Kids

A new part of our routine: GoodNites Bed Mats #sponsored

April 10, 2013 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Tonight, our bedtime routine was one that we've been doing for the past few weeks. It wasn't too different from months ago -- we change into jammies, say our "I love you"s, and turn out the lights. But now, before Micah even climbs into bed, we put down a fresh GoodNites bed mat. Potty Training vs. Bedwetting Micah is a just-turned-four-year-old who deals with nocturnal enuresis, or bedwetting, which is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control usually occurs. It's different from potty training, though, and I want that to be clear. Potty training is the process of teaching a child to use the toilet. Micah's got that down, no problem. But at night, it's a totally different story. Nocturnal enuresis is something that a child cannot be trained out of, but will outgrow naturally. I posted a video a few weeks ago about how we've been giving GoodNites Bed Mats a try. We are still so very pleased with the product, and it's not only … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kids, Review

The Time I Called Poison Control. #ad

March 27, 2013 By Ashley 1 Comment

Safe Kids Worldwide | Poison Control Infographic

When Maisy was a little peanut, my life consisted of being a milkmaid and blogging from my couch. Maisy was a tiny little gal, and I was constantly feeding her in an effort to make sure she kept gaining weight and that my supply was maintained. All new breastfeeding moms can sympathize, right? It's something that pretty much takes over your life. You've got to make sure you have a comfy nursing spot, because you'll be spending a lot of time there! One nursing session turned into a really, really scary situation. While I was nursing Maisy on the couch, Emma (then 4) and Micah (then 2) were playing throughout the house. We lived in an open floorplan home, and I could easily hear what was going on around the home while I sat on the couch. Maisy was probably a month old at the time, and was in the beginning stages of colic. She was exhausted, hungry, screaming, and fussy while I tried to feed her. I had become so preoccupied with the baby that I hadn't realized that Micah had gotten … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Infographics, Kids

Tea Time with Sophia Grace and Rosie Children’s Book #Review and #Giveaway — SO Good!

February 25, 2013 By Ashley 28 Comments

Do you guys remember the two little girls from across the pond who rapped to Nicki Minaj's song "Super Bass"? I fell in love with them, and so did Ellen DeGeneres! With imaginations as big as these girls have, I knew they were destined to do something amazing. Rosie reminds me so much of myself when I was a kid. Loud, creative, and possessing more energy than should be allowed ;). These girls have put their talents to great use and have written a children's book! Tea Time with Sophia Grace and Rosie TEA TIME WITH SOPHIA GRACE AND ROSIE is the perfect book for you and your daughter to share! Sophia Grace and Rosie share all the proper tips for hosting the perfect princess tea party! The totally sweet book is based on the adorable cousins who quickly became YouTube sensations after appearing on the ELLEN show numerous times. Sophia Grace and Rosie have resonated with large audiences by dressing up in pink tutus and living out young girls' princess fantasies! I read … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Books, Giveaway, Kids, Open Giveaways, Review

We shopped ’til we dropped at #CookiesKids! #Cbias

February 21, 2013 By Ashley 2 Comments

Emma is starting to grow out of her back-to-school clothing purchases, and she's coming home with ripped knees in her jeggings from playing so much! I'm glad she's having a blast at school and all, but I needed to pick up some more bottoms for her. I'd looked at some big box stores, but they have a ton of Spring stuff -- shorts, skirts, and the like. Even though we live in Arizona, it's still chilly! She needed some jeans, and so I figured I'd just find her some online. I had seen other bloggers post about how they found great stuff for pretty affordable prices at CookiesKids.com, so I wanted to check it out! I was pleasantly surprised with how much of a selection they had! Not only did they have clothing for all seasons (including new Spring fashion!), but they had clothes for all of my kids! In 1972, a young man named Cookie and his brother Marvin went into business together. They rented a 1600 square foot store in Jamaica, Queens, fixed it up, bought inventory and Summer and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Fashion, Kids, Review

Mega Bloks® Barbie® Build ‘N Style Pet Shop #Review & #Giveaway

February 11, 2013 By Ashley 54 Comments

Growing up as a girl I had tons of Barbie® dolls and would get together with friends and we would create huge cities out of our entire basements for ourdolls to live in. Well now Barbie® and Mega Bloks® and have come out with Mega Bloks® Barbie® Build ‘n Style sets. This combines a great love of building blocks and Barbie® dolls that a ton of girls (and boys!) can really enjoy. We were excited to be able to review Mega Bloks® Barbie® Build ‘n Style Pet Shop. My daughter, who is almost 4, was so excited when she saw the box. It is geared toward kids 4+ and while she can help with snapping them together she understandably needed help with assembling it. When we first opened the box there were quite a few small bags with all the parts in it. We opened the box and sifted through them so I could check out the pieces first and then we started building. I followed the directions it came with and it took about 10-15 minutes, including sticker placement, to assemble … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaway, Kids, Open Giveaways

The New Step2 Easy Turn Coupe is here! Win one while helping the Saving tiny hearts Society! #Giveaway

