Do you have a Chuggington freak in your house like I do? Baby G doesn’t go anywhere without his Old Puffer Pete engine.
The show is cute. If you don’t know what it’s about - here’s my reader’s digest: bunch o’ little chuggers learning the Chuggington way of life on the rails. Merriment and lessons abound. Lil chuggers screw up, rise from the ashes and earn some badges via Badge Quest along the way. My kids (almost 6 and almost 3) LOVE IT. And don’t tell anyone, but I do, too. The trains aren’t too whiny, the lessons learned are not too heavy handed and it’s well animated. My husband points out that it’s incredibly fast paced with a lot of quick cuts. I point out that it has riveting plot lines.
But what’s the best part? The swag.
Since we posted this review of the Kidcraft Retro Blue Kitchen almost two years ago, we’ve learned from readers that it’s hard to find, if not impossible. Meanwhile, two years later, our little compact cool-looking galley continues to be a hub of play, particularly when the toddlers come over. Play kitchens are havens for two-year-olds. I am going to go out on a limb and say, if you have a two-year-old, get him or her a kitchen! Or get your spouse one (that’s a hint, Honey…). Okay, so the toddler’s kitchen is cheaper, and he isn’t likely to complain about counter space or the color of the cabinets.
Here’s the good news: the Retro Blue Kitchen is BAAAAAAAAAAAACK! In red! Personalized, if you wish!
And with some important updates.
1. Check out that faux refrigerator-door water dispenser!
2. It’s CHEAPER ($110 on Amazon) than the one we previously reviewed, and for an extra $10, you can personalize it (note to Honey: if you buy me a new kitchen, you can skip the personalization).
[Ed. Note: Thanks to GHM contributor Shauna for writing up this review!]
How did Gearhead Mom know that my sad, stained dining room chairs were making me absolutely bonkers? Well, somehow she did and was kind enough to let me review the SmartSeat Chair Protectors. My husband brought a beautiful dining room table with upholstered chairs to our marriage. These seemed so lovely until my first child started eating solids. And then they were not. They were a mess. Somehow everything from her booster seat got onto the upholstery and it got even worse once she stopped using the booster and half of what was meant for her mouth went instead onto the chair. Now every chair is grim looking and I always feel a little chagrined to ask anyone outside of our immediate family to sit in them.
So I needed a solution that did not involve me buying new dining room chairs. And so the SmartSeat covers to the rescue. These were, no surprise, invented by a mom who must have had messy little ones just like I do. (Aren’t mom’s just the most clever and industrious people that you’ve ever come across? Yay, Moms!) They come in khaki and navy and will fit nearly any upholstered dining chair. They attach to the seat using velcro straps that after one false start were on my chair and looking snappy. The fit is very good, although not perfect, at least not on my chair, but is a huge improvement over how it had looked. And the cover is machine washable so that if it ever starts looking sloppy, which it hasn’t yet, I can throw it in the wash and it will be back to new in no time.
Oh my stars, these Mommy and Me aprons by Tewtie are cute! My girl would love to match with me in the kitchen. Go Etsy crafters, go! Daddy and boy items coming soon.
Have you ever used liquid water color paint? I know that liquid water sounds like an oxymoron, but this stuff is more like water than paint. A little goes a long way, and you can even dilute it to make it last even longer. Sy’s art teacher busted this stuff out the other day and the kids geeked out. She diluted the (very bright) paint, and then gave them those little bingo marker bottles as well as eye droppers. We got to play with it on a color diffusing paper (it has a higher cotton count so it diffuses the liquid beautifully) and the paintings turn out more like tie-dyed shirts than water color. They are so nifty! We have ours hanging in the window and they look like little stained glass masterpieces.
I highly recommend this for your budding artist. P.S., most of the links above are to Discount School Supply, the online purveyor of pretty much every art item you could ever think of for your little one. Sy’s art teacher gets her supplies there; I have never purchased from them but I do trust her opinion! She said that she has a harder time finding the color diffusing paper in regular sheets, as a lot of places only sell them in pre-cut shapes these days.
