Everywhere you turn, love is officially in the air.  Jewelry ads run rampant on TV and most stores look like a red (and pink) sea of hearts and flowers.  It’s hard to miss the fact that Valentine’s Day is almost here.  Traditionally a day marked by couples to celebrate their love, don’t miss out on the fact that even your littlest ones will enjoy getting into the spirit of this heart felt holiday.  Here are some simple and easy ideas to get your whole family feeling the love!

I Wear My Pink Pajamas:  Or my red ones…!  Your child is going to be thrilled at getting some fun and whimsical pajamas that will surely add some excitement to Valentine’s Day.  Look for super cute heart designs or for a really unique and special gift some stores will embroider your child’s name on the pajamas for a more personalized touch.

Bake it Homemade:  It’s easy (and fun) to bake special Valentine treats to give to your kids, even if it’s just for an extra loving lunch box surprise.  Even better, let your children participate in the fun with you.  Ready-made cookie dough found at your supermarket makes it really easy to bake heart shaped cookies with very little effort but your kids are going to love it!  Have red and pink sprinkles, red hots and other heart shaped candies nearby to decorate your home-baked creations!

Heart Tattoo’s or Stamps:  An easy yet fun way to get your child into the Valentine’s Day spirit is with temporary tattoo’s or with a Valentine themed stamp.  Kids love to wear their heart on their hands, arms or even their cheeks!  You can find a wide variety of these items at your local novelty store. 

Get Crafty!  Your child will love creating something extra fun for Valentine’s Day, whether it is special handmade Valentine’s or some other craft item.  If you hit your local craft store you will find numerous arts and crafts sets or items that will make a perfect Valentine gift that will keep your child busy for hours!

Something Bear-y Special:  There’s a reason why the Teddy Bear is still considered a child’s favorite toy!  Your child will love a special Valentine’s rendition of this old stand by–huggable, loveable and likely to be carried around to love on all day long.  Build-A-Bear makes a very special Bear made just for Valentine’s Day–and there are of course many others to choose from. 

Have a Heart:  Heart shaped accessories are super fun for kids to wear and dress up with on Valentine’s Day.  You can find a wide range to choose from, including heart shaped hair clips, jewelry items, sunglasses and even socks!  These items are inexpensive but are very fun for kids to wear to make their Valentine’s Day extra special.

Fun & Games:  These are old stand by’s but games are very fun for kids to receive as a Valentine’s Day gift.  One of our favorites for Valentine’s Day is Operation, where kids try to perform a little careful heart surgery before they get buzzed!  Another fun idea for a little bit older kids is a Jr. Archery set.  Perhaps the “Cupid” association will go over their heads, but your kids will still enjoy trying to hit the bull’s eye.

Heart Room Décor:  Many kids will enjoy having something fun to put in their room for Valentine’s Day and beyond.  Adding heart-shaped pillows as an accessory is an easy way to perk up most any child’s bedroom theme.  Cute pillow sets that look like conversation hearts or even a poster with hearts and flowers can do the trick nicely.

Candy:  Obviously candy is always going to be a favorite of kids for Valentine’s Day as it is for any holiday.  Your local store is likely to be filled with special treats made for kids with a Valentine theme.  Traditional favorites like boxes of conversation hearts will always be appreciated, but look for special bags of Valentine colored M&M’s as well as other special candy treats!

Costumes:  Dressing up for Valentine’s Day (or any day, really) is super fun for kids.  Consider getting a costume for fun dress up time for your child as a unique gift that will give him hours of imaginative playtime fun.  Superheroes, princesses, movie characters and occupational favorites are a great place to start.  Don’t forget to add some fun accessories to your child’s wardrobe just for Valentine’s Day, too–ruby slippers, red hair extensions, red-striped socks/tights, silly hats–all of these are perfect to accessorize all your planned Valentine’s Day fun!

Even though traditionally Valentine’s Day is a special and romantic day for couples, your kids will love getting into the fun and spirit of this unique holiday, too!  Use some of our great ideas to make their Valentine’s Day one they will always remember and can really put their heart into!

