Friday 18 July 2014

Favourite Products For My 3 Year Old

Liam just turned 4 this week, so I thought I'd share what our favourite products have been over the past year. If you want to see more in depth, here's the video:



If you'd rather read about them, here we go:

one. The Groclock is amazing for kids who are at the age where they're just learning to tell time. They can see the numbers and see how they correspond with day time and night time, as well as associating the sun with awake time and the stars with sleep time. You turn on the night time setting and choose a time for the sun to "wake up" so your child knows it's time for them to get up as well.

two. Tom's of Maine Kid's Toothpaste tastes amazing, so it'll keep the child happy, and great ingredients to make the parents happy. It also comes in 2 versions, so when we eventually start using fluoride in his toothpaste, it'll be the same ingredients and flavour that he's already used to!

three. This Weleda Body Wash & Shampoo is so creamy and smells amazing - and of course cleanses really well too ;)

four. Substance Sunscreen is a great physical sun blocker that is perfect for young kids. It won't drip everywhere, won't sting their eyes, and is nice and thick so you can see the physical barrier working.

five. Boogie Wipes has been a must-have in our diaper bag since Liam was a baby. It's a moist saline wipe, perfect for snotty faces because it won't dry out their nose! It's also great to have on hand for wiping messy faces and hands.

six. Divided plates were perfect for my 3 year old, who wanted everything separated at all times. Most of his meals are just a random mix of food items, so these are great. This one in particular is by Skip Hop.

seven. Love this Boon Thirst cup for the ease of grabbing onto, as well as preventing spillage.

eight. Blank paper should be a staple for all young kids to encourage creativity and imagination. This ALEX paper dispenser is great for continuing to just keep rolling it out over and over and over..

nine. The Cloud B Sleep Turtle was a necessity for that stage Liam went through during his threes where he just wouldn't.go.to.sleep. The lights kept him occupied and gave him something to watch and focus on while he drifted off to sleep. 

ten. We didn't have this specific brand, but Puddle Jumpers as a concept are amazing. They are water wings with a front piece attached, which really improves your child's mobility (and safety) when first getting comfortable in the water.

eleven. Ready 2 Learn Easy Grip Chalk has been one of Liam's favourite art supplies all year; it makes it easy to hold onto, and keeps hands a little cleaner!

twelve. The Britax Frontier CT was our choice for combination seat when Liam outgrew his Evenflo Triumph convertible seat (which should accommodate up to 65 pounds, but Liam grew out of at 40 pounds due to his height). The Frontier is a combination seat, which can be used as a 5 point harness until 65 pounds and then a booster seat up to 120 pounds.

thirteen. EZ Sox were perfect for my 3 year old who wanted to be independent but didn't quite have the patience for traditional socks. These have little loops for them to pull the socks up with.

fourteen. 3 was such a fun age, because he was always saying some of the most hilarious things. The Q&A Book for Kids has a question for every day of the year, and space for 3 years of documenting answers. 

fifteen. Reduce WaterWeek Bottles come in packs of 5 with a nice little container to keep them all together in the fridge.

Tuesday 15 July 2014

Liam's Dinosaur Birthday

Every year we go camping for Liam's birthday - this year he turned 4 and we had a dinosaur theme weekend! I found the tails and shirt on Zulily and got most everything else from dollar stores around town! A super inexpensive, but cute outdoor birthday bash :)

tails by Cutie Pie Kid Couture

drink container from Superstore, water bottle labels made by me. mug from dollarama.

gummy "eggs", assorted chocolate "poop", and chocolate rocks found at a local candy store.
signs made by me. paper dinosaurs from the dollar store.


shirt by rainbow swirlz. banner from target. moss from michaels.


paint plates from the dollar store.






xoxo
Lala

Saturday 12 July 2014

Liam's Favourite Smoothies







Friday 11 July 2014

20 Questions to Ask Your Kid

So many posts about Liam lately in celebration of him turning 4 this week (which I've deemed #LiamWeek) between the blog, our Youtube channel and the vlog channel, he's everywhere! So it's my time; let's let Liam answer some questions about me :) I found this idea from kellygo, whose son has the same name!


1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Liam: "Stop."

2. What makes Mommy happy?
Liam: Drawing. When I draw something for you.

3. What makes Mommy sad?
Liam: When I break things.

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
Liam: When I make funny faces.

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
Liam: You liked transformers, like I do!

