The Crate's in the Mail

As a homeschooling mama, I'm always looking for exciting, inexpensive, educational ideas for my daughters.  This morning, I saw a link for Tinker Crates by Kiwi Crate on one of the homeschooling groups I'm in on Facebook.  My girls are way into science experiments and building things, so I decided to give it a try!

Tinker Crate inspires kids to explore and learn about science, engineering, and technology—and have fun doing it. Every month, a new crate to help kids develop a tinkering mindset and creative problem solving skills.

I ordered our first Tinker Crate for only $9.95 with free shipping!  Can't wait for it to arrive!  You can get your first crate for $9.95 too, and if you access Tinker or Kiwi Crate from this link, I get a $10 credit toward my next crate too:  Shannon's Kiwi/Tinker Crate Link.

I didn't notice until after I ordered that the suggested age for Tinker Crates is 9-14+, but with my help I'm sure it'll be fine.  Zazu, my five year old, has solved the Rubik's Cube twice now, so maybe she'll be the one helping me and Kaylicious :-)

Kiwi Crate, the company that makes Tinker Crate, also does crates for younger kids, so I may use their MERRYSUB Black Friday Coupon for 60% OFF on Friday and try a Kiwi Crate for ages 4-8 too.

With the holidays coming, I've been looking for alternatives to the never ending piles of plastic toys, my kids seem to accumulate.  If these kits turn out to be as cool as they look, Tinker and Kiwi Crates may be a great holiday gift option!

What kid wouldn't love to get an exciting package of fun in the mail?

I'll be sure to share more, once our first crate arrives!  In the mean time, have you tried Kiwi Crate or Tinker Crate?  What did you think?  What did you little ones think?  

65 Books for Three-Year-Olds

Here's a list of books that are perfect for three-year-olds.  

Three can be a hard age to pick just the right books. Many simple board and picture books start to become just a little bit too babyish, while lots of picture books still have too many words per page to suit the attention span of toddlers and young preschoolers.  Although there are scores of great children's books out there, there are also many that lead parents to believe that their own three your old could have come up with a better story.  The stories on this list are not too long, not too short and better told than the average three-year-old child's tale. The list is in alphabetical order which should make them easier to find in the children's section of most libraries.  

I hope you and your little ones enjoy reading these together!

65 Stories for 3-Year-Olds

1. Monkey Do! by Allan Ahlberg
2. Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough
3. Babies in the Bayou by Jim Arnosky
4. When I was King by Linda Ashman
5. An Orange in January by Diana Hutts Aston
6. In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck
7. Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear! by Matthew J. Baek
8. Hickory Dickory Dock by Keith Baker
9. Little House, Little Town by Scott Beck
10. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
11. And the Train Goes… by William Bee
12. Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
13. Two Little Trains by Margaret Wise Brown
14. The Dark, Dark Night by M. Christina Butler
15. If You're Happy & You Know It! by Jane Cabrera
16. Holly's Red Boots by Francesca Chessa
17. Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball by Vicki Churchill
18. Pigs Love Potatoes by Anika Denise
19. Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
20. Dog's Noisy Day: a Story to Read Aloud by Emma Dodd
21. Horse by Malachy Doyle
22. Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
23. Knitty Kitty by David Elliott
24. Bark George by Jules Fieffer
25. Beetle Bop by Denise Fleming
26. The Perfect Nest by Catharine Friend
27. Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
28. The Most Perfect Spot by Diane Goode
29. Ginger Bear by Mini Grey
30. Fall Leaves Fall! by Zoe Hall
31. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
32. A Good Day by Kevin Henkes
33. It's Moving Day! by Pamela M. Hickman
34. Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
35. Angelina Ballerina by Katharine Holabird
36. The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort
37. The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins
38. Help!: a Story of Friendship by Holly Keller
39. Pearl's New Skates by Holly Keller
40. Bubble Bath Pirates by Jarrett Krosoczka
41. Green as a Bean by Karla Kuskin
42. Albert the Fix-it Man by Janet Lord
43. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin
44. The Mighty Street Sweeper by Patrick H. Moore
45. Wake Up Engines by Denise Dowling Mortensen
46. Pillow Pup by Dianne Ochiltree
47. Bobo and the New Neighbor by Gail Page
48. Mouse Mess by Linnea Asplind Riley
49. Looking for a Moose by Phyllis Root
50. Kids Like Us by Carole Lexa Schaefer
51. First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
52. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
53. The Rain Came Down by David Shannon
54. The Stray Dog: from a True Story by Reico Sassa by Marc Simont
55. Gobble Gobble Crash!: a Barnyard Counting Bash by Julie Stiegemeyer
56. The Monster at the End of this Book by Jon Stone
57. Winter Is the Warmest Season by Lauren Stringer
58. Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup
59. Duck at the Door by Jackie Urbanovic
60. Apple Farmer Annie by Monica Wellington
61. Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems
62. Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson
63. Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
64. Who Likes Rain? by Wong Herbert Yee
65. How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? by Jane Yolen

