Wii for your Wee Ones

Ever since my brother and sister in law gave us a Wii we have all been hooked! I have loved playing video games since my older brother (the one who gave us a system) used to play the original Nintendo system. We would take turns with him and my sister with a lot of the timing watching him play. I was not very good at games back then but I have awesome memories of playing as kids. We played Mario, Sonic and Castlevania.

My son has oddly mastered some of the games we have on the Wii and hes only 18 months old! I find the games that have no button pushing and only involve him moving the Wii remote around to be the best ones. It makes sense of course since its not in his age category to play the Wii.  He doesn't get the button pushing other than pause. Which is hilarious when he pushes it he will run the Wii remote over to us so we can fix it for him to play again.

Trying to play the Elmo game

We have rented many games to see which ones he could play before buying any. To be frugal we always buy them used. We go to Game Stop since they have a guarantee that they will work. Oddly many of the games for EC (Early Childhood) like the Sesame Street ones involve a lot of button pushing. I have to play those with him and he gets mad that he can't do it himself.

Chuck E Cheese Basketball. He loves this one!

I have made a list of the top 5 games my son at 18 months can play.

1. Mario Tennis (this one he whirls his arm around and scores points and power ups he has a blast)

2. Racquet Sports ( he can do the hitting in this one, not the power hits which need buttons but he still loves to play)

3. Chuck E Cheese ( He loves this! Only drawback is I have to go earn the tokens by playing a game he cant do on his own, but once I have tokens he can play many games and has a blast.)

4. Wii Sports Resort (the sword fighting one he has so much fun, he claps when he knocks his opponent off the pedestal.)

5. Petz Dogz 2 and  Petz Catz 2 ( he likes to see his favorite animals on the screen, there is some button pushing for some things but he can make them run around and dig in the ground. He smiles a lot when he plays this one.)


There are more that we play "together" like Shrek, Toy Story and Garfield he likes to watch the characters but can get bored since it is really not made for him. I just love that we have our Wii to have some frugal fun with! Its great for the super hot summer days that are ahead of us and we can't go out to play. Plus once you buy the games and system its free to play as many times as you want!

What games do your kids love or you love to play on the Wii?

Baby Bedding Zone Website Review

BabyBeddingZone.com

*Sponsored Post

I must admit I did not do enough research on products for my son's bedding. I wish I would have looked online rather than have to pick from what my local stores offered. I was a newbie to online shopping before getting pregnant. I had used eBay only to get ripped off so I was weary about shopping online. I went with basic blue for my son's baby bedding, which is cute but not memorable. I won't have those so cute pics of his nursery like I would have wanted. I guess hindsight is priceless!

While searching for places to help my sister find bedding for Baby L I found Baby Bedding Zone. I spent over an hour looking at everything thinking of what Baby L could use, what would make a cute gift and what a new baby (wishful thinking Im NOT pregnant lol) could use.

Pirate set

I found really cute baby pirate bedding. I love the whole trendiness of Pirates with the new movies coming out and the products that come along with it. Its a fun theme. Swashbucklers and Sea Captains Ahoy!!! We played the New Pirates of the Caribbean Wii game, it was a blast!

Fire Truck set

For my next baby I want to do a different color from the basic blue, pink or yellow. I am thinking Red! The site had some really cute red baby bedding. My favorites were the Fire Truck Bedding Set and the Wild West Bedding Set. Who doesn't love cowboys and fire fighters!

Monkey set

Since my favorite color is brown I had to look at all the selections for that color. My husband told me the next baby not so much brown. I am not sure about that!  My son has brown on his crib, stroller and many of his outfits. There are many selections for the brown category. I found frogs, dinosaurs, sports themes, fishing, cowboys and so much more. My favorite brown one is the Monkey set. My son has an adorable monkey costume and monkey themed clothing that I adore.

Madison Set

For the Mommies that have little girls they have some really sweet pink and black baby bedding. The two sets I liked in that category were named girls names I love too! The Madison set and Sophia set are really stylish! Both sets also had FREE Shipping. As do many of the sets on the website.

