Category: Reviews, promotions and giveaways

This is the second in a set of three posts about how Indigo Kids makes birthday party preparations painless and maybe even fun.

Last time, I mentioned how impressed I was to find rows of pre-wrapped (and FREE-wrapped, no less) gift selections at my local Indigo Kids last autumn. Fast forward to March of this year. Tristan’s birthday party had snuck up on me, and I found myself the day before his party with out-of-town guests on the way and a huge to-do list that included buying groceries for 11 and finding something in lieu of a loot bag.

I feel very conflicted about loot bags. I’ve always been vaguely opposed to sending kids home with bags of dollar store junk that will spend 2 minutes being played with (if that) and several lifetimes in a landfill. Or the bottom of the toy box. But lately, the boys have been coming home with increasingly elaborate loot bags from the parties they’ve attended, and it’s clear that parents are spending upwards of $10 or even $20 per loot bag. I swear, there have been times I’ve felt guilty that I may have spent less on a gift for the party than the parents spent on loot bags!

I don’t remember who gave me the idea for $5 gift cards to the candy store as an idea to replace loot bags, but I loved it and filed it away in the steel trap that is my brain. And there it stayed, for at least two or three birthday parties. But this year, something tweaked it loose and I remembered it just in time for Tristan’s party. The party attendees were coming not only from across town but across the province, so I’d figured in lieu of a local candy store, I’d give the kids $5 gift cards to Bulk Barn. When I mentioned this in passing to Beloved as I was heading from the grocery store to the Bulk Barn the day before the party, he didn’t seem to think it was a great idea. And the more I thought about it, the more I was no longer sure it was a great idea either.

I was short on time, with houseguests pending at any minute, and my choices were limited. I could get $5 grocery store cards. That didn’t seem like an improvement over the Bulk Barn. I looked around the plaza. Movie gift cards? Maybe. Walmart? Um, no. And then I saw it. Of course! Indigo!!

So I headed over to Indigo and picked up $5 gift cards for everyone. And then I wandered over to the card section, hoping to find actual loot bags, because I’d also noticed Lego mini-figures on sale for 20 per cent off (woot!) in the Indigo Kids toys section, and I had mini-chocolate bars to round out the loot bags. But the stationery section had no loot bags.

I’d resigned myself to personalized ziploc bags as I headed back to the Indigo Kids section to pick out the mini-fig bags, and asked the clerk almost as an afterthought if they carried loot bags. “Oh sure,” she said. “How many do you need?” She pulled a handful of bags out of a drawer and I realized that they were not for sale – they were free! Free loot bags! How awesome is that?

I know, you’re sad that you couldn’t come to Tristan’s party. But you can still win your own gift card for Indigo Kids! Here’s the details:

1. This is a giveaway for a $35 Indigo gift card.
2. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on any post in this series of three telling me why you love Indigo Kids or how you think Indigo Kids could be helpful to you.
3. This giveaway is open only to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (sorry!)
4. This giveaway will run from today through April 30.
5. One winner will be chosen from all comments posted on any of the three contest posts on this blog.
6. You can comment as many times as you like, but you will only be entered into the giveaway once.
7. You can also enter to win on other blogs, but you can only win once.
8. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and address to me, to share with Mom Central Canada, in order to claim your gift card.
9. Gift cards will be sent 4 to 6 weeks after the close of the giveaway.

And if you haven’t get checked out the great new Indigo Kids section of your favourite Chapters/Indigo store, this store locator link will help you find a location near you.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, but the opinions on this blog are ALWAYS my own. I only participate in promotional campaigns for products and services I feel I can personally endorse.

You know I love FisherPrice, and I think everyone loves a good deal. What’s not to love about a whole whack of good deals on great FisherPrice gear?

FisherPrice is offering up to $90 in savings on items from baby gear to preschool toys! Coupons will be available in-store at Toys R Us and Zellers and online via websaver.ca . Coupons are also available inside copies of the April 2012 issue of Today’s Parent Magazine. Some of the savings include:

• Snugabunny Swing – $20 off any Fisher-Price swing priced at $130 or more
• Ocean Wonders Aquarium – $10 off (we had this for all three boys – sigh, happy memories…)
• Little People – $5 off any Little People items with combined value of $25 or more (maybe time to stock up on your DC Superfriends Little People? 😉 )
• Imaginext – $5 off any Imaginext items with combined value of $25 or more
• Thomas – $5 off any Thomas items with combined value of $25 or more

New coupons are released every day on the websaver.ca site, but you have to be quick as they do sell out!

