isn’t she cute?

today, her flower girl dress (2/3T) arrived for one of the weddings she’s in this summer.  once she tried it on, she didn’t want to take it off.  she twirled in it, waltzed in it, and even wanted to sleep in it.  so since she loved it so much, we had our own little photo session.  so like a doting mother, i took tons of pictures and put up my favorites on our twelvesixteen gallery. 

she absolutely loves the dress.  she looks adorable; now the problem is getting her to walk down that aisle w/ a huge smile on her face.

the best thing about this dress, aside from the fact that this style would be the same I myself would wear if i could choose a bridesmaid’s dress (or shorter), is that it’s completely affordable.  looking at dresses online for retail, or in a boutique, i would have to shell about $99-$140.  luckily, i look for sales online, which i usually find (hence my reputation for being a personal shopper).  so i found this dress for under $40- for a soft satin feel dress!  it looks very formal. plus! (another one?) plus! the belt comes off, so you can always replace it w/ a colored sash ribbon to match the bride’s theme. 

i’m truly in love w/ this dress for my daughter. and kudos to the bride for approving the dress too!

what do you think ?

we bought this for our nephew samsam this christmas. he’s about almost 2 years old, with a baby brother on the way, so we thought this would be a great gift for him and his baby brother.  he’ll get one more good year out of it, while it waits for number two to turn one and ride as well.

i actually wanted to get this for him since last year because of all the great reviews.  Not only was it aesthetically adorable, but it’s safe!  With a wide base, it doesn’t shake from side to side which will prevent it from toppling over.  It’s also the perfect height for a 2 year old, sturdy for a strong baby boy who violently likes to jump and test its specs. 

Also, if you didn’t know, babies at this age, LOVES to jump and bounce, so this really promotes a lot of active play, as well as entertains with its noise and lights.  It spins and bounces, so it allows my nephew to use his coordination.  He seems to like it, and even fights his 2.5 year old cousin so he can ride on it. 

For the price, it’s great.  It’s like having your own bouncing horse without having to really overtake your home space.  Plus, it just looks really cute.

Age Range: 1-3 years
Price: $40
Bought: Target

we got this for zem for Christmas when she was 2.5 years old.

we wanted something that would be educational, interacting, easy to store, and attractive.  this really met those expectations because she’s recently been learning to read her alphabet so this was another way to supplement and reinforce her memory.  so far, with the week that she’s had it, she’s been able to learn 3 new letters, aside from the letters she already knew. 

it’s nice too because of its 2 option sound settings- ABC’s or animal sounds, which is good because sometimes Emma LOVES to mimic animal sounds.

I think it’s great because she loves animals, and this allows her to pretend play, learn new animals, while subconsciously learning her alphabet.  it also comes w/ 26 animals, all wearing their respective letters. it’s great; plus the animals are plastic, round, and super cute.

lastly, I’ve been looking around for prices and the cheapest I’ve seen was for $41, but we were able to buy it on sale for $30 at Target during Christmas, which is pre-tty good for us!  I think it was really worth it and I’m really glad we found this gift.  it’s something i really recommend for the pro-education parent. plus, it comes w/ its own case for the animals, and easy to store…which is great for me!

Ages: 2-5 years
Ave. Price: $41
Ave. Rating: 4.8/5
Where to Buy: Target, Wal-mart, Toys R’ Us

Bought: TARGET
Price: $9.99
Website: www.babygenius.com

I guess for ten dollars, it wasn’t such a bad purchase but here are some bad stuff about it:

-the songs are sung by a man and a woman, no children and their voices are pretty boring.
-the arrangements are very simple, with minimal instruments
-pretty boring, very simple, traditional, with no surprises, no bang
-no variety in music style

this really is for infants-3 yrs. old so it won’t really grow with your child, esp. if you have an extremely musical child.  emma likes to listen to it for 2-3 songs, then gets pretty bored with it.  it doesn’t do much to hold the attention of your toddler, even though people may like to argue that a toddler already doesn’t have enough attention span…well, for emma, if she likes the music, she’ll stay with it; she’ll dance to it and respond physically and positively. 

so my review? not so much baby-genius, more like baby-average.

Genuine Kids from TARGET made this adorable sweat-outfit, with a feminine twist, adding ruffles, stripes, tucks, and bows.  It’s soft, stretchy, and will be flexible enough for emma who is always on the move. 

Jacket: on sale: $6
Pants: one sale: $5

Review:  I was looking for a backpack baby carrier since we’re leaving the country and can’t afford to bring a stroller so we tried getting this since it is pretty affordable.

it’s great. i am 5′2, pretty petit and have managed to get my little girl who weighs 28lbs. in it on my own, and with very minimal help from the manual. my little daughter even had fun being on my back, being able to hug me.

the only gripe i have about it is that despite the 3 settings (infant-toddler) the biggest setting could be a little roomier. i wish they would have made a 4th setting…however, she doesn’t feel uncomfortable when she rides on it and instead of seeming like her crotch is a victim of merciless gravity, she actually looks like she’s sitting down.

lastly, as a petite woman, it’s pretty comfortable, without too much strain on my shoulders. i’ve had a bjorn before, and it worked great until my infant became bigfant…then the strain on my back and shoulders were more apparent; but this snugli, with the help of the middle support, it’s not so bad.

Description:  4 carrying positions: Hip, Face-In, Face-Out, and Backpack, Music in front pocket, Holds children 7 - 35 lbs

by Melissa and Doug
Suggested Retail Price: $14.99 

Review: Emma really likes this toy because she can take all the shapes and build with or without the pegs.  The pegs are great for clean up time for me.  The quality of this toy is great too, not at all cheap.  Plus there’s a little twist from the classic style. 

Description:  Children are creative and imaginative as they stack, mix and match 25 unique rings. Learning about color, shape, size, sequence, and problem solving comes naturally with this engaging timeless toy.  The Geometric Stacker incorporates a classic circular stacker, an octagon stacker, and a more challenging puzzle stacker - piling high the possibilities.

• High Quality Melissa & Doug Construction, Teaches Color, Shape, Size, Sequence, Problem Solving, Sturdy Wooden Pegs and Colorful Rings, 3 Stacking Toys in One, Classic Circular Stacking Toy, Octagon Stacking Toy, More Challenging Puzzle Stacking Toy, Accommodates a Child’s Advancing Development, 25 Unique Rings, Ages 2+

  Purchase here:

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