Red and Yellow's Noisy Night - Book Review

Red and Yellow live together in an olive tree but the two are as different as can be. Lively and energetic Red likes to play his strummy long and loud while sweetly docile Yellow wants to curl up with a pillow and sleep. Together the two very different friends must find a way to get along. Will they succeed?


This was the perfect bed time story to share with my little girl. We curled up one evening and red the tale of two very different critters trying to get along. These two seem to be quite the opposites. We had a lot of fun talking about the two different personalities and trying to figure out what they could do to make things work for both of them.

This book has so many important lessons in one beautiful story. Red and Yellow teach children that it's ok to be different, but that you need to respect each other's differences. They also teach lessons about learning to get along in even the most difficult situations. And in the end accepting each other for who you are can be fun!

This adorable book is based on an animated TV series that currently airs on over 100 channels around the world and is a part of Little Light Foundation, a non-profit public charity whose goal is to create original media that will help children around the world learn about conflict resolution and mutual respect. “The Olive Branch” was inspired by creator Josh Selig’s experiences working in children’s television with Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem and is the foundation’s first creative endeavor.

Disney for Little Kids

Leading up to this trip I was a little nervous that I jumped the gun. My daughter loves Disney everything. She watches the movies, knows all their names, and adores the princesses. But would be too scared to ride the rides? Would she run screaming from all the over sized characters? Would she melt down because she didn't get her afternoon nap? Was I planning a vacation or 6 days of torture?

With all those things in the back of my head I decided I needed to just take the vacation as it was. I didn't do too much planning so that I could be flexible and go on her schedule. I booked a few sit down meals so we could do the character meals. But I made sure to only book one a day so the rest of the day could go however we needed it to. I had a list of what I definitely wanted to do with her, a list of maybe's, and a list of definitely not's. And off we went.

We booked two character meals... The Crystal Palace for dinner and Cinderella's Royal Table for breakfast. If you have a little girl who loves princesses you HAVE to do the Royal Table. It was the most magical part of our trip. Cinderella greeted us downstairs and my daughter's face lit up. She was thrilled to meet her, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, and Aurora. Each princess spends a nice amount of time with your little one. The food was very good and the setting was amazing. You truly felt like you were dining in a castle. Be sure to have a reservation well in advance!

The Crystal Palace was also a lot of fun. Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, and Piglet made the rounds as we dined on a buffet of American style food. Every once in awhile they stop and do a parade. The kids adore it and you're in the Magic Kingdom, so it's very convenient.

We also had dinner at The Cape May Cafe. For breakfast they have characters, but at dinner they have a seafood buffet that is incredible! All the clams you could eat, mussles, pasta, chicken, steak, chicken nuggets... tons and tons of food with a great variety. This was may favorite in terms of food.

And did you know you can get your haircut at the Harmony Barber Shop on Main Street? They do something extra special for first haircuts, so we signed my daughter up. It was a lot of fun! They do take reservations so call ahead.

We read a lot about what rides to avoid with a 2 year old. Snow White, Pirates, the Haunted Mansion, the ride at Norway were all on the "skip" list. Well, we did them all except Haunted Mansion and Pirates was my daughter's favorite! Every kid is different so you won't know how they will react until you try. Do some easy rides first... like Peter Pan, It's a Small World, and Winnie the Pooh. Then try something a little scarier so they don't think all rides are scary.

Napping was a challenge. She didn't nap at all the first day. Who would with all that excitement!?! But the following days she did sleep for short times in the stroller. It may be worth it to go back to your hotel for a nap if your child depends on one to get them through the day.

Overall this was an incredible trip! I didn't feel she was too young at all. She ran to characters with arms wide open, loved going on rides, and was a trooper on long days. I think it will be a different experience each time that we go.. but I can't wait to go back!!

Pound Puppies on DVD!

As a child of the 80's I have found memories of the Pound Puppies. One day as I was browsing the channels I stumbled across Pound Puppies on The Hub and my daughter immediately became intrigued. This show was new to her, but she loves puppies and quickly became hooked. She was so into them that I dug out my old stuffed animals and they are now one of her favorite toys!

Learning about the new DVD release of "A Pup For Every Person and A Person For Every Pup" got me really excited! This DVD was released on March 6th and includes 5 exciting episodes (Homeward Pound, My Fair Rebound, Quintuplets, K-9, Zoltron). It also includes a super fun bonus clip, "Learn to Draw Lucky."



