My pre-schooler is finally in a toddler bed!

We've (finally) reached a new stage in our house.  As of this weekend our youngest is no longer sleeping in a crib.  She is now officially in a toddler bed aka: bed that she can escape from.


It should come as no surprise to you that our child is almost 4 and just now transitioning into a toddler bed.  She did sleep in my closet until age 2 after-all. ;)

I would have kept her in the crib longer (until college!) but I had to recognize that this was the right time.  With summer vacation trips coming up she'd be in regular beds anyway, so it seemed like a good idea to practice at home first.

She is very proud and fortunately for us she is staying in her new bed (so far!!) without night wandering.

The downside to waiting this long until switching the crib to a toddler bed is that she's practically outgrown it!  We'll need to be looking for a twin size soon.  

Our wonderful Baby's Dream convertible crib was designed to go from a crib to a toddler bed to a twin bed.  We switched big sister's bed when little sister was born.  However, I waited too long to order the transition kit for this second crib and now they don't make it anymore!  So learn from me, order your transition kits at the time of our crib purchase.   

On the bright side I'm thinking that we may look for bunk beds for our girls to share.

But before I start online shopping can we just take a minute to see how cute my little girl was back when her bed was a crib (although she was just visiting, she didn't sleep in there, ha!).

I miss that little face!

Fisher Price Friday - I Whistle A Happy Tune

We love the vintage Fisher Price pocket radio music boxes around here.  I don't have all of them but we have quite a few.  Today I'd like to show you the pocket radio I Whistle A Happy Tune #763.  Made only in 1978 this little music box plays the tune "I Whistle A Happy Tune" from the 1951 Rogers and Hammerstein musical The King and I.

The yellow box has a white strap with blue stripes on it.  Like the other Pocket Radio Music Boxes the box has lithographs wrapped around the sides, bottom, top and back.

The left side of the box has a grey squirrel and swirls of colors.  The right side has an owl, turtle and ominous eyes glowing from the dark.

The back has two frightened looking children and some equally freaked out animals including a dog, rabbit and two raccoons.  They appear to need the words of this song to continue on their walk through the woods.

The words on the back say:

Whenever I feel afraid

I hold my head erect

And whistle a happy tune,

So no one will suspect

I'm afraid.

The pictures may be a little bit scary but the song is very sweet.  Look at the video below to see the rest of the pictures that scroll by as the music plays.

For More Pocket Radio Music Boxes Check Out:

Music Box Clock Radio #107, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Pocket Radio #767

The Mulberry Bush Pocket Radio #758
Small World Pocket Radio #746

12 Days of Christmas Pocket Radio #756

Happy Birthday Pocket Radio #768

Raindrops Pocket Radio #762

Walking Down Memory Lane Online

In my nearly 4 decades of life I have lived in 4 states and dozens of houses/apartments.  Recently my friends told me about this charming little website called Zillow.

Zillow is designed to be a place for house hunters to find properties based on map searches.  You can zoom into a specific neighborhood and see house by house what is for sale.  What is fabulous for the stalkers in all of us is that we can also see what our neighbors houses sold for and what Zillow thinks our home values are. 

But wait..there is more!!  If there have been photos on the Internet of the house you can see the interiors of the houses too.  

So basically I was able to type in my former addresses and see photos of how they look now.  If I couldn't quite remember the exact address I could look on a map and zoom in until something looked familiar.

I discovered that the house I lived the longest in (10 years) has been completely remodeled and I could hardly recognize it.  My condo in Hawaii had also been remodeled as had our last house.  Made me wish I could live in them now, ha!  But seriously, it brought back lovely memories and was a gift to be able to see inside houses I haven't seen in 3-16 years.

However, it wasn't all good news.  The house I came home from the hospital in is now basically a crack house.  That was sad since I remember how much effort and time my dad put into maintaining it.  It has been 30 years since we moved from that house and I don't think any of the families after us loved it as much as we did!

Zillow isn't perfect, I wasn't able to find photos (inside) of a few of the residences as they most likely haven't been sold recently therefore no online photos.

So go collect your former addresses and do a little online stalking.  I won't tell!

Fisher Price Friday - Happy (almost) Mother's Day

It may be Fisher Price Friday but I wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.  Although I played with Fisher Price as a 70's-80's kid I didn't start collecting them or really appreciating them until I had little girls of my own.

So whether you have children (little or grown-up) or you are an auntie/friend/grandma to other loved ones children I hope you too have Happy Mother's Day and that it involves some vintage toy play! :)

Kindle Voyage has changed my life.

For my birthday this year I requested a Kindle with a paperwhite display.  I decided that it was time for me to try one of those newfangled devices and join the 21st century.

I'd delayed switching from paper because I love the feel of a book in my hands.  I thought it just couldn't be the same to read on a device. 

My main motivation to finally switch was wanting to access more books from my library.  I'd noticed that when I went to request many popular books and/or new releases they had electronic versions available but not the paper versions.

My sweet husband did some research and selected the Kindle Voyage for me.  It is the 7th generation Kindle (yes it took me awhile to want one!!) and is the current "best version".  Of course that will change by next year but for now it has the highest resolution at 300ppi, new adaptive front light and easier options to turn pages.  It is also the thinnest and has a long-lasting battery (weeks not hours).

I love that it fits easily in my purse but mostly that I can check out books from my library for FREE!  I can also add books for my avid reading daughter, she's been racing through those Magic Tree House books.  

I'm really looking forward to traveling with this baby, no more heavy books in my carry-on!  I can load it up before I leave and return/check-out more books as I go.  A-mazing!

It has changed my life.  

Fisher Price Friday - What I've Been Buying Lately

Happy Fisher Price Friday!  Today I thought I'd share a few of the vintage items that have come to live at our house recently.

First up, the four little people from the 1959-1960 Safety School Bus #983.  It was the first School Bus and these were the first people.  They have solid bodies with lithographs wrapped around them.  The only plastic parts are the hats and collars.  

I don't have the #983 bus but these little guys look great on their own.  I do have a #990 Safety School Bus from a couple years later, but in that short amount of time the people changed quite a bit!

Next up two #40110 Spinning Bells.  We already had a girl spinning bell but sadly she bit the bell dust (fell apart).  I was able to find a replacement on eBay and added the cute little Policeman bell while I was at it.  

Now I have one for each girl!

And last but not least, can you recognize what this amazing toy is?

It's the Amusement Park #932 from the early 60's.  A year ago I featured my friend's set and my girls absolutely loved playing with all the tiny little pieces on that adorable plastic mat.  I finally caved and treated myself (birthday present) to add this beauty to my/our collection.  The girls haven't seen it yet and I can't wait to surprise them!

I have a couple extra Amusement Park pieces/people now that I'll be adding to my Etsy shop soon.  If you need something in particular from this set let me know.

So what treasures have you been adding to your collection lately?