Melissa and doug ... Real reviews from a real Momma...

In our house we love Melissa and Doug toys... why?? well let me tell you why... Quality... Durability... Creative ... and Fun....
What have we played with in our house... here's the list

Latches Board ... both of my kids loved this thing, lots of doors locks and latches to open...costs about 30 dollars and worth it.. my daughter started playing with it around 10months and my son still plays with it at age 3.. Undo a latch, swing open the numbered door, and count on fun when the picture beneath is revealed on this wooden play board! Build fine motor skills while learning colors, numbers, animals and more!

sounds puzzles... my son LOVEs these puzzles that make sounds when you put the pieces in the right spot...

the Train Sound Puzzle ... this is a multi piece puzzle that once all shapes are put into the right spot the sound of a steam engine is heard this makes my son so excited...

the stacking Blocks Train... this multi piece 3d puzzle train is not only fun to take apart and put back together but it can be pulled around like a train and added play is created... very colourful and entertaining

Wooden Play food ... The variety of food is astounding.. from Pizza to fruit and everything in between... you can "cut" and put back together.. count .. shapes.. colours.. the learning and fun created with these food items is amazing... they also look beautiful and the price point is very reasonable...

Sea Turtle .... Soft and Beautiful.. Looks real. my son loves to lay on the turtle while reading or playing on the floor.. this turtle is a beautiful addition to our play room... its realistic and so soft.. great quality stuffed toy ...

Puppets... we have the Construction worker puppet.. my son calls him the daddy puppet , Daddy is an electrician and wears a hard hat at work.. :) these puppets are high quality , unique , expressive and beautiful to either display or ply with...

Train Sets ... My Son LOVES trains the "addiction" began around the age of 1 1/2 years old.. we started with a small set and built from there... the quality of these trains and track is awesome.. and they can be used conjugation with the Thomas the Train tracks and trains (most trains) ... wooden sets last longer than the cheap plastic ones ... and look nice all set up on the train table :)



Melissa and Doug Educational Toys (website)

Toys we would like to add to our Melissa and Doug Collection.... Trunki ... Wooden Doll house.... table top puppet theater ..... smoulder the dragon puppet ...

Syber Tuesday !!!!

M&D have a give away today .... A Trunki !!!!!! Tell them I sent you !!!!!

Check out their 20 top toys for 2011

make sure like M&D on Face book

And tell them I sent you !!!!!! :)

oooo a Give away !!!!

Thrifty Nifty Momma is having a give away....
Green line Diapers Have chosen 10 blogs to give away one of their super cute diapers.. I hope if they do this again I can be one of the bloggers doing a give away....

if you go to Green Line Diapers Face book Page
you can check out all the bloggers and enter the draws !!!
Good Luck !!!!

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Not so impressed...... Products or Places that have let me down...

So I figured I should do a little blogging about things I'm not a fan of... Since I know there are lots of things I'd never buy again ....

Seven Everyday Slings
I'm going to start with Seven Everyday Slings
I was really excited to get my "FREE" sling.. I ended up paying about $12 bucks for shipping to Canada .. no biggie I figured since it was a $48 dollar baby carrier... its a sling style sling and they offer several beautiful prints... I measured according to their sizing chart, and even ordered up one size up cuz i figured it would shrink ...
and it was too small to start .. even with my 7 and 1/2 pound newborn in it it felt too tight .. for both of us.. I used it maybe a hand full of times, once she got slightly larger I tried it as a "sitting " sling.. and yup.. still not right.. even though I'd lost about 30lbs...

I found they look pretty .... but you have to order up like 3 sizes at the least... they are cut "small" and the width of the carrier is narrow so not as secure for a slightly larger baby ... it was not comfortable for me to wear for longer than 15 mins .. and I was constantly adjusting it...

I was also irritated that I's spent $12 bucks for shipping.. when it arrived it had a $1.92 post mark on it.... so they are making money off of these "free" slings...

I keep seeing "ads" for this sling and I feel the need to warn people not to buy it...
I spoken to about 5 other moms who all say the same.. RIP-OFF !!!

I've recently decided that I'm going to use the fabric to make my daughter a cute diaper cover ... so its not a total loss :)



Save-On-Foods .....

Save on food used to give you points for every cloth bag you brought in to use when you shopped ... this was environmentally conscious and an nice incentive for their customers, and they suddenly without warning decided not to give their customers points any more...
Personally I think this is so freaking rude... not to mention greedy ...
I used to use my points to redeem for free food for my family... I know of others who save up and buy great items and either keep for them selves or give away as gifts.. I also would donate my points if there were causes or events .. and at Christmas time I would use my points to buy gift cards and drop them off at the food bank..
Save-On-Food has now detoured me of this ... they are being cheap.. they never think of the "little guy" trying to survive, I know of many moms and low income earners to need these points to feed their family..
Shame on you Save-On-Foods.. shame on you...

Playdough Recipes

So I wanted to revamp my Playdough recipes section and give it its own "spot" :)

so here's a few that I've been compiling for the past few years.... :) Enjoy ...

