Join Me for the Juicy Juice #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party plus $550 in Prizes on Thursday (5/29) at 11am EST! #shop #cbias

Do you love a good Twitter Party? You know I do and I’m excited to co-host a party about creating playdates that combine learning and fun! On Thursday, May 29th, at 11:00am EST, please join us for the #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party, where we’ll be discussing how playdates can be opportunities to develop motor and social skills while encouraging independence, AND of course, giving you a chance to win prizes!

As someone who has enjoyed sharing fun learning activities with her readers, it's no secret how much I love watching my children experience learning through creative and imaginative play.  Our 7 year old twins' idea of the ideal playdate would be berry-flavored Juicy Juice Fun Size juice boxes served with string cheese for a snack plus an assortment of Crayola markers and an endless supply of drawing paper.  Throw in a roll of tape and watch where their imaginations take them!  What do you do to spark your children's imaginations?  Join me at the #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party and tell me all about it!

Specially marked packages of Juicy Juice products from April through September will deliver up to $3 off coupons savings on Crayola products such as Color Wonder and My First Crayola. There will also be $1 off Juicy Juice Instant Redeemable Coupons applied to special Crayola Color Wonder and My First Crayola products.


Join me and RSVP for the #UltimatePlaydate on SoFabChats!


DATE: Thursday, May 29th, 2014

TIME: 11:00am - 12:00pm ET

PRIZES: 5 – $100 Walmart Gift Cards

EARLY BIRD PRIZE: 1 – $50 Walmart Gift Card

HOSTS: @KellysLuckyYou, @LaughWithUsBlog, @_Karen, @FrugalGreenMama, @JManMillerBug

RULES: #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party Official Rules

RSVP & PARTY GRID: #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party Page


TWEET TO SHARE:

RSVP for #UltimatePlaydate Twitter Party 5/29 11am ET. Prizes! Rules http://t.co/L9jcmTeMgK #shop pic.twitter.com/G9wMC4mk0r
— Karen Coutu (@_Karen) May 20, 2014

How To Participate In A Twitter Party on SoFabChats!

TIP: How to join a Twitter Party – sign in! Before party starts, click on the green “Sign In On Twitter” bar at the top of the page!

TIP: Who to follow at a Twitter Party? Follow the Party Team by clicking on the Twitter handle links on the RSVP page!

TIP: Want to win Twitter Party prizes? RSVP by clicking on RSVP button before you join the party, follow everyone on the Party Team, and tweet with the party hashtag during the party to be eligible!

TIP: How to win the Early Bird prize? Watch for chance to share a tweet when you RSVP for chance to win!

TIP: Special deals and brand coupons? Keep that options checked when you RSVP for the party!

TIP: New to Twitter parties? Watch your column and Party Team tweet columns – they are slower paced and easier to follow!

TIP: Where to find Twitter Parties? Check out the SoFabChats Twitter Party Calendar to find more fun parties to attend!

Find more helpful Twitter Party Tips on SoFabChats!

Have Your Own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party

Thank you to Monsters High for providing the prize pack for our reader giveaway and for sending us a prize pack as a thank you for sharing the Frights, Camera, Action! DVD and toys with our readers.  All opinions expressed are my own.

On March 25th, Monster High released a new movie on DVD that was much-anticipated by tweenage Monster High fans everywhere . . . Monster High Frights, Camera Action!  To add to the fun, a new line of Monster High dolls have been introduced bringing the fashion savvy ghoulish movie characters to life.

Are you planning a playdate, a sleepover, or a Monster High birthday party for your little girl?  How about setting up a movie premiere screening for your daughter and her friends?  All you'll need is the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! DVD,  the Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Premiere Party Playset, and a few of your favorite new Monster High fashion dolls. My daughter's favorite dolls from the new line are Black Carpet Clawdeen Wolf, New Stars Elissabat, and Black Carpet Lagoona Blue.  My personal favorite is Black Carpet Draculaura.  That ghoul has got style!


Watch the Monster High trailer below to get a glimpse of Draculaura's and her friends' adventures in Hauntlywood as they search for the Vampire Queen . . . 

