Cabbage Patch Mania!

I remember quite clearly the christmas where I got my first Cabbage Patch doll. It was the year they were so popular mom's were fighting in the isles for them and my poor mom braved the stores to bring one home. They were the big thing as each doll was diffrent if even just slightly and of course they had their own names and birthdays which were random. You could get them with diffrent colored hair, no hair, and of course diffrent skin tones. It was a big deal people, this was the 80s!!

I remember it so well as I desperately wanted a Teddy Ruxpin, sorry Cabbage Patch you did end up being my faithful companion for many years, and mom came home with a Cabbage Patch. Heh, ok I was a huge tomboy dolls were not my thing ironically as I've gotten older I have started to appreciate dolls much more these days and I was soo excited when I saw that the Cabbage Patch were re releasing the 1980s dolls. Seriously though the newer versions of the Cabbage Patch dolls are nice I just don't think any of the series have been quite as adorable as the first. Maybe its just me, but I've always thought the faces on the original Cabbage Patch were so adorable.

The best part about the re release though is if you watched your parents fight over getting you just the right Cabbage Patch when you were growing up or if you were too young, or .. *gasp* not born when they were released, just saying that makes me feel old, you can now enjoy the magic with your own kids or even just for the first time. I think it would actually be fun to recreate that epic battle my mom did to get me my own Cabbage Patch doll all those years ago. Yes I know I'm a total dork!

You can visit the Cabbage Patch Kids at their own website and browse the many options for buying your own Cabbage Patch 25th Anniversary kid. They are also available on Amazon!

Lets go Camping... in the living room!

Living in the deep south has its ups and downs.. The upside is that the winters are a joke, seriously I never make it past a hoodie in my winter wardrobe after living in IL. The downside.. bugs.. I mean.. seriously TONS OF BUGS.. I honestly forgot just how many bugs there are here.. sand fleas, giant cockroaches, fire ants, ticks, you name it we have it. Don't even get me started with the insane heat its been over 90 degrees for weeks.
I had considered investing in a nice playhouse for Connor this year but I'll be quite frank with you even with our mini pool outside we haven't spent much time outside due to the glaring heat and the fire ants. Needless to say I am rethinking our playhouse at least until fall. Yeh I'll be that crazy mom in January sitting outside on a lawn chair watching Connor play. So in the meantime I was at a lost as to what we should do about the playhouse idea and a little trip to Schylling website solved our problem head on.

Schylling makes the most fabulous classic styled toys so I was a bit surprised when I saw their fabulous collection of pop up play tents. Nothing is better than a pop up play tent on a hot or rainy day when the kids won't leave you alone. heh. Seriously some of my best memories growing up were with my many sheet inspired play tents, but the problem with sheets is well you have to wash them when the kids are done playing, they are alway falling down, and well its just hard to clean up. Usually the kits get tired of playing and your left with the mess. My Schylling play tent combo is way cooler than any sheet forts and the setup/cleanup time is just a few minutes.

I mean seriously whats cooler than a set of two play tents with a connecting tunnel? The best part is though is you can use your play tent with one or all of the pieces at once. I usually leave out the largest tent in the corner of the room for Connor all the time but on very special events or playgroups we can bust out the other two pieces (the tunnel and the second tent) and make an entire kiddo tent fort. Once your done just remove the support bars in the bottom of the tents and twist and fold. Tada cleanup is a snap!

You can buy your own Schylling Combo Tent set directly from Schylling. You can also check out their other pop up tents here, many of which can be added on to your combo set to make an entire tent city.

If anyone is feeling a little homesick for the south and would like to buy their own Sand Fleas as a memento, Melos has some for sale for just $.05 per dozen. *sigh*

Unique ecofriendly gift ideas!

Have you guys been over to Gifts.com? Well if you haven't and you just can't decide what to give someone for their birthday, or your just looking to buy something for yourself its a great way to search for just the perfect present including finding those awesome eco-friendly kid gear!

Basicly Gifts.com is a way to find items across a ton of diffrent sites. You don't actually purchase the items from Gifts.com but they point you in the right direction. If your anything like me you can spend hours and hours browsing through endless amounts of online catalogs just to find one really exceptional gift. Well now I just log onto Gifts.com to start my search and more times than not I can do all my searching on Gifts.com and purchase just the perfect gift.

