This Christmas has been an awakening for me.  Long gone are the days of the “cutesy” toys for my son, who is almost 10.  He wants all things BOY.  100% testosterone.   The challenge has been finding things that are “cool” enough for him but safe enough for me!  One perfect solution is Air Zone Blasters from Prime Time Toys!

Ready....Aim....FIRE!

Sold exclusively this season at Toys R Us, these brightly colored foam blasters will catch everyone’s attention!  Affordably priced, Air Zone offers a variety of high-powered fun for your sharpshooters.  My son loved his Quickfire Twin Pack and had a ball recently in the backyard with a friend.  The foam darts mean that you can relax a little….they are soft enough to make play fun and safe, even indoors.  Best of all, the darts and clips in the Air Zone blasters are universal.  They will easily make the switch from one blaster to another.  This is a really cool feature as some other blasters have darts that only work in certain shooters, making organization somewhat difficult.  The bright colors mean they won’t get easily lost under the bed or in the bushes!

With two nephews that are close in age to my son, these will make perfect Christmas gifts for them too.  Each year it becomes more and more difficult not over-spend, and with many Air Zone blasters priced in the $20 range,  it’s easy to get a lot of bang for your buck!  Any boy on your list would love this fun gift!

This post is the opinion of Jennifer of The Experimental Mommy.  While a product was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

My daughters are surrounded with electronics these days.  Between the iPad, Leapster, Nintendo DS and Wii, my girls have the opportunity to be “plugged in” for both educational and interactive play.  That being said, the majority of their time is actually spent in imaginative play with their wooden kitchen, playsets, dress up costumes and baby dolls.

They love to dress up their dolls for bedtime, dance classes, school and even playdates with each other.  And now that the holidays are upon us (where did the time go?), the dolls must be festively dressed.  If you have a child that loves to dress up her babies, too, you have to check out the selection at Constructive Playthings!

My daughters were excited to receive the Modern Christmas Collection which included three outfits for an 18″ doll.  The set includes candy cane pajama tee shirt, plaid pants, red slippers, headband, sweater, red dress, black shoes, gingerbread tee shirt, skirt, black leggings, brown boots, and an adorable teddy bear!  The outfits were well made and very cute (I love the brown boots!).  While the clothes are made to fit the Today’s Girl Dolls from Constructive Playthings, they did fit my daughters’ standard 18″ dolls (however, the shoes were a very snug fit).  Now, the dolls in my home are festive and ready for the holiday parties!

The Modern Christmas Collection can be purchased for $44.99, but as a Constructive Mom, you can take 15% off your entire order if you click through my link!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the Modern Christmas Collection from Constructive Playthings!

How to enter:

1. Visit Constructive Playthings and take a look around.  Come back here and tell us what other item a child in your life would love to receive for the Holidays.

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @ConstructiveMom on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Unlimited! (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook and Constructive Playthings on Facebook.

5. Place my blog banner on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 28th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. and Canadian Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While  sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% mine.

As a child, I dreamed of being a princess (what little girl doesn’t, right?).  Last year, I got to live out my dream when I spend the night in Cinderella’s Castle at Walt Disney World!  It was a magical night sprinkled with much Pixie dust but I was so sad that my daughters weren’t there to share the experience.

This year, I got to bring the Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle to them!  This new toy from Mattel brings all of the Disney Princess magic under one roof.  In fact, each Disney Princess has her own themed room!  You can give Ariel a bath in her own seashell shaped tub, make delicious beignets with Tiana in the kitchen and be Belle’s guest in the dining room.

When we first unpacked the Castle, my girls couldn’t wait to start playing.  But looking at the size of it, I thought it would take hours to assemble….but I was pleasantly surprised.  My husband took the task of making the castle come to life and he was finished in under an hour.  The best part? No stickers to put on!  I was impressed with the quality of the materials and the attention to detail (how cute is Chip?).  I believe the construction will hold up to the imagination of my two daughters.

But it’s not all about what I thought!  What did my daughters think?  Being from New Orleans and HUGE fans of Princess and the Frog, they wanted to play in Tiana’s kitchen the most followed closely by Ariel’s bathroom…who wouldn’t want to take a bath in a bubbling seashell tub?  Because the rooms are themed, they have countless possibilities to create scenarios with the Princesses!

We give it two thumbs up for this holiday season!  The Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle can be purchased for $145.00 and FREE shipping!  And don’t forget to stuff those stockings with the Disney Princess Dolls!

