Jackson’s Top 5 List: What to Get a 4-Year Old for His Birthday

Recently my oldest, Jackson, celebrated his 4^th birthday just the way he wanted: Angry-Birds style! It was a lot of fun to plan together and I’m sure that everyone had a good time! Jackson was blessed to have many of his best friends at the party and many great gifts from some very thoughtful people. Some of them found some gifts I’d never even heard of, while others had contacted me in advance asking what the birthday boy might want for his birthday. Funny enough we were so immersed in the birthday party, I had to do a little research to find out what things my little man might want for his birthday…

Here’s just a little of what we came across and what my son said were his favorites:

1. Angry Bird Blanket and Angry Bird Pillow

A boy with an Angry Birds Party was bound to get a few Angry Birds presents. And while he loved each of them, he’s in love with his new “softy,” his Angry Birds fleece blanket and an Angry Birds pillow. While these are not a matching set, they make the perfect complement for an Angry Birds fans. The blanket is large enough to wrap around my son and includes a little Angry Birds cap to keep him warm and cute. The pillow is like a bean-bag pillow and much more substantial than the other pillow pet type animals. He loves napping with them in front of the tv and as soft as they are, I don’t blame him.

Currently both items are available on Amazon.com for around $13 each.

2. Original Big Wheel™

Just as cool as it was when I was growing up, The Original Big Wheel™ is back!  Celebrating more than 40 years of being the “King of the Sidewalk,” and one of the best-selling ride-on toys of all time, The Big Wheels are almost as American as apple pie as baseball (and made here I learned too). The Original Big Wheel™ Race has a large 16” front wheel, a three-position “Grow with Me Seat” and sturdy plastic construction. Kinda like a rite of passage, The Big Wheels was a new addition to my kids’ growing fleet of cars, rolly toys and bikes.

Currently available at Toys R Us and Walmart for around $60.

3. Thomas the Tank Patio Set

My kid LOVES Thomas the Tank…Actually last year’s party was Thomas and I think he asked for Angry Birds just so mom didn’t have to repeat the same party. So when we came across the kid-sized Thomas the Tank Patio Set it was a done deal.  Featuring washable plastic tabletop with cool in-laid graphics that won’t scratch or peel, he looks just like a little grownup when he asks to eat al fresco. The patio set comes with a table, umbrella and two folding patio chairs, unfortunately the table is already fading a bit, but it’s perfect for the Thomas fan while spending time outdoors. I'm sure he's asked to eat outdoors at least once a day since he got it.

Found these at Toys R Us and Walmart.com at around $35.

4. Thomas the Tank Toddler Swing

One of those things I didn’t expect my big boy to do was to point out something for his sister as a gift. Of course, it was still Thomas the Tank Engine, but being that it was for ages under 3, he understood he couldn’t ride in it, but only his sister could. I guess in his head at least it was Thomas the Train! Made by Kids Only, the Thomas the Tank Toddler Swing features cool details and art inspired by Thomas the Tank! This sturdy plastic toddler swings feature high-back supports for comfort and safety, adjustable safety seatbelts and colorful sculpted details that resemble the #1 useful engine. Best of all, there’s no assembly, so pull it out of the box with all the hanging hardware and heavy duty ropes all ready to get your swing moving in no time.

Currently available at Toys R Us for around $30.

5. Vtech Swith & Go Dinos

One of the perks of my job is that I get a chance to see what’s going to be coming out soon for kids. So when Vtech wanted to get our thoughts on the new Switch & Go Dinos, my son was stoked as soon as we opened the box!

Switch & Go Dinos features an entire line of seven durable, unique and collectable dinosaur toys, including four starter toys: Sliver the T-Rex, T-Don the Pteranodon, Tonn the Stegosaurus and Horns the Triceratops. Of course, what is more perfect for a boy than dinosaurs…except when it’s a dinosaur that turns into a car. Yep, how cool is that – a 2-in-1 toy! And because it’s from Vtech, they made it ubber cool with an LCD screen for customizable eye expressions and dramatic dinosaur and vehicle sound effects including dino facts! While it took a few times to show my 4-year-old how to make the dino go to car and car back to dino, as well as how to make all the sounds, but once he got it he was off for lots of fun playing with his new toy. This toy is such an obvious great option for anyone who isn’t sure if a kid is into dinosaurs or cars...my own wish is that it was motorized and could move on its own. Then it would be pretty close to perfect as THE gift for young boys this year!

Currently only available on Amazon.com and www.VTechKids.com for around $16. All seven Switch & Go Dinos are scheduled to be in most toy stores beginning Fall 2012.

Did you notice a big theme here? Even without trying, all the items here were red or blue! It's like I tried to make them match, but it was my kiddo's keen sense of style that actually made it work!:) I’m thinking next year I might start a Pinterest board just for present ideas for the kids so then I can just say, go look at my Pinterest for ideas for birthdays and Christmas. Now that’s a plan!

