Early Motherhood

Simple Scissor Practice

2011-08-19T22:01:00.000-05:00

I bought this alphabet bulletin board border at Dollar Tree about a year ago. They probably still have it or something similar in the teacher/school section though. S likes to cut the letters apart. It makes for a great tray activity and when he is finished, he has fun using the letters to build words.

Modifying Activities

2011-07-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Good teachers modify their instruction to meet the individual needs of the students in their class. I realized the other day, I can start doing this more at home with the boys as well.

When S was about 18 months, I had made him this disk insert activity. I got it out for M to begin exploring and realized I could easily update it so that S could still learn from it as well. I simply added numbers to each disk so that they needed to be inserted in order. Now both boys can benefit from the same activity!

Themes are also a great way to organize your activities so that children of multiple ages can benefit.

Paper Clip Math

2011-07-15T19:47:00.000-05:00

Sorting

Patterning

Counting

Sticker Word Matching

2011-07-13T22:09:00.002-05:00

Here's a new tray activity that both S and I love...

Step 1: Get a sheet of stickers (I cut this one in half because it repeated the same animals).
Step 2: Write the words for the sticker pictures on a sheet of paper (I used the back side of recycled fliers to save paper).
Step 3: Let your child match the sticker with the word.

I like this because it's so fast and easy, but it also develops good literacy skills because S has to use a variety of strategies to determine sticker placement (beginning letter sound, final letter sound, decoding, pictorial context clues, elimination, guessing).

I think this would also be easy to prepare several in advance for a flight or road trip.

Product Rave: Letter Learning Educational Greeting Cards

2011-06-10T19:22:00.001-05:00

Every so often you run across a product and think," Why didn't I think of that?" This is one of those for me...I received several of these educational greeting cards for free from Letter Learning after partaking in this deal. I didn't expect much since I was A. receiving them for free and B. afraid the company would be swamped with "free orders", but was so pleasantly surprised by my order that I felt the need to write a post.

Here's what I loved:

Arrived quickly (despite the overwhelming number of free orders I am sure they were bombarded with)
Arrived in a cute cellophane bag, sealed with company sticker and tied with a bow. So cute that a set would make a wonderful gift!
Wonderful paper quality and vibrant ink colors.
They also offer downloadable versions to print at home for only $0.99.
I love it when former teachers have great ideas!

S is not quite ready to a trace small letters (still on these big ones), but I am excited for him to use the ones we have and would happily order more in the future!

Focus Word: Dog

2011-06-09T14:02:00.002-05:00

Now that summer is here and S is home more, I am in the process of getting more organized with home learning activities. S's baby brother, M (Has he even been mentioned here yet? Poor second born!) is now 8 months old and so I have been wanting to include him in our activities. A great way to teach multi-age kids is to use themes.

While I have always used themes to organize our activities in the past and probably will return to them when school begins, I decided to try something different during the summer because I felt like it might be a good fit for both boys at this point. We are going to have a "focus word" each week.

This week's word is DOG. M is playing with dog toys (ones meant for children, not dogs), is seeing lots of photographs and illustrations of dogs from books, and is learning the sign for dog.

S on the other hand has shown lots of interest in reading lately ("How do you spell ______?" "What does __-__-__ spell?"). Since he loves identifying initial letter sounds and is so interested in learning how to read, I am going with it even though he's still very young. This could be a passing phase and my plan is abandoned mid-summer, but so far it's working well and S is loving "learning to read."

Since our focus word is dog, we have been doing activities using the -og word family:

made an -og flip book
played the -og game on Starfall
dog and frog dot art pages
spelled -og words using Pringles lids, magnet letters, tub letters, letter tiles, linking cubes, etc...
completed page 3 of this printable packet (I got this from Word Way and plan to use the site more in the future as a word family resource)
printed out and read "Frog and Dog and the New Friend" (also from Word Way)
used our Spinny Speller to make -og words
read Jog Frog Jog

We have also been reading lots of books about dogs and frogs and finding the word dog and frog in them:

Other focus words I plan to use this summer (though they may change) are fan, hat, dad, pig, hot, bug, nap, and car. I chose these because they are good baby signs and also lend themselves to CVC word family words. I also like this site for word family printable books and this site for nursery rhymes, but didn't use them this week as there is no -og.

We also used our old dog carrier to set up a vet center for S (and M) to pretend with. I also plan to do some math activities later in the week using little dog counters, and still need to come up with a dog craft.

Summer Reading!

2011-06-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

To keep track of all of our forms, I taped them to the outsides and insides of a file folder.

Just a reminder to check your local library, new and used bookstores, grocery stores and Pottery Barn Kids for Summer Reading Programs. Your child is typically rewarded with a free book. I have very fond childhood memories of Summer Reading Programs!

I hope to post what we've been doing this week and our summer plan soon. It's a long one...

Go Fish

2011-06-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

S has finally fallen in love with games and I love to play them with him. "Go Fish" is a favorite. We have this version and I like it because it reinforces upper and lower case match-ups for him and it also teaches the names of baby animals, but it got me thinking that there's nothing special about this deck that makes it "Go Fish". You could also use any deck of flashcards that has pairs in it (colors, shapes, letters, numbers, etc.) or you could buy two of the same deck of flashcards to create an educational "Go Fish" game. Dollar Tree usually has a selection of simple flashcards.

I Spy Something Red

2011-05-20T12:50:00.001-05:00

A great way to take advantage of free photo book deals is to make personalized books for your children. I have made an ABC book and Feelings book in the past and S loves both. They will also remain keepsakes in our house. So when I saw this idea, I knew I wanted to make them into a photo book. We have only completed red so far, but plan to do a new color every few days.

