Last Minute Gift Ideas for Kids UNDER $10 Shipped (with Prime)!

Okay, you are down to the wire!  You have only a couple of days, and still haven't finished that Christmas list!  You need to get a couple little things for one kid, or you have a niece or nephew that you never got a want list for.  Worst yet, you don't have much money to spend!

I've put together a little list of items to help you out with your last minute shopping.  As of today, each of the items on this list are under $10.00, shipped, if you are using Amazon Prime shipping.  **Please note that Amazon changes their prices often, so there is a chance they could be more.  Also note, that these items have a list price of no more then $14.99, so if you pay more then that, you are over paying ;).**

I went with items that we have, will be getting this year, or are on our own wish lists, so I think most of the stuff here is a good deal!

Movies:

    Liberty's Kids - The Complete Series Just $5.99 shipped!  This one is going under our tree this year!

Barbie as The Princess and the Pauper $7.50 shipped.  This is my personal favorite for the Barbie movies!  Highly recommend!

Thomas and Friends: Calling All Engines! We have nearly all of the Thomas movies.  And this one is just $5.00 shipped with prime!  Great deal!

Lets Hear It for the Laurie Berkner Band  Only $5.49 shipped!  (prime)  We love Laurie Berkner and Explorer asks for her all the time!!

Crafty stuff:

We have the girl's version of these Melissa and Doug Make a Face Pads.  These things are HUGE 14x12 inches and my kids all fought over them!!  They ship for between $5.00 and $6.00 each (with prime).  Lots of fun!  Click on the photo to purchase.

American Girl Crafts Memory Book, Friends There are a few of these American Girl Crafts that fall under $10.00 this is one of them, it is priced at just $7.99.  I think it looks cute! I do think it is a small book, though, so take that into account when you are ordering :).

My First Sticky Mosaics® Vehicles  I think these look very cool!  We put them on the kids' wish list this year.  The price is $9.78 shipped.  There are other options, too-princesses, pets, cars, fairies, and more.



Educational Items:

The Learning Journey Match It! What Goes Together $8.53 shipped (prime) this is a great pre-reading game.  We have a few sets from this company and they are all sturdy and well made.

Melissa and Doug Space Voyage Jigsaw 48 Piece Melissa and Doug makes tons of puzzles, most of which are under $10.00.  This one is $9.67 shipped and has 48 pieces!  Their puzzles have anywhere from 3 to 100 pieces.

Melissa and Doug Lace and Trace Pets $8.99 shipped.  We have these and really like them!

Toys:

Marvel Iron Man 3 Figure $7.99 shipped (prime) great for any little superhero fan!

My Little Pony Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy Crystal Sparkle Bath Set $9.44 shipped!

LEGO LEGOVille Police Bike  There are a FEW of the lego sets left under $10.  This one is $9.92.  But, they always make a great gift!

Neat-Oh! LEGO ZipBin Head Toy Tote and Playmat  These look SOOO cool!  I just saw them today and wish I had found them before!  They are priced at just $9.59 and have a few different colors and styles to choose from!


I know that I could go on, but I've probably given you too many choices as it is, lol (the scrolling widgets each have extra ideas, too)! Hope you find some great deals for your loved ones! Merry Christmas!! Lisa

TOS Review: Barbour Publishing

Over the last few weeks we have been reviewing a fun book called the Diary of a Real Payne Book 1: True Story, by Annie Tipton, from Barbour Publishing.  I say we, but really it has been Mustang.  I decided to use this as one of her first 'required' reading books, and believe it or not, it was hard to get my book worm to read anything 'required.'  Normally, she chooses her own books and is very excited, but it was a little harder to assign her something.  But, once she finally started reading, she just couldn't put it down!

Here is Mustang's info about the book:  The story is about a girl named Emma Jean who they call 'E.J.'  She just started forth grade and has a mean teacher named Mrs. Pickerington.  She won't even let them have designs on their notebooks (soo mean, lol).  E.J. has a friend named Macy Russell.  They play together at school, during recess and more and really enjoy pretending to be things they aren't.  They use their imaginations to do things-like what you can see on the cover-they were in space-EJ was the astronaut and Macy was the captain.  Of course the teacher wasn't so pleased with her choice to walk (eyes closed) on the top of the monkey bars.

At another chapter, EJ was spending at the night at her elderly neighbor's house, Mrs. Winkle's.  While there, she read a book Aristocrazy Through the Ages.  One of the stories in the book was about Nebuchadnezzar the Wild-Animal King.  It told the story of how King N went crazy and became and animal.  It also tells the story of Queen Esther-and of course EJ happily put herself in Esther's place and became the Queen.

Did you like the book:

Yes.  Because it is funny! 

What was your favorite part?