Disclaimer: I was provided all the products except for the Angry Birds pillow and blanket for purposes of this review. However, all views expressed are all my own.

Get Out with Girlfriends: Fort Worth’s Brownstone

With two kids, a full-time job and a husband in college, free time with my girlfriends is not something I enjoy very often. That’s why it’s important occasionally to make lunch dates (and even little movie dates) with my girlfriends during “working hours.” While normally not near long enough, an hour here and there is good enough to remember that there’s something else besides diapers, dinner and kiddo dilemmas. So the other day when I have a chance to eat at one of my bucket-list restaurants for lunch, the Brownstone in Fort Worth, I was ecstatic.

Nested in Fort Worth’s upscale West 7^thdistrict, the Brownstone is an open-space concept designed for everyone including the white-collar worker to a gals’ night out. My friend and I fell somewhere in between with only an hour for lunch, we quickly tried perused the menu. That was the hard choice to make since it was full of many great appetizers, salads and desserts. And with diver scallops, creamy mac n cheese and crawfish, the choice for lunch was going to be a hard one…except when we came across the Executive Menu option. Designed with the lunch hour in mind, it promises a delicious lunch featuring comfort classics like meatloaf and shrimp n grits in addition to the soup, salad and sandwich combos you expect. And best of all, they’ll get your meal and your included drink to you in 30 minutes or less for only $10.

While the Pimento Grilled Cheese, Tomato Bisque and Greens combo made my taste buds happy, it was The Stone Select that made intrigued me, so my girlfriend order the grilled cheese and I ordered the “little bit of everything.” While we waited for our meal, I broke down ordered the Brownstone white sangria, ensemble white wine. Full of summer berries, a light fruity flavor, and just a little tad of bubbly, I could see why this house favorite could be one of mine as well.

Only a few sips down, our meal arrived right on time. Indecisive as I am with food, The Stone Select was an ideal option. The perfectly portioned dish featured Brownstone’s Buffalo Blue Cheese Hummus, Asian Chicken Salad with almond, bacon, spinach, and artichoke dip, salad, crudités and other dippables. I  was was happy to dive in and share all my tasty choices with my girlfriend who also was returning the favor with her grilled cheese/soup combo. Although I don’t know the calorie count, it was a good, shareable meal. The Asian salad spotlighted a tangy and sweet dressing, almonds and bite-size pieces of chicken. The dips were great to share with my friend and the veggies on my plate made me feel better when I indulged with my sangria. My experience ended on a high note when the check came…less than $20 for a meal, apps and a drink and in less than an hour.

In addition to its Executive Lunch, I’d recommend Thursdays for Girls Night at the Brownstone. With $1 bubbly and free appetizers for tables of four or more, it’s sure to become the go-to destination for girls 21-41, looking for a great place to catch up with the girls. And July 18 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. , the Brownstone becomes the headquarters for our Mom2Mom readers for our Moms Meet & Tweet. Part of a night of West 7^th’s Ladies Night Out, not only will you drink bubbly at $1 a pop, get a personal chef demo of crab cakes from the Brownstone’s Christian Lehrmann and tons and tons of prizes, discounts, giveaways and more.

So bring your girlfriends and start your night off with us on July 18 at the Brownstone for a night of fun!

Brownstone

840 Currie Street

Fort Worth, TX

817-332-1555

http://www.brownstonefw.com

The Grandma Kit: Everything Caregivers Need When Parents Go on Vacation

After two decades of waiting, I’m only a week out from embarking on my dream vacation to Italy. Two glorious weeks in Rome, Sorrrento, Florence, Pisa and Venice with my husband – and totally kid free. While that sounds pretty amazing, I know that two weeks is going to be HARD without my kiddos. Luckily both my amazing mother and my selfless mother-in-law are sharing the load of taking care of the kids while we’re away at their homes. And for that to be successful for everyone, it takes planning and paperwork to make sure the children and our moms are properly prepared with every detail from what foods the kids eat – to  the pediatrician’s number in case an emergency happens (oh, please I hope that doesn’t happen...)

Each of the grandmas got a special kit with everything I could think of that they needed in addition to clothes, toys, games and of course,  bottles and formula. With a little help of Google, I found many free downloadables that I could use to fill out and print. 

The grandma kit included:

Temporary Guardianship:           

Allows my parents and my husband’s parents to have temporary guardianship of my kids in our absence. (There’s both a start and an end time on this.)

Medical Power of Attorney:      

This form allows the listed person to order medical services if necessary. For instance, if you child broke their arm, this would be the form needed to ensure grandma could take him to the emergency room and take care of any needed medical services in your absence.

