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April showers bring May flowers! Starting April 20th get this adorable and very well-made umbrella for FREE with purchase!! Check out www.Corolle.com for more info! Don’t you just LOVE Corolle?!?!
Happy Easter! We hope you are enjoying the lovely Spring weather and indulging in one too many jelly beans! The Easter Bunny is ready to make his big debut and we’re here to help him!
Our favorite fluffy Easter friend is from Steiff, a German company that’s been making stuffed animals since 1880! There is no question that Steiff is the Best of the Best when it comes to making fluffy friends. Each stuffed animal from Steiff is hand made which means they are all unique. You know we just loooove unique!
And what’s not to love about the Dossy Rabbit from Steiff. It will fill your little sweetie’s Easter basket with the softness most precious kind of squishy love! Check out Steiff for yourself and find a fluffy friend of your own!
Enjoy the Easter holiday dear friends!
It’s SURELY one of the best toys ever and we just love it here! It’s the Skwish from Manhattan Toy and your little one is SURE to love it… and dad may think it’s pretty darn cool too… OK, AND Mom! Stop by Magic Beans for your magic Skwish if you live close to Beantown, or just order it online for a good post-yuletide goodie!
PS – I don’t see us ever packing this one away or finding a new home for it, etc. Talk about ageless, right? Too, TOO cool… for school. Hehe! Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Want the prettiest little baby dolls for the prettiest little baby doll? Look no further than Corolle! You know they’ve been one of our Favorite Things for quite some time now, but we just wanted to show off a few great new additions to their lovely line, as well as some classic Favorites. What Christmas would be perfect without a new doll for your little doll? Yes, Corolle is here to help!
Check out www.Corolle.com for all of the dolls and accessories that you could ever imagine and also information on where to purchase. Here’s a tip to try though… most independently owned toy stores carry Corolle dolls and are great places to support and shop, but if you hit it just right TJ Maxx is another place that I have seen a pretty nice selection of these wonderful toys! You do have to hit it just right though:)!!
Well if you are then this is surely the gift for your little mover and shaker. It’s our Favorite Walker and it’s by Italian toy and gear super company Chicco (pronounced “kee-ko”, by the way.) It’s got a ton of fun activities on the front, has an extra wide stance to prevent topples and can be folded down for floor play quite easily. It’s perfect in short! Definitely a must-have this season for any little one ready to take that big first step into first steps! There are lots of places to find it but we have ours coming any day now from our friends at Magic Beans 
.
So you have discriminating tastes, you say? Want only the best of the best for yourself and your family… stuffed bears included? You’ve simply got to see Steiff!
Steiff of Germany has been making the most luxurious stuffed animals for over 100 years now and are definitely the experts in their field. They carry a broad selection of traditional toys that are of the heirloom quality that every child should be so fortunate to have. They also have a new collection that’s better suited to fit any budget! Perfect for any age and every occasion, be sure to check them out online at SteiffUSA.com for more information and where to buy.
Here it is, no surprise – Our Favorite Baby Toy of 2009! Sophie the Giraffe has been around since 1961 and manufactured in the French Alps with lots of care and with your baby’s safety as the priority right from the beginning. She’s also been photographed with the hottest little celebutots and once we got out hands on one we saw why. Sophie’s adorable, totally safe, squeaks and is the perfect toy for any baby this season… or any other season for that matter! Go see our friends at Magic Beans to purchase ($22.95) or for more info on Sophie and the entire Vulli family of toys. Vive la France and Joyeux Noel!
When I found the Imagination Box Company, I knew it was something my boys would just have to have for Christmas! It’s not very often that you find this kind of toy…eco-friendly, creative, American made…does it get any better than that?
The lovely people at the Imagination Box Company sent us the Firehouse Rescue Station. I actually went ahead and gave it to my boys (who can wait for Christmas with something this fun!) so we could try it out and tell all of you lovely people all about it! Let me just say, it was a huge hit! The boys worked together to color and decorate it just right. (Yes, they worked together! It’s a Christmas miracle!) Hours later…let me repeat that…HOURS LATER, they were finished and they haven’t stopped playing with it yet!
