Author: Tator

It’s officially Fourth of July weekend and it’s time for outfits that fit the occasion!

by Tator

Matching patriotic sibling outfits!

2022 has been one of our family’s best years yet, it’s obviously not without hard work though so when we have a reason to celebrate anything we do it and we do it right. You’ll know I’m a mom that is extra AF when it comes to celebrating literally anything – my family doesn’t call me Beverly Goldberg for nothing!

From day one of my children’s lives I’ve always been THAT mom…

•The mom that customizes everything I possibly can.

•The mom that coordinates holiday & themed outfits every time.

•The mom that has been coined the queen of personalization. 

And I don’t regret a second! Of course, I know one day all of this will come to an end with my kids no longer wanting to do that and it’s fine, but right now they love it and I love being festive and even when it’s over I know I’ll at least have these countless holiday memories and precious family photo shoots to look back on and smile.. it’s really just my thing and I love that they love it too!

So for the Fourth of July 2022 nothing has changed! We went with an adorable unisex shirt from unique baby on Amazon for my son & a FEDPOP American flag dress for my daughter both of which I love! Remember you don’t have to dress your children of either gender the exact same way for them to match.

I love this shirt for my son and I love that he can also wear this to school and represent the values that we’ve tried so hard to instill in our children by doing so yes I’m fully aware that he’s only three, however, good values start young.

The links to purchase these items from Amazon are below: 

Flag dress: 

FEDPOP Toddler Girls American Flag Dresses Independence Day Outfits Kids Patriotic Clothes 4th of July Stripe Dress 2-8 Years https://a.co/d/dzbrNh8

Unisex liberty shirt:

Unique Baby Unisex Kids Patriotic American 4th of July T-Shirts https://a.co/d/bOveciT

Remember it doesn’t matter your title to a child whether you are a parent, an aunt, a grandparent,  A foster family, Or anything that makes you family by love or by blood you can make a difference in their lives. You have the power to make every day special, you only have 18 summers, only so many holidays., Make them count. 

I’m fully aware holidays can be hard, so celebrate to your heart’s content or don’t. 

Do what best suits your needs but please remember while you’re out there living your best life it’s always better to ask for a ride or call a ride service rather than drink and drive. it takes a split second to change your life forever and end someone else’s. Please don’t be the reason someone doesn’t come home this weekend. Don’t drink and drive. 

Xx – Tator

Birthdays can be both beautiful and hard on the heart

by Tator

**I’m well aware that this won’t resonate with everyone but I wouldn’t be doing my heart, my children, or my story justice without sharing it. I’m nothing if not unapologetically authentic.**

Now that I’ve successfully celebrated my children’s birthdays for 2022 I’ve had a chance to sort my feelings, this isn’t to say these feelings are clean-cut, rainbow-colored visions of happiness that fit neatly into boxes because I’ll tell you that couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

We’ve done the birthday photos, I’ve made the posters, custom ordered cakes bought all the gifts, and every other detail that goes into celebrating another year with 2 incredible humans 3 months apart. 

I dive in head first going above and beyond even topping my best because they deserve it, they’ll always deserve it but as I’ve said many times before it’s extremely hard to watch your children grow and thrive every day, never missing a day and still feel like while the days are long the years are so incredibly short. Conceptually I know I only get 18 birthdays, 18 of each holiday, And 18 summers if I’m lucky before they’re no longer children and I’m aware that so many parents and families get even less time. 

While I’m grateful for every moment I won’t say those moments are easy. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t parent through the Lens of loss and trauma from it. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with that though.

Things are different when you’re the one who keeps memories alive so dates and days that should have been often get the better of me. 

I do my best not to let my pain shadow the celebration of the life we have with Raiden & S.p.  But it is a constant in our lives. It’s a part of my motherhood story and the parental origin story of my husband. If anything the fact that we carry such big feelings constantly drives us to do and be better by the day, especially on big ones like birthdays and holidays.

While I grieve for love lost I also see how blessed we are with every second. 

I study my children’s faces, their speech, and each step because I know tomorrow they’ll be just ever so slightly older. 

