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Holiday Gift Guide: Toys That …

October 26, 2018 By admin

The cold has arrived and the holidays are on their way. I got a chance to see some of the latest VTech Toys at the Momtrends Moms’ Night Out and today I’m sharing some of my favorite toys that travel.

Holiday Gift Guide: Toys That Travel From VTech

VTech is a world leader in developing high-quality, innovative educational products that enrich children’s development and make learning fun! In the last nine years, my daughter has gone from playing with VTech’s baby laptops and interactive toys to snapping photos on vacation with their cameras and watches.

If you’re looking for holiday toys that make learning fun and are easy to take along on travels, read on for my VTech toy picks in every age range…

Holiday Gift Guide: Toys That Travel From VTech Toys

BABIES:

Brilliant Baby Laptop™ – This travel-ready toy laptop features nine brightly colored shape buttons and a movable mouse that interacts with the light-up screen. There are various modes to learn about animal sounds, shapes and colors and music. Close the laptop, and it’s ready for on-the-go fun with a chunky carrying handle.

My Friend Alice™ – This interactive plush bear features different textures that provide tactile stimulation. Little ones will have fun putting on Alice’s mitten, tying her shoelace, buckling her shoe, putting her handkerchief and bear in her pockets and reading her storybook. Press the buttons for playful phrases, feelings and simple questions as well as numbers, a short story, music and sing-along songs, body parts and animals.

Touch & Discover Sensory Turtle™ – This cuddly plush turtle features a variety of textures, colors and patterns to stimulate your baby’s senses and encourage fine motor skills. Babies can play peek-a-boo by tucking in the turtle’s head and legs to change him into a soft, wobbly ball for 2-in-1 play. The chunky button (easy for little fingers) lights up in a variety of colors as it responds with sounds, music and cute phrases.

TODDLERS:

Starshine the Bright Lights Unicorn™ – Unicorns are all the rage this holiday season and this colorful pick will be every girl’s favorite travel companion. Kids can use seven charms on any of the Unicorn’s magic hearts to watch her horn light up and hear colors, objects and phrases in English or Spanish. Kids can answer quiz questions, create their own special songs and watch the animals colorful wings flap.

Farm Fun Storybook™ – This cheerful storybook features fun sounds, playful phrases and three sing-along songs. Chunky tabs make it easy to turn and discover five illustrated pages about a farmer completing his chores. Press the light-up face button to hear different responses on each page or press the music button to play 15 different classic melodies. The spinning wheels make this a great choice for pretend play.

LITTLE KIDS:

Kidizoom® Twist – This durable kiddie camera is a great option for budding travel photographers. The camera has features for photos, selfies and videos as well as five games. Kids will be recording videos, creating stop-motion animations and taking selfies in no time.

PJ Masks Time to Be a Hero Learning Tablet™ – This kid-friendly tablet plays six educational activities that explore letters, vocabulary, phonics, rhyming words, beginner typing and problem-solving skills. Little ones will love the real character voices and exciting animations at home and away.

BIG KIDS:

Kidi Secrets Selfie Journal™ – Big kids will love protecting their thoughts, photos and dreams with the Kidi Secrets Selfie Journal™. Kids can make a photo journal, write travel narratives and diary entries or record messages and keep them safe. A full suite of mini-apps includes games, photo and video filters, music and utilities gives kids a variety of activities to play at home and on trips. Best of all, there is no key to lose since facial recognition software unlocks the journal.

Kidizoom® Smartwatch DX2 – This colorful smartwatch lets kids take pictures, videos, play games, tell time and more! Featuring a new sleek and stylish design, this durable smartwatch features two cameras for action videos, photos and selfies. Kids can also use the watch’s motion sensor for active play challenges or to track steps. The included Micro-USB cable makes it easy to upload photos and videos as well as recharge the battery.

KidiBuzz™ – Not ready to hand your kid over a cell phone? KidiBuzz™ allows kids to send texts, voice messages, photos, drawings and animated stickers over Wi-Fi via the KidiConnect™ app. The kid-safe web browser features pre-approved websites and it also doubles as a multimedia player for listening to music and watching videos online. With more than 40 exciting learning games and awesome apps, kids on the go will be entertained for hours and hours.

