Britax Frontier ClickTight Harness to Booster Seat review

Sponsored post Britaax ClickTight smile
It’s a big time in our house! Baby girl has finally reached a really big milestone: she outgrew her infant seat and it’s now time to switch her to a rear facing convertible seat.

But, the problem is that we have three young children in car seats and we own a compact sedan. Knowing what a tight fit the infant car seat had been, I was dreading moving her to an even bigger seat because it was clear it just wasn’t going to work. We looked into numerous convertible seats to transition her to, but they were all just too big.

It began to look like we had two options: 1) buy a new car, or 2) switch my almost 6 year old to a booster seat. Obviously, neither option appealed to me. So, I began to research anything and everything to fit three across in our compact sedan.

When I found the Britax Frontier ClickTight, I realized that it just might be the best of all worlds – a 5 point harness that converts to a booster seat and is slim enough to fit in a compact car easily. With the dimensions of 19" W x 36" H x 21" D at its maximum and only 28” H at minimum, it’s one of the slimmer car seats we found anywhere, and by far the slimmest with the features we were looking for. Add in the fact that it converts and can be used by my son until he no longer needs a seat and it’s the clear choice.

As soon it arrived, the kids went crazy celebrating their “big switch”.Britax Frontier ClickTightSorry, baby girl. This is your brother’s seat. Your new-to-you Britax convertible seat will hopefully be just as exciting.

 

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Imaginations At Play with bright and beautiful MiO toys {DIY schoolhouse}

Sponsored postIt’s a rare toy that all of my kids play with together, so when I find one it’s a very happy day. Such was the case when I found the new MiO line from The Manhattan Toy Company. With chunky pieces that my littlest one loves, open-ended building pieces that my son adores, and the fact that it fits my oldest’s love of miniatures, this is the perfect family toy for my crew. Mio boxesBut, it’s not just my family who is smitten with the MiO line, it seems like everyone is going crazy for these cute and modern toys that appeal to kids of all ages. Yes, they are technically intended for the preschool crowd, but don’t tell my kids and their friends that.
But can you blame them? Even I want to play with all the different sets and see all the ways I can design a MiO world. Mio funThe world of MiO consists of beautiful modular wood building pieces that you can configure and redesign as often as you’d like as well as MiO people made of hand painted wood heads and beanbag bodies. The collection is designed to nest and store compactly so you can keep your MiO accessories and pieces together for play at home and away.

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Introducing the WellieWishers line at American Girl

Sponsored post WellieWishers Willa dollAs you know, we're huge American Girl fans around here. So, whenever the brand debuts something big, we get lots of messages and questions asking about the new products. Such was the case this past month when American Girl introduced the new WellieWishers line to their already full product offerings. If you've been wondering about the line and excited to learn about the new dolls, this is the post for you. WellieWishers Playhouse

About the WellieWishers

American Girl describes the WellieWishers as a sweet and silly group girls that are helping kindness and friendship bloom. The line has 5 main characters: Willa, Kendall, Ashlyn, Emerson, and Camille. Each friend brings something unique to their group, but they all have the same common goal: to be a good friend. To better understand each others' perspectives, they are encouraged to take a step in each others' wellies {aka boots}, a spin on the idea of "taking a walk in each others' shoes". 

Their signature wellies and their flair for fashion make them really popular with both kids and adults. Every time we've visited the Seattle store since their release, the WellieWishers area has been swarming with parents and girls picking out their favorite doll while fawning over the cute accessories and fun details. And, I can't really blame them, the line is adorably enticing.

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20+ kid-friendly activities in Olympic National Park {and 20+ tips to make the most of your stay}

Exploring and enjoying Olympic National Park with kids Sponsored postCan you believe that I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest almost my entire life, yet I had never been to Olympic National Park? We travel a lot as a family, but somehow the National Park just hadn’t made it on our radar until earlier this year when our oldest got excited about rain forests and we realized how overdue we were for a trip to ONP.

For this past Father’s Day weekend, we decided to do a somewhat last-minute trip to the peninsula so we could explore the Olympic National Park as a family and finally see what we’ve been missing. It turns out we’ve been missing a lot.