I’ll always long for the babies they were but I’m so blessed to watch them grow and thrive by the day. As cliché as it may sound I love getting to meet them and know more about them EVERY SINGLE DAY yes I’ve known them every second of their lives but each day they become a little bit more of who they are supposed to be and I’m just glad that I get to play a part in that it’s one that I don’t take lightly my kids are my everything and I know every parent everywhere with half a heart can relate.

My kids are my driving force for everything I do. They are my greatest adventures and my best contributions to the world by far. 

My children are heaven-sent gifts for my husband and me and we couldn’t ask for anything better. 

The hope I have for these children is immeasurable. The pride I feel grows by the day though I always believe it’s impossible. 

I’ll never be able to put the caliber of my love for them into words though I’ll never stop trying. I simply hope they know it. 

I know they’re still little, they’ve only turned 3 & 2 but each year hits my heart with a wave of sadness, confusion, and joy. 

Sadnesses that yet another chapter has ended and we’ll never be back there again, confused as to how it all happened so soon, and absolute joy because while one chapter ended another- the next year has begun. 

Meaning, that each day, week, and month in this chapter is an opportunity to do more, be more, and spend even more time making memories. That’s a blessing!

Every parent wants their children to have the best in life possible and that looks different for everyone. All my kids’ needs are met, they’re growing and succeeding in life, and they have nice things but that’s not everything. I want my children to have experiences, an abundance of love, and unwavering felt safety. The most important of which money could never buy. 

I’m completely aware that this is a long sappy post, but sometimes the things no one talks about are the ones we should be talking about!

Grief, gratitude, and happiness can and often do go hand & in hand. It doesn’t make you ungrateful or any less blessed to put a name to your feelings and allow yourself to feel them in your own time and space. 

That’s the point of this post, honoring all the emotions that come up around birthdays and empowering those like my family who have to feel it all. You are not alone. 

Should my children ever read this I hope they’d take away my love and admiration for them from all that I’ve said. 

I’m beyond grateful for the last half-decade of my life because it brought me my wildest dreams come true! My website, two healthy pregnancies, my children, my marriage, countless precious memories, and the book I’m writing to honor it all simply because my children deserve to have their stories told. 

Life is truly beautiful sometimes we just have to go through some of the most unimaginable pain and situations to truly see how precious and genuinely perfect even the most minuscule obscure things are. 

So with that, I wish my beautiful, healthy, kind, caring, intelligent, incredible children a happy 2nd and 3rd birthdays. 2022 is only halfway through and it’s been a beautiful adventure so far 

Tatorthoughts Does Birthdays 2022! – Jcp portraits grow with me sessions experience. 

by Tator

My Irish twin children are 14 months apart. 

Their birthdays are 97 days apart every year. 

Yes, I have my hands full but I’m also overflowing at the heart!

Since finding out that JCPenney portraits still offered photo sessions last November we’ve now gone 5 times in 8 months. 

Excessive? Crazy? I think not!

When I learned they offered “grow with me sessions” I couldn’t pass that up!

We had to take Raiden in celebration of his 3rd birthday in March. We did family Easter/ spring photos in April and we were back in June to celebrate Sp turning Two. 


It’s hard to fathom how quickly life progresses and time goes on. When I started Tatorthoughts I wasn’t even a biological mom earthside yet.  

I wrote about my TTC experience, my journey through both high-risk pregnancies, and my recovery, and here we are celebrating years 2 and 3 for my heart and soul. 

They didn’t disappoint! These sessions were so cute and very worth it. They showcased their personalities perfectly and encouraged us to bring props which me being the “extra” mom we absolutely followed suit on!

They’re so affordable, and accommodating to small rambunctious children with big needs and Groupon has become a great source for things like this as well. 

It takes us about an hour to shoot and 15 minutes to choose our packages to purchase. And that’s with littles!

I’m still super impressed by JCPenney portraits studios and their photographers. 

It may seem totally 80’s & 90’s family of us but this is a sweet family tradition I hope never dies out. 

I encourage all my people to go at least once because babies don’t keep and people won’t be here forever. 

Always grateful to JCPenney for their dedication to their clients, attention to detail, and caring spirit. These memories will always be precious to me! 

