Oompa Toys: where wooden and organic meet FUN for little and big kids alike
If you follow our shenanigans on Facebook, then you might have already seen my recent freak-out over Oompa Toys. I often get frustrated with toy websites that seem to only cater to babies (or their parents), but happily Oompa has toys for kids between birth and 9 — and we’re talking some seriously cool stuff. There are tons of wooden alternatives to the plastic you might see elsewhere (look at this super cute wooden bus!), and they offer free shipping on all orders over $65.
Stuffed Animal Hospital: an indoor toy wash activity for rainy days
As spring weather of intermittent cold peppered with rain continues to downpour in our area, I struggle to find indoor appropriate activities for two plucky (bored and fighty) toddlers. I’ll spend afternoon coffee breaks Googling indoor activities to keep the stir-crazy levels to a slow mix rather than the full-blown pulverize we get once the kids have been held in weather related house arrest for more than a day or two.
This $1000 dragon puts regular ol’ rocking horses to shame
Hey, so, here’s the deal: if 20 of us throw in $50 each, we can all go in on this $1000 dragon. Maybe it can be a Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants kind of thing, but instead of a pair of jeans that magically looks good on each of us, it’ll be a four foot tall stuffed dragon our kids can play on.
Supporting our daughters as they define what femininity means to them
I don’t want to raise my daughter thinking that this is what it means to be a lady — that the prevailing pink culture is what defines femininity. I want her to know it’s okay to get muddy, that it’s alright to wear Mutant Ninja Turtle shoes if she wants because these things won’t make her any less a girl.
Raaaaaawr: it’s a stomping good collection of dinosaur-themed fun
Let’s talk about DINOSAURS! It’s been nearly a year since the beloved but extinct relation of birds was mentioned on Families, so it’s probably time. If your house is anything like mine and there’s a toddler or preschooler running around, the odds are likely fairly high that you’re already spending your fair share of time mulling over this creatures with your kids ANYWAY. Here are a few awesome dino-themed products I found that will interest the young and not-as-young alike.
Let’s get real: I decorated my kid’s room for myself
My almost four-year-old recently achieved a huge milestone: he finally has his own room. When I asked him what color he wanted his room to be, he said black (it’s his favorite). When I asked what he wanted on the walls, he said black things. When I asked if he still wanted his thrifted Harry Potter blanket, he said ok, but he wanted black everything else. I politely and sweetly smiled at him, told him there was no way my preschooler was going to have an all-black room.
DIY marshmallow shooters for kids of all ages
I know some big kids, aka supposed grown-ups, who will be high-tailing it to the hardware store to get s’more supplies for these marshmallow shooters. (Ha! See what I did there?) Then your advanced marshmallow weaponry is easy to load and laughter-inducing to unload. Find out how to make your very own marshmallow arsenal…
SO MUCH PINK: Mr. Bubble-themed bathroom
Memories of my childhood include long, long bubble baths with Mr. Bubble and my color-changing Hot Wheels. I always wanted a pink Mr. Bubble bathroom when I moved out of my parents house, so here it is…