Family – Page 5

CHRISTMAS PICTURES POST!

December 28, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate and a wonderful Friday if you don’t ; ) We had a wonderful weekend sharing Christmas magic with our kids! So, today I will be sharing some of our favorite moments from Christmas day, which we always spend at home with just our immediate family, and from other weekend Christmas celebrations with our extended families.

Here is a video sharing some of our Christmas traditions:

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Let me know in the comments!

WALT DISNEY WORLD WITH YOUNG KIDS | 5 QUICK TIPS |

December 23, 2015 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday! Or, Merry Christmas Eve Eve ; )

We have been home from Disney World for about 10 days, and my husband and I sat down recently (okay, we tried to talk over the kids while folding laundry, let’s be real) to chat about what worked and what didn’t for us for our three kids under five on our trip. So, today I thought I would share 5 quick tips that might help you if you’re planning to take your young kids to Disney.

1. Use a Backpack

Take a backpack! I am a cute purse or diaper bag kind of girl, but at Disney you want to be hands-free! We took a plain black backpack and my husband and I took turns wearing it. It is SO MUCH EASIER. You won’t be sorry!

2. Wear the Baby/Toddler

We took both a front facing carrier that we borrowed from a friend and our Ergo. We wore Logan, our 11 month old, most of the trip. Even if you have a stroller, pack a carrier.

3. Don’t Rent a Disney Stroller but Rent a Stroller

Disney has strollers for rent, but the prices aren’t cheap and you have to return them to the parks each day. We opted to rent from an outside company, Kingdom Strollers, that is a Disney featured stroller provider. We picked the stroller up at our resort and returned it at our resort! Super easy! Plus we could take it out of the parks instead of wasting time in line every day to rent one and return it. All, the kids could ride from our room to the parks! It was only $70 for the week for a steam cleaned, City Mini Double stroller. We were able to fold it easily for the bus (we grabbed our bags before doing so), and leave it open on the monorail and boats (the boats have signs that say to fold it, but they always said we could leave it open). Also, decorate your stroller with ribbon and a sign so it’s easy to spot in the sea of strollers!

4. Take LOTS of Wet Ones

I bought two packages of Disney character antibacterial wipes at the Dollar Tree and we had regular Wet Ones also. I wiped down as much as possible, and they’re great for sticky hands, too.

5. Take Fruit Snacks and Magic Ink Books

Both of these saved us at restaurants, in line, on the plane…you name it! If your kids are like mine, they’ll fly through the Magic Ink Books, so buy lots! If you check the Target Dollar Section you should be able to find them for $3, but they sell out fast.

I hope that you enjoyed this post! I have several Disney videos coming up on my YouTube Channel, and we have our Disney Daily Vlogs on our Daily Vlog Channel! I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas if you celebrate! And a happy holiday season!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY CONNOR!

December 14, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

Today our Connor turns 3!

Happy Birthday sweet Connor! We love you so! We are so proud of you! You’re our hero : )

xoxoxo

Mommy (& Daddy, Hailey & Logan!)

Thank you for reading!! I’ve had a lot of family posts, but will be back to my regular beauty and lifestyle posts soon!! Please don’t forget to subscribe!

MAGIC KINGDOM MAGIC! 2015

December 9, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

We are smack dab in the middle of our Disney vacation and having a magical time! We are so grateful to be able to make these memories with our kiddos! It’s been wonderful watching them light up with their grandparents, and bond with their uncle, too!

Tomorrow we head to Epcot! If you have anything that you *MUST* do at Epcot, let me know in the comments! Have a beautiful day!

ANIMAL KINGDOM FAMILY PICTURES 2015

December 7, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I considered pre-planning some posts for this week while I’m on vacation with my family in Orlando, but I decided to share our trip with you in pictures : ) If you enjoy posts like this, please let me know! You can watch our whole trip if you check out our daily vlog channel. If you have any favorite things to do at Walt Disney World, let me know in the comments! : )

Thank you, as always, for allowing me to share my family with you!! We are having a WONDERFUL time!! If you have any Disney questions or are interested in any hauls or reviews, please let me know in the comments : ) Thank you so much for reading! Please don’t forget to subscribe! It makes my day!!