Well, here we are, the final week before Christmas. In all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed with the holiday shopping process.  Poor Santa, can you imagine the stress he must be under as he attempts to please kids all over the world in one night?  Some of us find Christmas shopping completely overwhelming–others really seem to embrace the whole shopping experience and seem to always get gift giving just right.  For those of you that seem to be struggling a little bit with finding those perfect gifts for the recipients on your shopping list, here are a few pointers to help you in your quest for that perfect gift. 

According to our shopping pros, here are a few gifts you should always avoid:

Household appliances: Let’s face the facts, if you need one, you are likely to buy it yourself, getting one as a gift just isn’t very fun.  Even if your recipient is the most practical person on the planet, avoid these–no matter how you wrap up an iron or a hand held vacuum, it’s just not very exciting to open on Christmas morning.  If you were to give one to your spouse, you may even find yourself getting the holiday cold-shoulder.

Pets: Unless you are 100% positive that your recipient is ready for the responsibility of a new animal in the family, the gift of a pet is best avoided, especially if it is a legitimate surprise.  Not everyone is ready to become the new parent of a pet on Christmas morning. This is a gift that although well intended, could easily backfire on you. If your family has been considering adopting a pet into the household, find a less chaotic and exhausting time to introduce a new pet into your home as having a new animal around has challenges of its own. 

Heavily advertised on TV:  Whether it is jewelry you’ve seen about 1,000 times in holiday ads, warm body wraps with sleeves, pottery that grows plant life that looks like hair, or light switches that go on with a clap of your hand, no one really ever gets very excited about the cliché, oversold gifts that are heavily advertised on television.  These gifts often end up in the return stack for the weekend after the holiday-don’t be a victim that gets caught up in an advertising gimmick.

Pre-made Gift Baskets:  Assume your recipient has already received a few of these type of gifts, as they are everywhere that shoppers go over the holidays.  These baskets are very tempting to buy as they are packaged very festively and are a shopper’s dream as they are all ready to go.  The problem with them is that what is inside is often small on content and big on packaging–and some of the items grouped together may not necessarily appeal to your recipient.  The best gift baskets are those you put together yourself–then you can select the best goodies and items to fill your basket with based on the likes and needs of your lucky recipient.

Pre-Paid Gift Cards:  Be extremely careful with these as they often have fees attached to them when you buy them, or can be difficult to use if you are loading them with a smaller dollar amount.  Many of these cards (if not used promptly) will charge a monthly maintenance fee after a certain number of months have gone by.  This will lead to a lot of disappointment when the card is actually used.  It’s better to stick with a gift card or gift certificate for a store you know your recipient will enjoy as these type of gifts rarely have an expiration date or fee attached to them.

Still out of ideas?  There is help! Here Are A Few Ideas …

Gift an Experience:  Sometimes the best gift isn’t something that can be put into a box.  Tickets to an upcoming event that you know will be enjoyed make a fantastic gift.  You can go out on a limb and gift something crazy like a hot air balloon ride or scuba diving lessons.  Sometimes the gift of relaxation is wonderful, too–a spa day or a relaxing massage makes a perfect escape after enduring all the chaos that leads up to the holidays.

Gift of Imagination:  Kids get bored with the most popular holiday toys very quickly.  Consider the gift of imaginative playtime–with a gift full of fun accessories and children’s costumes just for dress up and creative adventures.  This type of gift never seem to lose its luster with kids and will give your children hours of playtime fun.

Family or Couple Getaway:  After the holidays are over, a family getaway may be the perfect way to recharge your battery.  If you live someplace cold and wintery, it may be fun to go someplace warm in order to unthaw yourself and relax a bit.   If you are lucky enough to live in a warmer climate, it’s still fun to go visit a colder, wintrier place to get a true taste of winter fun and to play in the snow. 

Finding the perfect holiday gift doesn’t have to be stressful or hard, with a little extra thought you will find that perfect present that brings Christmas smiles to all those on your own Santa’s gift list!