Check out this groovy tube of five containers of eco modeling dough from Eco Kids - handmade in the USA with 100% plant-based coloring. This safe modeling dough contains no chemicals, no artificial dyes and no heavy metals. It is safe enough to eat but not tasty so kids won’t try again!
Each 4 oz container is made from 100% post consumer recycled plastic and the tube is made from 100% post consumer waste. This dough doesn’t dry out like many name brands. If left out overnight, just add a few drops of olive oil and it comes right back! Bonus: you can compost it when you are done! Comes in green, yellow, orange, pink, and blue. You can add a bamboo rolling pin for just four more bucks. Suggested age: 18 months+
I like that the sellers, peek a green, even give us a list of ingredients: flour, salt, cream of tartar, vitamen E oil, organic rosemary oil, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, citric acid and fruit, plant and vegetable extracts from beets, spinach, paprika, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage, blueberries and tomatoes.
Happy Eco-Shopping!
Santa only brings one gift per kid in our house, and he’s giving Baby G (and by default, his big sister) a big ol’ cardboard house. Imagination Box Co. makes groovy box houses that your little critters can gleefully deface with markers, crayons, paint, glitter, you name it. It ships flat, comes with a set of water colors and is only $24.95. You can order an extra set of paints for two bucks! Shipping is between about $8.00 and $20.00, depending on how fast you need it. Christmas is fast approaching, but Hanukkah starts on Friday. Giddyup!
Some Christmas years are about the Big Reveal: the Santa Set-Up that requires an All-Nighter reminiscent of college. Pretty sure the Kitchen falls into that category. My dad used to watch the Pope address his people while assembling toys for his five kids into the wee hours, according to my mom.
This year, for us is a ‘tweener. My girls can’t name Big Ticket Items they lust after, and we’re not so sad about it. That means they’ll receive a few small items, or the upgrades to already-haves. Our three-year-old will be the lucky recipient of a toy in the latter category: The Daisy Greenway Interactive Camper. The Camper is affiliated with the Mrs. Goodbee Dollhouse, which we reviewed earlier this year, and which has gotten more play in this house than…(avoiding joke invoking frat boys) any other toy this year among the three-to-four-year-olds. It helps that the dollhouse opens in a tri-fold, inviting friends to play on both sides. I can only assume that the Camper is similarly accessible. But it doesn’t really matter: this gift affords us the opportunity to set up both the dollhouse and Camper Santa-style: with all the accessories set up like a window display, ready to play with and begging for a kids’ admiration for attention to detail.
If you have a three-year-old and no dollhouse on site: Go Goodbee, with accompanying accessory sets. Your child won’t be disappointed.
Note: Amazon has this Camper toy listed for $50ish…but it’s cheaper at Target (I couldn’t find it online, but I got it at the store no problem).
My daughter is an epic mystery fan. For her ninth birthday, we went all out and had a Nancy Drew party. It was a huge hit. So for Christmas this year, it’s all about the spy gear. Of course that means her four year old little brother is also all about the spy gear, so here are a few of my favorite secret agent gift ideas. Spy stuff is HOT!
I wanted to write a top ten for Picky Eater Tips but realized that even though I’m on my second picky eater, I only have two great tips. So hey, um, readers? Feel free to fill in the other eight.
1) My four year old is a pretty adventurous eater, but has a tough time with new textures or sensations. I realized after many an uneaten packed school lunch returned that she just can’t fathom the idea of picking up a piece of cold, cut fruit. Slimy! Slippery! Cold! So now I cut it up and send it with a toothpick. I stab the first piece so that she doesn’t have to get her finger slimy trying to get the first one. Works like a charm. The fruit container now always comes home empty.
