Toddler - Ali Manno (Fedotowsky)

Yay! 50% – 60% off Kids Clothes!!!!

Ali Manno — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 09:00:31 +0000

Good morning!!!! OKAY I HAVE to talk about this sale! First for transparency, this blog post is sponsored by Carter’s, Afterpay and ShopStyle Collective. I am so so so excited to be working with them because they are one of my favorite kids clothing brands of all time and it’s 50%-60% off their entire site today! This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for me because Molly and Riley are in desperate need of warmer clothes.

HAT | 2. SUNGLASSES | 3. STRIPED TOP | 4. SUSPENDERS | 5. JOGGERS | 6. BOOTS

Okay, that’s a half lie, perfect timing because my kids need clothes, but also a little tough timing after all of my holiday shopping – I’m sure so many of you are in the same boat. But I have a solution! You guys know I love Afterpay, and this is one of those situations where I’m thankful for it! Essentially, I can stock up on a bunch of cute kiddo clothes for Molly and Riley right now, but I only have to make 25% of the total amount to start. So, let’s say I get a bunch of stuff for Molly and Riley from the Carter’s sale and spend $100 (and trust me you can get a ton of stuff for $100, just look at the prices below). By selecting Afterpay at checkout, I only have to pay $25 today and I can pay the rest over three more payments. So 4 payments total over 6 weeks. Plus, there’s zero interest with Afterpay*, which is lovely. Anyway, it’s a great option for those of you who want to shop the Carter’s sale but you just shopped your heart out for the holidays. I’m in that boat too. I’ll put the link here so you can check it out. Oh, and FYI you can use it in-store too! Just open the Afterpay app and tap it to the credit card reader like you would a credit card and you’re good to go!

Regardless of my holiday shopping, my kids need warm clothes and I need them at a great price. I think I’m still kind of used to the California way of life where they wear the same thing pretty much year-round, maybe with a light jacket in the winter. But now that we live in Nashville and there’s all the seasons, I’m realizing that it’s so much harder to keep up with your child’s wardrobe because you not only have to switch for the seasons, but then every season you have to buy all new stuff because they’ve grown out of the stuff before. That’s why finding affordable kid’s clothes is so so so essential for me right now and I’m sure for all of you.

So, the fact that Carter’s site is 50% off everything (or more!) is insanity! I’m going to show you and link Molly and Riley’s outfits because I think they’re the cutest ever! But if for some reason they’re out of stock, just head over to their site and check out all the things they have because they have tons of similar items and just the cutest clothes in general. Not just for toddlers! They have clothes for baby’s and bigger kids too! So, if you have children older or younger than mine, Carter’s is a great option for the whole family.

Riley’s outfit

His Boots

I don’t normally start an outfit talking about the shoes, but the fact that Riley’s boots were originally $46 and are now on sale for $17 is just insanity. They are so cute, high-quality and look like they could be $75 toddler shoes, if not more. In fact, check out all the little boy shoes/boots on their site because they’re at such great prices and if your children are anything like mine, they go through shoes so quickly because they wear them out while playing.

Long Sleeve Tee

Riley’s little pocket jersey tee is also the cutest and $9 with the sale. Like what?! It’s hard for me to even wrap my head around that price for such great quality. I’m so excited about it. I just bought a few more in other prints because it’s such a good deal. This is the type of shirt that’s great for layering in the winter, but also really great to wear in the spring and fall, or even a cool summer night. In fact, this is such a great basic shirt that I even bought some in the size up because I know that he’ll be able to wear them in the future and it’s such a great price. I got this navy blue version too.

Joggers

Speaking of great prices, his pull-on French terry joggers are $6. When I saw the price, I immediately went to check out and went back to the link because I wanted to get more in bigger sizes as he grows and even though the larger size for toddlers were sold out, I realized that Carter’s separates their kids clothes into baby, toddler, and kids sizes. So even if you click on any of these links and you don’t see your child size, it could be because it’s the toddler version and you need to look for either the baby version or the kid version. I’ll link all three in the joggers below so you can see what I mean. It also comes in other colors.

