Top Recommended Books for Toddlers - by YOU!

I put up a poll on my Instagram a few weeks ago asking you for your top recommended books for toddlers! Who better to recommend books than fellow mamas? Take advantage of free shipping all summer from Indigo.ca and stock up on the adorable books below! Missed my poll? No problem! Add a comment below with any books that I missed so we can check them out!

1. THE LITTLE BLUE BOX OF BRIGHT AND EARLY BOARD BOOKS BY DR. SEUSS

Inside this adorable blue box (with a handle that your mini will love), include the 4 books:  Hop on Pop; Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!; Ten Apples Up On Top!; and The Shape of Me and Other Stuff. They survived 2 weeks with my son undamaged so these books will withstand any child lol. Click here to visit Indigo to learn more.

2. SING A SONG OF MOTHER GOOSE

All of your fave childhood nursery rhymes are in this adorable hard covered book including: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Humpty Dumpty; Little Miss Muffet; Rockabye Baby; Sing a Song of Sixpence; Ladybird; Pussycat, Pussycat; Jack and Jill; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Hey Diddle Diddle; Rain, Rain, Go Away; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Pat A Cake and Hickory Dickory Dock. Click here to visit Indigo to learn more!

3. DR. SEUSS'S 100 FIRST WORDS

I was curious how many other words Zane could learn before saying Mama LOL. This board book has bright and bold colours that your mini will LOVE. Click here to learn more.

4. ADVENTURES WITH BAREFOOT CRITTERS

Learning the alphabet is fun with these little critters and this adorably illustrated board book. Click here to learn more!

5. DINOSAUR DANCE!

From the best selling author Sandra Boynton, this colourful and fun board book is all about.... dancing dinosaurs! What else!? Click here to learn more!

6. THE LION INSIDE

A beautiful book with a powerful message: We all have a lion and a mouse inside. Click here to learn more.

7. I LIKE MYSELF!

This book about self-esteem encourages children to love themselves! Such a great read and an important message to start teaching your children at any age. Click here to learn more.

8. ORDINARY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD GIFT SET

This New York Times best selling series is all about what makes a Hero. Click here to learn more.

9. GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE

Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance! With his long legs, it's harder than you think. When he finally receives encouragement from a friend, he realizes he can do it! This book is an inspiration for kids who dream big! Click here to learn more.

10. CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM

This lively alphabet rhyme makes learning the alphabet fun! Click here to learn more.

Don't forget to take advantage of free shipping ALL SUMMER at Indigo.ca!

Top Recommended Books for Toddlers - by YOU!

I put up a poll on my Instagram a few weeks ago asking you for your top recommended books for toddlers! Who better to recommend books than fellow mamas? Take advantage of the awesome shipping promo they have going on right now: every book ships for free all summer long for plum membersfrom Indigo.ca and stock up on the adorable books below! Missed my poll? No problem! Add a comment below with any books that I missed so we can check them out!

1. THE LITTLE BLUE BOX OF BRIGHT AND EARLY BOARD BOOKS BY DR. SEUSS

Inside this adorable blue box (with a handle that your mini will love), include the 4 books:  Hop on Pop; Oh, the Thinks You Can Think!; Ten Apples Up On Top!; and The Shape of Me and Other Stuff. They survived 2 weeks with my son undamaged so these books will withstand any child lol. Click here to visit Indigo to learn more.

2. SING A SONG OF MOTHER GOOSE

All of your fave childhood nursery rhymes are in this adorable hard covered book including: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; Humpty Dumpty; Little Miss Muffet; Rockabye Baby; Sing a Song of Sixpence; Ladybird; Pussycat, Pussycat; Jack and Jill; Baa Baa Black Sheep; Hey Diddle Diddle; Rain, Rain, Go Away; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Pat A Cake and Hickory Dickory Dock. Click here to visit Indigo to learn more!

3. DR. SEUSS'S 100 FIRST WORDS

I was curious how many other words Zane could learn before saying Mama LOL. This board book has bright and bold colours that your mini will LOVE. Click here to learn more.

4. ADVENTURES WITH BAREFOOT CRITTERS

Learning the alphabet is fun with these little critters and this adorably illustrated board book. Click here to learn more!

5. DINOSAUR DANCE!

From the best selling author Sandra Boynton, this colourful and fun board book is all about.... dancing dinosaurs! What else!? Click here to learn more!

