I just can’t imagine why. *snort*
Neighborhood Toy Store Day- November 10, 2012 #toystoreday
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of shopping in a locally owned toy store then you know the wonder it holds inside and the excitement such a shopping experience can be. There’s just something about a small store full of toys as opposed to a big chain store with just a few aisles of toys. Even better? Most of these stores carry unique lines of toys often not found in the big chain stores. The atmosphere is usually much more welcoming and the shop owners can give you personalized service and recommendations on what toy will bring your child enjoyment for months and even years to come.
This Saturday, November 10, 2012 is the third annual Neighborhood Toy Store Day, sponsored by the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA), celebrating the benefits of shopping local, with participating stores hosting in-store events and activities for the entire family. You can visit ASTRA’s website and find expert recommendations on toys for all ages. If you live near a locally owned toy store, I encourage you to take your family and enjoy the “woohoo factor” that toys bring out in children of all ages.
To get into the spirit of National Toy Store Day, we were sent a few toys from ASTRA’S “Best Toys For Kids 2012” list to enjoy together as a family. I wish I had thought to have my camera ready when I revealed these toys to my son. He definitely had the “woohoo factor” going on! Can you remember the joy and excitement new toys brought you growing up? I still can and I love seeing his face light up when it comes to toys!
Hands down, the E-Rangers Headquarters by Playmobil was his absolute favorite. He is 7 years old, so if you’re looking to impress a kid around that age this holiday season, I promise you will not go wrong with this toy!
E-Rangers Headquarters
By PLAYMOBIL
For ages 7-12 yearsThis futuristic world by Playmobil is equipped with an LED spotlight to illuminate the terrain, knockout cannon to disable enemy vehicles, a functional solar fan module, four E-Ranger figures, one robot figure, and more! Ages 7-12.
My son is also crazy about building blocks, so the Nanoblock Musical Instruments Grand Piano was also a hit an he was amazed at how realistic something this small looked. Great stocking stuffer idea for the kid that loves to build!
nanoblock musical Instruments
By Ohio Art Company
For Ages 8+These amazing micro-sized building blocks create 3D musical instruments! The details are amazing, yet your creations fit in the palm of your hand. Collect the Violin, Grand Piano and Gold Electric Guitar in the nanoblock musical series from Ohio Art. Ages 8+.
We also received the game Mine Shift which will be fun to play during Thanksgiving Break!
You can follow along for more information on Neighborhood Toy Store Day on these social media outlets:
Facebook: Facebook/TheWoohooFactor
Twitter: @TheWoohooFactor (hashtags: #toystoreday #localtoystore #shoplocal)
Head out to your locally owned neighborhood toy store this Saturday and take home some wonderful memories!
*Products pictured above were provided to me to facilitate my post. ALl opinions are my own.
Election Day Is Here
Today is the day we go to the polls and elect our President and other various state and local government officials. I’m not going to lie to you, I’ve been sitting on pins and needles about this ever since the debates. I feel very strongly about this election, probably more so than I ever have before, and my stomach is going to be in knots until the results come in tonight.
I won’t get to vote until I get off work, so I’m prepared to stand in line with the “after work” crowd, and it will be a crowd I’m sure. Afterwards, I plan to curl up on the couch (after my “mommy duties” of making sure the kid has done homework, been fed, and bathed) with my blanket, the cats (and possibly the kid if he is interested), the laptop, and cup of decaf coffee and watch the returns come in.
How are you feeling about this election? Nervous? Confident? Ambivalent? One thing I am positive of is that I am really glad to see the campaigning come to a close.
Questions Kids Ask
I knew it would happen at some point in parenthood…the day when my child would come up to me and ask, “Why is the sky blue?”. Isn’t that the universal question of kids? We even went through the phase of him asking simply “why?” after every answer we gave him about anything. It was maddening and endearing all at once. We gave him age appropriate answers. “Because God made it that way” was my personal favorite. He was satisfied and that was that.
Recently, however, his little brain seems to be working overtime. He’s asking questions that leave me completely dumbfounded. Here are just a few:
Why can’t you see a smell?
How come WE can’t touch wires but birds and squirrels can sit on them and not get electrocuted?
Who made God?
Ohhhhh kkkkkkk…..
So, I did what any modern parent would do. I went to Google, of course!
I learned that birds aren’t good conductors of electricity, and unless they are touching the ground AND the wire at the same time, the wire simply “ignores” the bird, if you will. Apparently, some people can see a smell (a phenomena called synaesthesia). And the last question? There are plenty of answers on Google, but I don’t know if I actually believe some of them, and beside…I feel like someday when I get to heaven that’s a question I can ask Him myself. What’s he fun of living without a little mystery, right?
So tell me, what “deep” questions do your kids ask that leave you stumped.
Enjoy A Fall Getaway On The Mississippi Gulf Coast
Fall is here, and the weather has definitely turned cooler, but that doesn’t mean things wind down on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Fall is a great time to enjoy many great outdoor family events on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and now is the time to plan your getaway.
Gulf Coast festivals are big and fun, and this weekend (November 3 & 4), the Peter Anderson Arts & Crafts Festival in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, is the place to be. More than 400 vendors will be on hand to display their arts and crafts, culinary skills, and musical offerings.
Did you know that Long Beach, Mississippi, used to be the Radish Capital of the World? It’s true, and on November 3, the city of Long Beach will kick off the Real Food Radish Festival. If you’re a foodie or just happen to love gardening, this sounds like a great event with cooking demonstrations, local foods, book signings, gardening booths, music, and more.