Accessories

I always think a cute pair of toddler sunglasses just instantly make a child’s outfit look cuter. A lot of people don’t think kiddos need sunglasses in the winter, but the snow can be pretty blinding, so I don’t only think they’re cute I think they’re a necessity. Riley’s are on sale for 50% off and only $7!

This buffalo sherpa hat, was the first thing I bought for Riley’s outfit. When I first saw it I knew I wanted to create his outfit entirely around this hat. When I got it, it was $24, but it’s on sale at 60% off for $9.60. It is darling and super warm. I also really love that it has the chinstrap so it actually stays on his head. I feel like in the winter I’m constantly trying to keep their hats on their heads because they fall off. So, this was just great for functionality as well. There’s a bunch of reviews so check those out for sizing because it’s only available in one size. I think this would be appropriate for children 2 – 4/5 years old. I tried it on Molly‘s head just to see if it fits her, but she would definitely only be able to wear it for one season. Whereas Riley will get to wear this for a few years. Just FYI both my kids have really large heads. They get it from their mama.

Last but not least, I will link these super cute pair of suspenders! Baby/toddler/kids suspenders hold a special place in my heart.

To Complete the Look

Oh my gosh, I just ordered this sherpa vest because I feel like it would be so cute to complete the outfit! It’s on sale for 50% off and only $17! It has incredible reviews!

Molly’s Outfit

Boots

Once again I’m going to start with the boots because I feel like this outfit revolves around these adorable boots! First, they are 58% off! They’re normally $48, which is the price they were when I got them, and they’re on sale for $20 right now! What a steal!

1. HAT | 2. SHERPA VEST | 3. A SIMILAR PLAID DRESS | 4. BOOTS |

They are fully in stock in all toddler sizes right now so get them as fast as you can! They are darling, so easy to put on, and I love how cute they are, but more importantly Molly loves wearing them. I love that they have a zipper that goes all the way down on the side just so they are super easy for her to put on herself.

It’s also available in kid sizes, but the stock is more limited. And they come in black too!

Sherpa Vest

Molly’s fuzzy sherpa vest is also on sale for 60% off. It was originally $36 and now it’s $14.40. It comes in ivory and black. This is just one of those items that no matter what I put on her, I feel like if I throw on a little vest to layer it, it just instantly makes the outfit cuter and warmer! So functional and cute! Plus, she said she feels fancy and in it, which I love.

Plaid Dress

I’m so bummed because Molly’s plaid dress is sold out. But I’ll link a similar version here for you guys that’s just as cute! It even has a little sparkle which I think she may have preferred. Ha! What I love about the similar option is that it’s 60% off and only $13.60. Of course, I like the price. But even more so, I love that it’s also got a little bit of a spring flair. Kind of like a farmhouse look. So this dress will easily work for her just as well come the spring and even early summer. In fact, I’m ordering right now because I love it so much. Her Carter’s boots and this dress will be the cutest ever together!

Hat

Can I finish off her outfit with this cozy hat? It’s 60% off and $8 and just really cute and warm. So, if you’re on the site to get some items from the sale and your child needs a new fuzzy hat, this is a great one!

Sparkly Shoes

Last thing I want to link from the Carter’s site are these gold/glitter ballet flats. Molly thinks they are the best thing she’s ever owned. What little girl doesn’t love a sparkly pair of shoes! So, I just want to link these for you guys cause Molly loves them so much.

Great Clothes, Great Prices!

Hope you guys enjoyed this blog post. I know it can be really hard to find affordable clothes that are well-made. Carter’s prices are already really really great for the quality you get! But the fact that you can get this huge discount on top of that is just really a parent’s dream! Super cute, well-made clothes for an incredibly good price! Don’t forget you can use Afterpay to shop the sale! Just select Afterpay at checkout. I’ll link everything one more time below!

*For Afterpay you must be over 18, a resident of the U.S. and meet additional eligibility criteria to qualify. Late fees may apply. Click here for complete terms. Loans to California residents made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license.

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Healthy Screen Time!

