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One thing my kids always get an abundance of every Christmas is hat, scarf, and mittens sets. And that's okay, because we can use them, they get wet easily, need changing out frequently, and get lost easily. It's a fact of life when you have little ones. This year was no exception, though we did get fewer than usual... but each kid got at least one set. I got two sets of gloves, Broofy got one, and Baby Bee got two sets.
One of those is a beanie hat and scarf set from Fuzzy Green. Remember them? That's the company I got the skinny tie from. Anyway, this set is super cute, let me show you.
Let me clarify, the color of the items is like the professional photo above, not like the one of Baby Bee. My bedroom light tends to make things more yellow. But how cute is that, really? The knit patterns are beautiful, the colors are bold and vibrant, and the little touches are so adorable!
The hat actually resembles an artists' beret and could easily either be worn loosely as a beret or worn normal as a beanie, depending on your preference. We prefer beret. It has a super cute little bear/mouse accent in the front that is brown with a gold bow. It also has a sizable dark purple pouf on top.
The scarf is a really nice length and comes in matching colors. Each end has a pink pouf to match the pink in the scarf and hat. I like that the pouf on the scarf is not the same color as the one on the hat, it gives a nice amount of interest.
The set is pretty warm and I've heard no complaints. She chose to wear it on her own while indoors, so she must like it pretty well. It fits her well, she's a small five year old. I think these are just super cute and and I would recommend them.
To learn more, check out Fuzzy Green on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
All of the kids got a phone for Christmas. I know what you're thinking... a PHONE!? Yes, a phone. It didn't break the bank at $10 apiece and will not be connected to a plan. They are for app use only. Apps like Kindle, Netflix, Gummy Bear, Art Studio, Pottery, etc. They are mini tablets and the kids love them. I knew when I first saw those $10 phones at Walmart that it would be the show-stopper gift and I'd need to get accessories to go with them.
Headphones for sanity, check. Styluses, check. Chargers, cases, and screen protectors, check. Selfie sticks, check. Each kid got the essentials. The Big One got a couple extras. For example, she got a set of blue tooth ear buds (review coming tomorrow) and a blue tooth speaker. I think I can somewhat trust her not to lose the earbuds or play the speaker too loud. At least if she does, we listen to the same music.
So what was this speaker that she got? It's an ultra-cool looking wireless speaker from CoolStream. It came with a manual, USB charging cord, and a double ended Auxiliary cord.
It's a good sized speaker, which I like. Bigger means harder to lose, although she has already misplaced it once. But it's durable too, with a metal front mesh plate and cone-like shape. You can lay it on it's side or on it's back with the speaker facing straight up. Since it's wireless, it doesn't matter, so long as you are using the blue tooth option. If you are using any other option, you won't be able to lay it on it's back.
Here's a little look at it's features:
First of all, it's blue tooth. This means you can connect your device wirelessly to the speaker and it will play the sound of your device. It's easy to connect, you just turn on the speaker, enter the blue tooth menu on your device and click on "CoolStream" to pair the two together. When it is paired, you can start listening.
Secondly, it has the double ended auxiliary cord. This means that you can use this speaker for non-blue tooth devices. Say you have an MP3 player that has no blue tooth... just plug one end of the cord into the MP3 player's headphone jack and the other into the back of the speaker. Now you can listen to your favorite songs out loud, sans headphones.
Another incredible feature is the SD Memory Card slot. Yeah, you heard me... a memory card slot... in a speaker. You can fill that card with MP3 songs and listen without connecting it to ANYTHING! How freaking awesome is that!? I wish I'd kept the speaker now. But alas, looks like The Big One needs a memory card now.
So anyway, the sound is amazing, clear, warm, and beautiful. It really is very nice. It beats the computer speakers for sure! You'd never guess that sound would come from such a small (comparatively speaking) package. I absolutely adore this speaker and I recommend it for anyone needing a blue tooth sound system.
To learn more, check out CoolStream on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
Aww, man... Boog is growing up so fast. I can't believe how smart he is. Up until a few weeks ago, when Baby Bee really started picking up in words, he was at the same academic level she was and she's in Kindergarten. SO I'm pretty excited, you might say.
He turns 3 in a couple months. He can identify all his letters, shapes, colors, numbers 1-19 and can write all the letters as well as spell a couple words. He writes the word "MOM" everywhere. *HEART* He also has a huge vocabulary. He's always saying things that I wouldn't expect, like "Whoop! 'Cuse me.", or "You didn't do that, Sumyr did!". He's also a fairly exceptional artist for his age. He's pretty amazing.
I just enrolled him into an online preschool program so he can learn even more. And along with that, I'm keeping some tools for around the house. One of them is some alphabet magnets. I've gotten alphabet magnets before and swore off ever getting them again because they always slid down the fridge if they stayed on at all... but I caved.
These ones are great. They stay, the magnets are strong enough to hold them in place. It's a first of all the magnets I've owned. They have one magnet each too, which made it that much more surprising.
These magnets come with Uppercase, Lowercase, and numbers 0-9. The possibilities are endless! He instantly grew a liking to them, it actually got him to take his focus off a screen and onto something tactile. He ADORES letters, I knew it would be a hit.
The magnets aren't quite as small as other I've had either, not that they're too much bigger. But they are slightly bigger and their colors are varied and bold. They are the main primary and secondary colors. There really is no rhyme or reason to which letters get which color. Upper and lowercase colors don't always match up, they are pretty random.
My favorite feature of this set is that it comes wit upper and lower, I think that's great for learning how to spell names. This whole set is pretty great and I would recommend it for young children.