Do you have any of these VTech toys that travel? Tell me below in the comments.

Note: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

How to Win Hamilton Lottery …

November 29, 2017 By admin

Do you want to know how to win Hamilton Lottery Tickets? Of course, you do!

In case you haven’t heard, Hamilton, the hottest Broadway show in New York sets aside 46 seats in the first two rows for lottery winners to purchase for just $10 (aka a Hamilton). Here’s everything you need to know to win the NYC (Chicago or LA) Hamilton Ticket Lottery and score some autographs too! And yes, I actually won two awesome center orchestra tickets last month for just $20.

How to Win Hamilton Lottery Tickets

1 – Download the free Hamilton App. In addition to the lottery feature, the app also features a Hamilton themed shop, news, stickers and HamCam filters. This app is your number one tool for how to win the Hamilton lottery tickets.

How to win the Hamilton ticket lottery. Download the app.

2 – In the lottery section of the app, be sure to click yes for the lottery reminder notifications.

3 – Create a daily “Hamiton alarm” on your phone to remind you to enter each and every lottery.

4 – Click the lottery tab and enter every available lottery in NYC (or Chicago or LA). Be sure to enter both matinee and evening lotteries when available (scroll left to see both lottery options on matinee days which are Wednesday and Saturday).

5 – Make sure to check off two tickets because all your friends will be begging to join you.

6 – Keep an eye on your phone every day around 10:30 am – 11 am. You will most likely get these annoying sorry you did not win notifications…

7 – Wait until the day you get a winning message!

8 – Scream out loud and tell everyone you just won Hamilton tickets!

9 – Buy your tickets on the app ASAP. There is just one hour to claim those coveted $10 seats so do not miss your shot! FYI, regular tickets start at $250 if you can even get them.

10 – Decide who you’ll be bringing and make sure they know where and when to meet you.

11 – Bring your email confirmation and Photo ID and go straight to the main theater doors (nope, you don’t need to wait in that long, long, long line!)

12 – You and your guest will be placed in a special waiting area and let in one group at a time to claim your tickets.

13 – Enjoy the show and your awesome seats!

14 – After the show, immediately head towards the roped off area on 46th street and have your program or other souvenir items (FYI, the Hamilton gift shop is across the street) ready to be signed.

15 – Wait for select cast members to come out and swoon as you take photos and get autographs.

Oh hi, Andrew Chappelle

and James Monroe Iglehart.

Seeing a show is one of my favorite holiday gift ideas. Have you seen Hamilton yet? Tell me below in the comments.

If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

Parenting 101: Managing Kids …

August 9, 2017 By admin

Move over bedtimes, potty training, and breast feeding, one of the most controversial parenting topics is proving to be the most worrisome of all – managing kids and screen time.

Parenting 101: Managing Kids and Screen time at Home and Away

Like most couples, my husband and I don’t exactly see eye-to-eye on this topic so navigating our daughter’s screen time is far from easy. While I would much prefer her to be playing with her toys or friends instead of staring at a screen (which is clearly addictive), there is definitely a time and place for electronics. Here’s how it typically works in our house…

Kids and Screen Time – During the school year:

We enforce a no screen time rule before school and after school while she completes her homework and chores. Depending on her day, I’ll let her watch up to an hour of television and play on my iPhone for a little while to get her Instagram fix. I find that the television is easy enough to turn off but taking the iPhone away is another story. On weekends, the rules relax and she begs for as much screen time as possible. I’m happy to sleep in while she and my husband enjoy their screen time but I do find her behavior to be less than optimal after too much screen time.

Kids and Screen Time – During the Summer and Vacations:

I’ll admit that the summer is a bit of a free-for-all. If she reads a book, I will reward her with tablet or TV time if we aren’t going anywhere. When we travel, the rules go out the window and she can have as much screen time on the plane or drive as she wants. She gets car sick so she tends not to over do it on car rides but on the plane, she will watch TV (thanks Jet Blue!) and play with her tablets for hours on end. And now that some hotels put TVs in bathrooms, my daughter’s negotiation skills are sharper than ever. I enjoy the break during our travels but again, I notice that her behavior deteriorates and her crankiness increases with too much screen time.