VTECH FLIPSIE DOLL REVIEW & GIVEAWAY!!

December 2, 2015 & 3 Comments

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

VTech contacted me again to see if I would be interested in getting a Flipsie Doll for consideration and review. I jumped at the chance because Hailey loves the other Flipsie Dolls she has. A few months ago I reviewed the VTech Sit-to-Stand Ultimate Alphabet Train and I’m happy to report that it is still Connor’s favorite toy.

*Note: I know some may be concerned about the recent VTech hack. My kiddos love so many VTech toys that were not part of this. VTech responded to FAQ here.

*Note: Any links shared are NOT affiliate links which means no, I don’t get paid if you purchase : )

FLIPSIE DOLL LINE OVERVIEW:

-Interchangeable toys that encourage girls to dream big and use their imagination!

-Each doll changes from her everyday look into her dream look

-Flipsies use MagicPoint technology, so they can interact with their playsets, and they even talk to each other!

-The product collection has 18 different offerings, and they range in price from $9.99-$39.99

VTECH CARINA MINI GOLF & CHECK-UP TABLE PLAYSET:

-This set transforms from a mini golf course to a doctor’s check-up table

-Carina works on all other Flipsie Doll playsets & responds when placed on any Magic Point on the other Flipsie playset with phrases that match her personality

-Carina comes with 10 fun doll acessories including wigs, clothes, glasses, and more

-Carina uses 3 LR44 batteries (doll comes with demo batteries that aren’t mean for regular use)

-Doll is intended for girls ages 4-9

HAILEY ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT HER FLIPSIE DOLLS AND IMAGINATIVE PLAY:

PROS:

-Encourage imaginative play

-It’s like getting multiple toys in one

-Priced reasonably

-Very easy to put together

-My 4 year old will play with these for hours! She loves using her other small dolls with them, too.

CONS:

-Tiny pieces to look after (*Tip: I immediately bought a plastic shoe box sized bin to store this in!)

-A little paint from the doll came off in the package, but we did open it after it was sitting outside overnight by accident

FINAL THOUGHTS:

We absolutely LOVE the Flipsie Doll line by VTech! Hailey picked one of these out to give her friend for a birthday gift, and I happily spent my own money buying it. I think that these are much cuter in person than I imagined when I first saw a picture! I am so impressed with these dolls. I love the aspirational message it sends to young girls, and I think it’s SO cool that the dolls can work on any of the Flipsie Doll sets. I think these would make a fantastic Christmas gift for any young girl on your list.

HELPFUL LINKS TO LEARN MORE:

GIVEAWAY:

Would YOU like to win the Carina Mini Golf and Check-Up Table Playset?

I will pick a winner on December 12th! The winner will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before I select a new winner.

RULES:

-Must be in the United States

-Must be 18+ or have parental permission

-“Like” VTech on Facebook

-Comment who you know who would love to get a Flipsie Doll as a gift

-Be subscribed to this blog

BONUS ENTRY OPPORTUNITY:

You can get 1 bonus entry for liking my Facebook Page or Following me on Instagram or Twitter!

You can get 2 bonus entries if you Subscribe to my YouTube channel!

You can get 2 bonus entries if you Subscribe to my Daily Vlog channel!

That means you could get 7 extra entries!!

The next post you see from me will be when we are in FLORIDA at WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!! Be sure to follow me on social media for magic and cuteness overload ; )

LOGAN’S 1ST BIRTHDAY PARTY DAY!!

November 23, 2015 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We got to celebrate Logan’s 1st Birthday over the weekend with family and friends. His birthday isn’t until January, but with our trip to Disney and the holiday rush, we decided to celebrate a bit early. I hope that you enjoy these pictures : ) Thank you for letting me share my family with you! You can watch his big day here on our daily vlog channel.

LoLo,

I’m glad I still have another 6 weeks until you’re 1! But you’ll be my baby forever ; )

I love you so,

Mommy

Have a wonderful week! I will see you Wednesday before Thanksgiving : ) Please don’t forget to subscribe! xo

Thank You Veterans

November 11, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

I want to keep today short and sweet and thank our veterans for all they’ve sacrificed.

