Take a break, relax and get revitalized and inspired with our solution to Mommy time-outs.  An hour or so by yourself on these great pool loungers and swimming pool floats will put your summertime “mental health” back on track.  Put up your NO KIDS ALLOWED signs and enjoy.

Cabriolet Pool Lounger

Just Restocked-Get ‘Em While They Last!

OH…MY….GOSH!!  Picture yourself in her shoes right about when you can’t take one more “MOMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….”.

Lose your guilt Moms and give yourself a little “you time” with this relaxing pool float.  It’s okay to take yourself to the pool once in a while without the kids and care for yourself rather than always caring for everyone else.

Noodler 1 Swimming Pool Float

Take The Heat Off Of Yourself

It’s hot, the kids are hot, the house is hot, the kitchen is hot…you’re getting very very hot too (in more ways than one).  So take a break and cool down with one of our favorite inflatable water toys for moms.  In the winter-time my favorite mommy-time is taking a nice hot bath surrounded by candles and music, but in the summertime it’s all about cooling down.

Ahh-Qua Pool Lounger

Invite Another Mommy To Take A Break With You…

Sometimes we moms need to spend a little time out with other mommies who understand.  The Ahh-Qua Pool Lounger gives you and your friends the perfect opportunity to relax, cool down and chat it all out.

Ahh-Qua Bar Pool Float

…invite dad and another mom and dad to join you in your “Mommy-Time”

If you’re in the mood for a mom/dad time-out, then this ahh-qua bar pool float my be just the thing.  Invite some friends, pack up the cocktails…and take a well deserved break away from the kids.

“Mom, I’m bored..can we go to…….”?  “Mom, I don’t have anything to do because all of my friends are gone”.  Welcome to the world of summer.  Moms all over America are hearing the whines and moans of their kiddos, and school has only been out for a short perior of time.  It’s going to be a long long summer!

Of course everything seems to be more fun if Mom joins in on the fun…and that’s all well and good.  But doesn’t mom deserve a little “me time”.  Get a babysitter, ask your hubby to take the kids for an hour or two, and spend a little time in the pool with some of our favorite for moms only inflatable pool toys!

Face it moms, we often forget to take care of ourselves.  And when summer rolls around it gets even more difficult because we spend all of our time arranging schedules and playdates, planning activities, keeping the kids healthy and happy, etc. etc.  It’s important to sometimes give yourself a break too!

Swimming Pool Floats And Pool Loungers For “BIG Kids” is a post from: All Child's Play

Actually, I don’t have a baby.  But I do have a 3 year old grandson who can’t read.  He can write and spell his name, and he “thinks” he can read as we’re going through his books that he’s read a million, kazillion times.  But the fact is, he cannot read and he’s still a very intelligent, healthy, happy little boy.

Personally I find this whole concept ridiculous.  The infomercials show these little babies, who are barely starting to eat solid foods,  whipping through these flash cards with their parents who think they are raising the next Einstein.  Who cares if your baby can read?

Wouldn’t you rather be spending that time with them on normal childhood activities.  There are plenty of learning activities and games that moms-dads-and babies can participate in together that don’t involve drilling and grilling them over and over again with flashcards.  Enjoy their early years doing things that are fun, yet they are still learning.

I remember when my son first started Kindergarten we were told that he was behind in his fine motor skills.  He couldn’t use scissors worth a darn.  I felt like a horrible parent for not teaching him that skill.  But he could write his own name.

Fortunately for us, he had a very good teacher who explained to us that almost all kids enter kindergarten with different skill levels.  Some have great motor skills, some can write and do a little “reading”, and some can’t do either.  She explained to us that studies have proven by the third grade all children catch up to each other in their skill levels.

That’s not to say that they all perform the same.  Obviously they don’t, as noted in their report cards (do they still call them that?).  But their level of learning is on an even platform by the time they reach the third grade no matter how much they knew when they first started school.

Frankly I realize I may tick off and rile up a few parents with these bold statements.  But every time I see those infomercials with the parents holding up those flashcards and clapping and cheering their babies on, I have to laugh.    Are these babies really enjoying this monotonous activity or would they rather be playing with their blocks and shape sorters or wire and bead manipulators where they’re having a whole lot more fun, yet learning without it being force fed to them.

Tell me what you think.  I’d love to hear what other moms and dads think about this concept.

