Summer Time Aesthetics for Teens + Tweens on a Budget - Blog Series part one

Have you noticed your kid now has an aesthetic?

When I first learned about it, I pictured it as Harajuku meets Hippie. I wasn't too far off!

photo via pinterest

What is an aesthetic?

It's a trend, of course, but it's like a head to toe trend-- mind, body, and soul. You don't just wear a fashionable outfit, you embody what you wear. Picture oversized clothes; baggy pants that are fitted at the waist (JNCO style for the 2020s), graphics usually 80s and 90s prints and characters, water flasks (it's just a water bottle!), fluffy blankets, bangle bracelets, scrunchies, and tie-dye ANYTHING! If you think you can vibe and hang, then you're listening to Lo-Fi Hip Hop and Chill Music. Kids now accessorize their whole style from their bedroom to what they walk out of the house in. It's artsy, it's fun, and it can get expensive. Like any trend, the stores to shop are Claire's, Justice, ItGirlClothing, and even Target or Walmart.

via Etsy seller

Building an aesthetic can get expensive!

I am looking for cheap ways to create an aesthetic for kids on a budget! I found one with the Swirl and Style Tie-Dye Studio kit, you get everything you need for $19.99 at Target. The Swirl n' Style kit is easy to use, and it comes with everything you need to start creating your own tie-dye clothes!

Exclusive Claire's Offer for my readers! Free Shipping on Orders $20+ at Claire's

How to create an aesthetic for the Fourth of July!

Go next level and match the night sky this July 4th with your own tie-dye tank! This is such an easy DIY with the totally mess-free Swirl and Style tie-dye kit by YULU-thanks for sending it to me for free! For just an initial investment of $19.99, you can be on your way to mess-free tie-dye. For tweens + teens, get your blanks at Forever 21. Parents, for your little ones, I find the best blanks are Hanes 5-packs or even Cat n Jack blanks at Target. You want to spend a little to reap a big reward in style and vibe.

Today I created a fireworks-inspired tank top with my Swirl and Style by YULU and a Forever 21 blank that I got on sale, it's the regular price is only $3.99. I really like Forever21 because of its high-quality tanks and affordability. Honestly, I have always been nervous to tie-dye clothes, but the Swirl n Style makes it really easy and totally mess-free, so it is also perfectly fine for kids to create their own tie-dye clothes on their own! 

You’re going to need your tie-dye kit, the Swirl n Style comes with everything you need to get started except the shirt of course. I am using a fork to help twirl the fabric all over the tank top to create swirls all over the tank top to mimic a burst of fireworks. Rubberband or tie each swirl, and follow the steps from the Swirl and Style kit or check out my first tutorial on my YouTube channel and blog.

What do you think of the finished product?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's tie-dye creation with the Swirl and Style! What are you doing to keep kids busy? Check out how to bust boredom with kids on my blog, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok! 

Show me what you create and tag me so I can like, comment, and share!

Tutti Frutti Dough Kits Perfect for Four Sense Sensory Play!

Imagine a dough set that provides all of the tools for a full play experience? Plus, it's non-toxic, it can be rehydrated if the kiddos leave the lid open a bit, and the scents are spot on! Tutti Frutti dough kits by Family Games America provides all that and more! With 23+ scented doughs in different color varieties to choose from, your kids will be fully engaged in play with their fruity scents, look, and feel.

Everything you need is inside the kit to give kids that push to expand their imaginations! Kids can explore dinosaurs, bake cupcakes, serve up some ice cream, or even share their belief in the magic of unicorns! Tutti Frutti dough kits provide all of that and more! 

We were sent the Tutti Frutti Dinoland Dough Kit for free to review, and this set keeps my kids totally engaged! Sure, the colors are mixed up now, but the scents are even more heavenly! When you mix the colors, the scents don't overlap, they blend! You can make 3D dinosaurs with the included tools, and four scented doughs. I love how the dough packed inside in a scalloped design. The scents are spot on, and refreshing, especially the lime green —it’s so fresh and lively! 

Each set varies in price, but offers up unique play experiences! Kids will be able to expand their imaginations as well as fulfill the necessary elements of play. Children will benefit from dough play cognitively and physically, like comprehension, fine motor skills, and even communication.

There are more kits that can be purchased like the Fantasy Scented Dough Kit, Cars Scented Dough Kit, Ice Cream Large Scented Dough Kit, and more! Buy directly from ToysGamesPuzzles.com. You can also purchase extra dough packs for more Tutti Frutti fun! 

Tutti Frutti Dough is proudly made in Canada, and is made of all-natural ingredients, and is non-toxic. The dough is so natural that if it dries out, you can easily hydrate it with some water. 

What do you think of dough kits like this? How do you keep kids engaged during isolation? As the world slowly opens back up, we still must try and keep playtime fun and educational! 

