Holiday Toys for Active Boys

If you're a boy mom, parent or grandma, you know they have lots of energy and crave gifts that engage all their motor skills. 

Here are the must-have items according to my twin 8-year-olds, all parent-approved too!

Zax - The Foam Throwing Axe 

Axe Throwing is an increasingly popular activity, and now kids can join in on the fun with their own version that is safe to use! 

From Zing Toys this toy brings the trend of axe throwing competitions home safely with suction cups. These stick to almost any surface - indoor and out without leaving a mark. The handles are made of foam and are lightweight and easy to throw with accuracy. 

     

SWAGGER SK 1 Kick-to-Start Electric Scooter

Designed for ages 5 and up, the SWAGGER SK1 provides the excitement of an electric scooter, but with the control of a kick scooter. It's not as dangerous as it sounds, because unlike my adult electric scooter this doesn't start with an accelerator, but with a child kicking and controlling it like a traditional scooter. It only goes up to 6 MPH too, providing enough fun for them, but also safer than higher speeds. The simple control are also easy to use.

Another plus is that it grows with your child. Simply raise the adjustable stem so that their SWAGGER can grow with them. Available in a bright red or pink for $89.99.

Active Chairs

This line of bright-colored stools and storage will change the way your child sits. The Active Chair, often referred to as the wobbly chair, does just that -- wobbles with your child. This not only improves spinal positioning, muscle stimulation and better posture, but it helps keep their attention laser-focused which is vital for learning. Great seats for virtual learning or doing homework after school. My kids also sit on it to watch TV or play on their devices - way better than them slouching while doing so. 

Great for children with ADD, ADHD and short attention spans. Best of all, it comes in several sizes and colors. 

Just Dance 2021 for Nintendo Switch

When my sons received Just Dance 2019 for their Nintendo Switch as a birthday gift, I was afraid it wouldn't interest them. I wrongly assumed it was just for girls. "Boy" was I wrong! 

They love playing it. In fact, we all do as a family, even Nana joins in. It's so much fun and it gets them us all up and moving and grooving. They will play it directly from the Switch console by themselves or we connect it to the TV for some big-screen action and family fun.

I'm so excited to see their faces when they unwrap Just Dance 2021 this X-Mas, especially since Logan's favorite song "Blinding Lights' by The Weekend is in this volume. Meanwhile, I'm excited to attempt Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now." 

NASCAR Crash Circuit

From Far Out Toys this track system lets kids race, wreck, and rebuild! Get ready for insane speed and colossal crashes – where car parts fly apart on impact! Then, easily snap them back together for continuous racing. One charge provides enough power for up to 30 laps without needing to refuel as it zooms across the circular track. It comes with two cars, but additional vehicles and track pieces can be purchased. 

Kids do not have to be NASCAR fans to enjoy this set either. Mine have never watched a race, but they loved seeing the cards speed across the track. Available at Amazon and Best Buy. Age 5+ 

Travel-friendly Minecraft puzzle

How do you keep active boys busy while traveling? Easy thanks to this Minecraft magnetic travel puzzle game book.

My boys are obsessed with Minecraft. They seriously talk about it non-stop, which is why I was excited to learn about this self-contained game to play with 40 increasingly difficult challenges. The best thing about this toy is that it combines the STEM benefits of Minecraft, but also gets them off the screen at the same time. So, if you have a lil Minecraft fan they will be delighted with this logical deduction game set for ages 8+. 

Fun Fort Building Kits 

Fun Forts Building Kit from Power Your Fun has earned the STEM.org Authenticated Trustmark from STEM.org and it's easy to see why. Put together the connecting rods and spheres to create imaginative shapes. It comes with a building guide too for inspiration. They have a glow-in-the-dark version too! 

Throw over a blanket to transform your Fun Forts into a tunnel, tent, or playhouse. Best of all, it's easy to assemble, and also easy to clean up too. While the creations can be large, it easily comes apart and fits in a slim box with a convenient carry handle.

My boys love building and creating hideouts and secret spots, so this is the perfect indoors, hands-on activity to keep them busy for hours. 

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Sesame Street Curriculum Gets Preschool Kids Ready for School

For 50 years and counting, Sesame Street has nurtured young minds with its iconic television show, books, games, and more – all built on a research-based curriculum that addresses the unique needs of developing preschoolers. Now, for the first time in the show’s 50-year history, that curriculum is available as a comprehensive and approachable guide for parents.

