Build-A-Bear Workshop

I think that the perfect gift no matter what holiday is a great stuffed animal. It has the ability to bring comfort. It has the ability to spark the imagination. And it is just so soft and cuddly. And when kids get a chance to be in the action, it makes the stuffed item so much more special. Being able to walk in, pick out your favorite, pick out his/her heart, be the one pushing the lever for the stuffing, bathing, dressing, and naming the stuffed animal makes it even better.

Build-A-Bear Workshop gives you all that, and more. When you are done bathing, dressing, and getting to know your little creation, you get to name it and adopt it. I will admit, I love watching the kids faces when they were taken into Build-A-Bear. It is a memory they still talk about today.

I was sent a $25 gift certificate to head over to Build-A-Bear Workshop and make my own furry little friend. The process is super easy. The animals range in price from $10 to $22. You pick your favorite. Then you decide if you want a voice box in it. After that, you stuff the bear, place it's heart in, bath, dress, and name. I have to say now, I was in a hurry, and did not do the adoption part. It was one of those days. But I do know from talking to one of the ladies working in there, that when you go through the adoption you get a code so that you can go on Build-A-Bear online and play with your friend virtually. Sounds pretty cool, right?!

You can find a Build-A-Bear workshop in most malls. If you do not have one near you, you can also order a furry friend online. You can also find lots of clothing and accessories on the website as well.

Follow along with Build-A-Bear on Twitter, or like on Facebook, to keep up with sales, new animals, and more!

Playmobil Advent Calendar

The PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendar is an innovative and inexpensive way to build excitement during the 24 days leading up to Christmas, and allows children ages four and up to continue playing with their new playsets long after the holiday season comes to an end (each day reveals a new toy and by Christmas the child has a complete playset).

New for 2010 are PLAYMOBIL Advent Calendars with Pony Ranch and Dragon’s Land themes. With a total of five different play worlds in all, each advent calendar is as unique as the imagination of the child who plays with it.  Please click on the following link to see all of the 2010 themes: http://bit.ly/dbv7iP

Advent Calendars from PLAYMOBIL retail for $18.99 and are available at specialty retailers nationwide.  

We were sent one of the Playmobil Advent Calendars to review, and I was really happy with the surprise package on my doorstep. I had seriously wanted to do an advent calendar this year, and this is a great way to introduce the kidlets to one.  Unlike the traditional advent calendar, where you get a piece of candy or a little trinket from the opened window, you get a little Playmobil piece to go with the city scape. The one we were sent was the Advent Calendar "Police". Each spot contains a little person, pieces for the person, pieces for the city (like a toilet!), and when you have all your pieces are out, you can open up the cityscape and play! I foresee a lot of fun opening this advent calendar during the holidays.

True Joy Acoustics

UKULELE anyone?  Lots of fun, even therapeutic!  These kits feature a ready-to-play FLEA™ brand ukulele.  They’re extra tough (kid proof!), easy to wipe down, and packed with essential gear to tune and strum it, learn basic techniques and tote it anywhere.  No prior music experience required.  Ukuleles are an easy alternative or stepping-stone to learning other instruments.  In addition, Ukulele Musician Maker™ Kit sales help others in our community: (1) all kits are quality packed by a visually impaired workforce, and (2) for every nine kits sold, a 10th kit is donated to a pediatric hospital music therapy program. Learn music, help others ... that's True Joy! 

Please check True Joy Acoustics for more information and pricing on the kits. If you have a music lover in your home, this would be a great unique gift. And a way to help give back this holiday season!

Wild Dill

Have you ever come across one of those sites where you can find all kinds of goodies and you just want to sit there and oogle the site all day? Well that is exactly what happened when I came across Wild Dill. All thanks to Facebook for having their little ad up while I was on.

You will find clothing, toys, art supplies, and gifts all on the Wild Dill website. And making the products even better is the fact that they are organic, eco-friendly, and even fair trade. They use bamboo and soy for most of the products that are sold on the site. The art supplies are all made from soy, which means if your monkey eats the glue, it'll be okay.

We were sent some of the art supplies that are sold on Wild Dill made by Clementine Art. As soon as the box was opened, we had to unroll paper and get to painting. I don't know a kiddo alive who doesn't like art in some form or another. Many children who have sensory issues and can't take the feel of the paint on the fingers, still love to look at beautiful pictures painted by other kids. And many children who can't enjoy the visual beauty of a painting, still enjoy feeling their fingers in the wet paint. Art is just one of those things that can soothe a soul and help you find joy in your day!

