Bye Bye Big Baby

During the process of de-cluttering our house we also got rid of quite a few of my girl's toys, dolls and books (even FPLP!!!).  One of the toys that left our house was the much loved "Big Baby" doll.  Big Baby got her name back when my oldest was only 2.  At the time all of her dolls had inspired names like: Pink Baby, Blue Baby, Little Baby, etc.  So obviously this huge doll had to be named "Big Baby".

Big Baby was fantastic since she was big enough to wear my daughter's baby clothes and she looked like a real baby (which sometimes gave me a start when I'd come into a room and see her sitting there).

Often my daughter would insist on pushing Big Baby around in her stroller and would buckle her into the seat next to her in the car.

Big Baby was still in the house when my youngest daughter was born.  She also loved Big Baby and we took many photos of them side by side.

These are just a few of the dozens of photos we've taken over the years with our girls and Big Baby.  So you can imagine that I was a bit sentimental about this big huge doll that had been with my girls all this time.  But, following the De-Cluttering checklist I saw that it was time.

So we took one last photo of Big Baby with the girls before we donated it.  Now hopefully another little person is loving on Big Baby!

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 - Roly Poly Chime Ball

I've got a simple little classic baby toy to share today on Fisher Price Friday.  I have been looking for one of these chime balls in the wild (ie- garage sales, thrift stores, etc) for quite awhile now and finally got my hands on two at the same time!

The Roly Poly Chime Ball #165 was made from 1967-1985.  There were two other chime balls; the #162 Roly Poly Boat Chime and the #1150 Chime Ball, a smaller version of the #165.  The balls all have plastic tops and solid bottoms that are weighted so the toy part stays upright.  It is airtight so can be used in the water or on land.  However, I've seen many photos of very worn chime balls with fogged up/smoky looking insides so I'm not sure that they remain airtight over the years!

I love this toy because it has such a soft chime sound.  My girls like to watch it roll all around bowling ball style (yikes!).  It reminds me of the Happy Apple #435 that we also have but the chime ball is little quieter.

The inside of the ball has four rocking toys; two swans and two horses.  The center of the ball has lithographs of shrubs, trees, birds and butterflies.  Underneath the rocking animals the green and brown colored base has many little flowers.  I love the details!

My girls are almost too big for this little toy but it says birth to 4 years old so I guess we'll keep it around for a little longer. :)

 For other vintage Fisher Price Baby Toys Check Out:

Baby's First Blocks #414

Shake 'n' Roll Rattle #451

Happy Apple #435 

Floating Family #411

Squeak and Peak Sailor #415

Fisher Price Friday - Squeak & Peek Sailor

Happy Friday!  We just returned from our trip last night and I am up to my ears in unpacking, laundry, Vintage Little People Etsy shop orders, and acclimating back to the desert heat (yikes!).  So you'll have to forgive me if I just show you a quick little baby toy today. :)

The Squeak & Peek Sailor #415 is a too-cute baby/toddler toy that was made between 1984-1992.  It's a simple toy but has a few fun features.

The blue base has a suction cup that is perfect to attach to a high chair, side of the tub or any hard surface.  There was at least one other version of this toy in which the suction cup/pole was yellow instead of blue.

The toy has a rattle inside and the yellow life vest spins around.  Last but not least there is a red button on top that makes a squeaking sound.

My little girl is almost 3 but she still enjoys this little toy at meal time.  I just wish we'd had it when she was smaller (designed for 6 to 24 months).

For other vintage Fisher Price Baby Toys Check Out:

Baby's First Blocks #414

Shake 'n' Roll Rattle #451

Happy Apple 

Floating Family #411

Fisher Price Friday - My Pretty Purse

All dressed up and ready to go out with her My Pretty Purse #128.  This child version of mommy's purse was made from 1982-1989.  I have vivid memories of playing with the lipstick tube that comes inside, so one of my friends must have had one!  It is designed for children from 3-7 years old but don't tell my 2 year old that she's too young, this is one of her favorite toys!  

This bright and colorful purse comes all over the place with us. :)

My Pretty Purse came with a key ring, lipstick tube, compact with puff and a comb.  I am missing the comb and puff but the other pieces are original.  