With Ready for School!, Sesame Workshop’s Dr. Rosemarie Truglio helps parents of children aged 2-5 foster the school readiness skills that have made Sesame Street the most trusted name in educational media – not just ABCs and 123s, but the curiosity and resilience that helps kids thrive in school and beyond.

Each of the book’s eight chapters focuses on a key area:

• Language
• Literacy
• Math
• Science
• Logic & Reasoning
• Social & Emotional Development
• Healthy Habits
• The Arts

Written with busy families in mind, Ready for School! A Parent's Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5 illustrates how parents are central to school readiness – and how opportunities for learning are everywhere. This helpful guide offers dozens of “Play & Learn” activities to help make the most of playtime, showing how playful learning can happen at the kitchen table, on the bus, in the park, or in the preschool classroom. Packed with tips and recommendations, easy-to-use charts that let parents mark their children’s milestones to ease the important job of preparing children for a life of learning.

Author Rosemarie T. Truglio, Ph.D. has been a vital presence at Sesame Workshop for more than two decades shaping the content our children see and learn from the show and live experiences. She is the Senior Vice President of Curriculum and Content at Sesame Workshop.

I've had the pleasure of meeting the author Dr. Rosemarie a couple of times. Most recently, during Social Media on the Sand at Beaches Resorts, which has Camp Sesame and other Sesame Street programming. I just wish I had her book when my twins were in Pre-K. They might be older now, but we still made and use this glitter jar that she recommended when they are upset.

Make Your Own Glitter Jar to Discuss Feelings and End Meltdowns

Got a monster meltdown? We'll let you in on a secret: a glitter jar will turn a frown upside down in no time.

Rosemarie discussed how children often do not know yet how to control their emotions at this age and suggests building a glitter jar to talk to them about how they are feeling. That way, when they are having a meltdown, you can swirl the jar and say how you understand their feelings are swirling around like this, but to take big breaths as the glitter settles and hopefully, they will too.

These are the ingredients you'll need to help you handle an upset Lil monster like a pro.

Ingredients:

• A clear plastic jar or bottle with lid
• Water
• Glitter glue
• Glitter, any color

DIY Glitter Jar Instructions: 

1. Fill your jar or bottle 3/4 of the way full with water.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of glitter glue for each cup of water.
3. Add glitter until it is 1/2 inch deep.
4. Gently fill your jar the rest of the way with water.
5. Use all of your might and muscle to twist the lid on tight.
6. Shake your glittery concoction and prepare to be dazzled into calm as it s-l-o-w-l-y settles down.

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Upgrading to a Big Boy Room with City Furniture

My boys are turning five next week! *my mind is blown*

We figured a great way to celebrate the milestone would be to upgrade their bedroom with bigger boy furnishings.

They have been in toddler beds for a while now, but with them sneaking into each other's beds some evenings, it was getting pretty tight in there. We discovered them like this just the other night...

Growing out of their toddler beds

Since my twins share a room, we were really looking for furnishings that did double-duty by providing storage space and grew with them as they continue to get older (NOooo!). However, they are still kids, so we wanted something fun that would get them excited, but wouldn't be an eyesore or cheap and plastic either.

The answer? City Furniture!

Big Boy Beds from City Furniture being delivered

Boys Bedroom Before:

Boys Bedroom After:

City Furniture Loft Bed

We ordered two City Furniture Highlands Dark Tone Loft Beds ($995), which included a loft headboard, footboard, ladder, rails, chest of drawers, bookcase and desk in a very dark brown espresso color.

These loft beds add both more space and storage capacity to their room. Although, my boys already started filling the drawers with toys, so I had to explain that their clothes needed to go there, lol.

Extra storage dressers and desk included.

Since they will be entering Kindergarten next year, we loved that the bottom portion also functioned as a desk for doing homework after school, allowing them their own creative workspaces, while not taking up any additional space either. For now, they are using the area to play and as a reading nook at night.

His and his space

The best part? City Furniture delivered the bedroom sets AND installed them. Phew, because ain't nobody got time for that, lol. Such a relief. It took the professional moving team almost two hours, but they handled everything even taking the boxes and wrappings with them.

Overall, I think the end result looks sophisticated, yet still magical for my boys. It met all my requirements - quality, functionality, and creativity.

Bonus, my boys are eager to go to bed each night now!

What do you think???

Southwest Florida City Furniture Showrooms

There is a City Furniture Showroom in Fort Myers (near Gulf Coast Town Center) and in Naples, as well as throughout Florida. You can also view their collections Online. 