I was going to get all the pictures taken so that we were ready when a free photo book deal came around, but then while couponing at Target yesterday, I was given two different free photo book codes from Shutterfly (one with my free 20 print order and the other with my store receipt). I guess we better hurry.

Alphabet Boxes

2011-05-16T08:41:00.001-05:00

Our current ongoing project is finding items to fill our new alphabet boxes. I used plastic babyfood containers with alphabet stickers on the lid. We are keeping an eye out around the house, in stores, and in nature for tiny objects that begin with that letter. S loves opening, closing and resorting these little treasure boxes.

Thanks, I Can Teach My Child!

Our New Church "Busy Bag"

2011-04-27T12:17:00.004-05:00

I know some readers may disagree with children working on activities during church services, but in our family S is allowed to work on quiet religious activities (though that doesn't always keep him quiet). Here's our new church bag...

Decorated canvas bag with Crayola Fabric Markers (I bought ours at Hobby Lobby for $5.) I LOVE that S is now drawing our family! Daddy is holding a heart :)

Lacing cards made from craft foam and shoelaces (Noah's Ark and a cross)

Simple puzzle printed on cardstock and cut (or you could use religious greeting cards)

Coloring books, a small children's bible, religious stickers (Dollar Tree and Christian bookstores)

I plan to swap some things out and add some vinyl cling, felt, or magnetic biblical scenes...can't decide.

Activity Sheets with Emergent Writers

2011-04-13T13:14:00.001-05:00

I do not rely on activity books to teach S, nor do I give him many, but for me they still serve a supplemental purpose because S enjoys them. Here are two ways a toddler/young preschooler can still answer "worksheet" questions:

1. Use dot markers for selecting choices. It's hard to see in the pic, but S used an orange dot marker to choose the matching pictures instead of circling the answer (this was completed when he was about 24 months, but he started using dot markers around 18 months).

2. Write answers on small sticky notes and let your toddler or preschooler match the sticky note with the correct answer on the page. This is a favorite of S's because he loves stickers. You can also cut large sticky notes to make small ones or cut up white mailing labels to make your own "stickers".

Our New Hallway Library

2011-04-04T09:23:00.001-05:00

Made from Ikea Ribba Ledges.

Our New Responsibility Chart

2011-03-25T13:58:00.001-05:00

The start of the day

The middle of the day

The end of the day

Cutting Skills

2011-03-18T13:15:00.005-05:00

S has had a fascination with scissors for quite a long time now. We began learning with strips of construction paper and straws so that he could get the hang of one snip. He has just gotten the hang of cutting across a page independently, so I am introducing some more structured cutting practice. I plan to begin with straight lines, then zig zags, then wavy lines. After S has mastered cutting this way across a page, I will move onto cutting out a square, triangle, circle...

There are many books on the market that have cutting practice pages inside them. We don't own any, but I know the Kumon ones are popular.

A less expensive idea would be to use some of the many free printables offered on the internet for cutting practice. Here are just a few I came across with a quick internet search:

Of course an even cheaper option (no printer ink used) would be to draw your own lines on paper. Workbook pages, printables, or DIY versions would make a great independent activity for trays.

A fun Easter craft to do would be to have your child cut strips of contruction paper and then cut the strip into little pieces to glue on a cross or egg shape to make a collage. I plan for us to make an egg with a few different colors. Directions and templates can be found at DLTK.

It's Dinnertime!

2011-03-03T20:08:00.000-06:00

Those of you who know me in "real life" know that my wonderful husband does all of our cooking, but I was recently introduced to a great cookbook by a friend of mine. I have never wanted to own a particular cookbook in all my life, but there was something about this one. I checked it out at the library and loved it so much that I bought a copy of my very own (for only $10 using my Barnes and Noble Groupon stacked with a 15% off code!). The Family Dinner made me realize that I wanted my boys to see me in the kitchen as well as my husband. I was also pushed in there by the fact that S started calling the oven "Daddy's oven".

Aside from the simple recipes, the book also has lots of ideas for families to connect at the dinner table and ways to make dinnertime special. So tonight I made my first dinner (a simple soup) and we started a new dinnertime ritual. I put a little bowl at the center of the table with some questions in it. S draws a question and we all take a turn answering it. This was a nice break from the regular, "Tell us about school." or my husband and I finding ourselves talking to each other and telling S to not interrupt. I will add more, but a few to start with were:

What is something you would like to learn?
What is something you are proud of?
What animal would you like to be?
What is something that you like about yourself?
What is something that you are good at?

Please leave a comment if you have more question suggestions (that a 2.5 year old can answer).

Calendar

2011-03-02T13:28:00.000-06:00

This past Christmas Santa gave S a small calendar in his stocking (I think he found it in the Target dollar bins). We keep S's calendar on the fridge to give him a visual of the passage of time. At the start of each month I mark weekends with happy face or star stickers and S knows that is when "Daddy is home" and I mark his school days with an apple or star sticker. I also mark special holidays or events. Then we X each day out as we go along. I think it has really helped S see how time passes and patterns in our week. He is also starting to learn some days of the week and months as well.

FREE Reading Resource

2011-03-01T16:33:00.000-06:00

You can download these early reading resources from All About Reading. I am looking forward to trying the story sequencing with S from Safari Stories.

Thanks, 1+1+1=1!

Trays!

2011-03-01T13:19:00.002-06:00

I started something new a week ago with S and it has been a great way to get him to work independently on an activity or play with a toy.

