Since I have a toddler, I thought the Toddler Tools book line would be perfect for my house.

Listening Time is a great book for teaching your kids about how to be good listeners.  Both my eighteen month old and four year old like to read it.  It is a board book, so it can’t be destroyed either.  I love that it also helps to work on body parts too.  The illustrations in this book are great, and really get across what we want our children to do.  There is also humor intertwined into the story.  It is short enough that it definitely keeps even the shortest attention spans entertained.

Bye Bye Time is another board book that is good for those really hard times when we have to say bye to our kids.  It teaches our children how to comfort themselves when they are sad that we are leaving.  There is also advice at the end of the book parents and caregivers to make this transition easier like prepping your child and to be ready for tears.  The illustrations in this book are great too.  Madison can tell me the story without being able to read it (which is a huge plus).

Naptime is another great book in this series. Like the other books, this is board book. It also has the tips in the back of the book to help parents and caregivers with naptime.  I personally learned that Will should be getting one nap daily lasting 1 – 2 hours, and he should be getting 10 – 12 hours of sleep a night.  This book is all about a naptime routine and getting your little one down for some much needed rest.  Now, if this would only work on a 4 year old.    She likes the book; it just has not motivated her to take a nap (she quit naps at 18 months).

The last book in this series is Clean Up Time. That is something we all need at our houses.  This book rhymes, so it makes it all the more fun to clean up.  This too is a board book and also has the tips at the end to help parents and caregivers.  I personally agree with the “break it down” tip.  Will doesn’t often get overwhelmed at cleaning up; he just thinks it is a game.  However, Madison gets extremely overwhelmed if someone does not help her.  By breaking down what you are going to do (pick up the blocks first), it takes away from how huge of project it is going to be.

This Toddler Tools series is a great bunch of books.  They are books that are hard to destroy and have great lessons in them.  I highly recommend them in anyone who has a toddler in their house.

Eebee’s adventures products are designed to help you and your baby transform everyday play into learning that lasts. These books definitely do that.

Eebee’s Bath Time Adventure is a pretty cool book. You are actually able to take it into the tub with you! You are able to follow along in the story and press certain things to hear the book squeak at you or what a sponge sounds like. When you submerge the book, you now are able to use the same thing so squirt water.

All About Me & You is another hit with my son Will.  There is a mirror in the back of the book.  The mirror alone makes my son laugh.  Each page of the book has directions like make a funny face into the mirror or give a kiss.  It has then touch their nose and finding their tummy too.  It is an extremely interactive book that will bring hours of giggle time to you home.  This book is also made out of carboard so, you don’t have to worry about your kids destroying it.

Eebee’s Laundry Time Adventures is an excellent cloth book that works on words, sounds, and textures.  There are some fine motor skills that get worked on too.  The book has you taking the towels out of the laundry bag and putting them in the washer among other things that you do when you are doing the laundry. I think I may have had just as much fun as Will with this book (don’t tell anyone).

Since Will loves to play peek-a-boo, eebee’s Peek-a-Boo Adventures was another hit in our house also.  This cloth activity book was again fun for both Will and me.  This book has eebee hiding in all sorts of places for us to play peek-a-boo with him.

At 18 months, it is really hard to find toys and books geared towards his age, and the eebee adventure books really do that.  We have had a blast with these books, and I can only recommend that everyone pick up a set.

As many of you know, Madison has been wearing glasses for almost two years now. She will be five in January, and I have to admit that getting her to wear her glasses has been a struggle. At least now she realizes that she can’t see without her glasses. However, sometimes she still tries to sneak around and not wear them. One of the things you can do is get Ficklets for your children’s glasses. Ficklets are eyewear charm huggers. Basically, they make your kids (and yours too if you like) want to wear their glasses.  It took me about five minutes (actually, I think it was less than that) to get these on Madison’s glasses, and she was extremely proud to show her Ficklets off.

Now, I got Madison the flower ones. However, they have all sorts of designs to pick from. They have everything from flowers to sports to shapes.  They even have a miscellaneous section that has lips and smiley faces!  These are definately cute and a great talking piece.  Kids will love these.  If you know anyone that wears glasses, then you definitely should get them a set of Ficklets.

If you are on the lookout for a great toy for your kids this Christmas, Toobeez is the one gift you must have in your house.  It is a favorite in my house and will be in yours too.  This is one of the few toys on the market that actually make your kids think which is why I love it!

Toobeez is basically one big tinker toy set that is super easy to put together.  If my 4 year old can do it, anyone can do it.  All you do is take the tube and push the end into the hole on the spheres.  You then turn it slightly until it clicks.  That’s it!  Now, there are about 100 different things you can make with these.  You can make simple structures (which is where Madison is at) and every intricate structures like a super fighter jet.  There are just so many things I really like about this.  Like I said before, it makes my kids think and design.  It is not too hard for my daughter to put together, so she does not get frustrated and is able to build what she wants without too much help.  I remember building forts as a kids with chairs and blankets, and I have to admit that this Toobeez set with the slide on curtains is just so much cooler.  Best of all, it comes with its own zippered storage bag, so you don’t have to worry about losing pieces!

If you decide that you kids must have this, they are running an awesome deal.  If you purchase the 57 piece set, you get an additional 15 piece kit ($24.99 value), The Big Idea Book with tips for enjoying your TOOBEEZ ($4.99 value), and free shipping ($24.00 value)!  Also, make sure you check out their giveaway!  They are giving away a free set to a lucky winner.  How cool is that?  If you are sick of the noisy toys that don’t require your kids to think, then Toobeez would be a perfect fit in your home.

Rarely do I come across a book that inspires me just as much as my kids. However, Whats Your Red Ball is that book. This book is like no other book you’ve ever seen.  It is about how to overcome adversity and find your true passion.  As an adult, we all need to do this too, so this book, while geared at kids, can certainly get you thinking as an adult.  The author of this book, Kevin Carroll, went from an abandoned child with a love of sports to working for the Air Force, Philadelphia 76ers, and Nike.  His story, which is how the book starts, makes you want to be all you can be.  The book itself gives you the material to make your own “box of magic”.  This box is all about your gifts, your talents, your aspirations, your interests, and your hopes.  The rest of the book tells you how to figure out how to decorate and fill your box.  There are questions you need to answer and excercises you need to do, but by the end, you will have figured out whats your red ball.

Your age does not matter for this book.  At 31, I find inspiration in it.  This book is perfect for anyone who has lost their path in life and for those who are just finding it now.