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." Jacqueline Kennedy

Home-made Christmas: Baking Soda Clay Ornaments

Just saw these baking soda clay ornaments on Play At Home Mom LLC and can't wait to try them with Zazu and Kaylicious!

We made ALL of our Christmas ornaments last year, and I'm looking forward to doing it again this year.  Making the ornaments for our tree as a family was such a fun way to spend quality time with my little girls, get into the holiday spirit, and save my carefully chosen and collected "fancy" ornaments for years to come when my daughters can tell the difference between blown glass, crystal, fine china, porcelain and toys. It was so much fun and really helped decrease my holiday stress level. I will post photos of our own baking soda ornaments ASAP.

101 Things to Do With Your Toddler Free Printable

With 656,004 page views to date, my 101 Things to Do With Your Toddler post has been one of my most popular.  I've made it my goal to do everything on the list with my daughters this year.  Little by little, we've been checking them off.  Some of them have been a big hit, and we've done them many times already.

If you'd like to try to do all of these activities with your toddler or preschooler, I've made a free printable checklist to make it easier. Click the link or the chalkboard image below to open and print the printer-friendly checklist.

101 Things to do With Your Toddler Free Printable Checklist!

Click Here to See Blogs Where I Like to Share

No More Sippy Cups

I cannot wait for Kaylicious' and Zazu's new Klean Kanteens to arrive, so I can get rid off all this plastic nonsense.  

One of my Green Goals is to do away with toxic-leaching plastics in our home.  I ordered two Klean Kanteen Sets  for my daughters to replace all these sippy cups.  I know the Klean Kanteens are going to being an environmentally friendly alternative that will make me very happy.  I won't just be happy because they are healthier for my daughters and our planet, but because I hate dealing with all those different plastic cups and their ridiculous mismatched (nothing is universal on these cups) spouts, lids, three-piece straws, etc!!!

Kaylicious chose the Solar Yellow.  Not surprising, since yellow is her favorite color.   Zazu chose the Prevention Purple for herself.  The ones we ordered come with both the sippy lids and the sport bottle caps, so they will grow with the girls.  Our Klean Kanteen Sets shipped yesterday, so hopefully they should be arriving soon!

Klean Kanteen is an awesome green company devoted to doing what's best for their customers' health, their employees and suppliers, and our environment. I love when I find a company from whom I can truly feel good buying.  

Do you have Klean Kanteens at your house? Are you using plastic sippy cups and bottles or greener, healthier alternatives? Are your kids' cups and bottles BPA and phthalate free? Are yours? Leave me a comment telling me what you're using and why.

Related articles

• Klean Kanteen (mamahealthnut.blogspot.com)
• Muffin Tin Monday (counting-on-me.blogspot.com)
• Hungry for Change (mamahealthnut.blogspot.com)

Happy Groundhog Day 2012!

Source: luckymecraftsandkids.blogspot.com

via Shannon on Pinterest

Happy Groundhog Day! Here in Maryland, we've been having a mild winter, so when our favorite weather forcasting rodent, Punxetawny Phil, predicted 6 more weeks of winter, I assured myself that I can definitely handle six more weeks of this.  It was sunny and an atypical 70 degrees here yesterday.  I even wore flip-flops!

To celebrate, the girls and I made these adorable Heart Groundhogs.  I saw them on Pinterest late last night and knew we would be whipping some of these cuties up today. I love how both groundhogs and hearts are incorporated, making it a perfect February craft.