The Clementine Art Natural Rock Crayons were a big hit as well in the monkie house. The kids all oohed and ahhed over the way cool crayon rocks. Which kinda looked like little nuts.

The Clementine Art Natural Glue surprised me quiet a bit. It actually works. I wasn't expecting it to work as good as my trusty Elmer's, but I got pleasantly surprised when we tried it out. It holds papers tight, and dries pretty quickly. The drying time did seem to be a little longer than with regular glue, but it wasn't so bad that I would say it was a negative to purchasing the natural glue.

You can also find markers and modeling clay from Clementine Art. Wouldn't this make a lovely gift basket idea for your art lover? Just add some sketch paper, paint paper, and other little art supplies and you have a creative minds best gift EVAH! Check out Wild Dill for all the great products that they offer. You can follow them on Facebook to keep up with sales, new products, and discount codes.

Speaking of discount codes...Use code 15off when you make a purchase at Wild Dill and receive 15% off your total purchase!

Check out the Flickr set for our Wild Dill paint fun!

Super Sipperz!

My daughter, Savanna, has an obsession with straws. She has yet to meet a straw she hasn't wanted to try. So when I was approached about reviewing the Super Sipperz! I jumped at it. Just for her. These are regular bendy straws in a variety of colors. But what makes them really nifty is the connectors that allow you make really wacky designs out of all of the straws.

The girls immediately went and started building stuff. MacKenzie the architect tried putting 5 drinks in a row and building a bridge that all of the kids could sit at and drink from. They figured out really quick that root beer, orange Fanta, and lemonade really don't mix that well. Because that is exactly what happened. The drinks all mixed together and they had some funky flavored stuff coming out of their straws.

 If you have super imaginative kids, or well even not that imaginative kids, then you might want to add these to the stockings. They are reasonably priced at $9.99 for one 80 piece set and then just an additional $5 for a second set for a total of 160 pieces! Each set contains straws, connectors, a mesh storage bag, and a 60 day money back guarantee. Plus the fun you can't buy from watching your kids eyes light up while building. Oh, and the set also contains one set of tubes to make glasses out of the straws.

Check out this really cool video on the Super Sipperz! website. I love the little girl lounging by the pool with straws leading to her drink. LOL For straws you can build with, these are definitely pretty cool!

Madeline's Christmas and Other Wintry Tales

Madeline is a favorite in our home. I have never seen a child who can get into and out of more trouble than this kid. LOL But isn't it so much fun to watch as she figures out the lessons from her mistakes? With the newest Madeline movie just released by Shout Factory, Madeline's Christmas and Other Wintry Tales, you and your kids can sit back and enjoy some snow filled Parisian fun.

You get to travel all over from the Alps to the North Pole, you will get to experience the craziness of no Mrs. Clavel. Btw- I think that woman is a saint to take care of all those little girls and stay so calm all the time.

There are 5 episodes on this DVD:

• Madeline's Winter Vacation (set in the Alps with Mrs. Clavel's Aunt)
• Madeline at the North Pole
• Madeline and Santa (our favorite from this DVD)
• Madeline's Holiday with Mr. Grump (and yes he is aptly named)
• Madeline and the Ice Skates

Run time on Madeline's Christmas and Other Wintry Tales is 110 minutes, and cost for this wonderful Christmas movie on Amazon is $11.49. You can also purchase it at your other favorite movie retailers. 

EcoMom

EcoMom is one of those sites that you can go to for EVERYTHING. Literally. They have organic food, toys, clothing, and even a forum to talk to other eco-conscience parents out there. They literally have everything. You might remember the review I held not to long ago for their organic snacks, in particular their Revolution Foods graham cracker snacks and fruit squeeze pouches. Both of which were a hit.  

Well, like I said before...EcoMom has it all. So when I was thinking of a great site to include in this here Gift Guide, I knew I wanted to have them as a partner. If you are looking for something for mom, dad, or the kids you are sure to find something that they will love. And when it comes to little girls, well they have the perfect gift...