If you really want to make some fun memories, you could even have a dress-up and make-up session with your daughter and her guests to see what their best Monster High character-inspired Hauntlywood look is for walking down the Black Carpet during the movie premiere.  If I were my daughter's age, I would want purple hair like Elissabat's!  There are 8 new Monster High dolls in all.  Which one is your favorite?

You can look for everything you need for your own Monster High Frights, Camera, Action! Movie Premiere Party at Target, Walmart, Toys"R"Us, and Amazon.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Giveaway: Develop Storytelling Skills with Moulin Roty's Les Petit Merveilles Nighttime Shadow Puppets from Magicforest

Thank you to Moulin Roty for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing an additional product for our giveaway prize.  All opinions expressed are my own.

We love toys that utilize our imaginations, so the 9pc Castle Shadows Nighttime Shadow Puppets by Moulin Roty are right up our alley. This 40-year-old French toy company lets parents and kids create their own stories with these unique and fun shadow puppets.

The puppets are made of black cardstock and come mounted on wooden sticks for play. Once nighttime hits, or if you have a mostly-dark room to use with some sort of backlighting, you can have hours of fun creating, imagining, and playing with these fun shadow puppets. When children engage in pretend play like this, they are building their vocabulary, using problem solving skills, and utilizing social and emotional skills that are vital as they grow and learn. For this reason, these shadow puppets make for a great addition to dramatic play in a classroom or homeschool.

Since these shadow puppets are made of paper, they are not likely to hold up for a long time, but while they do last they are fun. Perhaps storing them in a rigid envelope or case and making sure children aren’t being too rough with them will help to prolong their life. They also have other themes like dinosaurs and even a Paris set. We had a blast creating elaborate stories about dragons, princesses, evil kings, and more.

You can learn more about these and other inspirational toys at www.magicforest.com. These shadow puppet sets retail for $18.50 to $40.00.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

Incorporate Music into Imaginative Play with the #Playmobil PopStars! Stage

The PLAYMOBIL products, information and two Popstars! Stage gift packs have been provided by PLAYMOBIL. All opinions expressed are my own.

The PLAYMOBIL PopStars! Stage play set is fun and refreshing. I don't know how many toys and play sets the kids of have based on action, war, outer space, animal, or construction themes. It was nice to see the kids excited about playing with a rock band-themed musical toy for a change. The kids were as equally excited as if it were a martial arts or race car play set. Refreshing.

The PopStars! Stage play set contains a rock stage, 4 musicians, and all of the instruments required for a kick butt jam session. The stage has a multi-setting light and prerecorded music show that you can control using the buttons on the top back of the stage (requires 4 AA batteries, not included). The details are fantastic right down to the rubber guitar straps, the guitar stands, tilting spotlights, and the drummer’s drum sticks.

The assembly of the set took less than 15 minutes and was not difficult. Although most 8-9 years or older children could probably assemble the set, I preferred to do it myself as the set required the careful placement of 20 or so decals. The battery cover also requires a fine Philips head screwdriver to access, something I also prefer to do myself. If your child has a phone or an MP3 player, the device can be plugged into the stage so kids can play their own music.

The kids played with the set for hours at a time and always had a blast. It didn't take long for each musician to have unique personalities and bios. After a time, the session took off and branched into more typical themed play for my kids, but I don't have an issue with that. Rockstar ninja space rangers are pretty cool too!

The fun doesn't need to stop at rockstar ninja space rangers.  Look at these stop motion videos of the PLAYMOBIL PopStars! play set created by some real enthusiasts: Here and here. Also, when the play is all done, the stage makes an impressive light-up display while doubling as a speaker for a music-playing device.

The PLAYMOBIL PopStars! Stage gets an easy recommendation from me. PLAYMOBIL quality, ease of assembly, great fun, and a fair price for just $39.99.  Learn more about this and other PLAYMOBIL toys at playmobil.us.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

PLAYMOBIL is launching an epic Battle of the PLAYMOBIL PopStars! contest where fans can vote for their favorite PLAYMOBIL PopStars! group. After voting, participants can also submit an applause-worthy name for the band they voted for. Two contestants who submit names that really “rock” will be chosen to receive a $500 shopping spree on www.playmobil.us. Visit HERE to enter and HERE for contest details.  This contest runs through November 15th, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck in the drawing!

