Me [haven't] love you long time...

You'd think that being home would afford me some time to catch up on blogging, but it doesn't.  At all.  I should try to carve out some time (all of my zero followers deserve some attention!)

There is a whole lot to tell... but I'll get to that at a later time.  Maybe.  I wanted to sit and write down the MUST HAVE items on my list.  This ranges from baby to 4 and they are the items I couldn't have gotten by without - or struggled without for way too long.

Baby

Babies don't need much.  Really.  Despite what your amazon registry wizard tells you.  They need a place to sleep, something to hold poop, something to eat, and someplace safe for those rare times you need to pee or shower.  Those are NEEDS.  There are a few things that make life with baby SOOOOOO much easier.

A place to "play" on the floor.  A play mat.  Whatever.  I used the comforter that came in the crib bedding set.  We also had a play mat with some attached toys (one with lights and sounds), a mirror, some other interesting baby stuff.  Tummy time is important and this really helps.

A Baby Carrier.  I'm going to recommend a Tula.  I had an ergo, but got rid of it as soon as I discovered the Tula.  Tula is super comfortable and easy to adjust.  I used a wrap only with Kendall, and she was super happy in there.  Brooke hated the wrap, plus, a SSC (soft structured carrier) is quicker and easier to cart and I can do a back carry like a pro! Any stretchy wrap will do.  Moby, Sleepy, Happy, whatever.  I also really liked a ring sling.

A nice changing pad.  The one I have is no longer made.  Sad Face.  But the Keekaroo is really close.  I actually got to look at the Keekaroo in person and it's really nice.  While they seem expensive - it's really not that bad.  When you add up the cost of a foam changing pad, plus all the covers you need, it's the same.

OXO Wipe Container.  We use cloth diapers and wipes, but this works for any wipe.  For cloth wipes, it's amazing.  I was using an old disposable wipe container to house my cloth wipes.  It wasn't an extra cost and it was OK, but it was hard to get the wipes out since they're so thick.  I've been coveting the OXO Wipe Container for years, but when it came down to it, I just couldn't justify the $20 (I know, it's just $20, but I already had something that did the job OK) I ran across a brand new one at our local cloth diapering store in the consignment section for $7.99.  While this was over my usual spending limit of $5, I snatched it up and now I'm kicking myself for not doing it earlier.  This thing is great!  It has a weighted center piece that keeps the container from lifting up when you pull out a wipe so you can do it one handed.  Priceless!

A swing or bouncer.  Our kids lived in the swing.  My only recommendation, get one that plugs in, otherwise you'll be going through batteries like mad.  We did use rechargeable batteries, but they needed to be recharged really often, and sometimes that meant they died in the middle of use.  Bummer.

A good Highchair.  I haven't found THE ONE yet.  I want one that has a small footprint (these are so wide so they don't tip) that's easy to clean and is on wheels.  Without a hefty price tag, I have yet to find something that matches that.

Toys for All Ages

We don't get our kids many toys.  We like simple toys that encourage creative play.

IKEA toy kitchen.  By far this gets the most use of anything in our house.  The girls LOVE it.  It's a kitchen, a castle, a school... whatever.  Buy it and some play kitchen stuff - we got the IKEA pots and pans and the veggie basket.  We also have Melissa & Doug Cookies that see a lot of playtime.

IKEA easel.  Chalkboard on one side, dry erase on the other.  This thing is cheap, sturdy, and classic.  Get it.

Slide.  Get an indoor slide.  We have the discontinued VIRRE from IKEA - if you can find one, snatch it up because not only is it fun, but it looks great.  Our kids play on this thing all day long.

Tegu Blocks.  My girls love these, too.  These are magnetic blocks in super fun colors (or maple) and they're amazing.  Adults also love them.

Something with wheels.  Our girls love to play with cars/trucks.  Green Toys has some cool dump trucks.  

A stacker and/or sorter.  Another "baby" toy that both our girls still love to play with.  We have the Green Toys sorter and Fisher Price Stack & Roll Cups (I'm not sure they make this any more, but it's awesome) and Fat Brain Tobbles Neo.

Green Toys Tool Box.  Green Toys are made using recycled milk jugs.  They're super cool.  Our girls have the pink tool box and it is played with often.  Kendall also knows a flat head from a philips head.  Win!  (And if you don't, it's ok, they're labeled!)

Tea Set.  Again, Green Toys.

Markers and a Composition Book.  Kendall thinks this is the coolest.  She spends a good hour a day writing or coloring in her composition book.  She practices her letters and numbers or draws pictures.  It's really cool to flip through and see her progress, too.  So simple, but so much fun.

Kindle.  Just get your kids a kindle.  We do kindle freetime, which gives your kids access to Amazon's library of age appropriate content.  Kindle's now come with removable SD cards, so you can add storage.  We got a 16 gig, which holds about 8 movies - our plan is to upgrade Kendall's kindle in the next year or so and give her old one to Brooke.  One of the things I really love about the Kindle (other than the fact they're sooooo much cheaper than an iPad and give you much better control over their use) is that you can download content directly to the kindle, so you don't have to worry about WiFi.  You can keep any digital downloads in the cloud and access them at any time over WiFi, but we downloaded our favorites (as I said, hers holds 8 movies) so if we're out or our WiFi isn't working or is too slow (as is often the case) she can still watch her favorites.