Ali Manno — Wed, 12 May 2021 11:44:30 +0000

A lot of you asked me what I’ve done over the last year or what I’ve done in general to teach my kids. As many of you know Molly has started reading 3 letter words, sight words and spelling as well! I’m really proud of her and how far she’s come and I’m definitely hopeful to get Riley on a learning path that works for him too!

The reason I love this blog so much today is that I feel like it really demonstrates how each and every child learn so differently and hopefully by showing you how we pivoted with Riley, I can help you choose what’s best for your child.

Children Have Different Learning Needs

I wanna start by saying that Osmo sponsored this post (and they gave me the code ALI20 for all of you to get 20% off all their products – just FYI). They sent us all the product and I truly didn’t know what to expect when they sent it. From what I’ve seen online, it looked so cool and I thought for sure that it was going to be perfect for Molly! And that thought held true. Molly loves it and it’s helping continue her learning in such an incredible way. But what I wasn’t expecting is how much Riley loves and NEEDS Osmo. Osmo helps kids grow to be more confident, thoughtful, and creative!

Let me backtrack for a second. Riley turns 3 this month and when Molly was his age she not only knew all her letters, but she could probably write the majority of them. Molly has always been ahead of the game and I have so many things and people to thank for that. But Riley is just developing a little bit slower and that’s totally okay. I know my kids are going to achieve different milestones in their life at different times. Riley will learn at his own pace.

I tried a few different things with Riley. I’ve tried no screen time at all. Just sitting with him showing him different letters pointing them out on paper or magnets, but he pretty quickly gets distracted and just wants to build with blocks. Then I’ve tried apps. That works a little bit better because what child doesn’t love an iPad, but even though he could connect with things on the screen I noticed sometimes it was a little hard to hold his attention – especially at his age. Sometimes I give him the iPad with an educational app and then I come back five minutes later and he somehow found his way over to Youtube. Ha!

Healthy Screen Time!

What I absolutely love about Osmo is that it’s a whole-child approach to education and combines his need for using his hands to build and create, but then also his love of using his iPad into a more healthy screen time experience that is actually really helping him learn. Honestly, the first time I saw him use it I was blown away. I never really thought about how he needed something tangible to hold in his hands to understand what a letter was or how different shapes make a letter.

He absolutely blew me away the first time he used the app when he easily created the letter “R” using the different shapes provided with the Little Genius Starter kit. I honestly didn’t think he could do it and then he did! Shortly after he made a “T” and then the “S”. I truly couldn’t believe it because Riley has shown little to no interest with learning how to write or identify letters. But these fun little shapes are so intriguing to him that he can build letters using them and then see them on screen.

What is Osmo?

It’s almost impossible to explain because it’s so many things and is so wonderful. Essentially it’s an educational learning platform that allows children to create letters, number, art, shapes (pretty much anything!) using tangible pieces. Then those things are transported “magically” to their tablet. It truly creates the most unique and creative hands on learning experience that you have to see to believe.

And the learning is child led! Which basically means that the app increases in difficulty as the game progresses and as your child learns.

Little Genius Starter Kit

Molly and Riley started with a Little Genius Starter Kit (The Starter Kits range for ages 3 through 10).The kit comes with everything you need to get started, plus a bunch of great educational apps that work with the tangible pieces included. It’s not only super helpful to help them with letters, but it also has an app called Squiggle Magic that Molly is obsessed with because it lets her make incredible 3-D art that is then transferred from her page to the screen! It’s hard to explain in text so head to my Instagram later today to see the video of them using it. Essentially whatever shape the pieces makes on the play mat, the app then scans it and brings it right into the app on screen. Molly and Riley both think it’s like magic!

And Riley really loves the Costume Party App where you can put different costumes on a character on the play mat and those costumes will pop on that character on screen. Like I said this isn’t just about education but also creative play so they can use their little imaginations to create whatever they like!

Monster Add On

If drawing and art is something your child loves I highly highly highly recommend adding the monster add-on for your child. It comes with three amazing apps.

Monster

Monster is wonderful because your child can essentially just draw whatever they’d like and their little imaginations can create and it will be transferred to the screen where it comes to life!

