Need Definite Ideas for Toys for 3 Year Old Girls?

A majority of parents have spent a lot of time, not to mention money in finding the best toys for their 3 years old girls – toys that their kids will love, will hold their attention and will last through the years. It can be overwhelming with all the variety of toys available, and it can also be tempting for parents to go overboard.

But they can start by looking at a number of important factors including:

• the brand
• durability and safety
• variety of uses
• creativity and imagination involved when playing
• educational value
• and of course price

Although the best thing parents can give any child is their undivided attention, it won’t hurt to give them toys as a bonus. The following list of toys will be helpful in every parent’s quest for the perfect toys for 3 years old girls:

I Spy Preschool Game

Drawn by vibrant and realistic pictures, little girl will be on a mission to find the objects they recognize. With 5 game variations, pre-reading skills, visual discrimination, matching, rhyming, vocabulary development and first reading happen naturally through 2 levels of game play.

Monster Bowling

In a zippered storage tote, toddler and preschool bowling set teaches colors, counting, concentration, coordination, sensory awareness, visual tracking, cause and effect, taking turns and friendly interactions

Dado Cubes

Dado combines art and science as kids explore architectural principles… color, proportion, structure and balance. It engages the imaginations and invites visual spatial development and problem solving as the slits on each cube are interlocked to create an unlimited number of three-dimensional structures.

Maggie Leigh Magnetic Dress-Up

The objective is for little girls to help Maggie Leigh pick out an attractive outfit with these mix-n’-match magnetic pieces. Stands at 8″ tall and comes with 27 colorful collections of magnetic-backed wooden pants, shoes, skirts, dresses and more, to wear whatever combination. For neat storage, it includes a brightly painted storage box

Slice and Bake Cookie Set

For the chef in every girl, it includes 12 wooden, sliceable cookies and 12 toppings, wooden knife, spatula, cookie sheet and a kitchen mitt for safe, “low-calorie” play. The cookies store in a durable dough tube.

Alphabet Sound Puzzle

Hear the 26 letters and objects that begin with them. Colorful and highly durable, it teaches girls the alphabet, letter identification and letter sounds. For vocabulary development, there are corresponding pictures beneath each piece.

Obviously the list of great gift ideas is almost endless, but hopefully we have given you some brief ideas and helped you along the way to finding a suitable gift for your needs.

3 Qualities of Great Florists

Finding a great florist is like finding a needle in a hay stack. So many self proclaimed florists are simply shoving flowers in a vase and calling it art. The truth is, there is very little skill involved with flower arranging, but a lot of creative and artistic ability is at work with the best bouquets. Here are three things that all great florists have to help you choose the best florist for your special occasion.

Artistic Creativity

Anyone can place flowers in a vase, but a great florist with artistic creativity can transform your flowers and its container into a work of art. A great florist can take what is already beautiful and make it extraordinarily beautiful. Real great florists use a number of outside elements to bring together a piece of art that will surely impress anyone who sees or receives it.

High Quality Of Work

Another great thing about dealing with a truly great florist is the high quality of their work. When working with a great florist you do not have to guess the state of the flowers you are sending because they are nearly always close to perfect. Great florists know how to work with the different types of flowers and different types of color combinations to create interesting and intriguing flower arrangements that are sure to impress anyone that is blessed enough to receive them. Even when you buy during a sale or use a florist coupon code to additional cash in on additional savings you never have to worry about a low quality purchase when dealing with a great florist; every bouquet that leaves their shop is amazingly beautiful.

Reliability

No one wants to hire a florist to deliver flowers to someone we care for only to find out that the flowers didn’t show up or that they were delayed from arriving on time for some reason or another. The reliability of a great florist is always top notch. With a real professional florist, you can count on your flower bouquets to arrive at their destination looking flawless and spectacular.

The Weber Genesis S320 Home Gas Grill for Your Backyard

Enjoying your backyard during the warm summer months is a personal favorite. Of course you need to make sure that you have a quality patio heater as well as cooking facilities. I’m going to take a look at patio heaters soon, but if you are impatient then you can get a run down of some of the best at spaceheaterpro.com.

If you take home barbecue seriously and you want the best food for your family, then Weber is the way to go. They have a numerous grills in their line of great home barbecues, and perhaps the Genesis S320 is the best. You can’t beat quality Weber construction and ultimate performance that will deliver wonderful culinary memories.