Pictures shown..... Rainbow.. or Tye Dye Play dough... and Black Playdough with Glitter !!!!

and if you the kinda of momma who can burn water... you can always buy play dough... there's no shame in that :) .. Heck at Halloween time they make the small sizes to give out as Treats... I buy these at Costco... and let my son and his friend pick out a few colours each ... I dont feel bad using it.. :) I like that it saves me time.. but when i feel the need to make something these are some great recipes I've found ...

My Friend Jen Posted this Cooked version.. I've yet to try it.. but it she made some and its so freaking wonderful !!!!

Combine in saucepan: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup salt 1 tsp. cream of tartar

Add and whisk until smooth: 1 cup water 1 Tbsp oil Food coloring (Cake decorators paste or liquid makes great colors)

Cook over medium heat until nearly playdough is nearly ...set. Add: 1 Tbsp. imitation vanilla extract

Stir until vanilla is blended, then remove and knead when cool. Store in Ziploc bag or air tight container.

Note: This is the best playdough recipe I have ever found. The vanilla extract seems improve the texture and adds a nice scent as wellSee More


Cooked Play Dough:
* 3 cups of water
* 3 cups of plain flour
* 1.5 cups of salt
* 3 tbsp of vegetable oil
* 2 tbsp of cream of tartar (or a big squeeze of lemon juice)
* few drops glycerine (for extra shine, stretch and smoothness-optional)


No-Cook Play Dough:
* 1 cup of salt
* 2 cups of plain flour
* 2 tbsp oil
* 2 tbsp cream of tartar
* 1.5 cups boiling water
* few drops of glycerine (for extra shine, stretch and smoothness- optional)
* Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl then knead it until it becomes smooth. and then your ready to Play !!!! if your adding colour.. you can slightly mix it so it looks "marbled " and then let your child finish kneading it or just have some marbled playdough :)


if you don't have Cream of Tartar you can use a squeeze of a Lemon... I find this is the one thing that isnt usually in my fridge .....
glycerine can be found at most drug stores and the odd grocery store too :)

Alternative Recipe for childrens playdough

2 cup cornstarch
2 cup baking soda
1 1/4 cup cold water

Gradually add water till smooth. Heat, stirring constantly until mashed potato consistency. Turn onto plate, cover with damp cloth, let cool. Knead dough.

Uncooked Play dough (salt and flour)

1/4 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/4 cup water

Have your child mix the flour and salt in a bowl then add water. Knead and squeeze the dough to make a clay consistency. You may need to add more water.

Note: Your child will find that this playdough doesn't last as long as the cooked recipes.

Kool-Aid Play Dough

The children will love the smell of this playdough!

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups boiling water
2 packages unsweetened Kool-Aid

Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Wearing gloves, knead for 10 minutes. Store in zip lock bag in refrigerator.

Notes:

1. Your hands may smell of the Kool-Aid flavor even with gloves.
2. Kool-Aid is a powdered drink mix sold in North America. Parents just add sugar and water to make the drink. The powder has both flavoring and color which makes it great for this craft.

To mix things up a bit try adding .......
~ Colour.... food colouring ( I like to use "cake" food colour it doesnt add much moisture to the mix and is often more brilliant in colour than the liquid kind...or liquid paint, Powdered paints can be used too....


~ Flavor or Scent ....peppermint/ strawberry/ coffee (a teaspoon of instant)/lemon/ orange/ vanilla/ herbs or spices ..
these are not so much for "taste" but smell amazing.. We recently made orange Orange playdough and my son LOVED the way it smelled :) and honestly so did I .. I used the "zest" of one whole orange ... it added texture and smelled so YUMMY !!!

~Textures..... *Rice *Flax Seeds *pasta*rock salt* couscous* lentils* sand*coffee grounds*tea leaves*glitter*sequins *beads*

Some fun Combinations....
Black Playdough and Silver Glitter.... this makes the most amazing Esthetically pleasing playdough for those who like a glitter in their dough... :) My Son LOVED this.. he said it was like stars in the dough... this made me think we could add in some shaped glitter too.. I've seen starts.. but i think those might to too "sharp" for play... :) this could be used so talking about the stars and constellations too ....

Tye Dye Play dough....... mix up your dough batch and divide it into 3-5 balls.. then mix one colour into each ball... then roll them into "snakes" and then stwist them together... then roll into a ball... and taaaa daaa.. Tye Dye play dough... .... My son gets a kick out of mixing the colours... and he loves it when the ball starts off some what mixed up :) this was also really good for me I was pretty obsessed with him not mixing the colours at 1st.. and now it doesn't bother me...

a book ?????

So I'm contemplating writing a book.. basically the Crafty, stuff to do with your kids side of my blog.. but in print and paper form....

It would be about crafty and fun ideas to do with your kids....

I think the title would be the same as my blog.. Running with Glitter Glue....

I'd dedicate the book to my kids... because they are my inspiration....

but I guess that's as far as I've gotten so far... so I guess i need to contact a publisher and see where I go from here...

I'd love to hear some thoughts....

Sensory Fun !!! Water beads !!!!!