6. How old is Mommy?
Liam: 24? 

7. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Liam: Make videos and play with me.

8. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
Liam: Watch shows when I'm napping.

9. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Liam: What? I don't know.

10. What is Mommy really good at?
Liam: At games. Like at Scandia!

11. What is Mommy not very good at?
Liam: Nothing.

12. What does Mommy do for her job?
Liam: Cleaning up the house, maybe that's your job. I clean with you too.

13. What is Mommy's favorite food?
Liam: Popcorn.

14. What makes you proud of Mommy?
Liam: When you get balloons for my birthday.

15. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Liam: You would be a car. Like Lightning Mcqueen.

16. What do you and Mommy do together?
Liam: Play games, draw, go to the playground, go swimming..

17. How are you and Mommy the same?
Liam: Our noses.

18. How are you and Mommy different?
Liam: I'm a boy, you're a girl!! That's a little bit funny.

19. How do you know Mommy loves you?
Liam: Cause you're proud of me. You love me forever!

20. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
Liam: Daddy's work when we drop him off and pick him up.








Tuesday 8 July 2014

Liam's Favourite Books

It's Liam's birthday, so every day this week (which I've deemed #LiamWeek) you'll find a video about him on either ObbsandLala or VlogsandLala (alternating between channels) and I thought I'd do a few blog posts as well. In this one I'm going to tell you about Liam's favourite books from the past year (so while he was 3 years old).


Before you were born - Jennifer Davis
I've had a few people comment and message me after posting this video of Liam's bedtime routine, trying to figure out what this book is and where to find it. It has proven to be a hard one to find (I just happened across it in a thrift store years ago) but is totally cute. It goes week by week of pregnancy, talking about what the mom is going through, as well as the baby inside her belly. I think Liam loves it because he gets to learn about how he came into this world, and I bet it would be a great book for introducing the idea of a sibling to your child!

Little Owl Lost - Chris Haughton
A little owl trying to find his mother, very simple and repetitive language which I think is perfect for this age.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight - Jane Yolen
This is a series of books that helps guide your child through situations, shows them how to act appropriately and express their emotions. "How do dinosaurs.." Say Goodnight, Say I Love You, Eat Their Food, Clean Their Rooms, Say I'm Mad etc. This one in particular is our absolute favourite; he's obsessed with dinosaurs and also needs a little extra help with making bedtime happen smoothly.

Curious George - H.A. Rey
A total classic, doesn't need much explanation. George is a curious monkey who gets in all sorts of mischief, but always learns a lesson by the end!

Olivia - Ian Falconer
I swear this pig has swept the nation, I don't know many little girls who aren't totally taken by this piggy. Liam is equally as smitten, and I already have the Olivia Christmas version stashed away for next Christmas!

Pete the cat - James Dean
This is a whole series of books that everyone at his preschool is obsessed with. Personally, I find this cat super creepy looking, and have a slight hunch that this fictional cat is totally on drugs (the book ends with "the moral of the story is - no matter what you step in, it's alllll good") hahaha but seriously though..

Hug - Jez Alborough
This is more of a picture book, with the only word throughout it being "hug" over and over again. I think he likes this one because it was the first book he could "read" by himself. He recognized the word bubbles, and started imitating us saying "hug" when he was probably 2 years old, and to this day he's still really into it.

The Moose and Me - Oliver Jeffers
I love this book for the amazing illustrations and Liam loves the story. The language is quite advanced so Liam is always asking what certain words mean, like "haste" and "perilous". We have a few Oliver Jeffers books on our shelf and I can't wait to get him some more!

The Mitten - Jan Brett
This was one of the first books I remember reading myself when I was a kid, and I totally loved it. A little boy loses his mitten and a bunch of animals decide to make it their home. Very simple and repetitive again, perfect for toddlers.


Honourable Mentions:


Baby Lit, Master Collections - these were his favourites when he had just turned 3, I think they were just fun to look at, but have no actual story...so he's pretty much grown out of them by now. They are basically an introduction to classic novels, not the real story by any means (don't worry, no death involved or anything haha). They are designed for babies/toddlers, as an introduction to colours, numbers etc.



Character Books - he does love his kiddy tv shows, and definitely loves books based on those like Diego, Dora, Blues Clues, Caillou, Chuggington etc. These of course just depend on your kid's TV show preferences, so I didn't think they would be as fun to mention in the main post.

Thanks for reading, please be encouraged to recommend your child's favourite book!

xoxo Lala