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LEGO ANNOUNCES NEW Super Mario Expansion Packs and Blind Bags!!!! ALL SETS REVEALED!

All LEGO Super Mario sets have been announced by LEGO today!

LEGO announced today that the world of Super Mario and LEGO are expanding even more with the addition of eight new expansion sets. In addition to that, there will also be mystery packs featuring one buildable character villains. Check out my video to see all of the sets, and don't forget to please like, subscribe, follow me on social media, and all of that jazz!

Each expansion set is a course that electronic Super Mario can travel through in order to complete to get to the next level. Each expansion set features different elements of the vast world of Super Mario, and you will find that each expansion set includes their level of nostalgia from the koopas to goombas. You will have to get the LEGO Super Mario Starter Pack first to fully enjoy the interactive capabilities of each expansion pack. LEGO and Super Mario fans can pick and choose their levels, or even collect the expansion packs as stand-alone sets. 

You can also collect costumes for Mario using the Power-Up Packs that include different outfits for Mario to wear, thus, making each level even more immersive!

In addition to the expansion sets, there will be a blind bad collection featuring 10 villains. The mystery packs will include a buildable villain, you can get Paragoomba, Fuzzy, Spiny, Buzzy Beetle, Bullet Bill, Bob-omb, Eep Cheep, Blooper, Urchin or Peepa! I will be very happy with a bunch of Bullet Bill duplicates!

The full LEGO Super Mario assortment will launch August 1st 2020, but fans can pre-order the LEGO Super Mario Starter Course on www.LEGO.com and from select leading retailers around the world now (subject to availability).

Expansion sets

71362 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Guarded Fortress Expansion Set (49,99 USD/EUR) You get large Pirahna Plant and even a Koopa 

71363 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Desert Pokey Expansion Set (19,99 USD/EUR) I’m so happy we have that little gopher guy!

71364 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Whomp’s Lava Trouble Expansion Set (19,99 USD/EUR) Notice the different touch points where electronic Mario will react to when connected. 

71365 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Piranha Plant Power Slide Expansion Set (29,99 USD/EUR) 

71366 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Bullet Bill AKA Boomer Bill Barrage Expansion Set (29,99 USD/EUR) 

71367 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Mario’s House & Yoshi Expansion Set (29,99 USD EUR) I love this set  — check out that adorable hammock that Mario is just chillin on! 

71368 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Toad’s Treasure Hunt Expansion Set (69,99 USD/EUR) 

71369 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Bowser’s Castle Boss Battle Expansion Set (99,99 USD/EUR) This is an epic set as it includes an actual boss. This particular expansion pack is chock full of last level elements, but you do need to add in expansions like the Thwomp Womp or even King Boo to really get the full effect. 

The next two sets are only available at select retailers. I will report more on this as I learn more!

71376 - LEGO® Super Mario™ Thwomp Drop Expansion Set (39,99 USD/EUR - available only with select retailers) 

71377 - LEGO® Super Mario™ King Boo and the Haunted Yard Expansion Set (49,99 USD/EUR- available only with select retailers) 

Character Packs

71361 – LEGO® Super Mario™ Character Packs (4,99 USD/3,99 EUR) Paragoomba, Fuzzy, Spiny, Buzzy Beetle, Bullet Bill, Bob-omb, Eep Cheep, Blooper, Urchin or Peepa!

I think the blind bags are a great way to build up your world and use the free app to help build each character. I honestly feel that LEGO mini figures would have been a great addition to this collection, but after looking at the expansion sets, they really do not fit. Johnathan Bennink, Digital Design Lead on LEGO Super Mario and his team brought this new world of Super Mario to life, thus allowing a whole new way to play with LEGO. Not only are you building, but your imagination is running wild, and giving Super Mario life in brick form.

“The reaction to LEGO Super Mario has been incredible,” said Jonathan Bennink, Digital Design Lead on LEGO Super Mario, the LEGO Group. “Super Mario is such an icon – and fans have been highly anticipating the release of the full details of the product line. Our entire range – from the Starter Course to the Power Up Packs, through to the Expansion Sets and Character Packs – have been built to bring Super Mario, his friends – and his enemies – to life. We love how creative Nintendo and LEGO fans are, and can’t wait for them to unleash their imaginations in how they interact with Super Mario in the real world.”  

What do you think of the new expansion sets and the announcement of the mystery pack? 

LEGO ANNOUNCES NEW Disney Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters (43179)

It all started with a mouse! 

LEGO just announced the new Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse build that will give Disney fans a true sense of DIY and nostalgia. The set comes with both Mickey and Minnie, along with key accessories like an antique camera and tripod, guitar, photo album, a bouquet of daisies, and they both stand on top of film strips with their iconic signatures. 

