Kids Products Archives - Page 19 of 62

The new and improved 2017 Britax B-Ready

Product for this post was provided by Britax, but the love for this stroller is all ours. As always, all opinions are 100% our own. Post may contain affiliate links to help support our travels!

Love isn't a strong enough word for how much we adore the Britax B-Ready stroller. We got the original B-Ready back in 2011 when it first came out, and it was the best choice we could have made for our family. Having gone through several strollers already with our two small children, we were ready for a quality-built stroller and had considered several double strollers, but something told us to wait for the B-Ready. The wait for the B-Ready was worth it because truly nothing compares to the performance and versatility, its luxury details and its 12 different configurations. Even now, 6 years later, I love the B-Ready stroller more every year as it has grown with our family. With the added bottom seat it proved to be the perfect double stroller for us – first as a mom of two little ones and now as a mom of three who sometimes has to cart around bigger kids as well as the baby. Since we walk everywhere with our three kiddos, we have put hundreds and hundreds {and hundreds} of miles on our beloved B-Ready stroller throughout the years, over three countries and countless cities and towns.

Matching Girls Monday: Cherry Blossoms at University of Washington in Seattle

I'm sharing my favorite matching girls outfit of the week, taken at one of my favorite places. We visited the cherry blossoms at the University of Washington last week to take our annual pictures. It was pretty crowded {it always is}, but we were able to find a break in the crowds to snap some shots. Matching Girls Cherry Blossoms As a special bonus, my son and I are both joining in on the fun this week. My girls are wearing the Peek Feather Top with yellow sweaters from Hanna Andersson. My dress is from Target, my leggings/tights are from Yummie Tummie, and my boots are Born Shoes. My son is wearing an OshKosh flannel.

Our matching girls

I love it when we meet new people and they will remark excitedly about the fact that my daughters are wearing matching clothing. The first question after that is usually to ask if we did it on purpose or inquire if it’s a special occasion. They are literally shocked when I then say that my girls have spent roughly 99% of the 2+ years they have known each other wearing matching clothing. What follows is usually a flood of questions wanting to know why they match, whose idea it was, and then they always want to know how on Earth I found so many outfits that match for the past two years.

I always tell them that "matching girls" was entirely my oldest's idea. When her sister was born in 2015, she wanted to make sure that everyone knew how excited she was about her baby sister and declared that they were going to match every day.

10 reasons to own ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY on DVD and Blu-ray

Lucasfilm’s first-ever standalone Star Wars adventure, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY is out on DVD and Blu-ray today! I know from experience that the last few months have been torture for Star Wars mega fans everywhere. My son must have asked every singe weekend if he could go see "Rode One", and sadly our budget didn't allow for weekly screenings. But, then he happened to catch a commercial about the DVD release and it was all over after that. So, as for the probability that we would eventually one Rogue One? It was high. Very high.

Here are 10 reasons why you should own ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY:

American Girl for everyone

My oldest fell in love with American Girl when she was only 1 year old, so we’ve been American Girl crazy for years and years now. But, that love is even stronger now that we officially have a doll for everyone, thanks to the newest American Girl contemporary dolls. Like most families, we start with the Bitty Baby line and then we ease in slowly to the American Girl Wellie Wisher, BeForever, Truly Me, and Contemporary lines. That transition is always a big deal when they go from baby to adolescent and with that comes doll books, movies, accessories, and more to immerse them further into the world of American Girl.

But, until this month, there was nowhere for my son to go after he outgrew his Bitty Baby boy {which thankfully hasn’t happened yet}. I dreaded the day my son would be done with babies and his love of American Girl would slowly fade while his sisters continued to play. I don’t need to worry about that anymore, because his love has only deepened with the introduction of Tenney Grant and Logan Everett.

Disney’s Moana obession level: High

Our Moana obsession started as soon as we saw the first trailers for Disney’s newest full-length animated film, and it persisted even after we saw the movie in theaters {not just once, but twice, which is something we never do}. The kids were counting down the days until they could own the movie themselves, so to make do in the interim between theater and DVD, we got the Moana soundtrack with songs by the amazing songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. The soundtrack quickly intensified their obsession and it basically hasn’t left the CD player in weeks.