Costumes are a great way for a child to dress up in character as many of his Christmas toy favorites--and can easily bring your child’s favorite toys to life--straight out of Santa’s sack.

There is absolutely no doubt about it–at Christmastime, kids want toys!  It’s traditional for Santa Claus to come bounding down the chimney with his infamous sack loaded to the brim with all the favorite toys that every kid wants.  This year, make sure that your Santa (dressed head to toe in one of our jolliest Santa Claus suits, of course!) is fully loaded with plenty of toys–and may we suggest a new twist on a few old favorites?  Costumes are a great way for a child to dress up in character as many of his Christmas toy favorites–and can easily bring your child’s favorite toys to life–straight out of Santa’s sack. 

Toy Soldiers:  Kids love playing army and pretend war games have been a favorite childhood imaginative play theme for many years.  Make sure that your child is fully outfitted in proper soldier apparel for a Christmas gift that will bring him hours of adventurous fun at playtime!

Dolls that coddle and coo:  If your little darling wants a baby or fashion doll from Santa, she’s likely to take great delight in dressing up as one, too!  We have many costumes that look exactly like your child’s favorite fashion dolls and all of the accessories she will find necessary and really fun to complete her best fashionista look. 

Sugar Plum Fairies: (and princesses, too!)  Your little girl may have many visions of Sugar Plums dancing in her head this holiday season, but one of her favorites is likely to be a lovely Princess or Fairy ensemble so she can dress from head to toe like the special royalty that she really is!  With a regal Princess or sweet Fairy costume your child’s holiday will have lots of extra Christmas magic!

Raggedy Ann & Andy:  This rag doll duo is a popular Christmas classic toy that your child will delight in recreating herself through a darling Christmas costume–don’t forget the red yarn-like wig!  Dressing as this sweet rag doll will bring hours of imaginative playtime fun to your child as she embarks on her very own Raggedy Ann adventures.

Western Cowboy with a Cap Gun:  Whether you choose the Disney favorite, Woody from Toy Story, or a more classically styled cowboy, dressing as a gun slinging cowboy from the Wild Wild West is great fun for any child ready to take his imagination on a truly wild ride.  Yee Haw!

Traditional Clown:  What could be more fun for a kid than taking an exciting and imaginative trip to the big top?  Running away to the circus can be as easy for your child as going straight to his costume box.  Make sure he has everything he needs to dress up as his favorite silly clown character, from the rainbow Afro wig to the squeaky horn. 

No matter what your child’s toy wish list has on it, Santa can easily bring a costume to thrill and delight him as he kindles his imagination with fun and excitement through dressing up like his favorite classic Christmas toys!

This year’s hottest toys can be made even more exciting to your child when he or she has a fun costume that looks just like his favorite new and treasured toy! Imagine the hours of playtime fun your child will have as he takes his imagination and fun to a whole new and exciting level through both playing with and dressing up as his favorite Christmas toys!

Toys of course!  Undoubtedly this is true, but why not add a super fun twist to your Christmas gift giving this year by adding a new and imaginative dimension to your child’s playtime adventures.  This year’s hottest toys can be made even more exciting to your child when he or she has a fun costume that looks just like his favorite new and treasured toy!  Imagine the hours of playtime fun your child will have as he takes his imagination and fun to a whole new and exciting level through both playing with and dressing up as his favorite Christmas toys!  Here are some of our favorites that you may want to consider putting into your very own “Santa’s bag”! 

Elmo:  Elmo’s latest rock and roll version of himself is flying off the toy shelves this year and if your child is hot for this toy, he’s undoubtedly going to get super excited about recreating his very own ‘Elmo’ look for himself.  Make sure your little one has everything he needs to become his own imaginative version of Elmo as he rocks and jams through hours of playtime fun. 