GIVEAWAY

Two readers will win their choice of one Disney Princess Doll (Belle, Jasmine, Cinderella, Tiana, Ariel, Snow White) (ARV $9.99)!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me what room in the Disney Princess Ultimate Dream Castle your child would want to live in!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 9th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

I have such fond memories of playing with my Easy Bake Oven as a child.  Jennifer and I would bake some tasty treat just about every weekend.  But I also remember what torture it was as an impatient 8 year old to let a light bulb bake a cupcake!  So, I was so happy to hear that the new Easy Bake Ultimate Oven no longer utilizes a light bulb for baking!

I couldn’t wait to share the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven with my daughters.  It is so fun to share an activity with your kids that you loved as a child, too!  After opening the box, we first noticed it’s sleek (and pink) design.  It looks like a real microwave oven! Inside the box, we found a baking pan, cupcake pan, pan pusher, chocolate chip cookie mix, red velvet cake mix, pink frosting mix, rainbow sugar crystals package, paper cupcake wraps, and an instruction booklet.  We were ready to begin!

My daughters chose to make the red velvet cupcakes.  After preheating the oven for 20 minutes, we simply added the mix to a bowl with some water and stirred until consistant.  My oldest daughter filled the greased cupcake pan with batter and pushed it right into the baking chamber (which is definitely bigger than previous models).

While we baked the cupcakes for 10 minutes, my youngest daughter prepared the pink icing in a seperate bowl.  After cooling the cupcakes for about 5 minutes, we iced the cupcakes and were ready to enjoy our special treat!  YUM!

Like I mentioned, I owned an Easy Bake Oven in the mid 80′s and we also purchased an earlier model for my daughters last year.  That being said, I love the improvements in the new Easy Bake Ultimate Oven including:

• No light bulb necessary!  Last year, we were dissappointed that the light bulb did not come with the oven, so we had to go shopping before playing.
• The storage drawer is a great idea!  Underneath the oven, there is a drawer to store pans and unused mixes. LOVE!
• An On/Off switch!  After plugging the unit into an outlet, you have to actually turn it on.  I think this will eliminate many accidents.

The Easy Bake Ultimate Ovencan be purchased at Amazon.com for only $34.97!  My daughters both loved it and I think it would make a great holiday gift!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive their very own Easy Bake Ultimate Oven!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me what you bake in your Easy Bake Ultimate Oven!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on December 9th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

The Double Duty Diva Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway is here!! The Double Duty Divas have cooked up a holiday prize pack worth approximately $600 for one lucky winner this holiday season.  Along with my fellow divas – Angie at My Four Monkeys, Cecelia at Cool Baby Kid, and Renee at What Mommies Need – we have put together a very helpful Holiday Gift Guide for 2011 that includes gifts for babies, children, teens, teachers, mom, and dad. Just follow Double Duty Divas on Pinterest and browse the boards and find gift ideas for everyone on your list. PLUS, check out the holiday giveaway board for pictures of all the items included in our Diva Holiday Giveaway! Here’s a list…

• Winner’s choice of pajamas from Sklyar Luna ($42 ARV).  Subscribe to the Skylar Luna Newsletter
• Little Pim Spanish Gift Set ($59.95 ARV) – Follow Little Pim on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• Angelina Ballerina: Dancing On Ice DVD ($14.98 ARV) & Barney Holiday Favorites DVD Box Set from Hit Entertainment ($19.98 ARV)
• Jolly Octopus game from Ravensburger ($24.99 ARV) – “Like” Ravensburger on Facebook
• Busy, Busy Airport Game from Wonder Forge ($19.99 ARV) – Follow Wonder Forge on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• POPTROPICA 3-inch customizable figure assortment from Jazwares ($9.99 ARV) – Follow Jazwares on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• You’ve been Sentenced! game, all 6 of the Add-on-Decks, Twisted Fish card game & the Wheel of Chorture from McNeill Designs for Brighter Minds ($86 ARV)- Follow McNeill Designs on Twitter
• Frosty’s Winter Wonderland Deluxe Edition DVD Box Set ($18.95 ARV) & Happiness Is…Peanuts: Snow Days DVD ($9.95 ARV) from Warner Brothers Home Entertainment – Follow Warner Brothers on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• Kun Fu High Impact for XBox Kinect ($39.99 ARV) & National Geographic Challenge for PlayStation3, Xbox 360 or Wii ($19.99 ARV) from Ignition Entertainment
• Toyland Express book from Scholastic ($13.99 ARV) – Follow Scholastic on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• $30 Gift Card to The Bowtique – Follow Bowtique on Twitter
• Kathryn the Grape’s Colorful Adventure children’s book ($16.99 ARV) – Follow Kathryn the Grape on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• Little Looster ($34.99 ARV) – Follow Little Looster on Twitter
• Colonel Purple Turtle CD ($15 ARV) from Rocknoceros – “Like” Rocknoceros on Facebook
• Story book from Record A Story ($19.99 ARV)
• 13 ‘N 1 ratcheting screwdriver and the 620L Professional Laser Level from Channellock Tools ($92 ARV) – Follow Channellock Tools on Twitter/“Like” on Facebook
• 3-pack of Disney Cuddly Bodysuits from Disney Baby ($11 ARV) – Follow Disney Baby on Twitter
• Bracelet from Unique by Emma ($25 ARV)-Follow Unique by Emma on Twitter!

