Check out the Kmart Fab 15 Toy List to make Holiday Shopping a Breeze

Every year around this time, I think about the Christmases from my childhood. While I can’t remember what I received each and every year one Christmas stands out. It was the year I received my favorite gift.  It was also the year something funny happened. I didn’t think it was funny at the time. It all started Christmas Eve when I was about eight. My family has a tradition where the kids open a gift on Christmas Eve. It was usually a gift from my family.  My grandparents had gave both my sister and I two gifts this year. As we were picking which gift to open there were a few for each of us under the tree. I opened my gift from them first. It was plastic stilts. I was like oh cool. Then it happened. My sister opened her gift. It was a Barbie Dream Bed. I was so upset! After all, all I got was plastic stilts. I cried and I cried and probably threw a fit. Why did she get a super cool gift and all I got from them was plastic stilts. Don’t get me wrong they were pretty cool. I didn’t play with Barbies but that was still a better gift. I got over it and went to bed.

 The next morning it was time to open our presents. I probably had 56 minutes of sleep and it wasn’t all at once. As we are opening gifts I notice there is a huge box at the end. It’s for me! It was my very own Cabbage Patch Cradle. It was beautiful and glorious! My sister threw a fit because she opened her plastic stilts. I am pretty sure this whole ordeal was videotaped and would have made a great YouTube video. I still have my Cabbage Patch Cradle and I used it all the time growing up. It was my favorite gift of all time. Noah has heard this story a few times. He thinks it’s pretty funny. I think it was a moment for me to be grateful. As for what’s hot in our house, it’s still LEGO. I think we will always have LEGO. He is also really in to Star Wars and he still loves to make art projects.  He also wants to get our kittens a thousand pack of pipe cleaners because Charlie likes to steal the pipe cleaners we have for crafts.

It can be hard to buy presents for people you aren’t around all the time. I am so glad that Kmart made the Fab 15 Toy List to help me find gifts for my niece. She is one. So, all the toys Noah loved at that age are either no longer available or different than what Ava would like. She would love the Sesame Street Play all day Elmo. Noah would love the Zoomer Kitty.  The Fab 15 Toy List makes it super easy to shop from because it showcases some of the top toys. If you don’t know exactly what to buy, it gives you some great ideas. Not everyone gives ideas or if you want to make it a surprise the list helps.

  

When I was a child, I wanted an Easy Bake Oven because I loved to bake. Santa decided I couldn’t get one. Instead he brought me a huge box full of Jiffy Mixes and I could just use the real oven. Noah has asked for gifts similar to the Easy Bake Oven and I explain that food baked by a light bulb wouldn’t be very good. I am now thankful that I never received an Easy Bake Oven because using the real thing helped my love for baking grow. I vowed never to buy my future children anything that cooks with a light bulb that year.

Here’s what makes the Fab 15 Toy List different than any other toy list:

Kmart has awesome toys and games for kids of all ages and stages, which comprises Kmart-exclusive toys and hot brands like Disney’s Frozen, Star Wars, LEGO®, Barbie™ and NERF,® is carefully curated based on industry trends, input from parents and kids, and more than 50 years of experience in knowing what toys kids love to play with and find under their Christmas trees. LEGO has been a part of our Christmas for the last 6 years. I remember Noah’s first LEGO set. It was just a box of different blocks for him to build with. He fell in love with them at first sight. I love that Kmart really does their research!

Kmart’s Fab 15 list features the hottest toys for the 2015 holiday season, which have been tested by Kmart’s first-ever Kid Toy Advisory Board – a select group of kids of Kmart employees who are serving as toy experts and holiday toy consultants. Noah would have given anything to have been a part of this group. He thinks that I am blogger is totally cool, but I think he would have wished I worked at Kmart.

I love how they have it broken down by age. Here’s the full list:

Ages 1-2 

• Playskool Sesame Street Play All Day Elmo by Hasbro

Ages 3-5

• Hot Wheels® Ultimate Auto Garage by Mattel®

• Imaginext Ultra T-Rex by Fisher-Price®

• Paw Patroller by Spin Master™

• Disney Frozen Sing Along Elsa Doll by Jakks Pacific®

• VTech® Kidizoom® Action Cam

• Star Wars Signature Lightsaber by Hasbro®

• Zoomer Kitty with Toy Mouse by Spin Master™ (Kmart exclusive)

• MONOPOLY Here & Now by Hasbro®

• Monster High® Boo York Floatation Station™ with Astronova™ Doll by Mattel®

Ages 6-8

• Holiday Auburn Barbie™ 2015 Doll by Mattel® (Kmart exclusive)

• FurReal Friends Star Lilly the Unicorn by Hasbro®

• NERF® Zombie Strike Doominator by Hasbro®

• Hulk Smash RC Vehicle by Jakks Pacific®

Ages 9+

• LEGO® Friends Pop Star Show Stage

Members and customers can shop for any of the items on the Fab 15 list and hundreds of other exclusive toys from brands and characters kids know and love at local Kmart stores nationwide or online anytime at Kmart.com/Toys. Be sure to check out the 2015 Toy Book for many more suggestions of great toys!

  

You can win all of the Fab 15 Toys in the Shop Your Way Sweepstakes! It’s really easy to enter! Think of all the fun your kids or loved ones could have! You could donate any of the toys that your kids may not be into and help others have a Merry Christmas too.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Role Mommy Writers Network and Kmart. All opinions are 100% my own.