Transformers:  The Transformers movie, The Dark of the Moon brought many exciting characters into the limelight that are sure to be on your child’s Christmas wish list.  Transformer’s toys and action figures are always a holiday favorite and adding an exciting Transformer costume to amp up the excitement factor is going to transform your child’s holiday into a full blown adventure.  Detailed costumes of your child’s favorite Transformer’s characters such as Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are sure to be an amazing hit with your youngsters!

These monstrous fashion dolls are a hugely popular holiday toy that are going to be exactly what many young girls want to find underneath their Christmas tree.

Monster High:  These monstrous fashion dolls are a hugely popular holiday toy that are going to be exactly what many young girls want to find underneath their Christmas tree.  Our Monster High costumes are so much like the original fashion dolls that your little girl will have hours of fun recreating her own vision of these characters through the perfect costume that looks just like her Monster High doll!  Choose from Frankie Stein, Draculaura, Clawdeen, Lagoona Blue or Cleo de Nile for the perfect costume to go with one of the most exciting and novel fashion dolls around.

Barbie:  Barbie dolls are always a Christmas list favorite amongst little girls and this year is no exception.  Barbie’s latest Princess Charm School doll may likely have already been whispered into Santa’s ear as what your little sweetheart is dreaming of this year.  Make sure you have a Barbie princess costume for your child to dress up in while she takes her Princess Barbie into her imaginary playtime adventure!

Angry Birds:  The Angry Bird phenomenon continues to roll through America.  This year’s toy shelves are stocked with Angry Bird games, plush toys as well as novelties.  Your child is going to be very excited about having a few exciting Angry Bird experiences of his very own, made even more enjoyable by owning one of these quirky yet adorable Angry Bird get ups and really getting into the action himself!

Make sure your Santa’s sack is filled to the brim with exciting and imaginative costumes that will add a new level of fun to all your child’s favorite Christmas toys!

It seems like just yesterday that we were all dressing up in our Halloween costumes and venturing out for trick or treating adventures as well as for costume parties–now already, it’s time to start making our Christmas lists and start checking things off of them too!  No matter how well you make your holiday plans, the planning and shopping days seem to literally evaporate right before your eyes.  When you have a good idea and a game plan, it’s time to act on it while it’s fresh in your mind and before all the good stuff is gone.  Shopping and gift buying is all part of the holiday season, whether you enjoy it or not.  The more things you get done early, the more relaxed you can be to enjoy all the festivities that will be in full force a month from now.  Don’t we all say that ‘next year’ we are going to shop earlier?  Let this holiday season be your year to get some things done right now!

Post Halloween is a fantastic time to buy costumes for your kids dress up collection.  We know, as you probably do as well, that kids don’t need a holiday to put on a costume and instantly become a legendary character in their own minds.  Costumes are a fantastic Christmas gift idea for kids and will give them hours (yes…you heard that right….hours!) of imaginative playtime fun.  With many fantastic characters available, from your kids favorite TV shows, movies or cartoons you can be sure to find that perfect costume to get your child enthused and ready to dress up.  We also have some great occupational outfits from the ‘adult’ world that are exciting as well as stimulating for young minds.  Dressing as a fireman, police officer, army man, astronaut, race car driver, doctor or even a cheerleader can be extremely fun for a kid and give them a chance to pretend to be something more grown up.  Of course you wouldn’t want to forget some of the traditional dress up characters like stunning Disney Princesses, adventurous Superheroes as well as mysterious Ninja’s.  There are so many character possibilities that you may want to buy several costumes–your children will be delighted!

Don’t forget to enhance your child’s dress up experience with some fabulous costume accessories, too.   What is a Princess without her slippers and tiara or a Knight without his sword?  Make sure your child’s costume box has everything he needs to make his imagination truly come alive through experiencing a new character he finds within himself and expresses with the help of an appropriate outfit.   A costume is the perfect Christmas gift that your child will absolutely love to find underneath the Christmas tree this year.  With a costume, a child can be anything his imagination dictates–what better gift could there be this holiday season?  And the best part of all–no batteries are required! 

