Home Depot for Kids

  The weekend is my downtime.  There's less running around with errands and more time to lounge.  The kids have their time and I have my time.  I do enjoy taking the kids to different events on the weekend.  The weekend with its slow pace is a time for us to enjoy each other.

  This past Saturday and every first Saturday of the month is a kids workshop at Home Depot.  The event starts at 9 runs until noon or when the kits are all given out.  There is registration online required at some locations.

  Each child that attends the workshop is given
                  an apron

 a sealed kit

                  a certificate of

completion and a pin!

  The tables are prepared with the necessary items for that particular kit.  Just a hammer and wood glue was the necessary items for today's kit.

         Some events have paint available!

  Open you kit and line up all your pieces. This months project was a Valentines Bean Bag Toss.

 Every kit has instructions! Most of the time they are easy to follow along too!

Then guide you child into the building process.

 

I started the first nail on each side and the kids finished the rest of them.  Yes, they have hit their fingers in the past but, have gotten much better at paying attention and keeping their hands out of the way!

There were stickers to apply to this item as there usually is. Definitely an easy step for all ages.

My son even tried the game when he was done.  He was very satisfied with his new craft.

Each month I try to make it.  My kids enjoy the building part of it.  That independence and finished project that they make is huge to them.  I like that it is a free event, the kids walk away with something they made and it's fun family time.

Registration starts about a week or two out from that first Saturday so don't forget to sign your child up.  I'm sure they will have just as much fun as my kids.

Family Fun at the movies

  We loved going to the movies in this house.  It's not just about the movies because to be honest you don't know about the movie until after the movie.  It may be about the popcorn though!

Sometimes we don't have to vote on the movie we are going to.  It's just unanimous!

Paddington was on my mind since I saw the advertisments.  Paddington of course needed a sequel!  This movie rated PG with a run time of 1 hour and 43 minutes was an entertaining movie the whole time!  My kids enjoyed watching the bear and his antics.  

In this movie from the previews you know that he goes to prison, turns the laundry pink and of course indulges on Marmalade sandwiches.  With the bear locked up the show must go on.  That leaves his family whom does all the foot work to prove Paddingtons innocence. 

This movie will not disappoint.  My kids are older and had no trouble following through and laughing along with the show.  This was a great sequel and sometimes we know sequels are not always good.

  This was a great family day.  We saved money by going during a matinee.  Along with utilizing refillable popcorn buckets that will can refill for a fraction of the cost.

Helping Hands with Edmarc

  Helping hands will be a look at how we are helping our community.  At the beginning of the year I had expressed one of my 2017 goals was to volunteer more.  Volunteering can be done by anyone and everyone.  It doesn't just involve financial support, you can donate items, assist in tasks, read books or even take a walk and visit.  You can volunteer for animals or with people, a charity or an organization with a cause.

    Today I want to share with who we helped, what we did and how we helped.

  Edmarc is a children's hospice organization.  A few years ago my older girls and I had volunteered with this group helping out during a fall festival.  We had a great time seeing all the costumes and smiles.  So when I decided to volunteer this year Edmarc was on my list to help in some way.

  Edmarc helps childen and their parents cope.  They provide support, home care and smiles.  Edmarc offers various programs for the children and their families throughout the year as well as fundraisers.  These special events offer a happy outlet and a way to celebrate the holidays that may be overlooked due to medical concerns.  It's a time and a place for the kids and their parents to unwind and relax for that moment in time.

  Shopping this weekend brought me to my donation for Edmarc.  What do kids like?  Toys, games and rides.  They like to smile, laugh and have fun.  When they are sick none of these things happen or they happen less frequently.  I choose to donate toys.  A bear or a doll to snuggle with.  Something to squeeze when they are lonely, sad or in pain.

  I recently ran across a great deal at Kohls.  The toys without the books for their Kohls Cares program were on clearance.  They were marked down from $5.00 to $1.50.

 Madeline, Curdoroy and Paddington were all there to choose from.  They made me smile so I know they would make the little people smile. I bought some and dropped them off at Edmarc for the kids!

  You are more then welcome to join with me this month and support Edmarc or a organization near you.  If not find a small way, a convenient way (for you) to make a difference.

Under the Weather Advisory

  I knew the snow was coming.  The whole country knew so it was not a surprise.  I patiently waited and the kids impatiently waited.

  The area started to slow down. People gathered their supplies or took them all.

  Then we waited it out.  By the time we went to bed we saw snow falling and slowly starting to stick to the car.

    Then we woke up to this.

The kids wait and wait for this so they can play, build and roll in it!  VA snow lacks in the building department so they played and rolled.

I don't know if it was declared yet but we are in a state of emergency.

We can't get our cars out.

  Inches of snow have made it hard for us to get out of the house.

  Thankfully the plows and dump trucks are working hard to clear the snow so that we can resume some normalcy.

Of course the kids are holding their breath to see about school in 2 days but we already know how that goes. 1 day of snow equals 2 days off.  Virginia does have plows but is environmentally friendly and relies heavily on direct natural solar power.

Did you receive snow?  How much did you get?  Did you do anything fun with or in the snow?

Christmas is Over

  Christmas is over!  Or is it?  Is Christmas over after you opened the presents? Traveled to all your families? When you get home?  I say it is over here as the kids are in bed.  All wore out from getting up early, peaking at their highest excitement level and are now sleeping.

  No more questions.  How did Santa....?  Can you open this please?  Can you make it work? All is calm.

I don't know if I appreciate this time the most out of the whole day or not.  It's fun to see the pure happiness but there's a lot going on through out the day.  I'm exhausted.  More so mentally then physically.