Overall I really liked the variety if their selections and the Free Shipping on many of their items. They also sell decor, kids bedding and toddler bedding. I found some great deals and one of my favorite deals was the Little Farmer Set (I have my dreams of owning a farm!) It is 50% off original price for only $74.99 and free shipping!

Little Farmer set

*This is a sponsored post. I reviewed the site and gave my honest opinion about their products.

The Muppets Movie Coming in November 2011

The Muppets are coming to the Big Screen!! I am so excited about this! I always say the classics like The Muppets need to make a come back. (I am also excited about The Smurfs, can't wait to see that)

My sister and I would watch The Muppets cartoon where they were all babies. I loved that show! We also watched a few of the Muppets movies and they were always fun. My favorite is Miss Piggy then Fonzie. I had a frog phase for a while and was in love with Kermie!

This movie will be in the theaters close to my son and nephew birthdays. A perfect time to take them to the movies for a fun movie. Hopefully I can get my son to sit still for a movie, maybe not but I can hope! I look forward to the previews of this movie so I can get a better glimpse at the movie.

Here is what the movie will be about:

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, “The Muppets” hits the big screen Nov. 23, 2011.

Website: Disney.com/Muppets
Become a fan on Facebook: Facebook.com/Muppets
Follow them on Twitter: Twitter.com/MuppetsStudio


Who is your favorite character or what Muppets movie do you love?

Joplin Missouri Aid Support

One of my favorite places to get a gift basket, Gourmet Gift Basket has created a giant gift basket of snacks with more than 200 small food items to donate to the Joplin Missouri Relief. They sell many of the snacks that would make you feel better if only for a moment and I am sure the people in Joplin will need it. I hope even more of my favorite companies do something similar. I am sure they need diapers and formula as well.

Oddly the day of the tornado I took my son to a park I only visit every so often. I was sitting on a park bench while my husband was taking our son on the slides and a slightly frazzled woman sat down next to me. She kept dialing on her cell phone over and over. She looked at me and I smiled at her and said hello. I could tell she needed someone to share her stress with, that's what a community is for. To just listen when someone needs to talk. She began to tell me about a frantic phone call she received a little over an hour ago from her family in Missouri, Joplin to be exact. All the way out here in California, Missouri seems a world away to me.

She told me her family called telling her they loved her and there was a huge tornado coming. Then she heard  nothing from them in over an hour. She told me about how she wished they would move here but its cheaper to live there and about how they were all having a BBQ that day at her parents house with her whole family.

She continued to keep dialing as we chatted, I don't blame her I would have been too if it was family. Finally she jumped up as I could hear someone on the phone say hello. She walked away to have her phone call and when she got back she told me they were all ok since they had been at her parents house the tornado missed them but had destroyed her sisters home. She said she was so grateful her sister and her family were not home.

I did not know how scary the situation was until I got home and watched the news. The devastation was horrible. Its baffling that nature can create such beautiful things and also be destructive. As I watched the news I wondered if any of the people being interviewed was a family memeber to the woman I spoke with at the park. As I watched the news though I did think its someones sister or mother or daughter I was seeing. I can't imagine the feeling of fear wondering if someone you love is ok .

I did not get her name, I dont know if I will ever see her again but I do know for a moment we were friends. I am greatful that I was there and was able to be a person she could talk to when she really needed it.

Here are some ways to help that you can help:

Food Bank Donations - http://www.ozarksfoodharvest.org/

American Red Cross - https://american.redcross.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=ntld_corpmicrosite&s_company=stateofmissouri-pub

Volunteering - http://www.211missouri.org/GiveHelp.aspx 

Kidlandia Kreechur Contest

Name that Pirate!

Enter the Kidlandia Pirate Kreechur Contest in Honor of National Pirate Month and Win Big

Recently we hosted a review of the Kidlandia company of their personalized items. They are having a contest to name one of the Pirate Kreechurs for a $250 reward to spend on their site. They have cute stuff and you could get a lot of great gifts, plus you get the honor of saying you named a Pirate! 

 Kidlandia “Name That Pirate Kreechur” contest This exciting contest coincides with the new Pirates of The Caribbean movie and debut of the new sepia toned Kidlandia Pirate Kingdom line featuring maps, puzzles and growth charts.  This amazing contest promotes creativity while acknowledging everyone’s favorite bad boys, Pirates!

