Purchased on Amazon

Now that all the presents have been unwrapped, here are a few things that I purchased from good ole Amazon this Christmas season!

Our Favorite Things from Lakeshore Learning

 

First let me start of by saying that this is in no way sponsored by Lakeshore Learning.  I just really love their products!  They are all quality made, the boys enjoy playing and learning with them and most of these things we have had for a few years.  Lakeshore has brick and mortar stores as well as their online store.  However if you have one in your area, I highly recommend you go in and walk around. It is worth the look-see!

There are a few things that are more geared toward kiddos Truman's age and the same for Winston's age but I'll say this: Both boys enjoy playing with all of the things!  

For the younger kiddos, you can't go wrong with their Color Rings Sorting Set or Button Size Sorting Box.  Both are great for learning colors and shapes and tuning fine motor skills.  

Another fun color learning item is the Let's Go Fishing playset.  Winston received this when he was about 1.  We have played with it like crazy and it is so well made that it still looked brand new when I got it out for Truman to play with it!  I like that it has the colors also written on the side of the fish.  Now that Winston is learning site words he gets a kick out of spelling the words on the side of the fish!

Lakeshore has quite a few different types of discovery boxes.  We have the Color Discovery set and the Shapes set is just precious too!  They also have a what's inside version for older kiddos.

Hands down, without a doubt in my mind this set of bugs is Winston's favorite thing from Lakeshore. I purchased this for him when he was 2 and a half and this gets played with on the regular.  He's five now!  These bugs have been sorted, stacked, marched all over they house.  They have overtaken block buildings, taken rides on all types of trucks and cars, and have even taken a bath!  We have built them crazy houses and the scoopers have acted as spaceships a time or two!  

Winton received this I Can Build It set when he was three and he wore.it.out!  I cannot even begin to tell you how many times he took apart and then put back together these automobiles.  We played garage and repair store.  He put all blue screws in one and purple in another.  We mixed and matched the pieces.  These are great for developing motor skills and patience!  {haha!} 

This Don't Let the Bugs Fall game is a hit with both boys.  A kids version of Jenga, it helps with color identification and critical thinking skills.  It also makes for a great tower to ram cars into as well!   

And to wrap it up I'll link three more of our favorites: this set of soft blocks is perfect for building and smashing and crashing; magnetic pieces for creating all sorts of crazy cars and trucks; counting cars!

Our Favorite Books for Kiddos

I'm sure most people are familiar with the favorites of today like The Book with No Pictures, Dragons Love Tacos, the Pete the Cat series and Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site.  Today, I'm sharing a few that you may not be familiar with but that we just love to pieces!

Our favorite books can be found in a myriad of places: Amazon, Target, Barnes & Noble and even many local book stores.  We have spent hours reading these books below and hope that you might find one or two that your littles will adore too!

Any of the Indestructible Books are fantastic for small hands as they look through books because the pages are indestructible.  Little ones can bite them, fold them, scrunch them and no damage will be done to the books!  They have quite a few stories: Baby Faces, Things That Go, Hey Diddle Diddle and more!

All of Leslie Patricelli's books are adorable!  We purchased Tubby for Winston years ago and to this day we call the little baby in the books Tubby.  Our second one was Yummy Yucky and is one of my favorites!  She has ones for Potty, Valentine's Day, Halloween and Christmas.

For Truman we purchased Shark Bite and it has quickly become one of his favorites!  Mark the Shark's mouth opens and closes on each page and we love making shark sounds as we read.  There is a series of four additional animals as well.

The Jolly Postman is a book that my brother loved from growing up overseas.  It is one of our favorites because it is interactive and the pages contain the letters that the postman delivers on his rounds.

Nibbles the Book Monster is another fantastic interactive book that follows the journey of Nibbles as he munches his way through fairy tales!

Another pair of interactive books is Who Done It? and Who, What, Where?  Each page contains a series of pictures and then asks questions like "Who played with the cat?" and "Who forgot their coat?".  These books are great for littles to start learning about context clues.

The first in a series of three books about hats, I Want My Hat Back follows the journey of a bear who has lost his hat and searches to find it!  When I say we have red this book 100 times, it would not be a lie as that is how much Winston loves this book!

