Now, maybe this is old news to some of you…but my husband showed this to me and I just wanted to kick myself. Do any of you ever sit around wondering to yourself, “What can I invent so I can stop worrying about money all of the time???” Well, I do. I never thought of this idea, but I wanted to kick myself because it makes so much sense and seems so obvious to do! These Inchworm shoes GROW with your children up to three sizes!!!!! Some of the styles I’m not too crazy about, but there are a few I’d definitely buy for my own kids. Also, you can get a pair for only $20!!! That’s really saving money!  Three pairs of shoes in one for only twenty bucks!!!  Check out all the styles and prices at Inchworm Shoes. They also have many video demonstrations and different shows/news promoting the shoe.

“Built right into INCHworm shoes is the iFit technology. The iFit technology allows you to GROW the size of the shoe with a simple push of the button. So eliminate unnecessary trips to the shoe store and provide your children with better fitting shoes that last up to three sizes longer. Inchworm shoes grow in half size increments. Just push the button on the side, and pull the toe of the shoe to adjust into the next size.” (inchwormshoes.com)

Today my dad and step-mom came to visit us and the kids. And how can the grandparents come without wanting to taking a trip on over to Toys-R-Us?? In the check-out line, after the kids each picked out a toy, Deby spotted some bubbles and decided to get those for them as well. When we got home, we all went out back to test out these new amazing bubbles…and amazing they were! There was no popping these suckers! They would land in our hair and stayed until you brushed them off. My dad demonstrated that you could actually BOUNCE them off one another! He also ran around the yard (being the kid that he is) to collect and stack his bubbles. I think he and Deby had more fun with them than the kids did! So here they are….the magnificent, incredible, unpoppable….”Catch-A-Bubble“!!! (On my dad’s fingertip, of course)

I love anything that involves photographs and memories, so this is a must-have for myself. And, at only $12.50 each, I will be getting one for all my kids (eventually)!

spoonsisters

Not only do I love the choice of names for these peculiar looking dolls (Lola is my dog’s name), but the design and colors are awesome! Forget buying them for my kids, I want them in MY room! Pink Dress Lola is my fave. View and buy at Olie Bollen.

Lately I’ve been extra motivated to teach my son, who just turned 3, how to read. It never even dawned on me that he would even be capable of doing this at such a young age until one of my friend’s informed me that her 3 year old can read. So in July I began to really teach him the sounds that each letter makes and recognition of each letter. (Leap Frog Fridge Phonics was a great help) Obviously, I’m no expert and I’m not professionally educated in this area, but hey, they worked! Hopefully somebody will read this and will find it helpful. Anyway, here are the different things I have been doing with him (and he loves it!):

~ ABC notebook- I bought a cheap spiral notebook, rounded up some old parenting magazines, and broke out the scissors and glue. Each page in the notebook is assigned a different letter. The first page being “Aa”, we browsed through the magazines looking for any “Aa’s” and pictures that begin with the letter “Aa”. I’d cut them out and glue ‘em on the page, making a very creative “Aa” collage. He loves doing this, but usually only stays focused for about 15 minutes or so.

~ Letter of the day- On blank white stickers (nametags, labels) I’d write a new letter (upper and lower case) everyday and we’d each wear one. Throughout the day I’d ask him what letter we were wearing, have him point out something in the house that begins with that letter…etc. If he couldn’t remember, I’d have him trot into the kitchen to his handy Fridge Phonics to find out. He would get very excited every morning and would remind me if I forgot to get give him his letter. After awhile, I’d let him choose the letter of the day.

~ “-at” words- I got this idea from my good friend. Think of a bunch of different “-at” words such as “pat”, “cat”, “bat” and write them down one at a time. Have your child make the sound of each letter and put the sounds together. I was sitting at the table feeding Scarlett and doing this with Charlie at the same time, not thinking anything would really happen. Well, IT DID!!! He read “bat” and “hat” all by himself! It was truly one of the coolest moments in my parenting so far. I got all teary-eyed and he jumped into my lap (before I even had a chance to praise him!) to give me a huge hug because he was so proud of himself.

~ Storytime- Whenever I read to him, I ask him questions about the story/pictures after each page I read. I think this helps him understand the story a little better and he gets to voice his opinions/thoughts about the book and characters. Also, I sometimes hand him a book and tell him to read it to me. He loves doing this, he feels important and smart (which he is, of course) and although he can’t read all the words, he is able to tell a story by looking at a picture.

Some people might think, “Damn, give it a rest, he’s only three!”, but it’s such a wonderful time spent with your child. Charlie loves it and gets so proud of himself. It’s also pretty neat to sit back and watch him teach Jenna all the stuff he knows. They will go to the fridge, put in letter after letter and sing “ABC’s” over and over!

What greater gift can you (help) give to your child, than the ability to read?

I came across this cute and clever video/song at Mama Says Om. It’s more fun to watch when you have a child on your lap!!

