Category Archives: Age 5-7

Whole grain baking mixes…your kids can make!

We were recently given the opportunity to try a few Kids Central Kitchen baking mixes and I am so excited to tell you about them. 
I tend to get stressed when I am cooking or in the kitchen in general but making Kids Central Kitchen’s Chocolate Chip Energy Bars was fun and was a good way for Sebastian and I to spend quality time together.  He had a blast making these bars.  Kids Central Kitchen’s baking mix recipes are easy for kids to follow and when finished baking the young chef will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Kids
Central Kitchen’s natural, whole grain baking mixes are free from trans fats, hydrogenated oils,
refined sugars, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, flavors
and preservatives. So what do they have in them?  Yummy goodness.  Organic oats, semi-sweet chocolate chips, cane juice and the chef (that’s you) adds a few ingredients including applesauce and yogurt.  I wish I could put a ‘scratch and taste’ on here so you could taste the Chocolate Chip Energy Bars.  They are so good! 

Sebastian was very proud of himself for mixing and baking the bars and then serving the bars to all of us.  You can tell by the picture below that he was in absolute heaven when eating a bar.

Energybars

Baking mixes include the Homerun Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix, Slam Dunker Chocolate Chocolate Chip
Cookie Mix, Snow Angel Sugar Cookie Mix, Mudslinger Chocolate Brownie
Mix, Swinging Monkey Banana Bread Mix, Flip Flop Flap Jacks Pancake Mix
& our favorite, the Propeller Chocolate Chip Energy Bar Mix.

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Kids Central Kitchen

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15% off your order with code ‘insider

Thilde Pocket and Pillow

ThildeParents are well aware that baby shouldn’t sleep with toys, books, or stuffed animals in her crib so what is baby to play with when she wakes in the morning? The toys in her Thilde Pocket, of course!

The Thilde Pocket is 100% cotton denim fabric with lots of little pockets in which parents can stash baby’s favorite toys and books for easy access when she wakes in the morning.  Maybe, just maybe the Thilde Pocket will allow mom and dad to get a little extras sleep in the morning while baby is playing in her crib?!    The Thilde Pocket fastens to the crib with Velcro so baby can’t pull it off and can be fastened to a chair when baby grows out of the crib.

If your baby likes to touch and feel everything around her, she will
love the Thilde pillow.  Great for tactile stimulation the Thilde pillow is colorful, has texture, and makes a light crinkling noise when manipulated. 

Both products are a bit pricey but should last for many years so the cost is well worth it.

These products are Madelyn approved!

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Thilde at Craftsburry Kids

Pixie gloves

PixieglovesKeeping kids hands warm on cold days is a challenge.  Sebastian ends up with two fingers in one finger hole and I simply have a hard time getting full-fingered gloves on Madelyn’s little hands.

These tightly knit pink fingerless gloves from Frosty Petals feature a ruffle making them perfect for little girls. Madelyn is able to color, pick up sticks, and toys while wearing these gloves unlike with full-fingered gloves. 

Frosty Petals also sells gloves for little boys and parents that are just as well made and nice looking.  Prices vary depending on style and size and start off at around $10.  Full-fingered styles are also available as well as other colors including black, dark blue and more.

 

Icon_website2  Pixie Gloves at Frosty Petals

Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

I try to buy all organic, whole wheat pasta as much as possible but Sebastian doesn’t like the ‘texture’ of some of the whole wheat pasta we’ve tried.  I agree that some whole wheat pasta can be ‘grainy’. 

Ronzoni’s Smart Taste pasta is a great alternative to graRonzonismarttastepasta iny whole wheat pasta’s and our kid testers loved the taste and texture of the pasta.  Little did they know they were getting about 25% of their DV of fiber and as much calcium as they would get in an 8 oz. glass of milk. 

Smart Taste is available in several varities including penne, spaghetti, thin spaghetti, elbows, and rotini so you can make all of your favorite pasta dishes with Smart Taste pasta’s.

I recently found out that I have high bad cholesterol and low good cholesterol so it is important that I eat foods that are cholesterol free. Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta is a cholesterol free food so I can induldge in an occasional pasta dish without feeling guilty.  The Ronzoni Smart Taste website has a lot of recipes to get you started with your Smart Taste meals. You can buy Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta at your local grocery store.

I have ten boxes of Ronzoni Smart Taste penne pasta to giveaway!  This giveaway will be held from March 3rd 2008 until March 10th 2008.  Click here to enter to win.  I will contact the winners by email and will request the winners mailing addresses then.

Icon_website2 Ronzoni Smart Taste pasta

Boogaloo toys and gear

OctubuddyOther than during Madelyn’s nap time, bath time is when I feel most relaxed because I know Madelyn is contained and occupied.  We have gone through a lot of bath toys between our two children.  One toy that has remained a regular fixture in our bathtub is Octobuddy from Boogaloo.  Octobuddy is a colorful, plastic octopus that floats on the water and has four feet with objects inside a clear ‘bubble’ that move or spin when water that is poured into Octubuddy’s head using his hat, reaches the object. 

Each of the four objects does something different and the water is dispersed evenly so all four objects move at the same time.  Pour and watch, pour and watch.  Toddlers love repetition.  Madelyn’s favorite is the water wheel.  The other objects are a bobbing fish, a peek-a-boo critter, and a spiral wheel.

Where to buy:  Amazon

Icon_website2 Boogaloo toys & nursery products