have the bonus of keeping him busy!!
For next year, check out the freebie section of www.gottadeal.com and stockpile freebies during the year. Also check out Penny Press' website to buy puzzle books (sudoku, crosswords, logic problems, etc...) in bulk. You can get old issues at VERY affordable prices and keep the kids busy and intellectually stimulated all year long. My kids each LOVE puzzles, and this way we don't keep shelling out retail prices for the puzzle books, plus I always have a stash of them for a quick gift with a nice pen and eraser.
OH, forgot this, check out toy stores, etc... for cute erasers, pens, etc.... The hospital gift shop had some really cool erasers for $1 each. They were on the small side, but were in all sorts of shapes. We got a burger, fries and a soft drink for $1 each.
Bookmarks are cool - the gift shop had some that were nice paper, folded to about 2 1/2inches long total, but had small magnets on each side so they hugged 1-2 pieces of paper. Thin magnets were glued into each side and the paper was folded over them from the bottom of each side of the bookmark. Jess and I were reading the same book and it let us not lose each other's place (she couldn't reach her other books the first night and grabbed mine while I was asleep because she needed to do something to keep her mind off the pain and wasn't allowed to get up with-o a nurse holding onto her belt.) It also didn't get lost when any other bookmark would have disappeared several times. You could do any design you wanted.
Also include ornaments for the tree - then when difficult child is ready to be on his own he will have some of his own ornaments that have special meaning. There are some inexpensive ones around each year.
For boys, target had some neat stuff in their dollar spot, also check dollar stores. try magic tricks, target's shaped playing cards (or get several sets and teach him to play either WAR with 2-3 sets or canasta or kings on the corner with you?), a ball of twine or rope (every boy's/man's best friend for some bizarre reason - mine have adored these at every age), bungie cords to fasten things, duct tape (walmart has some awesome colors including tiedye), check out the tool section of walmart and the dollar store for some cheap tools (hammer, tape measure, level, screwdrivers) for boys AND girls - sometimes they have them in keychain size which is VERY helpful (women should ALWAYS have a reg and phillips screwdriver in their everyday purse - once you do you will be SHOCKED at how often they are useful esp if you have or want nice fingernails!).
Check out items at the register/checkout lane at every store. they now sell little penlight size spray bottle of hand sanitizer that can be refilled with regular alcohol for the same effect. I use mine constantly, esp on toilet seats, shopping cart handles, even restaurant tables if I find them icky or sticky. Once you have plain alcohol in them they are great for cleaning glasses, as that is the main ingredient in most lens cleaners sold in lenscrafters, etc...
On our trip to Dallas I forgot my toothbrush and found a dental kit in Walmart (toothbrush aisle) that was $2.48 and had: nice toothbrush, toothpaste, flosspicks (4), hand sanitizer, and binaca breath spray! The breath spray was really popular back when I was in jr high, so it might be something your difficult child would like (peppermint flavor, strong and not sweet). the other items can each be wrapped or can go into the family stock pile. Binaca spray was $3 at the store we were at sold separately.
I like this idea a lot mroe than the chocolate calendars, just seems more fun to make and open.
If you have one who likes to make stuff you could wrap up unfinished ornaments (wood, plaster or whatever) from the craft store, plus other craft supplies. It would be a neat gift and have the bonus of keeping him busy!!
For next year, check out the freebie section of www.gottadeal.com and stockpile freebies during the year. Also check out Penny Press' website to buy puzzle books (sudoku, crosswords, logic problems, etc...) in bulk. You can get old issues at VERY affordable prices and keep the kids busy and intellectually stimulated all year long. My kids each LOVE puzzles, and this way we don't keep shelling out retail prices for the puzzle books, plus I always have a stash of them for a quick gift with a nice pen and eraser.
OH, forgot this, check out toy stores, etc... for cute erasers, pens, etc.... The hospital gift shop had some really cool erasers for $1 each. They were on the small side, but were in all sorts of shapes. We got a burger, fries and a soft drink for $1 each.
Bookmarks are cool - the gift shop had some that were nice paper, folded to about 2 1/2inches long total, but had small magnets on each side so they hugged 1-2 pieces of paper. Thin magnets were glued into each side and the paper was folded over them from the bottom of each side of the bookmark. Jess and I were reading the same book and it let us not lose each other's place (she couldn't reach her other books the first night and grabbed mine while I was asleep because she needed to do something to keep her mind off the pain and wasn't allowed to get up with-o a nurse holding onto her belt.) It also didn't get lost when any other bookmark would have disappeared several times. You could do any design you wanted.
Also include ornaments for the tree - then when difficult child is ready to be on his own he will have some of his own ornaments that have special meaning. There are some inexpensive ones around each year.
