Category: Kids

Amazon did it again.

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment
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We made a last minute decision to go to the snow this weekend so I wanted to get some snow toys we played with before. Of all the snow toys we played with, the best ones were the snowball maker pictured below and the various snow shape makers. We don’t have the snowball maker so I figured I could just prime a set from amazon.

When I did a search for snow toys with one-day shipping, there weren’t a lot of options. A stand-alone snowball maker was $10. The cheaper sets didn’t contain the snowball maker, and those sets with the maker had 20-40 pieces and they were >$25. (Ignore the discount as I didn’t see it when i was searching and that’s the whole point for this story).

It didn’t feel like a good deal just to buy the snowball maker for $10. I knew I would’ve had more options if it wasn’t for the one-day shipping, so I tried to double check if there were cheaper sets if I were to ship directly to our Airbnb with two-day shipping. However, it turned out that Amazon couldn’t even find our Airbnb’s address and there were even less options even with two-day shipping.

Since I already have the shape makers and I have shovels/buckets from other sand toys, and after extended searching, I thought it would be wise to just pay the $10 for the snowball maker so I could save money and storage space from not having to buy all the other pieces.

As soon as I changed the shipping address back to my home, I scrolled and, out of nowhere, I saw a deal on one of those pricier set! $7 off and 50% off on top of that?! What!?

So it would be like $12??? For 2 more dollars, I could get all of these other junks???? Wait, that claw looked pretty useful in the snow, didn’t it?

Let me check the price.

$8.81!?!?!?

Ok, the 35-piece set was even cheaper than a single snowball maker. It would be a crime not to buy this. And I could always just give away those pieces I don’t like…

…

Amazon, you win.

—-

P.s. Here’s the link for reference. Not sure if the discount will be there.

Cute Easter macaron!

~ msanglee ~ Leave a comment
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Easter calls for bunny and chick macaron, with a piece of Earl Grey Tres Leches! Yum!

Macaron ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This place has the cutest macarons! I love how this place is so easily accessible because it’s right where I live. They have new characters almost daily and lots of characters you probably know of!

Earl Grey Tres Leches ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Great flavor of earl grey but I wish it’s more soggy and has more condensed milk like other tres leches.

It’s the time of the year to shop again!

~ msanglee ~ 1 Comment
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Just so I’m prepared to get gifts for my kids and all the other kids, I’m going to start building my Christmas shopping wishlist.

My wish list

So far, I’ve only been eyeing on the following:

STEMVTech Smart Chart Medical Kit ~$23
This seems to be a lot of fun for my 4-year-old kid who’s been playing doctor on her 2-year-old brother lol.
STEMLearning Resources Switcheroo Coding Crew ~$60
A little on the pricey side, but this seems like a fun one to learn coding.
However, I think it might be a little too hard for my girl though… Maybe next year?

Don’t have a lot right now, but I can certainly go back to my all-time wish list in case I run out of ideas!

Santa, these are the toys I want for Christmas!

These are the few I like from the Toy Insider’s 2022 Gift Guide:

My pick for Age 0-2 from Gift Guide

Age 0-2CoComelon Petting Farm Playset $45
eKids Cocomelon Karaoke Machine with Built-in Cocomelon Songs and Microphone for Kids $50
CoComelon Ultimate Learning Bus $62

LeapFrog My Pal Scout/Violet Smarty Paws $17
Our kids have always liked our Violet when it was first gifted to our daughter.
You could program it to say your child’s name!
My kids, when they were babies, really thought Violet was a real friend. Aww…

My pick for Age 3-4 from Gift Guide

Age 3-4Disney Junior Minnie Mouse Ultimate Mansion $63
Thomas & Friends Fisher-Price Launch & Loop Maintenance Yard Toy Train and Track Set $50
Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Pop Up Tent $40
Tents have been very popular with my kids.
They love to have their very own space where parents are too big for…
Kid Trax Toddler Classic Pedal Car $215-$290
These look like really nice cars if I have the money to splurge…

Kidamento Kids Digital Camera & Video Camcorder with Touchscreen $80
Oh my, these cameras are so cute!
We bought one couple years ago for our friend’s kid but it was not nearly as cute back in the days!
VTech Pop and Spin Mower Toy $22
Gotta start ’em young to help around with the house!
Step2 Ride Along Scooter $70
This is a much cheaper alternative to the toy car above and it looks super slick!
Spidey and his Amazing Friends Marvel’S Web Spinning Hauler $28
This looks fun for spidey fans… it transforms and launches darts!

My pick for Age 5-7 from Gift Guide

I probably don’t know what kids 5-7 want as I don’t see anything else appealing other than the two below…

Age 5-7MEandMine Aha! -Science Kit for Kids $30
These kits look pretty educational. Will definitely look into them more!
Creativity for Kids Build and Grow Tree House Craft Kit $25
Interesting! You could grow your own tree house!

