Gettin' Sticky With It

This past weekend was really busy, like I mentioned earlier, but Cory and I did manage to do a family activity with Logan - a contact paper wall.

It was super easy to make, a little contact paper, some painters tape and some foam shapes from Michaels. I probably spent $6 on the whole thing. Here is is in the setting up stages:

Logan picked up on what to do immediately. He kept sticking and unsticking his fingers and he loved to pull the sports balls down too. About 3 minutes into playing he learned to stick the shapes up as well.

I decided to tuck it behind the door in his room so we could play with it for the week. It has held up surprisingly well actually! Since his room is sports themed, it doesn't bother me at all that it is always out and it gives him something to do while I put away his laundry.

I'll probably take it down soon and put it away for another rainy day (or maybe a snow day if we ever get one!) I think I might add some feathers and fabric into the mix next time too. Who knows...maybe I'll even add it to the activity list for his birthday, which we are hosting at home.

It was a really fun activity for the whole family and it was just awesome to see Logan explore something new. I get to do activities like this all the time for Logan but Cory really got into it too. I think we might do some artwork this weekend as a family since the weather forecast is bitter cold!

Toy Review: Playskool Rocktivity Music Skool Table

I wanted to review a toy that Logan has had for awhile, the activity table he has from Playskool. We bought it back in September when Logan started trying to pull himself up on everything. I waite to review it to see how he would grow with it. But now that he can stand on everything now, I thought it was time to weight in.

Playskool Rocktivity Music Skool Table

I adore this activity stand. It has a ton of great features - like music mode and learning mode. Also it has spanish which I like to listen to for myself to switch things up. Additionally, the legs come off which is how we introduced it to Logan. We didn't buy this until he had been sitting up for a month or two, but it would have worked at 5 months old for us. 

Logan was immediately taken with the microphone which comes out and is a stand alone rattle. He use to just put it in and take it out repeatedly. After about a month, we ended up putting the legs back on. While we bought it to help him stand, when he was first learning he put too much of his weight on the table and it tipped over too easily. 

Once the legs were back on he stood up and discovered the piano keys and the guitar buttons. He only recently started using the drum and he just discovered the DJ spinner two days ago. Honestly, the DJ spinner is my favorite part. It sounds very realistic and when logan stood up and used it - it was the cutest, funniest thing ever. He was a little DJ spinning beats in a club. 

There are a lot of layers to this sound machine and not many lights which I like. When you hit the keys for the piano it plays a song (ABC by the jackson five) while the song is playing if you hit the guitar button, the piano button or the drum button, that instrument gets layered into the song so you can have all, one, two or none going to the song. It allows Logan to hear what the different instruments do in a piece of music and he likes making the sounds of the songs change again and again. The only part that lights up is the 3 starts above the piano keys. They are faint lights too and Logan completely ignores them which is great.

I really did my research before picking this table, but ultimately, I took Logan into target - put 4 in front of him and watched him interact with them. I vetoed the fisher price one IMMEDIATELY - too many flashing lights and loud noises. It was between this one and the leapfrog version but I'm really happy with this one. Unlike some of the others on the market, this one has a theme and not just a bunch of random stuff on a table.

 I think Logan would give it 5 stars. I would give it 4.5 - I do wish it was a little sturdier for when he was LEARNING to stand, but now that he has mastered standing it works like a dream and is plenty sturdy. 

Does anyone else have this table?

Subscription Addiction: January Stork Stack

I received my first Stork Stack this week and wanted to update all of you on its contents and how it stacks up to Citrus Lane.

First - I think the packaging is beyond adorable. Don't you agree? 

The first thing I saw when I opened it was the Boon Fluid (sippy cup.)

I was really excited because Logan is currently rejecting drinking from a cup so I am willing to try anything at this point. He was intrigued by it but didn't really drink from it yet. 3 stars.

Next up was a Razbaby teether.

Logan already has one and he seems to like it so far. I think I will save it to use for the next baby gift I have to give. Should look cute tied to a bow on the box! 4 stars (cause I already have it.)

Next we have an exercise book.

This would have been cute if Logan was younger, but at 10 months, he won't sit still long enough to do these exercises with me. I'll definitely save it for my next child though. It looks cute! 3 stars.

Next was a 10 dollar gift card to instagrad.

A nice idea to include a gift for Logan's college fund, but I'm not sure I will be comfortable sharing the link with members of my family. I feel a little awkward asking for money for him. 2 stars.

Finally, I got a workout DVD.

Seriously? Not so interested in this at all. I hate workout DVDs because they are never as good as going to the gym and I always find an excuse not to use them. 1 star.

So final tally - 2.6 stars. Yeah not great. It's more expensive than Citrus Lane and I like the products from Citrus Lane better. You can find my review here. They had a theme of Healthy New Year - so maybe it will get better next month, I'm not too much of a health nut.  I don't want to write them off yet so I'm going to stay open minded for now.