This is much more than a simple barbecue, it will become a part of your home and backyard, and a valuable contributor to wonderful family memories. Like many other Weber products, chances are this one is going to last you for years and that means you get full value even though it has a high initial purchase price. Not everyone will be eager to spend $1000 on a new gas grill, but it might actually be more cost effective if the alternative is constantly replacing cheaper models.

It’s Big!

The first thing you’ll notice about this product is its immense size as it definitely stands apart from standard gas grills. This is the type of barbecue that will come to dominate your backyard so you better make sure you have enough room for it. In terms of
appearance, it looks exactly what you would expect a traditional barbecue to look like. It has a rectangular frame and a rather simplistic exterior that somewhat misleadingly hides the potential cooking power inside. But all you have to do is fire it up before you realize exactly how much potential you’re working with.

It’s Fully Loaded!

The Genesis S320 comes fully loaded with three potent butane burners that are strategically placed along the bottom of the grill. Each burner comes attached to individual control which allows for precision temperatures for whatever you place on top of the grill. With a bit of configuration, there’s no reason why you can’t cook different types of food all at the same time, and you can even pump up the settings to create an outdoor oven effect.

Closing the lid effectively seals in the heat and traps in all of the wonderful flavor. Even more, Weber gas grills like these come complete with “flavorize” bars that effectively evaporate drippings of fat and send them back upwards. That means a double dose of flavor with authentic barbecue taste infused with the juice of whatever food your cooking. Big thick steaks are taken to a whole new level if you also use the sear station that will allow you to create a charbroil affect similar to what you would find in a professional restaurant.

You’ll appreciate the large cooking space you get with this Weber model and it far exceeds anything you could find with a standard charcoal grill. With over 500 square inches of cooking space plus a back warming rack, you can feed your entire family and several more. This is definitely a product for people who plan on cooking for large groups, and it’s going to be responsible for some pretty rocking parties with a long guest list of hungry friends.

The temperature control and amount of cooking space both combined to give you the ability to experiment with new dishes or bring traditional ones to life with spectacular results. Quite simply, this is a straightforward barbecue that packs a punch and you won’t find anything better in its price category.

We love having our friends over and enjoying our patio at night. Having a BBQ with friends is great and if the BBQ doesn’t provide enough heat then we have already given you options for a patio heater. Another alternative is to try a fire pit as these provide a little warmth and the excitement of a real fire, even if it is gas powered. Why not make the most of your backyard?

The Best Way to Learn How to Play Tennis for Beginners

It’s never too late to pick up a new sport. Drag your friends off the couch and get outside for some exercise and fun when you play tennis. If you don’t know the rules or how to play, take a look at a quality tennis website for a quick guide. But the best way to learn is to get involved with others playing the game. Here’s how:

The Local Tennis Scene

Find out about the different programs you can get involved in locally. Clubs will offer private lessons, but these can be pricey. To start off you should just hit around with friends and see how you do. Try to figure out where you fall in the tennis rating system. Complete beginners start at the bottom, but if you are very athletic it isn’t unreasonable to start considerably higher up. Tennis is a fun and social sport, but

it can also be very competitive. Once you have more experience playing you will enjoy testing your skills against other players.

Get a Partner

In tennis you can’t really play by yourself. Find someone that shares your enthusiasm of fitness and the outdoors and get them to go out with you. Not only will this give you someone to practice against, but if you decide to play doubles you’ll already have a partner ready to go. Doubles adds a great social dynamic and a lot of people prefer to only play doubles. Sharing the ups and downs of a match with your partner can be a lot of fun.

Join a League Team

League teams are set up by other players like yourself, but usually out of a club or sometimes even a park. Teams will set up practices and have matches against other teams in the area. Leagues are divided up into different skill levels, so don’t worry if you are just starting out. As long as you know the rules and can keep score there will be a place for you on a team. Ask employees at a club about any leagues they might be hosting. It’s also fine to ask other players you see playing at public courts, but be polite and courteous not to interrupt their match.

Playing in a league can be intimidating, but really it’s all about just getting out there and playing matches. If your team does really well you might get to travel somewhere to play a sectional championship, but this is just some extra incentive to get out and practice with your teammates. Meet new people from your team and build your tennis contact list so you’ll have plenty of people to play tennis with whenever you want.

