Tag Archives: umbilical cord

Pony in My Pockets Teach Horse Breeds

When I was growing up, I knew girls who were into horses. They literally had stables full of different breeds, but in the form of toy representations. Still, they knew what type each horse was and could tell you all kinds of interesting facts about the different breeds. I was reminded of this because the other day I was in Target looking for a birthday gift to send to my friend’s daughter. When we all lived in Jacksonville, I was around Brenda’s oldest daughter all the time. We moved when her youngest was just shy of two, so I haven’t … Continue reading →

Charity and the Preschooler

“Mommy, I thought charity was a girl.” That was my 4-year-old’s response after a man from our local St. Vincent de Paul non-profit thrift store helped unload the last bag of donated goods from our car. For weeks we have been organizing, purging and de-cluttering our home all in the name of charity. After I tackled the kitchen and living room I moved on to my daughter’s room. While she was busy crashing her remote control Jeep into towers of wooden blocks I dumped out a gigantic container of stuffed animals and asked her to help me make two piles. … Continue reading →

Toy Safety Database

Are you worried about the safety of your children’s toys? Massive recalls of toys containing lead have brought the issue of toy safety to the forefront of our minds, and many parents are concerned that this information wasn’t available previously. Also in the news is the presence of certain chemicals in plastic that have been seen to interrupt endocrine function leading to growth problems and problems with adult reproduction. Fortunately, new legislation and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) should help protect our children, as these harmful toys are banned from sale. Still, the law won’t protect our children right … Continue reading →

House Approves Legislation for Tougher Toy Standards

Toys should not be hazardous to our children’s health. It has long been assumed that the things that we buy and give to our children, those same toys, teethers, and pacifiers that our babies put in their mouths, are safe. But as we all know now, that is not the case. In a bold move yesterday, the House overwhelmingly approved legislation that would ban lead from baby toys and children’s products. These are the toughest standards for lead in the world. In addition, the legislation also bans six types of phthalates in plastic products meant for children. Third-party testing of … Continue reading →

It’s Not Barbie, It’s Bindi

She claims she doesn’t play with Barbie dolls, but perhaps she’ll make room on her shelf for her look-alike. Bindi Irwin is a doll. Really. The Emmy-winning daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin can now sit in your child’s bedroom. Well, at least a 10-inch version of the spunky tyke can. Wild Republic, a division of K&M International Inc., based in Ohio, just announced it is developing two different Bindi dolls. The first Bindi Irwin doll sports khakis, puffy pigtails and hiking boots, and comes with binoculars, a camera and other outback gear, as well as a cockatoo, … Continue reading →

Emergency Baby Toys

What do you do when you don’t have any toys on hand to occupy your little one? Perhaps you dashed out of the door for a visit and forgot to bring along a few toys? Or maybe your baby has decided that she is bored with her toys at the exact moment that you need to make an important phone call or do your dinner prep. One time we were unexpectedly snowed in while away from home with our firstborn who was about 18 months old. We invented all sorts of games to play with him, but the following two … Continue reading →

What to Do with Vending Machine Bubbles

You know that you are really frugal when you can look at anything at all and find a way to reuse it. one such items that came up recently for me is the plastic vending machine bubble. These are the little plastic cases that hold rings, tattoos, erasers, cheap jewelry, bouncy balls and other little toys that can be had from a vending machine. Now, what am I doing talking about buying little overpriced things that cost 50 cents or more these days? Well, I am not actually talking about purchasing these bubble-filled toys, but actually just reusing the bubbles. … Continue reading →

De-cluttering with Young Children

I love to de-clutter our house. I get to a point where the stuff is just too overwhelming. This is especially true when it comes to toys. Toys have a way of sneaking up on your until every bin, box, shelf and even the floor is filled with toys. De-cluttering is tough in and of itself. But how can you get it done when you have young children at home? Here are some tips. Work around the kids schedules. De-cluttering doesn’t have to take one solid block of time. If you your kids nap for an hour, concentrate on one … Continue reading →

Homemade Scoop Toy

Who says that you have to buy all of your toys? Creating your own toys can be find and very frugal. Here is one idea that you can try. Do you know those plastic scoop toys that you can purchase? They consist of a scoop, a ball and a string. If you purchase one in the store, expect to pay at least $10-20. If you make this toy at home using materials that you already have, then the toy is free. Your kids will have hours of fun playing with this toy, and it is suitable for different ages. The … Continue reading →

Finding Free Stuff Events

Earlier today, I talked about free stuff events, and how wonderful they can be. I also talked about the etiquette involved when attending one. If you missed that earlier article, click here: Free Stuff Events. Now, I’ll talk about how to find these events. The best way to learn about free stuff events is by word of mouth. Let everyone that you know that you are interested in yard sales and free events. Very often, someone you know knows of an event coming up that is being hosted. Who hosts these types of events? Very often they are held by … Continue reading →