 She has a brother named Issac that said a joke-a knock knock joke:

Issac:  knock, knock

Me:  who's there?

Issac: Noah

Me:  Noah who?

Issac:  Noah  good joke?

Who is your favorite character?

E.J.

Do you think other kids would like this book?

Yes, people that like Junie B Jones books would like this one.  It's very funny just like them.

MY thoughts on the book:

Diary of a Real Payne True Story book 1 is 188 pages long and has 15 chapters.  At the beginning of each chapter, there is a diary entry by E.J., after which we follow her around her daily life and adventures.  The diary dates from July to December, so we only see a small time of her life.  The humor and layout really is a lot like the Junie B Jones books, I was interested that Mustang noticed that.  But, it is a much longer book and aimed at a bit older reader.  

Mustang is a 2nd grader, but reads at about a 4th grade level.  I would recommend this for probably 3rd and up unless you have a strong reader on your hands.  The publisher says ages 8-12.

I was very pleased that she liked the book and there have been many days she has asked if she could read instead of other school subjects-which I let her do :).  

Diary of a Real Payne True Story Book One, by Annie Tipton, published by Barbour Publishing is a softcover and sells for just $5.99 and is on SALE for $4.49 at this time!!  It would make a great gift for a child on your list (or a great addition to your church library!).

To see what others in the crew thought, check out the crew blog!

Mom Select Review: Superbook

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Superbook showing on ABC.  I hope you were able to watch the shows!!  If not, you may be interested to know that the entire series is not available on DVD.  Over the last few weeks, we have had the opportunity to review the DVD's in our home.

Superbook is a 16 DVD series of episodes created by CBN to tell the stories of the Bible to children.  They feature Chris Quantum, his friend and neighbor Joy Popper, and his robot Gizmo.  Well, Gizmo actually belongs to Chris's dad (an inventor), but he ends up with Chris on all the journeys.

In the first episode they have this little mechanical thing that all of a sudden comes alive and Chris, Joy and Gizmo are sucked in.  Before they know it, they are transported back in time where they run into a man and woman who are-ahem-under dressed (they don't show anything, but Gizmo has issue with it and has to 'fix' the problem).  They have no idea at first that they are actually talking to Adam and Eve!  As the episodes progress, they begin to get used to the idea that they are going back in time, and have an idea of what will be next as they go in Biblical order.

When they are in each story, they watch a very accurate Biblical account unfold.  They also interact with the characters, trying to help in anyway that they can.  For example, they try to warn Daniel to stop praying, and he explains why he can't.  On one episode, He is Risen, Chris' mom ends up along for the ride, and she comforts Mary as she is losing her son.  It really brings the stories to life for Chris, Joy, Gizmo, and the children watching.

There are 16 episodes, of which we were sent 14 to review.  The episodes available are:

In the Beginning
The Test
Jacob and Esau
Joseph
Let My People Go!
The Ten Commandments
A Giant Adventure
Jonah
Roar!
The First Christmas
Miracles of Jesus
The Last Supper
He Is Risen
The Road to Damascus
and the two we did not review:
Fiery Furnace
and Revelation

The Episodes are just under 30 minutes in length and feature awesome animated graphics, catchy songs, and-most importantly-the Word of God in a way that children can understand.

You can watch the trailer here:



So what did we think?

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!!  Seriously!  My dad is a pastor, which means that I have seen just about every kids Bible story movie out there.  Believe me when I say, this one is pretty much, if not THE, best one.  The graphics are UNBELIEVABLE.  They really draw an audience in and hold their attention for the whole time.  The story lines are ACCURATE.  They don't dumb down the story or turn it into something it's not just to 'retell' the story for a young child.

For example, in the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den (Roar!), Darius says he is going to throw the other guys into the lion's den at the end of the, it isn't left out.  They do, however, move on at that point and not show them being thrown in ;).  There are a few scenes that the writers warn may be a bit graphic for young, sensitive children, so you may want to preview them before letting kids watch.  However, my quite sensitive 3 year old had no problems with any of the scenes, so I think overall they are pretty safe.

The stories also include the spiritual warfare that is going on in the stories.  They don't go overboard, so it's not a constant thing.  But, for example, when Satan goes into Judas as he betrays Jesus, the movie shows Satan overshadowing Judas.  You also see an angel comforting Jesus as he prays in the garden before his death.  At first, I was taken aback by this choice, but after a bit I was very glad it was there.  I love that when my children read the stories, they will notice the spiritual warfare written in the Bible because they were introduced to it at a young age.