For me, dealing with the “aftermath” of screen time isn’t worth the “free time” so I tend to discourage it and this is probably why we enjoy running around the city so much. I also find that when I take the time to sit and play a game with her or let pretend to be the teacher or doctor while I play student or patient, she is thrilled.

If you’re trying to navigate your child’s emotional and physical well being, I highly recommend checking out the new Genius of Play video campaign. These videos feature parents discussing some of the most controversial topics surrounding play – including recess, whether or not kids should play unsupervised and of course how much screen time is too much…

Here’s what some parents are saying on these topics:

At the end of the day, everything in moderation seems to be the best way to go but I will always encourage my daughter to play outside and on play dates whenever I can.

How much screen time do your kids get at home and on vacation? Tell me below in the comments.

Thanks to The Toy Association for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

Back-to-School Must Haves for …

August 19, 2015 By admin

Depending on where you live, kids go back-to-school sometime between now and early September. I love stocking up on back-to-school supplies and I especially love when my daughter can use these items on our travels.

Here are my favorite Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away…

Back to school, kids, labels, Mabel's Labels, travel, must haves

Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – Mabel’s Labels

Personalized Labels – If you didn’t already order these for summer camp, now is the time to stock up. I pretty much label everything my daughter takes to school (and on trips) like food and drink containers, school supplies, shoes, coats, hats, etc. Mabel’s Labels are the only ones that survive my super hot dishwasher so they’re my top pick. The Stylish Scholars Combo in the quatrefoil pattern was my opportunity to update some of our old kiddie styles with a more sophisticated look for first grade.

Back to school, snacks, must haves, Earth's Best, Gogo Squeez, Travel, kids

Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – Portable Snacks

Easy to Serve Snacks – For lunch boxes and road trips, easy to serve snacks are a must have. Depending on the ages and taste preferences of your kids, I recommend squeezy fruit pouches like GoGo Squeez, individually wrapped multi-grain snacks from Ella’s Kitchen and dried fruit like Crispy Fruit from Crispy Green for exotic palates and Earth’s Best freeze dried fruit snacks for toddlers. I also keep snack bars, fruit leathers and nuts on hand at home and away.

Colored Pencils, eeBoo, Travel, Kids, Coloring, Activities, Back to School

Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – Colored Pencils

Non-Messy School Supplies – I love stocking up on school supplies knowing that the non-messy items will be great to also use on car or plane trips. This year my daughter is really into writing and coloring and I found the most gorgeous colored pencil sets from eeBoo featuring metallic, watercolor and fluorescent pencils. These are so nicely packaged (and affordable) you’ll want to get a set for everyone you know. Just add the Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book for older kids (and adults!) and you’ve got a great gift idea.

Back to school, Activity books, kids, travel, lonely planet, adventures

Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – Activity Books

Educational Activity Books – As an after school surprise, I like to leave an activity book out with scissors, markers and glue. When we travel, I like to just bring along activity books that include stickers like the new Lonely Planet Kids series that includes Adventures in Famous Places, Adventures in Noisy Places, Adventures in Smelly Places and other fun titles. These are a great way to teach elementary age school kids about history and geography while holding their interest with funny facts.

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Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – backpack

Sturdy and Stylish Backpack – Backpacks are a must for school and traveling. Last year my daughter got a Backpack Jr. from Garnet Hill Kids and this year she has a more fashion forward Kayla backpack from Matilda Jane Clothing. I’ve previously written about the coolest backpacks for back to school if you need more inspiration. Be sure kids can open and close buckles and zippers on their own before school starts.

back to school, tablets, leap pad, fire hd6 kids edition, kids, travel, accessories

Back-to-School Must Haves for Home and Away – tablets

Kid Friendly Tablets – Older kids bring their tablets to school but kids of all ages use them when traveling. My daughter loves the LeapPad3 when we travel by car and I love that she can use it without needing help so I can focus on driving. For plane rides and long trips, I’ll bring out our latest addition, the Amazon Fire HD 6 kids edition which comes in its own kid-proof case and is great for watching movies and shows, taking photos and videos and playing apps.

What are your favorite back-to-school must haves?

I received some of these items for review but all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

Globetrotting Kids Alert: …

June 11, 2015 By admin

Today I’m sharing some big Skylanders news sure to please young and old globetrotters…Skylanders SuperChargers is coming this fall and kids (and adults) will soon be able to explore and navigate the mountainous terrains, deep sea environments and big blue skies of Skylands with the vehicles-to-life feature.