Masterpiece

The masterpiece app is honestly one that I love and I find myself doing. This one’s better for older kids, but Molly still loves doing it even though it’s a little tough for her right now. Essentially an image is shown on screen that you’re able to trace on your mat to create pretty incredible drawings! Like I said it’s a lot of fun and I even find myself doing it.

And beyond art, it also shows letters and numbers on the screen that Molly can then copy on her mat or even trace (since she can see her hand on the screen – see pic below). I especially love this part of this app because Molly frequently draws her numbers and letters backwards. As you can see in the picture below her 7 is backwards. And she almost always does her 5, 6, 9 backwards. So I’m so proud to see that she’s starting to understand what direction they go from using this app! I really think of the mirror imaging in the masterpiece app allows her brain to do it the way she thinks and then double check it against the screen to then quickly see it’s not the right way. Where as if she was just tracing dotted lines on a paper she’d be tracing instead of really learning to do it herself.

Newton

Newton is the third app you get with this add-on and this is the perfect app for a little future engineers! Again it’s hard to explain via text, the magic of these apps is really seeing your children use them in person. But essentially you solve physics puzzles by drawing lines or placing objects in front of the screen.

Parent App

Another feature I really love is that there’s a parent app where you can login and see what your child has accomplished for the day. Plus, see how much time they spent using it. I really really really love this feature because it allows me to walk away and let them do their thing with Osmo and then have a full picture later of what they actually did. I don’t actually have to sit with them to make sure they’re doing it. I’ll know later! That means no swiping away and going to YouTube. Ha! But honestly they never even try to do that because they love it so much!

We Love It!

There are so many more incredible add-ons and apps that I could talk about, but I’ll leave those for another time since I think this is more than enough to get you started! If you still need some convincing, I think it’s pretty cool to know that Osmo is used in over 32,000 schools worldwide. So it’s not only parent approved, but it’s teacher approved! Oh, and I also highly recommend getting the Grab and Go Storage Case because it is essential for keeping things organized. Molly and Riley both have one.

If you get one, don’t forget to use the code they gave me ALI20 for 20% off! It’s a really great discount and I really believe that this will be some of the best money you’ve ever spent, especially because it’s investing in your child’s learning and future! Let me know if you guys have any questions in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer all of them!

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Top Deals on Toys

Ali Manno — Thu, 03 Dec 2020 12:36:02 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber weekend everyone! Thanksgiving is such a beautiful holiday. One that we really celebrate Thursday to Sunday. In general this is truly the best tie of year because it’s all about being with the people you love. And of course giving thanks for all that we have. I know a lot of people all over the country are unable to be with their loved ones this year because of the pandemic and I just want to tell all of you that I am thinking of you and if you’re reading this I hope you feel all the love and positive vibes I am sending you way! Not only this Thanksgiving weekend but all holiday season long.

The kids actually got an extra special surprise today. Our elf on the shelf, Cocoa, came a few days early and had a big present with her! This was Mimi‘s idea! We watched Molly fall in love with cooking in the kitchen on Thanksgiving so like grandparents like to do, Mimi really wanted to spoil her with her very own play kitchen right here at Mimi and Papa‘s house!

PLAY KITCHEN

Anyway, seeing how much fun she’s been having with this kitchen today inspired me to write a blog post about toys I recently ordered for the kiddos for Christmas or ones that They just absolutely love!

I know finances are tight for a lot of us this year, so I am sharing options that I know are having great sales right now for Black Friday/Cyber Week especially at Walmart. You all know how much I love shopping online from Walmart because it is SO convenient to order right from their website to your door! Also, there are so many ways to shop. If you’re someone that likes to shop in the store or for drive-up, they make it so easy! I’m a big fan of Walmart and I’m so grateful they have been a long time sponsor of my site and this post!

PLAY KITCHEN

For example, I feel like the fact that this kitchen is on sale for just around $100 is such an incredible deal for how well it’s made! I’m telling you, spend a little extra to get something well-made this holiday season! It’s so worth it in the long run! Otherwise you’ll end up buying two kitchens like we had to because we got a less expensive one first.