The Imagination Box Company has four fun designs to choose from and also sells extra sets of Sargent Art USA Made, Non-Toxic, Washable Watercolors! Oh did I forget to mention, each Imagination Box comes with a free set of the watercolors!! Head on over to www.imaginationboxco.com to order a set (or two!) of your own! For only $24.95, this is a must have gift for your creative little Christmas angel!!
From the moment I saw this sweet little game, I loved it… but mostly because the box is just so wonderfully designed with its matte finish, bright colors and sturdy construction. Very intentional. I’m one of those people where “you had me at your well-designed packaging” applies more often than not. *sigh* BUT, then I opened it up and Isabella and I started actually PLAYING Chickyboom. Wow! It’s a really wonderful game that we both enjoyed immensely. That was where I really started to love Chickyboom. WE BOTH ENJOYED IT! I love it when that happens… and it’s one of the more not-oftens for sure! A good-time facilitator between kids and adults is always something special. They had me at the packaging, but we fell in love once we opened the box!
Chickyboom is intended for children (and children-at-heart) ages four and up, but Isabella who is three totally loved it and played it multiple times without any problems. She had a blast! (I’m her mommy so of course I think she’s advanced, hehe!) It’s also a recipient of the coveted Oppenheim Best Toy Award and Parents’ Choice Award! For two to four players, it’s a sure hit and something that should be under a lot of trees this season:)!! Check out your local independent toy retailer for your own Chickyboom, or visit our friends at Magic Beans for that and more!
From the moment that I laid eyes on the Cella, I was in love. Surely, I thought, these MUST be the coolest blocks ever. If there were such a thing as a block aficionado’s dream, Naef is it!!
They’re not just blocks or puzzles though. They’re all feats of engineering! Every angle and every line is so precise! They are perfection. You can really see this when you start playing with them though. They slip together seamlessly and balance effortlessly. This makes for some pretty amazing play. Click here to take a look at Naef Toy… our first choice, though it was very hard to narrow down!!! Pictured below as one set, it’s even more amazing with a few sets combined!
Did I mention the puzzles? Oooh, the puzzles!!!
One of the things that I love most about Naef Toys is the family interaction that they facilitate. These toys aren’t just for kids! It’s something the whole family can enjoy together… and for a long time, making it worth the investment.
Have someone difficult to shop for on your list this season? You can find Naef Toys everywhere from the desk of Mr. Fortune 500 to your little one’s Montessori classroom, so relax. Give NaefUSA.com a visit and see for yourself!
PS – Naef makes THE coolest baby toys… ever. Check them out!
Disclosure: We purchased some Naef Toys for our family and love them so much that we just had to let you know!!!
American Girl dolls have been a lovely and traditional gift for every little girl for a while now. Every little girl should have one, right? We think so! The detail of these dolls is just stunning and they really are made to last.
We recently received Rebecca for review and are so pleased with her not only as a doll, but even more so for her ability to connect with children and teach them about her culture and history. This is the essence of the American Girl collection!
“As a girl growing up in New York City in 1914, Rebecca celebrates treasured traditions passed down through her Russian-Jewish family. With a little creativity, Rebecca learns how to stay true to her heart as she follows her dreams in the big city.”
I love rich cultural heritage and the American Girl dolls capture this so beautifully! There is also a series of books to compliment each of the various dolls and a gorgeous selection of clothing and high quality accessories. So tasteful and a great way to encourage your children to connect with history and tradition, which is a gift in itself.
Check out AmericanGirl.com for more information on Rebecca and the entire American Girl family of dolls!
So you’re looking for the perfect gift for your little artist this holiday season? Look no further than P’kolino! They have the coolest and orange-est easel out there, and it’s totally our Favorite! It’s only $100 too!!! We looked at all of the easels currently available and this one is definitely the best, from its high quality and durability to its lovely design and accessories. It can be used as a chalk board or even a puppet theater too! (Also comes in white)
Want accessories? P’kolino has the BEST! They have an incredible line of crayons, colored pencils and more available that really are worth some excitement all on their own! They’re all very well designed… and what more could you ask from your crayon that to be well designed? Yes. We love the details too.