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Hickory Farms Helps Keep Traditions Alive #HickoryTraditions

Traditions matter to my family because they help pass on a part of those who are no longer with us. Traditions are like those family heirlooms we pass down but we can’t lose them, they can’t be broken or stolen. Our family traditions live in our hearts. They are special things we do to honor our loved ones and to make special memories. One year Noah and I carved our pumpkin together and we called it Pumpkee. Noah cried so hard when we had to throw it away. I told him that Pumpkee could come back the next year. So, now for the last three years Pumpkee has come back each year. I told him that we have to keep Pumpkee alive forever by making him each Halloween. He has to make Pumpkee with his children and grandchildren every year. I explained to him that’s how you keep traditions alive. You have to keep doing them. That way a part of us lives on forever.

We like to set out our manger each year. This year Noah did it all by himself. He did an amazing job. The tradition of the manger from my grandparents is that the camels and the three kings move across the family room each day to the manger. We don’t do that tradition for some reason. We just set it all up, using some of the pieces from my grandparents’ manger. Another tradition we like to do at Christmas time is look at lights. We go to the same farm place where they have an amazing light display. We used to take my Grandma Rose to see the lights.  Last year my aunt and uncle were here for Christmas for the first time since 1994. We all loaded up and their truck with the dogs and looked at the lights. My Aunt loved it. They live in the mountains so they don't really see a lot of Christmas lights. When we lived in Florida, we watched the lighted boat parade. It was really cool to see all the boats all lit up with music and Santas. It was very different than what I was used to growing up in the cold where the only water was frozen or falling from the sky in the form of snow.

Traditions are very important to Hickory Farms too. They are a staple when you think of the holidays. Hickory Farms always provides fresh and delicious gift items and products to help spending time together easy and fun.  I love going to Hickory Farms at the mall because they allow you to sample products.  You don’t have to wonder if you will like something, because you can try it. I saw that they had Peppermint Melts and I was curious if I would like them because I love the Mini Meltaways so much. I was so excited when the lovely woman offered us a sample to try. She also said we could sample any of the products they had available.

 Hickory Farms offers a wide variety of products:

a. Hickory Farms offers a wide variety of food gifts that are perfect for any budget and for everyone on your list this year.

b. Quality, freshness and value are key traits of Hickory Farms’ gift and products. 

c. Hickory Farms Signature Summer Sausage has been awarded the Masters of Taste Gold Medal for Superior Taste for having the #1 Summer Sausage in America. 

d. New to Hickory Farms this year is a decadent White & Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bark:

A custom blend of creamy white chocolate and dark chocolate made from West African Cocoa beans, hand swirled with pure mint and topped with crushed candy cane pieces.

· Charitable Giving:

a. Hickory Farms is proud to support No Kid Hungry®. No Kid Hungry is, working to end childhood hunger in America by ensuring all children get the healthy food they need every day.

b. Hickory Farms has contributed more than $4 million to No Kid Hungry since 2008.  For every Signature Party Planner purchased this holiday season, Hickory Farms will donate $5 to No Kid Hungry. 

c. As a supporter of the U.S. Armed Forces, the company provides year

round complimentary shipping on select products to military addresses across the globe to ensure families can send loved ones warm wishes and a favorite taste from home.

Visit www.hickoryfarms.com for details.

Disclaimer: Compensation and products for review were provided by Hickory Farms via MomTrends. I received a free sample of the product for the purpose of this review.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Hickory Farms. 

How to Choose Patio Materials

There's a variety of materials on the market for outdoor patios, but it's important to choose one that fits your lifestyle and complements your home. When choosing a patio material, look at important performance features as well as cost.

Important Features

Since outdoor patios are exposed year-round to the elements, make sure the material you choose will hold up well to sun, heat, cold, rain and snow.

Durability – Choose a material that fits your lifestyle and climate conditions. If you have kids and pets, easy cleaning and maintenance is important. Look for a material that will resist stains, spills, cracking and chipping, so outdoor entertaining is easier and more enjoyable.

Porosity – If you live in an area with harsh, cold winters with snow and ice, your patio materials will be exposed to the freeze/thaw cycle. Porous materials will absorb water easier. If the water freezes at night, then thaws out the next day, that process can crack and dislodge patio tiles.

Non-Slip Surface – Outdoor patio materials can become slippery when wet, so it's important to choose a material with a non-slip, slightly abrasive surface. A non-slip surface will protect your family from falls and injuries on the patio.

Good Patio Materials

Natural Stone

Natural stone will create a beautiful patio that will complement any home style. Stone pavers or tiles are available in granite, marble, slate, travertine and limestone in a variety of sizes and shapes. They come in a variety of colors and finishes, including tumbled or honed finishes that offer a non-slip surface. Most natural stones, except granite, are rather porous, so talk to your contractor about using a sealer for added protection.

Brick

Brick pavers are durable and easy to maintain. When wet, brick dries quickly in the sun and doesn't typically require a sealer for protection. Brick pavers are perfect for a classic, traditional look, especially when laid in herringbone patterns rather than straight patterns. Brick colors range from typical red to muted shades of brown, tan and green.

Concrete

Concrete pavers are strong, durable and resilient with a natural slip-resistant surface. They will easily withstand freezing ground temperatures without cracking or chipping and don't need a sealer. Now available in more than 30 pre-mixed colors and 15 stains, concrete pavers offer a stylish look at an affordable price. Talk to a patio contractor in your area to get free quotes.