Swiffer Heavy-Duty Duster 6-foot Extender Starter-Set Review

by Tator

Being part of the disabled and advocate community I encourage people to ask me questions about myself and my experience rather than make assumptions and I’m grateful that they do!

However, you would not believe how many people just assume that because I have cerebral palsy I can not do the mundane albeit necessary things everyone else does like cleaning. 

While it’s true I have limitations and don’t do some things or do things differently one thing I have complete control over in my home is cleaning because for the most part I enjoy it and I do it well. As they say, I work smarter not harder this is especially important when I’m limited on “spoons” and they vary by the day. 

(Shout out to my fellow spoonie community! If you’re not familiar with the spoon theory I probably sound crazy. But I encourage everyone to look into it and revisit this post and many others.)

I use ibotta and LOVE IT so when I was planning for my household restock recently and saw the offer for the Swiffer heavy-duty 6-foot extender starter pack I jumped on it!

I have zero regrets! 

Now before I continue let me say that every disability brings different challenges and no Cp case is the same just like anything else everyone and their experience is unique. 

With that being said,  where balance and stability are concerned for me personally we are in dangerous territory.  It’s less a than ideal thought to have to stand on things or lift things of substantial weight above chest height.  So dusting with traditional dusters was either a task I delegated to someone else or dangerously attempted myself with as mu caution possible. 

I stand 5 foot 6 inches tall. With my new 6-foot extending Swiffer duster I can reach 11 feet 6 inches off the ground with multi-directional swivel head options fully acceptable! I can reach everything while standing flat on the floor out of harm’s way!

This duster works disgustingly well and locks in all the allergen-causing dust and debris. I’m not even mad about how gross this thing gets because now I KNOW it’s clean!

The handle is ergonomically friendly and doesn’t strain my hands, it’s easy to adjust the length to fit the reach needed. It’s easy to slide on the dusters and they stay secured!

My kit includes one reusable handle with a hanging slot. And 4 dusters, (2 applications). 

I’m so happy to finally have disability-friendly cleaning products like this! It’s a total game-changer for me and allows me to be proud of something I can control and enjoy knowing I do it effectively and safely. I’d like to believe this was created with people like me in mind because it truly feels like it was. 

I would buy 100x over and recommend this for everyone!  The only thing I would change would be making dust covers for the wand that are reusable / machine washable that are a car detailing cloth type of material. As far as I’m aware, no reusable dusters are available for the extender set. 

Good job Swiffer, THANK YOU!

If you’re new to ibotta and want to get started receiving cash back for things you already buy from places you love use this link to sign up! https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/8cc13c64?friend_code=jurdwlv

Or enter Referral Code: jurdwlv at signup.

Happy shopping!

Soap and water are not enough: The Seint skincare routine that changed everything.

by Tator

As most of you have already read I have written previously about Saint and the products offered by this company however the skincare collection is something we’ve not yet covered. 

Makeup is an important tool for many people looking to enhance their natural beauty, cover blemishes, and improve overall confidence Seint does a wonderful job of all of the above with quality low impact ingredients and high-quality products of all types in cream & powder. 

Seint also offers makeup tools such as brushes apparel and storage solutions. 

But none of that does its job as well as it could without a strong well cared for foundation. The skin is your largest organ.

Just let that sink in. Think about all the things that we do in a day that could possibly be damaging to our skin.

Chemicals from cleaning, overuse of body products, The impact of laundry detergents, and of weather and sun exposure. 

These products have done my skin so much good and they’ve made the already amazing makeup application even smoother and simpler for me! As a busy mom with a demanding lifestyle I don’t have 2+ hours for self-care to get ready everyday and thanks to Seint I don’t need 2 hours, nor do I have to sacrifice myself for the sake of time. 

It takes me 30 minutes to do everything from skincare and clothing to makeup & hair CONSISTENTLY.  Yes, you read that right this ISN’T A FLUKE!

The Seint skincare collection consists of a three-step system and four items. 

•Cleanser (100 ml)

•Toner (100 ml)

•Creme (50 ml)

•Microfiber Cloths (Set of 3)

(The previously mentioned 50 count refresh wipes that I love so much are sold separately)

It really is as simple as 123. 

