Incredible KidKraft Holiday Gift Deals!

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We LOVE KidKraft!  They have well made and high quality toys for kids that last and last.  Last year we tried out the doll high chair and crib for them last year.  

It is marked down to $28.63 from $47.99.  It is so strong that Mini pulls herself up on it to play with the doll inside. 

The doll cradle is here  marked down to $26.99 from $47.99

How cute is this train set?  It comes in a container that you can use for storage {bonus points for Kidkraft!!} My girls would love this just as much as any boy!

It is only $38.47 on amazon right now (reg. $55.99)


We really want this play kitchen

now $143.99 .. $40 off the $183.99 retail with free shipping so you don't have to worry about lugging it home in your car or shipping it to your friend or grandchildren.. hint hint..

We also have this table set and LOVE it {ours is white}

$102.88... down from $127.99

Baby Bear is really into role playing and this house is a great gift for any kid that likes to play pretend.  KidKraft has a few different models of doll houses.  

This is majestic doll house is $67 off!  Priced now at $179.99 regular $246.99. It has furniture included, an elevator and opening garage. 

Foster your child's creative play with this easel that holds the paper roll and has a bottom storage shelf 

And since I was looking, I found this cute toddler bed while I was looking at the other KidKraft items.  We have a plain white one.

It is almost $50 off $207.83

Happy Hanukah! Here is their new Hanukah Set!

*Amazon prices change a lot so make sure you check your price before checking out*

PS. this is NOT a sponsored post but there are affiliate links 

Not my cuddle bug

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Baby Bear just wants to snuggle any chance she can get.  She sneaks into our bed every night and snuggles really close. Mini is not the snuggle bug.  She likes to sleep in her own crib with her dolly that she snuggles.  

This week she rubbed the back of one of the kids at daycare as they were laying on their blankey.  Maybe she is finally developing that cuddly sense of self! 

First Hair Cut!

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Baby Bear barely has enough hair to get a hair cut, but it was getting scraggly at the ends. 

We took her to one of those kiddy cut places since she would not let me do it at home.  

 I like how they have kid size things so she felt really comfortable in the chair.  They even have colorful things all around to look at and a cartoon while they cut you hair (about hair cuts I think).

This is the first time that she did not cry about getting her hair wet.  I may have to try the spray bottle hair wash at home!

Here is the end result.  I thought she looked so much more grown up, but apparently only a mother can see the difference! 

Momma Warrior

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I earned my battle scars last week.

I did something this past week that I didn't know that I would be strong enough to do. I took care of 2 kids sick with the stomach flu.  I can't believe that I am admitting this, but; barf was my BIGGEST parenting fear.  I don't do throw up.  It is actually one of the main reasons that I never really drank in college.  

I was panic stricken when I got the call from daycare that I had to pick up Mini.  I had to ask the ladies there what to do since I luckily never had to deal with that before with Baby Bear.  The easy part was between she was acting almost totally fine and tried to play. It was a long night,but eventually Mini went to sleep and felt better in the morning. I was crossing my fingers that Baby Bear would not get it but a week later she was not feeling good either.  That was even harder since she had the thought in her head that she was sick now so she cried.  

I couldn't believe that in the moment I was calm and functioning. I found a strength that I didn't know I had to make my babies feel better.  

So glad that is over. 

Reading Greek Coffee for fun

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For Mr. BBH's birthday we went out with some friends.  I have a friend who likes to pretend to read the coffee. 

Cup from here

 Greek and Turkish coffee have sludge from the coffee grounds in the bottom.  

First the person who wants the fortune has to drink all the liquid and then flip the cup onto the saucer and wait for it to cool down.  Touch the top of the cup to see if it is cool. 

Then she looked inside to see what the patterns looked like on the inside of the cup.  We looked on this website if there were things that we saw and wanted to see what it meant.  

Such a fun thing to do with friends!

  

Growing by leaps and bounds

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I feel like I brought a curse upon us by writing about germs.  We have been sick on and off for the past month.  Baby Bear is in preschool and Mini Bear goes to a daycare program there a few days a week so that I can go to class and student teach for my masters program.  

Baby Bear had a hoarse voice and every day she complains that she doesn't want to go to school.  I kept her home yesterday to prevent her from getting sicker and to spend a little extra time with her while Mini was still in daycare.  I got called after lunch that Mini had the stomach flu and I had to pick her up.  

I am scared of barf!  Luckily the one and only time that Baby Bear did it, she was with my mom and it appears to have been from the heat.  I had NO IDEA what to do and it was scary and horrible but I got over it and took care of Mini.

Today she is feeling better and so it is just the two of us.   She is not as much of a snuggler as Baby Bear, but today she is very snuggly! Plus now she is crawling and pulling herself up.

Getting Geared up for Chanuka Gifts Already?!

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So one of my favorite bloggers came out with her Hanukah Dress already!  But really, it is not too soon since Hanuka is next month. 

Click on the image to go to Lilblueboo!

Calling all Crafters!

What kind of DIY gift ideas or handmade gifts are you going to buy this year? Please share any handmade or DIY gifts with me and I would be happy to post them on the blog!

Handmade DIY Halloween Costume Roundup

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I saw some really cute costume ideas online that are DIY tutorials that I love! You can buy/make them for Halloween, a dress up chest, or Purim!

30 minute Mermaid skirt 

DIY with instructions

by girl. Inspired.