Skylanders, SuperChargers, Starter Pack, Games, Kids, Vehicles, Toys, Travel

Globetrotting Kids Alert: Skylanders is Taking to Land, Sea and Air! (Photo Credit: Skylanders)

The new game features 20 vehicle designs and types (think race cars, motorcycles, boats, tanks, helicopters, jets, submarines and more) many of which feature moving parts. These new vehicles pair with twenty new SuperChargers – special Sklylanders who can interact with vehicle tricks, new moves and weapons. Of course, any Skylanders characters can drive the new vehicles allowing for endless imaginative play.

I got a sneak peek thanks to Momtrends and the graphics, new characters and vehicles looked great. Check them out…

Globetrotting Kids Alert: Skylanders is Taking to Land, Sea and Air! (Photo Credit: Skylanders)

After a delicious lunch, we moved on to a crafting project that fit with the new Skylanders SuperChargers’ vehicles – travel theme…DIY personalized luggage tags! They were super fun to make so if you’re interested, check out this DIY luggage tag tutorial.

Skylanders, SuperChargers, Starter Pack, Games, Kids, Vehicles, Toys, Travel, DIY Luggage Tag,

Globetrotting Kids Alert: Skylanders is Taking to Land, Sea and Air!

Skylanders SuperChargers will launch September 20^th (holiday wish list!) and will be available on all major consoles and iPad making it a great option to bring along on vacation. In addition, many hotels offer gaming consoles in their kids clubs or available to borrow so if you’re planning a vacation with your Skylanders’ fans, be sure to ask before you go.

Skylanders, SuperChargers, Starter Pack, Games, Kids, Vehicles, Toys, Globetrotting Mommy, Primetime Parenting

Globetrotting Kids Alert: Skylanders is Taking to Land, Sea and Air! (Photo Credit: Momtrends)

Here I am saying goodbye with my friend Esti at Primetime Parenting. Thanks again to Momtrends and Skylanders for a fun time.

This is a sponsored post. As always, all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

New York Baby Show – My …

May 19, 2015 By admin

I attended the 2015 New York Baby Show this past weekend and I’m here to share my favorite picks for on-the-go babies and toddlers. If you haven’t been to this family-friendly event, its a great opportunity for expecting and new parents to test out baby products, attend seminars, ask the experts some questions and win prizes.

Here’s a recap of my favorite finds for strolling, snacking, sleeping and skincare…

Hatch Things SureShop, Buggy Balance, Umbrella Strollers, Baby, Toddler, New York Baby Show, Travel with kids

New York Baby Show – My favorite picks for on the go babies and toddlers…

Strolling – Umbrella strollers are a must for traveling but they inevitably fall over when you’ve got a bag on the handlebars and the passenger gets out. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had this happen to me! I loved learning about two new inventions to prevent this age old problem. Hatch Things SureShop bags are lightweight clip on bags that attach to one handlebar and the stroller’s side. Use one or two to stow up to 10 pounds of baby supplies, groceries and anything else (on each side) while keeping your stroller put. They also work on suitcases and bicycles making them a great accessory for traveling. Another option to solve this problem is to strap Buggy Balance weights above the front wheels. The three-pound weights add just enough heft to balance 15 pounds of bags yet still allow the stroller to fold and function.

New York Baby Show, Snacks for kids, snacks for babies, family travel, Plum Organics, Happy Family, ZoLi, green sprouts, Keekaroo

New York Baby Show – My favorite picks for on the go babies and toddlers…

Snacking – Some of my favorite snack brands including Plum Organics and Happy Family were on hand sampling new squeezy pouch flavors and individually wrapped snack products that are perfect for travel. I loved the colorful ZoLi On The Go containers that hold formula (with a pour lid!) and snacks. I’m a big fan of reusable snack bags and the green sprouts snack bags come in perfect sizes and adorable styles. And, if you’re looking for a travel friendly booster seat, the Keekaroo Cafe Booster is a comfortable and easy to clean option that will also be handy for baseball games or Disney On Ice shows.

