Target Dollar Bin Mailboxes

I thought some of you may be interested in these.  Target has these cute little tin mailboxes in the dollar bins.  I bought one for S to give him on Valentine's day with something inside.  But I thought they would also be great for pretend play.

Note:  They are small.  The above photo makes them look rather large. 

Toddler Scrabble

My mom came across this Alphabet Game from 1972 and it is so great!  It has a precious game board and spinner, but what I love about it is the game cards.

The goal is to spell words on the game cards using big plastic letters, but I love it now for S because he can just match the letters on the cards and there is a picture of the word on the card as well.  It reminds me of this homemade activity, but cuter.  My only complaint is that I am not a fan of using all capital letters. 

Thanks, Mom!

Happy (Almost) New Year!

S received a Do-a-Dot set for Christmas and we put it to use this week.  I opened a paper party hat so that it was flat and had S cover the reverse (non-shiny) side in dots.  I then refastened it inside out.  S likes to put it on and shout "Happy New Near!"

Let it Snow!

Well, I had planned to post this a long time ago, but the holidays kept getting in the way.  If you live in a climate where it snows, it's still applicable.  Since we do not get (much) snow where we live, we made "pretend snow" from packing peanuts (free with holiday shipments!).  I let S play with it in the sensory tub.  He loved throwing  it up in the air and shouting, "It's snowing!"

We also made a snow scene on black paper.  I put a dabs of glue on the paper and S placed pieces of "snow" on top.

Another snow related activity we did was to use white Floam to make a snowman.

I had planned to also do a felt snowman that S could dress, but never got around to it.  I have a new idea for a felt board as ours has been enjoyed too many times.  I'll keep you posted...

CVS $1.05

Olay Regenerist facial cleanser (x2)

$6.99 each

- 3.00 (11/29 PG)

= $3.99 each, but will submit $15 Olay rebate

Colgate Total toothpaste

$2.99

- 1.00 (Jan All You magazine)

= 1.99 and earned 2 ECBs

Ivory 3-pk bar soap

$0.99

- 1.00 (12/27 PG)

= free

Used 7 ECBs correction 9 ECBs

Total OOP = $1.05 and earned 2 ECBs and $15 rebate

Another Pampers Gifts to Grow Code

Here is another Gifts to Grow code:  HappyHolidays10 (expires 1/2/10)

Thanks, Freebies4Mom!

Free Pull-Ups Sample

No longer available...

Costco is offering a free Pull-Ups sample. 

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

New Pampers Gifts to Grow Code

Enter code welcome2village at Pampers Gifts to Grow to earn 10 points.

Pampers has changed their point system slightly.  It appears for every 1 old point, they are now using 10 points.  However, the reward prize points are also multiplied by 10, so it's really just the same.

You can read my original Gifts to Grow post here and you can read about the changes and some other point codes at Deal Seeking Mom here.

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Amazon Toy Outlet

There are some great Amazon Toy Outlet deals right now.  You can narrow your choices down by age, type, brand and/or discount in the left column.  You may find some great deals to use for future gifts.  The prices and selection seem to change frequently.  Here are a few that stood out to me this evening:

Update:  These are no longer available at these prices, but check Amazon outlet for other deals!

• Melissa and Doug Chunky Noah's Ark puzzle $8.98
• Plan Toys Shape Sorter $9.99
• Little People Dump Truck $6.99
• Lauri Number Puzzles $6.99
• Learning Resources Hide 'n' Peek Chocolates $11.99 (not a great deal, but would make a cute Valentine's Day gift)

CVS $0

Well, it's been a while since I've couponed, but I couldn't pass these up:

Neosporin Lip Health
$ 5.49
- 3.00 (printable)
- 2.50 Clip-free coupon (rings up with card)
= free

Oral B Satin Floss
$2.88
- 1.00 (11/29 PG)
= $1.88 and earned 2 ECBs

Oral B Toothbrush
= $2.99 and earned 2 ECBs

Nivea Bodywash
$5.99
- 2.00 (printable)
= $3.99 and earned 5 ECBs

Complete Contact Solution
= $9.99 and earned 9.99 ECBs

Used 15 ECBs earned from filling out a CVS Advisor Panel survey
Used an additional 4 ECBs

Total OOP = $0 and earned 19 ECBs

Save Your Christmas Cards

Be sure to save your Christmas cards because you can make simple puzzles from them (see above).  S is a bit too young for them now, but I will save them for next year.  Also, I only cut the above card in three pieces, but once he's mastered it, I can cut it into more.  This can be done for any holiday greeting card as well. 

