Published 07.01.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Are you hitting the road soon? Even though the economy is faltering, at least fuel prices are more manageable this summer season. Whether you're traveling via plane, train, or automobile, we've got some recommendations for you.
We're big fans of the I Spy Bags by Those Greathouse Women. For this summer season, they created this adorable valise. Even if you're only visiting Paris, Texas your kids will be entertained.
We love the Where's Waldo: Ultimate Travel Collection, which is a compact paperback bind-up of five classic Where's Waldo adventures. With 152-pages we foresee hours of entertainment in your kids' near futures.
Chalk 'N Doodle is genius. It's a laptop chalk board which doubles as a drawing tablet with elastic bands to hold a doodle pad, activity book, or piece of paper. And of course, there is place to keep chalk or crayons handy. Better yet, it's small enough to put into a bag or purse. Fold it up and go.
The Tray Bien allows parents to keep their children's bottles, sippy cups, books, etc all within reaching distance. I don't know about you, but I hate that I'm constantly bumping my head as I bend down to fetch yet another bottle from the bag underneath the seat in-front of mine.
Trunki hit the scene a couple of years ago. Whenever I see one in the airport, invariably everyone is smiling. The airport jockeys and mostly the kids along for the ride. Designed for family vacations, children can pack, sit-on and then ride their own luggage. Does it come in mommy-sizes?
Want to keep your kids entertained and learning at the same time on the proverbial road? We recommend the V.Smile Cyber Pocket which comes with an easy touch writing pad. There are great software cartridges available, from Wall-E, Ratatouille, Sponge Bob and more. (Disclosure: I am a Vtech Advisory Council Member)
Lastly, Lilsugar has whipped up some new downloadable road trip games that moms and dads can print out before they pack the car and hit the highway. So cute! And, did I mention FREE?
Happy Travels!
Related Articles:
- CARES Aviation Harness
- Ideas for Traveling With Kids: The Best Car Activities, No Electricity Required
- Reviews of Kids' Digital Cameras
Published 06.29.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
A couple of years ago, we did a very comprehensive roundup on the Very Best Popsicle Molds. Now that we're hitting freezer pop high season, we wanted to complement that list with some new additions:
Freezer Jewel Pops Popsicle Molds
Isn't this posicle mold darling? Love, love, love. It reminds me of the candy rings I hoarded as a child.
Sailboat Popsicle Mold
This sailboat popsicle mold makes us want to hit the ocean.
Lego Popsicle Molds
If your kid is crazy for Legos, there's a popsicle mold made specially for fans.
Zoo Pops
Cute, cute, cute zoo pops.
Push Pops
Remember the push ice-pops? This popsicle mold lets you relive the memory over and over.
Happy Summer!
Here's Part One:
- The Very Best Popsicle Molds
Published 06.23.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
We love it when we come across a service or product that is so obvious that it should exist but hasn't, until now.
Rethink Autism is one of those businesses.
With one in 150 babies expected to be born with autism this year, I'm sure each one of us knows a family with a child on the autism spectrum. We sure do, and the recurring theme that is echoed by these families is that the only effective treatment for autism is intensive treatment and the bottlenecks parents continuously face are 1) access to effective treatment, and 2) its financial cost.
That's where Rethink Autism comes in. It meets the immediate needs of autism families.
Rethink Autism provides parents and professionals with immediate access to effective and affordable treatment tools and they do this with a web-based program centered around hundreds of dynamic instructional videos of best practice teaching interactions, and step-by-step training modules. The site’s innovative assessment tools help parents and professionals design individualized programming to meet each child’s learning goals, while state-of-the-art data-tracking systems allow users to track the learner’s progress.
Rethink Autism’s methods and resources are based on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and their Senior Clinical Advisor, Dr. Bridget Taylor, personally reviews each of the lessons and training videos accompanying the curriculum, ensuring clinical integrity and the portrayal of research-based teaching strategies.
And lastly, in terms of cost, while ABA is the best known method for treating children with autism, practitioners and schools cannot always bring ABA to each and every child who might benefit from it. For approximately the cost of a single hour of individual therapy by a certified professional, Rethink Autism offers its monthly subscribers access to the resources necessary to begin working with a child immediately.
Parents need to know that Rethink Autism is an available resource. Please help spread the word.
Published 06.16.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
As we mentioned before July is the most popular birthday month of the year. So, it only makes sense that we continue to hold your hand through this oh so difficult (not!) process. In fact, we LOVE birthdays. Since a year is a lifetime to young ones, many kids prepare emotionally for it as an adult woman plans for her wedding. (Okay, maybe only my son is planning 9 months in advance).
Yes, we need to keep our heads about us and not overdo it. And in that vein, we've got some stylish birthday accoutrements that will help you make the event a memorable one. Just think "statement pieces." What you have below are the birthday accessories that will help make your party remarkable. Then, feel free to skrimp and save elsewhere.