Don’t forget to take a look at their signature Art Kit that includes a Play Kit to fit perfectly into the easel for useful storage too! We found this great set at Giggle (one of our site sponsors!) where you can get the Play Kit, a roll of paper and a variety of crayons and colored pencils (as seen below) for only $28! That’s a pretty big savings and the perfect addition to your little Van Gogh’s holiday wish list. The Play Bin itself retails at $24, the paper roll at $10 PLUS you get the coolest colored pencils and crayons ever to boot. IT’S A DEAL!!
Very cool. Very chic. Absolutely P’kolino… and absolutely one of our Favorite Things this holiday season!
When our Big Eye Dummies came, my first thought was “This is weird and strange and well…dumb!” My boys’ first thoughts, “WOW! This is SO cool! Look! You can change the face around! AWESOME!” So much for what I know.
Big Eye Dummies are a great way to get your kids laughing and being silly. It’s a designer plush toy made with high quality materials and these really cool magnets that hold on the interchangeable eyes and mouth. They come with extra eyes and mouths so there is endless mixing and matching of the face…which, I warn you, leads to fits of silly faces for countless hours!
So much more fun than your average stuffed animal, Big Eye Dummies are sure to make any kid happy. And parents are happy too that they meet American and European Toy Safety Standards! So don’t worry, be happy…Dummy!
SWAG ALERT: We;re giving one lucky reader their very own set of Big Eye Dummies! You know how it works and what to do. This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so. Good luck to all and have fun with our newest ways to gain EXTRA ENTRIES!!!
EXTRA ENTRIES for this SWAG ALERT:
Make sure to enter all EXTRAS as a comment on this post or include the #SWAGALERT hashtag so we can track on Twitter!! We always want to make sure that we get all of your entries!
We just love Peg Perego’s adorable and very much life-like line of ride on toys. Recently though, they decided to PINK IT UP a little! We of course had to be there for that!
Peg Perego has again partnered with Polaris (Yes, the same Polaris that makes the mommy and daddy sized toys!) and they’ve come up with every little princesses’ absolute dream of a ride. It’s called the Polaris Trail Princess and it is actually a pretty serious little piece of equipment.
The Trail Princess is a high performance rechargeable battery powered 12 volt 2-speed kid friendly all terrain vehicle. (Wow that was a mouth-full.) Oh, and don’t laugh at the ‘high performance’ part either! This baby goes as fast as 5 mph and even does reverse! It holds up to two of the kiddos… or one adult, although I’m NOT mentioning any names here though for my dear husband’s sake… Would a pink kids ATV harm his image? I think not;). As a father of two girls, this is a perfect toy in his opinion and naturally one would need to try something out before feeling comfortable enough to call it “THE PERFECT TOY”. I digress.
It has 4 wheel suspension and also a first and second speed with a lock so that you can lock them out of the faster one… if speed becomes an issue, or if they are just too little for that mind-bending five miles per hour.
Got boys? No problem. Peg Perego also has the Trail Boss in cool colors that will make those little men happy too! Click the links in this post to check out their entire line of battery powered vehicles!!!
Best price we found was $339 for either the Trail Princess or the Trail Boss with FREE SHIPPING! We LOVE Amazon! That’s a huge savings since these puppies originally retailed at $499… and these puppies also require a lot less work and make less messes. We most definitely like these puppies as opposed to your traditional Christmas puppy for sure. I digress again:).
SWAG ALERT: One lucky winner is going to take one of these puppies home! Peg Perego is giving one away… maybe to you? Tell us what you love about them and we’ll enter you in for a chance to win one in your choice of Trail Princess or Trail Boss!! We’ll even try our best to get it to your door before Christmas!
You know how it works and what to do. This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so. Good luck to all and have fun with our newest ways to gain EXTRA ENTRIES!!!
EXTRA ENTRIES for this SWAG ALERT:
Make sure to enter all EXTRAS as a comment on this post or include the #SWAGALERT hashtag so we can track on Twitter!! We always want to make sure that we get all of your entries!
