We’re slowly starting to pack for our annual summer vacation with the kids later this week. For me, that means double loads of laundry, unearthing our travel bags and figuring out how few toys I can get away with packing. If you’re traveling with a little one, you’re already loaded down with enough baby gear to outfit a mansion–forget about the toys! I tell my girls they’re each allowed one special, can’t-do-without plaything, and then the rest is up to me. (Let’s see how well that one works). If you have a little person in your life embarking on her first journey, be it by car, plane or cruise ship, you won’t be able to resist My Little Suitcase. Brought to you by The Baby [&hellip
The Playful Walnut Archive
For most parents (and grandparents), the name Spock is best known as a respectable pediatrician who’s a trusted resource on everything from pacifiers to potty-training. In our home, Spock is only synonymous with one thing, and that’s Star Trek. If ever I thought never the twain shall meet, I was pleasantly mistaken. For Trekkies new and old comes a brand new picture book that goes where no baby has gone before. . I let my husband, a self-proclaimed fan of the show (who doesn’t consider himself a Trekkie, mind you), take a peek at Star Trek Book of Opposites. After thumbing through the pages after a long day at the office, he smiled knowingly at the pairing of opposite photos taken straight from the classic TV [&hellip
As a work-from-home mom, I sometimes miss the workplace environment: the camaraderie with my office mates, the feeling of accomplishment after a productive day and yes, even the day-old doughnuts (sigh…). After all, the incessant chatting of two little girls can’t outdo the IT guy who could talk a blue streak while fixing my PC . Whenever I need a little slice of the adult world, I tune into one of my favorite sitcoms, “The Office.” I can’t decide which character I enjoy the most–the ingenious Jim or the persistent Dwight or any of the others in between. And since I just learned that Jenna Fischer’s real-life pregnancy will be incorporated into the character of Pam, I’m as pleased as punch…and it’s not just because [&hellip
How good are you at Scrabble? Can you polish off the Sunday Times crossword puzzle in an afternoon? If so, maybe KaBAM wouldn’t faze you. But if you relish a good challenge and want to test your spelling smarts with your kids, I invite you to get a copy of this word-building game and see just how vast your vocabulary is. My daughter and I have been playing KaBAM for the last few weeks and I must admit to being stumped on more than occasion. The concept is simple, but trying to win is anything but. Players draw cards, each containing one or more letters, and then must add a minimum of one letter to create a new word. Once you know a word, shout [&hellip
My 7-year-old kissed a frog the other day, but alas the little critter did not turn into a prince. My daughter was learning about different types of amphibians during camp and suddenly decided she wanted to kiss this “very cute frog.” I can see what possessed her; I wound up “meeting” this very frog during Parents’ Day and I must admit, he was awfully cute. When one of her counselors recounted the frog/prince story to her, she frowned and said “Yuck!” This is no damsel in distress, I tell you. For those who long for their own happy ending, check out the latest incarnation of SqwishLand, the collectible characters that take a giant leap from vending machines and into toy stores. The new DIY SqwishLand [&hellip
To my 7-year-old, the name Mario is so much better than even the best Italian uncle (sorry, Bob). Rather, it’s a name that’s synonymous with her all-time favorite activity: playing Mario Kart Wii. Because my husband and I are forever trying to entice her with other playtime activities, imgaine our delight when K’NEX came out with its first-ever Mario Kart line of construction toys. We recently got our hands on the Mario vs. Goombas Building Set, and let’s just the afternoon fast became a spread-out-all-over on-the-floor experience. Right out of the box, she excitedly began snapping track pieces together. (Truthfully, I don’t know who was more psyched by this toy: her or her dad, another bona fide Mario Kart player). True to K’NEX’s name, the [&hellip
In my family, if you were said to have ‘thick skin,’ it meant you didn’t let things get to you. I’d like to think that over the years, I’ve developed quite a few layers that have enabled me to withstand criticism…at least for the most part. Growing a protective shell doesn’t happen overnight unless, of course, you’re a turtle. And when you’re a new parent shopping for baby gear that will stand up to wear and tear, this animal’s tough exterior comes to mind. How fitting that Kolcraft’s TurtleTot Activity Center is centered around this very creature. The newest stationary activity center to come to town, it features Toby TurtleTot who sits amidst a group of playful pals–a worm, butterfly, bee and rattle–inviting your little [&hellip
If back-to-school shopping is practically here, can Halloween be that far behind? I’m not one for rushing the seasons, but my girls have already starting talking about what they might want to dress up as on October 31st. (So far, we have one ghost, but that’s likely to change at least a half-dozen times). Since I’m paying closer attention to how many sweets we consume during the summer months alone (ice pops, lollipops, cookies), the candy-filled month of October frightens me more than a black cat crossing my path. While the kids will surely be getting plenty of treats, it’s nice to look out for the sugar-free variety, too. If you suspect you may be hosting a Halloween gathering at your home this year in [&hellip
When I was in third grade, my two best friends and I collected stickers. Once a month, one of our moms was detailed to drive us “sticker shopping”: trekking around to the local Hallmark where we could peruse the spinning displays for the latest sticker sheets to add to our growing collection. Our jaunts were nothing to scoff at; we took pride in finding our favorites–for me, anything cats or Muppets–and happily smoothing the new sheets into laminated pages of our homemade sticker binders. Today, I have taken my love of all things adhesive and added it to my parenting stash of rainy day goodies and boredom busters. A steamy, hot summer day and tired of the beach/inflatable pool? A sheet of Peanuts Christmas characters [&hellip
My daughters aren’t big on baby dolls. The 7-year-old cared more about Thomas the Tank Engine than “feeding a fake baby,” while my 3-year-old is too into her stuffed animals to take notice of the neglected Cabbage Patch Doll that Santa brought her last year. (The poor thing hasn’t had a meal in months!). While my girls’ play habits are much to my mother’s chagrin, she is still holding out that the right doll will come along and win one of them over. Could this latest doll that’s a hit in Europe do the trick? We’ve seen our fair share of dolls over the years, but nothing like The Breast Milk Baby. Who knew that a play doll could hit upon a sensitive area of [&hellip