These wizards are confident that the teachers will like our EYO thoughtful pinches.

This year, for E.O.Y. - end of the year - I'm rolling the dice. I am doing something I hope I don't regret. School is almost finished for the year which means it's time to thank the educators and faculty for all that they do to make our school year safe and successful. I wrote a post years ago about what teachers really want when the school year is over (click here). And so for me to deviate from the advice I give to others, is a bit of a gamble.

The kids and I are on a big ice cream/popsicle kick these days. Maybe because we have been knee deep in snow for months and months so we dream of hot days and needing ice cream to cool us off. Well, ever since I saw a video demo for a Pampered Chef item, I couldn't get it out of my head that the teachers may enjoy this Quickcicle Maker. I had planned to get all the teachers (13 teachers and 3 faculty) this awesome kitchen tool until my son saw how much the total cost would be and said it was too much. Apparently, he's a bit more grounded than I am. But both kids did not want to give up on this thoughtful pinch idea. We agreed that giving the two main teachers and my son's tutor a Quickcicle Maker was still reasonable.

Pampered Chef has a short demo video for this Quickcicle Maker and sold me!

There are tons of recipes and variations of popsicles you can make in minutes - start to finish!

The kids and I researched and found the next best popsicle molds we could afford for the others. Surprise! We found them on Amazon.

These popsicle molds won't take up a lot of room in the freezer and are safer to use than plastic. Even the BPA-free molds taste a little plastic-y. These can go in the dishwasher too.

I couldn't unwrap everything for this photo because I wanted to keep it as sanitized as possible but I wanted to show how small, yet effective this kitchen tool is. For more information about the product click here.

I am still holding true that giving out gift cards is the safest way to show appreciation for our educators. I gave the kids the green light on their thoughtful pinch choice because they were genuinely excited to give popsicle makers to all of their teachers. Can I go wrong if my kids choose the pinches for the people they know better than I do? Additionally, we will attach Whole Foods gift cards so that the teachers can buy fresh ingredients for their popsicle makers or use it any way they wish. By giving the WF gift cards, I figure getting half of the present right is better than a total loss, right? Like breaking even in Vegas.

I learned a big lesson in preparing for the E.Y.O. gifts. I was so pre-occupied with battling thoughtfulness vs. adding "junk" to a teacher's home that I should have taken more time to think about the logistics prior to ordering. When I ordered the twelve popsicle makers from Amazon, I had them shipped to me. I forgot to ask for gift receipts until after they arrived. Amazon could not do anything to help me for this mistake. Gift receipts are CRUCIAL when going out on a limb to give something unique. If the recipient did not care for the popsicle maker, they could have discretely exchanged it for something they wanted and I would have never known about it. I'm positive that there would be something that they would want on Amazon. Live and learn.

Rolling the dice is sometimes necessary when giving thoughtful pinches because it separates the mundane, ordinary, safe from the true thoughtfulness of giving a gift. We take risks every day. It's ok to be vulnerable about our gift choices. It makes life full of surprises and it keeps re-gifting alive.

Pinches,

Barb