PLAY KITCHENS

Gourmet Kitchen from Pottery Barn Kids

Little Tikes Cook n' Grill (front and back pictures)

KidKraft Silver Retro Kitchen online at Walmart
Step 2 50's diner

I am normally pretty decisive when it comes to buying my son toys, but there are so many options it can be overwelming. I decided I want to buy him a play kitchen awhile back when I saw how much fun he had with them when we went over to friends/relatives homes. I will admit it took me awhile to warm up to the idea of buying my son a kitchen, but really kitchens aren't that girly (unless they are pink), and he loves playing with them so I decided to start the search. I LOVE the new gourmet kitchen from Pottery Barn Kids, but just can't justify the cost. I can't decide between the other kitchens you see pictured. I love the new KidKraft silver retro kitchen but if I am being honest with myself I think my son will have more fun with the Retro Kitchen or the Cook n' Grill so he can BBQ like Dad.

So..I need your vote/advice. What do you think would be best to buy or what have you seen your kids/grandkids/friends/neighbors enjoy?

**There is also the Little Tikes Sizzle n' Serve kitchen that has a grill as well. It and the Cook n' Grill are around $140 right now at Toys R' Us. The Retro kitchen is $120 at Walmart.com and the Step 2 50's diner is on sale for $130 from Toys R' Us.

If you want to look at even more gender neutral kitchens you can read a post here about them.

DELTA CRIB RECALL

Did you hear about the Delta crib recall last week? Delta has recalled this crib that was sold at Walmart, Kmart and Target.com from January 1995 through September 2007 for about $100. It has faulty hardware and has caused 2 deaths. You can get more details here.

COMPARING DEAL A DAY SITES

I have told you about 2 different deal a day sites that carry baby/kid products (Baby Steals & MamaBargains), but there are a few more out there I didn't know about. Check out this post by Baby Cheapskate that breaks down the different sites.

Also, be sure to check out Baby Steals blog. They do giveaways and highlight cool products! Did you also know that you can sign up for Baby Steals on twitter if you want to get a text each morning with the steal of the day?

BRITAX MARATHON DEALS!

The 2 Britax Marathon carseats you see here (Brooke and Graystone) and both on closeout at Amazon right now. I am sure they will go very fast! This is a great price for a Marathon. They are $184 and $186 and are regularly prices at $279.99.

I have told you before but this is my favorite toddler car seat. It gets great safety reviews. Is easy to install and use. Is big enough for your child to be comfortable in for many years and I love how tall it is. A lot of kids are too tall for their toddler seat after around age 2 and this goes up to 49" for a child's height and 65 lbs.

**If you buy either of these 2 seats, I would really appreciate it if you would buy it through the links to either of them in the "My Favorites" box on the right of my blog.

HEELARIOUS

Have you seen the Heelarious shoes? They are soft crib shoes for baby girls with a high heel on them. They really are pretty funny, but I am not sure I would actually ever buy them or put them on my child. A parenting magazine poll shows 86% of people think they are totally wrong for babies and hate them and 14% love them and think they are hysterical. So...what is your take?

LILYBELLA BOUTIQUE

My cousin's wife is putting on a great boutique next weekend in Lehi, Utah. It is October 24th from 2-8 pm and October 25th from 10-3 pm. It is being held at the Ivory Ridge Clubhouse. 3 miles East off of the Alpine/Highland Exit on the South side of the road. There will be designer jeans and sweats, books, aprons, vintage hem, clarisonic skin care, holiday craft items, tutus, etc. etc. etc.

PARENTING TOP 25 TOYS OF 2008

Parenting Magazine has come out with their top 25 toys of 2008. It is a fun list with some unique toys I hadn't see yet. I love the 50s diner from Step 2 shown above.

JANIE AND JACK IN UTAH

Janie and Jack has finally made it to Utah. They opened a store last week at Fashion Place Mall in Murray. I can't believe it took so long! It is a good thing I don't have a daughter because I don't know if I could resist some of these fun clothes and accessories. It just doesn't seem right to spend more on my child's outfit than mine, though :)

IPOD HELP

I have recently purchased an iPod Classic (plays videos) and have no idea how to use it. I am pretty savvy with electronics and such but Ipods are something I haven't figured out yet.

I am wondering if anyone can recommend a software to transfer DVDs that you own to your Ipod. I really hate to purchase shows through iTunes that I already own.

Any advice would be appreciated! As well as anywhere where I can find free kids shows for my son to watch. He LOVES Barney, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Curious George.

P.S. I use a PC. Has anyone heard of Cucusoft?

KOHLS CARES FOR KIDS

Every season Kohl's comes out with a new "Kohls Cares for Kids" line that is so cute. Each item is only $5 and 100% of the net profits are donated to support children's health and education initiatives nationwide. Right now it is a Curious George line. The books are hardcover 24 page books and there is a plush to coordinate with each book. These would be a great Birthday or Christmas present!

And...TODAY and TOMORROW you can get shipping for $.99 at Kohls.com!

HALLOWEEN SODAS

You can't really see them in the picture, but Target has Jones soda cans in Halloween designs that are cute. They have a mumy, frankenstein, vampire, etc. This week you can get them on sale for $1.50 for a 4 pack.

FALL MINI SESSIONS BY JESSICA KETTLE

Jessica Kettle is an awesome Utah photographer. A lot of photographers are booked up for this fall to take family sessions for Christmas cards (including Jessica), but she has decided to do some Fall Mini Sessions where the sitting is for 30 min. on October 25th.

For you amateur photogs out there, Jessica just posted a bunch of answers to basic photography and photoshop questions. It is quite helpful. I love that she is willing to impart some of her knowledge and what she learned on her path to becoming a photographer.

SLEEPING BEAUTY ON DVD

Sleeping Beauty comes out again on DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow. If you make ANY Sleeping Beauty or Disney Princess purchase of $30 or more at Toys R' Us you get a FREE Disney Princess Makeup set worth $15.99.

If you buy the DVD and the Sleeping Beauty Doll and Bed playset at Target ($18.99), then you get a FREE roleplay dress (a dress up dress for a little girl, a $19.99 value).

At Kmart, you get a FREE Sleeping Beauty Teapot set (a $14.99 value) when you buy the DVD or Blue-Ray and the Magic Fairy Lights Sleeping Beauty doll.

JESSIE O'NEAL PHOTOGRAPHY

A friend of mine is building her photography portfolio and that means a great deal for all of you! Click here for her blog to get her prices and see more samples of her work. She did some pics. for me a little while ago and they were darling. She is based in Utah County.

NEW GENERAL CONFERENCE PACKETS

I came across 4 more General Conference packets for kids.

The first is a free packet put together by Deseret Book. Here is the link.
It will keep the older kids attention because it has some dot to dots,
mazes, etc.

The second is from Sugar Doodle. Here is the link.

The third one is also on Sugar Doodle. Here is the link.

The fourth is on Mormon Share. Here is the link.

There are also some coloring pages for young kids.

Don't forget there is another one 2 posts down.

BATTERY OPERATED TEA LIGHT

I am a little bit of a worry wart and the thought of placing some type of an open flame in a pumpkin or a paper bag just doesn't work for me. I was excited when I came across these battery operated tea lights. The one pictured changes through 7 rainbow colors but you can also buy plain battery operated tea lights that are cheaper and come in a 10 pack. I am sure you can buy them most anywhere but I found them at Bed Bath & Beyond.