Kinetic Sand

Fun for the whole family, well for adults and kiddos over 3! This kinetic sand kit is SO cool because it comes with a variety of colors to play with and it has tools that allow you to mix them and make swirls of the colors! Basically it’s almost like a little plastic tube with a plunger and you fill it and layer colors inside until it is full and then push the plunger through to create the shapes and swirls. And it comes with a bunch of other pieces like scoops and rollers to make more shapes with it. Kinetic sand is also known to be a stress reliever for adults. I can’t wait to play with it too ha!!

Bounce House

With a Slide/Ramp

If you’ve been following me during the pandemic, you will know how much use Molly and Riley have gotten out of their bounce house! They have so much fun with it and Kevin and I couldn’t be happier that it let’s our kiddos jump around safely indoors and get some of their energy out. And now that we are living in Indiana and going to be moving to Nashville, it is so perfect for days when weather isn’t perfect. What kiddo wouldn’t want to spend time jumping around in there! You could even add some plastic balls to make it even more exciting.

1. BOUNCE HOUSE WITH SLIDE | 2. BOUNCE HOUSE WITHOUT SLIDE

I’m not kidding when I say that it wears them out!!! They slept like champs after a day of bouncing! It sold out really quickly the first time I posted about it, but it’s back in stock, which I’m so excited about!!! This bounce house comes with a blower so even if you find other bounce houses that seem less expensive it’s usually because they’re bad quality or because they don’t come with the blower which is the most expensive part. I promise you if you get one of these it will be entertaining your kids all winter long while it’s cold outside. Look at all these photos of Molly and Riley, they are all a little blurry because of all the movement that is constantly happening when they are in there!

1. BOUNCE HOUSE WITH SLIDE | 2. BOUNCE HOUSE WITHOUT SLIDE

Without a Slide

We don’t have this one, but I stumbled across it and I thought it would be perfect for families with tighter spaces and maybe can’t fit the bounce house with the slide indoors. This one is also lower to the ground for smaller kiddos. I love it because it still has amazing reviews AND a built-in pump just like the one that we have! I can’t believe it! If you get it, please let me know what you think because that price is just soooo good – it’s less than $55 with the pump! Which is incredible!

As an honorable mention if you need something smaller, this inflatable Minnie ball pit is great to keep your kids entertained! We used to have one just like this in our living room with balls in it like a ball pit. You can imagine what that looked like ha! But it was so much fun for the kiddos and great for a rainy or snowy day inside – and not to mention staying safe inside for COVID! If your weather permits, I also think that this ball pit would be great in the backyard.

Play Kitchen

Mimi was sooooo excited about getting Molly and Riley a new play kitchen! If you remember, they use to have one but it was pretty unsafe because it could tip over if you pulled too hard. It was cute just wasn’t very durable or high quality(which I didn’t realize until owning it a while). Since Riley was still in the phase of pulling himself up, it wasn’t worth it for us to worry about so we got rid of it. The two options I found are for corners of the room and it seems so much safer since it can be anchored from two sides! Plus, there are so few furniture pieces or toys that fit into corners, that this amazing for a playroom or the corner of a bedroom. How cute is it the Molly is washing her hands and washing the dishes in the photos below. She’s her daddy’s daughter alright. Washing the dishes in the sink even though her kitchen has a dishwasher

PLAY KITCHEN

This first option is the one that Molly and Riley picked out when I scrolled through the website for them. It is so darling with the cutest details, like the fabric curtains in the windows! It has so many little features that are truly going to make this so fun. We just got ours in the mail yesterday at Mimi and Papa’s, so here are some photos of when Molly played with it for the first time today! And she is so excited to play in it today and “help” us with dinner!

PLAY KITCHEN

Some of the features that it has that I think are awesome are a little chalkboard on the freezer, storage shelves and little pegs for the play food and pots and pans, and I love that all of the doors and knobs work! Play kitchens are so much more fun when you can open up the doors and play inside! I mentioned above, but for just around $100 this is such an incredible deal.

