Tag Archives: preschoolers

Taking Vincent to the beach

  By Amy | May 12, 2010 - 5:58 pm | , , ,
93 Comments

Congratulations to our winner, commenter #24 – Madeline!

I have read many reviews about the resort we’re visiting in just a few short weeks and found out that the walkway around the resort is extremely slippery.

Now, I have a very excitable little 4-1/2 year old who bounces her way around just like Tigger in an episode of Super Sleuths.  So, I went on a mission to find a pair of shoes that would help her stay on her feet but that were also “beach-worthy”.

Honestly, I didn’t have to look any further than Vincent Shoes because I know how comfortable and durable their shoes are.  I looked at Tor, a style of sandal that is perfect for the beach and slippery surfaces.  This is a lightweight sandal that offers my kid some protection from wiping out.  I’m sold.

This sandal has a clear, rubber, slip-resistant sole with a padded heel strap and Velcro closure.

Tor is perfect for the beach/pool/lake-side with its “water-friendly” uppers/foot-beds and they’re easy enough for a four year old to put on and take off.

(We received a pair of Tor sandals to check out and talk about here.)

We can attest to their ability to grip surfaces.  However, the true test will be on the walkway at the resort.  I really don’t think we will be let down.  Another noteworthy pair of beach-ready sandals are Moa.

Moa also has the clear, rubber, slip-resistant sole.  However, I opted for Tor, as they provide a little more protection around my preschooler’s feet.

Since it is that time of year…egh-eghhhm…time to hit the beach…we’ve teamed up with Vincent to offer ParentSphere readers a nice giveaway.  Leave your entry comment on this post for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Vincent’s online store.

I will choose a winner from the comment section of this post (using Random.org’s number generator) on Friday, May 21st.  You have until midnight PST  (you must be located in the continental US) to enter.

Here are all of the ways you can enter (pay close attention so you can maximize your chances at winning).

You can do any or all of these things.  That means, you have four chances to enter.

Entry chance option 1:

Head over to Vincent and check out the fashionable Spring/Summer styles and then come back here and leave a comment on this post letting us know which style you like best.

Entry chance option 2:

Tweet about this giveaway.  Then, come back here and leave a comment with the link to your Tweet and your Twitter “handle”.  I’ll make this part easy, you can copy and paste the following text for your Tweet (it fits, I checked):

I’m getting my kids ready for summer by entering to win a pair of @VincentShoes over @ParentSphere  http://bit.ly/d67L2p

(Make sure you mention @VincentShoes and @ParentSphere in your Tweet!)

Entry chance option 3:

Follow Vincent Shoes on Twitter.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you and Vincent are Twitter buddies.

Entry chance option 4:

Become a fan of Vincent Shoes on Facebook.  Come back and leave a comment letting us know you’re a fan.

*If you plan on taking advantage of all four chances to win, make sure each of your entry comments on this post are separate.  Don’t post all of your chances in one comment.

You can do everything at once or maybe, s p r e a d out your chances a bit and stop back four different days for each of the above entry chances.  Just an idea!

Good luck!

Diggity Kids: Kids can travel in comfort

  By Amy | May 10, 2010 - 2:30 pm | , , ,
1 Comment

One of the main things on my mind as we prepare for our trips in and out of the country this summer is “How can I make sure my kids are comfortable?“  Because, an uncomfortable kid is a whiny kid and we don’t want whiny kids to spoil a good time.  Ouch, did I just say that?  ;)

Since we live in a pretty big metropolitan area, we spend an awful lot of time in the car.  And since we travel near and far to spend time with family, comfort in the car is key.

We were sent a travel system from Diggity Kids to talk about.

That’s my preschooler (above) using her Diggity Kids Travel Comfort System (shown in Leopard print).  She’s sitting on the Keester seat cushion, using the microsuede seat belt cover and getting comfy with the travel neck pillow.  Every time we get into the car to go somewhere, she has to get situated and use these products.  I’ve often asked her how they’re working out for her and her answer is always, “Really good, mom“.

Before we had this system, I can’t tell you how many times I looked into the backseat and cringed at the way she was resting.  Nothing to support her head and neck while she dozed off in the booster seat.  So, checking out this travel system was a very good call.  She’s comfy and that makes all of us happy.

