News (Page 2)

Holiday Gift Guide: 10 AWESOME Gift Ideas for Preschoolers (Ages 4-6)

Emma and I want to share with you her favorite toys and games for Christmas! All of the gift ideas below have been tried and tested by us, and are loved by my 4-year-old. Hope this helps you with your Christmas list! Do-a-Dot Rainbow Dot Marker Set For the little artist. These jumbo-sized markers are perfect for toddlers and preschoolers!Here are some of the things weve done with them ourselves. 🙂Do-a-Dot Markers on Amazon.com ZOOB Construction Play Set For the child who likes to be BUSY and is detail-oriented. These pieces snap together and are great for kids ages 4 and up! Our experience with it can be found here.Zoob Construction Set on Amazon.com Other Popular Playsets:LegosTinkertoysKNEXMagnet PlaysetsGears Playsets Dry Erase Workbooks For the child who loves to learn! I know my daughter would be thrilled to get one of these, she loves the books we have right now that…

My First “I Love You, Mommy” Note! :)

On a sticky note, my first just for mommy note (with the word mom written on it)! Since I nearly teared up at this one and thanked her with a big hug there have been MANY more notes like this, and paintings, and drawings, and gifts in general. Dont you love the generous hearts of little ones who love to please their parents? 🙂 Do you keep your love notes from your kids? My mom told me she still has a file full of my first notes to her! *By the way, the only reason Emma is able to write already (at 4) is completely due to those dry erase alphabet practice books! Theyre awesome!*

10 Preschool-Friendly Thanksgiving Printables We Love

Were looking forward to Thanksgiving here, how about you? Less than two weeks away! Emma keeps asking me, Is tomorrow Thanksgiving? so she is very much ready for it. And this the year that shell be able to understand that Thanksgiving is more than just awesome food and getting together with loved ones, something Im excited about (for her). There are tons of wonderful resources for making learning fun online, too! Here are a few of my favorites: Printable Pilgrim & Turkey Puppets Print the puppets here at Until Wednesday Calls Printable Turkey Dot-To-Dot Print this and find more Thanksgiving Connect the Dots Printable Thanksgiving Maze Print this and find more Thanksgiving mazes Printable Turkey Cut-and-Paste Craft Print the turkey in color or black and white! Printable Mayflower Coloring Page Print the MayFlower Coloring Page hereMore Thanksgiving Worksheets at Education.com Printable Thanksgiving Find the Differences Download and print it here,…

Indoor Water Play – With Colored Water Even! :)

Summer may be over and the months of Autumn rain fully underway but we are undaunted! Yesterday I had a lightbulb moment after washing the dishes and having to fend both children off they kept pushing chairs up to the sink and trying to play in the water and bubbles. Well, I was in get er done mode so I didnt let them play around (plus there were sharp knives and glass things in the sink of course) but later when the kids were getting the blues over not being able to go outside and play I thought, Hey, why not let them play with water on the floor? This is one of those moments that my husband usually thinks Im crazy for giving myself more to clean up but he was at work. 😉 Plus, he doesnt realize that Im cleaning stuff up anyway all day long and its…

What Should Your Preschooler Know? (Flash Kids Preschool/Kindergarten Curriculum Recommendation)

As parents, were always excited when our child learns something new especially in the early years! I remember thinking Emma was a total genius because she could count to 20 when she was 2 (probably partly because she didnt really talk otherwise). And now that shes a preschooler and learning by leaps and bounds, I can hardly keep up with her! But do you know what your preschooler should know before they enter Kindergarten? Well, according to Flash Kids your child should be able to: Recite the alphabet Recognize letters by name Identify letter sounds Answer a question with a complete thought Listen to stories read aloud Follow simple two-step directions Grip and use pencils, scissors, and crayons Count to 10 Identify and sort objects by shape and color Make simple patterns So now that you know what you guys should be working on, lets get on with it! 🙂…

Getting Crafty: No-Sew Felt Foxes

I love creating things with felt, especially during the holidays! Im getting started early this year I was inspired by this fabulous tutorial, Sew a Felt Fox Brooch at LillaLuise, and had to make one! Or two. 🙂 Actually I made three, the first one was kind of my guinea pig fox (ha) and I ended up gluing a googley eye on it and letting Emma play with it. She thought it was hilarious. 😉 Anyway, Lilla Luise even shares afree printable fox template! And it is totally adorable. 🙂 I changed some things around with my foxes I cute out two of the back template (the one with the tail) and glued them together withtacky glue, then cut out a little triangle-shaped piece of white felt for the ear and added the tail on top of that with a pointed tip. Until I added the ears I was afraid…

New Release: Disney’s Cinderella Diamond Edition Blu-Ray + DVD Combo Pack!

Disneys Cinderella Diamond Edition (Blu-Ray + DVD) (Buy it on Amazon.com) Release Date: 10/2/12 Walt Disney Video What Its About:When Cinderellas cruel stepmother prevents her from attending the Royal Ball, the delightful Fairy Godmother appears! With a wave of her wondrous wand and a bouncy Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, the Fairy Godmother transforms a simple pumpkin into a magical coach and Cinderellas rags into a gorgeous gown. At the ball, Cinderella falls in love with Prince Charming, but must flee before the stroke of midnight breaks the spell! Our Take:If youre looking to collect all of the best Disney movies on Blu-Ray, this is for you! The new 2-Disc Diamond Edition of the classic Disney favorite, Cinderella, is full of bonus features along with the digitally restored animated film. The picture on Blu-Ray is beautiful and clear while still maintaining the vintage feel to this film that first hit theatres in 1950. And…

Who Needs a Napkin? Not Me! (Isaac’s Adventures)

This kid (20 months) is driving me craaazy! Hes always figuring out some new way to make messes. His newest thing is using his hair as a sort of napkin to clean his hands with. Really????? Boys are so weird. Oh wait, I seem to remember Emma having her head covered in food, too This is why the crumb cap was invented, folks. No, I havent broken down and purchased one and I dont think I will, ha! But Im tempted some days! Bath time!

Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins: Friendship is the Best Medicine DVD Review

Doc McStuffins: Friendship is the Best Medicine (Buy it on Amazon.com) Release Date: 8/21/12 Walt Disney Video What Its About:The Doc Is InDoc McStuffins that is! Dottie Doc McStuffins is an amazing six-year-old girl who has a special secret. She has the ability to talk to toys and stuffed animals (and they talk back!). Doc also has a passion for helping others. Along with her loyal and trusty team Hallie the hippo, Lambie the lamb, Stuffy the dragon, Chilly the snowman and Squeakers the fish she heals and tends to all the toys and stuffed animals that need help and fixes all the boo-boos that happen throughout the day! Whatever the problem, the Doc is always in, and everyone always gets better! Our Take: This was our first time watching Doc McStuffins since we dont have the Disney Channel, and after the first episode I could see why it is…

Tea Collection SALE on Zulily! (Over 50% off!)

I was so excited this morning when I saw that Tea Collection is one of the brands on sale at Zulily today! They have gorgeous clothing! There are dresses and tops for girls and shirts and pants for boys I saw a dress for $15.00! This is usually a spendy brand so I recommend heading over before it all sells out itll go FAST! Click HERE to check it out!