Back to School, rain or shine with Gymboree





Sponsored Post 2
Back to School rain or shine
I remember thinking that summer was far too short when I was growing up, but as a mom I feel summer is even shorter than I remember. Our weeks go by in a flurry of summer vacations, mini getaways around Puget Sound and playdates at the lake and ocean. All summer long you can find us with our toes in the sand, building castles and having picnics, enjoying ice cream as the sun goes down, and then just as quickly as it started, it seems like it’s fall again.  

And, this year the coming of fall means a very big thing for us: the start of Elementary School. My daughter is really excited about going to the “big kid” school in our neighborhood and I’m excited to walk her there, hand in hand every morning and then pick her up every afternoon. But, with the arrival of school comes the changing of the leaves, the cooler weather, and the start of the rain that will be here on and off until April.

So, we’re starting school and kicking off the start of the rainy season with some new rain duds from Gymboree. That means rain boots, rain jacket, and umbrellas. But, it also means long pants for my son since he still goes to school twice each day to pick up his sister, and so far that has equaled a whole lot of wet jeans from puddles and rain.

Thank goodness Gymboree had everything we needed and more, including this gorgeous rain set that would make any rainy day seem brighter.


Gymboree rain gear
My daughter has worn it to and from school a few days now when it was sprinkling {or "sparkling" as she would say} and it was perfect for the warm days of fall. When she’s not wearing it, it stuffs nicely into the bottom of her school bag still leaving plenty of room for all the things that need to go back and forth to school each day.


Rain gear from Gymboree

Read more

Kmart makes fiscally responsible Back to School easy

Kmart disclosure
I’m sure by now you’ve seen the Kmart Back to School commercials with the kids on the playground telling “Yo Mama” jokes to compliment each other’s new Kmart gear. Just like the infamous “Ship My Pants” commercial of earlier this summer, it’s clever and funny, and every time it comes on, I find myself stopping what I’m doing to watch it.

I mean, who doesn’t want to be so fashion forward and fiscally responsible that the kids are talking about it on the playground? Well, now you can be that cool mom simply by shopping at Kmart for back to school.

Kmart Back to School 2
And, their fall sales and deals couldn’t come at a better time, because in addition to back to school items and school supplies, fall means the start of many different activities that all cost a good chunk of change. With so much going on, your budget can get pulled in a lot of different directions, and it’s easy to realize you’re over budget before school has even started.

Read more

CamelBak Eddy bottles are perfect for back to school


I know some people swear by them, but I hate sippy cups.  Really, really hate them.   I’ve never had one that didn’t leak, had a million parts, or that didn’t take up my entire cupboard with plastic parts, accessories and odd-shaped cups.  So, instead of investing a ton of money on a very short-lived item, I asked my friends for an alternative to the sippy cup.

Their answer was the CamelBak Eddy bottle that has a neat bite-valve mouthpiece and straw.  One quick look around our Stroller Strides class or a day at the park with friends and CamelBak was the clear preference of moms and kids. 

That next week, I went and loaded up on some CamelBak Eddy bottles and immediately fell in love.  I had worried that at age 18 months my daughter would be too young to use a cup with a straw, but because the bite valve needs to be engaged in order to drink, she didn’t inhale water like she did with other cups.  If it had been a problem, the rumor is that you can simply remove the straw and they can use it more like a traditional sippy cup, but we’ve never done this. 

The CamelBak Eddy quickly became our go-to bottle for days out at the park or on the town, vacations, dinner time beverages, and for playtime here at home.  On our recent Chicago trip and two day train trip home, these bottles pretty much saved our sanity.  No worrying about where we would find drinks while out and about, and no stressing over open cups, missing pieces, or whose drink is whose because we all had our own Eddy bottle at the ready.Camelbak goes everywhere


Read more

Get your Fruit & Veggie fix at Jamba Juice the summer


Jamba Juice header
Are YOU getting enough fruits and vegetables each day?  If you’re my daughter, the answer is definitely yes.  But, if you’re my son, the answer is probably no.  Since he only eats a few fruits and veggies in their raw state, we have to sneak nutrition into his meals just to get him to eat them. 

Thank goodness I found out the kid looooooves smoothies.  And, not just the fake fruit smoothies you can get at most restaurants, he likes the good stuff, like Jamba Juice.  We recently headed to our local Jamba Juice with a $10 gift card from Moms Meet to try out the kid’s smoothies, and both kids were very excited.