So I was told about these things called Water Beads or Water Gems... you can buy them at pretty much every craft store, Wal-Mart even carries them.. they are originally designed to be used in place of dirt for plants.. or liquid water in cut flower vases ...

you can buy them "pre "grown" or you can "grow " them your self... My son LOVED seeing how big they would get ... and it was 1/2 the price and you get twice as many if you "grow" them your self ....

I bought mine at Micheal's the Craft store for about $4 bucks with Tax . ( I had a 40% off coupon) .. I now wish I would have bought them in EVERY colour.. Mr.K (my 2 & 1/2 year old son ) LOVED them.. He enjoyed scoping them up with a big ladle and then squishing them between his fingers..
My nearly 10month old Lil'L also got a kick out of these ... but with her I had to watch her like a hawk.. as they CAN NOT be ingested ( they grow in water just imagine what would happen in your tummy) she really loved playing with them.. I put her in her high chair and gave her one to play with..
I plan on putting a bunch into a Ziplock bag for her so she can play with them some more...

I also made a couple of "shakers" with plastic drink bottles .. one I filled 1/3 way full with water, added a hand full of water gems and a splash of glitter and some dish soap... and in the other I just filled 1/2 way up with water gems and some Glitter....
I love glitter ... :)

I want to take these and play with them outside with the kids.. I think my son would love to "swim" in them... and we have a little pool.. so the next really hot day .. thats our plan...

Fun with things that glow !!!!!!

So recently I've felt like we're having a "fun" slump.... so Tonight I tossed about 7 glow in the dark sticks ( short ones made for bracelets but I didnt make them into bracelets ) then I put in some Lush Bubble Bar (in "Comforter" of course ) then turned the lights off and brought in the kids... Mr K thought is was Amazing... and said if was the "Bestest Baff " :) I love hove 2 1/2 year olds talk... my nearly 10month little missy thought it was great too... she splashed more than normally and loved to "search" the water trough the bubbles to find the glow sticks...
I bought the Glow sticks at Micheal's for $1.50 for 15 of them...
I think this is going to be a great winter activity as it is usually dark by 4pm so the glow sticks will get more "play" after the bath... currently the sun is still up and it usually isnt dark in our house until well after bed time..
this gave me other idea's like glow sticks in the sand table... and when its dark enough... we could play a game of "find the glow stick :)
I'll post some pictures soon....

What ?WHat??WHAt??? WHAT ????

ok so recently I hear that someone in my town is stealing kids out door toys...
WHAT???
yes that was my reaction too...
I then promptly went out side, marked all of our outdoor toys with our name and phone # and took pictures too... JUST IN CASE
my hubby has also been instructed to buy some "locks" of some sort for the big stuff that doesnt fit into the shed...
I just can't get over how we live in a world where kids peddle cars and slides are getting ripped off .. But then i did the math.. We have a radio flyer 3 wheel bike ($99) two ride em Little Tykes Cars ( $ 65 each) a small Fisher price Bike ($40) a 3 in one slide combo climber ($129) a little tykes water table ($60) a fun see saw thingy ($30) and about $100 bucks in cars and trucks for the sand box.... thats about $600 bucks in toys sitting in my yard... I'd be so mad if someone stole them...

It just makes me shake my head... whats this world coming to ???

luckily my son has a smart mommy and I plan on keeping his toys safe, and in our garage even though it would be so much easier for me to just let them be out so i didnt have to drag them out for him... ohhh well... such is life

Playing with Colour......

So with the sun out, and the mosquitoes retreating we are spending more and more time outside...



And with that comes fun messy art experiments.. Today while Mr.K was napping I "prepared" a fun activity involving ... baking soda.. Vinegar... and Food Colouring ..
I set up a jar and a container filled 1/3 full with baking soda..

then took small spray bottles and filled them with vinegar and about 10 drops of food colour and then once my son woke up we slapped on some sunscreen and hats and went outside to experiment ...


I quickly discovered my 2 1/2 year old couldn't spray the spry bottles.. I need to get some with triggers so he can easily spray the liquidis...

but we still had fun..

he loved how the baking soda would fizz and then he got crazy and started pouring the coloured vinegar this activity lasted for about 25 mis., I was impressed...


and I think he had so much fun Playing with this "messy stuff" .. Clean up was a breeze and I cant wait to do it again with my son....

the whole thing cost about $5 in supplies..
I bought a huge jug of Vinegar and the "little boxes " baking soda were on sale for 99cents each so I bought a few...

my son loved that he could shake , dump and pour ...


Supplies used....
~Vinegar
~baking soda
~liquid food colour
~spray bottles (one with triggers are easier for little hands ) check out dollar stores , drug stores or re use cleaning spray bottles...
~ containers to be filled with baking soda.. I used a CD holder lid and a glass baby bottle
~ A Shaker jar.. I bought a 99cent spice shaker and filled it with baking soda
~ and a large container or tray to contain the fun ...or mess :)


or you can do this experiment in the bath tub .. since its all safe to go down the drain then mess is really easy to clean up...

here's a quick 7seconds video of our fun ...