Category: Reviews, promotions and giveaways

We’re packing up the car again this weekend, heading down to visit family in southern Ontario. It’s been quite a while since our last road trip, and I cant’ wait to hit the road.

I don’t know whether car trips are getting easier now that the boys are getting older, or whether they’re just becoming better travellers, or whether I just stress less. Whatever it is, it’s working for me! I used to spend hours preparing for a car trip, gathering supplies like crayons, books, toys, and of course a good supply of DVDs. We’ll be hooking up the DVD player again, of course, and I’ll encourage the big boys to select a book or two, but I know most of the trip will be spent in electronically mediated bliss. The DS and the iTouch are charging as we speak!

Speaking of iTouch and iPhones, if you were at Blissdom Canada, you might have seen and even received one of these. Fisher-Price has just released a great new item, the Laugh and Learn Apptivity Case. If you’ve ever had drool-marks or goldfish smudges on your iPhone, you’ll love this one! From the Fisher-Price Canada site:

The Laugh & Learn™ Apptivity™ Case lets babies enjoy their very own apps while protecting mom or dad’s iPhone or iTouch! Simply place the Apple device into the case, twist the lock, and the electronic is protected from baby’s dribbles and drool. Download free Fisher-Price® Laugh & Learn™ apps from iTunes! Babies love to learn when their interactive touches control the action!

(Huh. I had no idea Fisher-Price had free downloadable apps.)

I love the idea of the Apptivity Case. It protects your iPhone/iTouch from sticky fingers, from being dropped, and from being lost. I have to tell you, even though Lucas is a little bit above the target age for this, I thought about keeping it just so I’d be able to find my phone more easily. I think I accidentally activated the invisibility shield app on mine, because I find myself calling the number every couple of days just so I can find the thing hiding out in the open or lost in the dark recesses of my purse.

But instead, I thought it would be fun to offer this up as a giveaway. Want it? You know you do! And wouldn’t it make a fun Christmas gift? Here’s how to enter:

1. The prize a new Fisher-Price Apptivity Case.
2. To enter, leave a comment on this post sharing an idea on how to keep kids entertained when you’re on the go — in the car, at a restaurant, waiting for an appointment.
3. Contest opens today, November 10 and runs through Wednesday November 16, 2011 at noon EDT.
4. One winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on this post by Thursday November 17, 2011.
5. You must be willing to share your mailing address with me to receive the prize.
6. Void where prohibited by law, including the province of Quebec.

Good luck!

(Disclosure: I am part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. However, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.)

Edited to add: Congratulations to Emily, lucky #1 and winner of the Apptivity Case. Thanks to everyone who played along!

When I started back to work here, I noticed that more than one of my old friends were wearing these gorgeous crystal star pendants. I couldn’t help but admire them (oooo, shiny! — and you may have noticed I have a thing for stars) and I was delighted to find out that they’re hand-made by one of my colleagues, Karine Eyamie.

Karine is the talent behind Mizdragonfly Jewelry, and creator of the most amazing and unique handmade jewelry. Karine says, “All Mizdragonfly creations are designed and handcrafted with love by me in my home loft studio. I spend countless hours searching for vintage treasures to combine with new pieces for creating my unique jewellery line. My collections are limited editions and one-of-a-kind pieces, so each Mizdragonfly creation is as special as you are.” You can check out all her creations on the Mizdragonfly site, and on her Facebook page.

I had to have my own star pendant, and I love love love it. I love the way it goes with anything from jeans to dressy, I love the star shape, I love the weight and quality of it, and the boys love how the prisms throw rainbows every time I step into the sun wearing it. And now all the girls at the office have to sit down and make up a calendar of who is wearing their star pendant when, so we don’t all show up wearing ours on the same day! 😉 When I was at Blissdom Canada, I got all sorts of comments and compliments on it. Each time someone noticed it, I told said, “Isn’t it gorgeous? Watch the blog because I’m going to give one away soon!”