Both Benjamin and I remember reading this next book when we were little.  It's just hilarious and both boys think so too!  There's a Monster at the End of This Book is about Grover's effort to stop you from getting to the monster at the end of the book because he is scared of monsters.  I mean, can you just even guess who the monster at the end of the book is? ;) 

Another throw back to when I was growing up is our Mr. Men Box Set.  With books about characters like Mr. Happy, Mr. Tickle, Mr. Loud, Mr. Small and Mr. Sneeze you'll enjoy getting caught up in the wondrous world of all the Mr. Men!

A series that has quickly become a household favorite {and a great gift for friends!} is the Disgusting Critter Series!  Each book centers around a certain critter and gives tons of facts.  The drawings are cute and they are quite comical as well.  The Toad is my personal favorite!

I saw The Biggest Story ABC  on Instagram and promptly purchased for our collection.  With its beautiful illustrations it elegantly tells the story of redemption from creation to the cross.  There is also a version for older kids as well.

The Jesus Story Book Bible is another amazing way to share Bible stories with your littles.  I highly recommend having a copy for your home.

Zondervan's The Beginner's Bible is great for kiddos who are interested in learning to read and as a good starter to learning the basics of the Bible stories.  

PS: This post contains affiliate links - Thanks as always for reading!

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Our Favorite Outdoor Toys for Kiddos

Living in Texas we can pretty much play outside year round... and those times when it is sizzling hot, we just find the nearest pool to jump into or splash pad to run through.  

One of my all time, ultimate favorite go-to outside toys is the Bunch o' Balloon water balloons.  These are soooooo super easy to use and we go through them like crazy!  They make great stocking stuffers, basket stuffers or just because you survived the day gifts!  They can be purchased at Walmart, Target, Amazon, CVS and ToysRUs. 

These Gonge Riverstones and River are fantastic for creative play and obstacle course creating!  Both are highly durable and can withhold a good amount of weight.  We play with them outside along with some cones.  They are great for color recognition, jumping, keeping balance and let's be honest, burning off some of that energy!  These can also be found on Fatbrain Toys.

I highly recommend this Step Two Roller Coaster.  Originally this was given to Truman, who indeed loves it.  What I didn't expect was that Winston would enjoy it as much as he does.  And really, I like to take a turn too!  It's super durable {as is evidenced by the previous sentence!} and it fits into itself to make storing in its box an easy feat.  Winston loves being a helper to Truman, #boysareblurs and it has been a great tool in helping us teach Truman how to take turns!  

Another item that has provided a lot of entertainment is our Little Tykes bounce house.  There are quite a few styles and options available.  This is great to blow up for just the two of them or when we have guests over.   

Lastly, I'll share the Stomp Rocket.  This never gets old no matter how many times it gets jumped on!  This makes an excellent gift for any occasion.  Really, our entire family enjoys taking turns to see how high or far we can shoot the rockets!

And while all of these things are great, nothing truly beats a pile of rocks, some diggers and an big imagination!

What would you add to the list?  Let me know so that I can check them out!

Have you seen:
Our Favorite Games for Kiddos

Our Favorite Games for Kiddos

We started playing games with Winston when he was somewhere in that 2-3 years old range.  Simple things like memory and Bingo working our way up to the classics that we loved growing up like Hungry Hippo and Trouble.  What I have come to realize is that there are more and more games for the kiddos these days!  Here are a few that we have come to love!

This Daniel Tiger version of bingo and memory is a favorite in our house and the first set of games we played with Winston.  It is perfect for taking along on trips or restaurants as well!

The Sneaky Snacky Squirrel is in the top two games that Winston picks to play when Truman has been laid down.  The goal is to get one of every color of acorn into your log before a wind blows or the sneaky squirrel {another player!} snatches one of your acorns for himself!

As you can see, the Beanie Babies also enjoy the opportunity to play this game too!  ;)

The second game that he gravitates towards is Zingo!  We received this as a gift from a friend who thought it looked like fun and she was not wrong!  The red box hold the cards and when you slide it back two of the cards drop into the slots.  You have to be one of the first ones to grab a card if it matches one of the pictures on your Zingo board.  The first one to fill your board wins!  They have a few different versions of the game including a site words version for older kids.  We have also taken Zingo along to restaurants with us when there are lots of kiddos.  It is the perfect game to help pass the time!