My Baby Can’t Read! Can Yours? is a post from: All Child's Play

We have fond memories of those times, but there were also some not so fond memories of uninvited guests visiting the old wooden sandbox daily.  The neighborhood cats!  It became a ritual every morning to go out and clean up the “presents” that the cats had left behind.  Even after we had cleaned it up, we were always worried that one of the kids might get sick from whatever else the cats had done in there (urinating).

Hubby made all kinds of homemade covers to keep out the cats, but they were either very bulky and hard to store, or difficult to get on and off all the time.  That old homemade wooden sandbox has been gone for years, but the cats still remain in the neighborhood.  We wanted to get a new backyard sandbox for the grandkids and determined not to go through the whole cat issue again.

Now there are all kinds of sandbox covers to help parents eliminate this problem.  For the grandkids we’ve decided upon a childrens sandbox that comes with it’s own cover.

This kidkraft sandbox comes with it’s own mesh cover.  The mesh cover is great because it’s porous enough that rain won’t puddle on top of it.   It’s also really easy to store and take on and off.

Kidkraft carries another childrens sandbox with it’s own mesh cover, but this sandbox is a little smaller than we wanted.

The thing we did like about this other one though is the great storage bins underneath the side seats to store all of those fun sandbox toys (which include half of my kithen utensils and bowls?).

Here’s a little tip I learned years ago for those of you who have cat problems in your uncovered sandboxes.  Sprinkle all of the sand with good old white vinegar.  Not only does it sanitize anything the cats may have left behind on previous visits, but it also helps to keep them away from the sand because they don’t like the smell of it.

Another serious safety concern with backyard sandboxes is too much sun!  Like I said, our kids used to spend hours and hours in their sandbox, and too much sun is always a concern.  You can lather them up every couple of hours with lots of sunblock, but a covered sandbox provides one more big layer of protection from the sun.  Of course you can always place your sandbox in a location under a tree where the kiddos won’t get as much sun, but then you have the problem of leaves and birds to deal with.  These covered sandboxes will assure you that the kids are having a healthy and happy playtime out of the sun.

Every sunburn a child gets is harmful and raises their chances of skin cancer.  For more information on protecting your kids from summer sun dangers, go here.

Have a fun, happy and healthy summer with your kids and their backyard sandbox.

Backyard Sandbox - Summertime Safety Tips is a post from: All Child's Play

"My Plasma Car's Faster Than Yours Is"

On a recent visit to our son Ryan’s house, they got out the Plasma Cars and we all had a lot of fun tooling around the house.  Of course Colton had to show us how fast he was, but he wouldn’t relinquish his new stuffed whale so the whale got to go for a little spin too.  That darned old whale probably cost him the race!

Last September Ryan started telling us we just “had” to get these Plasma Cars for Colton for Christmas (here’s a little research I did on them at the time:  “Some Kids Toys Are So Much Fun Parents Can’t Wait To Play With Them”). It’s not often you find a ride on toy that both the parents and kids can share, but these Plasma Cars are just that.

I gotta tell ya, now I understand all of the videos of adults on these ride on toys that I posted  in that entry.  Keep in mind, our son is over 6 feet tall and he was able to easily manipulate these things around tables and chairs, corners and hallways, and everything else in the house.   Here they are coming down a very narrow hallway.

Don’t ask me how these things work, because I have no clue about the dynamics of them, but even in this very narrow hallway they can turn these little ride on toys around without having to get off of the car. By simply jiggling and moving the steering wheel they turn any way you want them to.

Hubby and I even took them for a few spins around the house.  Fortunately they didn’t capture any pictures of that action, but let me tell you, hubby is not a small guy.  He’s 235 and even he was able to ride them and manipulate them around very easily.

If you’re looking for a fun ride on toy for your kids that you can really enjoy with them (rather than chasing them and following them down the street), then these Plasma Cars fit the bill.

I still think that we were really buying these as a gift to Ryan because he really wanted one himself, but no matter!  They are really enjoying them together and that’s what counts when you’re purchasing gifts for your kids and grandkids.

My orginal post when I was researching these has a few good videos, so go check it out!

Plasma Car Phun Photo Phinish is a post from: All Child's Play

It’s that time of year when we all get the itch to jump in and get the house cleaned and organized.  I usually like to start my spring cleaning in April because here in Colorado it’s just starting to get nice enough to start popping out the windows and giving them a thorough cleaning.  I also like to wash the window screens so this is a good time of the year to undertake that awful task.

It’s also a good time to start tossing out and decluttering all the stuff that tends to build up in the house during the winter. I’ve really been itching to get into the grandkid’s playroom and organize all of the toys and what-nots that have been collecting in piles and boxes from Christmas, Valentines, Birthdays and now Easter.  I’m one of those who is ruthless about organizing and keeping things in their place, but somehow or other this room has gotten away from me.