6. THE LION INSIDE

A beautiful book with a powerful message: We all have a lion and a mouse inside. Click here to learn more.

7. I LIKE MYSELF!

This book about self-esteem encourages children to love themselves! Such a great read and an important message to start teaching your children at any age. Click here to learn more.

8. ORDINARY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD GIFT SET

This New York Times best selling series is all about what makes a Hero. Click here to learn more.

9. GIRAFFES CAN'T DANCE

Gerald the giraffe just wants to dance! With his long legs, it's harder than you think. When he finally receives encouragement from a friend, he realizes he can do it! This book is an inspiration for kids who dream big! Click here to learn more.

10. CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM

This lively alphabet rhyme makes learning the alphabet fun! Click here to learn more.

Don't forget to take advantage of free shipping on every book all summer long for plum members at Indigo.ca!

Make a Gazillion Memories This Summer!

With BBQ season finally here, I've found the MUST have products to keep children entertained: the Gazillion Bubbles Collection! Their bubble machines and wands will keep children of all ages busy and playing outside, instead of in front of the TV. Make a Gazillion memories this summer with Gazillion Bubbles! Their top secret bubble solution makes the brightest and most colourful bubbles that are eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic and won't stain clothing or furniture!

The Gazillion Bubbles Tornado is a must have for any backyard or patio. You turn on this machine and there are literally hundreds of bubbles within seconds! It's light weight and affordable so I'm even going to bring mine to the park this summer! Be prepared to be the favourite parent in the neighbourhood with this machine!

Their bubble wands are just as fun! Zane had a blast chasing the bubbles and this is definitely something I'm going to keep in our stroller all summer. Gazillion Bubbles also has Crazy Wands (scroll down for a few pics) which are for kids a bit older than Zane but I think they would also make such awesome loot bag ideas if you're planning a birthday party this summer!

Gazillion Bubbles products are available for purchase in Canada at Walmart & TRU Canada

Make a Gazillion Memories This Summer!

With BBQ season finally here, I've found the MUST have products to keep children entertained: the Gazillion Bubbles Collection! Their bubble machines and wands will keep children of all ages busy and playing outside, instead of in front of the TV. Make a Gazillion memories this summer with Gazillion Bubbles! Their top secret bubble solution makes the brightest and most colourful bubbles that are eco-friendly, safe, non-toxic and won't stain clothing or furniture!

The Gazillion Bubbles Tornado is a must have for any backyard or patio. You turn on this machine and there are literally hundreds of bubbles within seconds! It's light weight and affordable so I'm even going to bring mine to the park this summer! Be prepared to be the favourite parent in the neighbourhood with this machine!

Their bubble wands are just as fun! Zane had a blast chasing the bubbles and this is definitely something I'm going to keep in our stroller all summer. Gazillion Bubbles also has Crazy Wands (scroll down for a few pics) which are for kids a bit older than Zane but I think they would also make such awesome loot bag ideas if you're planning a birthday party this summer!

Gazillion Bubbles products are available for purchase in Canada at Walmart & TRU Canada

Ripley's Aquarium - Fun for the Whole Family

If you're in the Toronto area, Ripley's Aquarium is a MUST SEE attraction. I wasn't sure what to expect and went in just hoping that I could keep Zane entertained for a few hours. It turned out, we could have spent the entire day there!

From the second you walk in the Ripley's Aquarium, you're surrounded by gorgeous colours, illuminated aquariums that span from floor to ceiling and EVERY type of underwater fish you can imagine. It was such a nice experience to see Zane fascinated by the lights and swimming fish. I went with a friend of mine who has 2 older children and they were just as enthralled by the breath taking views.

The aquarium is divided into exhibits such as the Canadian Waters, Rainbow Reef, Ray Bay and Curious Creatures (to name a few) but besides the exhibits, they have so many other things to offer! They have interactive stops along the way for older kids, they have caves that kids can crawl though, educational games and puzzles, and there was even a teaching session happening where someone from the Ripley's Aquarium was giving a lesson about fish!

We had 2 favourite parts of the aquarium. The first was the Dangerous Lagoon - which is a long and beautiful aquarium tunnel that allows you to walk under swimming fish, sharks, sea turtles and so much more! There is moving belt so you can relax and be transported on what feels like a magical underwater journey.

Our second favourite was in the Planet Jellies exhibit. There was this HUGE wall filled with what seemed like hundreds of jelly fish. As the wall changed colours, so did the jelly fish! It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen!

