I'm back, temporarily...

just to say that I wish I had seen this 5 months ago when I had my baby and before I bought the Haba Springtime Play Gym. I just love the outerspace theme from Skip Hop ($80). Check out their other fresh, new toys too!

As for my recent blogging hiatus, there's a lot going on on the home front right now that's keeping me super busy. Plus, my husband lost his job. So, what good are toys when you don't have a job, right? Plus I assume with the recent economic downturn there aren't many of you out there buying toys just for fun anymore. Am I right? What are your thoughts on this, are you cutting down on wants yet to focus more on needs? Is your toy/gift budget lowered or done away with? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

News Articles

My Grandpa just sent me a couple links to some news articles I'd like to pass on. The first is about our baby's First Foods, the second about the importance of The Family Meal. I found both very helpful and important. I hope you take the time to think about the important message in each of these.

Happy Holidays!

Outer Space Creations

Moolka has a great new design to their website and with it are several new toys that I'm falling for! Among them is this Super Cosmos set from Djeco that lets you create 3 different rocket/space ships from 16 wooden pieces. The suggested age for this is 4 and up and it sells for $22.49 (on sale) at Moolka.

Create a Garden Scene

Perfect for an older girl on your list! This little garden scene is made from pre-cut sheets of everything you need to create Billie Brindille's Garden from Djeco ($24.99 at Moolka). After it is complete it can be used as a decoration or a playscene. I used to love little craft sets when I was younger, but there was never anything like this! Moolka's age suggestion is 9 and up but you know your kids best. Happy Gardening!

An ICY time of year

Tonight I came across these two Ice Trays at Lavish. How fun are they?! Princess Ice Tray ($9.00)

Fossilized Ice Tray ($9.00)

ZinkoTek!

This is the greatest building set a kid could ever ask for! ZinkoTek is an amazing open-ended building system that lets you design just about anything, your imagination is the limit. We were sent a set to review and my husband and son instantly set to work building a castle! The pieces are made out of heavy duty, multi-layer foam. They feel indestructible and can be used indoors or outdoors. They would make a perfect addition to your play room, or any room! I also highly recommend ZinkoTek for preschools and daycare centers! Even if you build the house, it can be so much more...like a castle, school, puppet theater, store, the possibilities are endless! It's just open-ended all the way around. It would make the perfect "BIG" gift for your kids this Christmas! Check out more information here on the ZinkoTek website. They have a photo gallery and building instructions for things like robots, airplanes, and more.



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I just love the bright, fun colors! My son and the little girl I tend have had so much fun playing in it! Thanks, ZinkoTek!

A Thing for Robots

I have had a thing for robots lately! I also love Vilac! So what do you get when you put the two together? This Vilac Magnetic Robots game from Kangaroo Boo ($35.99).

from Scratch

There's a new line at Moolka called Scratch that makes this friendly Lion Ball Track. I loooove ball tracks for the 1-2 year olds. They love to watch the balls go down, down, down then they grab them and put them back at the top. They are truly fascinated by it!

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane

New from Vilac is this Vilac Air airplane available on Moolka ($54.99). SO much better than it's plastic/electronic counterparts! My son has the Vilac race track and loves it and this has a similar build. I love that it comes with removable passengers. So cute!

Kinda Creepy

This is about the most unusual toy I've ever seen. I really like the concept though and I know a couple of my readers will get a kick out of this doll ;) It's a cloth version of the "Anatomy Jane" doll they had on Grey's Antatomy the other night. Anyway, it's called Erwin the Little Patient from Sigikid and you can get it at Moolka for $45.99, if it doesn't creep you out.

DIY book for babies

Babies loooooove to look at other babies and kids. So, when my son was little I filled an 8x8 scrapbook album with pictures of babies. I took old parenting magazines and cut down the pictures to fit the album sleeves. He loved it! Here's a few suggestions when making this:

• Find babies showing different emotions or expressions (ie: crying, smiling, staring)
  
• Also include babies doing different activities (ie: sleeping, eating, playing, etc)
• Cut out extra pictures to rotate in the album so your baby doesn't tire of it
• Make an album of just family members and close friends
  
• Most important: talk about the babies in the pictures, about the feelings, or what they're doing in the picture.

