The Best Little Laugh Contest with Fisher-Price

May 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

Best Little Laugh

Do you remember the first time your little one let out a great big chuckle? As a mommy, I do all sorts of goofy things to make my little guy laugh. I’ll sing & dance through the grocery store, I’ll hop around like a monkey and I’ve been perfecting my peek-a-boo skills for years! There is something so contagious about hearing a child’s laughter and that’s why I’m so excited to introduce you to Fisher-Price’s newest contest – the Best Little Laugh!

Best Little Laugh

Fisher-Price Best Little Laugh Contest:

From May 22nd, 2013 to July 15th, 2013 11:59 p.m., visit the Best Little Laugh site and upload an adorable photo or video of your little one letting out some big giggles. What’s in it for you? Well, first you get to showoff that adorable giggle that melts your heart. Also, by uploading your photo or video you are automatically entered to win 1 of 8 weekly prizes. Each Laugh & Learn prize package consisting of:

  • one Laugh & Learn™ Crawl Around™ Car (ARV: $64.99 CAD)
  • one Laugh & Learn™ Love to Play Puppy™ (ARV: $34.99 CAD)
  • one Gas Card (ARV: $100.00 CAD)

A few rules to let you know about:

  • contest is open to Canadian residents, excluding Quebec, with children aged 7 or younger
  • your video should be no longer than 30 seconds (or 1GB max)
  • your photo should be no larger than 4MB and be in a .png, .jpeg, .gif or .tiff format
  • your video or photo may not have any other identifiable logos, brands or trade-marks in it (except for Fisher-Price)

You can read the full set of rules & regulations here.

This contest is to celebrate the launch of the new Laugh & Learn website. Get to know the characters better (Puppy, Sis, Monkey and Froggy) while dancing and singing along to the webisodes, games, music, apps and more!

Best Little Laugh

Good Luck in the contest and I can’t wait to see your photos and videos!

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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Born To Be Wild

May 12, 2013 Leave a Comment

I am so excited to announce that the snow is finally gone! Hip Hip Hooray! We had a new snowfall record this year and I was worried that the snow would last until June. My little guy is so happy to be back to playing outside and he was really excited to see his new Fisher-Price Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker. He can now cruise down the sidewalk in style without Mom & Dad having to push him along on his tricycle. Yep, this little dude is enjoying his new independence!

Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker

Fisher-Price Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker:

This ride-on motorcycle is geared towards ages 18 months to 4 years and it has a maximum weight capacity of 50 pounds. My husband was a little disappointed that they didn’t have one in his size too!

Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker

My little guy needed a little briefing on how to get started, how to switch to reverse and how to stop. He still needs a bit of practice but he’s starting to get it. Actually, one of the first times he hopped on we happened to be in the garage and he started driving towards the wall. The goofy little guy took his hands off the handles and put them up over  his eyes and he drove into the wall. He sure had a good laugh about that before he switched it in reverse and threw his hands up over his eyes again. Oh boy…I think we’re going to have trouble with this little dude! I can’t tell if he’s a daredevil in training or a scaredy cat! Either way, with a maximum speed of 2.5 mph (4 km/h), I’ll be able to catch him if he tries any more sneaky tricks.

Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker

I love how his hair blows in the breeze as he cruises down the sidewalk. He’s just too cute! It took him a long time to grow hair so even though he may have a curly mullet now, I’m not ready to cut off any of those golden locks! Besides, don’t all the cool motorcyclists have mullets?

Another great thing about the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker is that it drives both on hard surfaces and grass. So even if my little guy takes after his mommy’s driving skills, he’ll still be able to cruise if he veers off the walking path and into the grass every now and then.

Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker

This is a really cool toy for toddlers and pretty stylish too! So grab those mini leather jackets, sunglasses and temporary tattoos and get ready for a neighbourhood cruise!

You can learn more about the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Harley-Davidson Rocker here on the Fisher-Price website.

Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Ambassador program with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

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The Office Finale

May 8, 2013 Leave a Comment

One of my favorite TV shows is coming to an end this year. After 8 years and 9 seasons, The Office Finale will air on Thursday, May 16th, 2013. I’ve been watching this show for years and I am so sad to hear that it is ending. At least I’ll still have re-runs to watch! To celebrate The Office, I’ve put together some fun finale party ideas that you can do at home. This is perfect for a night in with your friends and fellow fans of The Office.

the office finale party

The Office Finale – Food:

Since Andy has referred to Jim as the “Big Tuna” for years, you could serve “Big Tuna” sandwiches.

