Parenting Children

Bed time is a interesting time in this household. I really can’t complain too much my kids actually are good sleepers, besides my son nicknamed, The Rooster, waking up at the crack of dawn every day. Of course we have our bedtime rituals: brushing our teeth, singing a song and don’t forget to leave a closet light on! Out of the blue one day when my twins were three, they decided they were scared of the dark and needed the closet light on all night every night. The lights were too bright and it was terrible for my electric bill. Enter the MOBI portable rechargeable tykelight.

The tykelight is not a traditional night light, it has long lasting rechargeable batteries and a kid-friendly design. This lightweight, adorable light is perfect for my children. They can put it on their bed, or on their dresser at night. They use it in their tents during the day and they can carry it down the hallway to the bathroom in the night.
It comes in six fun colors and is the newest hit in my house! I love it because it illuminates up to 10 hours on a single charge! Choose from the bright or dim setting, depending on how much light your child will need.
It is also made from impact resistant plastic, so I know it is safe for my kids to handle.

I love the tykelight as much as my children. I think it will be great for camping trips and sleeping over grandma’s house. I have to admit I have been using the tykelight to nurse in the night, it is the perfect amount of light. At only $19.94, I also think it is our new “go to gift” for upcoming birthdays.

tykelight, nightlight, bedtime, bed time rituals, nighttime, kids, camping gear, parenting, scared of the dark, gifts for kids

I know I need energy to get through each day. What mom doesn’t? When Ocean Spray offered to let me try their new cranberry drinks, Cranergy, I knew I had to try it. I love cranberry juice and drink it all the time, so cranergy with natural energizers would be a perfect for me.

They come in great 8 ounce bottles perfect for me to throw into the diaper bag and come in two flavors, Cranberry Lift and Raspberry Cranberry Lift. The great thing about this juice, besides that it is yummy is that it has: cranberry juice and green tea extract: both contain high levels of antioxidants that help the body fight free radicals and stay healthy, and green tea extract offers a natural source of caffeine, B-vitamins and vitamin C.
Try it, this is perfect for moms on the go!

cranergy, energy for moms, moms

I am usually not a fan of children’s music. I don’t want to hear the Doodlebops sing kid songs or Elmo sing nursery rhymes. Our kids love music and want to hear the same songs or CD over and over again. It is torturous to listen to, so most of the time our children listen to what we like. I was curious to try the That Baby CD and That Baby DVD because I wanted to see if it was better then “traditional” children’s music.
It SO is.

That Baby DVD and That Baby CD are acoustic cover songs of popular artists like Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Paul Simon and The Beatles. I love acoustic music and this does not disappoint. Don’t believe me? Check out samples of the songs on their website. My children were delighted to hear their favorite song “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. This CD is on constant rotation in our car! I admit that I have even listend to it without the kids.

The DVD got my children up and dancing. OK, so I was dancing too.
My kids love to dance and seeing the kids on the DVD bust a move, inspired my kids to really get down! It really is a very cute DVD.
Check them both out today and Enter the coupon code “MotherTalk” when purchasing and save 20% on your entire order!
From now until May 18th, all orders using the coupon code “MotherTalk” will be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod nano.

That Baby CD, That Baby DVD, children’s music, acoustic children’s songs, music for kids, families, family time

We are always searching for family things to do. We luckily live in an area of NJ where there are a ton of family friendly events but they are scarce in the winter. A great resource for families are museums. Your children will appreciate them in different ways as they grow and they are perfect for families with kids of varying age differences.

Natural history museums are the best to check out dinosaurs and most kids love dinosaurs. Some great museums are the American Museum of Natural History NY, NY (they have the only intact velociraptor skull!), Museum of L.A. County in California and the National Museum of Natural History Washington, D.C.
Art museums usually have great programs for kids to spark their interest in art. Check your local museum for children’s programs. Let them create their own art when you get home. If you hate the mess, (like I do) then let them paint outside or paint in your husband’s old t shirts. Have them recreate some of their favorite pieces of art they have just seen.

Our favorites are our local children’s museums. My kids never tire of visiting! They can pretend they are a news anchor, learn about electricity and animals and dance on a stage.
Some of the other museums that are cool are the Matchbox Museum in Newfield, NJ, Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Museum Orlando, FL and the World’s Largest Toy Museum Branson, MO.

museums, children’s museums, family fun, parenting, parenting children, rainy day fun, rainy day activities

If I haven’t gone into labor already, right now as you read this, I am probably having a c-section to have my baby. I know I will be quite busy for the next few weeks until routine and schedules are established. I want to thank you all for your comments and emails with well wishes for me and my family. Here are some of my favorite posts that I would like to share while I am taking care of business:

Parenting Tips for every parent or grandparent.