A little more on the spiritual warfare, I almost forgot that in the first episode, In The Beginning, they actually show the story of Lucifer and his followers fighting with angels in Heaven, and then being cast down to earth.  This sets the stage for the story of Adam and Eve, but is certainly a story that is often left out of kid's shows.  But the story is true and portrayed in a way that kids can understand and also helps the story to make sense.  Normally, we just show Adam and Eve and then this guy Satan-who is bad-comes out of nowhere.  Showing the fall of Lucifer helps piece this story together.

As soon as the Superbook DVD's arrived at our door, there were lots of requests to watch them.  We were packing for a trip, so I was happy to have a distraction for them.  So, I let them watch the first one.  About 40 minutes later, they were back begging for the next.  It went on like that for 2 hours, before I finally had to tell them they had watched enough TV for the day.  From then on, anytime they had a TV time, their first request was Superbook.  They have seen all the episodes, so they don't every single time, but they still do often.  Today, when we finished our Bible lesson about Joseph, they were quick to beg me to watch the Superbook Joseph.

Now, you may remember the OLD Superbook episodes.  Yep, I am showing my age when I tell you this is the remake of Superbook!  As I tell you all about the new ones, you may be thinking about a Japanese anime that you turned on Saturday morning.  Well, for those of you who know what I am talking about, there is an added bonus to these DVD's.  As a bonus feature, they have included the corresponding old episode with each new episode.  So cool!!

The last thing that my children have absolutely LOVED is the new theme song for Superbook.  I catch my girls, especially, singing it ALL.THE.TIME!!

I highly recommend this series and am going to have to purchase the two DVD's that we don't already have yet!  I believe they are planning more in the future, as well, so I will be watching for those!

How to Buy?

There are two ways to buy the Superbook DVD's.  First of all, through the Superbook DVD club.  If you sign up for the club, you will receive 3 copies of the Fiery Furnace DVD for $25.00 (one for you and 2 as gifts), then every 4 to 6 weeks, you will receive a new Superbook DVD, and your account will be charged $25.00.

Or, you can purchase each DVD individually for $25.00.

You can read all about the purchasing options and order your DVD's on the CBN website.

Connect:

You can check out the Superbook website-that has info about the show, games to play, trailers to watch, and Bible Study guides (free) for each of the DVD's.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperbookTV
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/SuperbookTV


I'm so glad you stopped by!  Hope you enjoyed the review!

God Bless,
Lisa

Disclosure:  We received our Superbook DVD pack as part of a promotional program from CBN and Mom Select, in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions expressed are my own.

TOS Review: Birdcage Press

It's the hot, sticky days of summer (or will be soon).  You don't feel like 'doing school', but you don't want to spend the day sitting in front of the TV either.  Might I recommend a round of Go Fish?  More specifically Go Fish Ancient Egypt from Birdcage Press?  What's that?  You've not heard of Birdcage Press?  Well, you are not alone. Before we received our most recent review product, I hadn't either.  But, believe me, you will want to!

Birdcage Press is a company that produces games for kids.  But, not just any old game.  These are games filled with beautiful, museum quality photos of REAL people, places, animals, artifacts, paintings, and more.  No cheese drawings of nursery characters on these games!

The founders, Wenda and James O'Reilly, decided one year to take their 3 daughters out of school and explore Europe in a VW van.  Loving these people already!  As they traveled, they went to various museums and landmarks, and Wenda wanted to find a way to help the girls remember what they saw.  So, she started making up little card games that, eventually, made their way into award-winning games.  

Birdcage Press offers a large assortment of games such as Van Gogh and Friends Art Game, Battle Cards: Military Jets, Wild cards: Who's Hiding, and Go Fish: Ancient Egypt.

We were sent for review Go Fish:  Ancient Egypt.  This was especially awesome since we were just finishing up a unit on Egypt.  The set includes 36 cards which break down into 6 sets.  Gods, Goddesses, Pharaohs, Mummies, Afterlife, and Symbols.  On each card is a beautiful photo and a description of the item on the card.  

Obviously, the point of the game is to collect sets of 6.  The one with the most sets at the end of the game, wins.  And, there was a lot of winning going on around here!!  It has been played by Mustang and Charger for days on end.  I played some and even DADDY got in on the action (that never happens I tell you)!  I have to admit that we got a bit competitive here!!   The game went with us in the car, and even to a few appointments.  I think the nurse was pretty impressed that the kids were playing a game about Egypt rather then running around in circles.  

As I mentioned (a few times) before, the cards are beautiful!  They are high quality, detailed, and really allow you to see the item.  A high gloss book is also included that contains information about the items on the cards.  

You can plan regular old Go Fish...do you have any 1's (for Charger who can't read), or do you have any Pharaohs.  OR eventually you can play-do you have the Goddess Ma'at, or another SPECIFIC item you want, to help your children memorize the names of the gods, goddesses, or Pharaohs of Egypt.  