One thing that will really help you out with your spring cleaning is to invest in the right tools for organizing your home. If you don’t already have closet organizers, files for different documents and enough shelving, then spring is a good time to make that investment so that you can really dig in and take back your rooms. Having the right tools on hand to organize will make the job go a lot easier.

The rooms that many  parents have the most difficult time organizing are the kid’s rooms and the playrooms.  Having the right toy organizers and kids bookshelves are important to keeping these clutter gathering rooms under control and should be a part of your spring cleaning agenda.

At Christmas our son bought one of these sling bookshelves for his son Colton’s room and they absolutely love it.  When I first saw it looked a little smaller than I had imagined, but it’s worked out perfectly for them and holds a lot more books than I thought it would.  I’ve decided it’s the perfect solution for organizing  all of the books and coloring books that have been collecting in the “grandkid room” here at our house.

Here’s what I really like about this sling bookshelf by Kidkraft:

1. They Are Very Kid Friendly…your kids can easily place the books into the shelves by themselves and organize them the way they like them.
2. Promotes Family Reading
3. Little Hands Can reach books themselves and can put the books easily in and out of the shelves
4. Books can be displayed with the covers forward, rather than spine forwards on bookshelves.  Kids like to see the covers of their books and when you store them on bookshelves they can only view the spine of the book, if even that due to the height of old fashioned bookshelves.
5. Gives kids a sense of ownership that the books are actually theirs (personalize it with your child’s name or family name too!)
6. Space saving…they take very little floor space so they easily fit into any room in your home
7. Won’t tip over and hurt the kids .  This is my favorite feature.  When I was about 7 or 8 years old I actually pulled a bookshelve over onto myself while trying to reach a book on one of the upper shelves.  These are safe and lightweight and kids can reach the books from any one of the several sling bookshelves.
8. The Soft canvas shelves protect your kid’s books and keep them from getting worn and tattered.

Enter the sling. The little Mister will be able to take out one book at a time, and can properly return it to help us keep the playroom organized. Once tidy we’re hoping the books will stay tidy, and they won’t fall out.  Our former kids book shelf, which has been a box and the floor has been a mess and I’m looking forward the having this charming little sling bookshelf for the books to call home.

Spring cleaning is a major undertaking, but once done it feels so good to move into summer with a clean and organized home.  There are a lot of other toy organizers to help you get your kid’s rooms and playrooms organized this spring including  toy boxes,  toy caddies and  toy lockers.  With new outdoor toys moving in this summer and taking over your backyard, at least you’ll have the pleasure of knowing your indoor toys are organized and in their place in your home.

Oh, and if you’re looking for a good general spring cleaning checklist, here’s one I like to follow.

Woman’s Day Magazine…Your Ultimate Spring Cleaning Checklist

Spring Cleaning On Your Agenda? Sling Those Kids Books Into A Sling Bookshelf! is a post from: All Child's Play

(you can watch the full first  episode of Food Revolution here)

Seems that a lot of people are offended by a “Brit” coming into the U.S. to tell us how to eat and how we need to change our school lunch programs.  Check out what LettuceEatKale has to say about his invasion into the United States schools.

As one of the most overweight countries in the world, we need to stop the madness and start teaching our kids healthy eating habits in their early years.  Weight issues begin in youth…and we adults are responsible for teaching our children how to eat properly.  Most importantly…that includes us being able to depend upon our school system  to cut out the pizza and french fries and “get with it”.

For the past 30+ years I’ve been fit and trim, but that wasn’t always the case.  In my younger years I “leaned” towards the chubby side due to an extremely high intake of school vending machine  potato chips and Kraut Burger Wednesday school lunches.  Getting rid of that “chub” I acquired during my school years took a lot of determination and effort.

Fortunately I was able to pass on my newly acquired healthier eating habits to our kids with the family time dinners I prepared, and the packed lunches I sent with them to school everyday.  Our kids never had to fight weight issues…and there’s no doubt in my mind it was all because they didn’t eat the unhealthy/fattening crap that was being served at school.  Those same eating habits carried over onto our nightly family dinner table.  To this day our kids still prefer to eat lighter and healthier food (and no…we’re not vegetarians and yes we do still stock cookies and chips in the cabinet, but a can of tuna or some fresh snap peas still trump a cookie when anyone wants a snack in our house-except for hubby).

