My Book Tour and Quick Book Declutter

Here is a quick tour of my amazing books that bring me so much joy! It is so hard to get rid of these guys. Here is where I am currently at with my book collection and organization. I am going to do a quick declutter in this video because I just picked up some new books last week and am starting to run out of room again.

Shared Boy And Girl Bedroom Tour: Striving For Minimalism!

Here is a tour of my kids' shared bedroom. Over the last year we minimized their closets substantially so that we only kept their favorite and most worn clothing. We have also minimized their huge horde of stuffed animals and have narrowed down their books. This is such a cozy place where we love to cuddle up and read!

Downstairs Play Area, Games and Art Supplies Tour

Here is a tour of our awesome playhouse, built by my husband and his best friend, our art center and the games and toys that our kids play with downstairs. This is our downstairs hang out area were we create, learn and build!

Minimalist Playroom and Kids Library Tour

Here is a tour of our kids' playroom. We have come a long way over the last year from toy hordes to striving for toy minimalism. We are constantly purging toys that we no longer love and our playroom has become a peaceful haven for fun and creative play. Every toy has a place and this room is super easy to clean and organize. This is my favorite room in the house!

First Grade Back to School Shopping Haul From Target!

Niko is going back to school! Here is what we picked up from Target this week using his new school's list and some extra fun supplies! We love back to school shopping!

Minimalist home-school resources tour and organization. First grade and preschool.

I am back! My kids are 5.5 and 3.5 and I going to start blogging again about our amazing supplemental home-school journey. My kids have completely different interests and learn in very different way. The only thing they have in common is that they love to learn. Since life is so hectic, I am going to switch over to my YouTube videos. 

Mr. B's Favorite Toys: 2-3 Years Old

Mr. B received a HUGE amount of birthday presents for his third birthday and we can't wait to explore them all. All these presents got me thinking about Mr. B's favorite toys from the last year.

Here are Mr. B's most played with toys from ages 2-3:

Imaginext 















Mr. B has two sets that he plays with all the time: the Fire Station and the Pirate Ship. These sets are very large and expensive but they do get a lot of play. We rotate toys constantly and the pirate ship is the only toy consistently kept in the playroom because he plays with it almost every day.

Toobs

I have been adding Toobs to all of our unit studies because Mr. B loves them. They are excellent manipulatives and make learning so much fun. Some of our favorite Toobs are The World Landmarks Toob (Mr. B still sleeps with his landmark toys), the Coral Reef Toob, the Space Toob (which started it all) and the Presidents Toob.

Dress Up Clothes 

Mr. B is ALWAYS in costume and his dress up box has become very full during the last year (thanks to thrift stores and Halloween sales). His favorite costume is of course his Darth Vader mask and helmet. He also loves to dress up as heroes (batman, superman, firefighters and police officers), construction workers and, recently, Harry Potter.

Weapons 

Mr. B has collected a plastic arsenal of weapons. He has enough swords, light sabers and wands to conquer a small imaginary kingdom. These are probably his favorite toys of all because he goes completely crazy for them (the promise of a pirate sword got him to use the potty after months of refusing).

Lego/Duplo 


Mr. B always ends up building himself more weapons out of Duplo (mostly elaborate laser blasters). He also loves Lego and recently started putting together the junior sets on his own. He loves the larger sets too and one of our favorite activities is putting them together. I buy Lego all the time because we all love it and are constantly building.

12 Piece Melissa & Doug Jigsaw Puzzles 

The puzzles with the wooden backing are perfect because Mr. B doesn't have to work on a flat surface (he can also bring the puzzle to me to show off his work when he's done!). The bright colors also make the pieces easier to put together. 12 pieces seems to be the magic number for the last few months because he gets overwhelmed with more difficult puzzles.

Dinosaur Digging Kits 

I found a few  kits at a consignment sale and Mr. B got hooked. He loves finding surprises so these kits are a lot of fun.

Vehicles 

Mr. B loves getting and playing with small cars (especially the cars from the Cars movies). I find these very cheap at thrift stores (about $3 for a bag) and give them out as special treats. Mr. B has amassed quite a few. He's recently started watching YouTube videos where these cars are raced on ramps so that may be what he will start asking for soon.

Sidewalk Chalk

Chalk is currently Mr. B's favorite medium. He will happily go outside and draw all over the cement in the back yard and has recently started practicing his letters. It seems easier for him than crayon or pencil.


Figurines 

Mr. B loves imaginary play so he treats his figurines like family members. They go everywhere with him. We love to get the sets at the Disney Store because they are based on his favorite movies.

Little People 

Mr. B has been a fan of Little People since he was a baby. I keep a huge container of these in the garage and get it out for him several times a month. I am always looking for more pieces at thrift stores. They are perfect for hours of imaginary play.

Sports

Mr. B received a T-Ball set for his second birthday and played with it every day. He recently received a baseball mitt and loves to play catch. He isn't crazy about riding bikes but loves his scooter and Little Tikes Cozy Coupe. 

Learning Resources Pretend & Play Doctor Set is another post. 

Other well loved toys include musical instruments (like his harmonica), the Green Toys Rocket Play-set and anything that his sister is currently playing with.