I’ve mentioned that I am terrible at choosing baby toys, right? I always go for the most complicated and (apparently) un-fun toys available because they are always snubbed by my kids. But, one of the cool perks of blogging is that I get sent new toys to review. And very often they are toys I never would have chosen on my own.

For instance, the Nest & Stack Buckets that I got the chance to review thanks to eBeanstalk. I would never have chosen these mostly because they are so simple. But, as it turns out, simple is a really good thing when it comes to baby toys because Trav loves these stacking buckets. In fact, all three of my kids love these.

They stack them, use them to “stir” their make-believe meals, wear them as hats, use them to amplify their voices, & a thousand other things that I never would have thought of just by looking at the picture on the outside of the box. They love them. Which means I love them. Traveler, in particular, has fun playing with them for long stretches of time and it has served as a reminder to me that the most basic baby toys are usually the best. He’s learning to stack, to sort, to put the shaped blocks through the right size hole, and most importantly to play his own way with an open-ended toy.

If you’ve got an older baby/young toddler this is a perfect toy to introduce colors, sizes, and sorting. And if you’ve got older siblings to your little one you might find that even they can find creative ways to use this toy, too!

(eBeanstalk provided a Nest & Stack Bucket set for the purpose of reviewing.)

(Sorry for the bad picture quality. It seems every single photo/video device I have is out of batteries.)

We spend a lot of money on toys around here. In fact, just this weekend we spent a whopping 95 cents on a big box from Lowe’s because our kids wanted something new to play with. That 95 cents will provide hours and hours and hours of entertainment for them this week. And when the box is colored on and beaten up and battered? They will cry and beg me not to throw it away. Because a 95 cent box is their favorite thing in the world to play with.

They’ll turn that box into a tea party table, a space ship, pirate ship, baby doll orphanage, cave, car, and a Barbie jail. I won’t spend a better 95 cents this week.

What are your kids favorite low-cost/high-creativity toys?

The first Christmas is the hardest one for me. I look forward to it. Shop like crazy. And build it up in my head as the best Christmas ever. Inevitably, all of my children have ended up sleeping through the present opening and being completely disinterested in everything I got them. So, this year I’m trying to think a bit simpler about Trav’s first Christmas. I’ll be picking up a few little toys and some more practical items and hoping that I can actually get the combo right. And in case you’re interested in what a total non-expert is picking up for her baby’s first Christmas, here is my guide to (my) baby’s first Christmas presents:

1. Something to sort, play with, and chew on. Aren’t those a baby’s three most favorite playtime activities? It’s definitely my baby’s three favorite playtime activities. So, here a few of the chewy, sorty playthings he’ll be getting this year.

Playskool Wheel Pals Racing Fleet, $18.99 — I got the chance to try the garden themed version of these out a couple weeks ago and Traveler loved them. They’re simple and chunky and perfect for little hands. Plus, I love that they feel very boyish since this is the first time I’ve ever gotten to buy boy toys!

Toss ‘n Play Crazy Ball, $26 — I love this ball! It’s soft, colorful, and made by a momprenuer. What’s not to like? I think it’s going to be a great little toy for Trav to play with!

Egg & Cup and Peg & Cup Montessori baby toys, $10 — I love these little toys. They are so simple and are great for developing fine motor skills.

2. Something to sip on. When I did a totally informal Twitter poll of what other moms give as a baby’s 1st Christmas present sippy cups were high on the list. And I think it is a pretty great idea and I’m totally stealing it for this year. I’ve been researching good BPA-free cups and here are a couple that look like they’d be good for a transitioning baby.

Thinkbaby Trainer Cup, $8.99

NUBY BPA Free Flip-it Straw top sippy, $6.99

3. Something to wear. Babies (my babies, at least) are always in need of cute clothes. And for the 1st Christmas I like to take advantage of the limited time period when I can able to buy them clothes as a present without them complaining. So, Trav is getting a few cute things to wear this year. Etsy has a ton of great sellers who have the most adorable baby clothes. Not the least of which is this cowboy onesie from bambinamia. You have to check out their store because they have the most adorable things for babies and toddlers!

Six Shooters Onesie, $18

Yoda hat, $25 — Okay, so Trav already has this, but if you’re looking for an adorable hat for your little one you have to check out this Etsy store. It is hands down my favorite! Not to mention, every where we go people stop us and tell us how much they love this hat. And if you’re little one is more the Princess Leia type she’s got one of those hats, too!

So that’s it. My not-so-revolutionary gift guide to a baby’s 1st Christmas. Stuff to chew on, stuff to sip from, and stuff to wear. We’re keeping it simple this year. And I like it better already.

(Dear FTC, all items in this list are things I have picked out on my own for Trav’s 1st Christmas. I did receive Playskool Wheel Pals to try beforehand and have since purchased a set on my own. I was not paid for any reviews in this post. Love, Me.)

I don’t generally buy baby toys. I did with Kai and, honestly, they were all pretty much a waste. It’s not that I think all baby toys are a waste. It’s just that I never really know which ones to get and I pick them based on whether I would play with them which, as it turns out, is not the best method for picking toys.

So, when MomSelect and Fisher-Price gave me the chance to try out the Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Musical Table I was excited. Because, to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have gone out and spent $45 on a toy I wasn’t sure would be fun for a baby to play with.

You may have been following me on Twitter the day I got the Table and the Smart Bounce & Spin Pony (I’ll be reviewing that soon!). It couldn’t have come on a better day. Traveler is now mobile and as such needs to be entertained 24/7. This table was (and continues to be) a lifesaver!

