As simple as this....

I've been trying to figure out what my daughter wanted for her 5th birthday, so I decided to take her to the store and just have her tell me what she wanted, and in typical girl fashion, she pointed to every single thing in the store... much to my disapointment. Obviously I can't get her everything, nor would she play with everything, so I went back to square one and asked myself, "okay, what does she like to play with?" and then I remembered that she's always in her brother's room playing with his Lego's, so I thought, " oh boy, would she love some girly legos!!! Well girly legos I thought would be simple, but they are actually in the minority when you realize just how much they market towards boys, but over the weekend, I did manage to find a tub of girly colored legos at the lego store in our mall. $14.00, which is cheaper than what I was finding online so I'm happy :D she actually picked it out while we were there and was just goin' crazy over it so daddy bought it while her back was turned. Of course she started crying since she though she isn't getting it, but boy will she be surprised! This is something I definitely know she'll play with because she's always playing with her brothers. Now maybe she'll leave her brother alone :D

Here's the link to the lego set I bought:
Girly Lego's

Appreciating what they have

Usually I tell you what toys that I've bought for my children and how they liked them, but today I'm just going to talk about the importance of having your children appreciate what you have already given them.

Do you tend to go overboard on christmas? On their birthday? While these are special events, the true meaning of why we celebrate them can get lost quite easily under the mountain of presents. Remember, the child's expectations of how many gifts they will receive is based on how many they've gotten before. So if one year you splurged and got them everything they ever wanted, they will expect that again the next year and then if they don't get what they "expect" they are dissapointed.

We keep it very modest in our home. Most of the toys that we buy for our children we do on special occasions only. If I think they need a new toy during the year, I make sure they aren't with me when I buy it, thus removing the need for the children to associate store shopping with "getting" and thus avoiding having the child screaming "but I want it!" I think you know what children I'm talking about!

I can tell you it works because this is how I've been with my kids since they were born. They have NEVER begged me for things while I am out shopping because they don't know to do that.

At christmas time, we keep the focus on God and it's his birthday we are celebrating. The kids get one present from each member of the family. (except the grandma that goes overboard of course, and there's not much you can do about that)

At Birthday time, it's the same concept. Not big, lavish parties. We have a small party at home with cake and about 2 gifts from the family and my kids think it's the best birthday ever!

You may think we're mean, but we do love our kids. We love them enough to show them the true meaning of things, of life, and that it's not all about what toys they get. It's about love and appreciation for what we have.

New Winnie the Pooh Shirt Available

I have a brand new winnie the pooh shirt available for a limited time. It's brand new. my daughter LOVES the super sleuths, but this isn't her size so I'm passing it along.

I wanted my readers to have the first chance to bid on it so here it is:

Winnie the Pooh girls 2T shirt

thanks for looking!

Cute, Affordable Disney Shirt

If you have a boy in your household, chances are he like the Nightmare Before Christmas movie. In fact, a lot of adults (ahem* including me) love it too! So if you've been looking for a shirt for your child, I am offering one on ebay right now. The price is lower than I've seen and it's the only one on ebay in this particular style, so check it out~

click on the link to see the shirt:

New with Tags Nightmare Before Christmas Boys Shirt

Thanks for looking :D

Keep them busy for hours!

Kids love this stuff! You can mold it into anything you like, then tear it up and start over again, and it's fun for adults too.

What am I talking about? A great invention called Play-dough!

My kids play with play-dough more than they play with any of their other toys right now. If I need a moment of peace and quiet, I pull the play-dough out and let their imaginations sore!

obviously play-dough has been around for a long time and you can buy it just about anywhere, but did you know it's quick and easy to make your own?

here's the recipe:

1/2 cup salt
1 cup flour
1 tbsp cream of tartar (found in the spices section of your grocery store in a small jar)
1 tbsp oil
1 cup water
food coloring of your choice
or you could also use kool-aid and that will make it smell good too! (although I wouldn't recommend for small children since they may think it's okay to eat it!

Put all the ingredients together in a sauce pan on low/med heat stirring constantly. when the dough looks about right, take it off the heat and allow it to cool off.

Fun Ideas for Spring Break!

I am doing these with my own kids and there just isn't time for boredome here!
These are some things that I think are just out of this world fantastic and easy to do with your kids:

1. This is my absolute favorite: Crayola MESS FREE Color Wonder Finger paintsI bought mine at Michael's Craft store, but if you don't have one of those or maybe want to find it on the cheap, just take a look and compare prices here.