DIY LEGO Wall 

Peel-and-Stick LEGO Baseplates

Like most boys, mine are obsessed with LEGO bricks. So, I ordered Peel-and-Stick Baseplates for my boys' upgraded bedroom. They are so easy to apply too. Instead of lying them on a flat surface, I put them on the sides of their bookshelves for some vertical building, thus allowing their furniture to have more than one purpose. Totally made me look like an expert DIYer to my kids too!

For a more customized and moldable look, we are now adding Mayka Tape for Lego lovers to the sides of their desk, underneath it for upside-down creations and pretty much anywhere they can stick it, lol. Fortunately, it comes off easily too and is non-marking. It's also more flexible than the hard base plates and comes in nine different colors.

Pillow Pets

Besides their love of LEGO bricks, my boys are also obsessed with Disney/Pixar's Cars, which you can probably spot in their bedroom too. To go with their new room, we added these awesome Lightning McQueen Pillow Pets, which are a plush toy and pillow in one.  Great for boys!
They also have an edition that light's up and projects stars.

Disclaimer: I was provided a portion of the City Furniture pieces for free in exchange for my honest review. I paid the overage for the additional loft set, delivery and installation fees and received no other compensation.

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5 Must Have Potty Training Tools

Looking back on when we were potty training our twins these were the items that we found to be the most helpful. I would highly recommend these to other parents, some we still use even now that they are four.

Snap Power Guide Light and Built-In Potty Seat

The SnapPower Guidelight can safely and easily transform a regular outlet coverplate into a convenient night light, which automatically turns on in the dark and off during the daytime by a sensor. It's equipped with energy-efficient LED lighting for perfect nighttime illumination by a toilet. Installation was as simple as switching out our regular cover plate over an AC outlet. No wiring required! This has been our favorite product since it's helpful even past potty training even as kids get older. I've since ordered one for our guest room bathroom so visitors can find their way at night too. Also, this way you don't have to worry about forgetting to turn off a nightlight switch in the morning, which I was always failed to do.

Built-in Potty Seat - Forget the cartoon potty seats! After buying several other seats that my boys would put on wrong, which would then slip off, we went with this built in seat that can be pulled down as easy as a toilet lid. Best of all, it's not bright, bulky or embarrassing to have in your bathroom when guests are over.

Potty Stool - We put one of these potty step stools at the base of every toilet in our house. Like above, we still use these stools for by the bathroom sinks now for easy hand washing and brushing teeth. You could also get a squatty potty stool as a twofer.

Potty Books - I don't mean books to read while on the bowl, but books that encourage potty learning and explain the process to your little one, so they know all kids make the transition and what the end goal is. We bought three different books, one with Caillou, one with Elmo and a general potty one, all were great. It also helped my boys understand the different terms and vocab we were using too.

Portable Potty - The toilet can be intimidating and out of the way when a child has to go and doesn't want to break from playing. For the first couple of months and would move it around the house to wherever our boys were, by the TV, in their playroom, etc. If going on a driving road trip we would even pack it and bring to the hotel with us. We had a different brand that we used at first, but found that this Summer Infant design was the best for keeping boys from spraying outside the bowl. It's also easy to clean, lightweight and nicely designed. It's affordable and available in other colors too.

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OMG I'm Driving a Mini Van

Queue the Talking Heads song "How did I get here?"... And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile ...

OMG I am now the owner of a 2015 Toyota Sienna XLE mini van and even more surprisingly, I'm loving it! So many parents have told us how much easier it is, but we had stubbornly held on to our SUV, dreading driving a sexless mini van. However, never say never, because apparently, I'm a new woman.

I once equated driving a minivan to shopping at Talbots, for when women have given up being a woman and ugh am I now eating my words. I no longer have to worry about wearing a wedding ring either, because after this car buying decision I can guarantee you that guys in other cars aren't even glancing my way in this baby shuttle, lol. At least, I'd rather blame the car than my appearance and age.

Doesn't matter the stigma though, it's actually a pleasure to drive this van. It's a smooth ride. I like being up so high too, it really has improved my visibility of the road and the features DO make traveling with kids easier.

Before with two car seats in the backseat, we could never have other people ride in our car. Sure, we had an SUV with a third row, but on long car trips it wasn't comfortable for them, plus there wasn't enough trunk space once those seats were up. Now, grandma and friends can come along on trips too and so can all the twins' gear and a double stroller.