And here we are! Karine has generously donated one of her unique, handmade pieces for a bloggy giveaway. In fact, the lucky winner will be able to choose from three pieces!

Choice #1: Full Moon Adjustable Bohemian Gold Ring

Choice #2: Vintage Black Velvet Studio 54 Gold Cuff Bracelet

Choice #3: Swarovski crystal star pendant (link not currently available)

Aren’t they spectacular? Would you like to win one? Here’s the details.

1. The prize is your choice of one of the three custom-created pieces of jewelry above: the bracelet, the pendant or the ring.
2. To enter, visit the Mizdragonfly site and leave a comment naming one piece you like.
3. For an additional entry, “heart” Mizdragonfly’s Etsy shop and leave a separate comment to let me know you did.
4. I can’t give you another entry for “liking” Mizdragonfly’s Facebook page because Facebook would not like that – but it would be good karma if you did!
5. Contest opens today, October 28 and runs through Tuesday November 1, 2011 at noon EDT.
6. One winner will be chosen via random.org and announced on this post by Wednesday November 2, 2011.
7. You must be willing to share your mailing address with me to receive the prize.
8. Void where prohibited by law, including the province of Quebec.

Thank you, Karine, for sponsoring this great giveaway!

Good luck to all!

Edited to add: Congratulations to Dawna, comment #15, winner of this giveaway. I’ll be in touch to arrange delivery of your choice of beautiful Mizdragonfly pieces! Thanks all for playing along!

It’s still 10 days away, but I have Halloween on the brain this week. (That may be in part a reaction to the sheer number of Christmas-related things that are asserting themselves into my consciousness this week — from a rack of holiday wrap and cards in the main aisle at Indigo to a Christmas-themed TV show on Treehouse to an e-mail salutation yesterday that said, “Seasons (nearly) greetings!” Not nearly! Still TWO MONTHS AWAY!)

Ahem, anyway, the other reason I may have Halloween on the brain is that the boys’ school Halloween party is tonight, so we had to have all the costumes ready to go. I’m delighted that we were able to re-use two costumes this year, and that the third costume of a “Pokemon Trainer” consists of a sleeveless vest, a Pokemon t-shirt, a backwards ball cap, and a belt looped through a Pokeball. IMHO he looks like he’s dressed up as himself, but he’s happy so who am I to argue?

After a fit of keenerism last year, I’ve decided to forgo a costume for myself this year. (Last year, I dressed all in black and pinned two dozen random socks all over myself. I was the Laundry Sock Monster!) If anyone asks what I’m dressed up as, I plan to say, “Tired.”

I still haven’t hauled out the porch decorations yet. (See comment above re: tired.) Our level of decorating doesn’t quite meet the standard set by the previous owner, who put so much effort into a haunted house that I’ve heard some kids wouldn’t come near the house for fear of it, but I’ve got a couple of strings of pumpkin lights, and we’re up to more than half a dozen pumpkins so far — and that’s before we make our pilgrimmage to Miller’s Pumpkin Patch to pick our own tomorrow. (If you’re looking to do the same, I highly recommend Millers in Manotick!!)

We are also totally ready for the trick-or-treaters, thanks to my friends at Mom Central Canada, who hooked us up with some treats from Allan Candy. Have you heard of them? I remember getting Allan Candy chocolate Easter Eggs with my name written on them when I was a kid — one of my fave memories of Easter. (Ha, if it’s too early for Christmas, it may be just a wee bit out of season for Easter, no?) What I didn’t know is that Allan Candy Company is a Canadian company — all of their candy is proudly made here in Canada. (This is the kind of stuff I look for in a blog tour — great Canadian companies that I can personally endorse. And it helps when they send free candy. Beloved says thank you!)