Just browsing through their eco-friendly gift selection brings an awesome assortment of great eco-friendly items all in one place. We love to share our obsession with the eco-friendly and fabulous with friends and family but finding just that perfect eco gift to give is sometimes a challenge. Actually within seconds I found just the perfect stocking stuffer for Connor's Aunt Amber, a kitty shaped crank powered flashlight. I actually gave crank powered flashlights to all the boys in the family a few years ago but the girls were just not that interested as well um.. they were ugly. I'm sorry, I have to admit I'm guilty of this but if its just not cute its not worth using. heh. Ok maybe not all the time but I know if I had the choice of a pink flashlight and a plain silver or blue flashlight you better bet I'll be grabbing for the pink one. The same idea is true when it comes to the kitty flashlights over at Gifts.com!

I think many of us consider being "green" choosing energy saving items and recycled goods.. but have you even thought about recycled goods when it comes to your children's toys. No I'm not talking about used toys, but that is a start. I'm actually talking about toys made of recycled items. Gifts.com has a listing of recycled toys including a plush doll made from recycled fabric.

Check out the awesome selection of eco-gifts and while your over there just check out all the great catagories of gifts you can browse. Gifts.com is really a great one stop shop for planning that next gift!

Games that teach important skills!

Hasbro is a trusted name in most households when it comes to toys but not necessarily the name you think of when it comes to learning toys. I think we get so caught up in teaching our kids their ABCs and numbers that some of the most important skills are overlooked in the mad dash it seems that most parts are on to have their preschoolers reading by kindergarten.

Sure I think teaching your kids those skills is Nobel and worth wild, but do I think that Connor's ability to recognize every letter and number by his first day of kindergarten is important? Nah. If he does.. fabulous, if not he has time after is that not why we go to school?

Being an above average kid in school myself reading, writing, numbers, and memorization was never an issue, thought its slowly becoming more of an issue in college up till recently I never spent more than five minutes studying for a test or ever stressed out over a paper. Not that I'm bragging but school itself came so easy to me, other than math, it was the social aspects of being around other children that really threw me for a loop. Listening skills were a huge problem, and still are as I tend to tune anything out that is not directly engaging within moments and I apologize for that in advance if anyone ever gets to meet me in person. I actually remember an early English teacher raving on how I would be "brilliant" if I was not such a space cadet.

Noodleboro games from Hasbro thought of children just like my younger self when they designed their new unique series of board games. From sharing, to listening, to manners I can't help to wonder if these games would have made some difference for me at least in the listening department. Possibly my math skills would not be so dreadful if I was able to keep half the concentration as the other kids on what the teacher was saying in those early classes.

We received a Noodleboro Learning to Share Fun Park Game and wow its actually fun for adults as well as kids! The game is really quite complex but not so much that young kids will not understand. Really designed for ages 4+ it combines four "rides" and activities with a board game that promotes the players to share the tokens they earn from completing rides successfully. If you get a token that you have duplicates of you can give your extra toke to another player to earn a shining star. That shining star then goes onto the playing board and the point of the game is to try to collect enough shining stars before the park closes. I can't say so much that there is a "winner" everyone wins if the game is completed in time.

The most interesting part about this board game is that it comes with a reading book and a music cd. The book and CD are not required for the game but they sort of add on to the fun as the book is about the Noodleboro game and their own experiences with sharing as well as a fun soundtrack that you can either listen to as you play or just enjoy on the go. It really integrates the skills learned at playing the game into everyday life.

Personally if Connor is anything like myself I think I need to invest early in the "listening game" Noodleboro Learning to Listen which teaches children to listen so that they can build the pizza. Pizza and games.. seriously what a better combo!

Visit Noodleboro's website to learn more and you can check out Noodleboro Share Fun Park Game on Amazon!

Thanks Mom Central for telling us about Noodleboro!

Is it poker or blocks?

I was over at Hearthsong checking out all of their blocks as Connor has a serious addiction to those small wooden things. While I was over there I noticed these strange looking discs that lock together to form designs. They look a bit like poker chips with slits in them.

Connectagons are wooden discs that hook together through slits, I spent the first few minutes of my first test run just flipping them back and forth in my hand trying to come up with a design that I wanted to make. These are not standard blocks, honestly I'm not sure even what to call them other than "discie things that slide together" mind you I don't think thats a good technical term for them, but it seems to describe them fairly well.