I say “Hooray” for Jamie Oliver.  He’s bringing attention and awareness to an issue that many parents never even knew existed.  I mean really, were you aware that deep fried french fries qualify for the mandatory vegetable category of school lunches?  They’re not serving steamed brocolli or cauliflower because the french fries are easier and less expensive.

Jamie Oliver has got my 100% support!!

Things won’t change quickly from a 6 week television episode, but the reality is that he has sparked a lot of controversy which in turn may spill over to a parental revolt against our current school lunch programs.  Parents have the right to fight for their children’s health and I think that Jamie Oliver will have a lot of parents uniting to create better school lunch programs for the health and welfare of our children.

Jamie Oliver and Food Revolution are certainly “stirring the Pot!  What about You?

Is A “Food Revolution” In Our Children’s Future is a post from: All Child's Play

So the Saint Patrick’s Day 3rd birthday went off spectacularly for our little Irish grandson.

Since the family loves to play golf together, we decided to get him a “big boy toy” of Junior Golf Clubs.

As you can see, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with the putter.  ???? Is he examining it closely to make sure it’s of finest quality??   Does he think he come somehow see through it??  Are the flashes from the camera blinding him??

Don’t know…but it sure was cute and he was loving his new jr golf sets.

“Okay…Now I Get It”

Okay, with a little instruction from the family he gets it.  You put the putter on the ground…not in front of your face.

We thought his love of hockey, and the overused hockey set we got him last year would be somewhat of an introduction into junior golf.

These little Junior Golf  Bags really are adorable .  The lighting wasn’t so good in our photos, and doesn’t show the true bright red vibrancy of the bag.  It has all kinds of zipper pouches for balls, tees, club heads (which by the way are included), etc. and it’s got the built in stand which for Colton was one of the most important things.

He loved to show us how to carry it and then stand it up…ready for play.

“I’m getting  a little bored with this indoor play…let’s go outside and hit the links”

After all of the family instructions and posing for photos… (interest has been lost)

Colton doesn’t look so excited now.  Seemed to do a little better when he was holding the putter up to his head, but I’m sure after a time or two in the backyard with grandma and pop-pop hitting lots and lots of whiffle golf balls, and a few outings to the driving range with dad…he’ll catch on and learn to love golf just as much as he loves his hockey!

Of course, the most important thing is that his junior golf set will look just like daddy’s.  So Cool!

This junior golf set is truly more than we expected it to be.  It’s a total junior golf equipment package from the professional looking bag and clubs right down to the golf club covers (which Colton enjoyed taking off and putting back on over and over and over again).  If you have a little one that enjoys golf, and you’re thinking of purchasing a set of junior golf clubs, then here’s some great information  where you determine how to measure for youth golf clubs. It’s all about chosing the appropriate junior golf equipment and Measuring Your Child For Junior Golf Clubs.

This set is for 3-5 year olds, and based on the length of the clubs and how Colton handled them, we’re pretty sure it will make it for at least another 2 years.  They do have sets for 5-7, 7-10 and so on, so make sure you understand how to measure for your child before you invest in a set of youth golf clubs.

We’re pretty excited for a little warmer weather and golf course openings so that we can spend some really special one on one grandma-grandpa-Colton time on the driving range.  He loves doing just about anything with us that we enjoy doing, so it should be a great time.

Colton’s New Junior Golf Clubs is a post from: All Child's Play

Here are just a few of our favorite  personalized gift from Mr. Peter Cottontail himself that will make this Easter a memorable one for your littlest toddlers.

Here’s the little beauty that will be making lots of little girls happy this Easter.

She fits with all the vibrancy and joy of gifts from the Easter Bunny, and includes your little ones who aren’t yet old enough for all the chocolate bunnies and trinkets that the Bunny typically  brings. Personalize her with your child’s name and enjoy their smiles as they rock to the music of four different children’s songs.

And Here’s an Enchanter That Will Keep Many Little Boys Happy This Easter

Kids are sure to love rocking on the elephant’s back and listening to the fun songs he plays.

The Personalized Enchanted Elephant will bring hours of joy to your little tikes.

Kidkraft will also personalize their Dynamite Dinosaur Rocker and the Cuddly Cow Rocking Toy.

Personalized Kid’s Doll Cradle

The Lil’ Doll Cradle is a piece of quality KidKraft doll furniture. Young girls will love pampering their favorite real life dolls with our KidKraft Lil Doll Cradle.

What makes this cradle even more special is that you can Personalize It!

