Mom.... I'm bored! (Oh no you're not... I've got something for you to do!)

I was provided with Oriental Trading merchandise in exchange for this post. Any opinions are my own. 

Ahhhhh... SUMMER!

I love summer, and so do the kids, but sometimes the days can be a little uneventful- especially when the weather doesn't cooperate. 

Sometimes it seems like no matter how many fun activities you have planned for the kids during summer you can just never keep them engaged. Keeping some structure throughout the days can help, and what better than having some craft time and outdoor play? 

Oriental Trading has tons of great summer crafts you can keep on hand for days like that. Most crafts are easy for kids and super cute!

We usually purchase the craft kits from Oriental Trading, but they now have some really great idea pages, too! Check out these cute crafts, click the picture to see what you need to make them!

      

Or, how about some night-time fun?  What makes summer nights more fun than glow-in-the-dark products??? 

Our kids love glow-in-the-dark tag, or hide and seek.  And glow necklaces help us keep our kids visible at night when we are in large crowds (we use these each time we go to a fireworks display!). 

      

There's plenty of other games and activities available as well- great for outdoor fun, parties and get together,s and bored kids who don't know what to do. ;)

Baby Amaze! #Giveaway #Sponsored #BabyAmaze #VTechToys

I was provided with a sample to review by VTech, all opinions are 100% my own.

Do you remember your first baby doll? Mine was handmade... my Great Grandma made dolls. Here's a clown doll I received as a gift for my second birthday!

 I remember dolls that peed were all the fab when I was a kid, and dolls you could adopt. Baby dolls have come a long way since we were younger!

Baby Amaze is a new line that uses technology to teach nurturing concepts and developmental milestones for toddlers whose parents want more from their role-play dolls.  Your little one can talk to the VTech Baby Amaze Learn to Talk & Read Baby Doll and hear her repeat what they say or read from the three included vocabulary books featuring more than 70 words about animals, food and household objects.

The more your little one talks to the baby doll, the more words and phrases the baby doll will learn and repeat!

Annabelle is loving her Baby Amaze! 

She loves being motherly, and she is enjoying teaching her baby to read, and sing. She even gets surprised by the things Baby says, and it's adorable to see her reactions. Annabelle even employs her brothers as babysitters for her doll.

Annabelle hasn't gotten the "teaching the baby to talk" feature, but she really enjoys reading to her doll, and singing with her doll. I know she's going to enjoy the doll for quite some time, and I'm excited to see her motherly instincts grow as she nurtures this little friend.

The Baby Amaze range of products is available only at Toys“R”Us stores nationwide and online at Toysrus.com.

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Let it GLOW! Keep them safe.

I received products in exchange for this post, but I've also purchased these products from Oriental Trading many times in the past. All opinions are my own.

Summer nights are when some of my favorite memories are made. Bonfires, fireworks, camping and fun family celebrations make for a great time with the kids.

Having eight children can be a challenge at times. One of the major challenges we face, especially when out in an open space, is keeping an eye on all of our kids. They are all still fairly young, the oldest being 11, and we still need to know where they are. At night, we always make sure that they are wearing something to make them easy to see. 

Glow-sticks, necklaces, and bracelets are great ways to help keep the kids visible and they LOVE them. 

 We get our glow products  from OrientalTrading.com since their selection is HUGE and their prices are great. We've gotten a ton of things from them, but my recommendation is to go for the premium glow products (they glow brighter and longer). 

We go to about 6 fireworks displays per year, and purchasing these glow products before hand makes our trip a lot more fun, and less expensive. These sell for about $5 per necklace if you purchase them at the park for the fireworks display. That's $40 for our family of eight children! By purchasing these in advance we get 50 necklaces for under $40. Another great reason to get your own... they'll likely be different than what is available, then you can spot your children easier. 

Aside from making children visible glow products are just plain fun. Night-time games of field tag, hide and seek, and dancing make for great entertainment. 

Amazing Zhus! #TheAmazingZhus #Magic #Christmas #HotToy

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Cepia LLC and MomSelect. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Be prepared to be amazed! With the The Amazing Zhus, you are sure to get a great show!

One of this year's hottest toys... it's currently not in stock on Walmart.com, but you can have them let you know when it is in stock! You can also look in your local store to see if they're available there.

#TheAmazingZhus #HotToys #ChristmasWish wishlist #Toys

A video posted by Jenilee Whisler (@eightinthenest) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:33pm PST

^Not sure why this says it was posted on November 11th...since it isn't even close to November 11th yet!

This is just one trick that The Great Zhu can do (and other pets in the Amazing Zhus line). There are some great tricks, too. The Great Zhu can also find the pea hiding under magic cups- every time. 