Let's Go Fish is a favorite with both boys.  It is in the category of the classics and every house needs one, in my opinion!

I was at Five Below a few days ago and found Cooties and Don't Spill the Beans for $5!  These were two of my favorite games growing up and I'm excited to introduce the boys to them.

I would love to know what some of your favorite games to play are!  Leave me a comment so that I can check them out!

If you like this post, check out:
Our Favorite Outdoor Toys for Kiddos

Shopping with Groupon Goods

Disclaimer: This post has been sponsored.  However, the opinions in this post are honest and all mine!

I am always on the look out for a great deal on kid's toys.  Having two kiddos in different stages of life, I'm interested in learning toys, books, puzzles, anything that will engage their minds and imaginations!  Also with Winston attending preschool we are in season of birthday parties galore!  So it never hurts to have a few things in the gift drawer, ready to go at a moment's notice.  

Enter Groupon Goods.  Not only do they have a plethora of any kind of item you would ever need or want to purchase at great prices, they have an amazing variety of items for the kiddos!  These are a few things that are in my cart now to purchase!  

These foam blocks are amazing, not just for Winston to build and create, but also for Truman to start to learn how to stack....and chew.  #teethingproblems #cheweverything

The next time you are stumped on what to get for a friend's birthday {child or adult}, take a gander at Groupon Goods and be surprised by their selection!  And be sure to by something for yourself too!  #treatyoself

Have you used Groupon before?  I'd love to know what you purchased!

Spring to Summer Favorites

I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things these days.  They either make life comfy, easy, more colorful or sparkly!

Lucky Brand Miller 2 Sandal: Mom and I came across this sandal when we were in Tyler and ladies, it is great!  It fits snuggly, holding your foot in place and provides great arch support.  The slant on the foot is comfortable and it gives a little bit of height!  I wear between an 8.5 and a 9 in shoes.  In this particular shoe, I wear an 8.5.  It comes in a variety of colors and is currently on sale!

Viva La Jewels Colorful Candy Necklace:  Months ago I saw this colorful gem on Pinterest but the photo link took me nowhere.  After rabbit-trailing down Instagram one afternoon, I came across Viva La Jewels and discovered that they were the source of the photo!  I made my purchase and it is a perfect piece to jazz up any outfit (or rainy day for that matter!)

Thermal Tote by Thirty One:  I was given an adorable owl print Thirty-One tote with Winston's name on it as a gift from my Grammy.  I use this thing everyday but not as you might think... This tote makes a perfect diaper bag when we pop out for quick trips here and there.  It is large enough to hold a changing mat, wipes, 5 or 6 diapers, baggies, and a plethora of snacks, squeezies, bib, table covers, a few toys and a sippy cup when needed!  It hangs on the back of the stroller or fits below depending on where it needs to be.  It is small enough to throw in the back of a shopping cart without taking up much space and it keeps everything important for Bug in it!

Faceted bracelet:  It's sparkly.

Press Pods by Formula X:  Found at Sephora, this kit has 24 one time use pods that come in fun, fantastic colors!  Super easy to use, pick the pod that you want to use for that day, twist of the cap, turn the brush down, give it a squeeze and start painting!  The little pods hold quite a bit of polish so it is suitable for short or long nails and multiple coats!  There is probably enough in the little pod for two coats on fingernails and two coats on toes!  

Lush Bath Bombs:  Any of them make bath time relaxing!  This one in particular is one that Winston picked out for me (no lie!) and it smells soooo good!  WAC certainly is a great shopper!

What are some of your favorite things these days?

App-solutely Fantastic: Cartwheel by Target

In this segment, Benjamin and I would like to share with you apps that save you money, keep your organized, or are just plain fun to have!

First up: Cartwheel by Target.