Do any of you subscribe to Stork Stack? What did you think of it?

Toy Review: Travel Toys

This post is going to be a toy review/travel advice hybrid - tips and tricks from my 2 flights with a 9 month old.

Lets start with the advice part first:

1. Nurse during take off and landing (or give a bottle or a paci.) This little item is a positive and negative. Lets start with the negative first shall we? The eminem wannabe next to me saw my boob at least 4 times - even though I took every precaution to stay cover. On the positive side it definitely helped his ears. Case in point, when we started our descent and he turned to me, made a funny face and grabbed his ears, I quickly got him situated and he nursed the pain away.

2. Fly during nap time. The nap timing worked well with tip 1 - Logan fell asleep while nursing for take off and sleep 30 - 45 minutes each flight without any hassle.

3. Have extra diapers and wipes. Logan definitely pooped mid-flight. Not fun. Messy but Cory handled it (thank goodness!)

4. Bring a variety of toys that are small, inexpensive (incase you lose them) and NEW (novelty is a big help here. Now, onto the toy reviews.

We bought a number of new toys for Logan to play with - none of which made enough noise to bother our fellow passengers. All of these were under 8 dollars!

First up: Viking Toys Little Chubbies

Logan thought these were OK. He liked when we made car noises (he can say vroom for car now!) but they only kept him occupied for a little while. I've decided to put them away and try them again when we go on our next trip. They are made for slightly older kids, so these may be a bigger hit later on.

Next up: Melissa & Doug Giraffe Grasping Toy

On the flight up, the grandpa sitting next to us thought it was such a cool toy! I loved twisting it and Logan loves teething on the giraffe head. Again, a cool toy but may get more interest as he gets older. I put this one away again too.

Also: Schylling Ambi Twin Rattle

LOVED this toy. A local toy store owner recommended it to me and I had my doubts but Logan was fascinated by it. It kept him occupied for 15 minutes the first time as he tried to figure out how they moved around.

Next: Tolo Squeaky Dog

The second favorite toy of the trip - Logan loved the squeaky action and the puppy face - he even learned to say "dog" during our trip. He kept Logan occupied during meals out too. This will be permanently in my diaper bag for sure! Cory also started putting the dog on logan's head and logan thought that was too funny!

Finally: Tolo First Friends Piglet

The runaway favorite of the trip. This piggy will be with me at all times. I am actually going to buy another one soon to have for back up. Whenever we brought out piggy, Logan instantly started laughing and smiling. He held him and teethed on this nose and ears and he loved to twist his head and hear the clicking noise. Also used in the toy-on-head game, I think I might buy him a dinosaur or other farm animals from this series for his birthday (which is only two weeks away!!)

So there you have it! Any good tips you can think of that I am missing? Any good toys to bring with us next time?

Mute Monday...err... Sunday: Beach Lovers

Traveling home from vacation and totally swamped with the craziness of traveling with Logan. Soo...here is Mute Monday a day early.

Royal Baby: King of the Skies

I posted my take on the female version of the royal nursery here, but I wanted to show how I would decorate for the future King of England below.

I envision the nursery to have an vintage pilot theme to it. So lets take a look at what that would mean!

Let's start with the crib and bedding. I loved the clean lines of the crib and think it plays well with the more traditional wood color. The crisp colors in the bedding combined with the traditional map print would compliment the crib nicely and serve as the color scheme for the room. I also love the idea of the globe mobile with the vintage model airplanes flying around it.

The dresser pics up the same colors from the crib and would make a good changing table. I would repeat the mobile idea with these wire planes - a nice touch to keep the baby's attention during diaper changes.  The union jack tarp wall tapestry has a nice vintage feel and gives a gentle nod to the baby's future role.

I love the idea of outfitting a rocker in a nice manly leather. The combination is so unexpected and decidedly masculine. The vintage ticket stub rug is graphic and fun - it even includes a nod to London!

Now onto the fun stuff - Every room should have a little fun it. I love this pilot tent (yes I realize that it is for the US air force instead of RAF, but I'm pretty sure they could have it custom made with Will's division logo.) and the matching pedal airplane. Both should inspire hours of imagination and fun. The final touch is the aviator chair which is miniature sized and perfect for quiet reading time.

Toy Review: LeapFrog My Discovery House

I've had my eye on this LeapFrog house for a long time, so when I saw it on sale on Amazon.com for $13.00, I HAD to buy it for Logan. He's been playing with it for a week now, so here is our review.

Leapfrog My Discovery House

First off - yes this toy totally has batteries, but everything that it says is educational (except when you ring the doorbell and its says a cowboy is coming over for dinner - no idea where that came from.) It teaches a couple different things which break down to two categories - opposites and day/night activities. 

Logan loves to open and close the refrigerator door and push the duck in the tub to hear the squeak.

