This post was sponsored by Noggin as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
School is officially out for the summer in our area, and I’ve got two little girls on my hands who are very excited about kicking off their summer vacation! My oldest daughter just completed Kindergarten and is absolutely thrilled to be promoted to first grade. While the 2020-2021 school year looked very different for kids across the globe, I’m super proud of how my girl faced those challenges and excelled in learning. Our biggest goal from this school year was learning to blend letter sounds and put them together to read words, and my girl has been crushing her goals and become a truly stellar early reader!
My girls were born into a world of incredible technology. They’re no strangers to having screen time on tablets, phones and occasionally computers. However, I’ve always made a very earnest effort to be very selective about what kind of material they view on said screens, as well as limiting the amount of time they’re spending on those devices. I know that interacting with technology and using devices with screens is always going to be a part of their lives, so I feel it’s important to show them how to develop and maintain a healthy relationship with screen time and how they can use technology to feed and fuel their growing noggins in some pretty powerful ways!
Going into this summer, I knew it was going to be crucial for my newly promoted first grader to keep her brain working and interacting with material that would not only help her maintain the new reading skills she’s learned this past year, but to also encourage growth with her reading so she can enter the new school year in the fall as a more confident and polished reader. While we have a ton of tangible books we plan to dig into over the summer, my daughter loves to read and interact with learning games on her tablet and on my phone.
My husband and I are pretty choosy when it comes to apps we let our children use. While we’ve purchased and utilized several learning apps over the years, my girls far and wide have preferred Noggin over all others. Noggin gives them the unique opportunity to interact with characters they know and love from their favorite shows on Nick Jr. The Noggin app is very user friendly and intuitive for not only a 6 year old to be able to navigate, but our 3 year old can also freely use the app with very little assistance needed. Not only does the Noggin app have interactive games to promote learning and literacy, it also has a built in feature to be able to watch full episodes of their favorite Nick Jr. tv shows, short clips, music videos to dance and sing along to, and an entire section dedicated to reading eBooks and story time. I have so much peace of mind letting my girls spend their allotted screen time exploring the Noggin app because I know they’re exercising their brain and learning new skills along the way.
Free Trial:
If you’re ready to join in on the fun, you can take advantage of a FREE 60-day trial of Noggin – available until June 30th, 2021!
Click here to start your free trial of Noggin!
Noggin thus far has been an incredible tool that is allowing us to have the ultimate smart-kid summer, and I especially love watching them learn and have fun alongside their favorite Nick Jr. characters! If you’re curious about Noggin and think it would be a great match for your child or a child that you know, make sure you take advantage of the extended 60-day free trial, available until June 30th, 2021!
I received the mentioned products in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed below are 100% my own. I only promote what I truly love!
Our sweet little Laken has had quite a busy month. Last week she had surgery on her eyes to correct a muscle issue that we first began to see signs of back in August of 2020. The procedure was outpatient and she came through it with such resilience. We are so grateful that the surgery was a success, and we’ve been spending her recovery time with lots of snuggles and story reading.
Before her surgery, I received a copy of this Personalized Encyclopedia for Kids from In The Book. In The Book is a personalized book publisher that has a wide variety of books for all ages, and all books have the option of being customized with the name(s) of your loved ones. When I was a child, my parents purchased a custom made book for me that had my own name tucked within the pages, and it brought me such delight as an early reader to see my name featured in the story. When I discovered In The Book, I was thrilled by the idea of creating something very similar for my own child.
I selected the Personalized Encyclopedia for Kids because my daughter is at a stage where her curiosity is truly beginning to bloom, and as she’s learning her letters, I thought this book would be an excellent tool for discovering and learning about a wide variety of topics that being with each letter of the alphabet. The book is very colorful, packed with beautiful imagery and features her name on the cover and on every single page inside the book. She loves spotting her name on each page, and the grin on her face each time she does melts my heart every time!
Many of the books available at In The Book also offer the option to add a special message to the recipient at the very beginning of the book, and some also offer the option of adding a photo of the child to the back page! In The Book also has exclusive Disney licensing, and their variety of books featuring everyone’s beloved Disney characters is absolutely fantastic!
There is also a category on the In The Book website featuring books for grown-ups, with numerous options for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Anniversary gifts, customized Bibles and so much more!
GIVEAWAY ALERT:
If you’d love to snag your own personalized copy of the Encyclopedia for Kids from In The Book, hop on over to my Instagram page to enter for your chance to win! The giveaway will run from 3/9/21 – 3/16/21. The giveaway is open to US residents 18 and over and is not affiliate with Instagram. Giveaway ends at 11:59pm CST on 3/16/21.
If you’re looking for a unique or personalized gift for a child or adult, be sure to swing by In The Book and browse their selection of personalized books for all ages! There’s even a current discount code for 20% off your purchase when you use code BOOK20 at checkout! I’d love to hear which book from In The Book you’d love to have in your own personal collection. Leave a comment below and share your favorites!
I received products in exchange for my honest review. However, all opinions expressed here are completely my own. Affiliate links may be included throughout this post. I only promote what I truly love! I hope you find these Easter Basket Fillers for Girls Ages 4-6 helpful as we approach the Easter season!
As things have taken a drastic change in our society over the last few weeks, my husband and I have found that one of the greatest things we can do for our children is to choose to focus on and celebrate the positive things in our life, along with the things that remain constant and unchanged. While it’s hard to explain to an almost 5 year old why their t-ball games, school and church services are cancelled and why she can’t see any of her friends or family, we rejoice in knowing that our very favorite day of the year – Easter Sunday – is not cancelled. Sure, the things we do may look a little different this year, but there are many things that we get to do from home to celebrate the occasion in a really fun way!