By a fluke, I came across the web-version of Cartwheel a few weeks ago and was intrigued by it.  Then two weeks ago, at the suggestion of a Target employee Benjamin downloaded the app and was able to save an additional $50 on a TV that was already on sale!  The next shopping trip I had at Target, I was able to save $12 and the next time an additional $14!  On top of my coupons, on top of my 5% on the Target card!  I love the Cartwheel app!

When you log into the Cartwheel app, this is the front screen.  You get a bar code and it keeps track of how much money you have saved!  Starting out, you get 10 spots that you can add coupons into.  

When you go to the Main Menu, there are different options to find the coupons on the Cartwheel.  You can search through all of the offers.

They are listed out by categories.  Or by Trending, New, or Expiring.  Or you can use the Scan feature.  The last time I was in Target, I scanned every item in my basket (looking like a crazy person in the aisles) and ended up finding extra savings I hadn't considered!  Once you have found a coupon you'd like to use, simple save it to your Cartwheel by clicking on the face of the item and pressing "add."

The more that you use your Cartwheel app, the more spots you get for coupons!  When checking out, simply tell the cashier that you have a Cartwheel and present your phone to be scanned.  Cha-Ching!  As a note, many of the deals have a limited number of scans so make sure you use it often as you might find that offers you have saved may be expired.

If you are a Target frequenter, I highly suggest that you download this app today and enjoy extra savings!  The app is free for download in the iTunes store.  

Happy Savings!

Valentine's Favorites: Loves and Cuddles

Valentine's Day is just around the corner!  Where has January gone?  Winston helped me take my Valentine's decorations out of the tote this morning.  I always enjoy decorating for each holiday!  It's something my Mom always did to make the house feel festive and I loved it!  I hope that Winton will too.

Here are a few things that are on my Valentine's Favorite list for 2014!

Dachshund Love / Candy Heart Socks / Love Letter Shoes / Adoring Alien Jammies / Cuddle Pillow / You are So Loved

Winston has these jams and they are precious!  I may or may not have purchased these shoes this morning.  For $48, they are just too cute not to have!  And for all of the dachshund lovers out there, isn't that little guy in the middle adorable?  Perhaps a decoration for all year!

Do you have anything planned yet for Valentine's Day?  Does your family have any traditions for Valentine's Day?  I'd love to hear about them!

OOTD: Red, Black and Olivia the Ostrich

This is my first outfit of the day post!  I figure try it once, see how it goes and if it's a good fit do it again!

Today's outfit was picked specifically around the cute ostrich in rain boots necklace.  I've had this necklace for quite a while and smile every time I wear it!  Olivia is complete with rain boots, a hair cover and two hovering clouds with rain droplets.  When I got up to let Lulu out this morning it was drizzling and I thought "Olivia!"  {Yes, I give names to inanimate objects!  ...You know you do it!}  However, it ended up being a beautiful blue skies, hot Houston day.   Ah well.

This skirt is super comfy and a really great shade of red!  It was a total impulse purchase from Windsor.com and I'm glad I got it!  The grey sweater again, a favorite that goes well with so many things.  And it's a good weight for fall time in Houston.  

Shirt: Target | Sweater: {Archive} Anthropologie | Skirt: Windsor | Necklace: {Archive} Anthropologie, but found here.

And just because...

I love his sweet "I just woke up from a good sleep" face.  Actually, come to think about it, I just love all of his sweet faces!

Hopefully this post gave you some inspiration for your next outfit!  Wishing you a Happy Day!

ErgoErgo

I'm not sure about you, but I've always been fascinated with the exercise balls that folks would bring into the office to sit on.  I know that they are supposed to promote a strong core, but seriously... it's just because sometimes it's nice as a grown up to have an excuse to bounce on a ball!

As an alternative to the balls, how fun are these ErgoErgo seats?  For only $100 they also rock and bounce to promote an ergonomic alternative to boring office chairs.  

Go ahead and indulge your inner child... add some bounce to your day!

Family Routine

Yup.  That sums up our little family in a set of 1, 2, 3!  

Created by Fresh Words Market, it is available on One Kings Lane for a discount!  Hooray!

Not with One Kings Lane yet?  Click here and join!

Happy Weekend to you friends!

