Easter Bunny Train Returns to Strasburg Rail Road

Back at our favorite railroad, the Easter Bunny Train!

Easter Bunny TrainCreate Easter memories with your family by taking a ride with Peter Cottontail on a vintage steam train through scenic farmland. The Easter BunnyTrain pulls into Strasburg Rail Road on March 29-31, 2013 with trains departing daily from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Fridays. On Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, trains depart hourly from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.. Children will be thrilled to meet Peter Cottentail and receive an Easter surprise as he greets them on board this special 45-minute [Read more…]

Top Mistakes Parents Make When Disciplining Children

Children need discipline in their formative years, and those who are disciplined properly will grow into fine young adults in the coming years. Those who are not met with the right kind of discipline, however, are more likely to cultivate bad habits and poor behavior that will follow them throughout their lives. Give your children the best head start they can get by recognizing the most common mistakes parents make when disciplining children, and avoid such mistakes yourself.

  1. Losing Your Temper
    When you lose your temper with children, you lose control of the situation. If you’re not in control, then you can’t hope to discipline a child effectively. Children are extremely receptive to changes in mood. If you suddenly lose your cool, the level of energy in your interactions will escalate to critical levels. It is always important to stay calm and collected when dealing with children, and if you can avoid losing your temper you will dodge the most common disciplinary mistake made by parents everywhere.
  2. Failing to Be Consistent
    Rules and disciplinary actions [Read more…]

5 Tips to Help Your Kids Develop Self-Esteem

KidzaniaIt is often said that kids don’t come with a handbook. While there are plenty of books out there on the subject of raising children, including those that teach you the basics of feeding and bathing, as well as those that cover cognitive development, physical milestones, and psychological growth, none can offer a blueprint that tells you exactly how to raise your child. Kids do tend to follow predictable patterns, but they’re all individuals, and you can only do your best as a parent to help them grow and develop properly. That said, there are steps you can take to achieve particular ends with your kids. If, for example, you want to ensure that your children develop the strong self-esteem that will help them to succeed in every area of life, here are a few tips to help you out.

  1. Pose challenges. A person’s sense of self-worth can revolve around accomplishments, and in a very real way, one success can lead to another. As a parent, you not only have the ability to teach your children their very first lessons in life, but also to help them achieve their first successes. This starts with simple tasks like getting dressed, brushing teeth, tying shoes, and picking up toys, just for example. But as your kids begin to develop their motor and cognitive functions you can create more challenging tasks for them to complete, potentially increasing their self-esteem. If you continue to challenge them throughout their youth they will be better prepared to deal with the curveballs [Read more…]

Citrus Lane Review

citrus laneThere are so many baby items out there, that I am constantly seeing something new. Who wouldn’t love a box of items coming to your door monthly that are age appropriate as well as a wide variety of items?

I was so happy to be able to review a Citrus Lane Box.

About Citrus Lane

Citrus Lane is a company that has boxes that range from birth to age 3. So, your 2-3 year old would not receive the same items that my 10 month old received.

My Thoughts

I couldn’t have been more impressed. How exciting to be able to get a box of goodies to share with your child.

The items I received:

  • Skip Hop Huge & Hide Stroller Toy – $10
  • Stack N’Steal – $8.99
  • Andy Warhol’s Colors Board Book – $6.99
  • CleanWell Disinfectant Spray – $4.50
  • Juice Beauty Green Apple SPF 15 Moisturizer (a gift for mom) – $12

I received over $40 worth of products, and depending on my subscription the most it would have cost me was $25. That is very impressive to me.

I loved the variety [Read more…]

WIN Kids CookBook Handstand Kids- Baking around the world- By Yvette Garfield

My kids love helping me bake pretty much anything, so they were more than happy to help me review Handstand Kids- Baking around the world- By Yvette Garfield, a wonderful all around delightful cookbook for kids.

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Baking in pj’s! It’s all good!

