Have you made your Easter basket store run yet? I was at CVS this past weekend, and from the looks of the nearly-empty shelves, the Easter Bunny has already come to town! Whether you are a seasoned pro or an admitted newbie at filling baskets, it’s always fun to include a variety of options (including the sugar-free kind) for kids of any age. This spring, we tracked down some alternatives to all those Peeps, jelly beans and chocolate eggs worth making room for. For baby’s first Easter or for a younger child comes the adorable Kaloo Les Amis Chick. Super-soft, this cuddly plush chick is the next best thing to the real deal (and incredibly low-maintenance). He comes decked out in a sweet baby bib [&hellip
Easter basket stuffers Archive
“How was school?,” I asked my daughter one day last week. “Good,” she replied. “Anything exciting happen today?,” I offered, hoping to illicit more than a pat reply. “Not much” was the response (hey, at least it was a two-word answer.) If talking to your kid feels like pulling teeth some days, then try speaking their language: combine tech talk with a little bit of humor. That’s the m.o. of Moji Mis, a gaggle of colorful creatures who utter all sorts of silly sounds when tickled. And if you have more than one Moji Mi, you can rub their spiky heads together and they’ll start up a huge gab fest. While these giggly guys can be a riot, they only speak when kids interact with [&hellip
Still looking for last-minute Easter basket stuffers? We’ve got some great suggestions that work for girls and boys, from a name that’s synonymous with creativity. New this spring, Crayola has introduced Chalk Grab ‘N Go Games, a line of classic games based on its colorful sidewalk chalk. If you’ve got kids, chances are you have a bucket of sidewalk chalk hiding somewhere in your garage, like we do. With these fun games, chalk extends its usefulness beyond hopscotch and sidewalk sketches into more active play. Each packaged game–Chip Shot Golf, Foot Hockey, Bean Bag Toss and Obstacle Course–contains all the tools needed to play, including four sticks of chalk. Not only are these games ideal for backyard play, but they pack easily for trips to [&hellip
Less than one week until Easter; are your baskets ready for stuffing? Gone are the days when I was a kid, and chocolate bunnies and jelly beans would suffice. Ever since the Easter Bunny has stepped things up a notch to include toys and other goodies, we’ve been on the hunt ourselves in search of fun favors. If you happen to have a new baby in the family this spring, you’ll want to make this Easter egg-stra special (and candy-free). We love the Squeakaboos line from Babalu. These brightly colored, soft plush rattles are sized just right for little hands. Babies can squeeze the handle to hear them squeak, and they can discover a jingly rattle and crinkly sound inside each character’s head. With eight [&hellip
Yesterday, my 8-year-old pulled out her Easy Bake Oven and decided to whip up a batch of mini marshmallow treats taken from a recipe she had downloaded from her Nintendo DS (this is one multitasking kid). While I permit her to use her Easy Bake on her own, her little sister doesn’t have it so “easy.” The 4-year-old isn’t ready yet to handle independent baking, outside of some measuring and pouring of ingredients (even that’s done under Mom’s watchful eye). But she does enjoy making pretend food and playing in her make-believe kitchen, so who am I to discourage her budding culinary skills? And because my preschooler loves crafts just as much as the next kid (if not more), we were psyched to combine two [&hellip
My kids have a serious case of cabin fever. After a lousy winter and a slow start to spring, they’ll take any partly sunny day above 40 degrees to play outside. Case in point: my 4-year-old blowing bubbles last week, while wearing her heavy coat, gloves and a hat. As I write this post, snow flurries are swirling around and there’s no foreseeable end to this extended winter. Well, even if the calendar and the weather can’t agree, we’re still thinking spring and keeping an eye out for outdoor toys sure to herald signs of warmer weather ahead. Our latest find is the coolest sidewalk chalk of the season: RoseArt’s Surprise Inside Sidewalk Chalk. Think of it as the chalk that keeps on giving, long [&hellip
My girls adore Beanie Ballz (if you happen to live under a rock, they are a round version of the plush dolls that have been taking toy/gift stores by storm for the past decade). Their favorites are the pint-sized plush that double as key chains, and my older daughter alternates which ones she carries around on her backpack. So when I was at Toy Fair last month, I wasn’t surprised to see the Ty booth (makers of Beanie products) hopping with activity…but little did I know, there was another plush ball maker in town with an added twist. ShtankOut is a scented collectible toy that attaches to anywhere that might benefit from a little nosegay: kids’ lockers, backpacks, closets and gym bags. Each key chain [&hellip