Wash your face with cleanser, wipe away makeup and any oils and residue with the buttery soft microfiber cloths,

Gently spray your clean, dry face with toner

And lastly, moisturize with milk cream to lock in all the healthy self-care effects!

DONE!

The microfiber cloths wash extremely well and the toner and cleanser can be refilled. 

You can use them all as a system or at separate times as needed for your schedule and for your skin the sky is the limit with Seint!

The packaging is classy and consistent always giftable and welcoming.

The microfiber cloths even come individually packaged and housed in a pull drawer box which is wonderful for storage!

If it works to breathe new life into my neglected tired-mom skin it can do wonders for anyone willing to pick it up and try it. 

I deserved the self-care and you do too. 

There’s no longer any guilt surrounding me taking care of myself because I’m giving my children and my husband the best of me not just what’s left of me and I’m not having to sacrifice tons of time with my family and doing the things they need me to do to take care of myself I can do them simultaneously things are still getting done and I feel better no one loses here! As cliché as it might sound it’s truly been a blessing to me so if you’re ready to jump on the Seint bandwagon, I’m genuinely glad I did shop with my favorite artist at the link below under the skincare tab. 

https://tamlynn.seintofficial.com/en

Hoover WindTunnel 2 Whole House Rewind: Spring cleaning – A purchase I wish I’d made sooner

by Tator

If you know the family behind tatorthoughts at all, & if you’ve been here for a while you do you know that our go to for large purchases or important appliances & electronics is Best Buy. 

This week was no exception. 

After more than 3 years In our all hardwood home with the exception of the plethora of rugs we own I was absolutely burnt out over struggling to sweep.  Those with wood floors know the struggle needless to say sweeping multiple times a day was much more than a chore. 

I headed into Best Buy kid free for a moment 

Which rarely happens with only my husband and dreams of spotless floors in tow. 

I was a mama on a mission:

Obtain the thing that would decrease my ever growing daily to do list by at least 3!

I thought I wanted a bissell to match my hand held pet pro that I’ve loved since I got it only to discover something that better fit our needs & to my surprise at a better price!

This delightful creation being The Hoover WindTunnel 2 Whole House Rewind with Allergen Block

I opened it as soon as the box touched our living room rug

-It was well packaged and in several pieces.

-Smelt very strongly of new plastic and rubber which I didn’t mind because I’m one of the few who enjoy that smell (comparable to the smell of new tires.)

-packaging was informative and attractive on all sides which was a plus for me as someone who values marketing and aesthetic graphics on product packaging. 

-even with my physical limitations and dexterity challenges it took me less than 6 minutes to assemble everything by myself. 

I used it for the first time that same day and was both delighted and oddly disgusted over how well it worked on what I thought to be clean floors.

The cord has an incredible reach, and the fact that it is tangle free and retractable living within the machine is a major plus for us.  It’s a Super convenient feature!

I didn’t find the vacuum to be too bulky or heavy like reviews of others have stated and

I wasn’t too bothered by the noise level although it was louder than I initially expected, both my toddler and preschooler slept through it completely unbothered.

I like that I can change suction and performance type by using a dial and go from rugs to hardwood seamlessly. 

It comes with multiple attachments that work well for their intended purpose and there’s no loss of suction with use. 

It’s easy to empty the contents and allergen filter Maintainance is simple. 

All in all for a $180 purchase I’m extremely satisfied. 

It won’t replace my desire to mop daily with my O-Cedar ProMist MAX Microfiber Spray Mop, but that’s simply by personal preference and the fact that I have small children who spend more time than most in our floors. 

Tatorthoughts is now a proud addition to Hoover nation and the Hoover whole house rewind family! 

Tatorthoughts 2022 Easter Basket Breakdown

by Tator

This years Tatorthoughts Easter baskets include:

•Two dinosaurs from the target Dollar-spot

•Two grab and go color packs from the target Dollar-spot

•Two Crayola bath books from the target Dollar-spot

•One light up flamingo bubble gun from the target Dollar-spot

•Some bunny loves you book

•Leapfrog Leapland adventures video game

•Two sets of bunny ears from Pop shelf

•Two Usborne phonics books

•everyday kids brand satin-trimmed blanket

•American baby satin-trimmed blanket

•First years Take and toss cutlery set

•Two 2pack sets Chicco Insulated Rim Spout Trainer Spill Free Sippy Cup 9oz sets

•Two pairs of K KomForme Toddler Light Up patterned Rain Boots with Handles

These baskets were SO MUCH FUN to build!