Making my first design made me stop and rethink my plan a few times. They are not like a lego its almost impossible to make a strait line or build something flat, most of the designs I ended up making with them ended up looking like some forgotten piece of modern art. I had to stop for a moment and think about the recent trip we made to the art museum here in town and how perfect these discs would be for their hands on art exhibit. Honestly, I have never see anything quite like them. You would be pleased to know that they come standard in their own wooden box which makes them wonderfully easy to store or stash on a trip.

Needless to say if your attempting to foster creative thinking in your child or you just are looking for an usual twist on the standard block, Connectagons are amazing. Connor is still way too young to play with them the way they were designed to be enjoyed but I honestly cannot wait to pull them out for him when he gets a bit older. I am so curious as to what he will create. It's not like he can just build the standard block house or castle in strait lines. Connectagons require a lot more thought and some more planning to design a structure. That in part is half the fun!

Head on over to Hearthsong and check out Connectagons and all the other great creative learning toys that they offer!

Hearthsong was amazing enough to send us two sets of Connectagons to give away to our readers!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Connectagons and tell me what you would build with your set if you won!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end September 15th at midnight!

Trucks built for the generations

I love wooden toys, something about the texture of wood and fact that it always seems warm to the touch to me just makes them inviting. Not to mention that though sometimes wooden toys are a bit more expensive they are the most economical toy choice in the end as well built wooden toys last generations and they are timeless so there is no need to upgrade your toys with each child or buy the newest and greatest thing. I actually plan on just packing up Connor's wooden toys when I'm done having children and I will store them somewhere safe until I have my own grandkids and hopefully even my great grand kids.

The only issue with wooden toys is so many of them are made in Europe. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I discovered Maple Landmark. Not only does Maple Landmark make beautiful well built wooden toys but they are right here in the US, Vermont to be exact. Every detail of Maple Landmark toys is made here in the US from the locally grown woods, to their in house production facility, to their local recycling efforts including free sawdust to farmers (Where where they when I had horses?!). Not to mention the fact that nothing is wasted, including using cast offs from other companies as obviously many of the pieces can be made of very small pieces of wood.

I had the worst time trying to decide which of the toys over there were my favorite. In the end I settled on the Montgomery Schoolhouse line as well, we live in Montgomery and I love being able to pick from unfinished pieces and painted pieces that all work together. I ended up getting Connor a Montgomery Schoolhouse Racing Team which if your looking only to add one or two wooden pieces to your collection you get a big bang for your buck with the Racing Team. It includes the carrier truck and two racing cars so its actually three toys. The racing cars are tons of fun on their own and are great for learning to share. The people in the front of the carrier come out and Connor is still a bit too young for the peg people so on our truck I took the people out for now and I'll replace them when he is past the teething stage so no one takes any damage.

Along with the Montgomery Schoolhouse line while your over at Maple Landmark make sure you check out the name trains and the baby rattles. I absolutely love the Name Train line and I absolutely love the cars that are part of the accessory line as well as the animal cars.

Maple Landmark's toys are available for purchase directly on their website!

Maple Landmark was awesome enough to send over an extra racing car so we can share with our readers! One reader will get their own natural finish racing car of their very own!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Maple Landmark and tell which toy or game is your favorite other than the ones we mentioned in this post!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end September 15th at midnight!

I've got some new friends!

Lindie the bear has quite the set of friends, all of which I would love to call my own.

Who is Lindie? Well Lindie is stuffed bear and best friend to the creator, Kara over at Lindie and Friends. Lindie was a beloved companion and out of her love of toys, kids, and Lindie, Kara created a fabulous line of plush dolls that anyone can really appreciate.

Lindie and Friends dolls are "pillow like" meaning they are all made of touchable soft fleece and sort of flattish, like pillows. This gives them a real hug able factor as well as makes them prime candidates for bedtime pals.

Amilia came to live with us recently and she has been a treasured addition. Her story card that came with her said that she loves pizza, racy novels and the color brunette! Heh.. Well it must have been fate as this family is raised on pizza, but I'm still not so sure about the racy novels and honestly I have never heard of anyone call a color brunette. Regardless Amilia has made herself at home around here and is usually to be found peeking over the side of one of Connor's legs as he plays with his blocks. I guess its never too young for Connor to start considering having a girlfriend. (Sorry I just couldn't help myself!)