The new Disney Mickey and Minnie build will be on sale August 1, 2020, but available for pre-order online at LEGO.com starting July 1, 2020 for $179.99. This collection features two large scale figures standing just over one foot tall; Mickey is 14 inches (36cm), and Minnie is 13 inches (35cm). The Mickey and Minnie build is 1,739 pieces, requires no batteries, and will provide quality build time as a team, or give you some relaxing alone time as you build the most recognizable couple in pop culture history! While building, along the way, enjoy a coffee table style book of instructions featuring stories and historical facts to share while you show off you build.

Other builds you may enjoy is the Steamboat Willie set featuring Mickey and Minnie LEGO mini figures, and true to the first film, this whole set is in black and white. Add some friends to this piece with the LEGO Brickheadz Donald, and Goofy & Pluto sets. However, the Disney Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Buildable Characters (43179) set looks pretty amazing standing alone by themselves. 

What do you think? Will you be getting this set? Who else should be added to this collection? I would love to see Homer and Marge Simpson as two standalone figures next!

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Book and Bear June Subscription Box Unboxing and Review!

Plushies! Books! I feel like this is what childhood is all about, and Book and Bear consistently mixes these two childhood loves and makes the best subscription boxes that encourage pretend play and reading. 

Children will love the June 2020 Book and Bear box as it includes the super trendy, and just adorable llama! Book and Bear were kind enough to send us the June subscription box to unbox, and my boys were ecstatic! Not only does this box include a plush, a book matching the theme, activity, or toy, but the child also gets to experience stuffing their own plushie. The experience of unboxing this set alone is worth it and makes each month something to look forward to for children. 

We unboxed the Book and Bear Summer Series which included a large llama, a baby llama, a hardcover book for preschoolers featuring a llama, and a level two book about llamas. If llamas aren't your thing, you can purchase different themed boxes as a one time gift from dinosaurs to unicorns. Each box is carefully packaged, and carefully curated featuring the highest quality and the best books for your child.

The Book and Bear subscription box pairs a love of reading along with the power of the imagination! Plushies help move the story along, and I noticed that my younger son was very interested his book and baby llama. He took his plushie and "read" to the llama, plus he was totally engaged and did not stop his focus until we were done reading the story. My older son played tag with his llama plushie, and mimicked what he learned in the book about llamas.

Subscribe to Book and Bear now to get June, July, and August with their special Summer Series, which is a three-month subscription offer! Check out our unboxing video featuring the Dinosaur Book and Bear!

When ordering your Book and Bear subscription, be sure to order by the 30th of each month as they always ship by the 4th of the following month. I highly recommend this service! If you have more than one child, then you can order additional stuffing so all of the children can experience the fun and excitement of stuffing their own plushie. 

What do you think of subscription boxes for kids? Let me know in the comments!

New Toy Story 4 Karen and Forky Figure Set Unboxing and Review!

Forky and Karen Beverly Amazon Exclusive Set

The Pixar 25th Anniversary line rolled out new Toy Story 4 characters as a cool figure set, Forky and Karen, aka Forky’s Girlfriend, Knifey, and Karen Beverly are now playable toys!  This set features poseable Forky and posable Karen figures. Both figures have posable arms for recreating that post credit scene in Toy Story 4! 

How They Arrive! 

First, the box you will receive will be a closed box decorated with Toy Story 4 art, but it is not a regular blister pack or a package with figures attached to a backing card. Many collectors might find this presentation annoying, especially if you keep your toys in the box for display. When I first ordered the Forky and Duke Caboom set, it was also packaged in this style of box. Then after a few months, I noticed that they sold them in a regular package with the figures visible.  If you would like to wait, then I suggest you do so, however, these figures are great outside of the box. Since their size is proportioned perfectly for the 7" figure line, Woody can carry Forky to rest his tired popsicle stick feet.

Meet the Stars!

The figures are very cute and would be perfect for your collection or your kiddo’s toy box. 

Overall, I was unhappy with Forky’s construction, he fell apart before I could remove him from the box. I was very disappointed with that, but I will order a new set to see if this is a factory issue or just mine wasn’t put together correctly. It’s an easy fix for just display, but he cannot be played with as the feet come off easily from the spork. 

 

The Karen figure is so cute! The details are all there, even the little bits that I did not catch from the movie itself. At the back of her, she is missing the back of her dress, and it is just held in place with some tape. The three decorations on her dress are actually a sequin and two stickers. There are little shoe scallops on the feet to show that Karen is wearing fancy shoes. I made my own Knifey/Karen on my channel, and I think I did a pretty good job - check out the video!  I just love all of these details, and Mattel paid homage to this very minor, yet memorable, character quite well! The construction is great, but she does not stand up very well. The material is kind of bendy, so you can position her, but she just bends down again after a few seconds. For play, she is perfect, but for display, this figure may need some tweaking!

You can find Forky and Karen exclusively on Amazon now for just $12.99! 

