Blasting off to Spring

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From the minute our Stomp Rocket box arrived, the kids have been dying to get outside to try these rockets out.  Finally we had a bright and sunny day to do a test launch.

Our Stomp Rocket set came with three rockets.  The colors aren't the only things that make them different.  One is designed to fly far, one to do loops and one to flips.  The rockets are made from durable foam and were designed by aeronautical engineers.  

The set up only took a minute and then the kids were ready to go.  

Not only did my three have a *blast* jumping and launching the rockets but they also had fun hunting them down.  

More than just jumping and launching, my older daughters played with angles to figure out how they could make the rockets go higher and soar farther.  As parents, we are always looking for ways to make learning fun and Stomp Rockets definitely does that!  

The Stomp Rocket box says it's for ages 5-12 but with a little parental guidance, our 3 year old did great.  My older kids could set up and launch the rockets all on their own.  They were running and jumping for hours with friends, just having a great time enjoying the sunshine! 

Thanks to Stomp Rockets for sending us a set!  All opinions are honest and our own.

Celebrating the Little Victories with Ivory

This post is in partnership with Ivory.

My youngest was born trying to keep up with his older sisters.  He hit all of his milestones early, working so hard to be able to reach their toys and play their games.  The older he gets, the more he wants to do everything the same as his sisters despite their sizable age gap.  He thinks three year olds should have ten year old bedtimes.  And doesn't understand why he can't have sleepovers with his friends or play outside on his own.  

Anytime the kids can do something the same, we count that as a big win.  When we found Ivory soap was safe and gentle enough for everyone in our family to use, it was one less battle to fight and it made life just a little bit easier.

For the past 138 years, Ivory continues to uphold the standard of using only pure and purposeful ingredients in its products.  While Ivory has new, updated packaging you can expect the same pure soap.  The Ivory clean bar soap is pure and gentle for everyone in our family whether they are 3 years old or 37 years old.  Buying one product for our entire family saves us time shopping and also time getting ready for the bath.  

Maybe it's because he is the baby, but it's really hard to say no to this face.  It seems simple but anytime we get to give him a yes instead of the no he assumes is coming it makes him so happy.  Getting upgraded from the "baby" bath stuff to real, big kid bar soap got this wannabe ten year old super excited.  

He doesn't need to know Ivory created the first soap that was 99.44% pure and continues to make safe and gentle products for the whole family. Ivory's tradition of being a simple product that simplifies life continues on providing families a product we can trust.

There's nothing more simple and pure than seeing the smile of your kid right out of the tub.  Simplifying bath time with Ivory gives us more time to enjoy the big moments.  But also have time to enjoy the small moments, too. I also love that I can use Ivory Clean’s body wash with a new gentle formula that is free of dyes and heavy perfumes.

You can shop the full line of Ivory products here.

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post, all opinions are honest and our own.

Why you should send your overnight summer camp

I am a huge advocate for sending kids to overnight camp in the summer. I grew up going to overnight camp each summer (Girl Scout Camp, Camp Tecumseh and Camp Crosley) and was a camp counselor at Island Lake Sports & Arts Camp in New York as well. Each camp provided me with different experiences. I always knew once I had children I would want them to go to summer camp as well. 

My daughter Mia has been going to Camp Crosley in Indiana since she was going into 4th grade. This year will be her fourth over night camp experience at Crosley. I will be honest and say that we probably sent her one year too early but she was ready, had been to day camp (at the same camp) and went with a friend. In my opinion the best age to send your kids to overnight camp would be going into 5th grade. Every kid is different, as a parent you need to gage their comfort level. Some camps have mini camps that are only 3 nights. That is a great way to test out overnight camp!

 Since we live in the Midwest overnight camp is a lot different from the East Coast. It is common that East Coasters will send their kids to overnight camp at a younger age and they will stay there up to 6 weeks at time. Midwesterners are much more conservative when it come to summer camp. (at least in our area)

There are many reasons why I think a child should go to overnight/sleep away camp. 

Independence is one of the biggest reasons to send a child to overnight camp. Lets face it at this age they are very dependent on their parents. They may have chores and responsibilities around the house. Camp puts them in a situation where they are responsible for their own stuff.  If you have a well adjusted kid they will be totally fine being away from their parents for a week. At camp they will be responsible for taking care of their stuff, making their bed, cleaning the cabin, going to their specific activities etc. 

Getting your child out of their comfort zone is important. Sending your child to camp may make you nervous but the kids are the ones that are totally fine! Before you even pull out of the parking lot from dropping your child off at camp they have already made new friends and are planning out their activities for the week!  Their cabin mates and counselors become their family for their time at camp.