Disclosure: We did receive a Trail Princess to try out ourselves. We love it! Also, the links to purchase are through Amazon.com and do benefit our site if you are so inclined to purchase anything there by clicking through that link. It's a great way to support our site and also get a fantastic deal with free shipping! Of course it really was the best deal around that we found too:)!!
So you’ve been thinking about getting “The Family Swing Set”. Got kids. Got Family. Why not? Have you looked into the different ones that are available? Have you researched quality and construction? Safety and / or chemical concerns of the materials that are used, perhaps? How about what this beast is going to look like a few years from now? What are the maintenance requirements annually? Will you need a Master’s in Engineering to get the blasted thing up? Will it take a month? How hard can it be? It is a child’s plaything after all… right?
We were quite honestly shocked by the amount of information and the questions that one needs answered in order to make the best choice when it comes to swing sets. We came through yet again for you though! Here it is… Drumroll please… Without further adieu, the product of months of research and our Favorite Swing Set Company is… Kid’s Creations!!
We chose Kid’s Creations for every reason. We were surprised though that the highest quality set was also the best price by comparison! Buying from Kids Creations allows you to purchase directly from the manufacturer, and in turn you save a TON of money! How’s 50% off sound?? Oooh yeah. They also won us over for their commitment to being the safest and highest quality swing set on the market. You can even custom design your own at the same great prices!!! Most of the elements come pre-assembled too so when you go to build it you’ll be amazed by how quickly it goes up! (Makes dad look like a real pro-builder too!) Take a look at these side by side comparisons of some of the materials…
Many of the woods that are used in other swing sets today are either not safe due to chemical treatments or simply will just not hold up to weathering and the test of time. Kids Creations uses 100% premium Con-Heart Redwood exclusively – the highest grade right from the center of the Redwood tree. They are the only company in their industry to do so. Overkill? We think not. Less is less, more is more and the BEST IS THE BEST! Con-Heart Redwood is naturally weather and rot resistant, bug resistant and is virtually splinter free! In today’s world as parents you just can’t be too safe when it comes to chemical treatments too. With Kids Creations there simply are none. NO chemicals at all. We love that. The fact that it is rot resistant naturally is a huge plus too. Unlike many other brands of swing sets, you don’t have to stain or seal it… EVER! Maintenance free and again, no chemicals – LOVE IT! They are also committed to buying only wood that has been sustainably forested and take our protecting our environment seriously which as parents we all appreciate.
How’s assembly, you ask? Well, you could practically land a helicopter on ours, so it took a little bit of time. We counted it out as about 30 hours total, meaning that if we had 3 guys it would have been ten hours. Hardest part? The twisty slide. Easiest part? Everything else!! This is MUCH less of your time (or your favorite contractor’s:)!!!) than competitor’s products would take because so many things are pre-assembled! The directions that came with our set were absolutely detailed and custom designed as blueprints for our custom set. When I had a question (twice), I called them and even on the weekend someone was available and helped me resolve my issue immediately! Excellent customer service… redefined!!!
Are you one of those people who like to customize everything? Do you look at things always thinking how you would have designed it, or how you would have wished it different? Do you maybe need to fit an odd shaped space in your yard? Look. No. Further. As mentioned before, Kids Creations has a system on their website where you can design the absolute swingset of your dreams, yet still carry over that amazing 50% off discount like with the pre-designed sets!!! (WARNING: This can get addictive… you know… something you sit at the computer with a bowl of popcorn with for wayyy too long style addictive.) Single tower or double? Two swings or four? Did you want the rock climbing wall on the front or off to the side? Where was the helicopter landing pad supposed to go again??? You get the picture. You make it what you want. You are in control. You are the designer. You can fit it within your budget. You’da boss. It’s all about you. Give it a try and you’ll see what we’re saying! Want to see a catalog instead? CLICK HERE to order your complimentary copy.
SWAG ALERT: So there you have it. Kids Creations blew our socks off and now all of you get to have the same experience! They have generously offered one lucky reader a $500 gift certificate towards the purchase of their very own set too! Just visit them at www.KidsCreations.com and comment back to us with what you think. You know how it works and what to do. This SWAG ALERT will be open until we say so. Good luck and have fun designing the swing set of your dreams… ahem, of your kids dreams!!!
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