The baskets themselves were made custom by Two incredible small businesses, both previous features on Tatorthoughts.com.

I guess you could say this mama is a little “EGG-stra”, but the way I see it is god gave ME the precious gift that is these incredible kids & I only get so much time with them young. It brings me so much joy to be doing the things I dreamed of and prayed for right now. 

I’m living my answered prayers!

Time moves so quickly and that fact is bittersweet but I’m thankful I get to simultaneously spoil my babies as I savor that precious time with them and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus this weekend. 

To many, it may seem like Easter baskets filled to the brim with small trinkets. For me, it’s a way of giving praise and thanks to the one who made it possible and speaking my love language of gift-giving and acts of service & togetherness to two small humans that light up my life. 

With that being said let’s dig into these baskets.

I chose these four retailers because they met both theme and functionality needs.

As per my latest post you know I’m new to pop shelf so the ears were a bonus but they were included in the baskets so they had to be featured here. 

We aren’t huge Usborne book readers however every once in a while we do make an exciting splurge purchase and I felt these phonics books made a great inclusion in their Easter baskets with “raccoon on the moon” being the phonics book for the letter R and “shark in the park” being the phonics book for letter S

Amazon is my go-to for a lot of things because it comes to me and if I have any issues I can make fairly simple returns so the fact that the majority of these items came from Amazon is a no-brainer.

I have no regrets on quality or prices here and I’ve got to say when it comes to these rain boots these shoes are pretty incredible!

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t trying to figure out a way to wicked stepsister my feet into these boots before my kids saw them I suppose it’s time for me to find some nice glitter rain boots for myself even if mine most likely won’t light up from heel to toe as theirs do. 

my kids love blankets and reading books so you really can’t go wrong there and for some strange reason we can never have enough silverware for adults or children.

I don’t get to shop at Target as much as I would like to but I do try to go at least a few times a year and Easter is always one of them the target Dollar spot is where it’s at for many things but Easter especially. 

We also got our entire family’s Easter outfits from target this year so it was easy during that shopping trip to grab and drop on our kid-free shopping spree to fill out those baskets. 

Don’t worry about the lack of candy pictured here, they will be getting plenty even if it’s not kept inside their baskets or hidden underneath what can only be described as the glitter of Easter decorations also known as plastic Easter grass. 

I guess I should HOP off here now and prepare for everyone’s favorite bunny to make his arrival and take all the credit for this show of love and pride that mom & dad put into things, ah but the years are so short so I digress. I suppose I don’t mind sharing credit for a while longer. 

I just hope I have some very happy grace-filled toddlers on Easter.

*I’ll report back with a quality update on any of these products later should one be needed.*

Happy Easter!

All my love, Tator. 


Pop Shelf : First impression Review

by Tator

this week I visited pop shelf for the very first time with a really good friend of mine on what we have coined “mom‘s day out”

I had heard little of it before visiting myself, however, I chalked it up to them being fairly new. 

While my day out was fun I was only mildly impressed by this new mystical store I found myself perusing. (Think more colorful version of family dollar or dollar general here.)

Sure their cute seasonal setup was aesthetically pleasing and they have an array of items but I wasn’t immersed in wonder or jumping for joy. 

(To be fair, there is very little I would jump for.)

The item availability and quality seemed nice enough and their prices seemed fair but one item caught my attention specifically. 

Pink tax is real and in this moment that was evident. 

Being that my daughter’s birthday is in June and my son just had his birthday last month; I found myself browsing the party section filled with bags, gift wrapping, sashes, tissue paper, and birthday ribbons. 

The birthday ribbons I felt were a must purchase item until I saw that while one of each was gendered towards a boy and a girl and they were essentially the same generic birthday ribbons in pink and blue the pink one was TWICE the price of the blue for the same item in pink. 

I doubt very seriously it cost them anything more to make the pink ribbon than it did the blue and I found the price hike unfair but I digress.