Checking out the Honda Odyssey at the Miami Auto Show

The sliding doors are great too. The boys love pressing the button to easily open the doors themselves and I love that they aren't swinging the doors open and hitting and denting another car.

Not to mention the entertainment center turns complaining babies into gaping silence.

Yup, life is good. Our big, twin, mini van life. *sigh*

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My Twin Boys' School Photo Meme

So, I just got back my boys' first school photos EVER and well, they look like mug shots.

Their pre-school was nice and apparently let them do a photo together, but as you can see ... it inspired me to do a meme. I have no idea what that photographer said to them, but they ain't happy!

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Holiday Gift Ideas for Preschool Boys

Pre-School Gift Ideas for the Holidays

LeapTV (and me trying out the Bokeh photo effect)

The LeapFrog LeapTV Educational Gaming System is now selling for just $57.99 at most major retailers and on Amazon right now! You can now be the cool mom or aunt and gift little kiddos ages 3-8-years-old their first gaming system. Last year, LeapTV was retailing for $150, so this is really an exciting offer. As a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador, I was gifted a LeapTV to review and I'm planning on putting it under the tree for their Christmas gift. I can't wait to see them play it on X-Mas day.

Suggested LeapTV games to get for little ones: join Anna, Elsa and Olaf in a Frozen mathematics foray in Disney Frozen: Arendelle's Winter Festival Educational, Letter Factory, Blaze and Doodle Craft.

Play All Day Elmo from Hasbro  - $45 - Click on the link to read my previous post for more details on this hot new interactive toy.

Mega Bloks First Builders Build'n Go Wagon - $37.49 -  My boys Madrina (Godmother) gave us two wagons filled with these child's first building blocks last year and they are still being played with daily. Besides using the blocks to build, they love carting this wagon and each other in it all around the house, lol.

Green Toys Airplane - $7.49 - My boys were fighting over this classic toy plane to the point that I had to go out and buy another in a different color, so they'd each have one. It's also constructed entirely from recycled plastic and offers imaginative play. My boys love rolling it around on the floor and soaring it above their heads. I like that unlike other planes, there are no sharp edges and it's nice and lightweight too. Bonus, no sounds or high tech to deal with either.

Stocking Stuffers:

PlayTape by InRoad Toys: Entertain the kids for hours with PlayTape from InRoad Toys. PlayTape is repositionable tape designed to look like roads and train tracks that can be used on any flat surface without leaving any residue when removed. PlayTape is easily stored and great for travel. I'll put tracks up in hotel rooms and just pack two cars to go with it. Doesn't take up much space in your suitcase and provides kids with a toy while on-the-go. They even have Thomas the Train designs too. $7.99-12.99.

Hot Wheels cars. My boys can never seem to have enough. We have a lunch box tin full of them just for the car and when going out to eat.

Dry Erase Markers - I scored a rainbow pack at a Five Below store.

Crayons - They get broken so fast, that a fresh new box is always welcome. We particularly love Mr. Sketch Scented Twistable Crayons.

Jingle, Jingle, Little Reindeer Board Book by Parragon Books for only $6.99. Wiggle the cute reindeer puppet to help it get to Santa's sleigh on time! Since this is the first Christmas that the boys are really understanding and curious about stockings, reindeer and Christmas trees, this book helped introduce some of the holiday iconography to them.

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Finding Nemo Birthday Party Cupcakes & Favors

My boys turned 3 last week!

Wow, I have two three-year-old boys. When did that happen?! Everyone kept annoyingly telling us that it goes by so quickly, but during that first crazy year with twins, I kept thinking, When? When will it go quick? But sure enough, once we were out of the woods, it has gone quickly! At least now when I look back or see how big they are in their three year birthday t-shirts.

To celebrate their third birthday, we went with a Disney's Finding Nemo theme for their pre-k birthday party from favors to cupcakes.

Finding Nemo Birthday Party Favors 

I couldn't find official licensed gift bags, so I purchased these general fish themed bags on Amazon. For the gifts inside, I ordered bubbles, fish shaped prisms and Finding Nemo character stickers from Oriental Trading Co., plus individual bags of Goldfish Crackers as a snack too.

I then used my HP Envy printer to print out round stickers with my kids names on them and a Dory and Nemo image to seal the bags. Easy peasy and a bit more personal that way.