Each evening before bed, I set out three trays with a toy he rarely chooses, a coloring page, an independent activity, a puzzle, playdough, dot marker page, etc. on each one. He can work on these trays at any time during the day and when I notice he's bored I will remind him to go "pick out a tray." I plan to add more trays as we go along.

This idea is adapted from 1+1+1=1. Her system is more involved, educational and thought out. Mine basically keeps S occupied while I unload the dishwasher ;)

FREE Personalized Elmo Songs

2011-03-01T13:06:00.001-06:00

Use code MYELMO to download three free personalized Elmo songs. S thought this was great!

Thanks, Saving with Shellie!

STOP!

2011-02-23T16:25:00.000-06:00

S likes stop signs, so we made one. It has nothing to do with anything we're learning about right now, but he likes them and I thought of this after making our color wheel.

How to make an octagon:
1. Using a straight edge, divide a paper plate into eight sections.
2. Cut straight lines around the edge connecting each of the pencil lines you drew.
3. You now have eight sides!

We painted it red and used another paper plate to cut out our STOP letters. This turned out to be a great simple activity because it involved painting, math skills (an octagon), letter recognition/reading the word "STOP", the color red, and he likes to put on his police hat and vest and "direct traffic" with it.

Color Wheel

2011-02-22T16:03:00.001-06:00

Here's an activity I did with S a long time ago and we repeated again this week since he was recently enjoying the below books so much.

To make the color wheel, I just divided a paper plate into six sections and then we painted in the primary colors (red, yellow, blue), leaving an empty section between each one. We then went back and mixed two colors to discover the secondary color (orange, green, purple) that was made and painted the section in between.

On a money saving/space saving note, I only buy bottles of red, yellow and blue paint since they can easily be mixed to make other colors.

FREE Tag Junior or Tag Book

2011-02-07T12:55:00.001-06:00

This is a deal that has been offered before, but I thought I'd pass it on because we now have both copies. Leapfrog is offering a free Tag Junior (ABC Animal Orchestra) or Tag (Ozzie and Mack) book when you link your Leapfrog toy (You probably own one and you may not even know it!) on their Learning Path site.

Even if you do not own a Tag Junior or Tag, the books can still be read as regular books. I haven't gotten a chance to read the Ozzie and Mack book, but I really like the Animal Orchestra book. It makes a great alphabet board book even without the Tag Junior.

Mini Alphabet Books

2011-02-03T11:27:00.003-06:00

S loves these printable mini alphabet books from DLTK. They aren't very printer/paper/ink friendly, but he has really enjoyed them so I'll continue to print one each week. There's so much more on this site you can check out as well!

Happy Groundhog Day!

2011-02-02T15:51:00.002-06:00

(SIDEWAYS AGAIN!)

It's probably too late for you to try this now, but you may want to file away the idea for next year...we followed these directions to make a groundhog puppet.

You can sing the rhyme to I'm a Little Teapot, but I was too embarrassed to sing on the blog!

I see a little groundhog, furry and brown,
He's popping up to look around.
If he sees his shadow, down he'll go.
Six more weeks of winter - oh, no!

50 Free Prints (pay for shipping)

2011-02-02T10:11:00.001-06:00

Snapfish and Fancy Feast are giving away 50 free prints to the first 200,000 people. Enter your email address here and you will receive a special code. It will then direct you to login to Snapfish and enter your code to add the credit to your account. You can view your 50 free prints credit if you go to your "account" at the top. Mine says they expire at the end of August.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Valentine's Counting Practice (with video)

2011-01-30T08:18:00.001-06:00

Parenting Early Years ($3-$5 for 2 years)

2011-01-29T12:13:00.005-06:00

Edited again to add: Offer still good today!
Edited to add: I should have mentioned earlier that if you are new to Eversave, you get a $2 credit, which makes the subscription only $3!

You can get two years of Parenting Early Years for $5 today only at Eversave. Parenting Early Years has had the great Amazon diaper coupons in the past.

Amazon Workbooks 4 for $4.20

2011-01-28T09:59:00.001-06:00

Not that I am a big advocate of workbooks, but I bought some of these for a trip we have coming up to keep S busy and thought I should let you know about this deal. School Zone workbooks are only $1.40 right now at Amazon and they are also part of the Amazon 4 for 3 promotion. If you scroll down to "Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought" you can see other $1.40 choices. You can mix your 4 choices and get 4 of them for $4.20. Here are the ones I ordered, but there are more choices:

Dollar Tree and dollar bins at Target also carry workbooks for (obviously) $1, but I think these may be a little higher quality.

42 Pampers Points

2011-01-26T20:31:00.001-06:00

To get 42 points enter code VMF776C7HMXXT4A at Pampers Gifts to Grow.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Letter Formation

2011-01-26T12:31:00.003-06:00

(This is a sideways J. I didn't have the energy to figure out how to rotate the photo.)

S has just started to show an interest in writing letters and so we began with making letters in a tray of sand (I used a small box lid). What I love about this is that he can use his finger instead of a writing instrument and it's very tactile, but it's a little too "open ended" for him right now. He needs more of a guide...

(Again, too tired to rotate this.)

That's when I saw this idea and wanted to give it a try. I bought the same border from Dollar Tree, cut it up, and laminated each letter. You can use dry or wet erase markers. I love it because there is room for error and it gives S a guide, but the dry erase markers are a little cumbersome for him still.

I think I might back it up a bit and try having him trace puffy paint letters with his finger first because they are so tactile.

When his writing skills are more developed I plan to start using a highlighter to write letters/numbers and draw shapes and have him trace over my highlighter with a pencil, but he needs more room for error for now.