The Sun and Sand Music Festival runs from November 7-11 on the Gulf Coast and promises to be a fantastic event for music and entertainment lovers. Mississippi is starting to become a prime filming spot for filmmakers, and this festival will feature music, major motion picture and independent film screenings, and a closer look at the behind-the-scenes technology used in filmmaking. The musical lineup for this event looks great and includes Greg Allman, Kevin Costner & Modern West, and Soul Asylum, just to name a few.
Events like these just prove that summertime is not the only time to enjoy the great miles of beaches and events on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. If you’re in need of a “fall break,” this is the perfect getaway destination.
This is a sponsored post for MS Gulf Coast. All opinions are my own.
It’s Not Too Late To Find The Perfect Halloween Costume #KmartHalloween
How does your family get ready for Halloween? In our home, we start by setting out some of our favorite seasonal decor.
I like to “pretty up” our kitchen table. It just makes the whole room look much more inviting. We also find a great pumpkin. We found this one on my son’s class field trip to a pumpkin farm. It is huge! Normally, my husband and son have the honors of turning the pumpkin into a carved masterpiece. We decided it was just too pretty to carve, so it will stay like this. We also love to put up our sign on the wall beside our front door, welcoming trick-or-treaters. Our final step in prepping for Halloween is to buy the perfect Halloween costume for our son.
Are you one of those “last minute moms” when it comes to Halloween? Now that I work full time, I admit I am. Thankfully, my son isn’t too hard to please when it comes to costume shopping. In fact, we have really enjoyed virtually trying on so many different costume options with the Kmart Kreator, which allows you to upload your child’s picture and customize costume options to find the perfect one. I promise once you try on one costume, you won’t be able to stop! Here are a few of the options we played around with:
My son mentioned first that he wanted to be a vampire, so we tried the vampire. He decided that was a no-go and settled on the Army Man. I have to say that I love the Kostume Kreator because it saved us so much time deciding on a costume. It’s much easier to shop for a costume when you have an idea in mind about what your child wants to dress up as. But what fun is trying on costumes if you can’t get a little silly? I just had to try on a few of the funny ones! This one was my personal favorite:
It’s not too late to find the perfect Halloween costume! Check out the Kmart Kreator and Kmart Halloween for all your Halloween costume and decor needs.
Using Kmart’s Kreator is helping me create a fun and memorable Halloween for my family. Try it for yourself! Find all your Halloween needs at Kmart’s Halloween Shop.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kmart. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Kmart Halloween Sweepstakes Rules.
Comment below to win one (1) of five (5) $100 Kmart gift-cards!
Halloween Fun Magazine
Make this year’s Halloween the most magical ever with spooky inspiration from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and Country Living. Whether you’re throwing a monster bash or just decorating to get in the spirit, you’ll find frightfully quick and easy ways to have a delightfully haunted holiday. What’s inside?
*New takes on jack-o’-lanterns
*Boo-tiful cupcakes, marshmallow ghosts, mummy cakes, and other treats for little goblins
*Super-cute, simple costumes for kids—and even pets!
*Zillions of ideas for crafts and decorations for your home, from killer entrances to eerie touches throughout the house
Halloween Fun! is available for $6.99 and can be purchased at your local supermarket, newsstand or bookstore. A digital edition is also available at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com. For even more photos and inspiration, check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/hearstspecials and our Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/hearstspecials.
I was sent a copy of this magazine to facilitate this post.
My Biggest Laundry Pain? Stains! #MaytagMoms
I’m one of those people who really doesn’t mind cleaning, including doing the laundry. I hate cooking and washing dishes, but laundry? I could do that all day long and not complain. Especially now that I have the Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer. Pretty hard to complain when I get to do laundry with these beautiful machines!
If I had to pick out just one thing that frustrates me about doing the laundry, it would have to be stain fighting, especially light colored grease stains. You know the ones…you drop food on your shirt and forget to treat the stain and the shirt comes out clean, but with that “clear” stain where you dropped the food. I’ve mentioned before the many school uniform shirts I have had to toss because I just didn’t see it before I washed. Now, I’m much more careful about looking over our clothing before it’s washed and I also use my “secret weapon”.
So what is my secret weapon against stain fighting now?
A great detergent, a stain pre-treater specially formulated for set-in stains, and my Maytag Bravos XL washer with PowerSpray Technology.
PowerSpray Technology means when I start my Maytag Bravos XL washing machine, a mixture of detergent and water is sprayed directly onto the clothes to instantly start cleaning them. No waiting for the washer to fill up and mix in with the detergent. This machine does it all at once. I think it’s pretty amazing.
Keeping my machines clean is also a big priority now, too. Before I got my Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer, I just assumed that with HE machines that cleaning and maintaining them would be a big pain. I couldn’t have been more wrong! To clean the washer, I simply pop in a laundry cleaning tablet and run the Clean Washer Cycle. How smart is that? My Maytag Bravos XL actually lets me know when the machine needs to be cleaned by illuminating the Clean Washer Reminder.
Each time I run the dryer I always make sure the lint screen is clean. Just a pull of the screen in the front of the dryer, a swipe of the hand, and I’m done.
Would you love to win a Maytag Bravos XL washer and dryer of your own? Maytag is having a giveaway on Facebook you won’t want to miss! Enter here!
You can check out all of Maytag’s products here and also on Facebook.
See what other Maytag Moms are saying here and join the conversation!
I wrote this post as a #Maytag Moms Dependable Laundry Ambassador through Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Maytag. I was provided with the Maytag washer and dryer set to facilitate my post.