The dolls over at Lindie and Friends are fabulous and come in a rainbow of colors, clothing styles and even diffrent ethic groups so you are sure to find just the perfect doll for your little person. However, my favorite doll of all purely from the unsual factor is the worm! Yes you heard me.. i said a worm. I mean who exactly makes worm plush? I almost snorted out my drink the first time I saw it I laughed so hard. You really have to give Kara credit for creativity here. For those of you that grew up on Seaseme St and dreamed of having your own pet worm like Oscar has.. here is your chance!

Lindie and Friends dolls can be purchased directly from their website!

As much as I adore my Lindie and Friends worm, I really feel like I need to share him with you guys. One reader will get to claim their own worm!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Lindie and Friends and tell me which Lindie doll is your favorite other than the two I mentioned here. Also tell me a fact about them!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end September 15th at midnight!
  

Watch out for that falling boulder!

True parental happiness is finding a toy that entertains Connor for more than five minutes at a time. Between a full school load, my writing schedule, and just household chores the joys of an active toddler can sometimes turn into exhaustion.

Imagine my pure delight when we put together the Zip Around the Mountain toy from International Playthings. It was a snap to put together, so much so I completed building it without any directions while Connor was squealing and crawling all over me wanting to play with it NOW. heh. We were playing in less than three minutes.

Connor was thrilled with the Zip Around the Mountain. Its become a fixture in our living room and he quickly learned out to operate it himself, its rather simple just put the car at the top of the track, push down the stoplight and the car goes racing down the mountain. You can add some fun to the mix by sending the boulder down after it to see who gets there first.

The stoplight at the top of the tower features sounds and flashing lights, but I'll share my little naughty secret. I'm currently attempting to hold true to my "less batteries is better" rule though we can't get around them on some toys this toy is just as fun with or without them and Connor is none the wiser. *shh don't tell him* Once he gets older and his play style gets more complex I'm sure I'll break the rule and install the batteries for an added surprise but for the time being we are enjoying our Zip Around the Mountain blissfully battery free. One little bonus note, the cars have magnet strips on the front and back bumpers. This allows you to store the cars in the parking deck on the side of the tower and it also allows you to hook the cars together which Connor particularly enjoys as we tend to take the cars with us on outings as they are light and the perfect size for little toddler hands.

Check out all the great toys over at International Playthings. I have my eyes on the Yokidoo line as well they look awfully neato!

Zip Around the Mountain is available for sale on the International Playthings website!

This rabbit can go toe to toe with its more expensive competition!

I know I go on and on about handmade , hand knitted, or wooden toys basically anything that looks as if someone spent an ungodly amount of hours making it just so your child can drool on it. I also realize that not everyone can afford $40+ for one plush toy. With that said I have been looking long and hard for a toy that looks like some of those gorgeous handmade and knit toys I have been featuring but has a much smaller price tag, and by golly I finally found it!

Everyone meet Stripes the Rabbit by Schylling Toys. He is stunningly gorgeous, and would be just at home on a shelf as decoration as he is at our house being drug around by one ear or being used as a cannonball to throw at poor Melos, who by the way is not a big fan of Stripes only because Connor likes to hold him by the ears and sling him in Melos's direction. With that said when Connor is not abusing Stripes he looks amazing sitting on my rocking chair or being displayed on Connor's bookshelf. Really, Stripes doesn't mind all the abuse either he is taking it like a pro.

Needless to say for about $15 Stripes sells for far less than his luxury priced counterparts and he looks just as cool. I actually LOVE Stripe's rainbow motif and his huge floppy ears. Stripes is fairly petite at a slender 13" not including his long ears so he would be the perfect companion for smaller hands, preschoolers, or anyone who would just love to own their own gorgeous little knitted rabbit. I still can not get over how strikingly gorgeous for the price. Right now he is hanging out on Connor's bookshelf right next to another knitted plush that sells for over $40 and you know you'd never know which one was the more expensive one.

Believe me if you brought a Stripes to a birthday party the parents would assume you spent a fortune on him!

Stripes the Rabbit is available for purchase on Amazon! You can also read more about Stripes on the Schylling website!

Is that a grasshopper?!

I'm not sure why they named the Okiedog Cheeky Chick a "chick" as it looks more like a grasshopper than a chick to me but either way its certainly one unusual and adorable looking ride on.