Every little girl at some point wants a dollhouse. Last Christmas I ended up driving two hours to find one (which is now being used as a book case). I paid way too much for it and the quality was not that great. Which is why it is a bookcase now. The girls really loved it, but when the pieces all started to break we just had to re-purpose it. Savanna has already added a new dollhouse her to her wish list this year! But I want to make sure that the dollhouse that she receives from old St. Nick is durable this go round. If you are short on space, you should really try the Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Mini Dollhouse. It measures 13.13"x10.63"x6.13", which makes it perfect for table top play. And the fold up design allows it to store easily and quickly. It comes with a total of 11 pieces of furniture and 2 little people. Cost for the Melissa and Doug dollhouse is $60 on EcoMom and you get free shipping with it as well.This particular dollhouse is for ages 3+.

I am a huge M&D fan and EcoMom has so many of their products for really good prices that I know I will be shopping there a lot. LOL

Another of my favorites from EcoMom, and one I am sure all little boys would want, it the Crafty Kids Shuttle. They also have a little cottage for the girlies.

You can keep up with all that is happening on EcoMom by following along on Twitter, or liking them on Facebook.

Goliath Games

Board games are always a big hit with my kids. They absolutely love the different games that come out, and even the classics are a big hit. One of our favorite companies has quickly become Goliath Games. They have such a fun assortment of games that span all age levels that it is easy to find a new game to place under the tree. I have been on the hunt for games out of the box for the twins. We did Hungry Hungry Hippo, and while it is a big hit, it is stationary and they get bored. So when we were sent Mad Mouse to try out I was thrilled to see that the mouse moves! The cute little blue mouse darts around and the goal is to catch the mouse by the tail with little cat paws. When you catch the mouse you get cheese. Whoever gets the most cheese wins. Easy peasy! The twins actually screeched in delight over chasing this thing. Mad Mouse comes with 4 of the cat paws, the electronic mouse, 9 pieces of cheese, and requires 2 AA batteries. The cost for Mad Mouse is $30.99. You can purchase it on Goliath games website, Amazon, and several other sites. Check for all the places to purchase HERE.

We were also sent Pop the Pig to try out. This was definitely up Braden and Savanna's alley. This is a great game for learning to count and estimation. Why? Well because the players have to guess how many bites it will take the pig to eat the burger. With every time you push on piggies head, his tummy grows. Just don't push too many times, or the tummy pops. Think of the first time you saw a Jack in the Box. And the reaction to "POP! Goes the weasel" That would be Colton's reaction every.single.time that Braden made the stomach pop. Which was every.single.time it was his turn! Pop the Pig is for ages 4+ and it is great fun. It comes with 1 Pop the Pig and 16 burgers. The cost is $24.99 (it is on sale right now!).

Along with these two games there are many more games available through Goliath Games. Check them all out and see which is your favorite!

VeggieTales: It's a meaningful life

I am a huge VeggieTales fan. Have been for YEARS. I mean really, who doesn't like veggies talking to them?! I think my fandom stems from annoying the crap out of my friend Arin during a youth trip. I spent hours singing "Oh where is my hair brush". Which led to years later, her actually giving me a hair brush for Christmas. LOL. Good times.

Not only are the tunes catchy but the morals and the stories are something I have no issue with my kids watching and being exposed to over and over and over again. Which we have. Tons of times. Larry the Cucumber is a big hit my house. My favorite thing about this VeggieTales movie is that I can reiterate something I try really hard to teach the kids. That no matter what, you should always understand your own worth and importance  to be content with what they do have rather than worrying about what others have. It is a hard lesson. Especially in this age of entitlement that we are living through. The old values of be thankful for the things we have is gone. Everyone wants bigger and better. Ugh that is so another post, one I actually have written and think I will post along with this review. Watch for it.

Back to the talking tomato.

It's a meaningful life has a brand new song set. It even has Steven Curtis Chapman on there. Some of the Bonus Features include:

• Directors’ Audio Commentary
• Art Gallery
• Parents Guide presented by Family Life
• “Goodnight Junior” Silly Songs Sing-Along
• Visit a Train Museum with Larry
• Behind The Music of It’s a Meaningful Life—An Interview with Steven Curtis Chapman
• “Meant To Be” Music Video 

The video run time on this particular movie is 48 minutes. You can purchase it at most major stores like Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon and even online at BigIdea.com. This would make a great stocking stuffer or if you are like me and have this thing about giving a new movie each holiday season, this is your next perfect pick!

Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition

I will readily admit that my FAVORITE movie is Beauty and the Beast. I always loved how Belle could look past the way Beast looked, and see his heart. I remember seeing the movie many many years ago and falling in love with Disney right then and there. While I loved all the princess movies when I was little, Beauty and the Beast resonated with me. And now at 30 years old I am still enchanted with the dancing tea pot and cups. I could listen to the clock and candlestick bicker all day. And I still gasp when the last petal of the rose falls. I am thrilled that now I have two daughters of my own that I can share the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast with. And with the new Diamond Anniversary addition, I can enjoy it with the girls in a few new ways.

Did you know that Beauty and the Beast is only one of two animated movies ever nominated for an Academy Award? Or how bout the fact that it was the first Disney movie to inspire a Broadway stage play by the same name?

Disney’s most requested film, Beauty and the Beast, arrives for the first time on Blu-ray Hi-Def as the second installment to the company’s new Diamond Collection. The Blu-ray transformation reveals the magic, music and majesty of the film as never before experienced with state-of-the-art picture restoration, pristine 7.1 Digital Surround Sound and hours of additional viewing experiences that include behind the scenes features, deleted scenes, enhanced music tracks, immersive games and more.

I know we will spend a lot of time munching popcorn and watching this movie. You can purchase Beauty and the Beast where ever you like to get your movies at. 

This would make one little girl smile a bright smile if she pulled it out of her stocking or unwrapped it from under the tree. I know, cuz I'd be smiling just as wide!

Webkinz Jr.

If you didn't know by now, my kids are all big stuffed animal fans. One of our favorite stuffed animals is Webkinz. The girls were introduced to Webkinz thanks to a friend of mine named Terri. Her daughter was collecting them, and when my girlies found out about them it started a frenzy. They have collected the cards, the animals, the bracelet/necklaces/charms, and everything else that goes with Webkinz. Of course the boys wanted to get in on the action and be able to play online with their own Webkinz. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when we were introduced to Webkinz Jr.

Webkinz Jr. are a larger version of the small Webkinz. Each one is a cute cuddly bundle of fur and stuff. And like the original Webkinz, Webkinz Jr. has its own virtual world where your little one can take care of their pet. The differences in the websites isn't too big. While Webkinz has a website that is more geared towards kids who can read and can do more interactive stuff, Webkinz Jr. offers your little ones in the 3-6 age range the ability to play games, feed their pets, decorate their little homes, and many of the other things that the original site allows for the older kids, it is just easier for the littler ones to be understand. Braden loves playing on Webkinz Jr. Getting on daily to take care of his pet and play some games is one of his favorite demands.

Webkinz Jr are available in a variety of animals, 18 to be exact. The cost for one Webkinz Jr is around $20.00 at most retailers. You have your choice of everything from bunnies to giraffes. And of course there are a couple of monkeys as well! You can purchase them at most major toy outlets (Toys R' Us, Amazon, Babies R' Us). Be sure to get yours and put it back for Christmas!

Piggy Paint

Sure to brighten any young girls heart to open up a gift basket full of nail polish. LOL Piggy Paint is one of those companies that you just love purchasing from. Not only are you going to get great products that do not contain any nasty chemicls (after all Piggy Paint is as natural as mud!), but you are going to find nail polish with names that make any girl, young or old, smile. Whether you have the more subdued color lover or the far out their bright as the sun color lover, then you will be covered. And even better, this polish is perfectly safe to place on the tiniest fingers without the fears of them sucking the paint off. While I am not saying the paint won't come off, what I am saying is that since the polish is completely natural and doesn't contain any harmful chemicals, then your little toe sucker (my girls preferred to bend themselves in half to suck on their toes instead of their thumbs!) won't have to be rushed to the emergency room.

Now with a whole new polish line called Project Earth designed for that tween in your life  that might be a little eco-friendly, Piggy Paint is embarking on a new journey! With colors named things like "Drama" and "The Boyfriend Blues" your tween/teen is sure to love these colors. There is even a glow-in-the-dark color called "Radioactive". This is by far Kenzie's favorite and she has worn it every day since receiving it from Piggy Paint. It does take a couple of coats to really glow, but when it is glowing it is pretty cool.

Nail polish from Piggy Paint starts at $8.99 a bottle and goes up to higher prices for gift sets that include several bottles as well as polish remover.If you spend over $35 on items from the website you will receive free domestic shipping. You can connect with Piggy Paint via Twitter and Facebook to find out about secret sales and discount codes.

