10 LOVE-ly Valentine’s Day Gifts (for kids!) under $10!

Does your family celebrate Valentine’s Day for children or for significant others? Or both? When I was growing up, my sister and I would wake up on Valentine’s Day morning, open our bedroom doors, and find a little stuffed animal, tiny candy box, and card from our dad. It was so sweet, and it is a tradition that I want to carry on with my son.

If you’re celebrating with your children this year, than here are a few small gifts that would be fun for your little Valentine.

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|1| Heart Cube Puzzle $6   |2| Luckies of London Wooden Heart Puzzle $8

|3| Yusuke Yonezu We Love Each Other $8   |4| Adam Rubin Dragons Love Tacos $9

|5| Baby Lit Romeo & Juliet $9   |6| Hape Bamboo Mini Mighty Racer Car $6

|7| Herbie the Love Bug $3   |8| Hero Arts Woodblock Stamps $10

|9| Hape Qube Lacing Vehicles $7   |10| Wiggly Ladybugs (set of 12, perfect for sharing!)

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***affiliate links included***

12 Items of Home Decor featuring Maps

It’s Day 4 of my Geography Awareness Week celebration, and today I’m featuring 12 items to map-up your home decor scene. Other posts this week include great geography toys, a list of books for little map lovers, GIS Day resources, and Maps, Apps, and Crafts at Jacksonville Moms Blog. Enjoy!

GeoHomeList

|1| Crocodile Creek World Placemat |2| Silikids USA Placemat |3| Moomin Valley Soup Cup |4| NYC Subway Map Paper Cups |5| Wild and Wolf Map Flask |6| Wild and Wolf Map Thermos |7| Cat Studio Tea Towel |8| Weegoamigo Map Muslin Swaddle |9| Colorful World Map Pillowcase |10| City Dinner Plates |11| Out to Sea Crib Sheets |12| Linen Map Pillowcase

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***some affiliate links included***

8 Books for Little Map Lovers

I’m continuing my Geography Awareness Week celebration by highlighting 8 fun books for your little map lover. If you missed yesterday’s post on geography toys, check it out, along with my post on Maps, Apps, and Crafts at Jacksonville Moms Blog. Enjoy!

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|1| National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas

|2| Around the World with Mouk (we LOVE this one)

|3| There’s a Map on My Lap |4| Smithsonian Geography Visual Encyclopedia

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|5| The Geography Book: Activities for Exploring, Mapping, and Enjoying Your World

|6| Maps (this is a beautiful book for children, and I would love it, too!)

|7| Maps Activity Book |8| U.S. States and Capitals Flash Cards (fun stocking stuffer)

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***some affiliate links included***

11 Great Geography Toys

Happy Geography Awareness Week to all of you fellow map-lovers out there. I wrote about several fun maps, apps, and crafts over at Jacksonville Moms Blog today, so make sure to check that out for ideas to help your children celebrate. Since this week is all about geography, I thought it was only fair that I share some of my favorite map toys for your babies, toddlers, and older children to enjoy this week or as great gifts for the holidays. Enjoy!

GeoToysList

|1| Barefoot Books Map of the World Play Scene |2| Geosafari Talking Globe |3| eeBoo USA Map Tray Puzzle |4| Geotoys World Blocks

|5| Uncle Goose State Blocks |6| Fox Mind Map It! USA Edition |7| Crocodile Creek Play Ball |8| IKEA Map Activity Rug

|9| Little Tikes iTike Map |10| Petit Collage Fabric Wall Map Decal |11| Corby Tindersticks Interactive Playsets

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For more amazing map crafts, ideas, and toys, check out my Geography Awareness Week Crafts and Map Whimsy boards on Pinterest, and browse the gorgeous map toys and more highlighted on BuyModernBaby.

***some affiliate links included***

Store Spotlight: Lizards & Lollipopz, Marietta, GA

While in the Atlanta area visiting family a couple of weeks ago, we stopped by Lizards & Lollipopz in Marietta to check out their toy selection. Grandma always enjoys spoiling Little Brim to the brim whenever she gets the chance, so she was looking forward to showing us around this cute little shop that she had found. He grabbed a shopping cart immediately upon entering and set out on a mission.

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They have a massive selection of Melissa and Doug products, including their large dollhouse, dolls, puzzles, games, and more. Janod, Lego, Motorworks by Manhattan Toy (including the parking garage), Alex Toys crafts, books, little trinkets and treasures for all ages, and a beautiful assortment of Jellycat stuffies. I’m kind of in love with the Lonely Lion myself.

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After wandering around and placing five vehicles in the tiny cart, he wheeled it right up to the cashier, placed them all on the counter, and said, “Take it home.” Apparently, all those grocery store trips we have been taking are making an impression…

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The Janod Western Story Box set is too cute.

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The Janod Story Express train sets are definitely going on our wish-list for future train purchases! They have Circus, Farm, and Western themes.