I noticed that one of the “coming soon” coupons is for $5 off Imaginext toys. I adore the Imaginext line! Lucas got the Imaginext Mega T-Rex for his birthday, and it’s a fun toy! At first, I think he was a little intimidated by its big ROAR (Lucas has never been fond of animated toys!) but now he loves to fire the little projectile launchers and push the button to hear him roar.

(There was supposed to be a really fun photoshopped picture for this post of Lucas being chased by the giant Mega T-Rex, but I totally ran out of time. But trust me, it would have been hilarious!)

Don’t miss out on these great deals from FisherPrice!

One of the more popular posts on this blog, from a traffic standpoint, is the “An experienced mom’s guide to kid birthday parties in Ottawa.” It seems parents are looking for inspiration when it comes to hosting birthday parties for their kids.

Consider this set of three posts the other side of that fence: let me tell you about how Indigo Kids is making birthday party gift giving as painless an experience as possible. Heck, I might even go so far as to say it’s fun!

This post is inspired in part by my own experiences with Indigo Kids in the last few months, which I meant to share at the time but never did get around to blogging. (Twitter really does mess with my supply of blog fodder!) So when I saw that Mom Central Canada was hosting a blog tour and giveaway as part of a promotional campaign, I knew it was a perfect opportunity to share my experiences AND give you a chance to win a gift card.

Last fall, Simon had been invited to a birthday party for one of his classmates in Grade 2. I’d just started back at work downtown, and one day on my lunch hour I popped into the Chapters store on Rideau Street, thinking I’d pick out a Pokemon book or something similar as a gift. Since it had been a while since I’d been in the downtown Chapters, I was surprised and delighted to see that they carried a full line of great toys for a wide range of ages, and that they were great quality toys as well.

I perused for a while, and finally settled on a Super Mario Bros Yahtzee set as the perfect gift. I knew Simon’s little buddy shared his love of Nintendo games, and in fact my boys have the same game and love it. As I went to grab one, I realized that stacked behind a couple of the boxes were more wrapped in bright, happy gift paper. I grabbed one and brought it to the clerk, and asked how much extra it was for the gift-wrapped version. “Oh, that’s free!” she said. “We like to make things a little easier for busy parents.”

I was so impressed, and noticed that almost all of the more popular toys had a few wrapped and unwrapped versions available. I meant to blog it at the time, but well, you know. Best of intentions and all of that!

So that’s the FIRST time I was impressed by Indigo Kids this year. (I’ve actually been impressed by Indigo Kids many times over the years, as they’ve made their toy sections comfortable, warm places for kids and adults to spend a little bit or even a lot of time. Maybe this series needs to be four posts long?) But now, the giveaway!

Would you like to win a gift card for Indigo Kids? I knew you would! Here’s the details:

1. This is a giveaway for a $35 Indigo gift card.
2. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post telling me why you love Indigo Kids or how you think Indigo Kids could be helpful to you.
3. This giveaway is open only to Canadian residents, excluding residents of Quebec. (sorry!)
4. This giveaway will run from today through April 30.
5. One winner will be chosen from all comments posted on any of the three contest posts on this blog.
6. You can comment as many times as you like, but you will only be entered into the giveaway once.
7. You can also enter to win on other blogs, but you can only win once.
8. If you win, you must be willing to provide your full name and address to me, to share with Mom Central Canada, in order to claim your gift card.
9. Gift cards will be sent 4 to 6 weeks after the close of the giveaway.

And if you haven’t get checked out the great new Indigo Kids section of your favourite Chapters/Indigo store, this store locator link will help you find a location near you.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Indigo Kids program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign, but the opinions on this blog are ALWAYS my own. I only participate in promotional campaigns for products and services I feel I can personally endorse.

I was at work when Beloved called with urgent news. “Did you see there’s a Fisher-Price Little People Batcave now?” he asked, excitement clear in his voice.

