I can’t remember if we got When I Was Little: A Four-Year-Old’s Memoir of Her Youth before or after Will was born. However, Madison uses the state “when I was little” a lot, so this book is quite fitting for her. The book itself is about a 4 year old talking about all the things she no longer does or uses because she is big. She talks about using words, sleeping in big girl platform beds, going to nursery school, and getting teeth just to name a few things. As a parent, you actually can visualize your little one growing up.   Madison often tells me the things that aren’t listed in the book that she did when she was little.  It is a great conversation starter with your children.  The pictures in this book are awesome.  This book is perfect for the 3 - 6 age group.  It is especially perfect for any 4 year old you may know.

The Monster at the End of this Book ranks as one of my top ten books of all time for kids. I love this book as a child and was super excited when my sister bought this for my daughter. Madison and I often read this together with her giggling at all the funny ways Grover tries to get you not to turn the next page, because he is afraid of the monster at the end of the book. (Spoiler here) What Grover doesn’t realize is that he is the monster at the end of the book. The closer you get to the end, the more upset and scared he gets. By the end, he really needs to go on some carnival cruises, because he gets that worked up.  It is a great book with humor and suspense and a happy ending.

I know it is past Christmas, but I just came across Jingle Babies in my bookshelf. I love this book! This book is a hit with toddlers, babies, and moms. I love all the little ones in there. They are so cute. These babies definitely do not need the best diet pills out there. They just have the baby fat in all the right places. On each page of this book there is a baby dressed up for the Christmas season. The first page has a snowman, then an elf, and then an angel. There are also words on each page. The pages are cardboard, so they are not easily torn and can be chewed on. The book takes less than five minutes to read, so it is great for kids that don’t have much of an attention span. It is beyond super cute. This would make a better gift around Christmas time but is great to look at year round.

The Magic Locket is book Madison got for Christmas. The really cool thing with this book is that it comes with (no, not a raymond weil watches), but a locket. Madison really like that more than I think she liked the book. This is definitely a big girl book. The pages are paper, so they will rip. The story is that a little girl didn’t have much confidence and couldn’t do anything right. Her aunt gives her a locket and tells her it is magical. When the girl wears the locket, great things happen to her. What she doesn’t realize is that the magic is within her and not the locket. By the end of the book, she learns to believe in herself. This book has such a great story that all little girls need to read.

A Day at the Beach is another book that works great for toddlers and babies. The pages are made out of thick cardboard, so you do not need to worry about tearing or then being eaten.  Dora also is usually a hit with the younger crowd, and this book is no exception.  The pictures are good enough that your kids can figure out what the words say without being able to read.  The plot of the story is obviously Boots, Dora, and backpack spending the day at the beach.  One of things that I love is that in the first couple of pages they apply sunscreen.  That is great attention to details.  The book is about ten pages long, so it is the right length for little ones.  If you need a great filler gift for a present or just need some more kid friendly books, then this is you choice.

Both my kids loved their baby swings. The one we had with Madison has a crank on it which stinks to use. When we went to buy one for Will, we had a few ideas of what we wanted. Most of all, it could not be crank. The swing we ended up buying was the Fisher-Price Open-Top Cradle Swing.

I love this swing and so does Will. It rocks two different directions. The seat itself has several recline positions too. The swing will swing at 6 different speeds. On the very top, there is a mobile. You also can play music and there is two different music choices. The colors on the swing are very neutral, so they blend in quite nicely with your living room.

We have been using this swing since Will was born. He likes to nap in it. I love it, because it allows me to get things done around the house. Pricewise, it was middle of the road. It wasn’t the cheapest swing, but it wasn’t the most expensive either. If you are in the market for a swing, I highly recommend this one.

If you have not seen 300 yet, go rent it. Now. That is how good this movie is. It has a little something for everyone. It is based on events that really happened and a race of people that really did exist. The men in this movie wear very little (which is great for the ladies). There are a lot of six pack abs to enjoy. The movie is very violent. However, there is having violence just to have it and then there is violence that is needed for the story. 300 uses the latter. I had the ending guessed within 5 minutes of watching the movie (I usually do with most movies). However, the action made for the predictable storyline. I was on the edge of my seat watching all of the action. This movie is awesome. Either buy it or rent it. It is worth every cent.