If you haven't heard of this stuff it is like the greatest stuff ever... for parents and kids! Your kids can finger paint with this stuff and it won't leave a mess for you to clean up anywhere! It only colors on the "special" color wonder paper that comes with it (you can buy it separately as well) but I was getting pretty sad cuz we are renting you know, and I just can't afford to have my 3 year old spilling paint on the carpet or some other nightmare. For me, this has been the ultimately perfect decision. I don't have to be nervous when she's painting. just enjoy watching her paint and not even have to clean up after her! You have to try this stuff if you haven't already! I am in love :)

2. Put a Puzzle together
I bought one with 50 pieces and pretty easy, but enough that it's fun for us (the parents) too. I put together the more difficult pieces, and kids love to sit there and play with the puzzle pieces and help you put it together. It really gets you and your kids together so you can bond. You can find some really cool 50 piece puzzles here.

3. Painting easter eggs
I'm sure everyone is going to be doing this sometime this week and this is loads of fun as well. I found some really awesome kits here.

4. Read a book about spring or St. Pats day
Kids love to be read to, and it's especially fun on special occasions to read books about whatever it is. I found some really adorable books here for fantastic prices.

5. Cook something together

Well, I think these five ideas will keep you busy enough today and through the week, so Happy St. Patricks Day and Have Fun!

How to Make the Perfect Easter Basket for Your Toddler

Author: Arlene Pellicane



Article:
Browsing online, I saw a toddler Easter basket selling for $65.
Since when does a parent have to spend so much money on a basket
filled with a stuffed animal, candy and plastic grass for a
two-year old? You can spend a lot less and create a basket
that’s even better because it’s tailor made just for your
child.

Here’s how you make a perfect Easter basket that will not
break the bank and make a great impression on your terrific
toddler:

1. Start with a basket you already have at home. Don’t buy
that Easter basket at the grocery store that you will use once
and then pitch into your garage to be lost forever. Can’t find
a basket? Look for a small plastic storage bin, decorate a
shoebox, or extra plastic wastebasket. Nix the cellophane wrap.

2. Skip the candy and load up on healthier treats instead. Your
toddler’s favorite fruits or crackers will do just fine. Or
try a new brand of cracker. If your toddler is asking for candy,
just include one small chocolate egg or a few peeps. Remember
the less your toddler is exposed to candy, the better!

3. Instead of filling plastic eggs with candy, fill them with
beans instead. Tape them up with colorful electrical tape and
you’ve got a new shaker instrument. You can also fill the eggs
with small toys or stickers.

4. Include items you need to buy anyway: a toothbrush with one
of your child’s favorite characters, nice socks, new character
underwear or pajamas.

5. Great toys to include are inexpensive items like crayons,
sidewalk chalk, coloring books, toy cars, stickers, play doh,
rubber duckies and other toys for the bath.

6. Celebrate the coming of spring with some outdoor activity
toys like a Frisbee, bubbles, or ball.

7. Write them a simple note that says “I love you” or
“Happy Easter.” Encourage them to say each letter in your
note.

Create your basket with your toddler in mind. Include some of
his or her favorite things and you’ll be sure to have a hit!
And it will cost you a lot less than $65.

Creative Kids!

My son got a ton of Marvel cars of all of his favorite characters for christmas this year (Hulk, spiderman, batman, the list goes on) and he loves them, but what caught my eye was when I walked in his room one day, and saw how he had arranged them...



I was actually impressed! It looks to me that he has shaped them into a transformer!

MEGATRON DECEPTACON

This is, of course the baddest of the bad deceptacon robots from transformers, Megatron! We were lucky to find this toy as I had not seen it in the stores around town here.

It is a bit complex for the toddler to shift it into the ship it changes into, but my son always just plays with him as is, so we haven't had any problems with it. And he loves it! he absolutely adores Transformers.

I give this toy a 9 out of 10!

Transformers Movie Review

This is the perfect movie (in my opinion) for kids and adults alike. We all love this movie. We bought it when it came out and we still laugh at Shia's jokes even though we have heard them a hundred times.

This movie is truely a classic to ad to your collection. My 3 year old even likes this movie!

We did a Transformers birthday (per request) for our son and the picture says it all. He was a happy boy!


What else can I say? TRANSFORMERS ROCKS!!!