My daughter and I had so much fun watching these episodes together. The dogs of Shelter 17 are so lovable. They are loyal to each other and work to help them find their persons. Lucky was our favorite. He is cute and looks so cuddly. These clever and caring dogs teach young ones important lessons about friendship and being there for each other. It's a great show you won't want to miss!

A Magical Vacation!

Sorry I have been MIA for the last week. We just returned from Disney World! It was my little one's first trip and it was a huge success. We had so much fun riding on rides, visiting with characters, and just being together as a family.

To help celebrate my daughter's first trip to Disney I will be sharing with you some amazing Etsy sellers who can help make a Disney vacation even more magical. Or just dress up a little Disney fan for birthdays, family events, or any other day of the year! This event will start next week.

Wordless Wednesday

Just like her Grandpa!

Family Travel

Growing up I was lucky enough to get to travel with my family. At least once a year we would take off on some relaxing vacation. My parents would fill our time with fun family activities, beautiful sights to see, and delicious meals. Some of my favorite memories are from these amazing family vacations, so I wanted to be sure I could provide that to my daughter.

We took our very first family vacation when my daughter was only three months old. We rented a beach house so that we would be comfortable with a newborn. We needed a kitchen and room to spread out! This was one of the most amazing vacations I had ever been on purely because we were all together focusing on nothing but our family.

As my daughter has gotten older our vacations have become even more fun! We are always looking for kid friendly activities to keep her smiling and enjoying her time. But it's also become challenging. Finding a balance between keeping the little one entertained and getting some time in to relax can be tough. We abandoned the house rental idea because we started to feel like we weren't on vacation. We were food shopping and cooking at home. I was throwing in loads of laundry and we were losing that care free feeling.

We are now indulging in the hotel experience. It's another challenge because when she sleeps, during nap time or at night, we have to turn off all the lights and be completely quiet. So maybe we will experiment with a family suite that has an extra room. Another idea that has crept into my mind is an all inclusive family friendly resort, like Club Med's All Inclusive Resort. They offer so much for kids and parents to do to have fun and relax.

I'm sure as my daughter continues to grow and family continues to change we will still find challenges. But to me the family vacation experience and the memories that are made are more than worth it! I look forward to visiting new places and seeing new things. I can't wait to experience things through my daughter's eyes. I look forward to when she will be old enough to play in pool while I read a book. But for now, I will hold onto her tight because she is growing too quickly!

Tommee Tippee at Target!

I am very excited to share the news with you that Tommee Tippee is now available at Target and on Target.com! Their Closer-to-Nature baby bottles, nipples, pacifiers, and feeding accessories, as well as their explora-toddler cups and feeding products are part of this great new adventure for two great companies.

I am huge fan of Target and tend to go there for most of my shopping. I am also a huge fan of Tommee Tippee, as my daughter has been using their cups for quite some time now. So I am thrilled to be able to purchase Tommee Tippee products at Target!

If you're not familiar with Tommee Tippee you should definitely check out their website. They are the leading feeding brand in the U.K., and they offer a variety of products for a variety of stages. We recently got the chance to check out truly spill proof drink cups, the easi-roll bibs, and the closer to nature pacifier, nipple, teether, and toy wipes.

I adore the truly spill proof drink cups and so does my daughter. They come in a variety of colors, so she was thrilled to see the purple and pink ones we received. She kept showing everyone her "new cup." I really like the design in that it gives me the option of having a spill proof cup, while still reinforcing the natural drinking technique. My daughter currently uses an open cup when she is seated at the table for meals. But when we are on the go this is my go-to cup of choice!

The easi-roll bibs have solved one of my on going problems. It allows me to roll up the bib so that it easily fits into a small diaper bag to take on the go with me. I am thrilled with the material of this bib as it can be quickly and easily wiped clean. This is the only bib I take with me for meals on the go because of how convenient and easy it is to pack and use.

The closer to nature wipes have come in handy on more occasions than I could have imagined. My initial thought was that I was kind of out of the cleaning things on the go because she doesn't have bottles or pacifiers anymore. But with the warmer weather and our frequent trips to the park I was cleaning dropped sippy cups on a daily basis. These wipes are packaged so that they are easy to toss in your diaper bag and go. Really a must have!

I would definitely recommend you check out their website and look for Tommee Tippee at your local Target!

Get Ready for Spring with Vera Bradley!

I have a true love for all things Vera. The obsession kicked in about 3 years ago and has since grown to an almost unmanageable state. The thing about Vera Bradley is that they are always coming out with new colors/patterns and new styles. So you can keep adding to your collection without repeating!