As my house is already crammed full of baby stuff the Cheeky Chick has to be one of the most ingeniously designed ride on's ever as though its actually a larger ride on it folds down so small that you can easily store it in the corner of a closet, in a cubby, and it fits easily in your trunk when visiting friends. The fact that it folds at all is unique in itself, as most ride on's come as this bulky large mass which always leaves you to attempt to try to find a corner to stick it in when not in use, don't even get me started about having to pack up a normal ride on when you head off to the grandparents for the weekend. Connor's Chick travels a lot between my house, his aunts house, cousins house, and grandparents house and my Cheeky Chick spends a lot of time tucked comfortably in the floorboard of my back seat. Its great as I always know if we have a party or family event I can just throw it in the car and Connor will have his own toy wherever we go.

The Cheeky Chick itself looks a bit like a modern sculpture of a grass hopper. It's not the typical truck, character animal, nor is it "pink" so it is equally as attractive to boys and girls. It features a huge single back wheel and two smaller wide set front wheels which makes it very stable so I don't worry so much about it tipping over when Connor gets on and off. The width of the front tires and the big handle bars on the front actually make it a great toy for pushing too. Though Connor is walking really well now he pushes it around often like it was a walker and we have had smaller visitors over who used it very successfully as a balance toy for walking as well.

My only regret is that the Cheeky Chick does not feature turning wheels on the front. So for children to change direction they actually have to lift up the front of the Chick to go in another direction. Though this is more common than not in ride on's and its always the one thing I wish they did do. Otherwise the large wheels makes it really easy to push inside and out as well as equally as durable for indoor and outdoor surfaces. It's also rated for children 18m to 4yrs (up to 45 lbs) mind you Connor is about 15 months old and small for his size and maneuvers the Chick easily.

One little thing that most dad's will highly appreciate especially when it comes to birthday's and holiday's the Cheeky Chick comes fully assembled so when you get your own all you have to do is open the box, retrieve the Chick and follow the simple instructions to unfold it. Your ready to play in under 30 seconds.

The Cheeky Chick is available for purchase directly from International Playthings!

Great fun, no batteries!

I walked past a display of WOW Toys some time ago at a local toy store, I was quite surprised as well, um, its rare that I find a whole line of toys I had previously knew nothing about as I seem to be a walking infomercial for toys these days. On top of that in big letters the boxes say "No batteries required!", and seeing as these were big brightly colored plastic toys I had to stop and do a double take. I guess I just find it quite unusual to see a plastic toy that does not eat batteries.

So when my first WOW Toys arrived I was anxious to get it out of the box. The toys claim to have realistic sounds and are friction powered. And believe me your kids will NOT miss the batteries, WOW toys really do make plenty of noise and have tons to do without using a single battery.

The first toy we tested was Flip n Tip Fred, a friction powered recycling truck, he comes with two people figures and a set of recycling bins. The bins can be loaded into Fred two ways, the back offers a flip up loading station which allows you to sort your recyclables and then dump them into the back of the truck as well as you can use the bucket on the front of the truck and turn the lever to dump them into the top opening of the truck. You can then retrieve your recycle bins through the flip up panel on the side of the truck. The truck itself is friction powered, meaning if you give it a good push it just keeps on going and the friction actually makes a pretty satisfying "truck" noise. The design of the truck itself is really genius. It says from 1.5yrs to 5 yrs which at first I thought was quite a long age gap for a toy. Well I tried the truck out with Connor and he uses it as a push toy and though he doesn't really understand the point of the recycling bins yet the work out really well as a sorting toy. Each of the bins has a picture on the top which coordinates to a spot on the truck. He spends a good amount of time matching up the bins and putting the bins in and out of the truck.

We also got a d which may just be in contention for Connor's favorite toy. It features the same great friction powered motor. Duley has a handle on the top of him that makes him super easy for little hands to push. Dudley features a dial on the side that causes the truck to dump. It almost looks motorized but again as with all WOW Toys there are no batteries! I'm not sure I've met a boy yet that doesn't love dump trucks and Dudley is just at home hauling blocks as he is hauling construction equipment.

The real beauty of boy of the trucks is though Connor loves them both now, he will appreciate them more as he gets older and his play style gets more complex. I'm so impressed that I'm going to add a few more of the pieces to Connor's wish list for christmas. I really think he needs Police Chase Larry, Larry Lorry and Pickup Pete, and of course Ernie the Fire Engine!