This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. A random drawing will be held shortly after the contest closing. The winner will be announced here and will be contacted via email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be drawn.

The LEGO Build-It Book, Vol. 1: Amazing Vehicles

Thank you to No Starch Press for providing a complimentary copy of this book to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lego’s have been part of my life since before I was the age my kids are now (6, 6, and 9). I am sure many of you are in the same situation and understand my thrill to see my kids enjoying a toy that was also such a huge part of my own childhood.

Whenever I get a chance to check out a LEGO product I jump at it. Recently we received the LEGO Build-It Book (Volume 1):  Amazing Vehicles and I was excited. Not only did I get to play with LEGOs, I had a grown up excuse to do it!

The Amazing Vehicles Book includes 10 sets of instructions for some very cool vehicles ranging from race cars to a baby stroller (that's right, a baby stroller!). As I expected, the instructions were colorful and precise. The book spends a few pages making sure readers understand some of the building concepts using a comic like style and layout. Although the book is slightly geared towards adolescent readers, it's definitely not too young for adult LEGO enthusiasts.

I started by heading out to my local LEGO store to buy all the parts I needed using the provided parts list. I estimated the parts would cost me less than $15. We own thousands of LEGOs already, but I thought it would be a nice touch to use the exact parts and colors used in the book.

Although I was able to get a few of the parts required at the store, they didn't have what I needed and the trip was mostly in vain (can a trip to a LEGO store ever truly be in vain?). I went home deciding I was going to use what I had and make the best of it. But isn't that part of the charm of playing with LEGO ? For the record, LEGO's Pick A Brick is an excellent online service where I could have ordered every single part I needed, but I felt like a kid again and wanted to play right away!

I’m going to cut to the chase and state I was not able to finish any of the projects in the book. The book's instructions were superb and easy to follow and 95% of the parts required are mostly common, but in the end I didn't have enough to finish anything. At first I was feeling like I failed in some way, but then I realized something:  I just played with LEGOs for a few hours and had a blast. And I am 43 years old!

After my attempts at making some cool vehicles, my kids weren't impressed and had me step aside, it was pro time. My 6 year old son Luke made his own interpretations of some of the book's designs.

Whether I finished any of the projects in the book is secondary to the fact that I had a blast trying. I felt like a 7 year old again pushing through my kids' mountains of LEGOs looking for that perfect piece or color. This LEGO Build-It Book book is an excellent guide and reference for any level of builder and I heartily recommend it. What an excellent companion to a LEGO kit for a gift. If you want a gift that's truly unique, order all the parts at Pick A Brick to go along with the book for a flawless LEGO experience!

You can learn more about LEGO Build-It Book (Volume 1):  Amazing Vehicles at Shop.Oreilly.com.  This paperback book retails for $19.95 and just $21.95 for both the paperback and the ebook.

Disruptus and Arrazzles . . . Two New Out-of-the-Box Thinking Games from Funnybone Toys

Thank you to Funnybone Toys for providing complimentary product samples for us to base this review upon.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Funnybone Toys is a leader in toys that not only are fun, but are artful and thought provoking as well. We have received games from them before and have loved them and still play them now. So when Funnybone offered us two more of their new games, Disruptus and Arrazzles, we knew they would become favorites quickly.

Disruptus is a hard game to explain, it’s more of a learn-by-doing game, but in a nutshell, you take two things and create something new and then everyone has fun rethinking the idea and making something new and/or improving upon it.

Please take two minutes to watch this video demonstrating the logic behind Disruptus.  It takes innovation and disruptive thinking to play and master this fun and entirely unique game. We had to adapt play to suit my 6 year old, but we all had a blast with this interesting game.