Kidlandia® invites kids of all ages (with parental consent if under 18) to enter the Name that Kidlandia Pirate Kreechur contest.  Kids will win great prizes and the winning entries Pirate name will be designated to a Kidlandia Pirate Kreechur forever.

It’s easy to enter, just view all of the Kidlandia Pirate Kreechurs, pick one, and think of the most creative name possible. Entries must be 50 words or less, state why you selected that name, along with your favorite thing about Kidlandia Kreechurs.  All entries must be received by July 31, 2011. No purchase is required.  Go to the site to enter:  www.kidlandia.com/piratekreechurs

We needed a Date Night...

When you become a parent you forget what your life was like before you had children. You cannot imagine how you filled your time when you weren't changing diapers or rocking a baby to sleep. After you come out of the fog you realize you did do things, just different things.

My husband and I were married for 6 years before our 1st son was born. We went out on dates, watched a whole movie all the way through without interruption, went out to dinner, and I shopped to my hearts content whenever I wanted all by myself. Don't get me wrong we do most of those things still, just in a very different way. I would not change a thing about having children and we love to spend time doing "kid friendly" things but sometimes grown ups need to do grown up things.

We were way overdue for a date night so last weekend Nana was kind enough to come over and watch the boys while the hubby and I went out on what I call a "hot date". We went to a casino for dinner and gambled a bit. We talked and laughed and there was very little mention of the kids. Dinner was awesome. Dessert was amazing. I even ended up winning some money so the whole night was free! I love date night.

It is so important to reconnect with each other and remember that it starts and ends with the two of you. No matter what you decide to do for your date night just remember to enjoy the time because in a few hours you have to go home and be Mom and Dad again.

When was the last time you were on a "hot date" and where did you go?

OMG NKOTB

Can you believe New Kids on the Block are back together again and have joined forces with the Back Street Boys? NKOTBSB!!! When Liz and I were growing up we worshiped NKOTB. I mean it was an obsession and a sickness, like every other girl out there we LOVED them! We each had our favorite, she loved Jordan and I loved Joey. We had everything NKOTB from the fannie packs, to the giant buttons for your clothing(I can't believe that we wore those so proudly), t-shirts, any Teen Beat magazine that had a picture or an article about them, dolls, posters and much much more. I even scored a signed and framed picture of Joey! Our walls were covered with posters of NKOTB, we lived and breathed for them.

When I heard that they were making a comeback I was so excited. I thought Oh My God I love those guys! I need to see them in concert, then I heard that they even had an NKOTB cruise that I missed and I was bummed. lol Then the more I thought about it I realized that I loved them in the 90's. Don't get me wrong if someone paid for me to go on the cruise today I would go in a heartbeat, but I have to remember that I am not 13 anymore and I have other things to pay for. Sure they are still the guys we loved, just a little older. Danny, Donny, Jordan, Jonathan, and Joey will always hold a special place in my youth, and if you asked me today I would probably brush it off like they were no big deal. But the truth is I am secretly jealous of anyone who has recently seen them in concert or were lucky enough to cruise with them ;) NKOTB FOREVER!

We Need Neon Shoes!

I never understood why they made such brightly colored shoes. They are a bit too much for me, although I had my share of neon as a kid of the 80s lol. I now know why they need to make more neon shoes for kids! I always buy my son earth tones for shoes. I love brown, crazy I know but its oddly my favorite color. Maybe its the connection to chocolate!

We were at the park the other day having a great time running in the grass and picking dandelions. He was wearing his Old Navy sandals that I adore. Thankfully he has now let me put shoes on him. We had quiet the battle with shoes and socks the last few months. He likes theses ones so I try my best not to let him lose them.

He was running around by the trees when he stopped and showed his Daddy his foot. He did not have his sandal on and his foot was dirty. I gasped since I have no clue at what point the sandal came off he had been running from one end of the park to the other with my husband.

Can you see it?

I began my search looking for a brown sandal in an area full of grass with brown patches of dirt showing through. It took me about 20 minutes but I finally found it. I declared in that moment my son needs a pair of neon shoes!

It was hiding!

