Ella's Must-Have Toys

What child doesn't love their toys, am I right?! Ella is one lucky little lady to have such a huge collection of fun toys from so many special people in her life! I figured now would be a great time to share ten of her favorites. All of these make regular appearances, no matter how buried some get she is always uncovering them and I'm finding these scattered across the floor at the end of the day.

Ella's Must-Have Toys by stephanie-skoblicki on Polyvore

1. Big Block Sing Song DVD - If you've ever tuned into Disney Junior, you've had these catchy tunes  stuck in your head. The videos are hilarious, we started watching marathons of them on YouTube when she was only a few months old. Now season one is on DVD! Our Ella's favorites are "Peek-a-Boo", "Big Feet" and "Eat". Hubs and I still can't get over the fact that she now sings and dances to them!

2. Melissa and Doug Take-Along Shape Sorter - My mom got this for Ella at a cute little toy shop while we were in Savannah, Georgia over the summer. She used to like hearing the sound of the shapes inside and enjoyed dumping them out. Now she can fit some of the shapes in herself!

3. Baby Einstein "Let's Look" Book - We somehow acquired a big and a little version of this same book. I like to bring the little one with us in the diaper bag when we're on the go. Between reading this book, and watching Baby Noah (Baby Einstein DVD, also on YouTube) she learned her animals and animal sounds. 

4. Little People Ariel's Castle - Ella had a mermaid theme for her first birthday, so of course this was the perfect gift. She especially loves Flounder and opening and closing the clam shell. 

5. Melissa and Doug Safari Chunky Puzzle - I love this chunky puzzle, we have the shape one as well. This also helped Ella learn her animals, she always favored the "po-po" (hippo).

6. Caterpillar Tunnel - My cousin Jen got this for Ella's first birthday. Let's just say I trip over it on a regular basis. 

7. Stack and Roll Cups - These are stacking bowls, nesting bowls, and they even fit together so you can roll them. Right now I'm using them to help work on colors. 

8. Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Magical Musical Mirror - My dad is so proud that he picked this out for her on a whim LAST Christmas. This thing has been such a hit at so many phases of her development. When she was a little lump I'd just plop her in front of it and she would stare in the mirror, then she started pulling herself up on it (made me nervous), now she carries it all over the place. The pieces are perfect for teething, and she uses the comb to pretend to comb not only her hair, but mine, it's the sweetest. This is a big hit, even still!

9. Little People Nativity - Grandma and Grandpa Sko outdid themselves on this one! They gave it to Ella when we saw them in September but we put it aside so we could open it special for the holidays. Well, it's open and it's the number one toy as far as Ella is concerned right now. It's absolutely adorable and I'm so excited to have this be one of our Christmas traditions. I could see us taking this out for many years to come!

10. LeapFrog Picnic Basket - This was a birthday gift from Aunt Sharyn, Uncle Kevin and Justin. Picnics are a daily occurrence in our living room. Now Ella taps the fork on the plate and says "mum, mum, mum"! 

As you could imagine, our living room is completely over-run (as it should be with a one year old)! It's crazy to think what it will look like over the next few weeks! Thank you so much to you all in advance! Someday I'll do a post on living room organization - if I ever figure out a system that works! 

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Bliss

Today is #BloggerBliss Wednesday! It's been a few months since I've linked up with Heather and Meg. I'm making up for lost time and sharing a whole bunch of favorites!

Bliss - June by stephanie-skoblicki featuring a robot coupe food processor

Orange Is the New Black - I'm getting back into it now that Netflix is back in my life. Just in time for season 2...thanks bro!

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Primer - I don't know if I'd call it "magic", but it does help me look slightly less dead. I've been into "glowy" skin lately. 

Magimix Food Processor - You all know how I feel about this thing, and if you don't...read my review HERE. 

NYX Butter Gloss - As far as lip gloss goes - these are the best I've ever tried because they're creamy, not really sticky at all. I picked up the shade "Peaches & Cream" at Target, and lucky me just received "Eclair" in my June Ipsy bag!
Tazo Passion Tea - We can't always have Starbucks passion tea on hand, but with this you could recreate it at home. Next best thing!
Bath & Body Works - Coconut Lime Breeze - Usually, coconut is my go-to scent for summer but honestly I started getting a little sick of it until I picked up this body spray. Lime is a great alternative to the usual vanilla scent. I could bath in this stuff...no really, I have the body wash too! YUM!
Chobani Flip - So far, I haven't met a flavor I don't like. Even the pineapple coconut one that I was iffy about is good. In fact, it just might be my new favorite!
Crochet - My love has been renewed and I'm feeling extra crafty these days. I'll be ready for next winter!
Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips - Back to the whole "glowy" skin thing - this is a relatively new obsession. I have it in the shade "Miami Strip" and I love that it's not full of chunky glitter! You could use it as a bronzer but I've been using it mainly as a highlight.
Bandeau's - In my opinion, it's perfectly acceptable to wear these under everything this summer!
Bolthouse Juice - Green Goodness - I know, I know...this is a lazy man's juice, I could make this on my own and it would probably be full of a lot less calories, and considerably healthier. This is just too easy, and too good. 