We’re not only going to use the Diggity Kids travel products in the car.  We’re going to put them to good use on our upcoming flights.  Five hours on a plane is a bit much for anyone’s bum, so I’m sure she’ll be thanking us for thinking of her comfort on her very first plane ride.  We want it to be a memorable one, in a good way.  You don’t only have to limit this system to travel, either.  We like to go to sporting events and check out the dolphin show at the zoo.  Have you ever had to sit on bleachers or cement seats for any length of time?  Yeah, not so great.  This system is portable enough that you can include it in your diaper bag or underneath the stroller.

You can purchase the complete travel system for around $64.00, which includes; the Keester seat cushion, the seat belt cover and the neck pillow.  You can purchase each piece separately, as well.

Diggity Kids Keester seat cushion (MSRP $29.95):

Fits most major car seat manufacturers and made of polyurethane foam with a removable, washable microsuede cover.  You can also purchase additional covers for $12.95/ea.

Diggity Kids Seat Belt Cover (MSRP: $14.95):

Made of Polyurethane Foam.  Microsuede cover.

Diggity Kids Neck Pillow (MSRP: $23.95):

Machine Sewn & Hand stuffed with Premium memory foam.  Microsuede cover is washable and removable.

I don’t think I have to do much convincing.  As adults, we’ve used products like these and know how much more comfortable they make any trip.  In my opinion, kids deserve that kind of comfort, too.

SecuraTrac: GPS tracking for peace of mind

  By Amy | May 4, 2010 - 10:15 am | , , , ,
3 Comments

I have been in vacation planning mode for some time now and one major thing on my mind is, “How can I make sure my kids are safe?”  We’re taking a trip to Disney World and as a worrier, I fear the worst.  “What if I get separated from my preschooler?”  Honestly, I figured that I would take a permanent marker and write my name and phone number on her belly.  However, that doesn’t really sound like a safe thing to do to her skin.  Maybe I’ll make a wrist band?  Well, sure, I could but that still won’t lead me to her.  No, I want to be able to know and see her location so I can get to her or get law enforcement to her as quickly as possible.

So, as if someone could hear my thoughts, I was introduced to a company that can help ease my worries and potentially stop a parent’s worst nightmare from happening.  I’m thrilled to tell you all about SecuraTrac.

It’s almost summer and if you have children, chances are you’re planning on being outside. You probably have vacations booked, outings to amusement parks, camping trips and BBQ’s to attend.  If you long for peace of mind, like I do, then listen up.  SecuraTrac is a company that has an interest in bringing families closer together.  Their product, the SecuraPal, is a GPS tracking device that goes with your child, pet or any loved one (even your luggage), so you can track their location via text messages and a secure website.

Have a listen to my conversation with Chris Holbert, SecuraTrac’s founder, so you can learn first-hand about this innovative product:

Discussion about SecuraTrac with Chris Holbert

We’re going to put the SecuraTrac system to use on a very special upcoming trip.  I can’t wait to give you the play by play!

Right now, SecuraTrac is running a Mother’s Day special (offer good until May 10, 2010).  You can purchase the SecuraPal unit for $99 with 12 mos. of service ($24.99/mo).  You can set up unlimited “fences” and contacts (who would receive the SOS and location alerts).  You can’t really beat the price for this kind of peace of mind.  Hopefully you listened to our conversation, so you have an idea of all of the different ways you can put this product to valuable use.

Look forward to more posts about SecuraTrac because at this point, I think it’s the bees knees and I’m out to prove it.

LeapFrog: Math Adventure to the Moon

  By Amy | March 29, 2010 - 7:08 pm | , ,
1 Comment

LeapFrog’s Math Adventure to the Moon DVD (MSRP $14.98) was released recently and we were given a copy of it to watch and talk about here on ParentSphere.

Well, my 4-1/2 year old completely digs this thirty-eight minute long DVD.  She loves the story and she’s so proud of herself for her ability to count along with Tad and Lily, the beloved LeapFrog frogs.  Tad and Lily take a mathematical adventure to the moon where they count, sort and add.  Edison, the firefly, gets the viewer (your kids) involved in the math fun.  Throughout this educational adventure, we learn that math is everywhere.   The target age range for this DVD is 3-6 years.