Did you pierce your child’s ears?

Send this post to every expecting mom, I promise they will thank you!

One of my most controversial posts.

I finally realized all children are strange.

This is c-section advice I had to read again to remind myself what I may be in for.
and
Learning CPR is a must for any parents, grandparent, babysitter or caregiver. This CD is a great resource.

infant CPR, child CPR, parenting, parenting children, parenting advice, kids, best posts, new baby, c-sections

I love play doh and just the smell of it can bring me back to my childhood. My kids love it too and since it is a overcast, boring day here and I am waiting for a human to come out of my body I decided it was a play doh day. We will be breaking out the doh and some fun accessories after nap time.

Of course there is old school traditional play doh or you can get this awesome organic play doh set. It comes with six 4 oz scented playdoh tubs in strawberry, lemon, blueberry, orange key lime and grape and tools! You can also order refills for this kit. At $38 it isn’t cheap but makes a very cute gift.

This value play doh accessories set is great. I think this is a steal at $21.99 for all that you get. It comes with four textured rolling pins, one smooth rolling pin, four patterned clay mallets, four double-ended wooden modeling tools, a rolling wheel cutter and six sticks of modeling clay. Endless fun!

If you have cheap plastic cookie cutters around your house like I do (really I am a terrible cookie cutter baker, and I need to use metal cutters) they are perfect for play doh. If you don’t, do you want 100 of them? You can get them for $9.99 on Amazon.

If you don’t have any dough and want to make some there are a ton of recipes out there.
Put 1 part flour, 1 part water and 2 parts oatmeal in a bowl and mix. OR
put 1 C salt 1 C of water and 1/2 C flour in a saucepan and mix and cook over medium heat, until thick. When it cools add flour until it makes dough.

how to make play doh, playdoh, rainy day activities, SAHM, crafts for kids, playdoh accessories, parenting, arts and crafts, toys

I have so many favorite things to share with you today, the last day of February. I love looking all over the web and in stores for the cutest and coolest things for moms, and children. I also love supporting mom owned businesses and try to promote my favorites whenever I can.
Here are some great things that have caught my eye in the past few weeks:

I love everything sock monkey. Target has had a lot of sock monkey products lately from slippers to sheets. If you want to make your own, here is a good rainy day activity for you and your kids, make your own sock monkey kit.

I have always loved anything with my name on it, but who doesn’t? This site is closed for maternity leave right now, but it has everything personalized for baby from diaper covers to bibs and headbands. I can’t wait for her to get back because I need to get my daughter a personalized headband of her own!

Practice Spanish with these cute dominoes. These are English/Spanish dominoes and for $6.50 are a steal because they are well made and so cute!

Every little one needs a pair of converse sneakers!

Check out my latest reviews on the ultimate receiving blanket

Eco-friendly baby gear

A blanket that is easy to carry and so soft you will want your own!

Great burp cloths and

This amazing pregnancy planner I cannot live without!

toys, baby gear, reviewing baby gear, baby gear reviews, kids, parenting, pregnancy planner, baby shoes, baby blankets, baby gifts

Is it really on February? This winter is going as slow as any I can remember and being almost nine months pregnant doesn’t help matters. It is all I can do to keep my poor five year old twins entertained in this house all day. Plus we haven’t even had the fun of snow to play in all winter long! Here are some ideas of fun indoor things you can do to keep your kids bodies and minds moving:

Hullabaloo My kids love this game. Think of it as a more motion filled Simon Says game. Players move from one colorful shape to another and use their bodies to perform the many Hullabaloo move, when you hear “Freeze!” the player on the lucky pad wins! I love this because even one child can play by themselves. 1-6 players, ages 4 and up.

(more…)

There are only so many toys I will allow in this house. There are some things I think my kids can never have enough of one of them is books and the other one is games. I love games and now so do my kids. When I had the chance to review the new Cranium Bloom kids games designed just for preschoolers, I couldn’t wait for them to arrive. I love Cranium games and I knew my kids would too.

The first one we played was the Let’s Go To The Zoo Seek and Find Play Puzzle. It is a large size 24-piece puzzle of a zoo and everything you would see in it. My kids love puzzles so this was great alone. Then you each draw cards to find something. There are beginner cards that would ask you to find something red or find three dolphins, and advanced cards which would ask you to find something that starts with the letter “K”. You circle your finds on the puzzle with an erasable marker. My kids loved this game. It is for ages three and up and even one person can play.

