Princess Dilemma

I was reading Parents magazine and came across an article where they did an interview with Peggy Orenstein author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter. This article got me thinking about how much princesses and the like affected my teen daughter during her early years.

One of my favorite movies is Beauty and the Beast. So my daughter saw that movie a lot along with the other Disney princess movies The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. I bought her toys with princess themes and dress up clothes. We even went to Disney World where we met them. How did this all affect her? It didn't. She is who she is today not because of some princess movie I let her watch when she was younger or even for toys she played with. She is the way she is because of the things I taught her and the way she was raised.

I am not saying that some kids will not be effected by this entire princess attitude out there but parents have a job of deciding exactly what their child takes away from it. Yes my oldest is now 15 so it is different with all the clothes, toys and other things out there now. Kids now have Hannah Montana while she had Britney Spears but the same principles of what you teach your child are still the same. I didn't want my child wearing the short skirts that Spears was wearing so I didn't buy them. I didn't want her acting like her so I taught her how to act.

Us as parents need to teach our children what to take away from anything they see be it Princess Movies, cartoons or even everyday life. Also remember that these "princess" movies were made over 20 yrs. ago when values and thoughts were different.

I still have one more daughter to go that will go through the princess stage. Yes I will let her watch the movies, dress up and wave her wand. I will teach her while she is watching to be true to yourself, follow your heart, stand up for yourself, help others and always be kind.

When will this sickness end

We started out the week with the two youngest kids sick yet again. C started to get a cold early Sunday night, by Monday morning is was worse with a barking cough we didn't like. After a trip to the doctors come to find out he had Croup. He has gotten better since and now just has a cold.
The youngest Izzy started out Sunday with a cold also. She still has it on top of getting her molars in. Talk about a crabby toddler. She has been whiny and fussy all week.
Then comes Friday night where not only I come down with a bad head cold but so does my BF. We have been sneezing, blowing our noses all weekend while trying to deal with two little ones that have colds and are starting to get cabin fever.
The only one that is not sick is the oldest B. She almost never catches anything we have. I just want this to end...

Artic Puzzle wrap up

We have had the Maclaren Artic puzzle for about a month now and we still love it. My 4yr old loves to do it once a day (usually after school) and I find it a great way for me to get a mommy break. I think he will be playing with this puzzle for awhile as I have found different ways to make it new once he gets bored with it. One way I have tried it taking a piece of black construction paper and covering the bottom of the puzzle board where the outline of the shapes are. This makes it a little tougher to do the puzzle and makes him use his thinking skills more.
I especially love this puzzle because of how sturdy and well made it is. I know that it will last past my son so his baby sister can use it. My only problem with it I wish there was a top to snap on or a bag to carry the puzzle in. My 4yr old has a tough time carrying it to where he wants it without the pieces falling out.

Maclaren produces alot of great items like strollers, toys , nursery and the beginning line of bath products. So check them out on twitter and facebook.



I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

Arctic Puzzle take 3

We have had the Arctic Puzzle for awhile now and I must say that my son still loves it. The puzzle came in really handy this past week as he was sick from a stomach bug for a few days and this kept him from getting bored. I would recommend this puzzle to anyone who has a child and it would make a great Christmas gift, Easter gift or a birthday gift. I would even give it as a reward for doing a good job like keep their room clean. lol

All in all this puzzle would make a great gift no matter what it was for. It is educational while being fun.

Arctic Puzzle a few days later

We have had the Arctic Puzzle for about a week now and while my son is not as excited about it as the first day we got it he still loves to play with it. He hasn't tried to play with it on his own and the reason may be that it is kind of bulky for him to carry himself. He likes to be able to do things on his own (carry and such) and if he can't carry it himself to where he wants it whenever he wants to he gets a little frustrated.

Other then that he has been playing with it with us. He loves to do it with his father when he comes home from work each day. They look so cute sitting together at the table. He loves saying what each animal is before putting the animal into it's place. This also helps us because he has a speech delay and we can correct him without making it seem like we are.

Another thing I have noticed it that is my 14month old daughter also tries to play with it. Obviously she can't get the pieces in all right but she will sit with me and try to do it. It is really cute how she will stack them up first before putting them down.

This is a great puzzle and so far the only thing we have noticed is how bulky and heavy it is for my son to carry himself. I am going to remedy that by putting the pieces in a cloth bag so he will be able to carry it.


I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

New Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren

I was picked a couple of weeks ago to be a kid tester for Maclaren and we get to test out their brand new Arctic Puzzle. I was especially excited to be testing out a puzzle as my 4yr old son Cole loves puzzles. This is also a 3-d puzzle and we haven't done one of those kind yet so I was also looking forward to seeing how he did with it.

We received the puzzle today and my first impression was that it was a very well made puzzle. The bottom board is a nice thick wood so I don't have to worry about it breaking. The actual pieces were also sturdy so no worry there about them getting broke either. I like that it has the outline of the shapes on the bottom so that child can get a feel of what goes where. Overall this is a great puzzle and I can already see ways to make it more challenging when he memorizes the layout.

Cole's reaction was in a word priceless. He was excited at first because I let him open the mailbox (he doesn't get to open often since I have Christmas presents coming in lol) but he went beyond excited when he saw the puzzle. It took less then a minute for him to open the box and get the puzzle out.

Our first reactions to the puzzle were very favorable. At first glance this puzzle would be a great addition to any home. Please check out what else Maclaren has and follow them on twitter and facebook where they give out great info and do giveaways!

I received the Arctic Puzzle from Maclaren.com to facilitate this review, the opinions expressed are my own honest opinions and were in no way influenced. :)

Snow day!

I know it snows here and sometimes quite a bit but it doesn't mean I have to be happy when it does. I love snow, don't get me wrong, but I hate when there is so much of it you are literally trapped in your house. Here is my car (yes it is under there) I figure it will take me all weekend to dig out .







Here is my kids toy set that is in the backyard. It is so high back there that our dog will not go to the bathroom because it is over her head. lol







We go through this at least once a winter and after living here for over 30yrs I am still not used to it. the kid on the other hand love it because they get a snow day from school.


I think it is time to move to a warmer climate