Parties in Ban Tai in Koh Phangan

Thailand has several names. One of them is the ‘land of the free’. This moniker is partly because Thailand was never taken over by the British or the Japanese, and partly because Thai people tend to value their independence. When first going to Thailand it can be hard to understand how a country with prevalent traditional Buddhist values also is the world center for transsexuals. It is not a permissive attitude like in Western Europe that explains this seeming contradiction, but rather a ‘live and let live’ philosophy – one’s own karma is one’s own business.

The land of the free can also refer to the fact that Thailand remains a fairly decentralized country. In the south particularly they speak their own dialect and tend to ignore or just pay lip service to the edicts coming from Bangkok.

An example of this is the parties around the small village of Ban Tai on the tropical island of Koh Phangan. Ever since the Full Moon Party in Haad Rin started attracting big crowds there has been a general proliferation of all night techno and trance parties on the island.

Ban Tai is conveniently placed on the road between Haad Rin and the main town of Thongsala. It is an area with a long stretch of white sand beach that has cheap accommodation and plenty of jungle. This is also where the turning to Than Sadet and Thong Nai Pan is located. Within 3 or 4 kilometers of this road are 3 parties – Shiva Moon, Jungle Experience and the Half Moon Party. All three parties happen once or twice a month. They typically cost between 300 and 500 Thai Baht to enter and serve alcohol and food throughout the night. The parties are attended by just a few hundred people at the most. This is nothing compared the Full Moon Party that attracts 30,000 people.

The music at all 3 events is hard techno and psy-trance. It is a sound that has become associated with Koh Phangan. The island now has a small cottage industry making dance music. The parties are generally well organized with plenty of fluorescent decoration, VDJs and fire dancing displays.

The problem is that over the years the sound systems have gotten bigger and louder. Despite being in the jungle the ‘bom bom’ noise from the bass can be clearly heard in Ban Tai village. The villagers find it hard to get to sleep as a consequence of the noise coming from the jungle.

The law in Thailand stipulates that alcohol must not be sold after 2am and that parties must shut down at this time. The Shiva Moon Party, Half Moon Party and Jungle Experience all break this rule and finish at 8am the following day. Locals have complained to the organizers and to the police. Neither group has made any attempt to improve the situation for the people of Ban Tai.

It is great that people are able to enjoy themselves and that they are given freedom of expression in Thailand. It is a peaceful country great for traveling. It does seem a shame, however, that this freedom is abused by party organizers who seem to focus on money rather than maintaining good relations with the Thais living in the area.

Got it done

It was the 9th inning but I got er done.

This is the Black n Grey I made my Dad’s Girlfriend Chris.

Didn’t it turn out pretty? I was super pleased with it and I am pretty sure she is too!

I won’t get into the drama that was involved getting this thing blocked in time for the trek to Dad’s for Christmas or what it took to re-purchase supplies to finish it off….

Ugly black spiders were involved.

eeeek.

It’s one leaf less than my original one and I think it’s finally perfect.

It doesn’t hurt that it’s knitted with Berroco Alpaca.

Pathetically, it was my one handmade Christmas gift this year.

Amazingly, I handmade one Christmas gift this year.

So pleased I got it done!

Spiders and all.

x0

Black and Grey

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas?

After my little knitting hiatus, I wanted to show you this pretty bit of fluff.

It’s black and grey and not blue.

Dang camera.

It’s Alpaca.

I am making another gardenview shawlette (like the yeti one) for my Dad’s GF for Christmas.

I would never ever have thought black and grey would qualify as a pretty shawlette, but it’s coming out AMAZING.

I am also confused how I wouldn’t think black and grey would work together being it’s about all I wear.

So I have to have this thing done before Thursday but I am about 10 yards from running out of that one skein of yarn.

The yarn shop is closed today.

So tomorrow you’ll know where I’ll be…and then crankin’ out the last 2 leaves and then blocking it and than wrapping it.

My one holiday knit is turning out to be a little problematic.

Good thing I have Gru as my mentor.

Because when you are a super-villian you don’t care necesarily if your leafy shawlette is done by Christmas.

You only care about stealing the Moon and having power.

All I want is that darn yarn store to open up, so I can finish my shawlette.

farm fresh

I got it.

Deb and I are splitting our box, so I met her with my ultra chic cool bag.

I had no idea how much produce we’d be getting so I played it safe and brought a HUGE bag.

