MOSH

 

MOSH stands for museum of science and history. Lucky for us that museum is pretty close in downtown Jacksonville! Prices are decent, they have military discounts and if you plan it out right you can get in for just $4 on certain days. My Mom is here visiting this week (YAY!) so we decided to head on over to MOSH. This summer they are all about dinosaurs and ever since they covered dinos in preschool Gracie has been all about them too. When you walk into the Dino exhibit it's like you're in Jurassic Park. The models of dinosaurs are HUGE, they move, they roar and I'll admit I thought it might be a little scary for Gracie and Claire. I was sure wrong. Claire is obsessed with waving at the moment and she waved at every single dinosaur (and human!) she saw that day. Gracie's favorite part was pushing the buttons that controlled the dinosaurs head, arms, tail and ROAR!

We also visited the planetarium and watched the star show. The showing we went to was perfect because our host was Elmo! The museum also had an exhibit where you walk through time, not as exciting for Gracie and Claire, but  my mom and I found it so interesting. I love exploring this new city with my girls!!

Dazzle and Daze: Product and Shop Review

Our 10month old Claire Bear has never been a fan of big bows or big flowers on her head bands. The only cute head accessories the girl will keep on are hats and these adorable top knots. Finding good quality, appropriately priced, cute patterned top knots is no easy task. Fear not friends, I have the solution! The Dazzle and Daze shop has the best top knots I have found. These are great quality products that can put up with the wear and tear of everyday life. They are soft, lightweight and fit comfortably on baby. What amazed me most about this shop was how quickly I received my order! Talk about fast service! I also received the sweetest note in my package advising me how to keep my top knots if tip top shape. Those little touches make shopping hand made the absolute BEST!! Make sure you check them out and follow them on Instagram @dazzle.and.daze

Favorite Book Series for Preschoolers

If you couldn't tell from our previous posts, our family LOVES books! We have been reading stories to Gracie since she was a baby and her love of books has grown from there. I am so excited now that she is older and recognizes the characters and really seems to connect with them now. There are SO many books out there for kids that it can seem overwhelming at times. Gracie's attention span is what you'd expect from a four year old - SHORT! Not every story holds her attention but the listed book series below keep her engaged until the very last page!

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann
An adventurous little girl who LOVES the color pink. Her stories cover everything from arguments with friends to fun family days at the beach.
I Love You Through and Through by Caroline Jayne Church
Not exactly a series but these books are a very short read full of sweetness and heart. These were Gracie's favorite about a year ago. Now she knows them by heart and loves sharing the poems with her baby sister.
Flat Stanley by  Jeff Brown
The story of a poor boy who was flattened by a bulletin board. Don't feel too bad for him, he can still have fun and save the day even though he's flat as a pancake. Click here to find out how we used Flat Stanley to inspire our indoor camp out!

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'ConnorYour little one is sure to pick up some fancy vocabulary after reading about Fancy Nancy.

Pete the Cat by James Dean
This crazy cool cat teaches readers about keeping a positive attitude and keeping calm. If you go online to Pete's website you can let your littles listen and sing along to Pete's songs! Click here to listen!

Hope y'all enjoy these series as much as our family does!!

Indoor Campout With Anna, Elsa & Stanley

Last week we read all about Flat Stanley and Gracie was instantly hooked! Flat Stanley is a boy who was flattened by a bulletin board and now can travel through the mail and slide under doors - how fun! Luckily for us we found some more stories that feature Flat Stanley! The book we chose last weekend was all about camping. This Mama did not want to set up a camp site in our backyard - just too many bugs and critters in these parts of FL! So we decided on an indoor camp out. Gracie put her Frozen tent and sleeping bag to good use - thanks Gama Lisa and Granny! We popped popcorn and sang some camp songs and we even made our own fire. Don't worry we built the fire out of construction paper scraps and I loved the way it turned out! I love reading books and incorporating themes into our day to day lives.