The Swoop Bag

I am really excited to share the Swoop bag with you because it solves a problem that I feel like all parents have: namely how do you wrangle all the tiny Legos that inevitably take over your house? They are not only painful to step on, but they also seem to infiltrate every corner of the house. And yet, I love the imaginative play they inspire, so we put up with them.

Lo and behold, my mom and sister got us the Swoop bag for Christmas, and it is amazing!  A good-looking solution to this common problem. Here's how it works:

You load up all the Legos (and other small toys) into the Swoop bag. When it's open, it is a great playmat (in fact, the boys are using it as a playmat this very moment):

The boys build their towers right on the Swoop, and then, when it is ready to clean up, we fold it over, pull the handles, and swoop up the entire mess. Voila!

The Swoop bag fits perfectly in the drawers underneath the train table, and you can also hang it and get it off the floor if that works better for you. It's good-looking enough that I feel totally comfortable having it out even when people come over, and it makes bringing some toys to someone's house a cinch.

There are a few other reasons I love our Swoop.

• It is heavy duty. It is made out of a really durable canvas and the ropes are strong too. I feel like it will stand up to the abuse the boys throw at it.
• I mentioned it's really good-looking, right? They have ten bright colors to choose from. 
• It makes clean-up really easy. Even little Ames can help by tossing the blocks into the bag,

I think the Swoop bag is a great gift for any parent and I will definitely be buying more in the future, both for myself and others.

P.S. If you've been watching the news, you know that the relentless East coast winter continues. We have reached new levels of cabin fever, in which the boys entertain themselves by pretending the typewriter is a rocket ship control panel, and use the output fan from our hand vacuum to blow their hair. Ha!

2015 Valentine's Day Gift Guides

I love Valentine's Day. Maybe because my first date with Zach was on Valentine's Day? Either way, with only two weeks left, now is the time to think about gifts. There is nothing I hate more than a last-minute Valentine's Day gift. So I put together some Gift Guides for you! You can check them out on my Pinterest page. I'll be updating over the next week or so as I spot new items.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide For Kids: When I was little, my mom would always decorate the dining room table while we were at school. There were gifts and cupcakes. The things I put here are little things I thought my mom might have left for us,

Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Women: Good for sweethearts or best friends.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide for Men: I sometimes think that guys get the short-end of the stick on Valentine's Day. So many expectations from the women in their life! I always like to try to do something special for Zach.

Enjoy! And if there's anything amazing out there I missed, let me know!

P.S. See previous Valentine's Day ideas here and here and here.

Big Heart print pictured above available here.

Sweet Baby Bowls: SKT Ceramics

We've had quite a few new babies in our world lately. Some of my favorite gifts when the boys were born were of the keepsake variety; useful but also special.

I have been keeping my eye on these sweet custom baby bowls by SKT Ceramics. They have lots of charming animal illustrations to choose from, and you can customize your bowl with the name of the new baby in your life.

The fawn, elephant and of course, the chickadee, are among my favorites:

Aren't they beautiful? And conveniently for new moms and dads, they are dishwasher and microwave safe. A wonderful "welcome to the world" gift.

Embracing Chaos: Step2 Up and Down Roller Coaster

Oh man. I can't wait to tell you about the Step2 Up and Down Roller Coaster. This was seriously one of the best gifts ever.

When Zach and I were trying to figure out what to get the boys for Christmas, we knew we wanted something big waiting for them under the tree, Something that would make their eyes light up and be totally exciting. This led me to the Step2 Up and Down Roller Coaster- a 10 foot long roller coaster that looked like so much fun. It seemed perfect. But I did have a few reservations. Chief among them was the fact that the only room in our house that had space for this toy was our livingroom. So I knew that by buying it, I was committing to having a giant plastic toy in the livingroom for the foreseeable future. Given how much I try to keep the boys' stuff from taking over our communal living spaces, this was not ideal. But when it went on sale (for less than $100!), I couldn't resist.

On Christmas Eve, I put it together (it was a snap and took less than 5 minutes) and put a big bow on it. Christmas morning was just how I imagined- the boys LOVED it! I wondered if it would lose its appeal, like so many new toys, but folks, it has not.

Not at all, in fact.

The boys still love it. They play with it every day. It serves as not only a fun ride for both boys (they ride it alone and together, and it somehow manages to be perfect for both of them despite their different ages) but also a perfect track for car races (they line their cars up at the top and zoom them down the track), a fun belly-scooting track, a bowling alley (bottles are lined up at the end and balls are rolled down the track), and much, much more. It has been loud and chaotic and it has seemed to fulfill every desire in the heart of my boys. I am so happy that we went for it.

If you're looking for a gift that will light up your boys, consider this one. It is really great (and if you have a playroom, even better!)

Valentine's Day Gift Guide: Tokyo Milk Bon Bon Bubble Bath

I love Valentine's Day. It's a special day for Zach and I (we had our first date on Valentine's Day in 1998. 1998!! I know. I can hardly believe it was that long ago either). But beyond that, my mom always made it such a fun day when I was growing up. My sister and I would come home from school to heart-shaped cupcakes, and new heart-themed pajamas wrapped in pretty pink and red paper, and balloons bobbing over the dinner table. It was always a fancy day.

So February 14th is on my mind. Over the next few weeks I am going to post ideas for Valentine's indulgences. Indulgences that could work as gifts for another or for yourself. Because self-love is important on Valentine's Day too, don't you think?

To kick things off, I am going to start with Tokyo Milk Bon Bon Bubble Bath. My sister got some for me for Christmas, and I love it. Isn't the packaging gorgeous?

Each label is printed with a picture that you can see when you look through the back of the glass bottle. So lovely to look at when you're soaking and up to your chin in bubbles. And also- they smell amazing.

P.S. Tokyo Milk also has gift collections called things like Dead Sexy Kiss Collection and Kiss and Tell Collection. Perfect for your Valentine. Or to buy for yourself to celebrate the day.