Sara

Chair Love

This fantastic creation by Linvin popped into my life today and I have put it on the "Someday in the Future" wish list...

Can't you just see this in a garden or a reading nook, or a study or how about a little girl's room?  My heart is aflutter with all of the possibilities!  The names of each color are as equally whimsy as the chairs themselves - Chic Black, Happy Yellow, Sweet Mandarin, Ethereal Blue, Purple Sunset and Red Passion.  If only it weren't $900.  Ah well...
photos

Boxsal is the New Basket

Picnics in themselves are fun, whimsy and romantic.  There's something simply delightful about having a picnic on lush green grass with your honey bunny or group of girlfriends.  Part of the fun, I think, is the packing of the picnic food.  Making sandwiches, taking along fun things to munch on, carefully packing everything so that it fits in a cute basket.

Key word: basket.  That's what you are supposed to carry on your picnic.  At least, I thought it was until I met the Boxsal.  They are pretty. fun. picnic.  And indeed they are!

All three of the above boxes come stocked with 4 trays, 4 large and small bowls, 4 sets of utensils, 4 cups, 8 napkins and 1 trash bag.  

The super neato thing about everything that's supplied is that it is all eco-friendly!  You can reuse all of the supplies and when you are done with it, recycle them all!  The great thing is that this updated take on a picnic basket is only $25!  They would make adorable and memorable gifts for any occasion!  

all photos are from boxsal.com

Taken

Just doing some Saturday morning web-window shopping and came across this simply adorable necklace from Kate Spade.

What a cute gift for a new bride on her wedding day or gents, for your wife on an anniversary!

Or heck, how about for a just because I love ya, gift?

Happy Saturday!

Image via katespade.com

Great State of Texas

Weather in the 70's is a sign to me that Spring is here.  This means sandals and bare feet in the grass.  And that means pedicure time!
Has anyone else seen the new OPI Spring Collection?  I was doing my Sunday coupon clipping and reading of the ads when this caught my eye -

Hello Texas Collection!  Here is a breakdown of the color names.

• Don’t Mess With OPI - A lean, mean, kick-grass forest green.
• Austin-Tatious Turquoise – Cowgirls love this bodacious blue-green.
• It’s Totally Fort-Worth It – A shimmery lavender grey that’s so worthy of you.
• Do You Think I’m Tex-y? A “berry” sexy bloom of Dallas Dahlia.
• I Vant To Be A-Lone Star – You won’t want to share this starry Texas-sky blue.
• Houston We Have A Purple – A galactic red-violet that’s ready to “rocket-roll”!
• Suzi Loves Cowboys – But she loves this campfire chocolate shade s’more!
• San Tan-tonio – A “honey” of a ten-gallon tan!
• Too Hot Pink To Hold ‘Em – A red-hot pink-red that deals a winning hand.
• Guy Meets Gal-veston – An “engaging” coastal coral.
• Y’all Come Back Ya Hear? – This Texas tangerine will be waitin’ for ya!
• Big Hair Big Nails - A rosy pageant peach.

via

Shop Around: Crayons

Anyone who knows me would say that I do not fear color.  The walls in my house are brightly painted.  My desk at work is a happy mish-mash of colors and my wardrobe is the opposite of drab.

I love colors!  And who makes more colors than Crayola Crayons?  In my browsing I came across the items below and just had to share:

How cute are these crayon rings?  They are actual crayons molded into the shape of rings!  There are eight colors to choose from and they are found here at fredflare.com for only $12 a piece.

For all of the Lego lovers in your life, you can purchase Lego Brick crayons.  For $7.95, you get a set of 9 in fun colors!

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, both of these provide a fun way to tell your special sweetie how much they color your life!
photos from Fred Flare and LilDoodlers Shop

My new friend Warby Parker

I was curled up reading my ReadyMade magazine this December when the pages told me about Warby Parker.  Have you met Warby Parker?  No?  Well, let me have the pleasure of introducing you!

Warby Parker is a company that makes boutique eyeglasses sold at reasonable prices.  They offer many different styles for both men and women.  What struck me to be awesometown about this company is that they are partnered with an organization called RestoringVision.org.  For every pair of glasses purchased, Warby Parker donates a pair in order to give the gift of vision to someone who can't see.  Glasses have been donated to Africa, Latin America, South Asia and here, in the good U.S. of A.

