Posts Tagged“Kids”

The First Years Compass B570 Pathway Booster Car Seat {Review}

When you become a Mom, keeping your kids safe becomes a priority. With three little ones, I am constantly having to child-proof cabinets and drawers, move things out of their reach, and buy the latest safety products. When it comes to car safety, we have been on the hunt for a new booster seat for our three year old. He is outgrowing his convertible car seat and we wanted a booster seat that would last for long time. After weeks of searching with no luck, I was introduced to the Compass B570 Booster Car Seat by The First Years.

The First Years Booster Seat ReviewAfter the box arrived, my husband installed the seat into our vehicle immediately (he’s very impatient) while I finished reading up on all the features and settings. When my husband returned inside quickly, I thought something was wrong. There was no way he installed it already. He always has a difficult time securing car seats (shhh, don’t tell him I said that). Nope, I was wrong. He was finished installing it! The booster seat installation was easy with the lower latch anchor attachments. The back is also self-adjusting, creating the perfect fit for any type of seat. I am still in shock it was that easy.

Time to test it out. When Ethan saw his new car seat, he was thrilled. It was something new and it was more of a ‘big boy’ seat to set him apart from his two year old brother. When I buckled him up, I could easily adjust the shoulder belt (up to 1.5″) and the lap belt to fit him comfortably. The first thing he did was play with the arm rests, moving them up and down and up and down. As he was doing that, he noticed the cup holders on each side. I think besides the comfort, this is his favorite feature. They are removable, which is good for me because  I can easily take them out and clean them by running them through the dishwasher. He loves them because he can have his cup in one, and he removes the other one and holds snacks in it.

First Years Compass Booster Seat Review

Some other features I love:

  • First Years Booster Seat ReviewFive-star “Ease of Use” government rating from NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
  • Deeper headrest for impact safety
  • Six-position adjustable “no gap” back, so it can grow as your child grows
  • Patented easy, one-hand fold
  • Easy to move to another vehicle with the built-in carry handle
  • Soft Fabric and well cushioned
  • Side-impact tested to international standards
  • Narrow bottom rails for better installation in smaller cars
  • Long lasting because it fits children 30-100 lbs. (3-10 years old) (and it is very durable)
  • Weighs just 9 lbs

    • I know next year when my two year old turns three, I will definitely be purchasing another one. He already tries sitting in it, but his brother makes sure that doesn’t happen. Ethan and I are very happy with the First Years booster seat and I highly recommend it.

    Purchase the Compass B570 Pathway Booster Car Seat for just $99.99 at local retailers (find a location near you) or on Amazon.com (currently on sale for just $85).

    Learn more about The First Years products at thefirstyears.com. For the latest information and updates, follow them on Twitter,  become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to their YouTube Channel.

    Disclosure – I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

    Free Home Depot Kids Workshop Oct 6 – Fire Truck

    Free Home Depot Kids Workshop April 2012This Saturday, October 6th, Home Depot is having another FREE workshop for kids, ages 5-12. The event is 9am – 12pm. This month they are making a Fire Truck! The kids will not only get to keep their completed project, but they also receive a kid-size orange apron, commemorative pin, and certificate of achievement.

    Visit their site for more information and to find a local store.

     

    September 22 Lowes Free Kids Workshop – Fire Truck

    September Free Build N Grow Clinic at LowesLowe’s offers a great ‘Build and Grow’ Clinic for kids once a month. This Saturday, September 22nd at 10am the kids will be building a Fire Truck.

    The first 50 to register and be present at the store will receive the kit, an apron, and goggles. the recommended ages is 1st-5th grade.

    For more information, store locations, and preregistration visit Lowe’s Build And Grow here. They also have fun activities, kits you can purchase and family projects.

     

    Rock ‘N Learn ‘Preschool – Ready for School’ DVD {Review}

    Rock N LearnMy sons (3 & 2) can’t seem to get enough of the Rock ‘N Learn DVDs. I love how educational and entertaining they are. When I learned about their Preschool DVDs they offer, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one. We have been talking about getting my three year old into a preschool so I thought the DVD would be great to help teach him some of the essential skills when preparing to go to preschool.

    Rock N Learn Preschool Ready for SchoolIn thirty minutes, ‘Ready for School’ highlights:

    • Getting Dressed
    • Tying Shoes
    • Cleaning Your Room
    • Listening Skills
    • Printing Letters

    While I was putting the DVD to play it for the first time, I was unsure if my sons would like it as much as their other Rock ‘N Learn DVDs because it is a different series, with different characters.  Surprisingly, I am pretty sure they enjoyed this one even more than the other ones. The animations are bright and easily caught the attention of my sons. The songs are captivating and my three year old was excitedly shouting out answers to questions about letters, shapes, and numbers. After it ended, he wanted to watch it again. The next time we played it, he grabbed the remote and replayed the Getting Dressed song over and over again until I took the remote from him. That is definitely his favorite part right now. One section covers printing letters and my son got out his magnetic doodle pad to try to write some of the letters as the characters did on the DVD. I was very impressed!

    Rock N Learn Getting Ready for PreschoolYet again, Rock ‘N Learn didn’t let me down! ‘Ready for School’ has been a huge hit in this household.