For most kids the best part of going to camp is meeting new friends! Camp gives your child to meet new people from all different areas. It gives them a chance to develop friendships without their parents around. Their cabin mates become a huge part of their camp experience. My daughter likes going to camp the same week every summer in order to see friends she had met the previous year.

Camp provides kids the chance to try new activities that they might not get to do at home. There are many different camps these days. Its easy to find a camp that will fit your child's interests. My daughter loves the outdoors and enjoys want camp Crosley has to offer her. Her favorite activities she has done at camp are photography, Archery, Kayaking and Mission Possible. 

Camps have busy schedules each day is planned out from first thing to the morning to when they go to bed. Kids don't have a lot of down time to miss their family. I always send my daughter with stationary that is addressed and ready for her to send us a letter. Last year she didn't even send us one letter! She said she was busy braiding hair and making bracelets when they had down time in the cabin. At least I know she was having fun! When you pick them up they are exhausted but full of a week of stories and memories. That is priceless. 

Peter Rabbit Chicago Screening Recap + Movie Review

The Little Style File is happy to partner with Sony Pictures on this post.

Peter Rabbit opens in theaters this Friday, February 9th, but we got a chance to host the Chicago advance screening last Saturday!  

The event began with bunny painting where the kids could get their faces or hands/arms painted by amazing artists.  

With bunny ears and snacks, it was time to watch Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit tells the story of a bunny and his family who are always sneaking into Mr. McGregor's garden to steal his vegetables.  I'll be honest, I was a little nervous to see this movie.  Peter Rabbit has a special place in my heart.  My nursery when I was a baby was Beatrix Potter and I always loved that little bunny, even if he was a little mischievous.  Seeing the modern day take with the rascal, rebel rabbit made me worry that Peter Rabbit would lose some of his sweetness and the charm of Beatrix Potter.

There is nothing to worry about.  The Peter Rabbit movie was the perfect blend of kid, laugh out loud funny while paying tribute to the original.  While not giving anything away, I loved how they brought in the iconic Peter Rabbit images to the movie.  Peter Rabbit is adorable, hilarious and he can sometimes take things a little too far.  You really couldn't ask for more in this modern day version.

The visual effects are seamless.  You would never think that neighbor to the bunny family, Bea, is not actually petting and cuddling real life rabbits.  Rose Byrne and Domhnall Gleeson are the great in Peter Rabbit.  James Corden is so amazing as the voice of Peter Rabbit and Daisy Ridley, Margot Robbie and Elizabeth Debicki are perfect as Peter's triplet sisters.  

“Peter Rabbit is just phenomenal! By far totally my absolute favorite movie with a bunny ever!
”

— Ellie, age 10

And I wasn't the only one who loved it, all seven of us thought it was great!  Even my husband who can be a little hard to please was literally LOL'ing throughout the movie.  Here's what the kids had to say:

Ellie, age 10, says, “Peter Rabbit is just phenomenal! By far totally my absolute favorite movie with a bunny ever!” and her sister, Madeline says, "Peter Rabbit is awesome.  So so funny!"

"My favorite part of Peter Rabbit was that WILD house party!", Dylan, age 8 says and Will (3) says he just loved all of those funny bunnies and their best friends. 

We would recommend Peter Rabbit for families with kids of all ages.  In our group we had kids from 3-10 and the movie held all of their attentions, and the grown ups, too.  It was a great day and we were thrilled to share it with our kids and our fun TLSF readers who won the giveaway!

Are you planning on taking your kids to see Peter Rabbit?

Disclosure:  The Little Style File has partnered with Sony Pictures on this post.  All opinions are honest and our own.

Giveaway! Win Tickets to the Peter Rabbit Movie Chicago Screening

The Little Style File is thrilled to be partnering with the Peter Rabbit movie.

From the moment our family saw the Peter Rabbit movie trailer before a family movie over winter break, the kids knew they HAD to see it.  We were all cracking up during the preview and even though they enjoyed the movie we saw, all the kids talked about on the way home was Peter Rabbit.

This is not the whimsical Peter Rabbit of the past.  This modern day take on the Beatrix Potter classic story looks hilarious and fun for all ages.  James Corden is the voice of Peter Rabbit with Rose Byrne, Domhnall Gleeson and Sam Neil.

Now for the really exciting news - we are so excited to be hosting the Peter Rabbit Chicago screening on Saturday, February 3rd.  This is a ticketed event with face painting and activities before a showing of the movie before it comes out on February 9th.

The Little Style File has 5 family 4 packs of tickets to giveaway to this super fun event.  If you are free the morning of February 3rd and can be in Chicago, enter in Rafflecopter below.  Good luck and we hope to see you there!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow along with all of the Peter Rabbit fun with #PeterRabbitMovie, on Instagram, on Facebook and on Pinterest.

This is a sponsored post, all opinions are honest and our own.