These are one-off special items. If you're looking to have a signature birthday party, rewind to our piece on birthday decorations.
Birthday Crowns
Yep, this will make any birthday boy or girl (or mom for that matter) feel like royalty on the special day. In fact, we wish we were old enough that we could get away with wearing one.
These crowns can be found at Oh Sweet Creations, Cakies, Baubles and Bits, Cozy Blue, Modern Lola, Life with Little Ones, Little Red Caboose.
Party Hats
If you're more into party hats, here are some long-lasting ones that won't wrinkle upon sight. Included is also our personal fave, the Juliet Hat. Just think of this as an investment in some great photo-ops.
These birthday party hats can be found at Modern Lola, A Rabbit in the Hat, and Artful Memories.
Play Wands
No birthday festivity of the royal kind would be complete without a wand to wave around.
The personalized wand is available at Modern Lola; the star wands at Something Out of Nothing.
Awesome Cups
Yes, these here are conversation starters and surely to be noticed at your child's next birthday. How do we know? We've tried them and trust us, they are a hit with kids an adults alike.
These are aptly called "Pick Your Nose" Animal Paper Cups and Etch-it-Cups.
Cool Candles
Have you ever noticed that you have a lot of photos of your kid blowing out candles. Durr. Why go for the puny type. We love the long colorful tapers. But if that is too much to blow out for your little one, this option is stylish and colorful, in the MiniBoden and CrewCuts type of way.
Found at Modern Lola.
As always, we love to hear about more sources. Please share in the comments.
Published 06.13.2009 | Permanent Link | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)
We read somewhere that July is the month when most babies are born (apparently driven by school teacher mamas). So, it makes sense that July might be the most popular Birthday Month of the year.
Last month we focused on interesting birthday party decorations. Boy, did we have fun putting that post together!
A while back we wrote about Inspiring Ideas For Kid's Birthdays. You should definitely check out the great ideas there.
But now, we've been on the outlook for more fun activities. Here are some obvious and not-so-obvious ones that we have found.
Balloon Art
You don't need to spend a fortune on a balloon artist when there are books and kits to help you with instructions and provide supplies. Older kids can entertain themselves, though for the younger set, an adult will have to do the work. To reduce frustration (and embarrassment) on the big day, we recommend you pick-up some extra balloons and practice beforehand!
We've seen these two sets of Balloon Books & Kits in person but have not tried them out. You may want to forgo the "kit" and just buy a well-respected book and the supplies a la carte.
Magic Shows
Let the kids host their own little magic show. If that's too much pressure, how about you and other family members break the birthday party group into smaller groups to teach them some tricks and then regather for a big magic show where willing participants take the stage and entertain the rest of the group? We found two magic kit sets that look to be well loved: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magic Set and Deluxe 100 Trick Magic Suitcase w/ Instructional DVD.
Pinatas
I always wanted a pinata as a kid. How about you? So, we searched our favorite source for all things handmade, Etsy, and not surprisingly, found a gorgeous selection of pinatas for sale. Better yet, these pinata artisans appreciate how birthday kids have their own "themes" in mind and will whip up a customized one for you, as long as you order with enough lead time, of course! The crafters, whose work is featured above include: Pinata Queen (maker of my fave, the tiger), Pinata Woman, BirchAngel, and Haddy2Dogs.
Tie-Dye Fun
Our friends at Cool Mom Picks turned us on to this unbelievably cool Tie Dye Kit. Yeah, you could conjure up your own Tie-Dye brew and create some fun. Or, mom and dad, you can follow the DVD instructions and really wow the kids by teaching them to make spectacular tie-dye creations! The kit is a perfect party size. You supply the shirts and everything else you need is here to dye up to 15 adult-sized t-shirts.
Birthday Party Bash for the Wii
And now for something totally out-of-the-box, is the soon-to-be launched Birthday Party Bash (games) for the Wii (available starting July 14). We were ready to hate this, but we discovered we really liked this game when we got to test it out. Of course, it doesn't replace the fun of an in-person game of musical chairs, but there are lots of entertaining virtual versions of classic party games that a big group of young ones can play together. And that is ultimately the goal for any birthday party we would think. So, if your outdoor birthday party plans look shot because of rain or your kids really want a "Wii Birthday Party," we would recommend this as a wholesome and safe option.
As always, dear readers, we would love to hear from you! Your comments and suggestions always inspire us.
Related Kids' Birthday Articles:* Five Great Backyard Birthday Party Themes
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The Hotspot originally started out as a monthly-or-so feature written by our favorite storytellers. Usually products or services were highlighted that tickled us. Over the past year delightful innovations and introductions in the maternity and parenting space have increased, and we feel we need a space to share our discoveries with you. Daily news stories on parenting also inspire us to communicate with you. As such, the Hotspot is now the Alpha Mom daily blog. Finally!
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