The child friendly kit comes with cupcake baking cups, a kid friendly whisk and really fun easy recipes that any child would enjoy. We made the All American Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, which we handed out for holiday parties and friends. My oldest daughter read the directions while my middle daughter helped dumped all the ingredients in. It’s so important to have the kids help in the kitchen, they learn a lot and baking is a great fun experience to share with them at any age. Even my youngest who is three helped us out. These are my two girls rolling the cookies in sugar and setting on the pan.

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Rolling in sugar!

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Yum!!

There are four sections to this book including- [Read more…]

Wonder Forge Games Review #GiftGuide

As my daughters get older, I find myself beginning to instill in her my love of playing games with the family! When we were kids, (and even now) my favorite part about family get togethers was all the games that we used to play. I am so glad to share with you some wonderful kids games .

Wonder Forge has over 50 games that are not only fun, but they also help boost self-esteem and help build on many of the skills that parents are working on with their children already! For my review, I was sent Dazzling Princess Game, Enchanted Cupcake Party Game, Never Land Challenge Game, and Fun Machine. All of these games are for 3 and up, as well as with two or more players.

disney princess game

Dazzling Princess Game is a great game for your young girls! You have to collect sparkling jewels to help decorate your bracelet, ring, and tiara.

This game helps work on:

  • Counting and matching
  • Imaginative Play
  • Turn-Taking and Playing together

 

disney cupcake partyThe Enchanted Cupcake Party Game is another great one for your kids! In this game, you work together to make as many cupcakes as you can before the party begins. You have to follow the recipe cards to pick the perfect fancy liner, frosting, and topper.

This game [Read more…]

Top 5 Tips for Raising Moral and Ethical Children

Parenthood is often a complete joy. You bring this little being into the world, and you get to watch as he or she grows from a dependent being into a well-rounded individual, contributing in some meaningful way to your family and society as a whole. But that process can also be terrifying. If you stop and consider how much power you have over that process you might just curl up in the corner. Most new parents spend months watching their children sleep, just to make sure they are still breathing. Knowing that you have a great deal of say into what sort of person your child becomes? That’s a huge responsibility. But that’s the reality of being a parent. It is up to you to raise your child with a strong sense of morals and ethics, and an understanding of right and wrong and how to treat people that will help him fulfill that promise you saw in his eyes from the first day of his life. These lessons must be ongoing, and as long as you maintain that sort of consistency you’ll be fine. Here are five tips to help you raise moral and ethical children.

The most important tip is completely within your control, and that is to make sure you are setting a proper example. Ever notice how you can tell your child to do something a million times and he will refuse, but as soon as he sees you doing it he gets right into the flow? Kids learn from observing others and mimicking their behavior, not from being told what to do. So if you have a strong sense of morals and ethics and you make sure you live by them on a daily basis, your kids will pick up on that. Just make sure your child is there to see you positively contributing to society, helping others in need, being generous, honest and dependable. The more he sees you living by that elevated [Read more…]

Strasburg Rail Road – Santa and Night Before Christmas Train

Does your little one (or big one, or husband?) love trains as much as mine does? If they do, then you will want to make sure that at some point, you take the time to visit the Strasburg Railroad.
Recognized as one of the most significant historic railroads in the USA, the Strasburg Railroad has acquired historic trains from all over the country, and recently celebrated operating for 50 years as a tourist railroad.

It is in a beautiful location, with lovely views and rolling landscapes. You will feel as though you stepped back in time from the minute you arrive- from the sharply dressed conductors and train operators, to the ticket sales window where you will purchase your passes, all decorated for the holidays.

Jolly Old St. Nick is at Strasburg Rail Road Saturdays and Sundays through December 16 for the holiday tradition: Santa’s Paradise Express. Families will relax on the 45-minute ride as Santa, his helper and musicians stroll from car-to-car, greeting and entertaining children of all ages. After the train ride, children are treated to storybook readings of holiday classics. Children ages 3 to 11 also receive a gift from Santa and his helper. Carolers will tour each train car singing much loved holiday classics.

Also on site is the Cagney Steam Train [Read more…]