The next game we tried was Cranium Bloom’s Let’s Play Count and Cook Game. I knew this one would be a hit because both of my kids love to cook and bake with me. This is a game complete with a “recipe book” and you have to take turns moving around a board and collecting the ingredient cards you need for one of the recipes in your cookbook. It actually comes with some real recipes to make with your kids and kitchen tips. This game is for ages three and up and is for up to four players.

These games are educational, fun and inexpensive. I loved them as much as my kids and I will buy Cranium games for all ages as gifts for upcoming birthdays this year. You can find all the entire line of Cranium Bloom games at Target.

Cranium Bloom, Cranium Bloom games, Bloom games, preschoolers, games for preschoolers, games, rainy day ideas, indoor fun, parenting

Kids can have all the toys in the world and still get bored. Have you found that already even though Christmas was just a few weeks ago? Being a stay at home mom may give me a little less patience on this issue then most. Are you tired of them complaining they have nothing to do, especially now that winter is here to stay?

Make a bored jar.
Use a cotton ball container or an old jar and place cards with things to do on them. Make up games, have an arts & craft idea or even a recipe for something simple but will keep them occupied.
Whenever someone cries “bored” take out the jar and have them pick something.

If you don’t want to make a “bored” jar then buy one. Land of nod has an amazing arts and crafts jar filled with great things for kids eight and up. It comes with googly eyes, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, glue pens, construction paper, wavy craft scissors, wooden buttons, spools, beads, craft sticks and more. All you need is $29.00 and your own imagination.

If you are looking for learning activities for your child see if there is a Lakeshore Learning Center by you, or order online. This store is amazing resource for parents or teachers. You can find something for your baby up until eleven years old. Sign up for their free catalog.

If they are still “bored” after all of these ideas, just tell them to get a job.

arts & crafts, bored jar, arts & crafts for kids, learning toys, rainy day ideas, sahm, stay at home moms, kids, indoor fun, indoor ideas

I think January and February is the worst time of year in New Jersey for having kids. There is not much to do with them outside because the weather is cold (but not a sign of snow here yet!) enough to force you to stay inside but cabin fever is rampant. My kids are bored and I don’t blame them. We try and go to indoor play places and do outdoor things as much as we can but it is hard this time of year and expensive. Here are some great games to combat cabin fever and some you can do when you are in a restaurant or waiting room.

I Spy- take turns looking around the space you are in and pick one thing. Give the other people clues and let them guess what you picked.

Memory- everyone looks at the same room/space/area for 30 seconds and try to memorize everything you see, the color of the pictures, the shoes/dirt etc. Then everyone writes down what they remember, the person with the longest accurate list wins!

Scavenger Hunt- give your kids some index cards and ask them to write or draw pictures of some things they might see on an upcoming car trip. During a car ride give them the cards and then they can match what they see with the cards. The person with the most matches win.

Feather Keep it Up- Each person has to keep the feather over their head by blowing it. Whoever keeps it up the longest wins. You can do this with a balloon too.

Obstacle Course- Make your own! Jump over pillows, have to put a small puzzle together, have to recite a list of cousins names, crab crawl through the kitchen, carry a plastic egg on a spoon, the possibilities are endless.

Keep Outdoor Toys In- When my kids were 2 they received scooters as a gift. I let them keep it inside the house until the following summer. they scooted around the house all day every day and the wheels were rubber so no tearing up my floors. Do this with other ride ons.

Card Games- There are so many. Teach your kids new ones or go for old favorites like memory, old maid, crazy 8s or go fish. This is also great for when a storm knocks the power out.

What are your favorite things to do with kids to beat the boredom?

games, indoor games, kid games, keeping kids entertained, SAHM, moms, parenting, family fun, family fun games, indoor fun

Those first few weeks and months after becoming parents for the first time are just a blur now. We were living in a new town away from our families, we just had twins and my husband starting working in a new territory. Hard wasn’t the word for what we were doing. Looking back on it, I would never have it any other way though, it made us stronger and we what we wanted to be: a family. If you are looking for a gift idea for your husband, maybe he is a new father or soon going to be, Crawling: A Father’s First Year is a great idea.

In Crawling, Elisha Cooper lets us in on what a first time Dad is really thinking and feeling about his new family dynamic and life changing event. He takes a main role in his first child’s life, Zoe, but at the same time is impacted when he cannot be everything to her all the time. There is a part of the book that resonated with me, a mother. Elisha is bringing his daughter to his childhood home for the first time, and he writes “she’s in a place where she never existed, but was always part of the future story”.
That is exactly what it feel like as a parent to show your child their roots.

