My sister has a big backyard and when the heat started to kick in, she splashed out on a 12 foot inflatable pool for the backyard. Thanks for the review, sis!
At the beginning of summer, we needed to devise a system to keep cool without continually running the sprinklers in the backyard. Our six year old is a bit too big to just hang out in a kiddie pool and the local pool doesn’t exactly cater to our hours. Enter the Intex 12 foot inflatable pool. Kids of all ages – and even their parents – can get in and get wet. Our six year old can get in there and do laps, meanwhile the whole family can get in and go underwater enough to be refreshed on a hot day. It is a wonderful option for those of us who desperately want a ‘real’ pool but only have a small space.
Maintenance isn’t substantial but must be done. When we first got it and only had tap water in it we got a pretty impressive layer of mossy green stuff all over. A quick trip to the pool guy down the block and we were in business with a skimmer and a floating chlorine tablet system that floats in a little bobber thing - plus a bottle of shock to get rid of the moss. Of course, if you started with the chlorine, you wouldn’t have to do this step! They also sell covers for the pool, but we don’t use one since it encourages moss. The pool is tall enough that low-lying critters cannot climb in for a dip very easily at night. So far we have had no problems in that area.
My pal AJ is totally in love with her new Tuffo blanket.
She says, “Water-resistant, good for parks, beach, picnics, we even played on the front lawn with it today. Super light, folds into it’s own carrying case, nylon backing and machine washable. All four of us sat on it with plenty of space. My new favorite thing. Even pocket on the carrying case to make it a lightly used diaper/snack all-in-one. You must get one.”
Available at Amazon.
Sy’s aunt got her this wicked fun teeter totter for her birthday. Part of their Naturally Playful® line, the little ride is made by Step2, the geniuses behind my favorite sand and water table.
It has two wide, contoured seats with easy-grip handle bars plus it can accommodate an additional rider in middle. The maximum weight 120 lbs, so (3) three year olds can easily take it on. We put it out at Sy’s birthday party and it was a huge hit. She and her pals have a three-person see saw at school, so they understand how to ride as a trio. But the great thing about this one is that it’s light enough so the kiddo can sit by themselves in the middle, and they can rock back and forth like a rocking horse.
If you have a big tree and a big blue Ikea near you, you should get yourself on down there and pick up one of these nifty little ladder swings. Micky has one in her backyard and it reminds me of Helen, our shopping cart. As in, Helen of Troy, because this swing used to launch a massive battle every time we’d go over there, just like the cart used to do. It is the most coveted of all things at Kara’s house. Sy often asks me if the swing is still there and if so, perhaps we should go visit Kara? She also tells me we need to get a big tree in our backyard so she can have a swing, too. I tell her that the Rolling Stones sang it best, “You can’t always get what you want...”
The whole Ekorre series is pretty bitchin, actually. There are hand rings (Only $8.99 and also hanging from another cool tree in Kara’s yard), a swing, a rocking moose and balls. The swings and rings are meant for both indoor/outdoor use, so I suppose if we wanted to figure out where the load bearing beams are hiding out, we could install a swing in the house. But call me crazy, I don’t think my living room would look all that fancy with a big swing hitting me in the head every time I sat down to watch “So You Think You Can Dance.” (It’s better than me admitting that I watch the Bachelorette, right? I can’t believe she sent Graham packing.) I digress. If you have a cool playroom or basement, then I think indoor swings would be awesome. Maybe even in the hallway so your kid could swing to bath like Tarzan or Jane? Yeah, probably not, hunh?
It’s birthday season around here and boy, was Saturday’s soiree off the hook. Micky outdid herself on Kara’s Pinwheel Party.* There were pinwheels galore, including pinwheel sandwiches, pinwheel decorations, pinwheel party favors - pinwheel barrettes for the girls and hats for the boys. It was all just too fabulous. But the item that most wowed the kids was that Kara got her very own bounce house. I’m not referring to the kind you rent, I’m talking to the super cool Jump N Slide Bouncer made by the folks at Little Tikes.
I was very sad that I was not 3 to 8 years old (not to mention about twenty months pregnant) because dang, did I want to go bounce in there! Micky had it filled with inflatable beach balls and the kids went bananas for it.
My pal Micky is throwing her daughter a pinwheel-themed party for her third birthday. She got this pinwheel making kit from Chinaberry for the party favors. She was debating whether or not to make them or send the pieces in a bag for the kids to make (with help) when they got home. I took one look at all the little pieces in the kit and told her that if she actually likes her friends, she’d assemble them first.
I’ll have her review how easy/hard it was to make them once she gets around to it. They looked really cute.