While you are making all these plans, you may also want to consider who is going to deliver the goods to your kids.  With a very special Santa suit, Santa himself can come to life right in your own living room!  With a special visit from a ‘real’ Santa, your Christmas can truly be a memorable and magical experience for all! 

As the first signs of fall appear, now is a great time to start thinking about some great dress up ideas for your kids, for Halloween of course, but also just for fun and for play.  Some of the summer’s hottest movies have provided great characters that probably have inspired you, such as those from Pirates of the Caribbean, Captain America, Harry Potter and the Green Lantern. 

Take full advantage of the many hours of fun that a costume can provide for a child, from animals to many various occupations.  Your child will enjoy recreating many of these exciting roles and having numerous imaginative adventures.

Buzz Lightyear-To Infinity and Beyond!  This quirky Space Ranger from the movie series Toy Story is already one of your child’s favorites!  Buzz is notorious for finding himself in a bit of trouble, and after a lot of silly shenanigans always manages to finds his way back out!  Unsure if he is a toy or an actual Space Ranger, Buzz will always be most well known for his bravery and courage.  Your child will have many hours of fun recreating the delightful character of Buzz Lightyear.

Tinkerbell- (or “Tink” for short) is one of the most memorable fairy characters out there.  Fairies are a mythical and magical being that any child will love to dress up as.  They are beautiful, with gossamer wings and dresses that fall from the waist like soft flower petals.  In addition to being strikingly beautiful, Tinkerbell is known for a bit of a tempestuous and jealous streak along with a bit of notorious mischief making.  Little girls love dressing up in pretty dresses.  Recreating the lovely Tinkerbell, along with her cloud of pixie dust will be a sparkling adventure for any little girl.

Captain America-Every child has a favorite superhero, and Captain America could very easily find his way into your child’s heart.  Captain America, arguably one of the most patriotic superheroes, became a superhero after a rough start in life.  Always a weak and frail person, Steve Rogers gained his superhuman strength after being administered a mysterious serum that transformed him into an enhanced being of literal human perfection.  Your child will have hours of fun bringing out his inner superhero and becoming his own version of Captain America!

Policemen- Playing “cops and robbers” is a classic kids imaginative, role-playing game.  There is nothing more fun for a child than donning the uniform of one of the ultimate authority figures in our society, while going out to apprehend the bad guys and haul them off to jail.  Your child will have hours of fun role-playing this significant player in adult life and will have fun exploring this part of the world around him.   Robbers should beware; there is a policeman nearby that is fully prepared to take you into custody!

Dorothy- She’s off to see the wizard!  There is something magical about Dorothy, who is the ultimate damsel in distress.  With her newly bequeathed Ruby slippers as well as her acquired sidekicks, the Scarecrow, the Tin man, and the Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, an ordinary farm girl from Kansas, suddenly finds herself thrust into a strange land, with an evil witch set out to destroy her (and her little dog, too).  Your little girl will love recreating the character of Dorothy during playtime and be thrilled to wear her very own pair of sparkling and magical ruby slippers!

Jack Sparrow- Jack Sparrow is the swashbuckling pirate captain of The Black Pearl.  The swaggering pirate has become a classic character that children truly adore.  Jack is indeed a pirate, but in spite of his dirty, rugged and somewhat disheveled appearance, has confessed that he believes that even some pirates can be honest as well as good men.  Rarely a fighter, Jack would much rather resolve problematic situations with his wits as opposed to weapons or fighting.  Your child will love having many imaginative adventures out on the high seas while pretending to be Jack Sparrow!

Wonder Woman-This outfit represents chick power extraordinaire!  All kids love wrapping a traditional superhero cape around their shoulders and then heading out to save the world.  Girls want to be superheroes, too, and your little girl can be the quintessential female heroine with her own version of a Wonder Woman get up.  With her super human strength, speed and agility, Wonder Woman’s place in the world is to restore order, love, peace and equality.  