Thanks, Chasing Cheerios!

Free BabyTalk Subscription

BabyTalk magazine is currently offering a free subscription. 

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Learning Tower Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

Last week we made some yummy peanut butter oatmeal cookies.  I wanted to share the recipe and our new love...the Learning Tower.  While they are pricey, I think we will get years of great quality time usage from it.  S loves to make his lunch with me and "cook" in the (unplugged) toaster oven. 

OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES
(The Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno)

1 2/3 cups all-natural peanut butter
1 cup olive oil-based margarine
2 cups Sucanat or raw sugar
2 large eggs
1 egg white
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp best-quality vanilla
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup dark raisins (optional)
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Cream the peanut butter, margarine, sugar and eggs together in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the honey, vanilla and sea salt.
3. Use a large wooden spatula or your clean hands to work in the flour and oats until well combined. Add raisins, walnuts and dates, if desired. Mix well.
4. Shape the dough into large balls and press into flat cookies. Place them on the baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes.
5. Cool on wire racks.

Christmas Bugs

Our December theme is "Bugs" though it is predictably getting lost in the holiday shuffle, so I combined the two today with an activity.  We decorated a Christmas Tree with "bug ornaments" (tiny dot stickers with various insects).  My goal is for S to learn spider, butterfly, bee, ladybug, worm, grasshopper, and ant; most of which he already knows. 

While we were working on the tree, it reminded me of The 12 Bugs of Christmas, which I plan to get a copy of because S is really into "counting" and it ties together bugs and Christmas. 

If you have any bug activity/art ideas or book suggestions, please let me know in the comments. 

Holiday Robeez

Perhaps I am the last mom to figure this out, but I have always wondered why they make Robeez in sizes beyond "walking age" and then it dawned on me that they would make great slippers/indoor shoes in the winter.  S has been running around barefoot at home until now.

Robeez.com has their holiday slip-ons marked down to $12.99 with free shipping.  While they aren't my favorite appliques, they will do for house shoes. 

Also, when you order a pair of slip-ons, Robeez donates a pair to a child in need which makes the $12.99 well worth it. 

Finally, make sure you order via Ebates, Shop at Home, or another to get 7% cash back.  If you are unfamiliar with these, you can read Money Saving Mom's post about "Stretching Your Dollars Online".

Christmas Little People $9.99

The Fisher Price Store has the Drummer Boy set and the Christmas Parade set on sale for $9.99 each.  It's free shipping with code FREESHIPHP.  We have the Nativity ($25 at Target NOT on sale) and S has learned "angel, Baby Jesus, camel, and donkey" so far.  I like to have seasonal toys that are taken out each year because I think it adds to the excitement and specialness of the holiday.  Also, if you're like me, I am eager to give S one of his Christmas gifts early because we haven't had anything new around here in a long time and this would be a good one to play with now.

Color A Smile

I wanted to share this organization with you:

"Color A Smile is a non-profit organization that spreads smiles with cheerful drawings. Since 1986 we have been collecting crayon drawings from school children. Every month we mail thousands of these original crayon 'masterpieces' throughout the United States. Schools, scouting troops, youth groups and individuals supply us with drawings. The majority of our drawings are mailed to senior citizens but we are happy to send 'smiles' to anyone who would like them."

You can choose from lots of coloring pages or free art pages.  Here's the one we colored.

Thanks, A Mommy's Adventures!

Vinyl Clings

While they may not be the most attractive of holiday decor, S loves playing with vinyl clings.  They are fun to take off and reapply and they have really helped build S's "Christmas vocabulary".  S also likes to experiment to see what they will/will not stick to (windows, dishwasher, his shirt...).  I somehow acquired ours long ago, but I frequently see them in store dollar bins or on sale after holidays.