My son’s second birthday is coming up and we are throwing him a Halloween themed party. To add to the fun, I decided to have a few games set-up for the kids outside.

These are perfect for all ages and a great way to keep the kids entertained;

Jumping for Doughnuts

Put a spin on bobbing for apples by stringing doughnuts between two poles so they slide and rotate as guest try to sink their teeth in.  No one gets wet and remember no hands!

Pumpkin Patch Toss

Try to get ping-pong balls in the pumpkins from about four feet away. The smaller the gourd, the more points scored. Be aware, it is much harder than it looks!

Mystery Bowls

Have kids reach hands into bowls filled with mystery ingredients such as pasta, olives, pudding, grapes, etc. Then have them guess the body parts they feel like.

Hot Pumpkin

A fun twist on hot potato but with a small plastic pumpkin.  Play fun Halloween music. When it turns off, the person holding the pumpkin is out.

Walk the Plank

Create a small balance beam out of a piece of ply wood. Surround area with white tulle/netting to look like cop webs. Add in fun plastic spiders, tomb stones, etc. Challenge the kids to walk the plank without falling into the creepy swamp!

Pumpkin Golf

Carve out a pumpkin making sure it has an extra wide mouth. Let the kids take turns to see who can put the golf ball into the pumpkin.

Paint the Pumpkin

Something as simple as having the kids paint a small pumpkin always keeps them entertained.

Photo Credit

Baby’s Beginnings and Baby’s First Word-Stories for babies and toddlers, and King Otis and The Kingdom of Goode for preschoolers. Developed by a very talented husband and wife team, this product is the highest quality of educational entertainment.

In the DVDs, So Smart! friends Edward, Iggy, Larry and Dee Dee introduce your child to simple words, and then build sentences and stories around them. They are engaging, include soothing music and go at a perfect pace for your 1 – 3 year old.

For Children 3+, King Otis and the Kingdom of Goode teaches life lessons like patience, sharing and respect through captivating stories, catchy songs and lovable characters.

A few of our community moms were asked to review the interactive DVDs and share their personal experiences.

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Sheila’s Review

• The characters were likable and colorful. My daughter liked the bright colors.
• The songs were enjoyable and the music was fun.
• All three lessons were appropriate for ages 3+.
• Our favorite was McFlicken’s Tale of Sharing. We liked the characters the best, and it was the most relevant to us since my daughter struggles with sharing on a daily basis.
• 30 minutes was a perfect duration for each video.
• Although the lessons were appropriate, like most educational shows you will need to explain some situations to your child. For example, in Phoose’s Tale of Patience, it’s difficult for a 4 year old to relate to a fish out of water. However, once I explained this to my daughter in more detail she was able to grasp the concept.
• My 4 year old was a bit surprised by King Otis’ booming voice at first, but after watching the first video, she was accustomed to his voice and not put off at all.

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Kristal’s Review

My daughter is 12 months old and we watched all 3 DVD’s together.

• We really enjoyed the storylines and all of the bonus features, especially the vocabulary first words and the print out activities.
• The pictures were simple and engaging with the bright colors.
• There were lots of soothing music and really cute animations.
• Since my daughter is so young it was hard to keep her attention focused on the DVD.  I broke up the videos giving her a few minutes here and there which seemed to really help her attention.
• As my daughter gets older it will be a wonderful resource to help her learn and grow.

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Amy’s Review:

I really liked the So Smart! DVDs and my 4-year-old daughter did as well.

• I loved that the characters and stories were simple enough for her to understand and love.
• It captivated her interest from the beginning and she followed each story.  Her favorite was Phoose’s Tale of Patience.
• She definitely was engaged the entire time. She kept talking to the TV telling the characters, “You have to have patience!”   When it was over, she had a lengthy conversation with my 6-year-old son about the importance of patience giving examples of patience she’s seen or experienced.  I was floored and ecstatic!  I would definitely recommend these videos for all young children.

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Trina’s Review

The So Smart! DVD’s are a great addition to our growing collection.

• The animation was fantastic with very bright colors and charters that the children could easily relate to.
• The story lines showed events that your child experience every day; how to share, the beauty of being different and how to develop patience.
• They really allowed me to start a dialogue with my sons and discuss the different situations that were demonstrated in the videos.
• They were easy to follow and flowed at a nice pace giving my boys a chance to understand the story-line and relate to what was going on.

Overall, we were very impressed with So Smart! and thought their videos were educational, entertaining and age-appropriate.

So Smart! is a great educational tool to use with your children. Please visit their website at www.sosmart.com for more information on their product line and benefits of using their videos.

Watch & Play! You can view a trailer of the House DVD here. To view the activities, visit this page.

{Opinions expressed in this post are strictly our own. We were not paid for this post. Thanks So Smart! for providing the DVDs for this review.}

I am far from the crafty type.  I often find myself scrambling to come up with creative projects for my boys to do.  However, I do believe that art is an important part of a child’s development so I have been thinking of ways that I can incorporate more art into their lives.

I started doing research and discovered that a lot of moms start their own art play groups. Not only does this provide the children with fun weekly craft projects but it also saves money.  Some of the art classes can be quite expensive and paying for more than one child can be out of the question for most of us.

I decided to start my very own children’s art group for moms in my area.

Here are a few of my tips to help you get started:

Size of Group

Depending on the ages of the children, it may be best to limit the number of families.  This will help keep the children more focused and allow the projects to go a bit smoother.

