Kids Stuff | The Home and Garden Cafe

Thankful To Be A Mom

May 10, 2011 By Linette Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day always makes me thankful I’ve had the opportunity to be a mom. So I’ve been reflecting on it quite a bit the last week or so. I’m not always the best at being thankful for what I have in life, but one thing I try to thank God for daily is my son.

It was just yesterday when he looked like this. Sweet huh?

I haven’t really shared it here, but having children was not an easy thing for me. I had a really difficult time getting pregnant, then staying pregnant once I got there. For me my son was a complete miracle. He’s 12 now, and I’m still thankful to have him, even on the bad days.

He’s ovarall a good kid, but he’s definitely no angel, and I’m sure he’ll put me to the test during his teenage years! He’s very laid back, but when it suits him he can turn on the drama and crank it up a couple notches. I try not to spoil him and give in to everything he wants, but he’s an only child…

Mother’s Day and Johnson’s got me started thinking about how thankful I am to be a mom. Johnson’s is running a contest right now, with every “promise” (“like”) made at their Facebook page, facebook.com/johnsonsbaby, Johnson’s donates $1 to the March of Dimes.

Johnson’s is also hosting a series of photo contests on its Facebook page beginning in May. If you’re selected as a monthly winner you’ll receive one of a variety of prizes and be eligible for the $25,000 Grand Prize, to be announced in January 2012.

Sounds like fun! I might have to enter the first photo above.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson’s and received Johnson’s Baby products and a promotional item and to facilitate my review.

Filed Under: Featured, Home, Kids Stuff Tagged With: children, Johnson's, kids, thankful

Get In Motion With Play Station Move

October 19, 2010 By Linette Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PlayStation MOVE. All opinions are 100% mine.

The PlayStation®3 system has a new motion gaming controller package called PlayStation®Move. I’m sure it will be topping several Christmas lists this holiday season.

The new system already has several games available to play, with more being added all the time. PlayStation®Move has a simple ergonomic design, and motion sensitive controllers that are easy to use for the whole family.

If Playstation MOVE lands in our house on Christmas morning I’m sure it will be a wonderful edition to our family game night. We try to play games together as a family every Friday night. Sometimes it’s a board game, or a video game, and sometimes we head outside for a more physical game like basketball. I’m excited that MOVE can combine these and help us get moving as a family.

Eyepet sounds like a fun game for the whole family. My son loves virtual pets, and this game lets you care for your very own Eyepet. You can even interact with him with the motion sensitive controllers, and play with his 3D toys.

I’d also love to check out Get Fit With Mel B. I’m always on the lookout for new workout routines to keep things interesting (especially during the winter). Sounds like this one has everything from toning to aerobics, hmm.

If you already own a Play Station 3 System you can get motion gaming exclusively to your only $99 with the Playstation MOVE bundle package.

Filed Under: Kids Stuff Tagged With: Children's games, game night, Move, Playstation

Lunchables Presents: Field Trips For All

May 6, 2010 By Linette Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Lunchables. All opinions are 100% mine.

The Lunchables Team has a new program called Project Potential. The new initiative is aimed at offering kids new opportunities to reach their fullest potential. Many children learn best with hands on experience, that’s why one of the first efforts by the Project Potential Team is called Field Trips For All.

Field Trips For All is aimed at providing field trips to children in school districts that would not normally be able to fund them. Many school budgets have been cut in the last few years, and one of the first things to go is often field trips. I know our local school has been hit hard, and there are several wonderful classrooms I would love to nominate.

Check out this alien field trip in action. My son had a blast watching the promotional video of the Alien Field Trip. He wanted to watch it again and again. He’s about the same age as the children on the field trip, and I’m sure he would be as excited as these children if he thought he was talking to a real alien.

Field Trips For All is giving away 50 field trips to the schools who need them most, to help children who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to experience hands on learning.

Anyone 6 years of age or older can nominate a classroom they think deserves a field trip. If you know of a school classroom that you think deserves this reward you can nominate them by going to http://www.lunchables.com/potential/ and submitting a nomination. Lunchables will pick 50 classrooms from the nominations received to go on an educational field trip.

Who do you know of you could nominate? Please spread the word so deserving classrooms can earn a free field trip and an opportunity to learn hands on.

Filed Under: Kids Stuff Tagged With: children, field trips, hands on learning, Lunchables, school

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel Now On DVD

April 6, 2010 By Linette Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

We went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel on the big screen right before Christmas. We haven’t had a chance to get the new DVD yet, but my son’s been begging me to get it, so I’m sure we’ll add it to our collection soon. He loved the movie when we went to see at the theater.

We even downloaded some of the songs right after we went got home. That’s why I’m excited about the Double DVD Pack. It includes “The Squeak Along” Bonus Disc, with more music, mayhem and all-new singalongs which my son will love!

I remember singing Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas songs when I was a child, and I loved watching the cartoons. It’s so fun to share that with my son today. We dance around the house singing and just have a blast with it.

Of course we had to go check out the Munk Yourself website and make our own crazy version of the chipmunks. My son had a blast making his chipmunk with a punk rock look. I made a Brittany Munk for myself.

I love that it’s a family friendly film we can add to our DVD collection. You can get More Munk Mayhem at FoxFamilyFlicks.com. The movie premiered on DVD on March 30th so it’s available for anyone to buy it now.

Filed Under: Kids Stuff, Shopping Tagged With: Alvin and the Chipmunks, children's movies, DVD, kid's movies

Kids Room Dividers

September 12, 2009 By Linette Leave a Comment

Sometimes kids want their privacy, but you just don’t have enough rooms to give each kid their own room. It’s hard to constantly share a space with someone else, and not have an opportunity to have a little alone, or private time. Especially when kids are fighting, or just plain not getting along.

Sometimes you can divide a kids room with a temporary divider to give both kids more space, and the privacy they need. Even if you only use one or two dividers and don’t divide the entire room it can set some boundaries and give kids a sense of space.

Here are a couple kid’s room dividers I found that I thought were kind of cute and easy.

Here’s a Flexible Sound Absorbing Daycare or Kid Room Divider by Angeles, it would be perfect for the younger kids. It’s very sound absorbant, and flexible so it can be bent to different angles. It comes in several different colors, including mauve, beige, blue, and green to match your child’s decor.
Children's room divider
Here’s another really cute children’s room divider, the Il Posto Dei Giochi Room Screen. It features ten panels with ten fun decorations kids will enjoy.

Or if you live with a couple princesses, check out this Disney(c) Princess Room Divider, perfect for dividing little girls rooms. Here are more Disney Princess Bedroom Ideas if you’re decorating a bedroom in everything Disney Princess.

disney princess girls room divider

Get creative with your divider, and make your own with a paintable canvas and a little creativity. Your kids will have a blast helping you paint, and you can customize it any way you want.

Filed Under: Home, Kids Stuff Tagged With: bedroom dividers for kids, childrens bedroom dividers, kids bedrooms, kids room dividers, youth room dividers

Girl’s Bedroom Themes

February 4, 2008 By Linette Leave a Comment

There are so many cute things for girl’s bedrooms these days. I created a couple Squidoo lenses with girls bedroom themes. One was a Hannah Montana bedroom theme the other was a Tinker Bell bedroom theme. I was amazed at what is out there. I found several comforter patterns, window and wall treatments, lamps, furniture and bedroom decor for both.

I really like the new MP3 speaker pillows. I think I may have to get one of those for myself. Not sure if I want it to be themed, but the Tinker Bell pillows are adorable.

Filed Under: Home, Kids Stuff Tagged With: girls bedroom decor, Hannah Montana bedroom decor, tinker bell bedroom decor