Arrazzles is a different kind of game because free thinking and design is how you play. Each octagon-shaped piece is slotted and features one metallic color on each side and they even have a hole in the middle to help you design with pipe cleaners, pencils, or whatever else you can find. Once connected, the colors bounce off one another and make the designs even better. To play, you can split the pieces up, or just place them all in the middle and have at it, designing whatever you want. Then, other players can try to figure out what you created or you can set themes and have everyone make something related to it.

This free play method really builds imagination and lets everyone get their creative juices flowing. These pieces are also really well built and thick so they are sure to stand up to many hours of play. We really love creating with this and this has found a permanent place in our living room because we pull it out so often.

Both Disruptus and Arrazzles retail for $24.99 on www.funnybonetoys.com.

Holiday 2011: Polly Pocket Race to the Concert Playset

Our nearly 5 year old daughter is a huge Polly Pocket fan!  Although she owns several dolls and all sorts of Polly Pocket fashions, she has yet to own a playset.  The Polly Pocket Race to the Concert Playset is her first and it managed to impress both of us.

When I first took a look at this set, I thought it looked a little crazy and complex.  After I sat down and assembled it, I realized that this toy is the equivalent to a racetrack set for boys, except it is more girly, glitzy, and plays music.

(Click any image to enlarge)

Although the instructions were illustrations without any text, the set was fairly easy to assemble.  Even the pieces of track are marked with a letter on each end so you need only to match up two ends marked with the same letter.

This playset offers many things a boy's set does not, such as a mirrored disco ball, a snack stand, and a t-shirt shop.

This set comes with three figures, including Polly Pocket herself.  All three come complete with roller skates, a helmet, and a cute skating skirt.  This trio puts on quite a performance because the track is designed so well.  Why should I be surprised?  Mattel does make Hot Wheels after all.

At the start of the show, you just place one doll at the top-most part of each ramp and then the third against the launcher after clicking it into place.  Then you manually nudge the two dolls to start down the ramps that circle the two towers.  They each land in place on the stage side-by-side.  Next, push the button to launch the third doll, who has enough momentum to go through an upside down loop and lands perfectly onto her little sled that spins her right into position in front of the other two dolls.  Meanwhile, you hear the concert music and lyrics playing.

This Polly Pocket playset was very well designed.  We only had two issues with this toy.  The first must have been a quality control issue.  There is a sign that hangs on the side of the blue tower, which is suppose to be the skate shop.  Well the decal of the dress that came already adhered to the sign was sideways.  This in no way affected our daughter's enjoyment of this toy.

The second issue we had was that, while I was assembling the set, my daughter was playing with the figures and Polly came apart.  The front of her body separated from the back.  I think my daughter was trying to see in what ways the body could be moved since all the dolls are in a slight crouching position.  Luckily, a little Super Glue made Polly as good as new.

Regardless of these little flaws, our daughter is having a blast with this toy.  She never really showed any interest in her brother's Hot Wheels sets, but she has found this playset to be very engaging and fun.  You can learn more about Polly Pocket Race to the Concert on Mattel.com and look for this playset at most major toy retailers nationwide.


Thank you to Mattel for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday 2011: Playmobil Secret Agent Headquarters with Alarm System

Our family is a huge fan of anything Playmobil.  Of all the sets we have owned, Playmobil has outdone itself with this Secret Agent Headquarters with Alarm System playset.  Although I do not have an exact count, I predict that this set may have the most pieces (or close to it) out of any of the preceding Playmobil sets.

This set is recommended for anyone age 7 to 12.  With lots of assistance from my husband, our nearly 8 year old son, who is an old pro at assembling Playmobil structures, put this set together in approximately an hour and a half.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

I knew, when I saw this set, that my children would love it.  Their pretend play scenarios often revolve around being spies and they always have an HQ.  It was so much fun listening to them play now that they have a real spy headquarters at their disposal.

To say that the Playmobil Secret Agent Headquarters is detailed would be an understatement.    There is spy gear everywhere, including surveillance equipment, gadgets, weapons, and more.  The parts I found to be the neatest were the motion-triggered alarm and the LED on-screen map.  If you ask my children, however, they will give you all different answers.  I know our daughter is especially pleased that one of the four Playmobil figures included in this set is a girl.

