We weekend hard during the summer months. Beach trips, farm outings, playground adventures, theme-park play dates, you name it, we love it. We make sand angels, splash in the surf, hike through berry patches, jump in pools, play in dirt, eat melting ice cream cones, and enjoy ...read more
Imma just come right out with it... My kids think farting is hilarious. We call it "tooting," around these parts, so it definitely ups the kiddie-cuteness factor, but, let's be honest, there's nothing all that adorable about beeping the horn, booty belching, butt sneezing, ...read more
My parents actually got my son his first car on his third birthday. Incidentally, they also got him his own [backyard play] house and a personal [baby] pool for "his" backyard. (Yeah, this kid livin' the American dream!) (And to think, they refused to get ME a pink Barbie Power ...read more
Have I drilled it home yet that I’m totally all about water play? (Did you read last week’s Toy Tuesday post about our family’s wet-and-wild obstacle-course adventure?) Yeah, we like our water fun around these parts. What can I say? It’s summer—we want to play outdoors and ...read more
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIQkQvw4RAI I’m going to be honest here… I love my kids, but sometimes I don’t feel like playing with the same ole toy or game over and over and over again. It can get a bit tedious, repetitive, and, um, exhausting... Especially at 5 AM. (It's ...read more
Babies love purses. Pure and simple. They love to take things out and they love to put things back in. They love colors, and sounds, and above all other things, they love cell phones. For Baby P, it was no different. Melissa and Doug nailed it with the Pretty Purse Fill and ...read more
I’m pretty proud of the fact that I managed to find Pie Face three days before Christmas. After all, it was the must-have game of the holiday season—and every big box store I tried was out of stock. Alas, I'm a toy-shopping ninja and I managed to snag this much coveted ...read more
We love toys, but we don't like unnecessary clutter. That's why we love the animals from Zuzu Parade. This is not only a giant lion toy... It's a stool! And kids can sit on it, play with it, pack toys in it (woohoo!), and cuddle it... Or, moms and dads can wear it on their ...read more
We're excited to share that Kmart recently revealed its Fab 15 list of the hottest toys for the 2015 holiday season and announced its first ever Kid Toy Advisory Board - a select group of kids of Kmart associates who will serve as toy experts and holiday toy consultants! That ...read more
Recently we got to review the Classic Hardwood Learning Toys Complete Set from Lakeshore. This fun set came with 3 hardwood puzzles. The Color Rings Sorting Board, Sort-A-Shape Activity Board and the I Can Count Puzzle Board. Each board measures about 8 inches and contains ...read more
Skip Hop is a powerhouse and one of our all-time favorites brands. From diaper bags to bedding to school necessities, Skip Hop has a fantastic range of products geared towards making the lives of families with young kids easier. They strive to make "unique, innovative and highly ...read more
We're always on the hunt for great toys that will last beyond the holiday season to share with you on The Shopping Mama. In this holiday toy video, we're excited give you a closer look at toy toys we think make GREAT gifts this holiday season from our friends at HABA: Gotz Sleepy ...read more
One year olds - not quite a baby, not quite a real toddler yet. People often find this age hard to shop for. The toys are either too "babyish" or too "grown up". We could all use a little help when shopping for gift ideas now and then. Hopefully you'll find this shopping guide ...read more
Looking for a great toy to keep your toddler occupied on your next trip? Mudpuppy's line of fun and functional puzzles-in-a-pouch are perfect for travel, as all the pieces stow away in a clear plastic bag that seals-up tight to prevent against the lost puzzle pieces that so ...read more
