Look-At-Me!

I have been a long time fan of these Parents Toys. I think they are perfect for little fat baby hands and the colors are so bright, but soft. I bought them for my kids as toddlers a lot. I especially love this phone and these keys for little ones.

Even though they didn't get the highest review - I love them. They keep them mucho busy in the back seat.

Team Mom just sent me this cool little camera. My kids actually did play with it a bit even though they are well beyond the age to enjoy this for too long. They want REAL cameras. So, they can take pictures of the inside of my van, the tops of the trees and each other's feet. Thank goodness for digital cameras.

Anyway, this little Look-at-Me Camera is perfect for a child 12 + months and retails for $9.99 at Target.

Parents.com is a great resource for moms and dads. I know that I lived for the Parents magazine to arrive each month when I was a new mom. It always has great advice from other real moms and then the advice from experts on any and every topic for your kids. The advice really helped me know what was normal and not so normal behavior for my child in his or her age group.

So, I loved when Parents came out with toys because they are age appropriate and are great for imaginary play.

Their philosophy, When the toy does less, the child does more really is something a mom can get excited about.

For more information about Parents toys check out Target.com and Parents.com.

Delgo Review

Have you heard about this new movie coming out?

Delgo

I got to watch a sneak peak trailer of this movie and I have to say that it seems pretty cool.
Normally, I am not much of a fantasy type of movie goer. But with the kids getting older they are drawn to more of these movies, so I have to preview them and I like many of them.

It is nice to escape into a fantasy world for a bit with the kids. It provides for much discussion later and more color to their already vivid imaginations.

As I watched the trailer and heard the voice actors commentaries, I was immediately drawn into the characters. Their faces are so strange at first glance but as I saw that they were developed after the actors whose voices they carry, I saw so much personality in them.

The story is one of a forgotten enemy, a forbidden love (who doesn't like a good ole' forbidden love story) and a fantastic adventure.

Jennifer Love Hewitt who does the voice of Lyla (Delgo's forbidden love) says the film reminds her of being in a painting.

The film releases December 12. You can check out the trailer and register for some prizes at Delgo.com

Going Aquatic!

Oh, we get some kind of dirty in this house! I encourage lots of playtime outside and that means lots of dirt. While my kids love to play in the bath sometimes it is hard to get them to actually come inside to do that.

Bathtime was never so much fun as it is with the Bath Blizzard by Kid Kleen. This toy creates many bubbles for tubtime and my kids did love it.

Basically, you take this toy and load it up with water and bubbles. Turn it on and watch a waterfall of bubbles fall into the tub. The kids really did squeal with delight.

I will say that the fun did not last as long as we hoped. I would say we got about 3 minutes of bubbles out of it. That was disappointing. I do wish it would have lasted longer.

However, if you have a younger child that has a hard time getting into the tub, this would do the trick! My almost 8 year old was not as impressed as my 4 year old.

They actually have an entire line of kids' bath activity toys that are all about getting kids clean in the bath, at the sink and everywhere in between!

It retails for $19.99, the bubbles are safe and non-toxic, it is made for the tub and it is fun!!!

The second toy we received to review is this AquaDoodle mat. The kids have a smaller AquaDoodle board but they loved this one because they could both play on it at the same time and have plenty of room.

No Mess Magic! The pictures on the mat magically disappear without any mess to clean up.

Just Add Water to the aqua pen and draw the fun pictures - it's like magic! Then wait for it to dry and do it all over again.

The mat retails for $24.99 and is a great toy for smaller kids. Although, my almost 8 year old spent more time on it than my 4 year old boy. But she loves to draw.

The Banana Splits

When asked to review the Banana Splits, I honestly have to admit I had not ever heard of them.

My mom on the other hand remembered them.

How fun they are making a comeback!

My kids enjoyed the website, especially the jokes which they proceeded to tell over and over again!

They even submitted one which I think is a cool feature for kids.

For my kids, the music was a little young. Mine are 4 and 7 and they just really seem to more trendy music.

They spent a good amount of time on the website and bookmarked it for later, though which is a good sign.

TripFlix

I received this video a couple weeks ago and with all the TV and DVD changes in my home was just able to watch it this week. I was so glad to have the chance to preview this and watch it before our next trip.

TripFlix was inspired by a long car ride to the beach by a couple of parents just like you and I!
This video was born because like us, they know kids need to be entertained on these rides and what better way to do it then with a fun and educational DVD that will show off our great USA.

TripFlix lets you pick your route and create your own adventures packed
with exciting locations, fun trivia, interactive activities, and even a few
dance lessons. Along with Alex and Emily, you'll train dolphins, fly
rockets, rope cattle, tour a big-league ballpark and much much more!

First of all the two characters, Alex and Emily are very cool. They are the teenagers that take us on the tours through the country. My daughter enjoyed watching these two older kids show her the fun things we could do while traveling. They are funny and since they seem to be enjoying themselves really would help kids look forward to doing what they are doing!

They used current movies and gadgets to appeal to kids. I can see where this would be especially useful with older kids who may not be exactly excited about traveling across country in a van.

They do a little tidbit on Rock City in Georgia that I was interested in. I wish I would have watched it before we went to Georgia, but there was the Gnome scene that kinda freaked my little kids out. They really think there are gnomes lurking in the woods now and have no desire to go there. But then when they showed the See Seven States lookout point, that seemed pretty cool to them.

I think it is great if you are planning a trip across a couple states and need some planned stops. It gives a great overview of some cool places to visit.

I like that the menu is by regions of the country, but I would also love to see a menu with state selections. Then you could pick a state and see what is a no miss there. But with 25 different locations on this DVD you will not want for places to visit on a road trip.

Overall, it was entertaining, something different for the kids to watch in the car and very well done. I would recommend it for sure!

See more details here and get your own copy.

Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies

Insider Mom Network sent me a box of DVDs of one episode of this new show on PBS, National Geographic Kids, Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies

It was meant to go to the MOPS group at my church but the box actually arrived after the MOPS group finished for the year. So, I am passing them out to every other mom I know and to my bible study group next week.

I did sit with my kids yesterday to watch the episode "Eyes, Ears, Noses, Trunks". It was a great lesson on the 5 senses and how different animals use them.

My kids informed me they had actually already watched this show on PBS and they liked it Okay, they watched this show when? Without me knowing? I am so on top of things going on here in this house!

Anyway, my 7 year old watched it and requested to watch it over again. My 4 year old watched it over and over again - 4 times.

I liked the cartoon peppered with the real live footage of animals. I thought it was engaging for the kids and educational to boot.

The characters were sweet and cute. I like the accents - Australian or British - something along those lines. I know they are not the same, but I am just not in tuned enough to know the difference. The accents were cute - that's all.

I think marketing it to kids any younger than 3 and older than 7 would be wasteful. It seems like it would be hard to keep the attention of a toddler or a pre-tween. Too much for the younger one, too little for the older one.

I like that it is associated with National Geographic Kids and that gives me a sense of security about the integrity of the series. I have always enjoyed publications put out by National Geographic and find the way they communicate to children about animals is both interesting and fun.

So, yes I will be DVRing this show for my kids to tune into daily. Good stuff.