For a fun party activity, you can print out these free Finding Nemo Coloring Book Pages from Mom Junction and put out orange and blue crayons for the kids to color with. Simple and cheap. Or fold and add the print outs directly to the goodie bags.

Easy Finding Nemo Birthday Cupcakes

Now here is where I really had fun. I'm not a fancy or patient baker, but I was really pleased with how these turned out. I purchased aqua blue Pillsbury Funfetti cake mixes and orange easy frost icing to re-create the blue waters and color of Nemo and Marlin. I then topped off with a Goldfish Graham Cracker cookie fish. Voila! Finding Nemo-inspired cupcakes. My boys were really excited about these and kept talking about their Nemo cupcakes for school.

Presents

What to get a pre-schooler who has everything? That was the question. My boys have so many toys, cars and balls, that I didn't want to just add more to their playroom. Instead, we gave them each one really nice present that will also help with their continued learning and development - a LeapFrog Epic - a kid-friendly tablet for ages 3-9.

They would occasionally play with some coloring apps on our iPads, but we didn't really want them using those yet, which is why we opted for these safer digital experiences that focus on learning. We also can't wait to take these traveling with us!

The touchscreen LeapFrog Epic is Android based, so game cartridges are not compatible with this device. Instead, you download new content wirelessly just like you would for grown-up Android tablets. Out of the box, the Epic includes 20-plus apps (Wi-Fi, a parent account and device set-up are required to access all included content).  The idea of apps for little children might sound scary, but every app is Leapfrog-certified to ensure there are no in-app purchases, no harmful third-party ads and only age-appropriate experiences. The parental controls also let you manage what, when and how long each child plays too.

We also added Finding Nemo content to the device by downloading a Nemo Reef Builder game on to the LeapFrog Epic.

Disclaimer: As a LeapFrog Mom Ambassador, I receive products, promotional items and educational material to use and share as I see fit.

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Amazing Ways to Re-use Baby Food Pouches

Baby food pouches are super convenient for on-the-go snacking. Also, at times it made feeding twins a whole lot easier when I didn't have to spoon feed two cranky, hungry babies at the same time. You can just imagine the number of pouches that we've gone through in our house. As a result, I had more pouches that I knew what to do with. Here are just some of the ways I've discovered to recycle and upcycle them.

What to do with used baby food pouches

1.  TerraCycle and Preserve them!
   TerraCycle makes consumer products from pre-consumer and post-consumer waste. It's free, simply join a baby food pouch brigade, collect your pouches in a box, print their free shipping label and mail them your waste. You can also ship old CapiSun pouches, diaper packaging, potato chip bags, Nespresso capsules and lots more. So far, I have recycled 978 pouches and in exchange gained 2,512 points, which is a $25.12 value towards purchasing eco-friendly products, or use your points to make a cash donation to a charity or donate your points to purchase honey bees to a needy family. Also, Plum Organics has teamed up with Preserve to collect and recycle the caps from their pouches and other brand's. So, start a collection at your school, office, or with friends and find a drop off location near you.
   
   
2. Teach Colors & Counting with a Sensory Box - I started saving the round tops of baby food pouches, every time I found a new color or shade. I took a couple of months to get 12 different colors. I then put them in a StrideRite Shoe Box that had Sesame Street characters on it, which I saved from a recent sneaker purchase. I then presented them the box, which they loved opening and seeing the rainbow of colors inside. Each day, we'd point and name the colors together and soon they would open the box and say the colors out loud without me even asking them to. They also enjoy lining them up, stacking them and throwing them. I do make them collect and put them away each night though. Surprisingly, they have't grown tired of this box yet, in fact, it has outlasted more expensive toys too. We have now progressed to counting the caps, for a new level of learning.
   
   
3. Use Caps to Make Crafts - Pinterest, as you can imagine has a lot of ideas for using the colorful caps to make picture frames, puppets, ornaments, necklaces and a whole lot more. Follow this board for more Pouch Cap Crafts & Activities.
4. Play-Doh Fun - You can use the caps as wheels for Play-Doh cars or use as Play-Doh cookie cutters. Best of all, unlike other cookie cutters or stencils, you can always toss these after kids are done playing, so no clean-up.
   
5. Tic Tac Toe - Collect two sets of colors and play some tic tac toe! Great for when traveling.
6. Make a Very Hungry Caterpillar
   

Any other ideas? I'd love to hear them :)

Speaking of recycling, Scrap Metal Prices in LA to Dispose of Metals in Greener Recycling, CA.

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