Toddler

(5:45 AM means "breakfast" bars, preferably educational TV, and blurry everything...) My kids wake up early… Like, before-the-sun early. It’s rough, and I can’t always say I’m at my brightest and most bushy-tailed. Yeah, no mommy awards for me before the crack of dawn, but I ...read more

We've been reading to both our little ones since before they were even born. We read to them in the womb and we still read to them: board books, picture books, and, now, chapter books. We make the silly voices, we read them the same book a thousand times, and we read to them ...read more

We're going "classic" with today's Toy Tuesday post... Not that we don't love screens and techie toys and all sorts of fancy gadgets and gizmos here at The Shopping Mama. But, sometimes, it's the good old-fashioned fun finds that keep us coming back for more and more, again ...read more

My baby just turned 3. Three, you guys! He tells me every day that he's not a baby anymore. He's a big boy! What do big boys get? Big boy parties, of course. This year he chose his own theme: dinosaurs. I knew I could pull off a dino-mite party with lots of prehistoric fun. We ...read more

My son is super tentative at the playground. He lets other kids pass him when he hesitates at the top of the slide and starts screaming if my husband pushes him just a hair too high on the swings. He generally skips the tall ladders and desperately clenches the ropes at the ...read more

We have a new bedtime routine in our house... and it involves a game! That's right, we're playin' our way to snoozeville—and, yes, it means my son actually asks to go to go up to bed every night. (Hashtag Winning--in more ways than one!) Busy Town is part puzzle, part game, ...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

Compensation was provided by Go & Grow by Similac® via Mode Media. I’m pretty sure my babies belong in Alaska. Or, maybe, Maine. Better yet, somewhere that’s just really temperate and mild with constant breezes and minimal moisture. One thing is for sure: They do not belong in ...read more

During the summer, my kiddos and I always head back East to Georgia or North Carolina to visit family. Being on the road with children is a different kind of family bonding, that's for sure. Shoving everyone in a small space—whether it be a car, plane or train—for an extended ...read more

In case you've been living under a rock these last few weeks, allow me to inform you: it's still National Ice Cream Month. We've been celebrating since the first of July with peachy-keen homemade ice-cream recipes and adorably easy DIY projects. (We also have a ridiculously ...read more

As a photographer, my kids see me take a lot of photos - for work and fun. I like to capture the little moments, especially when we're doing fun things together as a family. Summer brings lots of awesome things: vacations, day trips and activities. I got my little photographer ...read more

Maybe you love the ocean and are as gentle as a mermaid. If so, you might be best friends with Camille. Or perhaps you're creative and can draw and create new inventions. You should meet Kendall. The latest additions to the American Girl brand are the little lovelies called the ...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

Today is National Yoga Day. The kids and I have been finding our inner peace this summer by trying some yoga for kids. Yoga for kids offers many benefits including: body awareness increased self esteem builds concentration positive self image promotes relaxation reduces anger, ...read more

I remember when the beach was a relaxing place to be. When all you had to bring was your tanning oil (tsk-tsk), your towel, your thermos of cold wine, and a stack of magazines and chick lit. Those were the glory days. Alas, now, going to the beach looks very different. When ...read more

"Mommy. Not all art has to 'look' like something." And just like that I was schooled—by my toddler. Yes, that was his articulate response when I asked him if he had built a train or a jet or a rocket or a speed boat with his new Tegu blocks. "No, mom. Sometimes art is ...read more

We are very much in picnic mode around here. Spring has sprung, and we’re making the most of it! Warmer temps, a subtle breeze, and beautiful blooms have us feeling positively giddy. We just want to go outside, run outside, play outside—even eat outside! In addition to our ...read more

My little guy is starting to get to the age that we've been having more playdates and planning more activities to do with friends. He's starting to become more artistic and loves to color and paint with his sister. I recently invited over some of my friends and their kiddos for a ...read more

April is the month of the military child. As a military family ourselves, we know exactly how hard the military life can be on our kids. All that our kids know is the military life. It's not a bad thing, we love being a military family, but it has it's own set of challenges. ...read more

Spring around here has meant a lot of time outdoors. We've been gardening with our kids (more on that soon) and we decided we needed some cute, kid friendly garden markers. I found these cute safari animals for only $1 each and I thought they would make cute additions to our ...read more

A few weeks ago I shared that we were chosen to be a #DisneyKids Preschool Playdate host. We got a box of goodies to help us throw a fun Disney playdate party with our friends. My kids were super excited on the day that the box arrived. Check out our unboxing video below to ...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

Around here it's really starting to feel like spring. Warmer weather and longer days. We've even had to kick on the air conditioning a few times to cool our house down. Today is the last day of school before my daughter is on a two week spring break. I'll be honest, I've been ...read more

Since 1969 Sesame Street has been teaching kids their ABC's and 123's. The quirky and lovable Sesame Street characters and monsters quickly became a beloved part of many childhoods and are now iconic and synonymous with learning and fun. For Spring 2016, PUMA has partnered ...read more

Kids are naturally curious so why not engage their curiosity and encourage them to be involved in the kitchen. We know that putting a meal on the table for a family can be challenging and the last thing you want to do is take the time to have your kids help out in the kitchen. ...read more

Potty training. It's something that all parents deal with. No matter how different our parenting styles may be, everyone potty trains their little ones at some point or another. Potty training can be scary to think about, but we're here to help with a few tips and some of our ...read more

I wouldn't say my kids are picky eaters. They will usually at least taste anything we put in front of them, even if they don't end up liking it. Some vegetables (green ones in particular) have been hard to sell lately. My husband and I aren't above a little trickery to get ...read more

Craft Corner: Unboxed! We are showing you this unbelievably adorable bow tie from Seedling. If you haven't been introduced to this company yet, get to know each other. Seedling offers a wide variety of projects that come in a sweet little package which includes EVERYTHING you ...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

Summertime is the perfect time to have your little one's birthday theme be strawberries. With delicious berries abundant in stores, there are plenty of opportunities to use the fruit in creative ways. This cake platter from Flying Tiger serves as a tray for our strawberry and ...read more

Like most energetic toddlers, my almost three year old is obsessed with "the playground." And it doesn't seem to matter if we're talking about an amazing fully tricked out "adventure land" or one measly tire swing and a mini slide... My guy doesn't discriminate. A playground is a ...read more

Ahoy me hearties! It's a pirate party! This cute pirate party is the perfect mischievous theme for your mischievous little buccaneer. Landlubbers and salty sea dogs are going to love this adventure on the high seas! See all our details below. We found the perfect pirate party ...read more

All aboard! Amtrak will celebrate its 8th National Train Day on May 9th, 2015. Amtrak will kick off a summer of train inspired travel starting in Chicago but they won't stop there. Train Days will hit the rails, traveling across the country and stopping in several communities ...read more