Andy also created a new name for Pete this year – “Plop” – which would be perfect for chocolate drop macaroons.

What does everyone look forward to finding in the office kitchen? Donuts of course! Your party buffet could include a delicious selection of donuts.

You could also serve brown bag lunches with everyone’s name written on them. Lunch bags could include sandwiches, chips and pop.

Rumor has it that The Office Finale will include a wedding so perhaps you want to include a mini wedding cake or even some confetti to throw for the bride & groom (who do you think it will be?).

Don’t forget the coffee and the water cooler!

The Office Finale – Activities:

Did you know that there is actually a Dunder Mifflin website? As you know, The Office is based on a documentary about running a paper company (fictional) so it only seems right that this company should have a website! On the official company website you’ll find monthly newsletters, the company history, a section to apply for careers, an employee manual, product selections and more. This is a great place to go for inspiration when planning a Dunder Mifflin quiz game for your finale party.

Another fun activity idea is to hand out your own Dundie Awards. Simply create some funny awards to hand out to your fellow party guests. You could have the “Busy Bee” award, “Best Sales Pitch” and other funny awards that go along with the personality traits of your party guests.

How will you be celebrating The Office Finale?

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Kindergarten Graduation Party

May 8, 2013 2 Comments

Is your little one about to graduate from kindergarten and make the big transition into Grade 1 this fall? Even if your little one’s school doesn’t host a graduation ceremony, you can still plan your own little Kindergarten Graduation Party at home! Here I’ll share a few cute ideas with you along with a free printable party package! These ideas and printables are pretty general with regard to grade so you could use them to celebrate the graduation of any grade this year.

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party – Decorations:

For your backdrop, plain brown paper works well (to give the look of a bulletin board) or you could also use a chalkboard. Spoonful has a great free printable for grad caps. Simply trace a few of these onto black cardstock paper and use them as party decor.

The free printable kindergarten graduation party package (click here for the freebie) also includes a “congratulations banner” like the one featured in the photo above (as you can see – I ran out of space on the wall – oopps!).

The printable circles can be used for cupcake toppers, favor tags or on napkin rings.

Your party decor can also include items like alphabet building blocks, crayons, bulletin boarders and more.

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party – Food:

The printable party package includes multiple food tents to help you with ideas for party food. Some cute ideas are:

  • Diplomas: sandwich meat wrapped in tortillas and tied with a black licorice ribbon
  • Cookies
  • Juice
  • Mini pies
  • Cupcakes
  • Book Worms (gummy worms)
  • Graduation cap cupcakes (check out this adorable creation by East Coast Mommy)

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Kindergarten Graduation Party – Favors:

Party favors can be as simple as a box of Smarties labeled with “Smartie Pants” tags or cookies with the free printable “One Smart Cookie” tag. Little bags of art supplies are also a great idea like crayons, sidewalk chalk, finger paint and kid-friendly clay.

Kindergarten Graduation Party

Have you ever hosted a kindergarten graduation party?

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Creative Ways to Say Thank You

May 1, 2013 1 Comment

Do your kids write thank you notes? If so, who do they write them for? Friends? Teachers? Coaches? Here I’ll let you know how you can print some free thank you notes for kids along with some creative ideas for writing thank you notes. At the end of this post, I’ll let you know how you can download your notes for free.

free thank you notes for kids

There are so many people out there that deserve a big Thank You! Maybe it’s a teacher who spends extra time with your child. Maybe it’s a coach that always makes sure the kids have fun during the game. It could even be a sibling who helped his little sister clean her room. There are so many reasons to thank the people around you.

Let’s not forget the “celebrities” like Santa Clause, the Tooth Fairy, the little St. Patrick’s Day leprechaun and the Easter Bunny! I’m sure they’d all love receiving a thank you letter as well.

For this month’s free printable, Denise from The CreativiDee Workshop has created some printable free thank you notes for kids. There are pages specifically for special occasions like St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas and Tooth Fairy visits along with a few general ones that can be used for teachers, family members, coaches or anyone else that your little one would like to thank. Each thank you note is a full page with plenty of white space for printing a special message or drawing a picture.

This free printable is available to Moms & Munchkins Monthly Newsletter Subscribers. The newsletter is free and you can sign up here. Each month we’ll update you on what’s planned for Moms & Munchkins along with a fun free printable. After you sign up, you’ll be sent the secret password and link to the free printable page (including all of the past free newsletter printables of 2013).