“What?” I asked, not sure I’d heard correctly. Sure enough, I looked it up on the Fisher-Price website and there it was — Batman and the Batcave , Robin, the Batmobile, and also Superman and Green Lantern, Batgirl and Wonder Woman. And because all superheroes need a nemesis, there’s a Joker Little People (person?) as well. And they even have — wait for it! — Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. How awesome is THAT?! Apparently there’s a full line of DC Superfriends Little People. Clearly, this is the coolest Little People set since the Sesame Street of the 1970s.

So impressed was I to find a line of toys so perfect for a Fisher-Price blogger and a long-time comic book geek (erm, I mean, for the CHILDREN of, of course, yeah, for the kids, absolutely!) that I took to the interwebs to share my discovery. And I sent a quick e-mail to my friends at Mom Central Canada and Fisher-Price telling them how much we loved the idea of the DC Superfriends Little People, and I asked if maybe a couple of the figures could make their way to our house in a future toy shipment (which they send a few times a year as part of my blogging for them) for which we would be ever so grateful.

Imagine my delight when just a few days later — the day before Lucas’s birthday, in fact! — a large carton appeared on the porch. Inside was the FULL SET of DC Superfriends Little People AND the Batcave AND the Batmobile too!

And if you think *I* was delighted, you should’ve seen Beloved and Lucas!! (Sorry for the grainy pix. As Chase Jarvis says, sometimes the best camera is the one you have in your hand.)

But while the Batcave and Batmobile were undoubtedly wicked cool, it’s been a long time since I’ve been as excited about a toy as I was for Wonder Woman and her invisible jet!!

As one cheeky follower on twitter quipped, the only thing that would make that more awesome would be if Wonder Woman was driving an invisible mini-van. 🙂

In addition to the Little People figures and action sets, Fisher-Price has also come out with a full set of DC Superfriends Wheelies. You might think the Wheelies are just for the littlest of boys (and they are perfect for little hands to hold and drive), but all three of my boys enjoy setting them up to race down the tracks. Such a simple, fun toy!

So you know I’m partial to Fisher-Price. I’ve made no secret of that in the year I’ve been blogging with them, and I’ve raved a lot about some of their products with good reason. But this? I would have raved about how much I love the idea of Little People superheroes whether I was working with Fisher-Price or not. I love love love the whole set.

And more importantly, so do all the menfolk in my house!

The only problem is letting the kids play with the sets. I kinda want to keep Wonder Woman and her jet in a place of honour on my desk, and Beloved is talking about building a whole new shelf just to house Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Batgirl, Robin, the Joker and all their accessories.

You know how it is. Sometimes it’s hard to share.

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

A while back, I posted my thoughts on some great gift ideas for the six-years-and-older demographic based on my experiences this year with Fisher-Price Canada. I’m a little later than I wanted to be with this follow-up, but I hope it’s helpful for your holiday buying!

If I were to choose any one demographic that was perfect for some Fisher-Price love this Christmas, it would be the two-to-five year old category. I mean, who doesn’t think of chubby little hands clutching Little People figures when you say “Fisher-Price”? There are so many great choices for this age group that this post practically wrote itself!

I started writing out a long-winded description of each toy, but the post got longer and longer and I kept thinking of things I wanted to add, so I’ve cut out the fat and am giving you a quick list of my top ten favourites. I mean, that’s the beauty of Fisher-Price toys – we know most of the best ones already because we’ve been playing with them since we were kids!!

So here’s ten terrific toys for two-to-five year olds from Fisher-Price:

1. Any and all Little People sets
2. Viewmaster (every kid needs one of these!)
3. Fisher-Price Corn Popper (I have never met a kid who didn’t love these things, from my own childhood forward!)
4. Any of the Trio building sets
5. Chatter Telephone
6. Laugh and Learn Learning Kitchen
7. Thomas and Friends (or Barbie) Tough Trike
8. Wheelies Stand and Play Rampway
9. Anything from the Brilliant Basics product line
10. Anything from the Imaginext line – dinosaurs and superheros in particular!!

You know why these toys make my top ten list? Because my kids actually play with them. I hate to admit, when we moved last year we found toys that had been played with once or twice and abandoned, and even if we put them out, they don’t get used. The toys in this list are favourites around our house with the kids and grownups alike because the kids play with them over and over again, and they’ve been handed down up to three times and still have lots of play left in them.