The fact that it’s insulated and kept it fresh until I had time to sort it and wash it was BONUS.

This means it had to wait until this morning. I can’t possibly be expected to take pictures at night.

Pictures of produce are life changing, so I knew I had to get it right.

pumpkin for baking Thanksgiving treats; and an ENORMOUS avocado.

persimmons, red carrots (RED?? really) and some apples.

We are an apple short now.

we are having some debate over what this is. At first I thought it was swiss chard, but I googled it for it’s nutritional content and saw they are red (the stalk anyways) so now I think it’s a bok choy.

either way, we like it.

some lovely greens.

squash, that lil punkin again and a YAM the size of JJ’s head.

see

a bundle of fresh herbs.

Come back later to see what we cook up!

xo

do you think??

Do you think this might be finished by Thanksgiving?

Do you think Aidez makes my butt look big?

Could knitting a beast of a cabled sweater all in one piece be any more brain wracking?

Could I be any fonder of the color Orange?

Is it possible for me to spend my free time without yarn in my hands?

Possible, but painful

It IS cold season and cabled things just make life cozier.

and YES I DO dress kinda like Bob Cratchit.

You see it’s cold at my desk.

Sad but true…Hey, nice scarf buddy.

My orchids refuse to bloom, they think they live in the arctic.

As do I.

I’m off to make some sexy muscles today.

Also…

and this is super cool….

I get to do some yoga this week …IN STUDIO

AND

we pick up our FIRST CSA box Thursday.

AND

AND

AND

it’s a long weekend.

HEY, things are looking UP.

Take THAT SCROOGE!

when it’s gross outside

First the weekend starts out and it’s kinda gross.

Rainy, cloudy, almost sunny, cloudy, rainy.

In that order.

All day long.

It’s the kind of day where you time it just so you make your Costco run in the cloudy/almost sunny/cloudy part of the day.

But before that, the neighbor kids grab JJ for a short soccer lesson.

Since its still in the cloudy/almost sunny/cloudy time of day, you jump at the chance to kick him outside agree.

You are witnessing his first ever soccer experience .

Since it’s cloudy/almost sunny you take your tea and yarn with you while you pretend watching your son play soccer for the first time isn’t making you weepy.

You take pictures because you are just weird like that.

This was an “almost sunny” moment.

It was actually kinda nice when it was almost sunny.

Still pretending not to be weepy when other people love your booger-face, almost as much as you do.

Since it’s still cloudy/almost sunny, you quickly get your shopping done.

You also spend way more than you meant too at Costco, but relish in the fact that you will now survive the Apocalypse.

You know, so long as you have gas and electricity, and well, you can still run a blender.

Just sayin.

Since after your window of almost sunny changes back to rainy/cloudy, it’s time to have kids over to play Kinectimals.

Anything to keep your soccer player burning off toddler angst is good news.

Since I’m giddy we are having kids over, I bake.

Okay, I bake anyways but I use them as an excuse.

It’s an oatmeal/raisin/chocolate chip kinda day.

Help yourself!

Since it’s gross outside on day two of the weekend, and you would rather knit than have a face-off with your bored toddler, you let him catch his death of cold jump in puddles.

Maybe you debate with Dad, the whole “catching your death of cold” as being some story your Mother told, you probably just because she didn’t want to bother cleaning mud off your shoes.

You win.

But first you get prepared.

Since you live in California, it’s a little ridiculous to think you really could catch your death of cold.

But you rarely get to wear a hooded coat so it’s more for coolness than for need.

But it IS 50 degrees outside so it’s a coin toss.

Since you made a pair of adorable Rainbow Bright wristeez and your stinker-butt toddler took them, you knit yourself a second pair.

Since you’re pretty sure they are very Rainbow Bright but are a tad hazy, you go google it.

I should have made them longer
Finding Rainbow Bright with a light-saber just increases the coolness factor.

By like a million!

Since your toddler plays outside in freezing California weather for exactly 12 minutes, you don’t get much knitting done.

Since it’s more rainy/gross than cloudy/almost sunny today, this is about as cool as your weekend gets.

You also watch Chicken Little.

Yesterday I did some Zumba Fitness on Kinect.

Today I am thinking something with more muscle power.

Excuse me while I carry my bored toddler upstairs for his third time out.

Just how it is when it’s gross outside.

xo

ps…I actually DID hit my KAL mark for week 3. SHEW