During this visit, I picked up a few items and collected a very small Pop Shelf Haul. 

The process of shopping and self-checkout was simple enough and it wasn’t overwhelmingly crowded or busy which I enjoyed for my calm leisurely day. 

While my first encounter was brief and left me with a slightly sour impression of the brand I may go back if I’m in the area. 

Don’t get me wrong, Pop Shelf has the potential to be great especially if they start paying attention to slight oversights and gaps in marketing. 

During this trip, I purchased two different print sets of Easter ears to include in my children’s Easter baskets 

An extremely soft cupcake print baby blanket for my daughter because I call her “Cupcake”

*DISCLAIMER: I’ve yet to see how well it holds up after washing*

The Birthday pin Ribbon For her upcoming birthday (only after mentioning the price discrepancy to the employee before my purchase was made)

And a beautiful well-bound journal/ Notebook for myself and upcoming big events. 

In short: yes, I’d go back likely once a season max.. Or if it were the last time simi-decent store on earth. 

Moral of the story; gender price hiking for the same exact item is crap & good friends make even somewhat lackluster things great!  

Be kind today

Xx -Tator

Celebrating a milestone!

by Tator

Tatorthoughts turns four!

•208 weeks

•1,460 days

•Countless posts

•1 server meltdown (that we survived!)

•More than 200 partnerships 

And thousands of loyal readers and supporters that none of this would be possible without!

Four years of what started as a simple idealistic dream of mine that QUICKLY turned into something I could’ve never imagined with over 20k people reading regularly, people and companies reaching out to me, friends made, partnerships built & so opportunities available to me that I would have never dreamed of. 

To say that I am shocked and thrilled is an understatement, I am so unbelievably blessed to be writing this to an incredible, extremely supportive audience four years to the day from when this all started… all because my husband believed in me and honestly believed the world would enjoy my thoughts on things, thus Tatorthoughts was born!

I am so incredibly thankful for all the wonderful partnerships and friends that I’ve made through this journey I’ve been able to do some amazing things that wouldn’t have been otherwise possible with my family and for myself in the process. I’m grateful that people read and take away good things from what I have to say and that I have a voice that’s bigger than myself. 

In today’s world, it’s really easy to get lost in what you think you should be or rather what others think you should be But if I’ve learned anything in the last four years it’s that embracing Tator (my real-life nickname) and becoming unapologetically her was one of the best things I had ever done because it didn’t matter what I looked like or what I didn’t look like, it didn’t matter that I have CP because I had something to say I had thoughts on a subject and people wanted to know what I thought. I was seen for more than a physical representation. In the process, I was able to break so many stereotypes that people willingly admitted to me that they carried because I don’t judge. everyone has a stereotype at some point that they believe or maybe even Portray and that’s OK because you only know what you know. 

I’m so proud of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come as a writer I truly do believe that embracing who I am and giving 100% authenticity here made me the best mom that I could be for my kids, it’s given me some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for and it’s allowed me to do things for my husband and for my kids that would’ve only been possible in my wildest dreams before I branched out and took the leap of faith it took to start this journey. 

It’s honestly hard to believe that it’s been four years already but what a beautiful four years it has been I hope 2022 continues to bring happiness and health for everyone who reads this and I’m hopeful that I can continue to bring insightful, uplifting joyous content to my platform in the year ahead and for years to come. 

Tatorthoughts has been such a blessing to me and to my family. I’ve received some wonderful feedback as well and that keeps me pushing to do more and to do better for the people who place value in this the way skeeter, myself and our children do. 

My writing has grown in depth and improved over the last four years so much so that I’ve taken the plunge and written & Co-illustrated my book for our children.

It was a daunting undertaking for me but I am so happy to say that I did it! we are currently illustrating the book and will be publishing it with Amazon KDP when complete. 

I can’t tell you how influential all my followers and partners have been In my life since this first began, I can’t wait to see where the next chapter of this journey takes us but I do know that if the last four years have been any indication it will be incredible my goal has always been to bring interesting content to the forefront of my website with the hopes of promoting advocacy acceptance and inclusion in all that I do. 

Representation matters!

Thank you all for making this endeavor possible and worth it!! 