Our daughter will be 5 in October.  She sings along with the counting songs and plays the interactive games using our TVs remote control.  Here is a video of Hailey playing The Sorting Game, one of the three games on the DVD:

And here is Hailey proudly counting by 10′s, which she learned from this DVD:

Hailey follows along with LeapFrog’s: Math Adventure to the Moon and learns to count by 10s

*Please note, this DVD may or may not have the same effect on your child.  Mine just happens to be very, very bouncy.

In addition to Math Adventure to the Moon, there are three other LeapFrog DVD titles to choose from; Let’s Go to School (3-6 years), Letter Factory (24 mos to 5 yrs) and Talking Words Factory (3-6 yrs).  All priced under $15.00 from leapfrogdvds.com

We’re big ‘ol LeapFrog fans in this house and have very good reason to be, they have the best educational products for kids.  Trust us.  We have a ton of LeapFrog products and make very good use out of all of them.  You will too.

Wow, The Nutcracker is cool!

  By Amy | December 24, 2009 - 9:49 am | ,
Comments Off

…is just what my four year old exclaims as she sits and watches Prima Princessa’s “The Nutcracker”.

prima_princessa_nutcracker

She sits and watches the ballet DVD in awe of the beautiful ballerinas and then practices her ballet steps along with the students from the NYC Ballet’s School of American Ballet.

You can purchase Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker from Amazon for around $10 or so.

A perfect holiday gift for your little princess.  :)

Christmas Crafty – Part Two

  By Amy | December 7, 2009 - 10:07 pm | , ,
1 Comment

I mentioned in an earlier post that we were working on another project.  We’ve finally finished it!

I was recently on a mission to find picture frame ornaments but not just any picture frame ornaments.  I wanted simple, small wooden frames that we could decorate.  I went to several stores and couldn’t find what I was looking for.  I told Eric about it and he came up with this ingenious idea – make them ourselves out of popsicle sticks.

Well, duh.

I just so happen to have had some small sticks leftover from a project we did a couple of years ago.  So, I had our four year old color some of the popsicle sticks.  We then glued them together, making a small square (about 2″ x 2″).  She decorated the colored sticks with some holiday stickers and I tied a string (actually, some holiday ribbon) around the frames to hang on the tree.  This is what our homemade frames look like:

Collage27

Very cute.  Very four-year-old-looking.  I love them to pieces.

See the two furry things in the frames?  Those are our two fabulous kitties, Indie and Ollie.  We recently lost both of them (just over a month apart).  So, this was a very important project for me.  It’s going to be a different Christmas without them around.  I’m thrilled that we completed our project and our furbabies now have a place on our Christmas tree.

We encourage you to make some homemade ornaments this year.  When you pull them out of the Christmas bin next year, you’ll have a lovely memory to look back on.

Christmas crafty

  By Amy | November 30, 2009 - 11:55 pm | , ,
4 Comments

I’m gettin’ crafty this Christmas.

I took the four year old to Michaels the other day. We were on a mission to gather items for our homemade wreath. I thought it would be fun and a little less expensive to assemble our own this year.

wreath

I added it up and figured out that we spent around $10.00 for the entire project.  It was tempting to pick out a bunch of Decorative Essentials but we stuck with just a few and in my opinion, our wreath turned out quite nice.  Plus, the cool thing about it is that we can take off what we put on and change up our wreath for the different seasons.  Score!

While we were there, I also spotted another craft project for the preschooler to pass the time.  She’s so anxious for Christmas to get here, I think I’m going to have to come up with something for her to do each day for the next 25 days.

Check out this cute little Ready-to-Finish wood decoration set.  She jumped right on this when we got home.  It turned out pretty adorable:

decoration

It was inexpensive, as well, and could be given as a gift.

I could spend hours wandering around the craft store and conjuring up fun activities to do with my sweet girl.  I don’t know what has happened to me.  I’ve never been <–this–> into crafts before.  I think I’m turning over a new leaf.

We’re working on another craft project right now but it’s not finished yet.  I’ll post about it as soon as it’s finished.