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New Rubik's TILT & Rubik's Revolution Puzzle Games Review + Giveaway!

Fans of the Rubik's Cube now have even more ways to play their beloved puzzle cube. Super Impulse sent us a couple new Rubik's cube toys to play with, and I must say - they are both so much fun! I love them so much that I will be giving them away. Head to my Instagram for to enter to win!

Rubik’s Revolution is a light chasing game that also tests your agility, memory, hearing, and motor skills. It’s a lot of fun for one or even during multiplayer mode. This is a reboot of the original Rubik’s Revolution for this newly interested generation of cubers! Find it on Amazon for $19.99.

Rubik’s TILT is the first release coming out apart of the TILT line by Super Impulse. The TILT line will include titles from Hot Wheels, Tetris, and LOL Surprise. The Rubik’s TILT is a digital version of the classic Rubik’s cube, and in order to play you tilt and turn to move the cube parts to match the colors. Like the Rubik’s Cube there is great skill involved, but the TILT makes it easy with the different modes to assist players. Find it on Amazon for $19.45.

Looking for more gifts for a Rubik's cube fan? Super Impulse has revitalized this line with fun and new ways to play. Try out World's Smallest Rubik's Cube on for size where you can fit your favorite puzzle in your pocket! Check out my YouTube video featuring all of the coolest stuff (like miniature Wacky Packages!) coming out by Super Impulse! 

Get them both on Amazon!

Roar-some Toys and Games to Celebrate National Dinosaur Day!

Happy Dinosaur Day! It's no secret that little kids love dinosaurs. I think every child I have ever met has started their learning journey with the learning of the names of dinosaurs, which is why I feel this day is so important! 

Dinosaurs aren’t coming back in real life anytime soon, but I have a great selection of toys and games that are perfect to celebrate this occasion!

Tutti Frutti Dinosaur Land Scented Dough Kit, Family Games America, $12.99 3+

Mold your very own 3D dinosaur figures out of yummy-scented dough! Tutti Frutti Dinosaur Land scented dough kit is the perfect way to celebrate dinosaurs and learn about these prehistoric creatures! With 23+ scented doughs in different color varieties to choose from, your kids will be fully engaged in play by smell, look, and feel. The Tutti Frutti Dinosaur Land Dough Kit comes with four dinosaur molds to create 3D dough dinosaurs, three tools, and four scented doughs. I love how the dough packed inside in a scalloped design. The scents cannot be beaten—they are just so yummy! This kit comes with strawberry, blueberry, lime, and orange-scented doughs. There are more kits that can be purchased like the Fantasy Scented Dough Kit, Cars Scented Dough Kit, Ice Cream Large Scented Dough Kit, and more! Buy directly from ToysGamesPuzzles.com. Tutti Frutti Dough is proudly made in Canada, and is made of all-natural ingredients, and is non-toxic. The dough is so natural that if it dries out, you can easily hydrate it with some water. 


Gigantosaurus Toys, Jakks Pacific, various, 3+ 

Roar & Stomp Giganto He really does roar and his mouth opens wide, too. Kids will love making him stomp, because with each step you can hear the thunderous stomp that belongs to Giganto. Roar & Stomp Giganto has six points of articulation: legs, arms, tail, and his mouth. Jakks Pacific, Amazon $29.99 Target $29.99 | Walmart $29.97 Roar & Gigantosaurus Plush Dolls featuring the cast of the show are the perfect gift option. 4-pack Gift Set on Amazon 


Giganotosaurus Figure pack featuring  Bill, Mazu, Rocky, Tiny, and Giganto. Jakks Pacific, Amazon $19.97 

 4-pack without Giganto Amazon $12.99

Gigantosaurus Mobiles that bounce up and down give a lot of movement and fun to playtime! Perfect for little hands to push along and play! Jakks Pacific, Amazon $9.97 

Dinosaur Themed Summer Toys, Intex, various, 3+

Intex Dinosaur Water Play Center Family Pool has sprayers, splash areas, and mini slides for toddlers to giggle and splash down on. The fun dinosaur theme gives dinosaur-loving kids plenty to explore with and may even spark some imaginative Jurassic play!  It also includes six colorful balls to add further water play! Easily inflate the pool with an electronic pump (not included), so playtime fun can be had in just moments! If it’s too cold to play outside, I bring the fun inside with my Intex pools by filling them with colorful plastic balls! Target $39.99 | Blaine’s Farm and Fleet $34.99 | Amazon $74.00 YIKES! 

Intext Bop Bag is perfect for indoor and outdoor fun is the Intex Bop Bag, which is a great boredom buster and will also give your kiddos some PE credits for homeschooling. My son has to complete 180 minutes of dedicated exercise through play for physical education at home, and this will definitely help him exercise without even realizing it. Amazon $14.99

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