My little one is convinced that she’s as big as her siblings and should be able to do every single thing that they do. Unfortunately, this is most definitely not the case, which makes for some really frustrating play times when she insists on playing with the older kids’ toys but isn’t able to master the skills needed. 
This is why I’m always on the hunt for toys that seem older and more mature, but are easy enough for her to grasp the concept on her own so she can play without frustration. An added bonus is if they can keep her occupied for hours, but even better is when those toys also hold the interest of all of my kids so they end up playing happily together for long periods of time. People Blocks ticked all of these boxes and then some, and they are one of my favorite new toys to make their way stateside.
toddler
The perfect personalized presents from Bunnies by the Bay
The first time I heard about Bunnies by the Bay was when I was pregnant with my first child. The grandparents brought her over some maryjanes made by Bunnies by the Bay that happened to be named the same first and middle name we had chosen. They had found them in their travels to Anacortes, WA and knew we just had to have them.
Since then, they have surprised all of my kids with gifts from Bunnies by the Bay for birthdays, holidays, and just because. So, when we decided bunnies were going to be our third child’s theme, it was just a given that Bunnies by the Bay would be how we filled her toy box and her special shelf in her room. Her Bunnies by the Bay obsession has only grown as she has gotten older, and now almost all of her cherished friends are from their extensive line of adorable plush toys. 
They really do carry some of the absolute cutest stuffed toys, lovies, blankets, accessories, clothing, and baby gifts for newborn on up. Every time she gets a box that looks like this, it's cause for celebration.
10+ tips for road trips with young kids
In the past 8 years, my children have visited 6 different countries, 3 continents, and countless towns and cities in the United States and abroad. We’ve traveled by train, plane, boat, and car, and at this point our kids can pretty objectively be referred to as seasoned travelers. Recently, we’ve been doing a lot of road tripping, and while it’s nice to not have to plan for airlines, train stations, and long waits before departures, trips in the car with young kids have their own set of challenges. Over the years I’ve learned that these challenges can be minimized by how I pack, prepare, and execute a road trip with baby, and we’ve gotten our system down to a science thanks to Huggies at Costco.
Britax Frontier ClickTight Harness to Booster Seat review
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”.
Sorry, baby girl. This is your brother’s seat. Your new-to-you Britax convertible seat will hopefully be just as exciting.
20+ kid-friendly activities in Olympic National Park {and 20+ tips to make the most of your stay}
Can 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
Gearing up for a safe and fun summer with SafeSplash Swim School
I’m sure you’ve seen all the articles circulating about drowning, and how it doesn’t look like what you think it does. I saw an article about the dangers of drowning a few years ago and promptly purchased some life jackets for all the kiddos because there is no way I can keep them out of the water when we spend our summers at lakes, rivers, pools, and beaches.
So, for the past few years they have been safe, yes, but unfortunately they haven’t gained any actual swimming skills. I knew I needed to get them out of their jackets and was thrilled when I heard about SafeSplash, a company that believes swimming is a life skill. I love this concept and I couldn’t agree more about the importance of learning swim skills. 
Make your Oribel PortaPlay even more amazing with two awesome new accessories
I’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. 
After 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.
CYBEX Gold Line: designed to adapt with your little one
This post was sponsored by CYBEX as part of a Blog Blast Activation for Influence Central.
Even before I was pregnant for the first time, I knew how important choosing the right stroller and car seat were going to be for our on-the-go lifestyle. I began to watch other parents maneuver strollers around town and while traveling and I watched them conquer subways, cobblestones, and shopping malls. 
Seeing strollers in so many different types of situations gave me strong ideas about what my future babies were going to be riding in. And, even though my opinions on nearly every aspect of parenting has evolved as I became a mom, and then as a mom of two, and now as a mom of three, my opinions on strollers and car seats has changed very little.