    Some other ‘Preschool’ DVD titles include ‘Phonics for Beginners’, ‘Colors’, ‘Shapes & Numbers’, and ‘First Sight Words’. Do you want to buy it? Good News! They are offering a series of value-priced ‘Preschool’ DVDs at Sam’s Club locations nationwide. Purchase one for just $7.98 (retail $14.99) for a limited time through September while supplies last.

    For the latest updates and information, follow Rock N Learn on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

     

    I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine. This review is brought to you by Karma Media.

     

    Fab Five Friday – 5 ‘Other’ Uses for Foam Pool Noodles

    Indoor Play with Pool Noodles

    With summer coming to an end, I have been thinking about new fall activities and re-purposing summer toys.  Yesterday, I was in my garage and noticed a few foam pool noodles that we didn’t really use this summer. I knew I could find some new uses for them so the search was on and this weekend I plan to start my projects. But for now, here are my top 5 favorite uses I found for pool noodles.

     

    Using Pool Noodles to Learn
    Photo Courtesy of HappyBrownHouse.com

    1. Over-sided Beads & Lacing Patterns: I know my sons are going to have tons of fun with these. Sara posted on Totally Tots this great idea to slice a few different colored noodles. Write a letter or number on each piece. Little ones can lace them in order, copy patterns, or spell words. I can see hours of fun and learning here. Deborah from TeachPreschool.org takes it a step further and cuts a slit in each one. This allows the kids to connect them to create chains.

     

    Using Pool Noodles Indoors
    Photo Courtesy of lindsayandandrew.blogspot.com

    2. Marble Run: Lindsay from LindsayandAndrew sliced noodles in half and created a little ‘race track’ for marbles.

     

    Using Pool Noodles as Indoor Play
    Photo Courtesy of InnerChildFun.com

    3. Hammer Time: I can’t begin to tell you how much I love this idea from Valerie over at Inner Child Fun. She attached pieces of pool noodles to cutting boards and then the kids can use their toy hammers to hammer golf tees into the noodles. I am just going to say this is the first one I am going to make this weekend. My 2 & 3 year old sons have been attached to their toy hammers this past week and want to hit/hammer everything (including the walls, tables, and even each other).


    Games with Pool Noodles
    Photo Courtesy of Parents.com taken by David Roth

    4. Backyard Play: Parents.com has a few ideas for using the pool noodles in the backyard making a Target Station, Rings, Wicket, and more.

     

    Using a Pool Noodle to make a Wreath
    Photo Courtesy of LoveofFamilyandHome.net

    5. Wreath: Tonya from Love of Family and Home made this super cute Autumn wreath and the form is a pool noodle!

    Do you re-use pool noodles for outside of the pool?

     

    Boon Whale Pod – Drain and Storage Bath Toy Scoop {Review}

    Boon LogoNormally if you would walk into our upstairs hall bathroom, you’d see foam bath letters and a few bath toys scattered in the bathtub. My two year old and three year old are really the only ones that use that bathroom, so I have been procrastinating in purchasing a toy storage for their bath toys. I have wanted one and know I need one. I have shopped around, but never found one that I thought was worth it. I receive a Boon Whale Pod that ended up working perfectly for my sons’ bathroom.

    Bath Toy Storage Products

    The installation of the Whale Pod was extremely simple with the easy-to-follow instructions. The whale is actually three pieces: the scoop, the head/top with built-in shelf, and the wall attachment piece. It comes with two options for mounting: hardware to screw it into the wall, or adhesive strips. I used the adhesive strips and had the wall piece up within minutes. As instructed, I waited 24 hours before attached the rest. The best part? I didn’t have to bother my husband to help me with it!

    Boon Whale Pod Toy Storage

    My sons were excited to have a new bath ‘toy’ to play with. Even though they were anxious, I had them wait until the end of bath time to use it and clean up all the bath letters. My three year old kept getting all the letters in the scoop, dumping them out, then repeating the cycle. He loved it. He also found it very entertaining to watching the water drain out of the scoop. My two year old found the most fun out of just moving it through the water. I have to say, it is a huge hit with the boys! Just seeing it hanging up get them excited.

    Book Whale Pod ReviewThere are many features I love about the Whale Pod. It keeps the toys from just sitting in the bathtub and as it hangs on the wall, it has a sleek clean look. The slits on the bottom sides let the water drain out, which reduces of chance of mold and mildew on the bath toys. Another great benefit is that my sons learn to clean up their toys at the end of bath time and actually enjoy it. It is very durable and I know will last a long time through all three of my little guys.

    Purchase the Whale Pod for just $34.99 on their site here or on Amazon.com.

    Learn more about Boon, Inc products at Booninc.com. For the latest information and updates, follow Boon on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook, and follow their boards on Pinterest.


     

     

    Disclosure – I received the named product at no cost to conduct this review and was in no other way compensated. All opinions expressed are 100% mine.

    How to Make Homemade Moon Sand {So Easy}

    Flour and Baby Oil to Make Moon sand

    My sons always want to dig, get messy and play with their shovels. This summer has been extremely hot and with an infant, we aren’t spending a lot of time out in the heat. I have heard from people that flour and baby oil mixed creates a homemade moon sand. I decided to try it out to give my little guys a way to dig indoors.

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