Piggy Paint makes great stocking stuffers or a tween/teen spa basket!

Use coupon code MONKIES10L to take 10% off your order from Piggy Paint.

My Pillow Pet

Named one of Toys R' Us Fabulous 15 this is one hot toy this year. And what is awesome is it is not a toy at all. It is a pillow. It is a wonderful companion for some imaginary fun. It is a security item for when your little one is sleeping away on their first sleep over. It is so many things. We have two of the folding stuffed animals now and are waiting on number three to arrive. I can't tell you how much all of my children, and even mommy, loves these adorable stuffed animals.The kids all fuss over who gets to use them to sleep on. It is so funny to watch. Of course if it gets to bad I step in and decide that mom needs it in her bed.

Don't be fooled by those pesky mall people who have set up stands selling the "bed pets" that look from a distance just like the My Pillow Pet. One sure fire way of making sure you are buying the real deal is by looking for the pillow pet tag. I managed to do a recon mission at our local mall and asked a few questions. I was shocked that the lady there selling them wanted me to believe that they were the exact same thing as seen on tv. I picked one up and tried to get a feel for it. While the knock-offs are soft, they have a different feel to the "fur" and the fluffiness is not there like with the real Pillow Pets.

With the holiday season fast approaching, you might want to grab one for traveling if you are visiting family. The Pillow Pet would make a great car pillow. At a cost of $19.95 for the first one and $15.95 for up to 5 additional ones, you will be getting something your child will cherish for a long time to come. It will get lots of use out of it, and will most definitely have a special spot on the bed. With 20 different pets to choose from there is sure to be a winner for your home. Be sure to purchase your Pillow Pet early though. Last year they sold out of inventory before Christmas.

Melissa and Doug Puzzles, Puzzles, Puzzles!

I am a HUGE Melissa & Doug fan. Their wooden toys are my favorites and they outlast my terrors sweet angles. Not only are the toys durable, but they offer such a great way to learn that I can never turn one down when I find it on sale. I have to admit though, that I hadn't been hooked on Melissa & Doug until after I had the twins. One of the girls from my owl twin moms group told me about the products and was raving about them so much that I had to check them out.

After being in business for 20 years and coming a long ways from their first wooden toy (The Fuzzy Farm Puzzle), Melissa & Doug now offers wooden puzzles, doll houses, room decor, art supplies, and everything in between!

My favorite puzzles are the Alphabet puzzles. We were sent the Alphabet Sound Puzzle, which I am using with the boys homeschooling work each day. It helps to add a little fun into the learning process. Each letter is set to say the letter and something that starts with that letter when you place the matching puzzle piece into the board. Another nifty fact with the Alphabet Sound Puzzle is that each piece is the same color as the picture in the puzzle board. Just another way to help your little one catch on to which one goes where. And since the puzzle pieces are chunky, it makes it easy for preschoolers to be able to handle the pieces easily.

I also love love love the floor puzzles that you can get from Melissa & Doug. There is a floor puzzle theme for all the kiddos tastes. Savanna is definitely a girly girl so I opted to go with the Fairy Tale Castle Floor Puzzle for them to review. This puzzle gets put together DAILY. The pieces are big so I don't have to worry about them being lost all over the house. It is easy and quick, which allows Savanna plenty of time to complete the puzzle before she is distracted, and it is just so darn pretty to look at. I keep thinking I may get one of those puzzle mats and glue the pieces down and frame it. It contains 48 pieces and measures a whooping 2'x3' when you have it put together.

And while we are on the topic of puzzles and incorporating them into homeschooling...If you are trying to help your little one learn to read, then be sure to check out the See and Spell wooden toy in the Melissa & Doug classic toys. This has been an AMAZING tool for Savanna as well as Braden and the twins. With Savanna's disabilty (specifically her working memory doesn't work right, so she has to be very visual with her learning style) this has made it much easier to work with her learning to read proficiently. It also is making it easier for the boys to learn as well. They can see exactly what they are spelling as they spell it. See the letters they are placing in each spot. I am loving this toy.

Each of these toys would make an excellent Christmas gift for your little ones. And they also would make a wonderful addition to any home classroom (or a gift for your preschoolers/kindergartners classroom!). Check out all the great quality eco-friendly toys available at Melissa & Doug.