Lovable Labels Review and Giveaway

It seems with 2 boys they are always fighting over who's toy is who's. More with the 4 year old but I know that it is coming soon with the baby. Lovable Labels are going to solve many fights in the future around here. We got the opportunity to review their product Book Worms , they are cute personalized labels for books.




When JJ started to fight over a book with Baby L, I simply showed JJ that it was Baby L's name in the book and not his. When he realized this he gave the book back to Baby L, no questions asked. Now I know that it will not solve every "mine" situation we have over here, but that was a small milestone and I will take it! Lovable Labels has so many different products to choose from and for a ton of different things. They have address labels, clothing labels, bag tags, toddler toes and much more! For a little background information on Lovable Labels- they are waterproof, dishwasher and microwave safe, washer and dryer safe, sun safe, bleach safe, sunscreen safe and temperature safe. They have won multiple awards and continue to create more and more products as time goes on. Check them out you can even become a Sales Agent for Lovable Labels!


Very fun and cute way to personalize your things and my son loves to see his name in print, thanks Lovable Labels!

GIVEAWAY:
To Enter:  Go to the Lovable Labels website and leave us a comment (one per day only, please) telling us which one of their amazing product is your fav! Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries:

    - Follow @mylovablelabels and @FrugalFamTree on Twitter and tweet " WIN Book Worm Label Pack from @mylovablelabels @FrugalFamTree  http://www.frugalfamilytree.com/ "  leave us the link for extra daily entries +1 per day

    - ‘Like’ Lovable Labels on Facebook for one extra entry and write below that you are a new fan. +1

    - ‘Like’ Frugal Family Tree on Facebook for one extra entry and write below that you are a new fan.

    - Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.

*This giveaway starts 5/24 and ends just in time for the little book worm in your family at 12 pm PST on 6/3  The winner will be selected by random draw and will have 2 days to respond to our notification email before another winner is selected.  This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only. I was not paid or compensated for this post. I was provided one set of labels for this review.

What I Love About Spring

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. It really lifts my mood from the rainy gloomy days of winter. It is right before the 100 degree plus summers we have too! Its the few months I can relax outside and enjoy nature with out getting wet or fainting from the heat. We try to get in the trips to the lake and river to fish, play with the dog, and have picnics before its too hot. It means its time for festivals too. We recently went to a Strawberry Fest that was so fun!

Strawberry Festival

I love taking my camera every where we go. Before my son was born I would take nature shots and pics of the dog. Now that I have my sweet little guy I take a million pictures of him. Even on a simple evening at the park I take a bunch of pics. This Spring I want to make one of those cute Photo Books I have seen other moms have. That way I can have all the sunshine fun filled days in a book for many years to come. For those days when its so hot there’s no way we can go outside I can reminisce about the Spring time.

Sping time also means Father's Day is right around the corner! As a kid it was fun to make my Dad stuff and I cant wait until our son is big enough to draw a picture or make make a macaroni picture. We would make homemade cards which of course are adorable to Dads but I want to make one of those picture Father's Day cards for my husband. One with the cutest pic I can find of him and our son. I want to include one from last year and a recent one so he can see how much our boy has grown.! This year Father's Day is going to be special. 

Last year was my husbands first and has its own special memories linked to it but this year our son is big enough to run around and take part in the festivities. Last year I purchased my husband a Personalized Gift of a mug with a picture of him holding our son on it. He has his coffee in it every morning. My son points to the picture and says Bubba or Dada. Its sooooo sweet! This year I want to get him another one. I want the one where I can put multiple pictures on it. You can never have too many pics of your sweet little ones on a mug! Until our little guy is big enough to shop for him self and have an opinion of what he wants to get his Daddy I will do the shopping for him! So even though I have seasonal allergies that make my eyes water and sneeze like crazy I have to say the Spring time is my favorite season! Nothing compares to sunshine, the beauty of nature and the positive attitude it brings.

Using a stick to poke a tree on a nice Spring day!

What is your favorite thing about Spring? 

Do you have your own blog? You can sign up for a chance for a free photo book from Shutterfly here.

 *Sponsored by Shutterfly. For this post Shutterfly will be sending me a product for free.