Parents Magazine $1

2011-01-20T07:37:00.000-06:00

Barnes and Noble is offering a one year subscription to Parents Magazine for $1 with the code K9B9J4H. If you already receive this magazine, you can extend your subscription by a year. There may be valuable coupons in it as well!

Qwirkle $14

2011-01-19T09:26:00.009-06:00

This is such a great game for kids AND adults and $13.99 is a great price (free shipping if you're signed up for free Amazon Mom or spend $25). The price could change any minute on Amazon though. S is too young to play right now, but the pieces can be used by preschoolers to sort by different attributes or a toddler could do simple matching. They are also fun to dump out of toy dump trucks!

10 Pampers Points

2011-01-17T19:45:00.000-06:00

Enter code 4WJDHKU4RPP6PT2 at Pampers Gifts to Grow for 10 points. This code expires on January 21st.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

I'm (maybe) back!

2011-01-16T22:00:00.004-06:00

No commitment or promise. Let's just see how this goes. It's been almost a YEAR since I went "on hiatus" and while we have been busy the past year, I'll just catch you up to what we've been up to in the past WEEK...

I is for Igloo. Since the start of the school year, we've been working on a letter each week...or two weeks...or four when a new baby is born :) My mom got us the cardboard letters from Lakeshore (can't find an online link), but you could easily cut your own out. After S paints them we cover them in stickers that begin with that letter. S looks forward to this each week and wants to race through the whole alphabet. After we finish these, I plan to do these cute alphabet animals, but wanted to wait until S's cutting skills were stronger for these.

This past week, we were on "I" (Does anybody else get frustrated with the whole uppercase I that looks like a lowercase l thing?) and since we are also learning about ice, snow, igloos, penguins, polar bears, etc, we made this igloo from a styrofoam bowl and "iceblock" Avery labels. We also used some packing peanuts as snow. I plan to add penguin and polar bear figurines to our little play scene.

We've also been reading two bible stories each week. When we got this bible, I went through the table of contents and marked which months we would read certain stories, using Easter and Christmas as guides which puts us towards the beginning of the Old Testament right now reading "Miracles of Jesus" stories. I haven't gotten very creative with these yet, but S is enjoying these coloring pages for each story (the second page of each link).

Letter Matching. S has enjoyed matching upper case letters with lower case letters. We use Fridge Phonics letters and an alphabet chart I made awhile back. We are also enjoying using these alphabet blocks to match letters on an ABC poster from Dollar Tree.

I'll stop there for now. We'll call this a trial period...

On Hiatus

2010-02-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

Well, I have tried really hard to balance motherhood, home-making, blogging and working part-time, but I can't keep up. I have decided to go on a hiatus from the blog for awhile. I know I introduced my math series and haven't followed through, but plan to when I return. I am not positive of when I will return, but my guess is early summer when the school year is over. Maybe sooner if I can get things to run smoother around here. I will not be returning to work next school year, so perhaps I will have more time to devote to the blog. Please sign up for a feed so you are made aware of Early Motherhood's return. Thank you for reading and I hope you will return when I do!

Beech-Nut Baby and Toddler Kits

2010-02-24T20:38:00.001-06:00

I have signed up for these in the past and they have come with coupons for FREE baby food. Not sure if these will, but it's worth a shot:

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

CVS, Target, and Randalls $5.65

2010-02-20T14:22:00.001-06:00

I had some catching up to do on deals today since we've been sick. As a result, I missed out on several, but here's what I did accomplish:

CVS

Aussie shampoo

$2.99

- 1.00 (RP 2/14)

= $1.99 and earned 2 ECBs

Used 1 ECB

Total OOP = $1.07 and earned 2 ECBs

Target

Puffs facial tissue (x2) Note: I opened them before I remembered to get a picture

$1.99

- 1.00 (mailer)

= $0.99 each

Glade candle tin (x2)

$3.32 ($1.66 each)

- 3.00 ($1.50 manufacturer's coupons found in tins)

-1.00 (Target mailer)

= +$.68 overage earned for both

Method laundry detergent 64 loads

$7.48 (orig. $14.99, on clearance since Method has new packaging)

Used $5 Target gift card

Total OOP = $4.58

Randalls (Kroger Stores)

Right Guard antiperspirant (x2)

$1.00 each

- 1.00 (printable $2 off 2)

= free

Total OOP = $0

Free Music/Story Downloads

2010-02-19T22:35:00.002-06:00

Sorry for such a long break. S and I have been very sick, but we're slowly recovering. Here are some free music/story downloads for you to enjoy with your little one:

"John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" and "Yankee Doodle Boy"

The Best of Countdown Kids: 10 very familiar tunes

Use code NAPTIME here to get a PDF of The Original Story of Winnie the Pooh, an MP3 of the story read aloud, and an MP3 of the song "House at Pooh Corner" by Fred Molliin

Thanks, Freebies 4 Mom!

Pampers Gifts to Grow 30 Point Code

2010-02-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

Here's a 30-point code for Gifts to Grow: GTGPLAY2USA2010

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Free Sample of Burt's Bees Toothpaste

2010-02-08T21:44:00.000-06:00

You can sign up for a free sample of Burt's Bees toothpaste here. It may be a good one to try when S is ready for fluoride toothpaste.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Toddler Math: Introduction (Part 1 of 7)

2010-02-08T07:00:00.003-06:00

I realized the other day that S's early literacy skills are developing very rapidly and that I don't plan as much with him in the area of math. This is ironic because I myself am a "math person". In fact, the part-time job I recently took is as a Math Specialist at an elementary school. So I asked myself why this was the case and realized there is so much more to math than being able to perform operations. I also realized that we do more math than I had originally thought simply through play. After these realizations I decided to break down the components of math for myself and take a look at each one to evaluate how I could develop early math skills in these areas with S. From all of this I am starting a new series of posts titled "Toddler Math."