Spiderman-“Spidey” is a really cool superhero.  Peter Parker at one point was a kind of nerdy kid who was very shy and a bit backwards.  After being inadvertently bitten by a radioactive spider in a laboratory, interesting changes began to occur in Peter and eventually he was transformed into Spiderman!  The once struggling adolescent has now morphed into an agile, super strong being with the ability to cling to most any surface, as well as scale up most any wall.  Web-shooters are now found at his wrists, which enable him to shoot blasts of spider webbing out at will!  Your child is going to love recreating one of the most popular superhero characters of all time!

Super girl-Although somewhat of a more obscure superhero, the chance to be “Super girl” is not one to be missed.  Traditionally, Super girl has the identical superhero powers to Superman and also shares in his vulnerability to Kryptonite.  As Superman’s cousin, Super girl has always been taken under his wing– that is, until she fully learns to use and control her magical powers.  Your child is going to love empowering herself in a Super girl get up.  Traditional colors are available, but make sure to look for the “all pink” version of Super girl for that extra special girl that loves all things in the pink!

Miltary-There is nothing braver than a soldier. Today’s soldiers are stationed in all parts of the world, fighting bravely to preserve our lifestyle as well as our basic freedoms.  Kids love dressing up as the brave men and women that are part of the armed services.  Various takes on camouflage or other military uniforms are the perfect way for your child to dress up to play “army.”  Play-acting a soldier is a great way to use their imagination while recreating pretend battles in your own backyard.

Halloween costumes are obviously great for Halloween, but a costume’s potential as a great playtime accessory should not be overlooked.  With the right dress up gear, your child will have hours and hours of endless imaginative role-playing fun!  

Touchstone Pictures have done it again with their new animated movie Gnomeo & Juliet 3D.  Today is the big release day and it looks like an adorable movie that kids will enjoy!  It’s about a forbidden love between garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet…sound familiar?  I think even William Shakespeare would have loved this film!

Along with the little blue Gnomeo and red Juliet gnomes, there’s a giant lawn mower (a weapon of grass destruction) that goes by the name of  the Terrafirminator, a plastic flamingo with a cute Spanish accent, a little deer named Fawn and a frog named Roseanne that add to the “aw that’s so sweet” factor of the movie.  With all these adorable characters the movie is going to be a hit at Halloween with the toddler Garden Gnome costumes! 

Garden gnomes have actually been around for over 150 years gracing lawns all across the world.  So it was only a matter of time before a movie was made based on one of these cute creatures!

One simple way to keep kids busy for hours can be summed up in one simple word…costumes! Kids love them!  Some of our children’s favorite shows are on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel.  There’s nothing better for a child than to be able to dress up as one of their favorite characters. 

Besides the superheroes and princesses, children will love the Yo Gabba Gabba costumesand the Sponge Bob costumes!  Encouraging your child to use his or her imagination and letting their creative juices flow is a great way for them to have hours of fun when they’re stuck inside on a wintery day!

The good thing about costumes, especially with children, is that it’s something they will get much use of even after Halloween has come and gone. My kids always play dress-up with their costumes for months after Halloween. A costume is a great investment in keeping kids occupied and having fun!

Now that Halloween is over it’s time to check out some of the Thanksgiving Holiday Costumes. They are simply adorable!  HalloweenExpress.com has outdone themselves this year with costumes for everyone in your family from the youngest pilgrim to the oldest Indian!

All across the country Thanksgiving traditions will be in full swing with parades, football on the big screen and lots of turkey and pumpkin pie. Some families even celebrate Thanksgiving by putting up their Christmas lights!  A tradition we started in my family a few years ago, was to have the children dress up in Indian and Pilgrim Costumes.  They love it and it gives all the children that sit at the “kid’s table” a chance to really be part of the celebration.  However, we do have a few adults in the family that sit at the “adult table” that also love getting in on the fun and wearing a costume.  I say the more the merrier!

This year start a new tradition with your family by letting your children dress-up on Thanksgiving.  Once in costume they become an active participant in the holiday by wanting to help in any way they can.  This comes in handy when it’s time to clean up!