Jamba Juice visit
Having not been into a full size Jamba Juice store for a while now since we typically visit it at the mall, I was surprised by the fact that they had food as well as smoothies.  Since we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and our next stop was the grocery store for something to snack on until I could make an early dinner, I ended up getting a pretzel with cheese Jamba Kids Meal and the two kids split it along with a Jamba Juice Fruit & Veggie smoothie. 

Read more

Deuter Fox 30 kid’s pack fosters a love of the outdoors from tot to teen

My daughter likes nothing more than to match hubby and me.  While this is completely adorable, it makes shopping very difficult as I have found that it’s almost impossible to find matching items for us that we both really like.  In her size we find cartoon characters and excess amounts of pink, and adult sizes don’t go small enough to fit her. 

Thank goodness there are companies like Deuter that specialize in both adult and kid’s gear that is the real deal.  No frills, no cartoons.  But, that doesn’t mean they scrimp on features, in fact quite the opposite. 


360x500_4335_Fox30_5520_13
We got to review the Deuter Fox 30 backpack for our little explorer this month and she was beyond thrilled.  She had been eyeing it at REI for quite a while and talking of all the reasons she needed it, so it wasn’t surprising that she was jumping up and down excited when she realized she got to try one out. 


Adventure awaits

While our next serious camping trip is still a few weeks away, we’ve already gotten a ton of use out of this amazing bag.  From weekend trips to days out, the Deuter Fox 30 has been a lifesaver carrying the kids gear, their toys, or just the large amount of stuff we seem to require for all-day excursion. 

Whenever we can, we let my daughter pack her own stuff in the bag and then she can help carry any gear we have, any souvenirs {AKA rocks, sticks and other treasures} she picks up, and can access her stuff whenever she wants.  We also went out and got her a Camelbak hydration pack that can fit right into the Deuter Fox 30 so she can drink through the straw secured at her shoulder all along the trail instead of having to stop for each sip.    

Little kid packpack from deuter

Read more

Welcome to the world of Mike the Knight

by Susan, editor and reviewer

I'm not going to lie; my kids love TV. Sure, we love playing outside together, and building with blocks, but they are also big fans of the TV.  When I was first pregnant, visions of sharing princess movies with my kids danced in my head. So far, I have boys. Boys who are not interested in princesses. Thank goodness for Mike the Knight! 

When we first discovered Mike and his friends in Glendragon, I was very happy. It's a very vibrant show that really teaches kids about problem solving, being a good friend, and doing the right thing! "Be a knight; do it right!" is always the end motto – and the one most repeated by my 3 year old.

As a parent, I really appreciate the positive message the show teaches, including some deeper things like equality, accepting all people (or trolls or Vikings) for who they are.  Mike, his horse Galahad, and his two dragon friends Sparkie and Squirt have many adventures, and work together to help Mike find the knightly way to handle every situation; including getting along with his little sister Evie!


MTK_100857_Knight

Read more

VTech InnoTab 2S Wi-Fi Tablet prevents “Summer Brain Drain”


Summer Brain Drain
Do you remember as a kid you would go back to school each fall feeling like you were in shape from staying active all summer only to find your legs and abs burning after one gym class because you were now using muscles you had neglected during the past few month?  Well, that is exactly what happens to your brain, too, and in a phenomenon commonly referred to as Summer Brain Drain. 

What is Summer Brain Drain, you ask?  According to research from the Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, students typically lose one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer break because they are not regularly exercising their brains. 

So, how do you combat Summer Brain Drain?  You find fun ways to infuse learning into everyday activities to keep kids’ brains sharp even during the three long months of no formal schooling. 

But, how can you do that when most of the summer is spent on the go and you don’t want to spend your days cooped up inside reading or in front of screens?  You get a portable learning device that can grow with your child, offers age-appropriate content in a broad library of subjects and that keeps them learning no matter where they are.

Something like the awesome InnoTab 2S, the latest learning app tablet from V-Tech that is perfect for on the go as well as at home.  We got to review the VTech InnoTab 2S for the past few weeks and we absolutely love how much fun it is for various ages and how it keeps the kids begging to keep learning. 


Innotab 2S

Read more

VINCI Tab III M 5” Learning Tablet {Review – Part II}

I’m so proud of my daughter these past few months.  Right before my eyes she has gone from a child who cried every single time I dropped her off at preschool to a kid that bounds in the door of her classroom, excited about what they will be learning that day.  It all stemmed from … Read more

From toddler to teen: the answer is the Zazoo Kids photo clock

Up until just a few months ago, our kids were a parent’s dream at night.  We would literally pop them in their beds after their bedtime routine and not hear from either one again until I would have to wake them up in the morning.  Yes, true story.  But, while my son is still firmly … Read more