Speaking of smart phones (*wink*) Fisher-Price has just launched a free new app for Blackberry, Android, and iSO devices. Here are a few things that the Mom’s Helper app can do to make your life easier:

• Find the perfect toy based on your child’s specific needs
• Keep track of your child’s age, height and weight
• Receive recommendations for the best toys and gear based on your child’s developmental stage
• Build a toy wish list to share with friends and family

Clever, eh? And have you seen those new Fisher-Price ads that are running on TV? I absolutely love them, and that sweet song lyric, “you are exactly one of a kind” gets stuck in my head in the most endearing way. Those are real families, not actors. Fisher-Price treated us to a sneak peek of the new campaign just as it was launching at Blissdom Canada this year. I think they’re terrific.

I’m hoping to cram in one more post with some recommendations for great Fisher-Price gifts and gear for babies, but Christmas is coming up rather quickly! Yikes!!

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

It’s only in the last year of blogging with Fisher-Price that I realized how many of the toys and product lines we already love come from them. One of my concerns when I first started blogging with the PlayPanel was that the big boys might feel excluded, as in my mind Fisher-Price had the best baby gear, and great toys for babies and preschoolers — but I wasn’t sure what they’d have for school-age kids.

Well, I needn’t have been concerned. With great product lines like Imaginext, Hot Wheels, and Rescue Heroes, there are great toys for every age and stage. Here’s my top five recommendations for toys for kids ages six and up from the Fisher-Price catalogue. (Note: Although I am compensated for my participation in the Fisher-Price playpanel group, this post is written purely on my own initiative, and all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.)

1. The Kid-Tough Digital Camera
All three of my boys love our Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera. I gave up putting it away, because it migrates out into our living spaces so often. Now it resides, just like Mom’s camera, casually on the nearest flat surface, so it’s always within arm’s reach. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek review of this camera here, but no joke – it really does make a fantastic gift. I think it’s my top toy recommendation this year! (Edited to add: I almost forgot to mention that the most fun part of the camera for an older child is the free downloadable digital studio software. Super-easy to use, and the kids have fun adding mustaches and frames to their pictures!)

2. The Imaginext DC Super Friends Batcave
We bought an earlier version of the Imaginext Batcave for Simon quite a few years ago, and we laughed the whole of Christmas Eve at how entranced then 18-month-old Lucas was by it. Even now, it’s a favourite toy for all of them. It’s got action heroes (kids love superheroes!) and moving parts and it also makes a great clubhouse for your Smurf collection. (Well, that one may be unique to us.) Regardless, I think this is a fun toy, and it’s HUGE, which may be either a pro or con in your books. This is one, though, that you won’t resent for the space it takes up, because the kids play with it so often. Three years later, and this one is still in heavy rotation!

3. The Big Action Construction Set with Remote Control
Remote control. Need I say more? The Big Action Construction Set is solidly-built, doesn’t get stuck where the hardwood meets the shag carpet, and happily bounces down the stairs and keeps on ticking. This is a fun set that’s easy for little fingers to manipulate but entertaining for bigger kids who love trucks and heavy machinery.

4. Hot Wheels Trio Super-Stunt Builder
I’ve yet to meet a boy who didn’t like building toys or race cars. This ingenious set combines the best of both worlds. The Hot Wheels Trio Super-Stunt Builder set is 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. You’ll see based on all five of these recommendations that I’m a big fan of toys that allow room for imagination and creativity — this one combines that with a little boy’s need for speed. Another great gift suggestion!

5. Kid-Tough Walkie Talkies
Walkie-talkies are such a classic toy, aren’t they? Give two boys a set of walkie-talkies and they’re cops, then they’re truckers on the long haul, then they’re Mission Control and an astronaut in orbit. These are solidly built, easy for little fingers to use (these seems to be emerging as key criteria for success in this review – and Fisher-Price excels on both counts!) , have a decent broadcast reach, and are another toy that’s great for stimulating active, creative play.

Okay, so it occurs to me that there is a definite gender bias in my recommendations, and they’re clearly geared towards little boys — although most little girls I know would happily play with a lot of these toys! I’m at a disadvantage here, as I can only authentically recommend toys for boys with any sort of expertise. Care to add in your suggestions for girls? Bonus points if you found it in the Fisher-Price gift catalogue! (Or, you can always use the Fisher-Price toy finder tool.)

(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.)