I've been a little under the weather lately, so I was happy to find a simple craft to do with the girls that didn't require me to venture out for supplies.  To make it more uniform and easier to cut out the various hearts needed for this project, I printed the hearts right on the paper and then cut them.  Here's the template I made for myself:

Heart Groundhog Craft Free Printable Template

The template makes two groundhog crafts. You'll only need a few other supplies:

• 1 sheet of white paper 
• 2 sheets of brown paper (Tan, gray, red or pink would work just fine too.)
• scissors -- My little ones are 2 and 3, so I did all the cutting in advance, while they donned their party hats and princess costumes in anticipation of Groundhog Day Craft Festivities. (See photos below).  
• glue sticks
• 4 googly eyes -- In a pinch, you could easily let the kids color the eyes on instead.
• Optional: Tape -- We taped our Groundhog's ears on from the back. Several pipe cleaners in a neutral color -- We used strips of white paper, but if I could have found some pipe cleaners around my house that weren't red and pink, I probably would have let the girls use those for whiskers.  

Here's Princess Zazu showing off her groundhog and her fine fashion sense:

 

Here she is again admiring her royal craftiness:

And here, Kaylicious shows off her groundhog while sporting a Hello Kitty Party Hat!

Happy Groundhog's Day, My Friends!  We're wishing you beautiful weather wherever you are!

I Caught Santa!

This is so fun!  Imagine the look of wonder and surprise when your kids receives a photo of Santa caught in the act in your very own home. iCaughtSanta.com is a unique website that helps visitors create those memorable keepsake photos.

In three easy steps anyone can upload a holiday photo, add Santa Claus and print it as proof… or share it via Facebook and/or Twitter. Last-minute shoppers can purchase Gift Cards and eGift Certificates for loved ones with children, making iCaughtSanta.com a great gift idea even if you don't have your own children.  It costs $9.99, but you can make yours for half off using code: SANTA50

I am definitely doing this, just need to wait until I get Kaylicious and Zazu's gifts all wrapped and under the tree, so I can snap a photo!  They're going to love it! I will post our photo here once it's done!

If you get your own  iCaughtSanta.com photo, leave me a comment with a link, so we can all check it out!  

Sara the Elf on Our Shelf

Our elf arrived last weekend from the North Pole and Kaylicious immediately named her "Sara."  Zazu has bounced back and forth between calling her Sara and "Elfant" which seems to be a combination of elf and elephant.

Here's Sara hanging from our entry way light.  

I used PSE 8 and a free quick page from Free Digital Scrapbooking to make this graphic.

We've had a busy week with Sara.

• We've read Sara's Elf on the Shelf book multiple times.
• Kaylicious was concerned that Sara wouldn't be able to fly to North Pole, if she didn't take the plastic off her box right away. 
• Had a make your own sundae party to welcome Sara.
• Watched  "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story"  (Kaylicious spotted Sara in one of the elves' dance numbers).
• Taken Sara to visit Santa at the mall, after Zazu accidently touched Sara with her foot, zapping her elf power. Thankfully, Santa was able to give Sara her elf powers back, since it was an accident.
• Talked extensively about Sara and discussed how she flies, and what she does when were not  watching.  Ever inquisitive,  Kaylicious has endless questions and thoughts about Sara.
• She has also asked if we could keep Sara after Christmas.  She says she loves her and will miss her if Sara goes back to live at the North Pole.   
• Once I realized our Elf on the Shelf was a girl, I started thinking about more little elf outfits for her.  I've seen the Claus Couture Scout Elf Skirt, but it seems like there should be a whole line of little elf clothes.  What's a girl elf to do? One red leotard and one skirt most definitely does not qualify as a full Elf wardrobe.  I thought for sure someone would have any Etsy shop selling Elf on the Shelf fashions, but so such luck.  If you know where to find elf on the shelf clothes, please leave me a comment.  I know Sara's inner-elf fashionista is dying to come out.
  

Make Your Own Sundae Welcome Party for Sara the Elf

Make Your Own Sundae Elf on the Shelf Welcome Party

We've found Sara getting into mischief and hiding all around our house. After losing her elf powers once with the touch of tiny two-year-old toes, Sara has tried to stay up a bit higher out of Zazu's reach.  Also, since Zazu and Kaylicious are only two and three years old, I think Sara tries not to make her hiding spots too difficult to find.  Each time Kaylicious has found Sara, she has squealed and laughed with delight.

