Gift Giving - Top Toys for Toddlers 12-18 Months

Playing with the Fisher Price Learning Home

Thanksgiving is just a few days away and then....Black Friday.  Whether you shop the early sales, wait until the online deals on Cyber Monday or just shop as you go, the clock is still ticking.  Less than 6 weeks until Christmas. 

If you're looking for great gifts for a toddler in your life, whether it's your niece, nephew, grandchild or your own little one, I've got a resource for you; another of my top picks lists: Top Toys for Toddlers 12-18 Months.

I'm a mom who loves reviewing toys, and between Li'l Girlie, her friends and having volunteered in our church's childcare, I've seen what gets played with and what doesn't.  So I made a list of the best of the best.  Hope it helps you!

Did I miss any outstanding toys?  If there's another you'd like to nominate for a Top Toy, please let me know!

Starbucks BOGO Holiday Drinks

If you haven't been taking advantage of the Starbucks BOGO Holiday drinks, get out there and enjoy them!  Sunday, Nov 20th from 2PM-5PM you can get two of the tasty treats at the left for the price of one.  Hubby, Li'l Girlie and I have gone twice to sip them up.  Technically, Li'l Girlie got vanilla milk, but Hubby and I got our Peppermint Mocha fixes. 

This has definitely been cheering me up since this yucky cold or whatever it is has been lingering and tormenting me with a low-grade fever and headache. 

What's your favorite Starbucks Holiday Drink? 

Forgetful Friday (A.K.A. making up for Thankful Thursdays I've missed)

Our Little Gymnast

I've been exceedingly lax in typing out what I'm thankful for these past few weeks.  I'd been on the ball in the middle of a super-busy season of life then just kind of shut down for two weeks afterwards.  So technically, I didn't forget about Thankful Thursdays, I was just too lazy to actually do them.  Gotta own up to that.  Forgetful Friday just sounded better.  ;)

This Thursday there are a mess of 'small' things that I'm thankful for.  Some may seem a bit insignificant, but they're all God's provision for me and my family. 

• Health -- Li'l Girlie and I have had a nasty cold this past week; very glad that she's over it and that I'm following suit.
• Along the Health lines, Zarbee's Children's Cough and Sleep Drink -- A natural cough remedy that helps kids over 2 years old.  It's all-natural and has honey, vitamin c, zinc and a bit of melatonin to help children sleep when they're sick.  You mix it into warm water and your child drinks it like tea.  Smells fantastic, and Li'l Girlie drank it down, saying it tasted good.  It helped her a ton; she went from miserable and congested right before bed to dropping off to sleep and sleeping through the night.  Just noticed that the website says it can help adults too.  I've gotta try it. 
• Gymnastics Class -- Li'l Girlie loves her preschool gymnastics class.  She's getting great exercise doing things she loves -- bouncing, hanging on to things, climbing, etc. and is learning to follow directions from someone other than her parents.  So valuable.  Little Miss Independent is seeing that participating in something is actually turning out to be fun.  
• Husbands That Make Dinner/Get Takeout When Their Wife is Sick -- This is self explanatory.  Thank you, Hubby!
• Coffee and Tea
• Sales at Old Navy

P.S.

What are you thankful for this week?  I'd love to hear.  You don't need to make a list like I did.  I was just making up for missing the past few Thursdays.  ;)  

Thankful Thursdays

Li'l Girlie with her Daddy, Uncle B and Cousin J

So it's November, the official month of Thanksgiving.  The perfect time to join me on the adventure of practicing thankfulness in your everyday life.  This post and the comments you leave are our little (or big) weekly expressions of gratitude for the blessings we've been given.

What am I thankful for this week?  A great trip to Memphis to visit my husband's family and see a few good friends to boot.  Li'l Girlie got to meet her older cousin J for the first time too. 

What are YOU thankful for?  Please share!

Happy Halloween to those who are celebrating. 

We're not big Halloween celebrators, at least at this point, due mostly to two factors:

1. My husband never really liked dressing up and celebrating Halloween.  
2. Li'l girlie's not that into dress-up either.  

She was hesitant to wear this cute shirt that a friend gave to us, but once she put it on, she was fine.  I personally come from the other end of the Halloween spectrum.  My mom made us costumes each year that went straight into our costume play box afterwards.  The costumes Mom made us ROCKED, so we often had our friends over to dress up like mice, Peter Pan, cats, clowns, donkeys, reindeer, hula girls, elephants and even a watermelon.  (That was one my grandma made.  Long story.)  We all had hours of fun making up all sorts of stories to go along with our costumes.

While I'm not into the dark, spookier parts of Halloween, I enjoy a good dress-up and go-get-candy outing.  Maybe next year.

Are you celebrating Halloween this year?  If so, what are you doing for it?  If not, what are you doing instead, if anything?

Top Toys for Babies 3 to 6 Months Old

I know I've mentioned before about some of my top toys lists.  I really like reviewing toys, so it's quite fun to me to make these to hopefully help those of you who just want to know what to get.  The latest installation is for the youngest set of kids....small babies who are just starting out with toys.  Top Toys for 3-6 Month Old Babies will help you shop for your own baby, figure out Christmas gifts for a niece or nephew, or help you find that perfect baby shower gift. 

What do you think?  Are there any toys you think I missed?  Do you think I should be hired as a toy tester like Tom Hanks' character in the movie 'Big'?

Thankful Thursdays

It's Thursday.  Here's your reminder to sit down and take a moment to practice being thankful.  A dear friend of mine whom I really admire would tell her kids to have 'an attitude of gratitude rather than an attitude of rat-itude.'  I like that saying a lot.  I can have an attitude of rat-itude when little things derail my plans, and there are times I definitely need help to even ask myself what I can be thankful for about certain situations.

So, please join me in this weekly expression of thankfulness.  I'd love to hear what you're thankful for.

Here's mine for this week:  I'm thankful for parks with tons of sidewalks for small kids to ride their bikes around in.  Our neighborhood doesn't have sidewalks to speak of.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rococohobo/2750365451/

Thankful Thursdays

Today's thankful for me is a big one:

Yesterday my husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage! We've been through a lot, and through the joy, sorrow, tough times, smooth sailing, challenges and all the fun, being married to my sweet hubby has been an amazing testament to God's goodness to us and His grace to two very imperfect people.

What are YOU thankful for today?  You can share something big and/or deep, or one of the little things that makes your day.  I shared about coffee last week, if that says anything.  

We're in this to practice the attitude of thankfulness. 

Grand Openings and Free Festivals

Lots of great stuff to do at this free grand opening event

I love fun. Free fun, especially. That's why I like to keep my ear to the ground about what's going on around town. Grand openings that promise entertainment for the kids = score!

Case in point: our town's brand new community center had its grand opening, which, in my daughter's eyes, was really quite grand. Li'l Girlie ADORES bounce houses. It's not cheap to rent one on a regular basis, or to head out to Monkey Joe's every time the mood hits her to bounce (which is often).

We got there right when they started and she got to bounce for half an hour to the excellent music of a youth steel drum band. Then we got sno-cones, samples of Honest Tea and a little bit of coaching from the gymnastics and cheerleading coaches promoting their classes inside the building. All to Li'l Girlie's delight. All F.R.E.E.

Tell me about your finds of free fun stuff to do!

Thankful Thursdays

Sometimes it's the little things. I'm thankful that it's fall (though my thermometer says otherwise) and that I can get my favorite Starbucks coffee flavor ever... Pumpkin Spice Latte.  Already got it in hand.  :)

What are you thankful for today?  Go deep, go surface-y.  Make it long or short; whatever helps you practice gratitude.