We’d like to give a BIG Thank You to Denise with The CreativiDee Workshop for designing these Free Thank  You Notes for Kids for us.

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Personalized Napkin Ring – Mother’s Day Craft

April 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

This personalized napkin ring Mother’s Day craft is really easy to put together and it’s full of thoughtfulness so Mom will be sure to love it! Getting started is easy, you’ll need two separate colors of paper – one for the center of the flower and one for the petals. Cut out a small round piece for the center of the flower and cut out petals in the other color. Glue or tape the petals to the back of the circle center. You’re then ready to start writing down thoughtful notes for Mom. This could include things you love about her, things you’d like to thank her for, things that she does to make you laugh, etc. I’ll include some ideas for inspiration below the photo.

Once you’ve written a message on every petal, you can glue this to a ribbon to tie around a napkin and use as a personalized napkin ring.

Mother's Day Craft Idea - Personalized Napkin Ring

Mother’s Day Craft Inspiration:

In the center of the flower you can write “Thank You For” and then on each petal you can write something you’d like to thank Mom for. This could include things like:

  • Reading me a story before bed
  • Walking me to school each morning
  • Teaching me how to plant flowers
  • Always planning fun activities for us
  • Always packing me delicious lunches
  • Cheering for me a soccer practice
  • Making me creative Halloween costumes
  • Helping me with my homework
  • Taking me to the library
  • Taking me to swimming lessons

Another idea is to write “Mom’s Best Skills” in the center of the flower and then on each petal include compliments like:

  • Great Cook
  • Best Storyteller
  • Greatest Hugs
  • Fun Activity Planner
  • Great Listener
  • Best Lunch Packer
  • Most Creative Craft Planner

What would you like to thank your mom for?

For more fun Mother’s Day craft & activity ideas, visit our special Holiday Fun page and scroll down to May for the Mother’s Day section.

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Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas

April 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Mother’s Day is a special day for both moms and kids. It’s a day for kids to let their creativity shine in honor of their mom. There are so many fun ways that kids can shower their mom with love on Mother’s Day – here are some fun Mother’s Day brunch ideas to help inspire some creativity. Free Mother's Day Printables - Mother's Day Brunch Ideas

Mother’s Day Brunch Ideas:

Create Homemade Placemats: Have your little ones create a personalized placemat to serve Mom’s meal on. Here are some fun suggestions for creations.

Create a Menu Card: After Dad & the kids decide what they are going to make, the kids can make a cute menu card to leave on the placemat for Mom. This can include the menu and some fun drawings.

Fun Napkin Designs: With a little bit of Google research, you can create a fun folded napkin to go on Mom’s food tray (for breakfast in bed) or place setting on the table.

Fruity Drinks: A plastic champagne glass can be used for a fruit smoothie creation invented by the kids.

Fresh Flowers: Setting fresh flowers on the breakfast tray or on the table is a sweet touch that any mommy would love!

Breakfast & a Show: While Mom is enjoying her special meal, the kids can put together a special talent show in her honor. This could include magic tricks, singing, dancing, poem reading, etc.

You’ll also want to check out this post with links to some great FREE Mother’s Day printables that you can use with your Mother’s Day brunch ideas (including the free printable menu card by Amanda’s Parties To Go featured in the photo above).

For more fun Mother’s Day ideas, check out our Holiday Fun page and scroll down to May for the Mother’s Day section.

From my family to yours, Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you have a special day full of fun with your family.

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Bon Voyage Summer Camp Party

April 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

I am so excited to announce that my Bon Voyage Summer Camp Party has been featured in Calgary’s Child Magazine (May/June 2013 issue)! You can read the full article in Calgary’s Child but I’ll also share the photos here as a special sneak peek. Don’t forget to read the article in the magazine (online version available for those of you who don’t live in Calgary) for all of the fun party ideas & details!

All of the fabulous party printables were created by Denise with The CreativiDee Workshop and they are available for purchase in her shop.

This is such a fun party idea for little ones who are getting ready to start a summer camp adventure. It’s a great way to spend some extra quality time with them before they leave. Did you go to Summer Camp as a child? What are some of your favorite memories? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.