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics breaks math into six standards:

I plan to continue this series by writing a post about each of the six standards. In each post, I will share four components:

Concepts and Vocabulary
Educational Products, Toys, and Manipulatives
Activity Ideas
Children's Literature Connections

My goal at home is to have S engaged in an activity a few minutes a day that addresses a standard each day of the week (ex. Monday-Number and Operations, Tuesday-Algebra...). There are six standards, but Process Standards will be integrated throughout all of the above standards (more on that to come). I hope you enjoy following along.

Our First Experiment

2010-02-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

I have been meaning to incorporate more science into our activities, so when I ran across this on several blogs, I wanted to try it with S. I had made these "hot" and "cold" laminated cards when S was about a year old to teach him the difference, but I brought them back out for this activity as a visual. We filled an ice cube tray with water and food coloring drops (red for Valentine's). When the water had frozen, I filled a bowl with hot (very warm) water and one with cold water and placed a few ice cubes into each. S liked to explore the different water temperatures and we talked about how the cubes in the hot water were "small" and the cubes in the cold water stayed "big". This was also a good activity to introduce the word "melt", which I'm not sure I've really used with S. Our fun ended when he turned one of the bowls over, but he enjoyed it so much that I think we will do it again to reinforce the concepts.

Thanks, April Flowers!

Heart Letter Search

2010-02-06T07:50:00.002-06:00

I printed this blank heart mat from a site I just discovered (and love) called Prekinders. Note: I am adding it to my resource list. I then added some letters that S is familiar with to create a "letter search". We used a different color of dot marker to mark each letter. I modeled this for him to begin (some of the S's) and then had him point to the letters before he marked them himself. As you can see, his attention span did not last for the entire activity, so next time I will cut the mat in half.

Thanks, Activity Mom, for the site!

Pampers Gifts to Grow Points

2010-02-04T07:11:00.000-06:00

Here's a 10 point code to enter at Pampers: FebThankYouFans, but hurry it expires tomorrow!

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Alphabet Chart

2010-02-02T16:46:00.003-06:00

S has become fascinated with letter identification in last few weeks. Today we made an alphabet chart out of a file folder with the tab end cut off. I put sticky sided magnets on the back so that it can hang on the fridge. I wrote the lowercase alphabet on it and made a "sticker" for each letter (name badges cut in half). When S can identify and name a letter, I will place a sticker over that letter. He was so proud today when we covered the letters he has learned. I do not think we will use the chart for much direct learning though because I don't want him to just memorize the placement/handwriting on the chart. So far he has learned most of his letters through letter magnets, Leapfrog Fridge Phonics and Letter Factory DVD*, this classroom alphabet, dot letters, and letter matching. If he enjoys this chart, I will make more (uppercase, numbers, letter sounds, skills).

*Note: While I love these products because S can already name several letter sounds from playing with Fridge Phonics and watching the Letter Factory DVD, I do have some complaints about them. The video only identifies one sound per letter and I would prefer they teach all sounds a letter can make (ex. hard c and soft c). I also have issues with the pronunciation of some of the letter sounds (ex. L does not say "ul"). The Letter Factory video does provide a wonderful visual for remembering letter sounds, however.

New Pampers with Dry Max Sample

2010-02-02T10:14:00.000-06:00

Try new Pampers with Dry Max by signing up here.

Thanks, Juila!

CVS $0.12

2010-02-01T22:27:00.001-06:00

Slimfast Bars (x2)
$4.99
- 1.25 (printable)
= $3.74 each and earned 3 ECBs
*Note: I am not on a diet, but received a Peanut Butter Crunch sample in the mail and was hooked! They are so yummy.

Colgate Max Fresh toothpaste
$2.99
- 1.00 (Jan. All You Magazine)
= $1.99 and earned 2 ECBs

Dove Men's Bodywash (x2)
$5.49
- 1.25 (1/31 RP)
= 4.24 each and earned $10.98 ECBs

Used 15 ECBs earned from survey participation as a CVS Advisor
Used another 3 ECBs

Total OOP = $0.12 and earned 15.98 ECBs

Free Animal Cookies and Circus Train

2010-01-29T11:30:00.000-06:00

I tied three animal cookie boxes to make a circus train for S. I use to love pretending these boxes were circus trains when I was a child.

You can get 2 boxes for FREE at Walmart with this $2/2 printable coupon.

New Felt Board

2010-01-28T16:56:00.000-06:00

Today I finally got around to making S's new felt board. The cardboard triangular one didn't hold up too well under toddler usage. I used a cheap frame from Ikea and put a sheet of white felt inside over the plexiglass. I have it propped up against the wall of our play room, but you could hang it low as well.

I also cut out three varying-sized hearts to work on the concept of size (big, medium, small). We're not quite ready for sequencing them, but this is a start. S also likes to count the three hearts.

Anyone have a good Valentine's felt board rhyme?

More Diaper Samples

2010-01-28T11:30:00.003-06:00

Go here to request a sample of Huggies Pure and Natural diapers. If you requested one a few months ago, it looks as though it may have been reset, so you can try again.

You can also request a Pampers potty training kit that comes with coupons and a free sample of Easy Ups Trainers.

Diaper samples are great for keeping in the car and they often arrive with coupons!