We had such a blast at the Aquarium and I can't wait to go back with Zane the next time we are in Toronto. It's a place we could visit over and over again and always find something else to love.

A sleeping baby means a happy mama!!! This is the the right place to tire out your mini :)

DIY Mother's Day Handprint & Footprint Gifts

We LOVE DIY crafts (well I do at least... Zane loves to play with paint - so it's a win-win) and what better time to make one than Mother's Day? All moms LOVE DIY crafts from their kids and even more so from their grandkids! Zane and I got to work and created the most adorable gifts for his Grandma and Great-Grandma this Mother's Day.

DIY NOVELTY TRAY AND PIGGY BANK

Start of with finding the pieces you want to decorate. Make sure to thoroughly clean and let them dry. Some materials are more porous and will need to dry over night. This step is SUPER important. Often ceramic and porcelain products are covered in a film or dirt and the paint won't properly stick unless it's clean. 

Choose your paint colours. We used the paint below and bought a thinner because I didn't want it to go on too thick. 

Optional: Paint Brush - You'll need one if you decide to write something on the jar or piggy bank (such as the date, your child's name etc.). I also used a thick paint brush to paint on my son's hands and feet. You could also just mix the paint in a bowl and press their hand/foot in it.

Once your tray is clean and dry, map out the design you want. You want to know EXACTLY where you're putting your mini's hand or foot once it's covered in paint because it won't be fun trying to keep them still if they're younger. I recommend doing this project with someone else so that one of you can place the foot or hand in paint and make the print and the other can stop your baby from crawling away covered in paint. 

Follow the directions on your ceramic paint. If you used the same one as I did, let it dry overnight, then bake for 35 mins at 150 degrees. Then it's ready to package and send off!

Tips: Definitely find a place to date your artwork. It's always nice to look back and see when the art project was made. I definitely recommend doing the hand print before the decorating because it's the hardest part. I needed to wash off my son's handprint several times before getting one that was perfect and the rest of the design would have been ruined had I done it first!

Happy Crafting! I would love to see the artwork you create so don't forget to tag me in your posts! @mrsnewmommtl

xox Tovah

Best Wooden Toys Under $20

If you follow my blog then you know I love children's wooden toys and the ones we have are among Zane's favourite.  I've rounded up the best on Amazon for under $20! Let me know if you have any other amazing finds that should be added to my list! Click the image or product links below for more info :)

Rainbow Stacker Wooden Ring Educational Toy

Promotes hand-eye coordination and concepts of colour and size.

Stack and Sort Board - Wooden Educational Toy With 15 Solid Wood Pieces

Colourful skill-building toy for toddlers and preschoolers. Promotes hand-eye coordination

Primary Lacing Beads - Educational Toy With 30 Wooden Beads and 2 Laces

Promotes hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills

Shape Sorting Cube - Classic Wooden Toy With 12 Shapes

Promotes colour and shape recognition and problem-solving skills.

Take-Along Tool Kit Wooden Construction Toy (24 pcs)

Promotes hand-eye coordination, counting, sorting, colour recognition, and problem-solving skills.

Deluxe Wooden Pound-A-Peg Toy With Hammer

Promotes colour recognition and hand-eye coordination.

First Bead Maze - Wooden Educational Toy

Improves fine motor skills and colour and shape recognition

Stacking Train - Classic Wooden Toddler Toy (18 pcs)

Great for hand-eye coordination and imaginative play

Xylophone Musical Instruments Toys- Wooden 8 Key Notes Xylophone Toys Hand Knock Piano Music Instrument for Toddle Kid,Rainbow color

Classic ABC Wooden Block Cart Educational Toy With 30 Solid Wood Blocks (LC)

Features numbers, letters and pictures to identify for vocabulary-building

Deluxe Pound and Roll Wooden Tower Toy With Hammer

Brightly colored, smooth-sanded pieces help build early shape, color, and size differentiation skills

Abacus - Classic Wooden Educational Counting Toy With 100 Beads

Promotes counting, colour recognition, fine motor skills, and early math skills.

Preschool Educational Toy Wooden Balance Scale Toy with 6 Weights for Kids

Learn the theory of balance through balancing the scale and train your baby's hands-on ability

Food Groups - 21 Hand-Painted Wooden Pieces and 4 Crates

Encourages counting, sorting, pretend play, and an interest in food and nutrition.