To learn more, check out SomaSix on Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, or on their website at SomaSix.com.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
My kids are scaredy cats. I mean, I remember being terrified when I was a kid that someone might break in through my window, but I also remember sucking it up and dealing with it. My kids... not so much. The idea of walking down the hallway alone will bring them to the verge of tears and they have no problem being very vocal about that fear. We live on the back of a five acre lot with nothing but woods behind us and enough dogs in the apartment building to stop any bad man in their tracks, so I'm not sure what they're soooo scared of. Monsters? Maybe? They all sleep with a light on, which is pretty costly. It's something that needs to change.
Streaker just got herself some solar flower lights to put in her window to charge in the day and light up her room at night, but we need to cover 3 bedrooms. So we're looking into more options. More boy/tom boy friendly options.
One option is a solar powered camping lantern. It charges in the window in the day and lights up all night, just like the flowers. We tried this one out by Bright Outdoors. It's the most awesome thing ever! It's both a flashlight and a lantern, both solar and battery, both compact and not. Check it out!
Okay, so first of all, it is LED, so you know it's bright. But it also doesn't take as much power to run. When the lantern is folded down, the light makes for a super bright flashlight. You can change it between bright, really bright, or an SOS flashing light. Being able to choose is a great way to make the power last just a little bit longer.
Secondly, it folds up into a lantern, just pull apart the two ends and voila! A lantern. It's still very bright and will easily light up a tent or small camper for any night time purposes. It has a handle to hold it from, so you could use it for port-a-potty runs at night, etc.
A really awesome feature is the power bank feature. Yes, it's a solar charged lamp, but if you are in a hurry, you can charge it via USB. Not only that, but you can charge other devices using the lantern! It will charge a normal smartphone up to 50%. So if you are lost in the woods with a dead phone, this will charge it enough to call someone for help or find your GPS coordinates. I don;t know about your phone, but mine lasts a LONG time on 50%, certainly enough to help me find my way back to a road if I'm only a mile or two out.
And one last awesome feature, it's waterproof. So a trip to the bathroom in the rain is no problem... for the lantern. In fact, it's so awesome that I couldn't justify keeping it for a night light. We ended up giving it to my survivalist brother. He's been collecting camping and outdoor survival equipment for years and he was really impressed with this lantern. He especially liked that it's solar and has a back up battery.
I definitely recommend this to anyone who goes camping, it's an incredible asset to have. To learn more, check out Bright Outdoors on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
My van is out of commission, I've actually just been told that it's permanently out of commission. My disappointment can not be understated, I love that van. But while it's been in the shop, I've been using Broofy's van for errands and appointments. Its... different. Than mine. It's not the same, and I don't like it. I just don't. I could list a million reasons why it's not my cup of tea, but first on that list is that it's made for tall people. Tall seats, tall buckles. Ugh!
Don't get me wrong, I'm super grateful that we're a two-vehicle family. I can't imagine what I would do at home all day and every single day with no errands to run or places to be. I've been home most of every day for a month or so and I'm pretty close to going AWOL. I love that I can get even a quick trip down town with his van. But I'm not tall. I will NEVER be tall, my kids mostly won't be tall. My husband... he's tall. I doubt he's even noticed how incredibly uncomfortable his van is for us shorties.
A few weeks ago, Streaker was commenting on this. She told me something in the way of, "Mom, these seat belts hurt my neck!". I told her, "Oh no, Honey... you just need to adjust them so they are the lowest they can get". I may or may not have been readjusting my own seat belt for the thousandth time that ride while telling her this. Surprise! Her seat belt WAS the lowest it could get. Just as mine was. That's what a seat belt adjuster is for, but I don't think his van has any. It was bought used. Solution?
This awesome seat belt pillow. It's like a stuffed animal that protects your neck from the belt. He's a giraffe and his name is Gerry. He comes with an awesome kick mat/seat organizer and a set of window sun shades. Let's look at Gerry first. He's adorable, no? He is, he's so cute. Those little blue Velcro covers are what hold Gerry onto the seat belt.
Besides that, he's got two pockets in the front to hold a cell phone, small toy, crayons, etc. He also has a pretty neat pocket in his side that has a zippered closure. It goes all the way through to the other side. This pocket is an especially nice feature because if the kid moves from one side of the car to the other, they can still access their stuff. It's such a smart design!
The kick mat is pretty great too. It comes in the same color scheme as Gerry himself and his face and name is printed on the front of it.
It's got two big front pockets. The top one is for a tablet and has side holes for the headphone jack to go into. We found a spot that was just right for where our headphones needed to be plugged in. There are holes on both sides and both bottom corners. The tablet you see in the photo is 7" and there is plenty of surrounding space. You could also use it to house a secondary DVD screen or just to put a photo of loved ones.
The bottom pocket has a Velcro strap closure and is perfect for books, activity pads, the headphones, or lots of other things. The Velcro strap prevents the pocket from gaping open like many organizer pockets will do sometimes.
It also has two sets of side pockets. The top side pockets are great for small things like a phone, coin purse, charging cords, snacks, etc. They are not too small, but not big like the bottom side pockets.
The bottom pockets are cup holder pockets. I like that it has one on each side, I want my kids to always have plenty of water nearby so we don't give into the slushie run.
The window shades are pretty awesome in their own right. They don't require any suction cups. It has a window cling type surface that sticks itself to the window without any extra assistance. It acts just the way that decorative window clings that you use to decorate for the holidays does.
They are cute and match the kick mat and Gerry. It's got an SPF rating of 30 and is semitransparent, so the child can still see through the window. This whole set exceeded my expectations and I recommend it for any parent with a vehicle.
To learn more, check out Quik Solve on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