New York Baby Show, Baby Home, Side Rail, Toddler Bed, Sleep Sack, Nested Bean

New York Baby Show – My favorite picks for on the go babies and toddlers…

Sleeping – Sleeping while on vacation can be tough for kids of all ages. For babies, I was impressed with the weighted Nested Bean Zen Swaddle (and new sleep sack) that mimics a human touch. If you’re traveling with toddlers or bigger kids, I loved the portable Baby Home Side guard rail (available in a variety of colors with or without a rechargeable nightlight!). Whether you’re staying in a hotel or grandma’s house, this is a great way to ensure a good night’s sleep for everyone.

New York Baby Show, Babyganics, sunscreen, travel, Shoosha Baby, Diaper Cream

New York Baby Show – My favorite picks for on the go babies and toddlers…

Skincare – Moms and kids need a lot of skin products but I love using multi-purpose balms when possible. Organic Shoosha Baby Diaper Butter with cocoa and coconut can also be be used as a moisturizer, lip balm, and sunburn cream making it a great pick for traveling. If you’re looking for baby friendly sunscreen, check out Babyganics sun care line which features creams (including single use tubes), sprays and easy to travel with sunscreen sticks.

New York Baby Show, Momtrends, Blogger Lounge, GlamSquad

New York Baby Show – Momtrends Blogger Lounge (photo credit Momtrends)

All that walking around makes a girl tired so I was especially thankful that Momtrends hosted a comfy lounge area where bloggers could kick back and relax with lunch and pampering salon services from GlamSquad. If you’ve never heard of GlamSquad, they bring the pampering (nails, make up and hair) to you at home or away (think NYC, Miami and Los Angeles) in an easy to use app. See how glam we look!?!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post and I received a media pass and gift bag. As usual, all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

Traveling Toys: LeapPad3 …

March 3, 2015 By admin

We’re big LeapFrog fans so when we were asked to review the LeapPad3, I knew my daughter would be up for the challenge.

LeapPad3, Traveling Toys, Electronics, Tablets for kids, Kids, Toys for Kids, Toys for Travel

Traveling Toys: LeapPad3 Review

I occasionally let her use electronic gadgets at home but when we travel I let her use them as much as she wants on the plane or in the car. We had a 6+ hour road trip planned so I charged it up and surprised her with it as soon as she uttered, “Are we there yet?”.

She was immediately drawn to its child friendly size and cuteness (pretty in pink) and loved the attached stylus (brilliant!). With very little prompting, she was figuring out the various games, apps, videos and camera while learning how to control the stylus and touchscreen. She happily followed each game’s voice instructions and I happily had some uninterrupted time! Win win.

Traveling Toys: LeapPad3 Review

As with other LeapFrog products, the games are fun AND educational. While she was playing she was also learning math, reading and other problem solving skills. My daughter is in Kindergarden and it seemed like she was able to play with every game at various levels. Best of all, the games automatically adjusted to her skill level so there was never any frustration. It comes with 10 preloaded apps and hundreds more are available to download from the LeapFrog library featuring characters from Disney, Nick. Jr., Sesame Street and more. FYI, the games and apps can add up but if you have other LeapPad products your purchases can be shared by up to three devices.

She especially liked a Barbie game where you matched rhyming words, a puzzle game that involved a bit of geometry, the camera app and seeing her favorite shows like Paw Patrol. There was plenty to do without using Wi-Fi but older kids might enjoy playing with their friends online and chatting with other kids who have LeapPads.

I was really impressed with the LeapPad3’s rechargeable battery life (don’t forget to pack the charger) and overall sturdiness. My daughter loved playing with it and I loved that I didn’t have to worry about her venturing off into YouTube videos or deleting my files. The recommended age is 3-9 but I think 4-6 year olds will enjoy it the most. If you’ve got a long trip with little kids coming up, the LeapPad3 makes a great travel companion.

Thanks to LeapFrog for providing us with the LeapPad3. As usual, all opinions are my own. If you don’t want to miss a post, subscribe to Globetrotting Mommy for daily updates!

Toys that Travel: Crayola …

December 8, 2014 By admin

If you’re looking for a fun toy that will happily keep your kids entertained at home and away this holiday season, read on to learn about Crayola Virtual Design Pro (and enter to win your own!).