KIDS! : Week of 7/9 Edition

Here's this week's edition of KIDS!

KEEPERS

Toys

Jumperoo - This is a fabulous toy for the baby-young toddler phase. We have the older version HERE that I picked up at a used Children's store. But I've heard good things about the new one HERE.

Dirt Devil Junior - This is what I call a 10 star toy--5 stars for kids and 5 for parents. If you have a toddler's b-day party coming up, I highly recommend getting this! It's like a smaller version of a real vacuum. It has a bag compartment that comes off and it actually picks up stuff. Nathan loves his and has used it every day since we bought it. I love it because it keeps him entertained while I clean!

Bananagrams- If you have older kids that like playing games, you may want to check this one out. I haven't played it yet but it seems to be growing in popularity. It's also small enough to squeeze into a stocking, if you can get a good deal on it.

Books

Here are a few worth checking out at your library:

On the Night You Were Born - Beautiful book that stresses how unique we all are.

Spot's Big Lift-the-Flap Book What kid doesn't love a lift-a-flap book! This one has everything from animal sounds to shapes to colors and even numbers.

Baby's Box of Fun: A Karen Katz Lift-the-Flap Gift Set I bought this set for Nathan and he almost wore the pages out. You can't go wrong with anything written by Karen Katz. Love her! This set is great at teaching body parts and locations of where things are (like under the chair, behind the cup, etc.)

Yellow and Yummy - This is part of a Disney board book series. I find a lot of these at Goodwill or used Children's stores. Each book has it's own topic that it teaches the kids. This one is our favorite and it teaches kids about colors.

The Frog and Toad Collection Box Set - I remember loving to read these back when I was little and first learning to read. There are several in the series so if your child likes it, they can enjoy a few more adventures with Frog and Toad.

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES

~On Saturday, you can check out some FREE kid's workshops. Michael's Craft Stores are doing a Summer Tote Bag HERE and Lowe's is doing a helicopter or treasure chest one HERE.

~If you have a younger child that's big into Peek-a-Boo, consider making one of these Peek-a-Boo Boards HERE. Nathan still loves his!

~Have a music day. We do this every so often and Nathan has a blast! For his first birthday, he got the Bee Bop Band and Melissa & Doug Band in a Box. But quite honestly, you can make instruments out of anything at home. We start off playing the instruments and then we end with silly dance time. I flip on my iPod and let it shuffle through music. We dance, skip, hop and basically just act silly. We even do "freeze" when the music stops.

DEALS

~Kmart Toy Clearance Deals HERE.

~Beech Nut printables HERE and YoBaby printable HERE.

~You can enter my giveaway for a YoBaby gift set HERE. (Ends 7/13/09)

~Huggies Pull-ups $3 printable and Rite-Aid Deals for them HERE.

~Not a deal but very important--you can check out recalls HERE.

~For one FREE Pampers Gifts To Grow Point, use FREECODE0712EXP. Good through 7/12/09.

SUGGESTIONS / SHARING

Weekly Tip for New Parents - Always think of your kids as little versions of you. Treat them gently when they first wake up. (They may not be morning people, either!) Be understanding if they can't fall asleep right away at night. And know that some days, they are just going to have a bad day and just be crabby. If you keep these things in mind, life will be just a little bit easier.

What are we up to this week? - Nathan has been a big help in cleaning the house. He uses his Dirt Devil vacuum (above) and this little broom/mop that we got at Wal-Mart. He even wanted to help scrub out the fridge. Kaydi's been on the verge of another tooth, we think. Wouldn't it be nice if they all just popped in at once and you just suffered through one bad day or two?!

What have your kids been up to? Do you have any great "kid deals" to share with my readers? Leave a linky or a comment.