WOW Toys also makes a great line of toys for infants. You can check out their entire selection of toys over at their website!

Shine shine little star!

I was drawn to the Nana Star books as the story was inspired by a grandmother's writing to her grandson. I know I had a very special relationship with my own grandfather and though he never wrote me a story, we had many of our own adventures burying treasures and coming up with new and weird contraptions to capture and study pretty much any wild animal we could get our hands on. He would have attempted to do almost anything I asked of him, seriously grandparents are the best.

Nana Star is a princess in a beautiful blue dress who finds a lost baby star and promises to help get him back to the night sky. Its really a story about what it feels like to feel alone and afraid but realizing that we are really never alone and sometimes helping a friend can really be one of the best gifts. Thats a storyline that really any parent can get behind.

The illustrations in each of the Nana Star books is based on the original hand drawn illustrations that the original creator of Nana Star drew on cards to her grandson, and they have sort a warm handmade feel to them, I think that helps kids really identify with the story and the characters. I could go on all day about the book but I thought it would be best to actually share it with you live on the blog. Click play below to watch Nana Star and the Moonman.

As well as watching Nana Star online, each of the books comes with its own narrated CD so you can listen to Nana Star anytime you are in the car, at bedtime, or just because.

This is actually the second book in the series and it comes by itself or you can purchase it directly from Nana Star as part of a gift set which includes one of the fabulous Nana Star plush at a discount for the combo. Though I really adore the Nana Star books, I have to secretly admit I love the plush even more.

Connor has a Moonman plush, which was the first stuffed friend he ever actually picked up and kissed right away. There is just something appealing about his big moon head. If you press his stomach he lights up and plays the melody heard in the background of the Nana Star narrations. I think Connor loves him a little too much though as he pushed his stomach so much in the first week that we ran out the batteries in no time. heh.

Head on over to Nana Star's website and check out the Moonman plush as well as the Nana Star plush! While your over there you can watch Nana Star's videos including a movie of the first and second book, and each of the books in sign language!

I'm excited, there are rumors of a third book due out soon as well as a new plush wolf! Connor will have a fit over that I'm absolutely sure of that.

You can buy Nana Star's books directly from Nana Star in their online store!

I have a copy of Nana Star and the Moonman to give away to one lucky reader!

To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Nana Star and watch the videos of the two books. Then come back here and tell me what part of the book or books was your favorite!
  
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end August 31th at midnight!

Toys for a whole year?!

Ebeanstalk is one of our favorite online toy retailers as it truely takes the guess work out of buying children's toys, especially for loved ones or grandparents who may not live locally. I routinely recommend them to friends who need a present for a child's birthday party but may not necessarily know whats appropriate or "cool". Its also just a great place to go and shop for your own kids as they really do their research on the toys they sell, not just a random assortment of toys.

I've been looking for great small toys that really capture what Connor and I love most about toys, that are inexpensive enough to give as gifts, and Ebeanstalk offers everything from luxury gifts such as the polar bear rocking horse which I personally would LOVE to get my hands on to great inexpensive but completely environmentally friendly and modern chic, Fagus toddler cars.

I got Connor the, Fagus Wooden Oldie Car, which is small enough for him to easily grasp and I absolutely love its solid hardwood design. There are no bright colors, no batteries, no loud noises, and Connor can spend all day pushing it around the house. Its just one of those toys that looks great sitting in the middle of your living room, so much that you wont even mind if its left on the coffee table when guests come over. I really need to look into buying him some of the larger trucks as he gets older.

The real beauty of Ebeanstalk however, is not just in their selection but in the way you can search and order toys from their site. You can search by age, occassion, toy type (including our favorite wooden toys), by brand name, and by skill. All Ebeanstalk toys are pretested and rated by what they liked about the toy, what it helps the child learn, and what skills can be mastered by playing with it. Honestly thats not something I always think about when I see a really cool toy, but its especially important when your looking for toys for a child who may be lacking in a particular area. Personally, we need toys that will help Connor learn to say Mama.. as we are still not saying it at least not regularly. He did actually say Mama as clear as day a few days ago.. and out of pure shock I said "Connor did you just say Mama?" and you know that little snot said "Noooo". I think I should just go on strike.

