Do you have family games night? Do you just spontaneously break out the games sometimes, or do you have a set night where everyone comes together to play board games? For me I've always thought this was a silly question. While we don't have any one night set aside as "Family Game Time", we play games with the kids regularly. We are a family of gamers. My husband has over … [Read more...]
New Robot Adorableness from Fisher Price: Bright Beats Dance and Move BeatBo {#PlayAdvocate Giveaway}
Check out this adorable new robot toy from Fisher Price: Bright Beats Dance and Move BeatBo. Fisher Price never fails to surprise and delight, Is this not the cutest toy ever? It's designed for infants ages 9-36 months. If my girls were a little younger this would be a Must Have for under the tree this year. (As it stands the 5 year old caught sight of this little fellow … [Read more...]
Amazing “Athletic” Superhero Dolls I Can’t Wait to Hand My Kids….
File this one under Mattel dolls I really want to give my girls... Check out these beauties: Here's why they rock: * Look at their feet. They are all wearing sneakers or kick butt boots, no silly high heels here. * Look at their outfits. They are modestly clad in super hero uniforms that would actual be practical for, you know, being a super hero. * Look at their … [Read more...]
Second Chances, with Ever After High
I wrote last week about how I was surprised to discover that despite my normally iffy feelings about fashion dolls in general, I find myself quite liking Ever After High. And how fitting that I should give these cute characters another chance to impress me, when one of the main themes found throughout the storyline that accompanies the dolls is second chances. Raven Queen is … [Read more...]
The one where I explain my ambivalent feelings for Barbie, and surprisingly fall for Ever After High…
I'm pretty sure you're aware of this if you've been following my blog for any period of time, I'm a sucker for a good book. What you probably don't know, because I've never really talked about it, is I'm not really crazy about fashion dolls. I mean Barbie type dolls, or Monster High Dolls, or heaven forfend those Bratz dolls. Don't like 'em. Not one bit. On the other hand I … [Read more...]
Barbie Rock n’ Royals, Celebrating Self Expression Through Music
As I mentioned yesterday, my kid wants to learn the banjo. And since no one in our family plays the banjo, or even listens to banjo-heavy music, this is definitely a case of my girl attempting to express herself. While I'm floundering around looking for lessons for my banjo obsessed girl, I try and encourage her to simply make noise, strum, hum, sing and play however she … [Read more...]
Mattel Games Night
UNO was one of my favourite games as a kid. It was one of the first "grown-up" games I can remember playing, when I first moved beyond wee child-sized card sets of Go Fish and Old Maid. I was super excited to introduce my eldest daughter to the game, and I did a little happy dance when the Easter Bunny brought her a set in her basket this past Spring. It's one of those games … [Read more...]
Hot Wheels, Happy Face
Link up and share your Wordless Wednesday posts... … [Read more...]
Hot Wheels, Second Generation Crush
I remember loving Hot Wheels as a kid. In particular I remember this one car which I took with me everywhere, a shiny green Volkswagen Beetle. I loved that little car. It slept on my bed next to my pillow, and it travelled with me in the pocket of my jeans. It went missing one day. I got home from a long day of adventuring and realized my beloved Bug wasn't with me. I remember … [Read more...]
Do Your Kids Mix Toy Types or Do They Play with One Set at a Time?
My children mix their toys. This is pretty darn normal right? I mean the Hot Wheels cars end up at tea parties with favourite stuffed dolls, the building bricks form tracks, vehicles and homes for all manner of beasties, and the Fisher Price Little People end up EVERYWHERE. My kids don't care that one set is meant for Imaginext guys and another is meant for Little People. … [Read more...]
Making Memories with Thomas & Friends
For me I can't think about Easter without thinking of Thomas and his friends. My daughter got her first Thomas track set as an Easter gift when when was two years old. I remember how she was so small that she fit inside the little wooden figure-eight, as she sat crossed legged on the floor. That set was the first of many Thomas pieces that the girls have gotten over the … [Read more...]
The One Where I Admit to Eavesdropping on My Kids…
All my girls need is each other and a handful of trustworthy toys. The kind I know won't fall apart when they inevitably sit on them or smash them together. For us many of those toys, the ones I trust my kids with and the ones they spend entire days playing with, are Mattel brands like Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, and Thomas & Friends. Which is why when Mattel approached me … [Read more...]