Enter below to win all of these fantastic prizes, and don’t forget as your mandatory entry to leave a comment on this post telling me which item(s) you are most excited about entering to win!!

All entries must be received by 11:59 PM on December 5th!  Open to US Residents only.

It never ceases to amaze me how extensive a toddler’s imagination can be, from making up names for stuffed animals to being the mayor of a town.  Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall lets your child’s imagination run free.  From the website:

“Curiosities are everywhere in Busytown! This fun Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset with DVD encourages social interaction between kids as they explore and play in their own Busytown world. This playset is loaded with play features from a drive-through tunnel to a fold-up ladder!  The Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset with DVD includes:

• A double oval roadway layout
• 12 roadway pieces
• Sergeant Murphy figure to patrol traffic
• Hilda Hippo in her classic pencil car
• and a bonus DVD that includes 2 Busytown Mysteries episodes!
• Join the Busytown characters and discover the fun with this Town Hall Deluxe Playset.”

The precious Busytown Town Hall will keep your little one entertained with all of its moving parts, including the roof that really opens, balconies that come down and a stop sign that swivels. Unlike your typical road way or railway pieces the Busytown road does not fall apart as soon as it is moved.  Like most children, my son likes to be able to relate to something that he sees on TV.  With the town hall toy your child can watch the DVD and then continue their own story through interactive play with their own real life town hall.

A great feature of this product is that there are add-on pieces with more roads, stores and characters.  You can keep adding to the collection and your little one won’t get bored with this toy anytime soon. You can find out more at the Busytown Mysteries website.  With Christmas right around the corner and the need for unique practical toys, the Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset with DVD would be great for your little toddler with a big imagination.

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset w/ DVD (ARV $39.99)

How to Enter:

1. Tell me another Busytown product your child would love to own!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Busytown on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on November 22nd. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion Beth of the Experimental Mommy.  Others may have a differing opinion of the product.  While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

In 2002, my husband and I welcome our first child, Callie.  She was no regular baby….she had four legs, a tail and adorable big brown eyes.  She was a beagle puppy and we were so happy to be “parents.” Unfortunately, nine years and two human babies later, Callie passed away.  My two daughters miss her very much and are now asking for a new dog, but my husband and I are less than ready to jump into puppy parenthood again.  We want the girls to be old enough to assist in the care of a new puppy, so we are taking this time to teach them all that is involved.

Because my daughters love to pretend play, I thought the Play Vet Combo Set from Constructive Playthings would be a great start!  About the set:

“Just what the “practicing” vet needs: 26 essential items like a stethoscope, electronic beeper, reflex hammer, ear scope, and more. There’s a working 10″ H. Pet Scale and their first 2 patients (an 8″ plush dog and plush cat). Complete with the washable poly/cotton Vet Coat measuring 20″ from neck to hemline by 18 ½” wide. 31 pc. set. Ages 3 yrs. +”

My girls could not have been more excited to start playing Vet.  They took turns being the pet owner and the doctor (amazing, right?) and played for a very long time.  The vet coat fit them both well and even comes with a medical emergency pager which really makes noise.  The two plush animals are well made and quite cute and the Vet Bag fits almost all of the supplies (the scale is too large to fit in the bag).  And boy are there accessories!  From shots to bandages, prescription pad to cat food, this set has everything for your budding veterinarian.  Great to add to the holiday list!

DISCOUNT

The Vet Pet Set sells for $67.99, but by clicking my Constructive Mom button below, you will receive 15% off making the toy just $57.89.

GIVEAWAY

One reader will win the Play Vet Combo Set from Constructive Playthings (ARV $68)!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me another product your child would love from Constructive Playthings!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @ConstructiveMom on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Constructive Playthings on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on November 1st. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of the Experimental Mommy. Others may have a differing opinion of the product. While a sample was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

Do you ever catch yourself singing along to children’s songs and there are no children in the room?  That is how it is at my house with just about every PBS theme song including Dinosaur Train.  My husband and I could tell you every word to the theme song without blinking.  Needless to say my son was quite thrilled when we received the Lights & Sounds Dinosaur Train with Laura Giganotosaurus from Learning Curve.