I guarantee your baby will love it! And best of all, it's cheap!

Kitchens

There are so many new kitchens on the market right now. The new line from Nathan grabbed my attention with their bright colors and sleek design. I love the cabinet sorter. It has space for children to sort plates, cups, and flatware. They are available through Oompa and start at $214. Children love to imitate what they see adults do. Play kitchens are great for socio-dramatic play by encouraging cooperative play between children. This is one reason that nearly every preschool setting has a kitchen or house play area. In fact, Nathan's pieces are sold to preschools in Europe and are built to be used by preschoolers so you know they'll last for years and years.

Kitchen Accessories

There are also a lot of accessories for kitchens out there. I came across these tonight and fell in love with the colors. I love the Le Toy Van line and these are no exception. Below are the Baking Set and Breakfast Set sold on Landbridge Toys for $80 a set.

Building From the Ground Up

Bricadoo lets you build your own house using miniature bricks and real mortar. The best part? When you're done you can soak it in water and re-use the bricks to start all over on a different design. This comes from the Netherlands and is for ages 6 and up. I found it on Romp's website for $22. It would make the perfect gift for a kid who likes designing or playing with blocks but wants something more "real life."

The Winners Are...

Thank you to all who entered. Your comments and feedback were very insightful. I hope to start implementing them soon. Congratulations to...

Kirsten for the Cordoba blocks
and

Heidi for the Jack Jesters

I have emailed you both with directions on how to claim your wins. Thank you for participating and enjoy your new toys!

Giveaway from Bright October!!!

Bright October has graciously offered 2 of my readers a chance to win some new for 2008 Haba toys! They will be giving away one set of Cordoba Blocks (top) and one set of Jack Jesters (bottom). These brightly painted, whimsical sets would make great gifts this holiday season! Be sure to check out Bright October's website for more cool stuff from brands like Vilac, Blabla, Kathe Kruse, Selecta, Woody Click, Anamalz, and more. They are also offering 10-15% off all Haba purchases through the end of the month.



To enter the giveaway leave a comment with your name and an email address and one idea/tip/suggestion you have for my blog. Each person will have a chance of winning one of the Haba sets and will be contacted via email along with the winner being announced here on Wednesday, November 5th. The contest will end on Tuesday, November 4th at 11:59pm. Good luck!

SALE!!!!

My favorite local toy store, The Red Balloon, is starting their Fall Sale tomorrow. It's 15% off your entire purchase! So head in and support this locally owned store!!!

More Dinosaurs

Since posting about the Cheekeyes Dinosaurs I've had a lot of people comment on how much they love the Holztiger dinosaurs as well. These sell for about $12.99 each and are available on several different websites including these from Petit Baby. The Holztiger Dinosaurs are slightly larger in size and have a totally different style to them than the Cheekeyes. The bright colors make this a fun set that is aesthetically pleasing as well.

Left:
Spinosaurus

Right: Pachycephalosaurus

New! Picture Cubes from Moolka

Look at this beautiful picture cube puzzle by Atelier Fischer. I found it while browsing Moolka's "what's new" section today. It's six scenes depict popular fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel and Little Red Riding Hood. Great for critical thinking skills as children find the right side of each block for the scene. It's already out of stock but sells for $42.99 on Moolka.
And, because I can never choose just 1, this is the Transportation Picture Cube for $38.99. Don't you just love the artist's style?

Automoblox

I've had my eye on these for about a year now. I love them! Basically, they are blocks you build cars with, they disassemble and then kids can put them back together. The cars are sold individually (except some minis are available as a set) but are interchangeable, so kids can create their own unique models! Great for creative thinking, hand-eye coordination, and motor skills, these Automoblox are bound to be a hit! They would be perfect for the kid who likes to take things apart and put them back together again.

From the original line, the S9 Sedan and the T9 Pickup from Urban Kids Play, each $36














These 2 are Limited Editions, the X9-X Sport Utility and the S9-R Sport Sedan for $44, also at Urban Kids Play


Here is the Mini Automoblox Combo Pack 1 from Fat Brain Toys for $26.50