Allan Candy Company is now celebrating its 77th year and their iconic Big Foot brand has been around for more than 25 years. They offer peanut-free, individually wrapped candies that are perfect for trick-or-treaters:

• Allan Intense Jubes & Jellies – delivering an intense sour flavor and a soft & chewy bite.
• Allan Chewy Rascalz – these childhood favourites will keep your taste buds happy! Packed in one bag, and of course, peanut free – you’ll find Big Foot, Sour Big Foot, Green Thumbs and Hot Lips!
• Allan Fruit Buddies – offering a variety of fruit flavoured candies that are also peanut free! Indulge in 5 great fruit flavours: Sour Watermelon Slices, Peach Slices, Sour Cherry Slices, Tangy Wild Strawberries and Sour Grape Slices.

Lookit that, there are still 10 days to go until Halloween, and save for one quick trip to Costco to pick up a bunch of those mini-Playdough containers to give away with the Allan Candy treats, I’m all ready to go! I think it will be a fun Halloween this year. All three boys are now old enough to enjoy trick-or-treating, and we know just about everyone on the street, so it will be a fun social occasion, too.

For more Halloween fun, check out Little Bit of Momsense’s Greening Your Halloween blog carnival and contest, or maybe start up a BOO! wave in your neighbourhood!

So what are your favourite Halloween traditions?

(Disclosure: I am participating in the Allan Candy Company blog tour with Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign. However, as ALWAYS, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.)

I am very excited and more than a little bit overwhelmed today. I’m heading down to Toronto for the uber-cool Blissdom Canada conference to play with a whole bunch of bloggy friends, including the co-members of the Fisher-Price playpanel team. More on them in a minute.

While I’ve been to quite a few academic and business conferences relating to social media, this is my first personal blog conference. I’ve always been torn about this kind of event, trying to find the fine line between value and time away from the family. The sheer volume of people attending kind of wigs me out, but I’m really excited about meeting face to face some fun people I’ve “known” online for years.

After reading the agenda, I’m more excited than ever, and looking forward to attending panels on subjects like “what’s in a brand” and “to publish or not to publish” and “finding your muse” and “how and why to monetize your blog” — well, there’s a little something in there for everyone, isn’t there? And I’m positively starstruck that the opening night bash is being sponsored by the CBC, including guest speaker Nora Young, the host of Spark, which is the radio program that inspired my 365 project back in 2008. My head may yet explode from excitement!

And that’s if my head doesn’t explode from the travel arrangements. You heard about that pesky potential strike by Air Canada flight attendants? That might happen today? Guess which airline I’m flying with? For one trip to Toronto and back, I have two airline tickets, one rail ticket, and two possible seats reserved with friends who are driving down. Talk about trains, planes and automobiles!! As of the time I hit publish on this post, Air Canada seems to be behaving itself — cross your fingers for me!

But here’s your sneak peek at the really big news I’ll be helping to promote at Blissdom Canada: the Fisher-Price playpanel is going to be extended for another year, and Mom Central Canada is looking for 15 more parent bloggers to join the team! Here’s the details from the Mom Central Canada team:

In 2011, we helped Fisher-Price Canada launch the Fisher-Price Play Panel. This group of 8 incredible Canadian bloggers has spent the past year learning more about the company, it’s people and what goes in to making learning toys. You can check out the Play Panel here. We will build on the momentum of the existing play panel team and are thrilled to announce we’re expanding our Fisher-Price Blogger Community! This Community, comprised of 15 additional Canadian bloggers, will help spread the word about Fisher-Price; its toys and various initiatives throughout the year. In addition, Fisher-Price will be launching a new advertising campaign all about the “Joy of Learning” which you will be hearing much more about.

Want more info? You can sign up here. It has been an incredibly fun and rewarding couple of months working with Fisher-Price and the playpanel team, and I’d highly encourage anyone who is interested to apply to be on the team!

When I first started blogging for Fisher-Price, only my littlest boy was invited to the launch photo shoot. I got the impression that maybe there was going to be a big focus on baby and toddler toys during the playpanel campaign, and wondered if maybe some of the toys would be too simplistic for a precocious preschooler with two older brothers. I also thought that after spending years of my life in various toy store aisles, perusing GeoTrax, Little People, Rescue Heroes and loving all the classics, that I had a pretty extensive knowledge of every possible Fisher-Price toy and line.