The other nifty thing about this company is that they let you choose up to 5 sets of frames to try on for free so that you can see what you look like in them.  That's right - FREE!  You have 5 days to keep 'em, try 'em, wear 'em around and get friends and family to give their opinion.  After 5 days, you take the box back to the UPS store and ship them back for free.

Thirdly, the price of their frames + prescription lenses is only $95.  Yes, you are reading that correctly... $95!

After meeting Warby Parker and their fantastic styles, mission and prices, my interest was piqued and I wanted to try them on.  So I ordered 5 pair of frames to arrive at our house.  Have I mentioned that they send them for free?  When we arrived back from Houston, they were on our doorstep.

Hello Warby!  Nice to meet you!  I can't wait to see what goodies you have inside!

Yes!  I think I will take you out to get a better look...

Hello Friends!

Don't you just LOVE those orange ones?!  They were the ones I was most excited about trying on.  Benjamin said that I should get you, dear readerfriend to give your opinion on what pair suit me best.    

Start the eye-fashion show!  Note:  The lenses are more reflective than what they will be with a prescription.

My mom thinks these look like the glasses I have now.

I am not sure why this picture looks like I have two green fangs growing out of my bottom lip.... please focus on the orange.

Clear braces are a bad choice for anyone...but could clear glasses be a winner?

Dad told me that I looked like Willy Potter.  He is the lesser known of the Potter boys.  You might have heard of his brother... Harry.

Purple is the color of my high school.  

These 5-day friends are already on their way back to their home and I have my yearly eye appointment on Wednesday afternoon.  I look forward to hearing what your thoughts are!

Gift Guide: Chalkboard Everything

A while ago I posted about how I like the feel and look of chalk and chalkboards.  Today I came across these fun finds which also would translate into fantastic gifts for anyone who loves writing on anything and everything...

Chalk labels that you can put on anything from bradensgracewallart. You get 12 labels for $8.  How cute would these be on glass jars filled with holiday goodies?

And how about these adorable gift tags from Anthropology?  You get a set of 6 for $14.

Chalkboard jewelry from twinklyspangle for $15.40.

I also stumbled upon Chalkboard China - they have an awesome assortment of products - everything from vases to chocolate trays to plates!

Happy Chalkboarding!

itsy bitsy paper + giveaway

A few weeks ago Benjamin needed some thank you cards to give to some folks at school.  When I looked around, all I had were very floral, very bright, girly thank you cards.  I decided I needed to find some that both of us could use whenever the occasion called for it.  

That's when I found itsy bitsy paper.  The owner's name is Lindy and she is absolutely delightful!  I ordered these adorable cards which arrived in my mailbox over the weekend.  They arrived packaged beautifully, wrapped up with a thank you for the purchase.  The cards are made of heavy stock and look awesome.  They are super cute and I can't wait to use them!

I love paper products, pens, stickers, stamps - anything that goes into helping make a note personal and fun.   Through conversations, I learned that Lindy and I had that in common:

"I have been in love with paper since I was old enough to hold a pen and feel the weight of a good piece of paper in my hands! I have been a lover of Etsy for a long time and figured since I sit at my computer creating at all hours of the day and night I may as well put some of my creations out there to share with others!"

Lindy has graciously offered a give-a-way for you, my dear readers!  She is offering to give away 1 set of thank you notes or personalized stationary!  Normally her sets come in sets of 10, but for us, she is doing a set of 15!  She has really cute personalized stationary  - ones with little crocodiles, one with the state of your choice, and ornate thank you cards.

To enter, please visit itsy bitsy paper, come back and comment on your favorite item.

To get extra entries:

1 entry - become a follower of Crazy Cozad's

1 entry - become a follower of itsy bitsy paper's blog

1 entry - follow itsy bitsy paper on facebook

1 entry - post a link to this give-a-way on your blog!

Be sure to come back and leave a comment for each entry.  Please leave a valid email also for winning notification purposes.

This give-a-way will end Friday at 11:30 pm.