Bird Wings 

DIY with pattern

by Llevo el inierno

Sock Monkey

DIY with instructions

by Homemade Ginger

Cupcake Costume

DIY with instuctions.  Would be great to make with EcoFi Felt {the one that uses 100% recycled bottles}

by Lemon Tree Creations

Scrappy Unicorn 

DIY with instructions

by Dragonfly Designs

Super Hero Costume

DIY for the novice crafter but so stinkin' cute

by Dragonfly Designs

 Scuba Diver

Gives you a list of supplies

by Artsy-Fartsy Mama

Fox Costume

Shows images of how she made the costume

by The Paper Mama 

Peacock

There are so many really cute TuTu costumes but this tames the girly down a bit.

by Shwin &Shwin via The Train to Crazy

I researched all of these costumes to make sure that I gave proper credit to the designer and blogger who posted them.  Please send me any corrected information if there are any errors. 

Easy Fluffy Eggs

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I saw this on TV and decided to do a test of what works better. Regular fork beaten eggs, or ones that you put in a drink shaker.  Must be the Master's program that I started since I am now questioning everything and researching it.  {oh, yeah.. I started a Masters in Education program called the Detroit Teacher Project though UM}

I took a martini shaker and shook for exactly 60 seconds.  Then I did the fork beater for 60 seconds.  I cooked both and here is the outcome.  You can see even that the shaker eggs are double the thickness.  I really don't like paper thin eggs personally and Mini Bear LOVES eggs for breakfast. 

Ok, so you're saying "I can do the same in a blender." The thing about the blender is that you have to take it out and then take apart to clean.  

Even with the Magic Bullet requires that you take the rubber seal out when you clean it, so you save a few steps.  I found this shaker on Amazon for the best price/good rating.  There were a few that were $6 on prime, but they only had 3 stars.  

PS. those cherry tomatoes came from my garden!

What inspires you to decorate your home?

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What inspires you to decorate your home? One Kings Lane just released this wonderful video (at the bottom of my post) that has completely inspired me to re-look at my home to see how I can update it. What I love about the short clip is how they don't remodel the entire room, just a few pieces here and there to give the room an entirely new feel! 

One Kings Lane has new sales pop up all throughout the week and each sale lasts 72 hours, so when you see an item, don't wait! 

They offer so many unique styles from fantastic brand names at great prices...head over and check them out today: One Kings Lane.

{sponsored post}

Upcycled Paper Dolls for Baby Bear

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Baby Bear is such an enthusiastic kid and loves everything.. sometimes a little too much.  My aunt sent her a birthday card and she carried it around with her everywhere.  {I mean it has Lalaloopsy..wouldn't you?} So I got an idea how should could keep the card but in a way more fun way.

Materials

Old Birthday Cards, Coloring Book Covers, etc. or make your own with cardboard

Scissors

*Optional*lamination material like this

This is really simple.  Now just cut out the people, animals, scenery and play! If your paper is really thin then you will want to laminate it, glue it to cardboard or put contact paper on it to make it thick enough to play with. The best part it, these are so easy to put into a travel activity bag.  Baby Bear loves to use her imagination and talk to her toys, so this is a great easy toy.  

Baby Bear couldn't wait to play, so she took them to help her eat breakfast. 

Happy Birthday Baby Bear

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I had no idea how much I was going to love you.
You amaze me every day.
Love, your Ima

Diamond Candle.. Review & Giveaway!

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I always wanted one of these Diamond Candles  

I got my Diamond Candle in the mail and I was so anxious to open it and see what it was all about.  The size really impressed be because they are really large candles.  The candles are made of 100% soy from US farmed soy beans and natural cotton wick.  Plus they also come with a ring inside.  The company says that rings are worth $10-$5000. 

There is a silver circle that you can see on the outside of the candle close to the top.  The round thing is the sticker.  After waiting for the wax to soften, I used some tools to pry it off and lift it out.  

Here is my fake ring that was inside.  

I looked on their facebook page where people can post pictures and it looks to me like there is only fake rings in the candles.  This ring is actually pretty nice compared to some of the horrid ones that people posted. It still is really fun even though all of the rings are fake.  Plus the price this is a great for an all natural soy candle with a great scent {$24.95} and the burning time is said to be around 80 hours.

WIN your own candle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here is the website for Diamond Candles & Facebook
If you are new to this site, please Like Us on Facebook too! {see top right}

The quest for germs

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I do not believe in a super-clean germ-free environment for my children.  I don't use water-less hand sanitizer.  

 I DO clean and wash hands, but I want to make sure that my children are also exposed to some germs so that they do have a healthy immune system. Thomas McDade, a researcher at Northwestern's Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences published some work on this "Contrary to assumptions related to earlier studies, our research suggests that ultra-clean, ultra-hygienic environments early in life may contribute to higher levels of inflammation as an adult, which in turn increases risks for a wide range of diseases,"  

I do frequently have my children wash their hands and preferable with triclosan free soap.  "Triclosan, widely used as an antibacterial ingredient in household hand sterilization products, breaks down rapidly when exposed to chlorinated water and produces toxic chemicals, including chloroform. (According to a study published on the Environmental Science & Technology research website).  The FDA classifies it as a drug.  The FDA also recommends that there be "further studies because it has been shown to alter hormone regulation in animals."  "It prevents the growth of bacteria and can even be found in things like It may be found in products such as clothing, kitchenware, furniture, and toys." .Eww! 

What does this mean for washing your hands? Will you still be able to get rid of the germs without Triclosan? Well actually.. "research shows that traditional soap and water is more effective at bacterial removal than both waterless agents and antibacterial soap." (Discovery,Fit, and Health)

Just wash your hands to stay healthy!

Walk for Friendship 2013

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We were just getting back in town and got to enjoy the end of the walk party with Baby Bear and Mini Bear!