I was wrong on both counts.

I continue to be amazed and delighted by the range of toy lines that Fisher-Price offers. From the Trio building blocks to the Thomas the Tank-Engine Bike to the Kid-Tough Digital Camera, I’ve been impressed over and over again. And it’s been fun watching the big boys get in on the action, too. They’re precocious little things, too, and I feared maybe they were leaving their love of toys behind. While they’re less likely to engage in the kind of “let’s make all the Little People Farm Animals have a picnic” type of play, they do still love to set up the cars on the Trio Super Stunt Builder raceway and let ’em go, or take turns with the remote, loading up the trucks on the Big Action Construction Site.

Where I really see the bigger kids getting engaged, though, is when there is imaginary play involved. Give two boys a set of Kid-Tough Walkie Talkies and set ’em loose in the yard. They’re cops, then they’re astronauts, then they’re on a wildlife safari.

Remember I mentioned Dr Kathleen Alfano a while ago? She’s the Director for the Fisher-Price Child Research Department, the toy industry’s most respected centre for research on childhood development and play. Dr Alfano reminds us that play, especially pretend play, is an important learning experience for children. “Pretend play is more than fun—it helps develop thinking and problem-solving skills and strengthens social and communication skills, as well. It lets your child “try on” endless new roles and new ways of looking at the world, which helps build empathy and imagination.”

I really liked these tips she offered to encourage imaginative play. Some are pretty obvious, but some of them made me go “hmmm, that a great idea!”

• Provide a collection of dress-up props for role-play.
• Look at the clouds and take turns imagining what they resemble.
• Plant seeds for imaginative thinking by reading lots of books together.
• Provide toys that encourage creativity and imagination.
• Make up stories with your child, building on each other’s additions.
• Arrange play dates with others to foster social and imaginative play.
• Listen to music with your child and act out how it sounds (sleepy, happy).
• Take turns “being” things that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
• Sometimes be your child’s play partner, sometimes just observe.
• Use your own imagination and awaken your own inner child.

And you don’t have to fill the toy box to encourage imaginative play. Offer up old brief cases, hospital scrubs, miniature tool belts, kitchen toys, pretend cell phones—they all help children learn about the world around them by making it concrete for them.

Care to share your ideas for imaginative play with the class? What non-toys have you given your kids to encourage imaginative play? Any other tips or pointers to share?

(Disclosure: I’m part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. However, as always, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.)

One of the reasons I was so excited to be a part of the Fisher-Price Canada playpanel team of bloggers has to do with my deep admiration for Fisher-Price. They don’t just make toys – they make toys that kids love, classic toys that endure and endear for generations.

Did you know the classic Fisher-Price Bubble Mower has been entertaining kids for more than 20 years? The inimitable Chatter Telephone has been a toybox staple for more than 50 years. And check out this clever timeline showing the history of everybody’s favourite Little People, now well into their seventh decade!

Dr. Kathleen Alfano is widely regarded as an expert in early childhood development. She is the Director for the Fisher-Price Child Research Department, which is the toy industry’s most respected Center for research on childhood development and play. A pretty spectacular woman, Dr. Alfano holds a Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degree in Elementary Education as well as a Master’s degree in business administration.

So why does Dr Alfano think toys like the Bubble Mower, the Chatter Telephone, or the Little People sets have become classic toys across generations? “They are basic toys,” she says. “They meet the developmental interests of babies today. They appeal to parents. They also might trigger a happy memory from the parent’s childhood.”

According to Dr. Alfano, a good toy:

• Is safe, durable, interesting and fun to use.
• Stimulates creativity and imagination.
• Encourages inquisitiveness and resourcefulness.
• Is a tool for learning (challenging, yet not frustrating).
• Invites repeated use.
• Involves child interaction.
• Addresses developing needs and emerging skills.

