Week Three: Sensory Bin {part one}

Well. In my head this was going to be a post about 3 or 4 super cool sensory bins to try with toddlers. But...

I bet you can see where this is going...

It didn't happen. 

I managed to do one, and that will just have to be good enough. I doubt that O cares that there weren't more bins this week. He was in heaven with his Jelly Beads!

I bought these a while back on Amazon and I wasn't sure how long they would last but holy cow does a tiny amount of dry beads make a huge amount of jelly beads!!

The first time we played with them we used some sea creature toys to "swim" through the beads. This time we focused on scooping and pouring. I love to touch these things, and so does O. He scooped and poured and scooped and poured. When he overflowed one of bowls and dumped them all over the floor learned a valuable spacial reasoning skill, he also learned that they SQUISH when you step on them. Luckily they are easy to wipe up, but be warned: they bounce!

Week Two: Mag-awesome

This week I want to review one of the best toys O got for Christmas this year. I am absolutely in love with Magformers/Magmagic. 5 out of 5. A+.

They are the most overpriced pieces of plastic ever, but they are so cool I choose to stick my head in the sand when it comes to the price tag.

For Christmas O got a set of Magmagic from his cousins. He played with them that night for ages with his 2 and 7 year old cousins, and for days after. He is still super excited whenever we pull them out of the toy box.

The day after Christmas Mike and I enjoy going shopping. Or maybe it is just me that enjoys it. Oops. Mike is a good sport and tags along with the hope of scoring a sweet Lego set on clearance.

We like to hit Target, of course, but our favorite is the Go! Calendars, Toys, & Games store. They have 50% the whole store, which is an OK deal for some of the overpriced to begin with stuff, but a great deal for things that have a pretty standard price everywhere. We found two sets of Magformers there this year! 50% off was much cheaper than anywhere we looked online, so we went for it.

A stunning creation. 

As it turns out, the gift was Magmagic brand and the ones we picked up on sale were Magformers brand. Luckily they are 100% compatible with each other! 

Every adult that has stumbled across them seems to be just as excited about them as O is. I have definitely considered swiping some and keeping them at work to fiddle with while I'm on the phone. ;)

My review is that they are an awesome toy that teaches math, creativity, cause and effect, and patience. O says they are "really, really fun" and he says "I like to SMASH them!" 

"This is a playground with a jumping thing but no garage."

SMASH! {Dragon costume for full Godzilla effect}

Week One: Grocery Lists

You know how gravity is always a sure thing? You know that every time you drop something, it will fall down. Because gravity. 


Know what else is always a sure thing? A toddler being the most squirming, climbing, tantruming version of themselves when you have to grocery shop. 

For us, this rarely happens when we are just grabbing a few things. Only when we *have* to get a bunch of stuff. Because of course. Because toddler. 

We try to please the toddler gods with offerings of snacks and stickers and kindles, but sometimes that doesn't work either. However. All our hope is not lost. We have learned that a helping O is a happy O. And while we don't want his help with all the shopping {crushed bread and bruised bananas, anyone?} he has really started to love being in charge of the list. 

When O goes to the grocery store {usually Super Target} he is a totally different kid if he has the list in his hand. He is focused and helpful. *Actually* helpful. 




So, I've decided he should have his very own toddler list to help him keep track of what to buy. After some pinteresting and googling, I learned that such a thing already exists. Thanks, Internet! However, I'm not going to pay $10 for an instant download of some produce photos from Etsy. 

No, instead I'll just make my own! I was super jazzed about making my own because I like to get crafty and it has been ages since I have been able to. Plus, I'd be able to customize the list! Two for normal grocery shopping, plus one for Costco. 

Here's what I did:

1. Used the magic of a Google Image search to find pictures I could copy and paste.

2. Pasted all the pictures into a Publisher document and arranged them until they looked at least $10 worth of cute. ;)

3. Printed and laminated the lists. I love how these laminating pouches worked! So quick and easy, plus nice and thick/sturdy. 

4. Hole punched, connected with a ring, and attached a washable dry erase marker {ok ok, so I'm still trying to figure out how to attach the marker in a cute way. But I *did* find the washable markers, which were a must.} 

It was such a big hit! O was so happy to help out and enjoyed scribbling things off when we put them in the cart and yelling the list to me as if I was on the other side of the store. {Toddlers, man.} I really liked that I was able to add things that we typically buy rather than a template from Etsy that is more generic. 

What keeps your kids busy at the grocery store? Tell me all the secrets! :)

Let's Do This

Happy New Year!

Well, this is awkward. I really did mean to keep blogging in 2015. I did. I almost got around to it a few times, but by then it was summertime and it just felt weird to start again so late in the year. 

So here we are. January 1, 2016. And I'm ready to jump back in!

I think it will be a blast to find 52 things this year. For those of you that read my posts throughout 2014, you know that I tried to find one new/awesome/interesting thing to do each week. Sometimes it was a craft, sometimes a fun family activity, sometimes a recipe or party idea. Mostly it was a place for me to ramble on about the happenings in my life. I missed it this past year. Kind of a lot, actually. 

So, here we go!