My pick for Age 8+ from Gift Guide

These ages are all about board games, video games, and gadgets huh…

Age 8+LEGO DOTS Designer Toolkit $65
LEGO Friends Emma’s Art School $70
For the LEGO enthusiasts…
What Do You Meme? $30
30,000 reviews on Amazon.
This must be a fun game! I’m so out-of-date not to know about this…
Nintendo Switch Sports $50

An easy and cute lunch box for my little girl!

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Second lunchbox for my kid with egg and cheese sandwich, grapes, and corn.

Really really love this bear-shaped sandwich maker. I can always count on it to make food fun! It’s pretty self-explanatory but, just in case, this is how you use it. Oh, and this is the lunchbox we used. It’s not bad.

#kidslunchbox #lunchbox #lunchboxideas #kidslunch #bearshapedsandwich #bearshaped #funfood #kidslunchideas #sandwich

I made my first lunch box for my little girl!

~ msanglee ~ 1 Comment
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First lunch box I made for my little girl so I think this is definitely worth documenting.

For the longest time, I’ve been blessed with school provided lunches. However, knowing today’s lunch is something my daughter wouldn’t like, I bought this lunchbox yesterday via same-day shipping so I could whip up something quickly for her to bring to school. It was probably meant to be as this was a lightning deal and was only $11!

Bento Box
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I was looking at those highly rated bentgo ones but they are $25 with a lot of wasted space between compartments. While I was hesitating, I saw this $11 bento box with thin walls and a storage place for utensils! It says it’s microwaveable but I never really like putting flimsy plastic in microwave.

I like it so far. I would probably prefer putting fresh, room temperature, or cold food in there, and look for another option to put cooked food.

Backyard Shopping List for the Summer

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We are moving to a new place where we will finally have a backyard. Since summer is coming, I might as well start compiling a list of things we should get to prepare for some fun in the sun.

1. This NERF RoboBlaster! You will have to shoot down the targets to dismantle the NERF RoboBlaster! I can already see my kids spending those hot days blaster water at each other! Looks like I will also have to buy some NERF super soakers to go with this…

2. .. and this Thermacell Rechargeable Mosquito Repeller. I hate mosquitos and so do my kids. It’s hard to enjoy the great outdoors with all these blood-sucking insects flying all over the place. This Thermacell says it can create a 20-foot mosquito protection zone. Will definitely try this out.

3. …and this Bug Bite Thing. I first saw the Bug Bite Thing way back on Shark Tank and have always been curious about it. I’m going to add this to the list to remind myself when this comes in handy (hopefully never?)

Best Wearable Blanket to Keep the Kids Warm

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I don’t know about you, but my 1.5-year-old can’t use a blanket and my 3.5-year-old refuses to keep a blanket on when she sleeps. I tried putting more layers on them, but exactly how many layers could we add without giving them difficulties moving around??? I’ve also tried wrapping the 3.5-year-old up with an Olaf convertible fleece throw (alternative) like a burrito. That seemed to have solved the issue. However, the fleece wasn’t thick enough for the winter and it sometimes gets unwrapped during the night with her rolling in circles and changing her sleeping positions for the 50th time at night.

Then it hit me, what if they just wear their blankets! I searched Amazon. There wasn’t a lot of choices with long sleeves, legs for them to waddle around, high enough TOG, and a decent amount of reviews. Basically just this one option:

Baby Sleeping Bag / Wearable Blanket

Rating: 5 out of 5.

I’m so glad I found this on Amazon. This particular wearable blanket is thick at 2.5 TOG (suitable for room temperatures 64°F- 70°F), has long sleeves and legs, and has 1700+ reviews averaging 4.6 stars out of 5! To my surprise (not listed in description), it even comes with detachable mittens and booties that you can attach on for added warmth!

This gives me a piece of mind that the blankets “stay on” throughout the night. Plus, my kids look uber cute waddling around in it. I got two sizes for each of them, and I’m definitely planning to up-sizing once the older one outgrows it. Such a must-have for cold weather!

Santa, these are the toys I want for Christmas!

~ msanglee ~ 1 Comment
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I have way too many lists to keep track of. Let me just list all the toys that I’ve ever wanted, FOR MY KIDS, in one place!