Bon Voyage Summer Camp Party Photos:

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Care Package Ideas:

Care packages are such a great idea for a gift for someone heading out to camp. These care packages can include items such as personalized journals to capture all of their camp memories, addressed & stamped envelopes so they can easily mail a letter back home to family, a list of important phone numbers, a packing list (also helps to make sure you remember to bring everything back home with you), personalized luggage tags, insulated lunch bag, snack foods, disposable camera, a new hat or sunglasses, sunblock, water bottle, flashlight and any other small things you can think of that would come in handy at summer camp. Try not to over pack though!

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party

Summer Camp Party            Summer Camp Party

Happy Trails to You!

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Party Tip Tuesday with Pint Sized Baker

April 23, 2013 Leave a Comment

Welcome to Party Tip Tuesday! Today we’re featuring the creative Karyn of Pint Sized Baker. I came across some of her cake pop creations as few months ago and I was amazed at her talent! Not only does she share photos of her adorable creations but she provides step-by-step instructions to help guide you through making your own. Today she’ll tell us a bit more about herself and how she got started plus she’ll share delicious recipes and tips for making your own special food creations.  I’ll now pass it over to Karyn!

What is Pint Sized Baker?

Pint Sized Baker is more of a Who…I’m Karyn of Pint Sized Baker and this adventure has taken off in a direction I could never have imagined. I started baking after I was laid off and decided to do more for my daughter’s pre-school class. I brought in cookies and cupcakes and one day I made cake pops and I was hooked!

I bought “Cake Pops” by Bakerella and started making them for EVERYTHING! My husband encouraged me to join the local Farmer’s Market and sell them online and start a business, but I had no idea what I was doing! It’s almost comical looking back now. I never did join the Farmer’s Market, instead I finally got on Facebook and shared my cake pops and cupcake photos with the Bakerella community and people actually liked what I was doing. They wanted to see more of my stuff! Complete strangers LIKED me on FB and I was amazed!  I reluctantly started my blog, wondering why anybody would care about me or my life, but it turns out that doing so was the best thing to come my way in a long time.

Pint Sized Baker

I also have a second blog that I stared April 1, 2013. Dieter’s Downfall is a blog that is geared to busy people who want to make a larger complicated dessert but who lack the time. I take those recipes and break them down into smaller three days’ worth of baking so that they don’t seem so overwhelming. Everything is homemade and the results are amazing! Take a look!

Pint Sized Baker

My family includes me, Mr. Quart and my Little Cup. We live in a small town in West Virginia about a 90 minute drive outside of D.C.  We also have some cute, furry critters that run around the house.

Where are your favorite places to go for inspiration?

My daughter inspires a lot of the treats. I’ve made sugar cookies based on her Lalaloopsy Doll House. She loves chocolate chip cookies, so I have done my best to try a few different cookie recipes. Obviously, the seasons also serve as inspiration, but the trick is to make something that you hope no one else will make. For example, at Halloween, I found “Booger Gummies” and made some Booger Pop Tarts. I had never seen that on a blog before. Sometimes my old cookbooks spark an idea that I haven’t seen in a while or the simple substitution of a seasonal ingredient makes a huge change.

What is the most unique cake pop creation you’ve made?

I have made so many cake pops… I think my Little Vampires for Halloween were pretty unique. I used a heart shape mold and then decorated the face.Pint Sized Baker

I also really liked my LEGO Men. They turned out GREAT!

Pint Sized Baker

There are so many wonderful cake pops out there. Just Google it and see what you find. Chances are, someone had made it. Just add a little twist to it and make it better!

For those of us who think we aren’t skilled enough to make adorable cake pop creations, what advice do you have?

Take it slow. Don’t try to make an entire cakes worth of cake pops on the first try. Start with a quarter of a sheet cake and a tablespoon of frosting and go from there. Watch the consistency of the cake pop batter to be like play doh. You can always add more cake or frosting as needed.

Melt your candy melts at 70% power in the microwave. The candy melts will soften at 100 degrees F, once they start to soften, you need to be patient and continue to stir the candy. If the candy gets too hot, it’ll only get thicker! Everyone thinks that when it’s thick, it’s not hot enough, but in fact the candy is slowly burning. If it gets thick, test the temperature. It should not be much more than body temperature. If it’s hot, you just need to set it aside for 30 minutes and wait for it to cool. Then try to re-melt SLOWLY!

Messes happen. Pops fall off the stick. Sprinkles end up on the floor. Chocolate gets dripped. Just accept it and clean up later.

What is your favorite treat to make for a potluck party?

Simple recipes are the best. No stress. No muss, no fuss. That’s my motto when it comes to larger desserts.

