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Cool Toy Alert!
My two year old recently got a set of blocks from the inventive people at ImagiPLay, and it is already becoming a fast favorite. Bausteine Eene, Meene, Zoo Haba blocks. It is a collection of 25 wooden blocks shaped like fun and colorful zoo animals. Both my two year and four year enjoy playing with them, stacking them, and making all sorts of odd new creatures.
This toy encourages: stacking and building, fine motor skills, and spatial thinking. Perfect for the inquisitive mind. Much better than a toy with many bells and whistles that merely entrances them and doesn’t “involve” them.
Best of all it is a natural wood toy with natural, water-based, non-toxic paint. Haba is also well known for their quality toys crafted to withstand years or even generations of play. They are also a company with a lot of environmental consciousness.
My blogging efforts have slowed just a bit in case you haven’t noticed. I think I am enjoying summer too much. I have been taking my kids and walking an air conditioned mall everyday for exercise. I have been hitting garage sales every weekend without fail looking for second hand deals, and I have caught all the summer movies I have wanted to see…including one just a few hours ago. It has been nice to spend more time unplugged. Well…kinda…I did just get a new sewing machine too.
But I have a few links you may want to check out….
I have a NEW blog! Check out Goddess of the Garden if you want to know more about raw foods.
Also my friend LaTara has a free Frugal Vegan Report that is really good. If you are vegan or trying to reduce meat consumption this is for you.
I really wish I knew how to knit because if I did…I would make this bag. It’s awesome! It has complete instructions as well.
I also found another reusable bag that had me in tears laughing. With all this talk about green guilt lately I just found this too funny.
Oh and I found a cool new use for a reusable bag that gets torn. Turn it into a bed pocket to store, books, reading light, the remote, etc.
This week my son has been testing a new mom gadget called My Plate Mate. Basically is a band of circular plastic that fits snugly around 8″-9 1/2″ inch plates. It acts as a barrier or wall so that little hands aren’t pushing their food onto the floor or table while they eat. It basically gives them a leg up on the self feeding arena by making it easier to get food on a utensil and keep it on the plate.
I was impressed not so much by the idea of the product as I was the ethical way in which this company, HATCH in Danville, CA has decided to produce and market this product. It is made in the USA which is a rarity these days and it is made with safe plastics, making it BPA, PVC, and Phthalate Free. I just LOVE that so many companies are stepping up to make sure toxic plastics are a thing of the past.
The product is easy enough to use. You just fit it around the plate and let your 2+ year old go to town with it. It can be washed in the dishwasher (top rack) or just washed with soapy water. More so than giving it to your toddler I love the idea on the company site for using it as an assisted eating aid for the elderly and for those with special needs. It promotes independence, self confidence, and dignity at meal time. That is pretty cool. And of course the fact that using it won’t bring toxic chemicals and hormones to the dinner table is awesome too. They come in several colors including red, white, blue, and pink.
Reasonably priced at $7.95.
My youngest son has really gotten this self feeding thing down so I think we will donate ours to a local nursing home but overall it gets a thumbs up from us.
I came across a book recently that I think would be valuable for all grandmas and grandpas out there and for parents that want to make sure their children connect with the grandparents. This book would make an excellent mother’s or father’s day gift too.
My kids are fortunate…they have almost daily contact with my parents. My parents takes my kids to arena football games, drag races, monster truck rallies, out for ice cream, etc. My daughter calls my mom, “Mom”. They have deep bonds with their grandparents which is something I never really had. While I did love my grandparents I hardly ever saw them except for summers. What little time I did have with them was memorable though and I treasure each of those memories. I want my kids to have all the same memories in regards to my parents and my husbands parents.
So I liked the book The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting by Doug and Robin Hewitt. It was written by a pair of grandparents and they share 101 practical ideas and meaningful activities to share between grandparents and their grandchildren. It has ideas for grandparents that have unlimited time with their grand kids and those that may only have a few hours here and there.
Some of the activities included in the book:
Farm Tours
Trips to Museums
Baking
Storytelling
Making a Family Tree
Visiting an Nursing Home
All valuable and important experiences that can be shared between grandparent and child. In addition in gives some great advice for helping to establish bonds despite long distances and on how to help children during a divorce or separation. The idea and purpose of this book is wonderful.
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TGIF! Have an awesome weekend everyone!
