Summer Stargazing!

My step daughter loves to look up at the stars and make shapes, find the Large & Small Dipper, and wish upon shooting stars! 
We decided to have a night of Stargazing! For the next 2 weeks we have meteor showers taking place in the atmosphere, and she is very excited to see a lot of shooting stars. We looked at the backyard and chose a perfect spot! We went into the garage, and pulled out our Magical Cloud Beds (a.k.a blow up mattresses for camping), sleeping bags, duvets, pillows, and lanterns. We set up our beds in the backyard, added some tables, a little rug between our mattresses.... and Wal-LA we created an amazing outdoor setting for optimal stargazing! 
As the Sun went down we lit the fire pit, and cooked up some yummy S'mores. The stars began to light up the sky, and my husband reached for his phone to look at the sky, showing us all the constellations & planets. The kids were so excited to sleep outside on their magical cloud beds, they asked if we could do it EVERY night! 

Below is the poem my step daughter recites after seeing each shooting star before she wishes on it:
Star light, Star bright
The first star I see tonight
I wish I may, I wish I might
Get the wish, I wish tonight

Happy Stargazing!! 
Create special memories that will last a lifetime!

Summer Fun For Kids

Summer Fun For Kids
As a Step Mommy keeping the kids busy with fun activities has been a fun challenge! Here are the Top Ten Activities that my kids enjoy!
1. The Pool, whether it's the public pool with water slides, or the plastic play pool from the local store. My kids love to splash and play in the water! This is hours of entertainment!
2. The Zoo is so much fun! We purchased season passes (not much more than the daily pass for 1 day). We visit the Zoo, and see different animals and talk about their habitats. They also love to visit the bird feeding exhibit where birds land on them and eat bird seed glued to a stick. This has been a huge hit!
3. The Beach is great fun for the kids. The waves, tide pools, sand castles, and playgrounds make it irresistible for kids! Lots of Sun & Fun!!
4. Petting Farm has been great! We are fortunate to live in Washington where local farmers have petting zoos for the kids! They love to feed the animals, and some even give horse back rides to the little ones.
5. The Aquarium is a favorite. They are able see the underwater world, and play in the tide pools experiencing many different creatures! They love the jellyfish, octopus, walrus, and shark exhibits.
6. Flying Kites has been a fun time! They love to run and launch them into the sky and watch them fly! We have them help build the kites, and use this to teach time about aerodynamics.  
7. Shooting Rockets at the park! You can order them online or find them at stores in your area. We have a great time shooting them off and seeing them parachute to the ground! FYI- check you local city ordinances before finding a launch site.
8. Gymnastics Free Play is a great activity, and most of your local Gymnastic Gyms have specific days and times that you are able to let your kids experience all the fun trampolines, cushy mats, and bars to swing from like monkeys! This is a great way to expend energy and get fun exercise.
9. Bouncy Gym, at least that's what I call them. This is the new phenom where local businesses take a warehouse and fill it with Bouncy Houses. They have huge soft slides, large soft obstacle courses with ropes and ladders, and many other different types of Bouncy Houses all in the same building! The kids run wild and have a great time!
10. Kayaking is another great Summer time activity that you can do with your kids! Whether it's sea kayaking or lake kayaking the kids love to get out on the water! Playing in the water and teaching them water safety is a fantastic adventure! We pack a lunch, and lots of drinks for a day of fun! Look for businesses that rent kayaks in your area. Oh.. and bring lots of sunscreen!!

I hope this gives you some fun ideas, and ways to connect with your kids on this Summer Vacation! They grow so quickly, and teaching them how to explore their environment is a great life lesson for them now, and when they're adults! Play often!