Personalized Child’s Rocker And Otteman

Scaled to fit a child, our Rocker and Ottoman set makes great kids room furnishings. A comfy place for kids to read stories, play let’s pretend, or just relax with their feet up.

Available in all your favorite spring colors for the Easter holiday!

Easter is April 4th and there’s still plenty of time to order Unique Personalized Gifts for your kids to arrive in time.  What child wouldn’t beam to think that the Easter Bunny thought they were special enough to receive their very own personalized gift.

Unique Personalized Kids Easter Gifts is a post from: All Child's Play

Didn’t we just finish Christmas and Valentine’s Day?  Panic has once again set in to get prepared for yet another round of gift giving from imaginary characters.

I remember when I was a kid, and when our kids were little, they used to have big Easter coloring contests at the local grocery stores and other merchants.  When you’d finished coloring your picture, your parents would return it to the merchant and enter it in your appropriate age category to win prizes for the best pictures.

The merchants would have an area where they would display all of the pictures, grouped by age.  Kids love to color Easter pictures, so I wanted to pass on to you a free printable Personalized Kids Easter Bunny Letters. You just enter your child’s name and your email address, and they’ll send you a link to print your free coloring page personalized with your child’s name right on it.

They also have some other fun things on this site like a personalized kids letter from the Easter Bunny. Did you know that most kids write Easter Bunny letters every year.  Yep, it’s not just all about letters to Santa.  The Easter Bunny also gets loads and loads of letters every year.

This is a fun thing to do with your child.  You can help them out by encouraging them to let the Easter Bunny know what their favorite candy and treats are in their letter, and you can even help them decorate their letter to make it extra special.

Remember, once your child sends off that letter to the Easter Bunny, they’ll be expecting to receive some sort of reply letter.  You can write and mail your own personalized kids letter from the Easter Bunny, or if you’re like me and short on time you can order one from this same site.

The letter from the Easter Bunny can be completely personalized by you so that it’s uniquely a “one-of-a-kind” personalized kids collectible signed by the Easter Bunny himself!!

HAPPY EASTER !

Personalized Kids Letters From The Easter Bunny is a post from: All Child's Play

Of course it may not be the most exciting thing he gets for his birthday.  Face it…. kids are kids.   When it comes to birthday gifts or christmas gifts for the little ones…it’s all about the toys!   They’re always yearning for and dreaming of the  latest and hottest toys on the market.  I mean…why not!   I’m a grandma who still loves toys, so I can understand their enthusiasm over receiving lots and lots of new toys.

Despite that, sometimes it’s nice to be just a little bit different and give a unique personalized gift.  Since I do almost all of my gift shopping online , I’m constantly amazed at some of the extremely creative and crafty websites I come across.  Lots of very talented people are now online selling their crafty wares from the comfort of their homes.  They’re unique…they’re different…but sometimes they’re a little pricey….as they should be.  After all, that stay at home mom (or dad), is putting a lot of time into creating that one of a kind craft!

personalized step stools are a great project for crafters I’m personally not the craftiest person on the block…nor do I even run a close second. The other day I came across this website, Belle Plaine, where a stay at home mom went into great detail explaining how she creates personalized step stools. She has lots of step by step pictures with detailed explanations under the pictures as to exactly how she went about creating a personalized child step stool for her daughter ” Braedyn”.

Stools for kids are almost a necessity for busy working moms and dads. They give our little independent loved ones a way to reach the sink to brush their teeth without our assistance, wash their hands when we’re busy, and step up to sit on the “big size potty” when mommy or daddy aren’t available to lift them on.

And since kids love to embrace their own identity and egos, they love to see their name on things…so these make perfect personalized kids gifts for those who would like to save a little money on some home essentials.

You can get the the step-by-step to making these name stools at Belle Plaine - “Creating Memories One Tantrum At A Time” (I’ve never met Belle, but ya gotta love that quote…comes from the heart of a real mom).

If you’re like me and don’t have the skill level to create your own personalized stools, or the time for those types of projects , here’s a resource to purchase ready made personalized step stools shipped right to your front door.  They may not have the “mom”  touch that Belle’s kids stools have, but these childrens stools with your child’s name handpainted right on them make great gifts.  They also let your child know you’re really proud of them and the independence they’ve achieved.

Kidkraft Personalized Step Stools For Kids

They come in lots of colors…any name you like…and they also have storage right in the step tool for all kinds of goodies (I’m sure your children will use their imaginations as to what they can figure out to store in there…just make sure to check it frequently when the remote control is missing).

Personalized Step Stools For Kids - How To For Crafty Moms is a post from: All Child's Play