The compact has a mirror inside and a realistic looking "powder".  The plastic compact has a circle of flowers on the top and "Made in Hong Kong" printed on the bottom.  Inside it has a real mirror!  Ah, the 80's!  You wouldn't see that in a toy today!

 

The later version of My Pretty Purse (#2019) from the early 90s had a similar compact but in pink.

The adorable key ring is made of plastic and has a lithograph of a little girl on one side.  There are two versions, one yellow (as seen) and it can also be pink (with the same lithograph).  Attached to the key ring are two keys.  They have the FP logo on one side and are pink and yellow.

The lipstick is my daughter's favorite piece!  This amuses me since I don't even wear lipstick. :)  It has two pieces, the lid and the base with retractable lipstick, just like a real tube!  However this one is made of hard plastic and doesn't make a mess.  The top of the lipstick tube has a heart flower (heart with two leaves).

The yellow purse is made of vinyl with a white plastic handle that snaps shut.  The handle has Fisher-Price printed on it as well as flowers.  There is a cloth patch on the front with a flower, hearts and leaves.  

The piece that I am missing (besides the oval puff) is a blue plastic comb.  The comb had a flower and heart shaped leaves imprinted on it and 18 teeth.  I'm on the look out for one so let me know if you have any extras.  In the meantime my girls use their own comb and they usually stuff in other goodies like necklaces and sunglasses.

Check out my Etsy Shop, I'll have an extra purse for sale soon!

Cactus Bloom

We're having one of those days over here today.  My 2 year old started the day throwing up all over her bed (and self).  However, she absolutely-positively-no-way was going to take a bath or shower.  Nice.

It's been up and down since then and that includes throw-up. ;)  

However, amongst all the bleach, hand washing, hugs, snuggles and laundry I saw this beauty in my backyard.

 

Our Arizona Rainbow (aka hedgehog) cactus opened its' blooms this afternoon.  We count six which is the hedgehog's personal best. ;)  Check out the bright pink, aren't they lovely?

I like to think it's God's way of giving me a reminder of his beauty.

Here's hoping tomorrow is throw-up free!!

(semi) Wordless Wednesday - Cereal Sorter

Saw my sweet 2 year old doing this the other morning.

Can't blame her, I used to do the same thing.  Ah marshmallows!  ;)

(that's Mom's Best Mallow Oats cereal)

House Party - Goodbye Diapers Hello Pull-ups

Yes it's true, I'm in the season of my life where I throw potty training parties.  My 20-something self would never have believed it. ;)  

I was selected to throw another House Party party, this one sponsored by Pull-Ups.  Since I have a potty-training 2 year old in my house and spend quite a bit of time with other 2 year olds and their moms it seemed like a perfect fit.

Having a dozen small children in my house seemed like a risky choice so I threw my party at a local park with a big playground instead.  Since we're in the thick of cold & flu season this was a good decision.  

House Party sent a fun (FREE) box of goodies including: girls pull-ups, boys pull-ups and prize packs with stickers and charts to encourage potty-tranining. They also threw in a super cute folding basket.

The kids were mostly 2 year olds and they loved the little party-blowers.  We were celebrating potty training! :)

My cute little 2 1/2 year old has just started potty-training.  She's still in cloth diapers but is experimenting with using a potty.  Having a party with a bunch of her little friends for potty training is so timely for us.  Hopefully this excitement will translate into more stay-dry success!  

Thanks to House Party and Pull Ups for helping us have a super fun morning! (there are 7 adults, 8 kids and 4 babies in this photo!)

Other House Parties I've Hosted Recently

Barista Coffee Party

Gevalia (Coffee) Party

Bitty Baby (American Girl Doll)

Gevalia For the Love of Foam

*Note: I do not get paid to talk about House Party, I just like them!

Franny's Feet - My 2 year old's favorite show

"Where will my feet take me today"

If that sounds familiar to you then you must have discovered the cute children's show Franny's Feet already.  We stumbled upon this little treasure of a show last month while my 2 year old was home with the flu.  

It is a animated show about a 5 year old girl named Franny who helps her Grandfather at his shoe repair store.  She goes on adventures after putting on customer's shoes and ends up anywhere from the North Pole to the beach.  She is helpful, friendly and has a loving relationship with her Grandfather.  