As many of you know the new colors for spring have already hit the shelves. I was super excited about this new line because of one color in particular. While all four are gorgeous in their own way, Camelia was exactly what I was looking for.  The subtle colors go with pretty much everything and the flowers just scream spring!

I am extremely lucky in that I got to check out this pattern in person! Vera Bradley kindly sent me the fabulous Grand Traveler bag and a matching Brush and Pencil bag. The Grand Traveler is exactly what I was looking for in terms of a good size bag for weekends away. I have the small duffle, but I am often finding that I need to pack a second bag when I'm going anywhere for more than a night. So the Grand Traveler gives me that extra room that I so desired.

This bag arrived just in time for a wonderful event. Over Valentine's weekend my husband and I planned a weekend getaway. My birthday happens to fall on Valentine's Day, so my wonderful hubby always tries extra hard to make it a special day and drag it out a little in terms of celebrating. So I was anxious to pack up and head to a bed and breakfast for a few days of relaxation.

The Grand Traveler really was grand. I was able to pack for three nights with no problem. I love that it has inside pockets to help keep me organized. It also has pockets on the outside. I love that it has a shoulder strap and a trolley sleeve for slipping onto the top of rolling luggage. Once the bag was fully loaded up it was pretty heavy. So if I were traveling by plane I would either try to keep it light by not packing my cosmetics and such in that bag, or I would plan to use it on top of a rolling bag. But since we were traveling by car and my time actually carrying it was limited it worked great! And I loved having a matching bag for all my make-up brushes to be kept separate.

We are planning a trip where we will be flying and I am planning on bringing the Grand Traveler as my carry on. It meets the size requirements for a carry on and will allow me to pack a change of clothes, activities for my daughter, some diapers and wipes, and her blankie and favorite stuffed animal. I love that I will be hands free walking through the airport so I can push the stroller and tend to her needs.

I am really pleased with my new bags. Vera Bradley really makes quality products that have style and function in every design. I would highly recommend you check out all of their great colors and styles to find something that is just right for you!

Kiddie Cooking with Clorox!

One of my favorite things to do with my daughter is cook! We have the best time finding the ingredients in the cabinet, measuring them out, mixing things up, and eating the final product. It's a great way for us to spend some time together and have a lot of fun.

Clorox has launched a brand new website where you can find all kinds of fun recipes to do with your kids. They have everything for creating science experiments with food, arts and crafts projects, and cooking ideas. Of course we all know that cooking with kids is not the neatest thing, but making a mess is half the fun. Let loose and have a ball knowing that the clean up will be a snap with Clorox! Visit CloroxRecipesforFun.com to learn more!

To celebrate this new website and all the fun to be had with it, Clorox is hosting the Ultimate Mess Sweepstakes! You can tell just by the name that it's got to be fun. Sign up today for your chance to win $10,000 towards the Ultimate Mess Party... you could really make a mess with that! Plus, you will have the chance to win instantly daily. By sharing recipes you could win great prizes; and just for sharing you'll receive a coupon for $1 off Clorox Cleanup.

The new website and the sweepstakes are great ways to get started with sharing your awesome recipes and trying others. Cooking isn't only fun, it's educational too. It's a win win for you and your kids.

To kick things off I am going to share a fun recipe with you that I love to make with my daughter. She's a baker at heart and just adores using the mixer. This recipe doesn't really call for the use of the mixer, but we use it anyway because she loves it so much! This is a super easy, super delicious, and super messy treat! It's a huge hit in my house.

Sticky Bun Breakfast Ring:

2 small tubes refrigerator buttermilk biscuits OR 1 tube Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

1/2 C. pancake syrup

1/3 C. packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 C. chopped pecans, opt.

1/4 C. chopped almonds, opt.

Spray a fluted pan with non-stick spray.

Combine your butter and syrup in one bowl. In another bowl combine your sugar, cinnamon, and nuts (I didn't use any nuts in mine).

Pour half of your syrup/butter mixture into the bottom of your pan. Then sprinkle half of your sugar mixture on top.

Lay your biscuits on the bottom of the pan, overlapping to form a ring.

Pour the remainder of your syrup/butter mixture over the top and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes at 375. I started checking at 15 to see when they were golden brown and ended up taking them out at 18 minutes... so keep an eye on them.

Let them cool for one minute in the pan and then invert them onto a serving platter. Enjoy!

These are super easy and incredibly delicious!

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Clorox Clean-Up Recipes for Fun blogging program, for 8,000 My SocialMoms Rewards Points. For more information on this program, click here and see the Terms link.