Some of the coolest parts of this Playmobil set are . . . 

• A holding cell door that opens and closes
• A secret garage door in the mountainside
• The vehicle transforms between a car, submarine, and airplane
• A jetski that is weighted, works in water, and can be upgraded with an engine (sold separately)
• A hiding place for the jetski

• A secret computer room
• Part of the roof folds out
• A working motion sensor alarm
• An LED map that lights up in multiple colors

• A trapdoor at the top of the stairs that leads to the holding cell
• A secret hiding place on the side of the staircase
• A laser that lights up and shoots missiles

Our children have been playing with this set non-stop.  There is just so much to do that they have yet to be bored.  The Playmobil Secret Agent Headquarters with Alarm System retails for $89.99 and is impressive to even adults, who secretly wish they had a toy like this when they were children . . . definitely a toy worthy of being a surprise gift from Santa.  You can find this set at most major toy retailers, such as the Playmobil Online-Shop, Amazon.com, and Toys"R"Us.


Thank you to Playmobil for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.

Holiday 2010 Review: Olivia Basic Plush Doll & 2-in-1 Transforming Playset Dollhouse

All three of our children, two preschoolers and a 1st grader, very much enjoy the Olivia animated television show on Nick Jr. With most shows, there is always at least one child who protests when it comes on, but not with Olivia. There is never anything but delightful cheers for this program. That is why I knew our children would be thrilled to receive some Olivia-themed toys by Spin Master to play with so that I could report back to my readers about them.

We received two toys. One was a basic 8" plush Olivia in her signature red jumper and the other was the Olivia 2-in-1 Transforming Playset. Our 3-1/2 year old daughter immediately claimed the plush doll.

Everyone had to wait for me to unpackage the 2-in-1 Transforming Playset. It comes with all the pieces shown below. There really is no assembly aside from attaching the flagpole and the palm tree, both of which need to be removed before the playset can close back up again.

There was one sheet of decals to apply. Aside from the food which was to be applied to the plates, there were no instructions for where the other decals should go. So I used my imagination to decide where each sticker should be placed. My 6-1/2 year old son kept correcting me because I was not putting things exactly where they usually appear on the show. So perhaps if you purchase this toy for the holidays, it might be a fun activity for your child to assist you in the placement of the decals on Christmas morning.

I have to say that this playset is very well-designed. It is two compact portable playsets in one. One the front and the back of the house, there is a switch like the one pictured below. This allows the playset to open into Olivia's house on one side and a pirate ship on the other.

The first thing my children ask was if we can buy additional figures at the toy store, so it would have been great if there was at least one other figure of a character included in the set. Also, instead of having two pet decals, it would have been nice to have either the dog or the cat in a figure.

The plastic Olivia comes with a removable stand so that she can remain upright independently. Her removable dress is made of rubber. Although it was easy for my children to remove the dress, they needed assistance getting it back on.

(Click on any image to enlarge)

One of the reasons why I think this toys is so well thought out is because all the furniture and accessories fit right inside. The house can close up and your child can carry it by the attached handle. This is perfect for playdates, vacations, and visits to relative's houses.

The only improvement I can suggest is to make the palm tree out of plastic, rather than out of laminated cardboard. After attaching it twice to the built-in clip on the beach section, the cardboard was all worn and could no longer be inserted into the clip.

Although this toy is marked 4+, you really do have to watch the smaller items, such as the dinner plates and the lamp. They could easily be swallowed or lost.

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The plush Olivia, which is recommended for children ages 3 and up, was a huge hit with my daughter even though both our sons paid no attention to it. I think what she loved the most was that Olivia's dress was removable, so she could dress and undress her again and again. The other thing that fascinated my daughter was Olivia's dainty little feet. She loved making Olivia dance, as well as wiggling Olivia's long ears.

The Olivia Plush Dolls come in several different versions. To view these dolls, the Olivia 2-in-1 Transforming Playset, or other Olivia toys, visit ToysRUs.com .

Thank you to Spin Master for sending us sample toys free of charge to base this review upon. This article was written as part of a campaign for Team Mom.