A Topic That All Makes Us Scratch Our Heads - Lice

Lice in Schools - We all dread the note that comes home from our child's school explaining that one or more students have lice, and to check our child. Just talking about this makes my head itch! Here is the BEST solution for LICE PREVENTION, and it's call Fairy Tales (see picture). This leave-in conditioner has all natural plant extracts that repel lice. Yes, that's right... REPELS LICE!! It smells great with hints of rosemary, and it's completely non-toxic. I have used this every year, and we have not had one case of lice at our house. I know that they also carry other products to remove lice... but we have not had to use any of those. This is the BEST line of defense that I have found to keep lice away from my kids. I know it's an unpleasant topic, but from what I have seen, and read lately it seems to be an epidemic in the public and private school systems. Use this after their bath or shower, and leave it in their hair. The Fairy Tales repels lice, and it's also a great detangler. May you be forever lice free! 

Top Ten Toys For Little Girls

I've had some questions about what toys little girls like above all else. I can only answer from my own experience with my 4 year old and her friends. Here is a list of their favorites:
1. Barbie - Barbie Dolls, Barbie Cars, Barbie Unicorns,
and Barbie Clothes
2. Disney Princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Belle, and
Merida are her top favorites
3. Doll Houses with furniture
4. Polly Pocket
5. Jewelry - Everything pink and anything that sparkles.
6. Nail Polish & Lip Gloss - They LOVE to have their nails painted, and wear flavored lip gloss.
7. Princess/Fairy Dress-Up - Dresses, crowns, slippers, lip gloss, wings, and everything frilly.
8. Hello Kitty
9. Tea Parties - Tea Sets, Plates, Silverware, Fake food to serve, and multi level cake plates.
10. Bath Toys - Barbie Mermaid Tale toys (Their hair changes color in the hot water), Ariel toys,
and bubble bath.

I hope this helps finding gifts for your daughters, step-daughters, and grand daughters.

By Kat Johnson

Adorable Easter Dresses and Baskets

           Here are Bella's picks for Easter. This is a lovely Easter Dress found on the FrostMeBaby.com website blog. She aslo found this adorable Easter Basket to complement her dress, and join her in the hunt for Easter Eggs. Very cute... and she is so excited for Easter to get here!

Create Easter Traditions

   Easter is coming quickly, and the trees are beginning to bloom outside! Spring is almost here!
  All the stores have their spring lines coming in, and I LOVE all of the color and excitement. She is soooo excited that she has already found her Easter dress at Frost Me Baby (See the dress on the Frost Me Baby Blog). We are still looking for the perfect Easter basket...
  Bella and I have been planning our easter egg decorating, and what treats we will make on Easter Day. There are several large Easter Egg Hunts in our area... and we must choose one to attend. Sooooo exciting!!
  Celebrate fun holidays, and create experiences that your step kids will carry with them for a lifetime. These are the moments that help them to enjoy their lives, and create family traditions!

• Shop for the perfect dress and accessories 
• Find a lovely Easter Basket
• Easter Egg patterns and dipping packages
• Plan a fun menu that will tickle their senses with color                            
• Choose an Easter Egg Hunt in your area
• Coordinate with their friend's parents so they can join in on the Hunt! Always more fun in numbers!                  

Creating Positive Incentives-Super-Hero-Squad

Creating Positive Incentives- Super-Hero-Squad

My 6 year old boy LOVES the Super-Hero-Squad . He can play out all of the characters; Ironman, Captain America, Thor, and Hulk (his favorite at the moment). It's so much fun to watch his imagination grow as he makes up his own story lines, and makes up girl characters for his little sister to play. It's also good fun when she wiggles into one of his Super Hero costumes with the extra muscles... runs downstairs and announces that she is Captain America! He doesn't quite know what to say or how to react... and she is so excited to play with him. It's really quite amusing, and my husband and I always have a little giggle.
To incentivize him for school we buy about 4-5 super hero action figures at a time, and if he gets top scores at school... and he reaches 5 days of outstanding behavior (they are rated daily by their teachers on a number scale of 1-35) he gets to chose a toy to open! He loves this incentive, and so do the teachers. We have seen great improvements in his school work and behaviors since implementing this incentive. We use http://www.Super-Hero-Squad.com to choose which toys he wants to earn, and then they ship them to the door. They have a wide variety of super hero toys to choose from, and it's super easy. Happy toy hunting!