The Great Zhu also follows your little magician's commands by wand... check it out:

#TheAmazingZhus following the amazing #Nolyn's command! #magic #magicwand #catsofinstagram

A video posted by Jenilee Whisler (@eightinthenest) on Nov 11, 2014 at 12:48pm PST

One look at his classic magician's hat and you can tell that The Great Zhu is a magician of the highest caliber! Amaze your friends with his fantastic magic tricks and stunts! Point the magic wand and he will follow! 

This was Nolyn's favorite trick... and our kitten, Willow's, too! 

Th Great Zhu also comes with some cards to read (and do tricks with) and can explore on his own. 

This pet will go to sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity.... that's a long time. It's my only wish that this interactive pet had a switch to turn him off. Other than that, he's provided many hours of fun for our little ones.

You can also get Madame Zhus, for those kiddos who prefer a more feminine magician (or a purple Zhus)! There are also several stunt pets available in this line, too... so plenty to collect! Prices range from $8 to $30 per item... keep an eye out for sales!

What do you think? Will your kids like these?  

Check out the Fast Track Raceway from @MegaBloks! #FirstBuilders

Drivers, start your engines! Gear up and get ready for some high-speed adventures with the Fast Tracks Racing Team by Mega Bloks First Builders. Your little race car driver can build with the tracks and blocks and mix and match the race cars for endless play. Use the colorful stickers to create even more imaginary fun. Watch as they screech and vroom through the raceways, and the fans in the stands cheer them on! Who will be in the lead, as the checkered flag is waved?

 

Ideal for ages 1 to 5.

Features:

•         Two mix-and-match buildable cars for lots of raceway fun!

•         50 pieces, including new easy-to-build tracks and three building plates

•         Fun sticker sheet to customize your little racer’s blocks and cars!

•         Compatible with all Mega Bloks First Builders sets for endless building possibilities and family fun

Here are the kids ready to build. Luke loved the cars. And the final product (minus stickers). We ended up with three extra pieces. Hmmm,

    

Did I mention that Luke, who is 2 years old, LOVED the cars?

Unfortunately, I really don't think this toy should be for 1-5 year olds. Luke got very frustrated with it breaking apart all the time, and even Annabelle (who is nearly 4) had a very hard time with it too. Our 5 year old, Nolyn, loved the toy, however, as he was more able to take the time to fix it when it broke.

Overall, the kids have enjoyed it, but it definitely does not still look like it did in these pictures. We've had older brothers helping the little ones try to keep it in tip "track" shape. 

Want to win a track set for your favorite little one? Enter below!

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Cuddle with Peppa and Friends!

I received the following items for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

If you've been following Eight in the Nest, you know that we really like Peppa Pig here. This cute little pig takes you through her adventures in her short animated episodes.

If your little one is a fan of Peppa, too, be sure to check out the adorable items available this holiday season!

On the top row we have Candy Cat, Peppa, and her little brother, George. These cute 9" plushes will be great friends. They would make a great stocking stuffer!

The Peek 'n Surprise Playhouse is a great take-along toy. The house folds into a carrying case so it keeps the smaller pieces together and can go wherever your little one needs to! The furniture inside has two fun sides so that kids can play out different scenarios (like making beds, cleaning dishes and filling bubble bathes)! Annabelle (and her brothers) love this toy. My only wish is that the flip over pieces stayed in a bit better because the kids really like to take them out- but then need my help to get them back in. The Peek 'n Surprise playhouse is recommended for ages 3+. 

Story time is even more #fun with #ReadwithMeScout!

I received product as part of a promotional program with LeapFrog and MomSelect.

I love reading and I want our children to love reading, too. We take time to read to our children, but the truth is- we can't always read exactly when our children want us to read to them. Read with Me Scout is a great alternative for the kids when Mom and Dad don't have the chance to read with them.

Read with Me Scout from LeapFrog is an interactive plush toy that helps children develop reading comprehension skills to get them on a path to reading. Not only does puppy pal Scout make reading fun with five interactive stories that he reads aloud, but he also responds to every pet, pat, hug and kiss! Simply press a button on his collar to start reading and pat his head to turn the page. Scout will ask your child questions throughout each story to create engaging learning moments and help build comprehension skills. Scout loves to sing, too!  Switch into Sleepy Time Mode when it's time to snuggle and listen to relaxing stories and eight minutes of lullabies.

I personally found that Scout was a little too sensitive.  It seemed every time one of the kids moved Scout would think that s/he was giving him kisses or hugs. I also thought that the wait time to get back to the story after these interactions was a little long. Our 3 year old really wasn't able to listen and follow Scout's directions very well, but Nolyn (4.5y) did do better. Our 6 year old did the best with Scout, and seem to enjoy Scout reading to him the most. 

I do love the concept, and Scout has been great for times when I can help the kids learn how to use him. The kids also really seem to enjoy Read with Me Scout, even when they get a bit off track with the books. The books are also nice board books, so you don't have to worry about pages being ripped or lost easily (which is really nice).