Samantha – Page 85

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?

Leap Frog’s New Touch Magic Toys and Our ‘Rock N Learn’ Party

Leap Frog Logo With three little guys, we have our fair share of toys and a good number of those toys are LeapFrog. I recently learned about their new Touch Magic products and had the opportunity to host a Touch Magic ‘Rock N Learn’ Party with some family and friends. To host the party, I received two Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitars, a Touch Magic Learning Bus, coupons, activity & coloring sheets, and party planning tips. I couldn’t wait to start planning my party!

A couple weeks ago I invited some friends and family over with their kids (ages 2-6) for a lunch ‘Rock N Learn’ play date. Even thought a few kids were extremely shy for most of the time (and only two would let me take pictures of them without their hands over their faces), all the kids had a chance to play the guitars and bus. One of the Moms even said, “Those are awesome, I want to play the guitar!”

The Touch Magic toys bring the touch screen technology to preschool toys for the first time ever. They recognize every tap, slide, and touch to create a great new learning experience for children. The surface of the toys are completely flat, making them easy to clean and sanitize. There are no buttons or small crevasses for dirt and germs to hide in. Since there are no buttons, the toys are very lightweight and slim. Some parents initially questioned their durability (notice how slim they are in the pictures below). I think they are questioning it because it is something new, different, and most parents are use to big bulky toys. I assumed them, my sons are pretty rough with toys and I can tell these ones are going to last.

The guitar is recommended for kids 3 and up. It plays 10 different songs and kids can customize the songs by playing along adding drums, guitar riffs, and funny noises. The most popular feature at our party seemed to be the strumming. If you strum the guitar really fast, it speeds up the song really fast and sounds like the Chipmunks are singing. The kids loved doing it and thought it was the funniest thing. Out of the ten songs, ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ and the ‘ABCs’ were the most popular songs.

Recommended for ages 2 to 4, the Learning Bus brings lots of learning with the alphabet. My two year old loves this toy so much, he didn’t want to share at first. There are three modes: learning, letter exploration and music. The kids loved the piano keys at bottom of the bus and I think we had to listen to ‘The Wheels on The Bus’ about 50 times throughout the afternoon. I also caught a few of the kids trying to drive the bus around the house while they were playing with it.

After all the playing, we relaxed with some Leap Frog coloring and activities. For their lunch I made drum sandwiches with cheese ‘drum’ sticks and fruit with music note cantaloupe. We also made some cookies shaped as music notes and guitars, but after they baked, it wasn’t so easy to tell what they were. It was still a great ending to a fun and energetic afternoon.

You can enter the Touch Magic Rockin’ Guitar Contest by sharing how your child rocks to learn! Five winners will win a $500 Gift Card plus weekly drawings for $100 in toys! Here’s how to get in your entry:

1. Submit a Video:

2. Share Video:

3. Grand Prize:

Visit http://touchmagic.leapfrog.com for more detailed contest information, contest rules, and to submit your entry by November 30th. GOOD LUCK!

Each toy retails for $24.99 and can be purchases on LeapFrog’s site, at Target and other retailers, and on Amazon.com.

*I received a party kit including the named toys from Mom Select and LeapFrog to host my Rock N Learn party. I received no monetary compensation and all opinions stated are 100% mine.

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

Normally 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.

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!

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.

There 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.

Follow @booninc

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.

Blue’s Clues Cake – Wordless Wednesday

My son turned 2 over the weekend and he LOVES Blue’s Clues. So I ended up making him a Blue’s Clues cake because I couldn’t find anywhere to make him one in 2 days (yea, I may have waited until the last minute to try to find one). Anyway, after hours of work (I’m considering writing a ‘how-to’ post at a later time), it ended up better than I thought it would! As for his reaction… Well, he was all shy from everyone staring at him, so he covered his eyes most of the time. I am not sure he even noticed it was Blue! But it was still worth it.

*I linked up at Random Mommy.

Burger King – BOGO FREE Sandwiches, Smoothies + 10 More New Coupons

Burger King has 12 new printable coupons. They include the following five BOGO FREE coupons –

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All coupons print on one page.

Print yours here.

Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner – Summer Grilliance BBQ Party + Beef Kabob Recipe

Just about every weekend we love to fire up the grill, invite some friends and family over, and enjoy some barbecue. My husband (and Dad) just finished building an awesome two-tiered pave-stone patio in our backyard and we have been anxious to have our first party on it. This past weekend we hosted a barbeque party to celebrate Labor Day, my son’s second birthday, and just have some fun.

We had about about 20 adults and 10 kids over for the day. Aside for eating and socializing, we played washers, took some of the kids on four-wheeler rides, and played games with the kids. I love all the laughter and chatter of a great get-together. It was a great time for everyone and of course the food was delish!

When it came to the food, we had a ton! When we grill, 90% of the time it is always beef. We knew we were going to grill beef franks and burgers, and for the third meat, I visited Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner and browsed their recipes. I love their website because not only does it provide great recipes, it is also very informative. Learn how to be a smart beef shopper, how to properly cook beef as well as healthy eating tips. After looking around, we decided to make beef kabobs adapted from their Beef Steak & Potato Kabobs recipe.

Ingredients: (we doubled everything for our recipe)

1lb boneless beef top sirloin steak
1lb petite potatoes
3 medium yellow or zucchini squash
marinade of your choice (we used Lawry’s Steak & Chop)
Olive Oil
Veggie Seasoning

Instructions:

1. Cut beef into 1 inch cubes
2. Cover steak with a marinade in a container. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.
3. Microwave potatoes in a covered (vented) bowl for 8 minutes to until they are tender. This is important because they need to cook longer than the beef.
4. Slice squash into one inch slices. Toss with a coat of olive oil and veggie seasoning.
5. Alternate beef, squash, and potatoes in skewer
6. Grill kabobs on over medium, ash-covered coals covered for 8-10 minutes. On a gas grill, cover and cook for 9-11 minutes. Turn once and brush some marinade on during the last five minutes.
7. Enjoy

Grilling beef properly is very important to ensure maximum flavor and optimal tenderness. Follow the steps below next time you grill beef.

*Click here for PDF file of this infographic

“I wrote this review while participating in a In Home Party campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and received product samples to facilitate my party and review, and a promotional item to thank me for participating.”