I received compensation in for form of product to facilitate my review. As always, all opinions expressed within this post are 100% my own. I only promote what I truly love!
Since starting school back in August, my 4 year old daughter has taken a huge interest in puzzle and problem solving games, and she’s discovered a gold mine of them on her tablet that we allow her to play for an hour each day. Her tablet time is one of her favorite times of the day, and she quickly gets lost in a magical world filled with bright colors, playful music and fun characters that help her learn. And while this unicorn loving little lady may look as if she’s sweeter than a sugar coated cupcake (which she mostly is,) she does have a side that is a bit on the strong-willed spectrum.
This post is sponsored by Beech-Nut®. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
We officially have a 14 month old on our hands, and we are soaking up every sweet giggle-filled moment of this “golden age” as my husband and I like to call it. She’s always been a curious little one, and her favorite pastime is putting anything and everything in her mouth. While a lot of the time she gives me mini heart attacks when a mystery object goes into her mouth, I count this blooming curiosity a total win at the dinner table!
I received complimentary products in exchange for my honest review. However, all opinions expressed are 100% my own. I only promote what I truly love!
There are many things that those parenting books I read when this little girl was in my womb simply could not prepare me for. One of those is having a very tender-headed little girl with long curly hair, and how it’s almost like wrangling an angry wild cat when it comes to brushing through her hair each day. For as long as I can remember, she has hated having her hair brushed to the point of tears, flailing and even running away and hiding from us when it was time to do it. These tangled hair tantrums were really starting to become problematic, so I set out to find the perfect hair care routine for her to help make the experience better for her (and me, too!)
Over the last year, I have tried several different shampoos, conditioners, serums and combs. I’ve even tried different brushing techniques, washing techniques and a few detangling sprays along the way. Unfortunately, I saw very little change in the frustration my daughter would experience each time we had to wash, dry and brush her hair. It wasn’t until I switched over to Babo Botanicals products that I started to see a change in the amount of tangles we had to deal with during hair brushing time, and because there have been less tangles, we’ve had far less tangled hair tantrums of epic proportions. That’s a huge win for us!
More specifically, we started using Babo Botanicals Smoothing Detangling Shampoo and Conditioner, and we started noticing that her hair felt much smoother, softer and cleaner. With other “smoothing” products, we noticed that it seemed the product would cause her hair to feel oily and weighted down – essentially not very clean at all. Babo Botanicals are completely natural and are free from nasty chemicals that weigh the hair down. I love that they believe that effective results don’t have to originate from chemicals, and I feel great about putting these products directly on my little girl’s skin.
In addition to the shampoo and conditioner, we also use the detangling spray and a wet brush to help us easily get through those dangles after a hair wash. I’ve linked them below so that you can take a look!
Before the launch of Babo Botanicals in 2010, Kate Solomon (owner) was at L’Oreal working with chemicals as a product developer and felt a shift in wanting to formulate effective products in a natural way that were particularly good for children and people with sensitive skin. Babo Botanicals now stretches far beyond just shampoo and conditioner, and they offer a multitude of products for all people, including those with skin sensitivities!
Look for Babo Botanicals products at the following retailers: Amazon, Anthropologie, buybuyBABY,,The Detox Market, Follain, Goop, Grove Collaborative, Pharmaca, Target, Thrive Market, Ulta, Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and many more!
We’ve had such amazing results with Babo Botanicals Smoothing Shampoo and Conditioner, and we can’t wait to try out other products in their line of skin, sun and baby care items! If you’ve found yourself dealing with tangled hair tantrums with your children, I highly recommend switching to Babo Botanicals smoothing line. It’s been a huge change for us, and we are so grateful that hair brushing time is no longer an issue for us!
I received product as compensation in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. I only promote what I truly love!
We’ve been talking quite a bit about the back to school season starting up here very soon, and the excitement in our household is really ramping up as we’re officially less than 3 weeks away from the big day! Taralynn will be starting her very first day of school ever. She was accepted into her school’s K4 program, and this is the very first time she has ever been left in another’s care (other than grandparents,) so the excitement and anticipation is making us both really excited!
I received product as compensation in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own. I only promote what I truly love!
We’re just 20 days away from Taralynn’s first day of school, and I’ve been busy making lists and checking them twice in preparation for a smooth transition into the school year. Her actual school supply list only consisted of a handful of things, so I’ve been able to focus more of my thoughts towards making sure her wardrobe is not only supremely adorable, but also functional and high quality so that it will last her the rest of the year. One thing I’ve always put emphasis on when picking out clothing for my children is having quality footwear. From taking those first few steps as a baby to running full speed ahead on the school playground, I’ve put my trust in Pediped to make sure my daughter has a strong and supportive shoe. Pediped ranks at the top in our book, and it’s no surprise that it’s our #1 shoe for back to school!
I received products in exchange or my honest review. All opinions expressed within this post are 100% my own.
The youngest Tucker tot is just 2 weeks away from turning the big ONE, and it’s been such a joy to look back over the last 12 months and see how much she has truly grown. She’s a busy little bee scooting all over the house, and she adores watching her big sister run and play. She wants to do anything and everything her sister does, and she’s wasted no time in declaring that she’s ready to do all of the things her big sissy is doing!
This post was sponsored by SwimWays as part of an Ambassador Program for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I don’t know what it is about a hotel swimming pool, but it seems that most children get overwhelmingly excited at the mere sight of one. We’re currently on vacation during the long Memorial Day weekend, and our car is loaded down with all of the essentials needed to make our trip down to the gulf a great one! Before we stepped foot on the beach, we made a pit stop at the place we’re staying at to drop a few things off. All it took was one look at the facility’s swimming pool and our daughter quickly pulled her SwimWays Paw Patrol Swim Trainer out of the pile we unloaded and had us strap her in it so she could dive right in!
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