Playing the game has lead to many more conversations about Pharaohs and Mummies for Charger.  And for Mustang, she was particularly interested in the goddesses.  They both enjoyed seeing some of the items they had already been learning about in the game.  

The Go Fish: Ancient Egypt card set retails for just $10.95 and would make an awesome gift for children ages 7 and up (though even our 5 year old enjoyed it).  

We really liked this game, and I would highly recommend them!  But, maybe you'd like to try another product?  Be sure to check out the crew blog and see what others had to say about some of the other Birdcage Press products.  

Thanks for stopping by!  

God Bless,

Lisa

 

Beautiful Barbie Tea Party {MommyParties Sponsored by Mega Bloks}

Today we hosted what very well might be our most memorable party ever!  About a month ago, we received an email asking if we would be interested in hosting a party with 10 friends to help tryout the new line of Mega Bloks featuring Barbie.  Would we?  Of course!

We were sent this amazing Barbie Mega Bloks Luxury Mansion and a Build N Style Pool Party, along with 6 Build N Style Fashion Stands and 4 Build N Style Ice Cream Stands.

With such amazing party favors, we decided to throw the little girl's tea party we had always dreamed of.  So, here are a few {okay a TON} of photos from our dream party-come true!

 

We started out with a dress up corner, where the girls could put on big dresses and high shoes to wear to the party.  Some wore their dresses the entire party, others spent the entire party putting on all the dresses :).

Next to the dresses, we had set up a little table just the right height to play with the Barbie Mega Bloks Luxury House and Pool!

Since Thursday is Valentine's Day, we decided to set up a Valentine's making table.  We included heart stickers, heart doilies, scented stickers, and, of course, some Barbie Valentines!

What tea party is complete without food?!  

Mustang was the host for this party, so she chose the food.  We have cream puffs, candy hearts, saltwater taffy, and Goldfish crackers.

My friend baked us the most AMAZING Neapolitan cupcakes that were seriously the best I've ever tasted!

Strawberries and ham and cheese sandwiches were the 'healthy foods' of the day :).  The plates and jars to the left are actually what the moms used to eat and drink from.  The jars were so neat!  I borrowed them from a friend and loved them!

Here is where the girls sat :).

I used old curtain panels and needlepoint runners I found on swap sites.  The centerpieces were wreaths I bought about 13 years ago when a local store was going out of business.

Each girl had a teacup, saucer, desert plate, and desert cup at their place.    I found them all at thrift stores and local swap sites.  We used vintage hankies as napkins and slid them through the handle of the teacup.  In each seat was also a fun Barbie Mega Bloks surprise!

We didn't have tea, but we had the yummiest of punches that the girls drank in their teacups.

And, we had scoops of strawberry ice cream in vintage juice cups and desert bowls to top it off!

Each girl received a Barbie Fashion Stand or Ice Cream Cart.  Inside each box is a Mega Bloks Barbie, so we encouraged each girl to take hers out so she could play in the Luxury House and Pool.

Of course, this created a mass visit to the house after we ate!  Can you see the house in there?

It didn't hold up real well with so many visitors at one time, 

but, all was not lost as they got to have fun rebuilding the house {which is half the fun anyways}.

I absolutely loved watching our friend work on building using nothing but the picture on the box to help her.  She was so intent and did a great job!

With the house under construction, the girls decided to add water to the pool.  Yes, you heard that right, you can put water in the pool!

It was also a hit!

As an added bonus, I found this super cool 'Dance Like Barbie' DVD on a local swap site and picked it up for the girls. 

It was a hit and added some activity to the party.

Here is the Fashion Stand that some of the girls got to take home.  It only took her about a half hour to put together with her mom.  Very cute!

Overall, we had an absolutely amazing time.  The food, the fun, the friends and the Barbie Mega Bloks, made this afternoon one that I know Mustang, Mini Cooper, and I will remember for a very long time.  One little friend even said this was her favorite party ever!

I put together my very first Vlog so you could see the Mega Bloks in action.  I'm slightly technologically challenged, so please excuse the part where I need my V8 at the beginning, it gets better!

The Barbie Mega Bloks Luxury House retails for $79.99, the Pool Party retails for $39.99, and the Ice Cream Stand and Fashion Stands retail for $9.99 each.  They are available where ever Mega Bloks are sold.

Thank you so much to Mega Bloks, MommyParties, and Mom Select for allowing us to host our Barbie Mega Bloks party!!

And thank YOU for stopping by and checking out our fun!

God Bless,

Linking up to a few parties:

Disclosure:  We received a Barbie Mega Bloks party pack that included the Luxury House, Pool Party, and 10 Accessory packs to give our friends.  We agreed to host a party with 10 friends and write an honest review and Vlog.  All opinions expressed are our own, we were not paid or compensated in any other way.