After a little research I discovered that this was a Canadian/American show made between 2004-2010.  There were 4 seasons with a total of 52 episodes (although each "episode" is 2 different stories so it's really 104).  Right now Netflix has 18 of the episodes that appear to be a jumble from different seasons. 

This has quickly become my 2 year olds favorite show passing up Sesame Street and Strawberry Shortcake. :)  She asks for it regularly and I find her standing in front of our shoes daily saying "where my feet take me today" before slipping into them.  It's the cutest!

If you have a 2-5 year old I suggest checking out this show.  Then wait and see if they try on your shoes too! 

Franny's Feet Website - Interactive website with educational games and show clips.

Franny's Feet on PBS Kids - Similar contents as the above website but also has coloring pages and full episodes.

4 Reasons I Love IKEA

I've had a love affair with IKEA since I was in my early 20's.  I remember the first time I went to one (in Seattle) and I commented to my mother "This is like Disneyland for Adults".  I'd never seen anything like it.  Over the years my love has shifted to other furniture stores but I still have a fondness for IKEA and find organizing or kid items from time to time.

We have an IKEA in our area, close enough to tempt me but not close enough to make regular visits.  Oh how I would love to have weekly play-dates/mommy get together there!  Let me tell you a few reasons why:

1. Smaland!  For 60 minutes our bigger/potty trained kids (37" - 54" tall) can play in a wonderful place called Smaland.  Our IKEA has a ball pit, loft with movies playing, play kitchen area, a place to draw and color and a bunch of other fun things to do.  

2. Ice Cream Cones - Our littles were sad about not getting to go to Smaland but were quickly calmed after receiving ice-cream cones.  Only 99 cents!  What a deal.

3. Kids can play on the furniture. - After their 60 minutes in Smaland were up we took the kids up to the Children's Furniture area to play.  They have bedrooms set up that kids can explore (ie - play on and around).  Those crazy hats were on sale that day, only $2.50 each!

Last but not least:

4. The Food!! - IKEA has a lovely little cafeteria with very reasonably priced food.  Many of it exotic Swedish options. :)  We went on a Thursday so I had the special, only $1.99 for roast chicken and mashed potatoes.  $1.99 people!  They have other specials, on Tuesday kid's eat free and on Wednesdays you can feed a family (2 adults and 2 kids) for only $9.99.  Regular kid's meals are only $2.99 and there are many kid-friendly options.

The day I went I got a Swedish "tapas" as a side.  It had shrimp/carrots, cheese and smoked salmon.  YUMMY!  We all split the chocolate cake you see and I also got free coffee since I'm a Ikea Family member.

I wish we lived closer because I'd go every week!  I've been known to spend 6 hours there with a friend and our kids before (breakfast and lunch there, score!).  What do you love about IKEA?

Zoo Lights

One of my favorite Christmas-time activities is going to ZooLights with my best friend and our kids!  We bundle up since it gets chilly at night around here (50's).  We love looking at all the lights!     

The kids got to chat with the talking giraffe.

And even got glow sticks and hot chocolate!  What more could a kid ask for?

This was my girl's first time to see Santa.  Our family doesn't believe in Santa but my oldest still wanted to have her photo taken with him this year.   My youngest had no idea who he was but he gave her a big candy cane so she went along with sitting on his lap.  When Santa asked my oldest what she wanted for Christmas she said an American Girl Doll.  Later she told me that she wished Santa was actually real so that she could get all the toys she wanted.

Don't we all baby girl, don't we all. :)

ZooLights are at the Phoenix Zoo through January 12th, so you still have time to check them out.

AZ Science Center - Imagination Playground Exhibit

We visited the Imagination Playground (temporary) exhibit at the Arizona Science Center recently.  I only wished that we'd gone sooner!  It is a super-fun exhibit with lots of ways for kids to use their imaginations and little hands to create!

The best part (for my 6 year old) was the creation station.  They had tables set up with cold glue guns (safer than the regular ones), scissors, tape and lots of different materials to use.  The kids could "create" whatever they wanted.  It's a crafty-kid's dream come true!

There were also sound/movement stations, paper airplane test flight area and even places to make widgets!  Let's just say there were many places and things to explore and it provided a morning of fun for a 6 year old, almost 4 year old and even two 2 year olds!

My favorite part was the video face wall. Oh my this made us laugh.  You can see why!

We had a great time, go check it out before it leaves January 5th!