My friends at Fisher-Price must have been paying attention when I mentioned how much Lucas was enjoying the Trio play set they’d sent us, because one rainy day last week a giant box turned up on my porch. Inside was the new Trio Hot Wheels Super Stunt Builder set. I truly thought Lucas’s eyes would pop out of his head from excitement when he saw the box! It’s a great twist on the classic Hot Wheels set, because you can build and rebuild the set into any configuration that suits your fancy using Trio’s colourful and easy to snap-together and pull apart blocks.

I sat by with my camera while Tristan started pulling components out of the box. At first, I was going to intervene, maybe do a little guiding and directing while Tristan did the assembling and Lucas did the helping. After all, nine years old is a little early on the curve for new toy assembly. I held back, though, and to mine and Lucas’s mutual delight, he was able to follow the instructions and he assembled the full set on his own.

You can see in the above pic that Willie the cat also helped while Katie the dog supervised. 🙂 At first, Simon was more engaged with his handheld electronic game, but without any prompting from me, his curiousity got the best of him and soon all three boys were wrapped up in building the set.

Two thumbs up for the Trio Hot Wheels Super Stunt builder set! It kept my 3, 7 and 9 year old boys engaged for an entire rainy summer afternoon. And because it’s a building toy, we can rebuild it into dozens of different configurations of our own creation. I’m not sure that Lucas could have handled assembling the set on his own, but he could barely contain himself in waiting for it to be assembled. And while Tristan is pretty much beyond the car-driving age, he’s more than happy to build and rebuild the stunt ramp into new configurations. And when he’s done, I’m happy enough to take a turn, too!

So what do you think takes a toy from “good” beyond “great” and into the realm of “classic” toy?

(Disclosure: I’m part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. However, as always, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.)

A lot of my Friday Family Fun posts have talked about ways you can enjoy summer with your kids, whether engaging them or supervising them or taking them out on adventures. But vacation is supposed to be a break for Mom and Dad, too, and sometimes kids need to learn to play on their own without direction from the grown-ups.

I think independent play is hugely important. Kids need to learn how to entertain themselves! But even more than that, I think kids learn through exploration, and this is where they begin to develop creatively. Kids need time and space to learn to think for themselves, come up with new ideas, and integrate familiar concepts into new scenarios. I love watching the boys combine parts and pieces of various play sets to come up with scenarios that would have never occurred to me, like when Scoop and Muck help Bob the Builder fix up the Little People play house so that Thomas the Tank Engine and Franklin the Turtle can move in.

We recently received a set of amazing toys from Fisher-Price that have been terrific for encouraging independent play. I’d never seen the Trio building blocks before, but Lucas was instantly entranced by them. The snap-together pieces are easy to manipulate for smaller hands, brightly coloured, and have some interesting shapes and pieces. There’s a book in the box that provides schema for a few constructions to get you started, but of course the real fun is building your own creations.

Play isn’t just about down time for kids when they’re not doing other things. When kids play, they’re learning. Through interaction with each other and adults, they learn social skills. Toys like the Trio sets and other building toys help to develop hand-eye coordination, but also concept development like understanding the meaning of relationships and intrinsic characteristics of objects. Toys like play houses and character sets and dress-up costumes encourage children to explore creativity and relationships. And of course, you know I’m a huge fan of any toy that encourages a child to express him- or herself creatively — art projects are a daily occurrence in our house!

Of course, playing independently is nice, but it’s also great to have toys that as fun for Mom and Dad as they are for the kids. It helps if you give in to your barely-repressed inner child. 🙂

If you’re looking for some ideas on new toys, you can try the “Find the Right Toy” interactive tool on the Fisher-Price website. And if you register on the site, you’ll be entered to win a “Celebrating Milestones” prize pack of Fisher-Price toys valued at $200, plus a spa gift card valued at $200! There’s a winner every month!

Disclosure: I’m part of the Fisher-Price Play Panel and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. However, as always, the opinions on this blog are entirely my own.