1. WHITE PLAY KITCHEN | 2. BROWN PLAY KITCHEN

Another great one that I found was this one which is also by KidKraft, but it has lights and sounds! So for example, the stovetop burners and ice maker both have lights and sounds, which is so fun! Again, I just love the corner design because it can be anchored so much safer and since it is made of wood, it’s much easier to secure than plastic. There are curtains, pegs for hanging and lots of storage just like the pink one we got! This play kitchen is on sale right now for about $85 off! Almost 50%! I recommend snagging one while they are on sale!

Magnetic Tiles

1. MAGNETIC TILES

Wow I cannot believe how affordable these magnetic tiles are for the sale!! Normally when I have seen these sold elsewhere they are about $110 for 100 tiles and it doesn’t come with anything else. Even if these were full price they would be absolutely worth it over all the other kits because it also comes 100 pieces including a carrying case to clean them up in, a car base, a wheel and 100 tiles! I couldn’t be more excited to find this deal – they are only $49 right now! That’s 50% off the normal price and closer to 60+% off from all the other sites I’ve seen. This is why I purchase Walmart toys! It has saved me so much money.

1. MAGNETIC TILES

They are perfect for building towers, which Molly loves to do and see who can build the tallest one. Your kiddos can also use them to create little “houses” for their small dolls or animals. These magnetic tiles provide truly hours and hours of creativity.

Easy Bake Oven

Initially I ordered this Easy Bake Oven for Molly to be able to cook alongside us on Thanksgiving, but I didn’t even realize that it’s a little out of her age range right now and is meant for 8 years and up. So since I realized it was a little too old for Molly, I’m going to be sending it to my niece for Christmas because she would love it so much!! I can’t believe how high tech it is since the days when I had one growing up and I truly can’t wait to get Molly another Easy Bake Oven one day!

1. EASY BAKE OVEN | 2. REFILL KIT WITH PRETZELS | 3. REFILL KIT WITH CAKE

It is such an amazing nostalgia gift, and I think it would be so perfect for anyone to put under their tree. Not only that, but if you have a white elephant gift or “gag” gift to buy for a coworker or family member, I think this would be a totally fun gift for adults to reminisce on childhood memories! I mean I can’t wait to help Molly make the pretzels or cakes someday.

Outdoor Houses

We haven’t gotten one of these quite yet, just because our housing situation is so up in the air, but I cannot wait to get a little outdoor playhouse for Molly and Riley! There are truly so many adorable options and I think that the kiddos would get so much use out of them! You can play nearly anything inside them, and not to mention if it’s a sunny day it will provide shade for them! I’m going to link to 2 items below that are both on sale right now! This first one is currently 50% off! It also has a small play kitchen built inside which makes this an even better deal! The little flower boxes on the front are also so stinkin cute. I think you could put real flowers or herbs in there and teach your kiddos about the importance of watering them and taking care of them!

This second outdoor house is set up as “garden” style with a cafe style canopy and counters. This would be perfect for a kiddo that loves to play restaurant, kitchen or anything like that and could sell to you out the window! I think that is so adorable. It also has a working doorbell and 2 chalkboards which are such fun additions. I’ve seen similar wooden play houses for over $500, so to see this one with so many features be under $200 is amazing. Gotta love rollback deals!

A few other options!

I wanted to link a few other amazing gifts that I found while on my hunt:

My kids aren’t quite old enough for a scooter like this one, but how awesome that it lights up!!! What a cool and affordable gift, it’s only $34, and a great way to get the kids to play outside!

This Firefly swing set with LED Rainbow seats looks really fun and is not the typical swing set! It is about $60 off right now!

If you have a little princess who loves Disney Princesses, this Royal Celebration dollhouse is absolutely adorable and comes with furniture, a rooftop balcony and an elevator! And the best part is that it is about $50 off right now!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend!

Thanks so much for coming by the blog today! I hope you are having an amazingweekend spending time with your loved ones. Hopefully this post helped spark some ideas for your kiddos for the holidays and you are able to get some incredible deals! Tell me your favorite toys for kiddos in the comments below!

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