Free Avery Label Pad Sample

2010-01-27T21:11:00.002-06:00

Get a free Avery Label Pad sample here. I love labels!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Dot Letters

2010-01-27T18:47:00.002-06:00

I have been wanting to print and try this activity with S for a long time now. MakingLearningFun.com has printable letter magnet pages. You are suppose to use them with little colored dot magnets, but I used them with our dot art markers. S has completed "S is for school" and "V is for Valentines". I plan to bind them together in a book when we finish all the letters. I like that there are several choices per letter and they also have pages to go with Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Thanks, 1+1+1+=1!

My $12 Mall Trip

2010-01-23T15:04:00.003-06:00

Children's Place (Monster Sale 50% off reduced merchandise)

Toddler Boys Cargo Pants (x2)

$3.50 each

= $7.00

Dillard's

Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean Splash Away Foaming Cleanser (full size)

= free (mailer)

The Limited

women's tee

$19.50

- 15.00 (printable)

= $4.50

Godiva

truffle *not pictured ;)

= free piece of chocolate per month (Godiva Rewards Club)

Total OOP = about $12

3 Free Shutterfly Valentine's Day Cards

2010-01-22T21:42:00.002-06:00

You can get 3 free 5x7 folded Valentine's Day photo cards from Shutterfly using the promo code 3FREECARDS. You will have to pay $0.99 to ship them to yourself and another $0.08 for tax. My total was $1.07 which is a lot cheaper than buying three greeting cards at the store. You will have to enter the code into your account. Freebies for Mom has good directions on how to do it. These will be perfect for grandparents!

Free Baby Einstein Mozart Download

2010-01-20T20:34:00.000-06:00

Baby Einstein is celebrating Mozart's birthday with a free Mozart download.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

CVS $4.84

2010-01-20T10:00:00.000-06:00

Well, I spent more OOP than usual, but the Oust deal was a $2.00 money-maker and I earned 9 ECBs in the transaction:

Oust Air and Surface Sanitizer (x2)
$7.98 ($3.99 each)
- 3.99 (BOGO 1/13 SS)
= 3.99 for both and earned 6 ECBs

Cottonelle wipes tub and refill 84-ct combo pack
$5.98
- 0.50 (mailer)
= $5.48 and earned 3 ECBs

Used 5 ECBs

Total OOP = $4.84 and earned 9 ECBs

Baby and Toddler Computer Games

2010-01-19T20:34:00.001-06:00

I understand if you are not interested in introducing your tot to the computer yet, but S caught me in a weak moment the other day and now there's no going back. Babygamer.com has a collection of links to a variety of free baby/toddler internet "games." They basically all work the same way - there is some type of response when any key on the keyboard is pushed. I have convinced myself that they are good lessons in cause and effect, but there are some that are more educational (i.e when a key is pushed the next letter of the alphabet comes up).

Also, we do not own an iPhone, but I have read/heard a lot of people talking about free and inexpensive applications for toddlers. One of my favorite blogs 1+1+1=1 has a list of a few.

If you know of any others, please feel free to comment.

Coloring Pages

2010-01-13T20:57:00.003-06:00

My sister told me about http://www.thecolor.com/, an online coloring book. The pages are broken down by theme and they have lots of themes to choose from. You can "color" online, but you can also print out blank pages which is what I have done with S. You could also print out a whole theme and staple them together to make a coloring book. Here are my favorites:

Thanks, Kelly!

$10 off $30 Borders

2010-01-13T15:40:00.002-06:00

You can print a $10 off $30 Purchase coupon to Borders. The coupon expires 1/18. You need to be a Border's Rewards member to use it, but it's free to sign up if you aren't already. Border's doesn't only have a great selection of children's books, but also educational toys (Melissa and Doug, Larui, Alex, etc.).

Thanks, Saving with Shellie!

Free Sample of Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer

2010-01-12T21:06:00.000-06:00

You can get a free sample of Gold Bond Hand Sanitizer Moisturizer here. Sounds like it would be great to throw in the diaper bag.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

10 More Points

2010-01-11T07:13:00.000-06:00

Go here and enter the code JUSTFOROURFANS1 for 10 more Pampers Gifts to Grow points!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Foam Sticker Sorting

2010-01-09T07:25:00.000-06:00

This month we are learning about pets and since S has done such a great job with matching, I thought I would try sorting with him. I found these foam stickers in the dollar bin at Target and placed one of each animal on a cup. Then he can sort them by animal into the correct cup. I used all blue stickers on the cup so that he wouldn't think it was color sorting and I only began with two cups when I introduced the activity (the fish and dog since they look very different). I am keeping the activity on one of my new Oriental Trading Company trays so that S has access to the activity. (Note: These trays are so great for art/crafting, food, learning, playdough, setting up activities...)

I plan to follow the below progression with S to support early math concepts, but I came up with this on my own, so if anyone has a different suggestion or addition, please feel free to comment:

matching
sorting
sequencing (size)
patterns

The stickers were also great for fine motor practice (peeling and sticking).

Barbara's Bakery Cereal Sample

2010-01-04T13:41:00.000-06:00

You can get a free sample of Barbara's Bakery organic cereal sample here. I love free cereal samples to throw in my diaper bag for toddler snacks or to take on trips.

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Yet Another Pampers Code

2010-01-03T14:59:00.000-06:00

Here you go: WELCOME2GTG2010 (10 points)

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

Babies R Us Trip a 66% Savings!

