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Our almost 4-year old loves puzzles and she’s done puzzles up to 60 pieces. For Christmas, her sister got her a puzzle with 500 pieces of cute kittens in a horse barn. Now, we admit, 60 to 500 pieces is a big jump, but what’s life without challenges, right?

Read on to find out what happens when child gets a 500-piece puzzle for Christmas...

... YOU!

We pretty much have everything we NEED, so all we’d LIKE for Christmas is for Live Grow Play Austin to continue to grow and to provide a helpful parenting and family resource created by parents for parents in and around Austin.

Here's how you can help your fellow Moms, Dads and caregivers.

Awwwh, the holidays. Beautiful Christmas decorations, magical lights, the smell of cinnamon, cardamom or ginger, delicious pies and 23 kinds of cookies baking in the oven, Christmas presents under the pretty Christmas tree, sitting by the fireplace listening to Christmas songs, drinking a mug of hot chocolate (or eggnog in our case) and reading a book.

STOP!

How did we get there? How can we make wishful thinking a reality? Read on and find out.

If your kids are like ours, they’d buy everything in the toy store if they could (heck, even in the grocery store!). So, it should be pretty easy to get your kids some Christmas presents, shouldn’t it? Well, it isn’t. At least not for us. We want toys that are age appropriate, durable, wallet-friendly, fun, and if possible parent- or expert-approved. That's why we’ve reached out to local toy stores in and around Austin and asked for their recommendations for the following categories:

Best Toys of 2016: Baby
Best Toys of 2016: Toddlers
Best Toys of 2016: Preschoolers
Best Toys of 2016: Big Kids
 
Continue to read about their recommendations plus enter to win one of 5 awesome toys for your little ones!

Central Texas is among the fastest growing regions in the nation. While it means growth and prosperity for some, due to the rising cost of housing, utilities, transportation, and healthcare, many of our neighbors are left behind. Many of those neighbors are children.

More than

• 166,050 children in Central Texas
• 61,250 children in Travis County
• 27,160 children in Williamson County
• 8,990 children in Hays County
• 4,790 children in Bastrop County
• 2,360 children in Caldwell County

are affected by hunger and food insecurity. Let's change this.

Did you know that vultures are the only birds that can smell?

Have you ever milked or watched someone milk a cow?

Have you ever wondered why male birds are prettier than female birds?

Would you believe us if we told you that pigs are some of the smartest and cleanest animals around?

Have you ever witnessed the birth of a brand new calf?

We experienced and learned about all of the above and more from Farmer Dave and Farmer Chris during our visit of Crowe’s Nest Farm.

Make picking out your Christmas Tree a memorable experience for the entire family this year by visiting a Choose and Cut Christmas tree farm near Austin.

Breathe in some fresh air, take a hayride or walk out to the field, let the kids choose their favorite tree, and let your inner lumberjack o the rest. Back at the farm, pick up some tree accessories and decorations and enjoy some fun activities with your kids.

Read on for more info and how to enter to win your own real Christmas tree.

Are you familiar with never ending questions from your kids incl. questions you can’t, don’t know how to, don’t want to, or are just not ready to answer yet? Are you tired of repeating yourself over and over again? Have you had it when your kids talk back to you? Can’t think of anything appropriate or clever to say?

No worries: Let Siri do the talk!

Here's what we want you to do:

1.    Go to your Facebook page and count how many Facebook groups you’re a member of (we just did and stopped counting at 20).
2.    Then, try to remember what question you posted, what advice you gave, which post you liked, shared, or commented on, or which post you really liked but didn’t save.
3.    Now try to remember which group you were in to do any of the above.

Can’t remember? Can’t find it?

Sorry to have to break the news to you: You have Facebook Group Overload.

Good news is, there's a cure. Read on to find out more.

“I’m new to Austin and I’m looking for other Mama’s in the area.”
“We’re expecting and would love to meet up with other expecting parents.”
“Stay-at-home Dad is looking for other Dads to take the kids to fun places.”

Sounds familiar? Maybe you’re transitioning from "your normal life" to a life with children. Or you’re a stay-at-home Mom or Dad who’s looking for things to do with your kids during the week. Or you’re a working Mom or Dad that would like to meet up with other parents and kids on the weekends. Or you’re new to the 512 and just want to socialize and interact with other Moms and Dads.

Whatever you’re looking for, do not despair, my friends. We’ve just added the category Play Groups / Mom Groups / Dad Groups to our directory which currently lists 119 groups and will help you get connected.

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