My On-going Wish List:

ToyMy $0.02Added In:

VTech Smart Chart Medical Kit ~$23
This seems to be a lot of fun for my 4-year-old kid who’s been playing doctor on her 2-year-old brother lol.		2022
Learning Resources Switcheroo Coding Crew ~$60
A little on the pricey side, but this seems like a fun one to learn coding.
However, I think it might be a little too hard for my girl though… Maybe next year?		2022
This “flip screen laptop” under $20(!):
LeapFrog 2-in-1 LeapTop Touch		2021
This DIY fort seems like it would be a hit: Crazy Forts $462021
Osmo Starter Kit Ages 3-5 $75 2021
Osmo Starter Kit Ages 6-10 $992021
Nothing is better than drawing in chocolate and eating
them afterwards!! Real Cooking Chocolate Pen $17		2021
For the older kids (or adults), I already have one since I lose
my phone/keys/airpods all the time! Apple AirTag $29		2021
This sounds like fun! Bowling game with dinosaurs!
Giant Inflatable Dinosaur Bowling Game $38		2021
I think this will really get my kids to help with chores!..?
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House 6 Piece Pretend Play Set $21		2021

From 2022 Top List:

Age 0-2CoComelon Petting Farm Playset $45
eKids Cocomelon Karaoke Machine with Built-in Cocomelon Songs and Microphone for Kids $50
CoComelon Ultimate Learning Bus $62

LeapFrog My Pal Scout/Violet Smarty Paws $17
Our kids have always liked our Violet when it was first gifted to our daughter.
You could program it to say your child’s name!
My kids, when they were babies, really thought Violet was a real friend. Aww…
Age 3-4Disney Junior Minnie Mouse Ultimate Mansion $63
Thomas & Friends Fisher-Price Launch & Loop Maintenance Yard Toy Train and Track Set $50
Harry Potter Hogwarts Express Pop Up Tent $40
Tents have been very popular with my kids.
They love to have their very own space where parents are too big for…
Kid Trax Toddler Classic Pedal Car $215-$290
These look like really nice cars if I have the money to splurge…

Kidamento Kids Digital Camera & Video Camcorder with Touchscreen $80
Oh my, these cameras are so cute!
We bought one couple years ago for our friend’s kid but it was not nearly as cute back in the days!
VTech Pop and Spin Mower Toy $22
Gotta start ’em young to help around with the house!
Step2 Ride Along Scooter $70
This is a much cheaper alternative to the toy car above and it looks super slick!
Spidey and his Amazing Friends Marvel’S Web Spinning Hauler $28
This looks fun for spidey fans… it transforms and launches darts!
Age 5-7MEandMine Aha! -Science Kit for Kids $30
These kits look pretty educational. Will definitely look into them more!
Creativity for Kids Build and Grow Tree House Craft Kit $25
Interesting! You could grow your own tree house!
Age 8+LEGO DOTS Designer Toolkit $65
LEGO Friends Emma’s Art School $70
For the LEGO enthusiasts…
What Do You Meme? $30
30,000 reviews on Amazon. This must be a fun game! I’m so out-of-date not to know about this…
Nintendo Switch Sports $50

From 2021 Top List:

Age 0-2Fisher-Price 4-In-1 Ultimate Learning Bot $42
Bumper Cars $209
Age 3-4CoComelon Deluxe Interactive JJ Doll $54
Age 5-7Got2Glow Fairy Finder $39
KidiZoom PrintCam $75
Magic Mixies Magical Misting Cauldron $70
Age 8+Tamagotchi Pix $39

Christmas shopping list for all the kids – 2021

~ msanglee ~ 1 Comment
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Finally, The Toy Insider’s hottest toys of 2021 is here! I’m just going to jot down my wish list here so I’m not scrambling in December.

Age 0-2Fisher-Price 4-In-1 Ultimate Learning Bot $42
Bumper Cars $209
Age 3-4CoComelon Deluxe Interactive JJ Doll $54
Age 5-7Got2Glow Fairy Finder $39
KidiZoom PrintCam $75
Magic Mixies Magical Misting Cauldron $70
Age 8+Tamagotchi Pix $39

It’s not shopping when you are not looking at other items that caught your eyes, is it? *wink* I’m seeing all these other cool toys either recommended to me or from other articles so I’m also going to drop them down here as well! Talking about potential decidophobia (I just call it “decision phobia”) here when it comes time to make a choice of what to give my kids….

I will continue to populate this list as I see more. This Christmas is going to be awesome!

This “flip screen laptop” under $20(!):
LeapFrog 2-in-1 LeapTop Touch
This DIY fort seems like it would be a hit: Crazy Forts $46
Osmo Starter Kit Ages 3-5 $75
Osmo Starter Kit Ages 6-10 $99
Nothing is better than drawing in chocolate and eating
them afterwards!! Real Cooking Chocolate Pen $17
For the older kids (or adults), I already have one since I lose
my phone/keys/airpods all the time! Apple AirTag $29
This sounds like fun! Bowling game with dinosaurs!
Giant Inflatable Dinosaur Bowling Game $38
I think this will really get my kids to help with chores!..?
Melissa & Doug Let’s Play House 6 Piece Pretend Play Set $21