Have a wonderful weekend! Get excited for some fun reviews, hauls, and gift guides coming soon! Please leave comments with ideas of things you’d like to see! xo

OH CHRISTMAS TREE! | 2015 |

November 9, 2015 & 2 Comments

Hi there! Happy Monday!

I hope that you had a fantastic weekend! Our Christmas tree goes up November 1st every year, and this year was no different, but because I was sick that day we didn’t decorate the tree until this past weekend. I know it’s pretty early, but as a family we enjoy decorating so much, and savoring every bit of holiday magic. For the past 5 years our trees have been themed, and this year Hailey, our 4 year old, picked the theme: FROZEN! I can’t say I’m surprised ; ) When do you decorate? Do you have any special Christmas or holiday decorating traditons? And of course the big debate: is your tree real or fake? Our tree is fake, because we do decorate so early and travel so often, but I adore the smell of real trees! We buy scented things to tuck into the branches that really do smell like a real tree and I love them!

Have a beautiful week!! Check back Wednesday and if you’re subscribed my posts will be emailed to you : )

October 21, 2015 & Leave a Comment

Hi there! Happy Wednesday!

Thank you for being here : ) Halloween is in 10 days, and like ir or not it is time to start seriously thinking about your holiday shopping! I want to share some gift guides with you, but would like to ask what you would like to see! So if there is a certain demographic you’re wanting ideas for, please comment and let me know! I love comments ; ) Today I decided to start by sharing one gift idea for each person in my immediate family, but I have a lot more ideas to share. If you enjoy this, please tell me and I will make it a weekly or bi-weekly series as we enter the holiday season.

Tarte Greatest Glitz Collector’s Set & Portable Palettes

$49

How gorgeous as this?! Any women in your life from teens on up would adore this! I love that you could even gift the palettes seperately as stocking stuffers or small gifts, or give the whole set for a fabulous gift for one lucky lady. This set has great pigmentation, and I love that it’s seperated into palettes that have colors that you would use together instead of a giant palette, because I think it’s less intimidating for those who may not be as comfortable with makeup.

Mantry Box

$75 for one box

Stephan got a 3 month subscription of this from my parents back in 2012, and we haven’t got it since because it *is* pretty pricy, but if you have a guy who is hard to shop for I think this is a fun idea! Both Steph and I loved these boxes, and we found our favorite pepperoni EVER, and some incredible fudge sauce that we have re-ordered. My only issue with this box is that the only really discount I’ve seen offered is they offer free shipping if you order a 3 or 6 month subscription. Still, very yummy and something different.

Sophie & Lili Handmade Mermaid Dolls

$20 for the mini

Hailey, who is almost 4 1/2, got a custom Sophie & Lili doll year and it’s so special! She calls her Hailey doll, and one of Santa’s elves worked very hard on her. This year I am hoping Santa will have that same elf make her a mermaid ; ) I love that they offer a mini one that’s half the price of the bigger one! She has adorable custom dolls, watercolors, and super hero boys! I just wish the boys could be custom and not only custom super heros. These are so well made, and she was great to work with!

ALEX Toys Little Hands String a Farm

$15

My 2 almost 3 year old, Connor, is really working on things that need lots of hand-eye coordination and finally I found a stringing toy that has a wood piece for the “needle” to make it a bit easier than floppy string. *Tip: Pipe cleaners from the craft section are also a great way to practice this and kids love it!

ALEX Toys ALEX Jr. My Busy Town Cube

$72

No, this post is not sponsored by ALEX Toys! I just have been loving their toys lately. We have so many big toys, but our baby, Logan, has Christmas and his first birthday coming up, and this is on our list for him. It gets great reviews, and has lots of activities in one. And how cute would this look under the tree!? I think the kids would all want to play with this! Zulily has stuff like this a lot, so I need to keep checking back!

Be sure to let me know what items are on YOUR list in the comments!! Have a great weekend!

https://www.leahtackles.com/2015/10/21/2704/

« Previous Page