As Wheezie on Dragon Tales would say……”LOVE IT!”

view/buy at Pottery Barn Kids

source: swissmiss

A beautiful and modern piece from dasmobel. Transforms from a bassinet to storage. Genius!

view/buy at dasmobel.at

looks like fun to me:

“simple yet magical! adults are often puzzled by bilibo, but children get it immediately and find endless ways to play with bilibos - they sit in them, rock back and forth, spin around, lie under them, stand on them, use them as tunnels for cars, beds for dolls, pour water through them, use them as sleds, hats and props.” (rompbklyn.com)

buy/view at rompbklyn

A few posts down, I blogged a picture of Scarlett in a shirt that says, “Bush is just like my diaper. Full of Poop!” I’d just like to spread the word about my friend’s (Rachel) business, Kustomized Kids. She is a stay-at-home mamma, doing this mostly for fun (and, hey, a little extra money on the side doesn’t hurt!). She has a wide-range of topics/designs including Natural Parenting, Seasonal, Babies and Kids with Attitude, Pregnancy, Wedding, Kustom Kids (for children with special needs), Birthday, and Personalized. She is also more than willing to take requests if she doesn’t already have something you’re looking for! Anyway, go check it out! They make GREAT gifts!!! Here are just a handful of her designs.

Kustomized Kids

At pushmepullyou designs, they have these awesome prints that I would put in my kids’ rooms in a heartbeat…if money allowed it! Really, they aren’t priced too badly at $20 a pop. They’ve got owls, dodo’s, a beaver, giraffe, platypus, an orka, and many more. Maybe when Scarlett gets her “big girl” room in a couple years…I would also highly consider putting them in my own room or livingroom. Very lovely.

This was very neat to me. Maybe it’s the wrong time of year to be posting something like this, but oh well. This would be a very cool idea for a (clean) playdate! I know, getting messy is part of the fun, but when there are over 10 toddlers/kids wandering about, something like this might be more appealing for the host/hostess.

“These cute matchbooks hold a clever secret inside. Tear out a matchstick, plant it tip first in soil and you’ll soon have a flower or herb garden growing. On the tip of each match are seeds already mixed to grow either herbs or wildflowers. The matchbooks are sold in a mixed assortment of 25 books of each style.” (notedco.com)

click HERE to order/view

When I came across this little toy at Organic Valley, I thought maybe this could help with my son’s fear of any food besides vegetarian chicken nuggets and peanutbutter sandwiches. Just maybe I could get him to eat a vegetable by becoming “friends” with these cute stuffed ones first. Then I had another thought. What if I buy this, he falls in love with the stuffed tomato, mushroom, carrot, and bean as planned, and then he’s even more terrified to eat their miniature “family” or something of that nature? Oh well, they’re cute anyway.

I came across this article, written by Joel Stein, through momsquak and was instantly relieved that I am, indeed, NOT the only person who has an undying hatred for Elmo and Baby Bear on Sesame Street. As the momsquak post touches on, I also remember Sesame Street being all about teaching the alphabet, numbers, manners and phonics. How the hell are kids supposed to learn anything from a bear who pronounces his “r’s” as “w’s” (i.e. rabbit is wabbit). And don’t even get me started on Elmo…that red little bastard. I have vented to many friends and family members about the obnoxious little creep who takes up the majority of Sesame Street nowadays, and encourages our children to be annoying and loud….something that I have strived to discourage everyday of my motherhood thus far. Anyway, read the article at “The Charlotte Observer.”

Was going through some old photos and came across this one taken by my dad. If I remember correctly, it was taken around 1986-ish which would make me four, and Jodi two (Jodi’s on the left, I’m on the right). Also, I’m pretty sure we were living in Panama City at the time. It’s always been a favorite of mine, so I thought I’d share. Miss and love you, Jodi!

I really don’t care if this is old news…it’s new to me. I was absolutely stunned when I came across this bookstore in Bejiing!!! It’s obviously for children, but if I ever had the chance to step in, you wouldn’t see me coming out for a long, long time, my friends.

“No longer just the world’s ‘workroom’, China is rapidly becoming an international hot spot with a growing middle class hungry for western luxuries and comforts. Beijing kids are the latest to be treated to some western style indulgence with Kids Republic, a children’s bookstore that transports it’s pint sized customers into a delightful fairytale world full of color and fantasy – complete with massive story telling screens and play areas. It’s haven for little imaginations in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world.” (thecoolhunter.com)

[source: thecoolhunter.com]

I thought since this blog will mainly be news pertaining to my own children, I could every so often post something relating to children in general….furniture, news, tips, cool toys, clothes….stuff of that nature. I love anything that is multi-functional, so this chair/rocking stool was quite appealing to me.

“Have you seen this yet? If not, take a look. Even if you are allergic to kids, you’ve got to appreciate the design of this little chair. Turned one way, the seat height is 10.5″; flipped the other way the seat height is 14.5″. And, best of all, turned on it’s side it becomes a rocking stool. Super good design. It’d be a good gift for itty bitty humans- not too terribly pricey.” (betterlivingthroughdesign.com)

[see chair and info]