Here are some of Sara's hiding places this week:

1. On top of our Christmas tree 
2. Going wild with streamers
3. Hanging upside down from a ceiling light
4. Sunning herself on the top our window blinds
5. Sitting on top of our kitchen cabinets -- Sadly, she got her feet caught in the cabinet and banged around that night trying to free herself for her trip to the North Pole, but she was stuck.  
6. Riding Kaylicious' Piggy Bank
7. Sitting on top of an alarm sensor in our living room, where she could hang out with us and watch us all day.
   

   

   Sara the Elf on top of Our Christmas Tree 
   
   
   
   Check my Elf on the Shelf Link Party.

Our Elf is Here!

Our The Elf on the Shelf is here. I've got our Tivo set up to record "The Elf on the Shelf: An Elf’s Story" about an elf named Chippey who tries to help a young boy who is struggling to believe in the magic of Christmas. It will be on WJZ 13 Baltimore, our local CBS station, this Friday night at 9:30.  Now, all I need is my little girls home from visiting their Nana in New Jersey, and we'll be ready to get this tradition started.

If you have any tips or creative ideas for introducing our Elf to my two and three year old daughters, please share them by leaving me a comment!



Elf on the Shelf Party Going on Now!

Check out and/or join my Elf on the Shelf Link Party for more Elf on the Shelf ideas and adventures:

Elf on the Shelf

Do you have an Elf on the Shelf?  When I first saw the Elf on the Shelf a couple years ago, I thought it  was cute but a little odd. After learning more and seeing so many adorable Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest, I think I am going to head over to Barnes&Noble and take the plunge.  Kaylicious and Zazu are visiting their Nana in New Jersey right now, and I think it will be exciting to have their Elf here when they return.


Here's the Story behind the Elf on The Shelf:
from ElfOnTheShelf.com

Have you ever wondered how Santa knows who is naughty and who is nice? The Elf on the Shelf – A Christmas Tradition is the very special tool that helps Santa knows who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This interactive holiday hide-and-seek tradition is perfect for children and families of all ages.

The tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and become a part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.

Excellent listeners and even better observers, these scout elves are the eyes and ears of Santa Claus. Although they cannot be touched, or else they may lose their magic, the elf will always listen and relay messages back to Santa. Taking in all the day-to-day activities around the house, no good deed goes unnoticed; these scout elves take their job seriously.

Each night, after the family goes to bed, the scout elf uses his magical Christmas powers to fly back to the North Pole. Once there, the elf will make his or her daily report to Santa and visit with elf friends where they will tell stories about their beloved families, play with the reindeer, and of course, sneak some of Mrs. Claus’ cookies!

Before the family awakes each morning, their special scout elf will fly back to their home from the North Pole. However, since these elves like to play games, don’t expect to find them in the same spot! While some like to hide in the freezer (probably because it reminds them of the North Pole) and others prefer to sit on the fireplace mantle or hang from the chandelier, these elves love to play hide-and-seek with their families.

On Christmas Eve, the scout elf will listen for Santa’s bell and then fly back to the North Pole until the next season, wishing every girl and each boy a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy.

Source: flickr.com via Shannon on Pinterest

I love the idea of starting a new holiday tradition with my daughters. With virtually endless opportunities for mischievous holiday fun, I think The Count and I may enjoy "The Elf on the Shelf" every bit as much as Kaylicious and Zazu do.

You can check out my Elf on Shelf Board on Pinterest Here:
Elf on the Shelf Ideas on Pinterest

Send Me Some Elf Love:

I Want Hear About Your Elves . . . If you have an Elf on your Shelf, please share your thoughts.   Leave me a comment, telling your best Elf idea or your funniest Elf moment.

Playaway View: Have you seen these yet?

The library near our house, the Abingdon Branch of the  Harford County Public Library, is a fantastic and free resource for me as a mom of two small children and it just got even better.  They recently started lending the Playaway View.  In a single word, the Playaway View is AWESOME!  At 3¾ and and almost 2 respectively, Kaylicious and Zazu absolutely love them, and so do I.


The new Playaway View is so easy and so portable.  Our library allows me to check out two Playaway Views at a time and keep them for one week each.  I can carry them in my purse and hand them to the girls, while I am running errands or doing other tasks for which toddlers only have so much patience.  I love that I can give each child her own Playaway View, especially at times when they are not sharing well or can't seem to keep their hands to themselves. The Playaway Views are the perfect little distraction to help keep my girls from fighting with each other, crying, screaming or whining while we are out in public or for long car rides!