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The Magic Bubble Bear is unique because the bubble loop appears when you squeeze the bear, automatically filling it with the right amount of liquid. Easy and mess-free for little ones! We took this purchase to Marietta Square across the street and had fun blowing bubbles and playing on the replica train engine known as The General. There were so many unique toys at Lizards and Lollipopz that I have to recommend it to anyone living in or visiting the region. I also found my new favorite brand there, but you’ll have to wait to find out what it is as I am going to post it on BuyModernBaby soon!

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Also worth a mention is the Australian Bakery Cafe located right across Marietta Square. They feature famous Aussie meat pies, curry pies, fresh baked breads, coffee, and general grocery items. The food, as well as the prices, are outstanding!

Payday Picks: P’kolino Chalkboard Bookshelf, aden + anais, Moomin books, Takenaka tableware

Payday Picks! Featuring items $100+, $50, $25, and $15 for big and little budget splurges.

Splurge $100 +: P’kolino Chalkboard Bookshelf Our son LOVES to look at books, turn the pages, and point to every time object while looking at us for the name. This bookshelf would be perfect for your little learner–it looks great and the organizational function is built right in!

Chalkboard Bookshelf

Under $50: easy swaddle. Check out the cute print options for the new easy swaddle by aden + anais detailed at Child Mode.

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Under $25: Takenaka Tableware. Read more details about these fun pieces on my posts at Buy Modern Baby. They would add a nice pop of color to your place setting.

Takenaka

Under $15: Moomin BooksMy sister first introduced us to Moomin after picking up a book while in Finland on business. The board books are sturdy and our son loves looking bright colors and large objects. The paper books are beautiful, but watch curious little fingers with the flap book as our is now flap-less. He loves his Moomin books.

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Happy Shopping!

Some affiliate links included.

Payday Picks for the Kitchen: November 9, 2012

Payday Picks. Featuring items under $100, $75, $50, $25, and $15 for big and little budget splurges. This week I am featuring a few kitchen picks for upcoming holiday cooking and baking.

Under $100: LeCreuset Mini Cocottes set with Cookbook. $80. Ours have been perfect for individual pumpkin pies, chocolate lava cakes or a family favorite of chorizo, cheese, potato with a fried egg on top.

Under $75: Big Brim’s Pick! Traditional Paella Kit with Pan. $79. Though a few dollars more than our category here, this kit includes a 15″ steel paella pan, saffron, rice, smoked paprika, Piquillo peppers, olive oil, and recipes. Paellas are perfect for entertaining friends and family.

Under $50: OXO Food Mill. $50. We have used ours for many recipes this year, including homemade tomato sauces with our garden’s tomato crop this year, pureeing roasted pumpkin for pie, and smoothing out lumps of steamed carrots and squash for baby food purees.

Under $25: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. $35 but on Amazon now for $20. I have made a countless number of Deb’s recipes with beautiful results. Her photography is incredible, her recipes are pleasing, and her blog is inspiring. Plus, her kitchen is super tiny, which is a little bit motivating for me to strip ours down and only stock the essentials.

Under $15: Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peelers. $4 each solid color, $5 each polka dot, or a set of three solid colors for $10. The solid color peelers are a staple in our kitchen!

Some affiliate links included.

Payday Picks: October 12, 2012

For your shopping enjoyment, I present to you: Payday Picks. Featuring items under $100, $75, $50, $25, and $15 for big and little budget splurges.

Under $100: Skip Hop Duo Double Deluxe Diaper Bag. $80.

Under $75: Boba Air Baby Carrier 3G. $65 (My husband prefers the Air over other carriers due to the packable, portable size. It’s a great second carrier for your car, travel, or diaper bag on-the-go.)

Under $50: aden + anais Dream blankets. $49.95. (Incredibly soft and comfortable.)

Under $25: Cloud b Sleep Sheep. $24.99 (Read reviews here from our previous post.)

Under $15: These fall in to the fun Mom Gear category, and I couldn’t pick just one so I’m featuring four items from shopSCAD, a great little store in Savannah, Georgia featuring artists from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).

Top Left: Kay Collection Bowls. $9.00.

Top Right: The Hostess Collection: Kitchen Towels. $10.00.

Bottom Left: The Hostess Collection: Oven Mitt and Pot Holder. $14.00.

Bottom Right: Ben Collection Squiggle Tumbler. $4.00. (These would be perfect for frozen hot chocolate this winter!)

Enjoy!

Payday Picks: October 5th, 2012

For your shopping enjoyment, I present to you: Payday Picks. Featuring items under $100, $75, $50, $25, and $15 for big and little budget splurges.

Under $100

7 A.M. ENFANT Doudoune one-piece infant bunting. $90.

Under $75

manimal baby fringe bootie. $62.

Under $50

Case-Mate Snap Silicone Case. $30. (I have this case in gray for my 4S and love it. It’s perfect for standing up on the table to play a video to entertain Little Brim while I clip his nails each week.)

Under $25

Beaba Multiportions Freezer Storage. $24.95 (Great for baby food purees or even spice and sauce mixes. We used ours for a batches of chimichurri sauce and the strong onion and garlic smells easily washed out.)

Under $15

giggle Better Basics Striped Giraffe. $14.

Enjoy!