2) My 13 month old pretty much says no to food. Not that into it. Not that concerned with breast-feeding either. I am not sure what he runs on, but whatever it is, it keeps him RUNNING. He has always shunned jarred food and just about anything that comes in a sippy cup or bottle. One thing he does like is little alphabet pasta with broccoli Not exactly a wide variety, but it is a constant. To add a little extra, if I dip the spoon into a jar of baby food and then into the pasta, he’ll eat it. It’s only a few bites at a time, but at least he gets something other than broccoli into his little system that way. Bonus: G’s big sis LOVES jar food and will polish off just about anything but peas (who can blame her?).
OK, readers. Your turn!
Oh how we love the simple toys. So here’s a simple review for a simple toy.
I think we’ve had these color-coded beanbags for about two and a half years and we literally play with them every day. I first spied them when I worked at a preschool. We always had them nearby, but they came in extra handy on rainy days when the kids couldn’t go outside to play. Nothing like a good old-fashioned beanbag toss to really get things going. Great for learning colors while you are at it. Bonus, they don’t really hurt when you get pinged from behind.
Our friends at I Can Do That! games are offering a lovely 40% off rebate for their Curious George games through Sunday, October 4th. We have the Curious George Hide and Seek Zoo game and my 4 year old truly loves it. We play it probably four days a week.
Click here to download the rebate form. Thanks, ICDT!
Sy had $24.00 burning a hole in her pocket from special occasions and birthday money. Yesterday was the day she got to spend it on anything she wanted. I let her decide: lovely, little local toy store or Target. You can only imagine which one she jumped on. Straight up that “exalator” and directly to the Bright Pink Barbie Aisle. I’d be too busy cringing if I hadn’t been a complete Barbie-a-holic growing up. And look, I didn’t turn out so badly, right? She told me that she really needed some “Boy Barbies” so the kids could have a dad around. I love that she considers Barbie role-playing all about the family; Barbie and Ken look like stand up parents, don’t they? I wonder when her playing will shift so that Barb is her peer, not her mother (because I totally look exactly like Barbie).
Sy picked three new dolls for our growing collection. First up was your garden variety Princess Barbie, whom she instantly renamed “Thalia”. Luckily she was bedecked in purple, Sy’s favorite color. She also rocks a pink crown and is therefore the most fabulous doll on Earth, according to Sy. Next doll to be pitched gleefully into the cart: Barbie Beach Party Ken. Your basic board shorts and muscle tee (an ombre version, at that). Sy is enamored with accessories, so the color coordinating glasses were a bonus (Princess Barbie is currently wearing them). Last but not least, PARTY STEVEN. He’s just another beach bum like Ken (even has a matching outfit in orange) but I couldn’t get past his name. Steven? PARTY STEVEN? Who names these dolls? Ken? Steven? Next on the list: Blaine. I mean, can they be more mainstream? Ken rolls with a hot chick named Barbie for chrissakes.* Can’t they at least throw us a FUN BOBBY?
*Did you know that Barbie let everyone know via her blog that she and Ken rekindled on Valentine’s Day? Who said romance was dead?
My two-year-old nephew is phenomenon. When I say phenomenon, I mean this little hard-headed barely-twenty-pounder can survive potential catastrophes like no other. Sure, he lands face down on the ground from time to time. Sure, he cries. But both the prostrating and crying are weapons he uses at will. He doesn’t cry from pain; he protests injustice.
He is a survivor. There is a great photo of the little guy leaping joyously off a picnic table. He lived. Dude, he dusted himself off and maybe even tried to talk a four-year-old into trying it. He’s That Guy. He drives his mom a little nuts.
Plus, he has a six-year-old brother he thinks he rivals. So his mama (errr…the Easter Bunny, that is) was smart to buy him his very own remote-controlled car, and an indestructible one at that.
I had never heard of Discovery Toys before I became an illustrious aunt. My mom got my niece a couple of surprisingly enjoyable toys from them, toys which have either been passed down to us or purchased again for us. I always looked in stores for them and never saw them. I asked my mom and she said that she bought them from a friend who is a rep, sort of like an Avon lady. (I looked it up and you can buy them online, too.)
Anyway, we have a handful of games from Discovery Toys and they all get equal play. Sy’s favorite is definitely the Busy Bugs Learning Center.