2010-01-01T11:50:00.002-06:00

I spent $15.93 today at Babies R Us and saved $32.20 (a 66% savings)! Here's the trip:

Earth's Best Diapers (Jumbo packs) x3
$11.99
- 6.99 (on sale discount; limit 3)
- 2.00 (BRU printable; Note: you only need to print one and it will apply to all three packs)
- 1.50 (Earth's Best printable; Note: I was only able to print one and I think Earth's Best has now pulled the coupon)
= $1.50 for one pack and $3 each for the other 2

Gerber Graduates Utensils x2
$10.98 for both sets ($5.49 each)
- 2.44 (BOGO 50% off)
- 1.09 (20% off one item BRU mailer)
= $7.45 for both

Pampers Wipes travel pack
$1.39
- 1.39 (Free with any baby purchase coupon in BRU mailer)
= free

Target Dollar Bin Mailboxes

2009-12-31T18:55:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-31T11:45:00.002-06:00

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!

2009-12-30T09:00:00.003-06:00

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!

2009-12-29T17:00:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-29T11:38:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-27T11:28:00.001-06:00

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

Thanks, Freebies4Mom!

Free Pull-Ups Sample

2009-12-23T18:04:00.003-06:00

No longer available...

~~Costco~~ ~~is offering a free Pull-Ups sample.~~

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

New Pampers Gifts to Grow Code

2009-12-22T18:49:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-21T19:56:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-21T19:14:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-19T14:05:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-15T21:24:00.002-06:00

BabyTalk magazine is currently offering a free subscription.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Learning Tower Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies

2009-12-13T18:36:00.002-06:00

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

2009-12-08T21:13:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-07T20:40:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-05T06:54:00.001-06:00

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

2009-12-04T21:00:00.000-06:00

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

2009-12-01T18:09:00.001-06:00

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.

Apology

2009-11-30T20:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the slowness around here...S has been sick, the holidays are a busy time and I've started a new part-time job! I am uncertain as to the future of the blog, but keep checking back in case I find a few extra minutes in the day ;)

Highchair Stickers

2009-11-27T20:37:00.000-06:00

I usually shower in the morning before my husband leaves for work, but he was out of town a few weeks ago and I needed a way to contain and occupy S while I showered. I brought his highchair into the bathroom and gave him some stickers and paper. He still has a lot of trouble removing stickers from the backing, so I peeled each one off and placed a corner of each one along the perimeter of the highchair tray. He was able to easily remove each one to stick to the paper and I was able to shower! Feel free to leave your shower-occupying tips in the comments.

Thanksgiving Megapost

2009-11-24T20:57:00.001-06:00

I thought I would just list a bunch of Thanksgiving activity ideas since I'm behind on posts:

Feather color matching: See above photo.
Place setting vocabulary and matching: I printed this place setting from Nick Jr. and placed it inside a clear sheet protector. We have been naming and matching the parts of the place setting and we will use it as a placemat during Thanksgiving dinner.
Food photographs: I have been cutting out photographs of traditional Thanksgiving foods from catalogs, ads, and foodie magazines and gluing them down on a paper plate to help S learn turkey, corn, sweet potatoes, squash, pie...
Thanksgiving coloring book: I printed several Thanksgiving coloring pages from here, added a cover page and stapled them all together to make a Thanksgiving coloring book. The original purpose was just to keep S busy, but it has been a good visual to learn Pilgrim, boat, turkey...
Painting with feathers: Simply use feathers as your paintbrush.
Turkey hand prints: An oldie, but goodie.
Corn sensory tub: Be sure to use dried corn! Add various containers, funnels, and scoops to the tub as well.

Thanks, Activity Mom and April Flowers!

Note: I did end up getting my free contact solution. Thanks, Christy!

Free Sample of Seventh Generation Dish Soap

2009-11-23T12:37:00.001-06:00

No longer available...

Go ~~here to request a sample of Seventh Generation dish soap~~. You will have to login or register if you are new. I thought I would post this freebie because I like to use dish soap samples for traveling. They are good to have on hand for washing breast pump parts in hotel rooms.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

CVS $10.84

2009-11-22T20:38:00.000-06:00

Well $10.84 may not seem great, but I earned 14 ECBs and diapers cost money. Though we are a Pampers family, I was sucked in by the Huggies deal. Here's today's trip:

Huggies Jumbo pack diapers (x2)
$18.99 for 2 packs

- 4.00 (2 x $2.00 mailers)

= $14.99

Huggies Mega pack wipes
$6.99
- 0.50 (mailer)

= $6.49 and earned 5 ECBs for spending $20 on Huggies

Clean and Clear Facewash (x3)
$5.49 each
- 2.00 (printable)
= $3.49 each and earned 5 ECBs for spending $15 on Clean and Clear

Used a $5 off $30 printable for taking a Medicare quiz

Used a "Earn 4 ECBs on $20" card found in the CVS Season to Save booklet at store

Used 14 ECBs

Paid $5 on CVS $5 giftcard earned for free by purchasing a CVS eGift card at CVS.com

Total OOP = $10.84 and earned 14 ECBs and an extra $1.25 for submitting a Caregiver's Marketplace form for the Huggies diapers

Note 1: You can get FREE contact solution at CVS too this week, but my store was all out by the time I went this afternoon :(

Note 2: Saving with Shellie has CVS Black Friday deals posted.