And while some movies are great because they hold our interest and have great soundtracks, Moana was a movie I could get behind 100%. Instead of the tired old story of princess and prince waiting for each other in order to be happy and fulfilled, Disney is shaking up the game by offering us truly strong female characters. Moana is the newest in their lineup of progressive heroines that value self-discovery, independence, and rising to any challenge. This is why I not only allow the Moana obsession, but I also encourage it. This is why we’re all thrilled to announce that Moana is finally available on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD and On-Demand! Wooohooo! Even though the littlest one pronounces it “Noana”, the excitement she holds for the movie, the music, and all the new characters doesn’t need translating. This is a little girl who has been waiting for a 1/4 of her life for this day….

10+ tips for car trips with kids

Do you have some long car trips coming up for the summer? Like most people, I will be spending quite a bit of time in my car over the next few weeks as we visit relatives, see the sights, and vacation with friends in the area, and I’m already planning ahead for the road trips with three young kiddos.

To me, road trips are a great way to bond and see the sights both near and far in ways you just can't on an airplane, and I love taking a good road trip {or three} each summer. But, because of limited space and cramped conditions, they can also be a delicate balance of having what you need with fun things to do, without packing your vehicle from top to bottom. The picture below shows a precarious suitcase tower that includes what 5 people need for a snowshoe, ski, sun, and swim trip and even with the bigger car, and all of this stuff really pushed the limits of what is manageable for a road trip.

Here are a few tips for awesome car trips with kids:

DIY bead storage and beading board for bracelet and necklace making

As a member of the Chick-fil-A mom panel, we were given coupons to try their new Chicken Tortilla Soup and then challenged to make a fun DIY with their soup containers. Some of the moms did some amazing upcycling projects and created luminaries, succulent wall planters, play instruments, and all sorts of super crafty things, but I went practical. As soon as I saw the containers, I realized they would make the perfect DIY bead storage container. Now, I know that doesn't sound exciting because basically I repurposed something that stored soup and used it to store beads, but stay with me. I've been redoing our art supplies now that the kiddos are able to craft more on their own and this has involved a ton of organizing. I was previously the only one using the crafting supplies and therefore knew where everything was stored. But, now that they can craft on their own, I needed to give them their own storage system so anyone can find whatever they need and then know where to put it back when they are finished.

American Girl fans: DIY Tenney and Logan inspired tin drum craft

Are you as crazy excited about American Girl's new contemporary dolls, Tenney Grant and Logan Everett, as we are? We've literally been counting down to their release for months, and we're so thrilled they are finally here. To celebrate their release, we came up with a Tenney-and-Logan-inspired DIY project to make a tin drum so you can start a band just like they did.

I'm going to walk you through the steps to make your own drum, including two handy little printables you can use to add logos to your American Girl-inspired drums.

To start with, you will need to gather your supplies:

2 large tin {or tin-and-cardboard} cans – we used milk substitute tins, but you could repurpose coffee cans, formula canisters, powdered drink containers, or whatever else you have on hand.

2 long threaded rods (or bolts), 8 nuts, and 12 washers – for securing the drums together

2 printables – for covering the cans {you can download those below}

Scissors, tape, ribbon, and a small drill {optional, you can use scissors if your can is thin enough}

Introducing Logan Everett, the first ever 18″ boy doll from American Girl

He’s here! He’s here! I feel like we’ve been waiting forever for the release of the new American Girl doll, Logan Everett. The rumors have been swirling for months that a boy doll was in the works and I think I got roughly 50 messages asking if it was true. I’m happy to say that the rumors were true, and Logan Everett arrived this month at American Girl on Valentine’s Day. If you know my son, you know he’s one of the biggest fans of American Girl that there ever was. It started when my daughter got her first doll when she was 4 and he was only 2, and that love has grown exponentially throughout the years. He was crazy excited when he was given a boy Bitty Twin we scored second-hand, but I always wished there was an 18” boy I could buy for him. You should have seen his face when his sister and I surprised him with his own Logan Everett doll at the Seattle American Girl café last week. Not only was he over the moon excited, but so was his sister who has been dying for him to get his own doll for years and years. She had been plotting since before Christmas about how she could get him a doll if they came out with a boy and Logan was everything she had hoped for for her brother.