Search Results for: blog time to thin out the toy collection

Timing Is Everything… Or Is It?

Racing against the clock is a futile exercise most parents endure while raising children. If time kicks your butt getting out the door in the morning, consider the consequences if you choose to ignore it when disciplining your kids. To be effective, discipline must immediately follow a child’s transgression… or so claims numerous childhood experts. Easy enough if you are dealing with a toddler whose actions are fairly simple to monitor.  Not so when your kids hit an age when they would rather you not be a constant presence in their lives. Or present at all. Parents of school age … Continue reading →

Check Out These Disney-Inspired Outfits

This season legendary jeweler Chopard has created a special Haute Joaillerie line just for Harrods of London, one inspired by Walt Disney Princesses.  The co-president and artistic director of Chopard, Caroline Scheufele, is quoted on HauteLiving.com as saying, ““The world of Walt Disney has often been an inspiration for a variety of Chopard [pieces]. I am very happy to have been given the opportunity to design the famous Princesses’ pieces of jewelry.” I’m not a fan of jewelry, I never have been.  I have no interest in wearing pieces myself.  But I think these are really pretty to look at, … Continue reading →

Time To Thin Out The Toy Collection

With Dylan’s third birthday just around the corner and Christmas coming about a month later, there are sure to be many new toys coming into our home. We already have a lot of toys, and they are currently all over the floor of the playroom because Dylan enjoys dumping out the toy storage bins. Sometimes I think that he has too many toys, but I am not exactly sure what to do about it. The other day I decided that I would like to use our too many toys dilemma as an opportunity to teach Dylan about generosity and helping … Continue reading →

It’s BOGO Time At Payless

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The weather is changing from Winter into Spring. Those of you who have stopped wearing bulky sweaters and boots in favor of light, colorful, Spring clothing, may be ready for some new shoes to go along with the new styles. Now is the time to shop at Payless. They are having a Buy One, Get One half off sale on everything! Personally, I know that I will need to buy a brand new pair of shoes fairly soon. I’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid, and my best guess is that the bride will disapprove of the idea of me … Continue reading →

Why I’m Shopping for More Pet Halloween Toys

I know in another blog I admitted that one way I could ease my worries about the economy and its affect on my pocketbook would be to cut out buying toys for my pets. But I had to make an exception for Halloween. See, a couple of weeks ago Murphy’s best friend Tucker came for a visit when his parents had to come through town on their annual trek to Indianapolis for the pet shoot they do up there every year. Since Murph’s down and out with his cast, he wasn’t able to play with Tucker. (Not because he didn’t … Continue reading →

The Best Things to Buy Used: Sports Equipment

Sports equipment can be a great deal when it is used. Of course, there is one exception to this area, and that is helmets. I wouldn’t ever buy a used helmet because you don’t know what it has been subjected to by its previous owners. It might not have been in an accident, but it could have been carelessly tossed on to concrete or used inappropriately. I got a great deal on new helmets through my son’s preschool program. That said, here are some great deals on specific sports equipment. Roller skates. All three of our kids have roller skates … Continue reading →

Hannah’s Collections – Marthe Jocelyn

I had a lot of fun reviewing “Hannah and the Seven Dresses” the other day, so today I’m reviewing another book by the same author. In “Hannah’s Collections,” we see that Hannah loves to collect things. Everything is a treasure – and I do mean, everything. Her room is really cluttered with all of her things, and when her teacher asks the children in her class to bring in a collection to display, Hannah doesn’t know what to do. She has so many collections – how will she ever choose which one to bring? For instance, she has 153 buttons, … Continue reading →

Inexpensive Secret Santa Selections

Take the stress out of Secret Santa gift swapping by wrapping up these interactive holiday page-turners that won’t break the bank: Santa on the Loose!  A Seek and Solve Mystery It’s the Christmas version of Where’s Waldo.  Only, pint-sized bookworms are not hunting for a geeky-looking kid wearing a striped shirt.  Rather, youngsters must read clues, don their detective hats, and find Santa to solve the mystery of the missing Christmas toys. Is the toy thief Emo the unhappy elf, Loki the dissatisfied reindeer, Roz the ravenous polar bear, Softy the sneaky snowman or Arlo the deceivingly cute penguin? Kid … Continue reading →

If You’re Grumpy and You Know It…Read a Book!

Logan has been pretty grumpy lately. I’m not really sure why, and frankly I’m not even sure if he knows why most of the time, but I’ve been a little concerned about it for a while. I noticed the change about a month or two ago and started looking for solutions to the problem. We talked about it often and most of the time I got very little response out of him. I knew something was bothering him, but he couldn’t seem to vocalize what it was. Instead he would hit, kick, scream, and throw things. I was at a … Continue reading →

Teaching Toddlers Empathy

One important skill that we as parents can help our children to learn is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and experience the feelings of others, and to respond in helpful ways. No child is too young to begin learning about empathy. In fact, you have probably been modeling empathy for your child since the moment that she was born by being sensitive to her feelings and responding to her needs. As your toddler grows, she can begin to build on the empathy that you have shown her by reaching out to others in a caring way. Of course, … Continue reading →