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Ella's 9 Month Favorites

We haven't done one of these in a while. Ella has a whole new set of favorite things to share with you all. It was hard to narrow these down considering our home is overrun with her stuff, but I managed to cut the list to ten. 

9 Month Faves by stephanie-skoblicki featuring Vera Bradley

1. Ella's Kitchen Baby Cookies - Obviously we are a little partial to the Ella's Kitchen brand, but it's good stuff! She seems to like the apple and ginger ones best (in the green box) but these are good too. I'm SO paranoid about choking, however these seem to be the perfect texture - although I still don't take my eyes off of her for a second. These cookies are firm enough that she can't just bite a huge chunk off, but they do crumble and then melt after she slobbers on them for a while. They're great practice for holding her own food and feeding herself, and they are also excellent teethers!

2. Busy Ball Popper - Ella loves going over to this and pressing the button all on her own. Her cute little giggles tell me that it's definitely "Ella approved".

3. 5 Minute Princess Stories - I'm a sucker for anything Disney, and let's face it...the attention span doesn't go much beyond 5 minutes (for the same book) in one sitting anyway.

4. SwimWays Baby Float - We got ours (in blue and green) for about 20 bucks at Walmart. I've got nothing to compare it to but I love how she fits in it so nicely. There is a "shelf" to put a bunch of teethers and toys for her to play with on while she splashes! It's a little pricier than other baby floats but it seems like it is a lot more durable than anything else we came across in the stores. I also love the canopy and the fact that it collapses nicely. 

5. Google Chromecast - This was an impulse buy on Christmas day (thanks Jen)! Best impulse buy ever! We are constantly casting from our ipads, galaxy tabs, and phones! Pandora, YouTube...SO convenient. Hubs and I like it for ourselves, but we do use it often to play some music or videos for Baby Girl. 

6. Baby Bullet Steamer - I know you don't need one of these to steam food, but it is so cute and little I had to buy it. We actually returned the actual Baby Bullet and picked this up instead. I use it whenever I'm making her a small batch of food, and we also use it every day to warm up her food instead of microwaving it. Super convenient!

7. Triple Paste - Tanika recommended this to me back in the day, she said it was pricey but well worth it. This stuff is a lifesaver, I use it whenever she looks the slightest bit pink to ward off a rash. Thanks for the tip lady!

8. Vera Bradley Lunch Bunch - This fits a surprising amount of bottles, food and snacks inside. We got ours in the color Tutti Frutti. I like that it's not too bulky to also throw inside the diaper bag. 

9. Melissa and Doug Puzzle - She is a pro at taking this thing apart and I KNOW it's only a matter of time before she is putting it back together. The giraffe seems to be her favorite piece!

10. Stroll-Along Walker - It didn't take long for her to get the hang of pushing her very first stroller. The funny thing is that she doesn't like for any babies or stuffed animals to be sitting in it. Now she cruises around like it's her job - she even does laps now...LAPS! Ugh, she is growing up too fast! Look at her go...

Ella hopes you enjoyed reading about some of her favorites, and maybe your babies will like some of these too!

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Bliss

It's #BloggerBliss Wednesday again! I'm linking up with Heather and Meg to share some of my favorites from the month of March. We just got back from our fabulous NY trip last night. There's so much to update you all on, but before I get into all of that fun stuff...