Playaway View is the first and only pre-loaded video player. Each View can hold multiple hours of digital video content while keeping with the Playaway promise of simple, portable and durable. With the best educational and entertainment content out there,  Playaway Views are currently exclusive to libraries

• Pre-loaded with multiple videos
• Full color LCD screen with shatter-resistant acrylic screen
• Built-in speaker and optional headphone jack
• Rechargeable internal lithium-polymer battery provides over 8 hours of continuous play
• Simple 7 button functionality
• Weighs only 5.4 ounces

Who's Playaway View For?

• Toddlers/Kids: These durable devices can go wherever they go; with content from Sesame Street to Little Pim, it's a great way to learn and grow
• Teens: Shakespeare, National Geographic and more—school-work has never been so fun
• Busy parents: No downloads or internet needed; each View is pre-loaded with multiple videos from top studios across the nation

Have you tried the Playaway View Yet? If so, please leave me a comment with your or your child(ren)'s favorite titles. Sesame Beginnings and Sesame Street Numbers & ABCs are the only titles we've tried so far, but my daughters are already requesting countless other titles for the Playaway Views.  Our library has a decent-sized collection considering that they just started offering them, but I already can't wait for them to get even more titles.

Muffin Tin Monday

Have you tried Muffin Tin Meals for your little ones yet?  I've seen lots of posts about them all around Blog Land, but hadn't tried them until recently.  I only had full-size muffin tins (with 12 cups), so I purchase four 6-cups muffin tins at The Dollar Tree especially for muffin tin meals.  The cups in the tins are regular size, but the tins themselves are small (just six cups).  At first it was a little bit of a challenge for me to come up with six healthy, balanced servings of kid-friendly foods, but it gets easier and my girls really love them!

Here are a few of the combinations we've tried so far:

1. Morning Star Farms Chik'n Nuggets

2. Carrots

3. Raisins

4.Watermelon

5.Keebler Club Minis Multi-Grain Crackers

6. Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1. Annie's Bunny Grahams Friends
2. Blackberries
3. Chobani Blueberry 0% Greek Yogurt
4. Nature's Promise Organic Unsweetened Applesauce
5. Strawberries
6. Plain Quaker Oatmeal w/Raisins Added

1. Mashed Potatoes

2. Snaps Peas

3. Watermelon

4. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

5. Baby Carrots

6. Mozzarella String Cheese

1. Chobani Blueberry 0% Greek Yogurt

2. Post Banana Nut Crunch Cereal and Milk

3. Grapes

4. Banana

5. Raspberry

6. Craisins

And here's Zazu cheesing like a crazy baby in anticipation of her muffin tin breakfast:

Can you tell she loves them?

Wild8Designs Hair Clip Giveaway

I'm so excited to host my first giveaway. I'm even more excited that the giveaway is of adorable summery barrettes and a headband from one of my favorite shops, Wild8Designs. Wild8Designs is run by 2 moms who have 4 kids each thus the wild8. They sell the cutest array of hair clips at super reasonable prices! One lucky winner will receive a strawberry, crabs and stars, cherries, a frilly white bow, and a patriotic butterfly all on partially lined alligator clips and a red, white and blue woven headband! You can enter here: Wild8Designs Hair Clip Giveaway Entry Form. Read on to learn how to get up to six chances to win.

Your little girl will look so sweet in these.

The butterfly can be worn on or off the headband for a variety of looks.

Strawberry and Cherry Barrettes made of Grosgrain Ribbon.  So Cute.

Perfect for summer!

How to Enter:
6 chances to win! You must complete the Entry Form to me be eligible to win: You will receive one chance to win for each of the following:

1. Like Wild8Designs on Facebook and leave a comment on their wall telling them you've entered the giveaway at Counting on Me.
2. Look through the photos of Wild8Designs products and leave me comment telling me which are your favorites.
3. Share a link to this contest on your facebook wall with a comment letting your friends know which of the hair accessories in the giveaway is your favorite.
4. Place an order with Wild8Designs and leave me a comment telling me what you got -- You can order by emailing Wild8Designs at Wild8Designs@aol.com.
5. Follow this blog using Google Friends Connect
6. Like Counting on Me on Facebook. Leave a message on my wall letting me know you've entered the contest!

The contest will close on Friday, June 24th at noon EST. Good Luck!

Fill out this Entry Form to win!!!

I'm linking to:
 


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