Cost of Materials

There are several ways you can handle this. The host could be responsible for picking up any supplies needed for the project.  Then he/she would email the families prior to the class to let them know what their contribution would be to help cover the costs.  Normally the cost is only a few dollars and at times there may not even be one. The second option is to have every family bring a set amount each week {for example $3}, which could be put into a kitty to use when needed.

Create a Host Box

A great way to build up your supplies is to create a “host” box that would be passed from one host to another each week.  It would contain the basics; crayons, paper, markers, ribbon, glue, tape, etc.  This would help keep costs down.

Time & Location of Art Class

This will be something that needs to be discussed. Will you rotate houses, pick a designated host or find an alternative space such as a community center or park? You will also need to discuss how often you will meet.  It may be best to pick the same day and time each week so that everyone can plan accordingly.

What Will You Need?

A space to get messy of course! If you choose to host at a home pick an area that you don’t mind getting a bit messy and dirty.  Garage, kitchen, basement or even outside works best.

You will also need the following:

• Art table
• Art supplies
• Art clothes such as oversize t-shirt or smock. Babies can paint in just their diapers {perfect for the summer weather}.
• Paper towels and wipes for clean up

Finding New Art Projects

If you are like me then you will need a little inspiration when it comes to putting together a fun project for the kids.  There are tons of resources and blogs out there with fun ideas to help get you started.

Here are a few that come to mind:

• Big and Little Art
• Tip Junkie
• Color Color Color
• Let the Children Play
• Get Your Mess On
• Make and Takes
• Laugh Play Create
• Unplug Your Kids

Art experiences are a major part of a child’s development. It is a great idea to ask your child questions about his/her project, to get them thinking about what they made and to show them that you are interested in what they have to say.

Don’t forget to hang the art work up in an area of the home where the entire family can see and enjoy the little masterpieces!

And it couldn’t of come at a better time now that we are hitting record temperatures! Its a great way to cool off and not to mention a great excuse to indulge in your favorite flavors!

I recently read an interesting article in Woman’s World how your favorite sundae topping can reveal a lot about your personality.

Find the topping that makes you scream for ice-cream and learn a little more about yourself:

Hot fudge; You crave new things

Nuts or crushed candy bars; You’re assertive

Rainbow sprinkles; You’re an artiste

Strawberries or bananas; You’re a team player

Whipped cream; You’re sensitive

Caramel; You’re ambitious

Here are some fun ice-cream facts:

• In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day.
• 57% of us say no sundae would be complete without hot fudge while 43% go nuttiest for nuts, according to a recent Harris Poll.
• The U.S. ice cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales and provides jobs for thousands of citizens.
• About 9% of all the milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, contributing significantly to the economic well-being of the nation’s dairy industry.
• According to the NPD Group’s National Eating Trends Services, the top five individual flavors in the United States are: vanilla (28.7%), chocolate (10.4%), cookie n’ cream (4.4%), strawberry (3.9%) and chocolate chip mint (3.3%).
• According to the USDA, the U.S. leads the world in annual production of ice cream and related frozen desserts at about 1.5 billion gallons in 2008.

So what’s your favorite ice-cream topping?

A mom’s job is never ending and at times we can feel like we are drowning.  Between keeping up with the daily chores, taking care of our children, husband and managing our career it can be hard to juggle everything and still feel in control.

We all strive to be a Super Mom; one who cooks every day, has a spotless house, kids are well behaved, laundry is folded and put away, maintains a thriving garden….you get the picture.  But its not always easy and about 90% of us wish we had more time in our day to get more accomplished.

Below are a few helpful tips that I have been trying in order to keep my life organized and feel a bit more in control.

Tip #1; When you get home from the grocery store, wash, dry and cut up your fresh produce {of course avoiding the items that tend to go back quicker after being washed like strawberries}.  This will save you time when packing lunches or when your children ask you for a quick snack.

Tip #2; Keep errands to a minimum.  Keep a running list of items you need to pick up such as food, birthday presents or personal items and then head out to do one large shopping trip. This avoids having to make multiple trips throughout the week which save not only time but gas!

Tip #3; Use the 10 minute rule.  How many times have you been meaning to sit down and start that family photo album that you have been putting off for a year? Or maybe you have been wanting to clean out your closet or your go through the clothes that your children have outgrown? Finding time is hard but if you set aside just 10 minutes each day you will be amazed at what you can cross off your list.

Tip #4; Go GREEN by starting a vegetable garden in your backyard or a small herb garden.  Let the kids help you dig, plant and water the garden.  They will be excited to help you maintain it and will enjoy eating the delicious vegetables that have grown in their garden. Not only is this a great family activity but it will save you money as well.

Tip #5; Mornings are crazy at my house! Now I keep a designated tote or bag by my door with the items that go with me when I leave the house. Throughout the week I add any items that I’ll need – dry cleaning, coupons, items that need to be returned to the store – so all I have to do is grab the bag and go.  This has helped saved time in the morning and prevented me from forgetting items that I need while I’m out and about.

Tip #6; Create a nightly clean-up routine.  Maybe Monday evenings you dust the living room, Tuesdays you vacuum, Wednesdays you clean the bathrooms, etc.  By creating a small cleaning schedule each night you prevent the tasks from building up and you can knock them out quicker.

Tip #7; Menu Plan.  I have started doing this a few weeks ago and it has saved me! Dinner time is less hectic because I know what I am cooking and I actually save money by using the ingredients I have on hand. Set aside one night a week {mine is on Sunday nights}, take a look at the items you have in your pantry, and build your menu around those items. I also use this night to look through magazine coupons and to browse my favorite on-line coupon sites.

Hopefully these tips will help you feel like the Super Mom that you want to be!