March Bliss by stephanie-skoblicki featuring a red lipstick

Wet n Wild MegaLast Lip Color - Stoplight Red - There aren't too many occasions that warrant me having such bold lips....but when one comes along...BAM! These are my "go-to" cheapo lipsticks! (See shameless selfie on the right)
Pandora Radio - You know I'm always raving about my love for Pandora! Lately I've been listening to a lot of Drake radio, and Lorde.
eos Lip Balm - Pomegranate Raspberry - These little pots of goodness are spread all over my home. My lips are SO dry after NY, so I'll be loading up on this!
Starbucks Shaken Iced Tea - This isn't a new favorite by any means. I just had one at the airport and fell in love all over again! They are all good - black tea, green tea, passion tea...MMMMM!
Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear - Mint Sorbet - A true mint color isn't easy to find. This one is PERFECT (in my opinion)!
Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser - When I use foundation, I always prime my skin first with this.
Seche Vite - Fast Drying Top Coat - Love, love, LOVE! This top coat is the reason I can't justify paying for a manicure! Can we talk about what an amazing deal this is?!? Just added these to my Amazon cart!
Real Techniques Starter Set - Eyes - These brushes are so soft and fluffy. This set came with the perfect variety of brushes. I got mine at Kohls.
NYC Bronzer - Sunny - Yes I live in Florida. Yes I still use bronzer. I need to get out more...
Truvia - This is by far my favorite natural sweetener!
Cetaphil - Restoraderm - Our Pediatrician recommended this for Ella...and I kinda love it for me too. Again - will be loading up on this after coming home with crazy dry skin!

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Bliss

Happy #BloggerBliss Wednesday! Today I'm linking up with Heather and Meg to rave about some awesomeness I've discovered this past month. Who doesn't love a "favorite things" post? What's more fun - reading them OR writing them? For me, it's a tie. I guess I'm a little late jumping on a few of these bandwagons. Better late than never! 

Bliss by stephanie-skoblicki

Frozen - "Do you want to build a snow mannnnnn?" Adorable movie, amazing soundtrack...I'm a little obsessed

Folgers Black Silk K Cups - This has been my new favorite since I've finally started drinking coffee again! It's been the only way to semi-function this week. 

HMDX - Burst Portable Rechargeable Speaker - All I needed was a tiny little speaker to get me through test prep at work. This will come in handy over the next few months while we get ready for FCAT. So far it's been a nice addition to our testing cave castle!

Butternut Squash - My new "go-to" side dish has been roasted butternut squash (cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, spread on a little butter, roast at 425 degrees for an hour). I wasn't sure how to link you all to this so I went with a wiki page! Read up! Now we all know some fun facts about this delicious winter squash that is also known as cucurbita moschata. 

Jordana Fabuliner - I've been on the lookout for a good cheapo black eyeliner. This is it!

Naked 3 Palette - You could create so many simple looks with these basic shades. Love the color payoff (that's right, I've been watching youtube tutorials so I know the lingo)!

Amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo - This is what I use on the days I don't wash my hair. Out of all the dry shampoos I've tried, this one works and smells the best (in my opinion)!

Rimmell Stay Matte Foundation - I'm not one for foundation in general, but some days I need a little something to even out my complexion. Let's just say I've been reaching for it more and more lately. I'm a fan of the consistency...and the coverage...and the price!

Krave Cereal - I may have a problem. Krave is a very fitting name..."Krack" may have worked a little better though. This morning I opened a new box. It's not long for this world. I eat them dry out of a ziploc bag like a child. 

This compilation of favorites was all a little random, I'm aware. I hope you enjoyed it anyway! 

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Ella's Favorite Things

Ella thought it would be fun to share some of her favorites today! Okay, some of these are MY favorites but I like to think she enjoys them too. Even though I expected her to take over, I'm amazed by just how much stuff a baby needs! Does she really need it all? That is debatable (but doubtful)! Our home is jam-packed with a "collection" of baby things. Naturally, there are certain items she (and I) gravitate towards more than others. If you have a little one, you might want to add these to your own collection!

Ella's Faves - 4 Months by stephanie-skoblicki on Polyvore

1. Octivity Time - Lamaze makes some amazing toys! She has a few and loves them all but this octopus is especially entertaining. I feel like she will love him even more when she is able to sit up on her own.

2. Oball - This is one of the first toys she was able to grab herself. 

3. Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes - The classical music usually stops her in her tracks if she is having a meltdown...I like to keep it close by!

4. Kermit - The newest addition from our Disney trip the other day! His arms and legs are so easy to grab - and she loves chewing on poor Kermie's hands and feet. 

5. Leggings - I'm obsessed, and these fit her SO well! Ordering in every color...

6. Bright Starts Links - Again, super easy to grab. They are EVERYWHERE!

7. Homedics SoundSpa - We use this every night for the white noise. It either plugs in or takes batteries...it's also small and portable. LoVe! 

8. Taggies Baby - Soft, cuddly and easy to chew on. 

9. Bumbo Floor Seat - Ella loves sitting up and being able to look around. She always seems so proud of herself when she sits in this chair! I like using the tray to put her toys on - although she brushes them off immediately....

10. Carter's Microfleece Jammies - These are super snugly and warm (believe it or not, it does get cold here). All Carter's clothing fit her really well. She has a pair with elephants too - SO stinkin' cute!

There's more where these came from but this is it for now. She promises to share more soon! 

Happy Thursday!