February 10, 2013 By Ashley 397 Comments

Holy. Awesome. That's what I said when I opened up my door to see the new Step2 Easy Turn Coupe. "But I have a coupe for my kids!" you might be saying. Oh no, my friends. You don't have a coupe like this. Step2 is at the 2013 Toy Fair this weekend debuting the new Easy Turn Coupe, and in celebration, I'm going to give you guys a sneaky peek! This bad boy is a lovechild of two really incredible products. I've always seen parents pushing their kiddos around in ride-ons like the Sportster, but the Easy Turn Coupe brings it to another level. I love the idea of a pretend car, but I didn't like that I couldn't see my kid! That's the biggest plus (for me) about the Easy Turn Coupe -- the see through roof! Assembly was pretty simple, and Andrew had it put together in about an hour or so. The kids were itching to get into it, and we had to struggle to keep them out of it while it wasn't fully assembled, haha! Here's some of my fave features: See Through Roof (obvs!) Cup holders! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Giveaway, Kids, Open Giveaways, Review

Emma’s Holiday Break with Butterscotch

January 2, 2013 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Regular readers, let me give you a heads up. Emma's kindergarten classroom has a class pet named Butterscotch. He's a pal, I tell ya. Butterscotch has made the rounds at school, and each kid will have a turn taking him home for a week or so. Once their week is done, they make a page that will go into a binder detailing their time with Butterscotch. Isn't that the cutest idea?! Being the nerdburger that I am, I had to do things a little bit differently. So, this is Emma's sheet in the Butterscotch binder: Yep. That's a QR code I made that points to this blog post. So each time a kid takes home Butterscotch, they can come here and see all of our pictures! Pretty awesome, right? So without further ado... When Butterscotch first came home, we went to the airport to pick up my Meme! She was visiting us all the way from Texas! Here we are reading through the Butterscotch binder: We read stories... ...and got a little silly! Our trip to the park was shockingly … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Kids

Need a last minute stocking stuffer? Pick up some Toy Story Color Splash Buddies!

December 21, 2012 By Ashley Leave a Comment

It's almost here. The fat man is preparing for his trip down the chimney, and the elves are in panic mode. But you've got it all covered --- right? No? Still need a few things? You're probably not alone, my friend. I come bearing a cute stocking stuffer idea -- the Toy Story Color Splash Buddies Two-Pack from Mattel! My 3 year old is renewing his love for Toy Story, and Maisy, my 19 month old, is just discovering the world of Buzz and Woody. Sometimes I think this generation lucked out -- they didn't have to wait 10+ years from the first Toy Story movie to the third! They get to take in the trilogy all at once. Lucky ducks. I wanted to get Maisy and Micah a Toy Story present, but they had most of the figurines, and I wanted something that would be age appropriate for the both of them. I found these Toy Story Color Splash Buddies and knew that they'd be perfect for bath time and play time! Each set comes with one of the main characters and a secondary type character, and I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disney, Holiday Gift Guide 2012, Kids, Review

Ka-chow! Check out the Cars Lightning McQueen Hawk! #Review

December 20, 2012 By Ashley Leave a Comment

Micah is obSESSED with Cars. Any and everything Mater or McQueen, we have it. It's even to the point to where if we hear a song that's in the movie, he can rattle off exactly what part of the movie it belongs to! Thankfully, Mattel has me covered for Christmas! They have all kinds of Cars toys, and I had such a hard time picking just one for Micah! He's a big Mater fan, but I wanted to get him a different kind of Lightning McQueen toy. Once I saw the Lightning McQueen Hawk, I knew that it was the one! Uh, can we say AWESOME?! So it's cool enough that it's a pretty big toy (think dinner plate sized), but it's got WINGS and ROCKETS and all kinds of things that pop out. See? I love that it's an unassuming Lightning McQueen, but when you pull down the back flap and BAM! Jet engine, wings, and and missles! Also, the McQueen Hawk makes realistic conversation with your kid! It has a built-in sensor that can detect how your kids play with him; then he makes sounds and speaks phrases … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Holiday Gift Guide 2012, Kids, Review

Shopping for Royalty: Our Disney Princess Shopping Experience #DisneyPrincessWMT #Cbias #SocialFabric

December 14, 2012 By Ashley 1 Comment

This year, my two older kiddos (Emma and Micah) wanted to pick out Maisy's presents -- and I was on board! Maisy is in full-on Disney Princess mode, and I told the kids that she'd really, really love some Disney Princess items. It's truly the cutest thing --- Maisy sings along with the princess songs, and my heart just melts. We headed to Walmart to pick out the gifts, and we intentionally waited until I knew Maisy would be sleepy. Just as I suspected ... Out like a light! That left us a good hour-long window to pick out her presents :). Time to shop 'til you drop, kids! We had gone into the store through the Outdoor Living area, and we immediately saw the bikes. Emma has really loved riding her bike, and I knew she would instantly want to get Maisy one, too. I told her that if she was willing to wait for Maisy to grow into it, we could get it. That's one proud big sister right there! Tassels? Check! Baby doll seat? Check! Awesome family time? CHECK! I can't wait to see her take … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Disney, Holidays, Kids