My husband loved this book as well. It was well written and an easy read. It is a moving journey through the first year of parenting. This is not a book just for new dads, it is a book for every parent.

I want to thank Elisha Cooper and Momcentral.com for giving me the opportunity to review this wonderful book.

new parents, parenting, parenting children, book reviews, Crawling: A Father’s First Year, new dads, dads, becoming a Dad

We love books in our house, I have so many I have no place to contain them all anymore. My kids have lots of books too but I don’t mind. I would rather buy them books then toys. My kids also love going to story time at our local library and our Pottery Barn Kids and it gets us out of the house.
I have compiled a list of books for your kids of all ages and their parents to enjoy during this holiday season. If you have already finished your Christmas shopping, or don’t need any more books in your house, then take them out from the library for your whole family to enjoy.

We Three Kings. Buy this book for the illustrations alone! First written in 1857, We Three Kings is one of the best Christmas carols as it tells of the wise men’s journey to visit the manger in Bethlehem.

The Christmas Story. This is the story of Christ’s birth from the bible. Again, this book has beautiful illustrations.

Olive the Other Reindeer. It really is a cute story complete with pop ups, pull tabs and scratch and sniff.

A Wish to Be a Christmas Tree. From Amazon “Feeling sad because no one chooses it as a Christmas tree, a bedraggled forest pine discovers the importance of being appreciated all year long.” A great story for kids to hear.

The Tale of The Firebird
This book is based on three popular Russian fairy tales. The artwork is stunning. This book is great for preschoolers to adults.

What are your family’s favorite Christmas or holiday books?

books, holiday books, Christmas books, books for kids, gift ideas for kids, gift ideas, parenting

Part one was safe gift ideas for girls, and now we have some boy themed ideas. All of these are safe toys that are lead free and most are made in the USA.

Have a train lover on your hands? Why not take a stroll down memory lane and get these trolleys you may remember from Mister Roger’s Neighborhood. They can also be personalized!

If you have someone at home that loves to build or loves blocks this log cabin set would be perfect. When built, this 120 piece Woodlinks set is large enough to play with your toy animals or farm gear.

My son loves all superheroes but Spiderman is his favorite. Here is a Spiderman game for kids seven and up. Battle between good and evil!

This is a starter remote control dinosaur for your dino lovers three and up. Just press the button and talk into the remote to hear your T-Rex speak, or use the controls to make T-Rex spin and move. This is a must have for $19.99!

Do you need decorating ideas for your boy’s room? This is a racetrack for any age to enjoy. It comes with toy cars to race on it. Play with your toy cars on it or just build a room theme, this is so original.

Have you heard of Zome toys? Make buildings or spheres as big as your imagination. I think I would love these.

We got this marshmallow shooter for our 12 year old nephew for his birthday and he loved it. It shoots over 30 feet, is safe but should still be used outdoors. It holds up to 20 marshmallows for rapid fire shooting. I have to say it was hard to pry away from my big kid (my husband). It is reasonably priced at $23.00.

What are your favorite picks for the boys on your holiday list this year?

toys, holiday gift ideas, gift ideas for boys, safe toys, lead free toys, toys made in the USA, toys for boys, parenting

My kids are just getting into playing games on the computer. They loved the Thanksgiving and Halloween printouts and games I found for them. It surprised even me, how may things there are for them to do online, since they are only four. Here are some things I have found that I know my kids love, we love and I know you will love too.

Go check out the Northpole for fun stories and activites. While you are there send a letter to Santa.

Whether you are baking Christmas cookies, putting up the tree or doing your homework play some Christmas music. This site has a ton of free streaming Christmas music stations.

This web site has all the answers to question you may have about Christmas traditions. It has Christmas tree facts, the history of mistletoe and Mrs. Claus or find out about Christmas traditions around the world.

If you are looking for some Christmas games to keep your kids occupied while you wrap gifts, try this site or this one.

Go elf yourself! Turn yourself and up to three other people into elves that sing and dance and is truly addicting. Call in and get your voice elfed too! This is so funny, we did our whole family and sent it to all of our family.

Lastly, get some Christmas jokes for your parties this year, track where Santa is on Christmas Eve, get the real lyrics to the carols you have been singing and do some crafts with your kids.

Christmas web sites, Christmas games, Christmas online fun, Christmas crafts, arts & crafts, rainy day ideas, Christmas music, online fun, fun for kids, kids, preschoolers, toddlers, holiday fun, traditions, parenting, parenting children