For one, there are actually 4 parks in one in Olympic National Park. From glacier-covered peaks, gorgeous lakes, miles and miles of Pacific Ocean beaches, old growth forests, waterfalls, hot springs, and ancient rain forests, there truly is something for everyone.

21+ things to do with kids in Olympic National Park

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Finding Dory fun from Nature’s Harvest bread

Sponsored post Finding Dory inspired sandwichWe're big "Finding Nemo" fans and have basically been waiting for years for Disney•Pixar's "Finding Dory" to come out. I was thrilled when I got to see the first 33 minutes of the new film at DisneySMMC this year and cannot wait to take the kiddos to see the film once they get out of school. To get in the Dory spirit, we decided to celebrate the film opening by making some Dory-inspired lunches with Nature's Harvest® bread. Nature's Harvest breadSince we love to play with our food around here, I thought we'd make a Bacon Tomato & Avocado {BTA} open face sandwich and allow the kids to make their own fish friend right on their Nature’s Harvest® bread. With has at least 8g or more of whole grains per serving and no artificial flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup, their delicious bread is a staple around here and every variety we’ve tried has been a hit with the kids. From Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat to Honey Wheat Made with Whole Grain Bread, they are all kid- and parent-approved.

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Make your Oribel PortaPlay even more amazing with two awesome new accessories

Sponsored postI’ve said before how much I love our PortaPlay Convertible Activity Center from Oribel. We’ve had it for a year now and it’s still one of my favorite items we got for our little one. This is because the PortaPlay bouncer/activity table isn’t just for babies. The PortaPlay converts as baby’s needs change, so what started out as a bouncer/exersaucer for baby becomes a toy-covered or flat-topped activity table that can be used for years.  Oribel table and chairsAfter almost a year of use as a bouncer, we recently converted the PortaPlay to an activity table and my new little walker was super excited to walk around the table and play with the toys from a new angle. And then when the newest Oribel accessories arrived and we converted the PortaPlay to a flat-top art table, she was super excited to use the PortaPlay with her favorite dolls and toys.Oribel PortaPlay toddler activity station

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Skagit Valley Tulip Festival with Washington Shoe Company {coupon codes included}

Sponsored postTulip fields with familyEvery year we celebrate the arrival of spring with two big events: the purchase of new rain boots and then a visit to the tulip fields. Western Chief at tulip fieldsThis year was extra exciting for me because it was my turn for new boots. I was realizing that it had been nearly 7 years since my last new rain boots, so it seemed like kismet when I got an email from one of my very favorite boot brands, Washington Shoe Company {known to consumers as Western Chief and Chooka Boots} offered to send me a pair specifically for visiting the tulips this spring.Chooka boots wirh tulipsThey sent me these little cuties, which I have found are not only awesome for tulip visits, but also are great for gardening, pressure washing, and even backyard spring parties. I love that they are the perfect height for wearing in mud and water, but more shoe-like so I could potentially wear them all day long. Oh, and did I mention how comfortable they are? WP_20160402_09_09_39_Rich_LI

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Educational fun with the SmartMax Mega Ball Run

Sponsored post SmartMax learn while you playI can’t even tell you how many times I have refused or returned a self-contained pre-made ball run that has been given to my kids. It’s not that I’m against kids learning about gravity and momentum by way of a ball run, it’s just that I can’t justify the space that they require for the momentary fun of dropping a ball down a chute a few times before the kids get bored.SmartMax funBut, when I was told about the SmartMax Mega Ball Run, I realized that someone finally got it. By adding in the fun of a construction toy and the power of magnets, SmartMax allows you to build your own ball run over and over again to enhance the play value and keep the kids busy for hours.

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Let your little one follow their heart with Aeromax

Sponsored post Shoot for the moonWe tell kids to dream big all the time. We say that they can be whatever they want to be… when they are older. But, what about now? What if we gave them the tools to follow their hearts today?

You won't even mind that what they want to be changes by the hour when following your heart is as easy as slipping on a new costume from Aeromax Toys. If you’re unfamiliar with Aeromax, I highly suggest you check them out. I was first introduced to their line of dress up gear at our local children’s museum, and even though the costumes had likely been worn and washed hundreds of times, it was clear to me that Aeromax Get Real Gear was special from first glance.

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