The train is a prefect size for his small hands and rolls easy on our hard wood floors.  By pressing on the smokestack the train sings fun songs,  makes sounds, lights up, and says phrases, that your child will recognize from the show.  The best part about this train is that your child won’t get bored, because there are additional collectible cars and characters that are available for purchase, including  the entire Pteranodon Family and family friends.  You can switch up the cars and characters and it is like having a whole new train!  Dinosaur Train is about to enter its second season on PBS and has recently released Dinosaur  Train DVD: Dinosaur Big City.

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the Dinosaur Train Lights and Sounds Train

How to Enter:

1. Tell me another product your child would love from Learning Curve!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and CitiBlocs (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @lctoys on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and Learning Curve on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on September 30th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of Beth of Experimental Mommy. Others may have a differing opinion of the product. While a sample product was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

Any product that can entertain my almost three year old and husband gets an A+ in my book. The possibilities with CitiBlocs are endless, you can build anything from houses and helicopters to tigers and towers. From the website:

Citiblocs are high quality wooden construction blocks which inspire both traditional building and modern design. The secret behind Citiblocs is that every piece is exactly the same shape and size. Each block is precisely cut from Grade A Radiata Pine from certified renewable forests in New Zealand. Citiblocs Building requires no glue, no snaps, no connectors and no magnets: just gravity, balance and imagination.

Building with Citiblocs is simple: stack one block on top of another. Their specific size and shape and weight allows building that is simply not possible with other building toys. Build a small cabin by the lake or a tower that reaches the stars!”

My son has played with the CitiBlocs every day since they arrived. He has attempted to build houses and bridges, but he is a little young to make anything by himself, so it becomes a family affair. We received the new Citiblocs Camouflage Color, in exciting new colors: green, olive, brown, khaki plus natural blocks, but the blocs come in many different colors and are all the same size making building easy. It is amazing to me how high you can build and they remain stable. Unlike different models that require snaps and/or glue, when you are finish building you just knock your creation down and start all over again! I have to admit that this is my son’s favorite part.

Since the blocs are made of real wood pine, they will last a lifetime. An added advantage of the Citiblocs is that they are certified safe and non-toxic!  Citiblocs can provide hours of entertainment for your entire family.

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the 100 piece CitiBlocs set in Camouflage colors!

How to Enter:

1. Tell me what your child would build with CitiBlocs!

Additional entries:

1. Blog about this giveaway and link to The Not-So-Blog and CitiBlocs (10 extra entries).

2. Follow me (@BridgetteLA) and @CitiBlocs on Twitter and Tweet this giveaway. Every time you tweet you get an additional entry! Limited to 10 a day, please. (You must have over 50 Twitter followers to qualify for unlimited entries!)

3. Subscribe to my blog.

4. Become a Fan of The Not-So-Blog and CitiBlocs on Facebook.

5. Place my blog button on your sidebar.

Contest ends at 11:59pm CST on September 26th. Prizes not claimed in 72 hours will be forfeited. Open to U.S. Residents only.

This post is the opinion of Beth of Experimental Mommy. Others may have a differing opinion of the product. While a sample product was received to facilitate this review, all opinions remain 100% honest.

I think the best gift I have ever gotten my two daughters is the wooden play kitchen.  They have played with the kitchen and the accessories for countless hours promoting both creativity and imagination.  It is incredibly cute to see the girls mimic my actions and I fear that they are becoming better cooks than I!  So when I had the opportunity to add to the kitchen with Laundry Day Play from Constructive Playthings, I knew they would love it!

About Laundry Day Play from the website:

“Grown-up work is child’s play with this 8-pc. pretend laundry set. The simulated washing action in the front loader, steam-like sound effects in the iron and 19″ H. x 24″ L ironing board add realism to the fun. All are in sturdy plastic.”

When the items arrived, I went to work to assemble the toys.  I was thrilled to see that none of the piece required tools (except placing batteries in the washing machine).  I was able to complete assembly of all items in about 15 minutes…..piece of cake!  Finally, I was able to set it up near the play kitchen and the girls were off to work.  They quickly grabbed doll clothes (and even some of their own clothes) and threw them in the washing machine.  The door really opens and closes and turning the dial “starts” the machine.  The girls loved that the graphic on the front really turns and looks like the machine really works!  I have to admit that I was a bit jealous that my girls have a front loader and I am stuck with my archaic machine!

When my girls deemed the clothes finished, they removed them from the washer and began putting the finishing touches on the outfits by ironing them.  The iron makes real steam noises when pressed!  Finally, my youngest took to hanging the freshly pressed clothes.  So cute!

This item can be purchased for just $59.99, but by clicking on my Constructive Playthings sidebar ad (not an affiliate link), you will receive 15% off!  Totally worth it!!

GIVEAWAY

One winner will receive the Laundry Day Play by Constructive Playthings!