If your really looking to make a big impression on your gift giving or you just want to give just an exceptional baby shower gift. Check out Ebeanstalk's gift series. You can actually buy a child a "series" of gifts that will be delivered over the course of a year, or however long you choose to do it for. They are tailored to the child's age and are delivered at appropriate developmental times. You can choose from pre-picked gift series or make your own. Not to be crude but I would have peed myself if someone would have bought Connor a gift series for his birthday. Talk about a gift that truely keeps on giving.

While your shopping for toys, don't forget that baby gear as well. If you really want to blow a new mom's mind make your own gift series and include a great diaper bag, stroller, and some toys for as the child grows. She will certainly never forget it.

A Ebeanstalk gift series would also be a fabulous christmas gift. I know it seems a little early to be thinking about christmas but its never too early to be scouting out your options.

Ebeanstalk was gracious enough to send over a Fagus Wooden Mini Truck to give away to one of my readers!


To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Head on over to Ebeanstalk and browse their gift series. Tell me which gift series you would love to have or would like to buy for someone you love.
  
• No "i want to win" stuff without a little effort (and I do mean little!)
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end August 31st at midnight!

A new spin on nursery rhymes!

Bitsy Bear proves it once and for all that going organic does not mean giving up style or color!

Bitsy Bear's 100% organic baby onesies bring a whole new meaning to some of your favorite nursery rhymes. Printed on beautiful bright solid colored onesies with creatively illustrated nursery rhymes printed on them. My personal favorite being the brightly colored blue onesie with Itsy Bitsy Spider. Connor wears his quite often and we get comments on it everywhere we go. People seem especially surprised when I tell them its made of organic cotton, as I think most people seem to think that organic cotton can only come in that unbleached cream color. You can most certainly be rocking in bright blue with metallics from Bitsy Bear.

Bitsy Bear also offers a great line of accessories including one of the cutest little taggie bears we have ever seen. I think honestly the reason I like him so much is he is hand sized for smaller infants but most importantly theBitsy Bear still hangs on to that handmade charm that just makes it feel all your own. Plus at $10 its just hard to beat price wise.

Go on over and check out Bitsy Bear and while your over there check out the Aprons, I need to add one of those on my christmas list.

I have one adorable little Bitsy Bear over here than needs to find a good home. Are you it?
To enter :

• Leave a comment on this post. Check out Bitsy Bear and tell me what Bitsy Bear product is your favorite, and why you think my Bitsy Bear should come live with you?
  
• No "i want to win" stuff without a little effort (and I do mean little!)
• Make sure there is a way for me to contact you - if your email address is not on your profile or you are not a blogger you may leave it in your comment or email it to me directly (angelaandconnor at gmail dot com) We have had to disqualify a lot of potential winners as of late as many people do not have emails available in their profiles or leave anonymous posts without any way to contact you.
• Please US entries only.
• To get extra credit :
• For an extra entry :
• Bloggers - Blog about this contest and leave me the link on your comment, or add me to your sidebar and let me know its there.
• Non Bloggers (or bloggers) subscribe to my mailing list/RSS feed and earn another entry!
• One extra credit per person. Please post your extra credit in a separate post.
• This contest will end August 15th at midnight!

The most portable fort I have ever seen!

My dad always promised to make me a tree fort in the back yard.. every house we lived in.. for years. It never happened but I still think about what I would have done in my fort daily. Well if Fortamajig had been around only about 25 years earlier I might have actually gotten my wish.

Did you ever build forts out of your mom's sheets and every pillow in the house, only to have it cave in as the family dog goes crashing into your fort creation that took you all afternoon to build? Well Fortamajig is basically the ultimate problem to building great and creative forts, teepees, tunnels, really anything you can think up. It actually folds up smaller than even a baby blanket and stores inside its own carrying case, so you can play fort virtually anywhere.

The Fortamajig has velcro on several key places across the flat surface. Depending on where and how you attach the Fortamajig to what you have available ( bed posts, chairs, door handles, mom, really anything you have thats stable and nearby) really is what determines the shape of your Fort. Within moments of our Fortamajig arriving we had our first fort built between three dining tables and the side of Connor's High Chair. Connor had a blast dragging all his trucks under his new fort and talking to all his adoring fans on his play phone. So much so that I actually got the entire kitchen cleaned while he was distracted. Once we were done I just folded it back up and stuck it in the carrying case and hung it in his closet. The best part is that it folds down small enough that it fits nicely in his suitcase or even in the side of his travel bag for short day trips. I'm going to make a point of it to send it to his aunt's house on t