Even though he’s crawling he’s still too little to use it standing up which is why I love that the legs come off so it can sit on the floor. I put in his crib or on a blanket on the floor and I’ve bought myself some sanity while he enjoys the lights, colors, music and words. It has a mode that teaches Spanish, a mode for music, and a mode for letters & numbers. My favorite thing about it? With the legs off it is super easy to throw in the back of the car and take it along to playdates or out of town trips.

The box says it is for ages 6-36 months and since Trav is just now 6 months old I get the feeling we’ll be getting lots of mileage out of this toy. And the best part is that it has been a way for Ivy (who is 3) to actually sit and play with her brother. She’s fascinated by the toy and will sit with him and enjoy repeating the Spanish words over and over.

I think now that he’s standing up and cruising (seriously, at 6 months?!?!?) I’ll put the legs on and let him try it that way. I’m sure it will add a whole new dimension of fun to it and give him the chance to practice an important new skill while playing with letters and numbers!

Now for the best part. Fisher-Price has offered my readers a $20 off coupon to download. Go here and download the coupon today before it runs out!

A Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Table was provided to me for the purpose of this review. Please see my Disclosures page for more information on my review policies.

I got this little guy today at Anthropologie and thought I’d share him with the world. He’s a little plush friend based on the drawing of a 5-year-old South African child. He’s part of a series of dolls all based on childrens’ drawings and manufactured in South African villages. He’s basically made from a variety of fabrics and textures. He’s created with all kinds of scraps and I think that’s what makes him so cool.

He’s definitely going to be a source of inspiration for creating some of our own plush dolls.

Aye Aye Captain! We had a Pirate Adventure this morning! The girls are getting into imaginative/dramatic play so we spent the morning looking for treasure, playing on our “boat” and slaying dragons and sea monsters. Even the Captain had fun (me of course!) and it was a great kick-off to our day!

Ivy destroyed it in just under a week. She tore off the doors 1st. Then apparently leaned into the window and tore it. Then came the other window. And in less than an hour she had torn the whole thing apart.

So so so sad. Because I think I loved the whole playhouse more than they did. I bought a vinyl table cloth and replaced the facade with it, but I don’t know how long that is going to last. Not to mention, there was something a little more fun and whimsical about the first one.

Here’s the new one…

I got caught up in the Christmas buying frenzy and thought it would be a good idea to pick up a cap gun (without the caps), badge, and cowboy hat for Kai & Ivy’s dress-up closet. It seemed like all they had were princess dresses and high heels so I thought maybe I should get them something that wasn’t quite so pink and poofy.

Kai loves the gun though when she opened the badge she looked at it, threw it across the room and exclaimed, “I hate that!” Still, the gun and hat were a hit. She has been carrying the gun all over the house with her. And the other day, on the phone I found myself saying something I never would have thought possible. In the middle of talking without even realizing what I was saying, I called out, “Arema Kai Loving put that gun down now! I don’t want to have to ask you again.”

Luckily, it was just Thomas I was talking to, but since I said it without even realizing how it sounded I am starting to wonder now if letting my 3-year-old play with a toy gun might be a bad idea…

Thomas and I wanted to give the girls a playhouse for Christmas and so we hatched this plan to build one in their playroom. It was a simple thing to do (even though it did take us until about 3:30 am on Christmas morning). But, I am so happy with how it turned out. It’s a bit crooked because someone (me) either measured wrong or Lowes has started cutting their 4′ x 8′ boards a little off. I’m betting on the former rather than the latter. Anyways, I think the crooked look is cool and makes it even more whimsical looking. The rest of it is basically just a drop cloth we painted and cut to have windows and a door. Inside is the kitchen with a little table and chairs and a reading/resting nook for hanging out. For $25 the girls got this cute little house and we can change the facade to fit different seasons, themes or events for only $10. We’re pretty proud of it so I just thought I’d throw the picture up here.

Maybe it’s the time of year but we’ve been getting super crafty around the Loving house. In alot of my online sewing/crafting/mommy communities people are making holiday pledges NOT to buy anything that is mass produced. They are vowing to either hand make or buy handmade gifts for everyone on their lists. I want to make the commitment to only give homemade gifts this year, but I just can’t quite do it. But, I am planning on making a lot of presents for friends and family. Just so you know, if you do get a handmade gift from me it is not because I was being cheap it’s because I genuinely wanted to make you something cool. (Now, on the flip side if you don’t get something handmade chances are I wasn’t skilled enough to pull off the cool thing I had in mind for you).

Anyways, that said, I’ve tried my hand at doll making lately. Kai’s friend Sydney had a birthday coming up and we knew we wanted to make her something fun. So, we practiced on the kitty cat doll above and learned a little about doll making. I still have alot to learn though for the record he was intentionally a bit wonky looking because we thought it gave him some character.

So, having completed one we set out to build Sydney’s bunny. I had initially told Kai she could choose to make any stuffed animal for Sydney. She requested a Rhinoceros. I told her she could pick any animal that is a bunny, kitty, puppy, or bear. She picked bunny. She also picked out all of the fabrics, colors, & eyes. Here are some pics of Sydney’s doll.

Notice, we put Sydney’s name on the heart? She turned out really soft and floppy. She’s a bit wonky in places, too, but I still think that gives her some character. Anyways, I’m happy with how she turned out. And Kai kept asking if she could keep her and give another one to Sydney…