He also opens the front door and kisses himself in the mirror. The light switch is another point of interest - he hasn't figured out how to do it himself because it needs a tad more force than he is capable of, but he is happy to yell at anyone to push it up and down. 

I love it because it is small and has a handle so we can carry it anywhere. I like to bring it to other people's houses if they won't have things for him to do so he stays entertained.

I would probably give this one 5 stars because I can really see the potential for this to grow with him and it is a convenient item to have around. Logan would give it a 3 1/2 stars. He likes it when others are playing with it, but it doesn't keep him occupied for long yet. I'll update it in a few months to see how he processes. I've heard great things so I have high hopes for this one. 

Gymboree

Cory and Logan have a fantastic time every week at their Gymboree class. Cory likes to go alone for some daddy-son time and they always come back with cute activities or songs that they learned in class. This week I convinced him to let me go and take pictures and here is what I learned:

1. Logan loves wiffle balls. He crawled all over the place to get one of these bad boys. It was a great ice breaker for him and he was interacting with other kids (trying to steal their balls) as opposed to being shy.

2. Pony boy might be his favorite game ever. He knows its coming and just starts giggling the minute Cory puts him on his legs.

3. He loves the hugs at the end of pony boy best. At Gymboree they do one verse of pony boy and then one verse of pony girl, but each verse ends in a hug - well this week Logan decided to skip the second verse and snuggle instead.

4. Gymboree has some weird activities. Cory says every two weeks they change the activities. This week was air toys(?!?!?!) I dunno what was going on here.

5. Logan refuses to go through tunnels. Literally refuses. Thinks it's funny to see a person or toy on the other end but will not go in at all.

6. Baby soccer is hysterical. Seriously. Logan thinks so too.

7. Logan is actually really good at baby soccer. He definitely takes after Cory with that one.

8. Bubbles mesmerize him. At home he giggles when I blow bubbles, but at Gymboree he focuses and just stares.

It was really special to go and watch them interact. I tried not to interrupt their time, instead I just snapped photos like a lunatic. We missed a class a couple weeks back so I'll get my own time during the week with Logan at class, so I kicked back and marveled at the love my guys have for each other.

Subscription Addiction: December Citrus Lane

I am sooo excited!! My first Citrus Lane  package arrived today. It took all my strength to wait until Logan went down for a nap to dig into this beauty!

First I was impressed with the presentation. I'm pretty sure I would love a package of goodies either way, but having the items wrapped in tissue paper made it feel special. Also, I love that it was addressed to Logan. 

First up, they gave me some Madecasse Chocolate. ($1.50)

I loved the concept - farmer friendly cocoa, but... it was seriously gross. As in I spit it out and couldn't swallow it gross. Then I thought, maybe it was just me - I'm not a fan of dark chocolate anyway, so that must be the problem, right? WRONG. I gave it to Cory to try without giving away my opinion. He chewed it, started to swallow and then he sprinted to the toilet, spit it out and accused me of trying to poison him. And he is not one for the dramatics. Sorry Citrus Lane .... total fail.

Ok, next up was a Renee and Jeremy CD called "It's a Big World!" ($12)

I only listened to a few songs, but they seem acoustic and child friendly without being so child friendly it is unbearable to listen to. I'll test it on Logan next time we are in the car.

A Pearhead bragbook was the next thing I removed. ($9)

I'm not a brag book kind of person, but Logan loves to look at pictures, so I think I'll use it as Citrus Lane suggested and fill it with photos of Logan's family so he can learn their names. Who knows maybe it will help with his stranger anxiety.

I was really excited about the next item and intentionally saved it for the end of the box. It is a Green Toys submarine. ($15)

I have been dying to get Logan a Green Toys recycling truck and some of their other products, but I hadn't seen this one yet. I love it!! Its a bath toy that I can use to rinse his hair too. Unfortunately, he is still in the infant tub and this is way to big for that right now, so I'll postpone a toy rating for this one until we transition to the big boy tub (when he stops trying to stand up or lay down in the tub!)

The last item in the box was almost missed by me after the excitement of the submarine - a gift card for $15 to Ecomom.com! ($15)

I used it to purchase a Fluf Organic snack pack two pack. I have been wanting to transition away from  plastic baggies so these should let me test the waters.

Ok, so here is the tally: Citrus Lane values the box at $52.50. I did some googling and found the prices to be fairly accurate actually. The submarine and the gift card both got 5 stars for me and since their retail value alone was $30 - more that the $25 a month (or $20 I paid with my discount) I am very happy. The other items are icing on the cake. I'll probably listen to the cd once or twice (3 stars) and I am sure he will like the photos in the brag book (4 stars.) I just don't want to ever see the chocolate again (1 stars.) Total star value is 3.6 stars...but I'm rounding to 4 stars.

So there you have it. You can sign up for Citrus Lane here. I'm excited to try it out again next month!