Kid Stuff That Rocks

We're packing for our Disney cruise with my family. I can hardly explain how excited I am. We're going with my folks, my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law, and our dear friend, Jamie. And let me mention again, we're going on a DISNEY cruise. If you know me, you know I'm kind of a Disney fan. Riley and I can quote nearly every Pixar movie, and now that we're without cable, I find myself trying to choose between watching Batman Begins and Up. Tough decisions, you know?

But packing for the girls has got me thinking about absolutely awesome kid stuff that I am so glad exists. Here's what comes to the front of my mind:

1. Keen shoes. These things are not only super-durable, but they're also cute and waterproof. Their biggest downfall is that they're ridiculously expensive. I mean, like $40-$50 (gulp). I found that if you search, you can find some of last season's styles for closer to $25-$30. It's still a little pricey, but if I'm going to splurge on baby shoes, these are the ones. Riley wore hers, last year, the entire spring, summer and part of the fall, and they are still in great shape. And she wore them pretty much every day.

2. Nalgene and Camelbak bottles. They make them, obviously, for adults, but they have slightly smaller sizes that are perfect for Riley and Noelle. Riley had one already, and, this morning, Noelle got her own purple version. She hugged it the whole way home.

3. "Snacky cups". We have a few of the munchkin brand, and they are awesome. Being able to give the girls cereal or pretzels, while they're in the car, and not worry about the snacks being flung all over is just amazing. I mean, whoever came up with this super-simple idea is a genius.

4. Sani-Hands for Kids. These really aren't totally necessary, but it's nice, when I'm in the car, that I can just chuck a wipe at Riley and not have to turn around and squirt anti-bacterial gel into her hands. Not bad.

5. Mo Willems books. The man is hilarious and awesome. Currently, our favorites are a couple Elephant and Piggie books, Knufflebunny and Edwina, the dinosaur who didn't know she was extinct. They're fun to read aloud; they're hilarious for parents; the kids love 'em. They are all-our winners. Oh, we also like Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, but my parents own that one, so we only get to "read" it over Skype.

6. Judy Sierra books. I especially like Born to Read and Wild About Books, though we just picked up a pile of her others at the library, so I could be adding to that list soon. And I am a little partial to a book about kids (and animals) loving books. :)

7. Veggietales. I'm not super proud to admit that the girls have gotten to watch more movies than they should over the past few months. I'm blaming morning sickness. Valid, right? I really love throwing one of these on for the girls (which is, actually, the only way I can a shower before noon). Their current faves are God Made You Special and Jonah, but they're really not that picky. Noelle also really likes the collection of Silly Songs.

8. 100 Singalong Songs for Kids (from Cedarmont Kids). My dad, apparently, bought this for us on a whim, so he could get free Amazon shipping, and it's a great kids' CD collection. By that, I mean that it has enough songs that I'm not listening to the entire CD eight times through, just on my way to Target. It also isn't too obnoxious with bad kid voices or overly-comforting adult voices. And it has some Christian songs, so that's kind of fun.

Ta-da. There it is. Maybe you can enjoy some, too. :)