I’ve made an easy Cherry Cobbler with a cake box mix that everyone loved.

Pint Sized Baker

And I LOVE to take Fun-Da-Middle cupcake mix and dressing it up. Here are a few easy additions to the cupcakes that were amazing!

Pint Sized Baker

Raspberry Lemon, Pineapple coconut, Cinnamon, and Nutter Butters. I also have Candy Cane and Guinness and 4th of July Fun-da-Middles on the blog!

Photos courtesy of Pint Sized Baker.

We’d like to send a big Thank You to Karyn for being featured in this Party Tip Tuesday! Be sure to check out the links to her social media accounts to keep updated on all of the fabulous ideas (links to these can be found on the top right hand side of  Pint Sized Baker) . She’s always adding new & incredibly cute food ideas so you’ll want to be sure to follow along on Pinterest.

Do you have party related questions that you’d like me to ask an expert? Do you have a favorite expert that you’d love to see featured? Please contact me to let me know!

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Dana Point Harbor Adventures

April 20, 2013 2 Comments

During our trip to Disneyland last month, we spent a few days around the beaches of Orange County for some fun adventures. You can read more about our Orange County beach adventures here. In this post, I’m going to tell you about some of the family fun activities in the Dana Point Harbor area including a fun video from our whale & dolphin watching trip!

Dana Wharf Whale & Dolphin Watching:

While on our trip, we had the opportunity to visit Dana Wharf Whale Watching for a fun dolphin and whale watching adventure. My little guy was 22 months old at the time and hadn’t been on a boat before so I was a little worried about how he’d do. My husband also gets motion sickness easily but he was determined to get on the boat because he really wanted the chance to see some whales. I am happy to report that neither of my boys felt sick! It was such a wonderful experience so I’m glad that they were both able to go on the adventure with me.

The captain and crew members were really knowledgeable about the area and the ocean creatures. They had a lot of interesting facts to share and kept everyone entertained throughout the trip. You could see that they really love what they do and they are passionate about it. They really did want to make sure that everyone had a memorable experience. Dana Point Harbor

During our adventure, we went through a mega pod of over 2000 dolphins! It was amazing seeing so many of them in one area and watching them swim alongside the boat. I hadn’t experienced something like this before and it was really awesome to see! I also took a short video so that I could share the experience here with you.

Some facts about the Dana Wharf Whale Watching Adventure:

  • guaranteed whale or dolphin sightings or your next ride is free
  • has been in operation since 1971
  • sightings may include whales, dolphins, sea lions and sharks
  • has a fleet of 12 vessels that can accommodate a variety of boating activities (whale watching, ocean fishing, sailing, historic cruise, cocktail parties and sightSEAing tour of Laguna Beach)

You can visit the Dana Wharf site to learn more about all of the adventures available.

Ocean Institute in Dana Point Harbor:

After our whale watching tour we had the opportunity to visit the Ocean Institute. If you have a little one who dreams of becoming a marine biologist or is just interesting in ocean life – this would be the perfect place to visit!

The Ocean Institute Mission is to inspire all generations through education to become responsible stewards of our ocean.

We had a tour inside their facility that is filled with educational tools and some ocean life that you can see up close. We also had a tour of the Pilgrim Tall Ship that lets students become sailors for daytime and overnight educational adventures. If you are in the Orange County area in September, be sure to stop by the Tall Ships Festival!

Dana Point Harbor

Additional Ocean Institute Facts:

  • they were founded in 1977
  • they educate over 115K students and 50K public visitors annually
  • they have over 40 marine service ad maritime history programs
  • they have facilities available for events (birthdays, weddings, graduations, seminars and other private parties)
  • they offer a large variety of field trips & programs suitable for anyone from Pre-K through to adults
  • they offer programs that can come right to your school
  • they offer overnight camp adventures

The staff is very passionate about what they do and they can’t wait to share some educational adventures with you!

Other activities to try & places to see around Dana Point Harbor:

  • Driving Tour – including both historical and contemporary attractions
  • Walking Tour – including both historical and contemporary attractions
  • The Dana Point Headlands – biological open space parks and trail system

Have you ever been on a whale watching trip? If so, what did you see?

You can read more about our Orange County and Disneyland adventures here on our Disney page.

*Disclosure: My family was invited on a magical vacation to the Disneyland Parks and the beaches of Orange County. My flight, our hotel, park passes, meal vouchers and other various perks were provided to me as part of this adventure. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

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