I’ll be forever grateful for the memories 

-Xx Tator

Farewell to a Childhood favorite…

by Tator

Arthur will officially come to a close after a record-breaking 25-year consecutive runtime this February. Making Arthur the longest-running children’s animated series in history. 

The brainchild of author Marc Brown, 

Arthur is the main character of a book series turned animated show. 

Marc Brown is the author of over 100 books including but not limited to the Arthur adventure series, step into reading books, and Arthur chapter books. 

This Book-Turned-TV series dates back to the 1970s with the earliest original books but As of March 10, 2021, Arthur has aired a total of 249 episodes and 7 specials. The series began airing on October 7, 1996 and will air its final new release episodes in February of 2022. 

they plan to end the 25 year Series with a few all-new episodes one of which including the Ellwood city gang we know & love all grown up!

Over its 25 year run, Arthur and his friends have experienced some pretty heavy-hitting and relatable things The series often deals with important issues families face such as asthma, Allergies, natural disaster aftermath, poverty, sibling rivalry, dyslexia, cancer, diabetes, and autism spectrum disorder.

(Go here to access Arthur health resources for your family! https://pbskids.org/arthur/health/ powered by ABC Mouse)

They also showcase the normalcy of different family dynamics including single children households, large families, children raised by grandparents, and the natural connection to distant relatives. 

if your kids love Arthur and show an interest in discovering their family history for better understand this game on pbs kids also helps! (Can be notified for foster & adoptive families and saved to device of choice once finished!!

https://pbskids.org/arthur/games/family-history-fun#/setup

Yet another way of promoting advocacy, acceptance, and understanding!

Arthur was so successful that it even gained a spinoff series “ postcards from buster” which started as a small Arthur segment, Originally airing from October 11, 2004, to February 20, 2012, has 4 seasons and showcases Buster Baxter’s adventures with his dad and normalized co-parenting and single-parent households through buster’s storyline throughout both series runs. 

They even covered big events such as the Olympics, opera & music, and creative arts!

The Arthur Tv series includes 249 episodes (485 segments)

While no new episodes will be produced or released, All episodes will remain available to stream on the PBS Kids video app as well as games remaining available to play on the PBS Kids website. You can even shop exclusive Arthur and other PBS Kids licensed merchandise here:

http://arthur.shop.pbskids.org/?cid=6202756804f04

You can also still purchase Arthur books and others from Marc Brown from Amazon and other retailers and you can still check out these beloved books for your children or yourself from your local public library 

One bright side to this farewell is not only that The series will still be able to stream on-demand through the PBS KIDS Video app but that beginning February 16 PBS Kids and the PBS KIDS Video app will be running an all-day Arthur marathon for 6 days, featuring over 200 episodes leading up to the release of our last brand new adventure with our Ellwood city friends that we and our children grew up with finally getting to see the gang all grown up!

Is it bittersweet? of course!

However, seeing my children love something that I have loved in my whole life is a feeling that I can’t even describe with words. some may argue that Marc Brown and his messages were ahead of their time but there is no dispute that he and the characters in the world he created for us left a profound effect. everything he wrote was in one way or the other relatable he made sure that most everyone was well represented and could see themself as part of the Ellwood city crew. 

I appreciate his work and art form so much and as a parent who was once an Arthur-loving child, I say thank you. 

It’s an honor to know that as a parent and children’s book author myself that I stand at all in the same category as someone such as him. 

As a man in his 70’s, father of 4 wildly successful Author and illustrator, and executive creators & producer of something so profoundly responsible for breaking so many barriers for children like I was and my own kids I would argue that he’s left an incredible living legacy of magic even if this chapter is sadly coming to an end.  

it speaks volumes that after 25 years people are still not ready for it to end a quarter of a century and somehow it still wasn’t long enough. THANK YOU. 

It’s an honor to know that while I never pictured myself being an author or illustrator as a kid, I stand here today one just the same and I can’t help but believe this man had an incredible impact on me becoming that.

I’ll never forget learning to draw the Arthur character’s straight from marc brown himself as a recorded endcap to episodes over the years, it’s now become a huge skill and great “party trick” among the kids in my life especially my own!