Reader Question: Coupon Organization

2009-11-22T13:13:00.003-06:00

A reader asked: "Would you do a post on how you organize your coupons?" There are 3 basic components to how I keep my coupons organized:

Large accordian file for Sunday inserts: I keep the inserts whole and write the date at the top. I then file them by month. This way if I read about a deal and the coupon is from "11/8 RP" I can just pull it out and snip. I like this because there is no unnecessary cutting. If I need to buy something and I want to know if I have a coupon for it, I use A Full Cup's coupon database to search for it. It's free to sign up.
Small accordian file for loose coupons: This is used for coupons I receive in the mail; cut from magazines; print "in case"; pull from blinkies in stores; find in or on packaging; cut out of an insert and planned to use, but never did; etc. It is organized by type of coupon (bathroom, cooking, dairy...) I go through and clear the expired ones out at the end of each month.
Envelopes: When I plan a CVS or Target trip, I make my list on a junk mail envelope. Note: these are great for saving for many reasons. I then store the needed coupons, gift cards, CVS card, printed coupon policy, a stock-up price list, etc inside the envelope to take with me. I have a Target, CVS, Mall, and BRU/TRU envelope at all times.

Just because this works for me, it may not suit your needs. Some people like to cut out all coupons and make a coupon binder with trading card inserts. Others like to carry around a box with little index dividers. You just have to find what works for you. Please feel free to share your own organization system in the comments. Hope this helps!

{late} CVS $0.40

2009-11-21T21:16:00.001-06:00

Things have been very busy around here and as a result I didn't go to CVS until today (which doesn't do you much good). Chances are good I will go tomorrow as well for the start of a new week so stay tuned. Here's this past week's deals:

Kleenex 110 ct. (x2)
$0.99
- 0.75 (printable)
= $0.24

Ragu (x3)
$1.67 each (3/$5 and earn 3 ECBS when you spend $10 in Ragu/Skippy/Hellmans)
- 0.30 (11/15 RP)
= $1.37 each and earned 3 ECBs

Skippy (x3)
$1.67 each (3/$5 and earn 3 ECBS when you spend $10 in Ragu/Skippy/Hellmans)
- 0.40 (11/15 RP)
= $1.27 each and earned 3 ECBs (same as above, not 3 more)

Earned 1 ECB for 4 visits with a bag tag

Used 8 ECBs

Total OOP = $0.40 and earned 4 ECBs

S's Christmas Wish List

2009-11-21T06:00:00.003-06:00

This may be odd, but I thought if I shared S's Christmas list you may get some ideas for your little ones:

Note: This is a very long list. I do not plan for S to receive all of the above!

If you have any great ideas you would like to share, please leave a comment (not that this list needs to get any longer).

Baby Magnets

2009-11-19T11:22:00.001-06:00

Sorry it's been slow on here...today I was cleaning off our fridge and realized S didn't play with these anymore, but I wanted to share the idea for those of you with older infants/younger toddlers. When S was younger I was eager for him to play with magnets on the fridge, but they were always too small for his hands or mouth so I took some old wooden blocks and put self-adhesive magnetic stripping on the back to turn them into chunky magnets that he could manipulate. You can get the magnetic stripping at craft stores or you can also cut pieces off free promotional magnets and glue them to the blocks.

Pampers Gifts to Grow

2009-11-17T09:11:00.003-06:00

Are you redeeming your Pampers Gifts to Grow points yet? If not, you may want to start and I have some codes to get you going. You can find codes to redeem on packages of Pampers diapers and wipes and enter them at the Pampers site to earn rewards (gift cards, small toys, books, etc). Shipping is included in your reward as well. Pampers also releases promotional codes and I will start posting them when new ones are out. Here are two current new ones:

XKCMYXFVD96VXVK (3 points)

GROWWITHVILLAGE (1 point)

You can find past promotional coes at Freebies4Mom. Some of them may be expired though.

Thanks, Freebies4Mom!

Kids Eat For

2009-11-16T14:24:00.000-06:00

S is now to the age where we need to order him something of his own when eating out (which is on a rare occasion these days). My husband showed me this site the other day and I thought my readers may be interested in it as well. It shows you a calendar for your area of where/when kids can eat for free or cheap.

Window Sill Book Display

2009-11-15T13:00:00.000-06:00

I really love front-facing book displays for children, but we just don't have the space for one right now. So instead I display books I want to draw S's attention to on the window sill of our playroom. That is until I find time to make one of these:

Free Photo Ornament

2009-11-15T06:43:00.004-06:00

Update: I just learned from the company that this code was specifically intended for people that had purchased mall Santa photos which I was not aware of before posting. I apologize for the misinformation.

~~You can get a free (no shipping!) photo ornament from~~ ~~See Here~~ with code mallornament (Note: It's being reported some people are having trouble with the code, but are having better luck with a space after the code. Try both ways I guess. I'm not sure what I did, but it worked!) You must choose one of the two $12.99 ornaments. I ordered the white one with S on it, but used our dog above for illustrative purposes. I am not sure when this offer expires.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Counting Mittens

2009-11-14T17:00:00.003-06:00

Since we have been talking about weather this month, we have also read/talked about clothing words (coat, hat, umbrella, mittens...). I had these mitten stickers and thought I would make a "counting strip" because S is now saying "choo, choo, tree" (translation: one, two, three) as he points.

Then yesterday during our toy library visit we ran across this activity pack:

The book is about a farmer searching for lost mittens for himself and the animals. The "mittens" the kit came with are not the most attractive, but you could easily cut out paper or felt mittens to retell the story. This book is also great for older children because it teachers odd (not a pair) and even (a pair) numbers.

Free Sample of Pampers Extra Protection

2009-11-14T11:32:00.001-06:00

I realized after I posted the Huggies sample and received my Pampers sample in the mail yesterday that I never posted about it. Go here to get a free sample of Pampers Extra Protection and coupon.

Thanks, Deal Seeking Mom!

And the winner is....

2009-11-13T21:41:00.000-06:00

#31, Noreen! Noreen, I will email you to get your address. Congrats!