  I had to open presents.  Its becoming a whole new experience.  Toys are so secured in their box that even if they roll off a truck at 60mph; all will be ok.  Even if they fall off a sleigh at 30 feet in the air; all will be ok.

Take a look at this locking device on this toy. Now here's an area that even comes with directions and should have some.  You need to twist the knob into a groove for release.  Is all this plastic cheaper then the ties?  Does it secure the toy better?

  Not one box was the same.  These are the easiest tie downs in my opinion.  Ah, untwist it, pull it back threw and that's it.  Definitely the fastest securing system that I can master!

  Then comes the dolls.  Have you purchased a doll lately. Lately meaning these are not the tie downs from my childhood.   These remind me of the strips that secure pet food. You pull one string and it opens right up.  Except these don't work so magically.

  After all that work then preparing dinner; bedtime for me just couldn't come soon enough. I'm so exhausted; mentally exhausted.  

  Good night everyone!  I hope your holiday was great and everything will almost go back to normal tomorrow. I don't promise, I only hope.

Bouncing Happiness

This toy here makes for a fun day outside!  Believe me when I say all ages will smile at this entertaining ball of catch.  I received this product a couple days ago and waited ever so patiently for the tension to reach a certain level in the house before I decided to pull out the box and introduce its arrival to our family.

This kit arrived to us from Toys R Us.  I was able to select my color from 4 options.  The kit comes with 1 Super Wubble Bubble Ball, a air pump that's takes 4 AA batteries, petroleum jelly, and patches.

You fill the ball and that was the easy part.  The instructions say fill to under 3 feet.  I still wonder about that.  Was I suppose to have the ruler out there?  I filled it, chickened out and filled it a little more.  Who really likes to have a balloon pop in their face?  Truth be told that is one of my phobias!

  Blowing it up was easy once you have the nozzle in the ball the right way.  It blew up immediately.  When you pull out the nozzle the ball seals itself basically to keep the air in.

We played catch with it although most of the time we were chasing the ball.  It's a little hard to catch.  It had some slight weight to it and it bounced and drifted on the wind like crazy.

The ball is strong.  You are able to pinch it!

  This was a fun item for all of us to review.  This was definitely kid approved and mom thought it was neat too!

  I was provided this product for free for review purposes and all opinions are my own.

Wordless Wednesday

Another Saturday got us out the house to

have fun and hang out thanks to +Lowe's .  One Saturday a month (sometimes twice) they offer kids workshops.  Preregistration is required in advance of the date and bring the waiver with you.  Arrive on time as if there are individuals waiting they may get your project if your more than 15 minutes late.

The projects are easy for the most part.  To be honest with you I have had some trouble with a few kits.

When you arrive you give the associate your waiver and she provides you with the building kit and a hammer.

  Open the kit match your pieces and get busy!  There are step by step directions for the whole process.

Sometimes your project does require stickers to be applied.  This is one area I let my kids struggle with.  Otherwise I do help in nailing straight or accuratly and assembling various parts.

Depending on the project plan to be there 15 minutes or up to 30 or 45 minutes.  This week was an easy one. 

My kids enjoy attending these.  They like the ability to fumble and push on in completing their own projects.  They appreciate the toy as the end result.  

To top the cake is receiving that certificate.  My kids are so happy to hear they did a good job and for her to hand them a certificate and badge for their apron.  Not only did they complete a product they are rewarded.

Look up your local Lowe's to see when registration for their next upcoming workshop is and what the project will be.  Go make memories with your kids! 

  

1970 toys (Wordless Wednesday)

I have searched high and low for some toys I played with.  These are not all of them which makes me think I was spoiled because this appears to be plenty but I had an older brother and toys did get shared between the two of us. So that makes me lucky he shared and smart parents to be so thrifty!

 My first record player!  Yep folks I have come a long way.  These are where the real vinyls came from.

 Every child was subliminally planted with the idea to become a doctor.  The cuff actually pumped a little and I used that stethoscope as a microphone and headset.

 A cruel game that had us sitting down for hours to try and arrange all the colors on the same side.  How long did it take for us to figure out removing the stickers and placing them all on the same side went much faster?

 Merlin! Not quite like Simon but  with the same concept of computer mimicking and interaction.  My brother had this game I was just jealous of the "phone" game.

Our wheels. The big wheel.  I have seen different versions of these now but not sure if they are completely the same.  Rest assured we were kings of the roads with these! Spinning wheelies and burning steam.

  The slinky was an entertaining toy as it seemed to magically move.   Such a fun toy until you got a kink in it then, it just wasn't the same.

 I actually saw this at my kids dentist office.  Another hypnotic toy.  Funny how water, rings and hooks can also amuse you for hours.  My kids want to play with them when they go to their appointments.

  Practiced my customer service, cash handling and math skills on this.  Also helped me learn some colors.  Match the money to the correct slot.  I always gave back exact change!

  I do have a new version of this game.  My younger kids like the suspense of the pending mess when the timer goes off.  Although I still don't know all the exact names of the pieces.

Fisher Price has come a long way!  Everything seems to be plastic.  My toys were a combination of wood, plastic, and metal.  I loved the bell on this toy (as much as the moo from the barn) and the ramp was always fun to roll your cars down.  I have a different version of this for my son as its relatable to children with the ramp and all not the bell or car elevator.

Getting a box delivered of these childhood vintage toys would be comfort and fun to share with my kids.

What were some of your favorite childhood toys?  Did you save any toys to pass onto your kids? Have they survived being passed on?