                                                               

Medical Information:   

Provides basics like social security numbers, insurance info, allergies, prescriptions, and medical phone numbers like their pediatrician.

Kids Info Sheet:                               

Gives the basics on your kiddo like favorite foods, routines, etc.

Copy of Itinerary:           

While I’m providing a link to a helpful template, I just use my own Excel worksheet. This is just a spreadsheet covering my daily activities which is useful if they needed to reach us or explain to the kids what we are doing.

Email & Skype Info:       

Since we were traveling overseas, using our phones was not in the plan. So through the magic of Ipad, we had planned to Skype our families periodically to see them and to checkin. This way we didn’t have to pay for any international fees. Another useful tip we’d learn is that if Skype wasn’t working out for us, you can always buy a Pay and Go Mobile Phone for $30 and use that in place of our mobile phones without incurring roaming charges on our normal phone rates.

The Simple Joys of Grandparenting:      

This was a last-minute find and was the icing on the cake for my “grandma kit.” Grandmas never run out of hugs or cookies – but now there’s no way they’ll even run out of stories, nursery rhymes, games, crafts and even recipe ideas! The Simple Joys of Grandparenting by Abigail R. Gehring created a great collection of a little bit of everything that makes grandmas great like mac n cheese, homemade hot chocolate with marshmallows, sock puppets and even tea parties!

               

Growing up, trips to my grandma meant the world to me (and still do), so just reading this book gave me the warm and fuzzies just remembering the fun I used to have. Beautifully illustrated, it’s a perfect gift for new grandparents as well as like this when you might be traveling or they have the kids for an extended period of time.

While I have no tip or downloadable about how not to feel guilty or keep from missing your kiddos while you are away, hopefully this kit can make the experience a little more bearable for everyone!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Simple Joys of Grandparenting for purposes of this review, however, the views expressed here are all my own.

SOS: Save Our Skin with New Rubdown on Sunscreen

In Texas when you expect to reach 100 degree temps for most of the summer, you shouldknow the importance of sunscreen. Now that I’m not as young as I used to be (and as dumb either when I baked in the sun using Crisco oil as sunscreen), I really appreciate the concept that “be nice to your skin and it will be nice to you.” Worst of all with the new ranking of #9 Worst City for Skin in the U.S. by Daily Glow online and two kids with almost translucent skin, sunscreen is a must.

However, while buying my new sunscreen supply for this year, I started hearing new standards for sunscreen …and there were several new guidelines to understand.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Thankfully trusty MyFoxDFW reporter “Save Me Steve” Noviello channeled my questions and put together a great segment that helped me try to breakdown what I should and not be looking for on my sunscreen.

WHAT I FOUND

Now a little more educated on what to look for in my sunscreen, I came across two new products from Banana Boat that caught my eye – one for being natural and the other for not making me feel gross as soon as I put it on.

Banana Boat® Natural Reflect™ sunscreen lotion– An all-natural sun protection line that deflects UVA and UVB rays without the use of harsh chemical sunscreens, new Banana Boat® Natural Reflect™ products are water resistant, oxybenzone- and paraben-free and are 100 % naturally-sourced mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide. Banana Boat® Natural Reflect™ sunscreen lotions are available for adults in SPF 50+, and in Tear-Free, Sting-Free SPF 50+ lotions for kids and babies.

Banana Boat® Sport Performance® Cool Zone™ Continuous Spray Sunscreen – Available in SPF 30 and 50+, Banana Boat® Sport Performance® Cool Zone™ Continuous Spray Sunscreen provides active UVA and UVB protection that instantly cools skin on contact, for a clean, refreshing feeling. The line also includes the Banana Boat® Cool Zone™ After Sun Aloe Gel to provide cooling burn relief to refresh skin after a day in the sun.

WHAT TO DO

Every morning along with breakfast, dressing and teeth brushing, I have to coat my kiddo in sunscreen for the day. While he needs several coats of sunscreen before the end of the day, this is all I can do since the school cannot apply sunscreen. 

Really???

Since the FDA classified sunscreen as at an over-the-counter medicine, most schools don’t allow them – including my son’s school.

So I was SUPER excited when I discovered my favorite sunscreen multitasking serum from Supergoop!has initiated a campaign called Project Backpack to help get kids protected from the sun. Project Backpack™ serves as a vehicle to influence change in local and state policies, allowing the use of sunscreen on school campuses, while simultaneously providing sunscreen to schools across the United States.

Bet you haven’t ever thought about your sunscreen that much?!? Just make sure now with all this info, read the labels, throw out the old stuff, know what you’re getting and how often to reapply!

Happy Summer Adventures in the Sun!


Disclaimer: I was provided Banana Boat Sunscreen products for purposes of this review. However, all views expressed are all my own.