Rave and Review

We're Loving Little Miss Muffin

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 13

There are some toy trends I just can’t get behind.  Sometimes it feels like the goofier the product is, the more the kids want it.  But, then some trends come along and really surprise me with their classic appeal and their catchiness.  I had never heard about Little Miss Muffin until one arrived on my doorstep, but immediately upon opening the package I liked it.

Their slogan is “There's nothin' like luvin' a Little Miss Muffin!” and this has rung true.  Every single little girl I know has been very familiar with the Little Miss Muffin Dolls and they all have their own favorite – whether it is blueberry, pumpkin, cherry, chip, vanilla, coconut, or cinnamon.  I’m guessing the little girl on your list has a favorite, too, and is hoping to find it under the tree this year. 

And, I can’t say that I blame them - there is something about Little Miss Muffin that reminds me of a classic cloth doll with her gingham, striped or polkadot dress and soft plush hat, but Little Miss Muffin has a really fun new twist.  She’s not just any doll, she’s a Pop-n-Flip doll that arrives in the package peeking out of a muffin cup.  Simply pop out her hands and feet and then flip the muffin cup inside out to become her skirt and your Little Miss Muffin turns into a doll that you can play with. 

It’s easy to pretend your doll is baking beautiful muffins, icing her creations, and sitting down to a fancy or informal tea party.  She’s got a sweet little smile and a squeezable little body that would quickly endear her to your little one, and she’s ready for all sorts of fun.  To add to the fun and imaginative play, each Little Miss Muffin Doll has their own specific personality and their own light muffin fresh scent.

When your tea party and playtime are over, you simply Pop-n-Flip Little Miss Muffin back into her muffin cup quickly and easily.  Not only is this ideal for storage, it’s also a great way to display your collection and add to your room décor at the same time. 

Knowing how much my sister and I would have simply adored a Little Miss Muffin Doll growing up, I can see what all the craze is about with the Little Miss Muffin Dolls this holiday season.  Hearing reports that they are sold out in numerous Toys R Us stores doesn’t surprise me as I hear of more and more girls with a Little Miss Muffin Doll on their list. 

You can find Little Miss Muffin Dolls at a Toys R Us near you or order online for Christmas delivery.  See their entire line and check the status here.  Now the only question is: what doll should you pick?

A big thank you to Jay At Play for sending a Little Miss Muffin for review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Celtic Challenge from Find It Games {Review & Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 12

I can’t resist a challenge.  Tell me a game is a challenge and I will be intrigued.  Put it in the name, however, and the temptation is just too much.  When I heard that the local Find It Games had the ultimate challenge for me in the form of Celtic Challenge, I just had to have it. 

And, the game Celtic Challenge just looks cool, even in the box.  With the rustic tiles and the Celtic Staff peeking out of the glossy game box and the beautiful wooden game board visible below, I could already tell that this wasn’t going to be one of those games that is put in the closet and never seen again.  Upon opening it, I realized how correct I was.  This is the type of game you could easily leave on your coffee table when entertaining {or even year-round} to challenge all your guests to a friendly 2-person game or a game of solitaire. 

Celtic Challenge is an ancient game that centuries of players have tried hard to beat.  Included in the game is the hardwood board, 45 rustic tiles with traditional Celtic symbols, a Celtic Staff, an embossed marker stone and a history of the game/rule book to explain some of the tradition and the ways you can play solo, one on one, or as teams.

We mostly play Celtic Challenge solitaire-style because we’ve been busy trying to beat our own record and it is fun to see if we can actually master the game instead of just casually playing.  Playing it solitaire-style is also oddly calming, even though you are always planning your next move and strategizing.  Just the act of flipping the tiles and the satisfying sound they make as you place them in your removed stack is relaxing, which is why we’ve been playing it all month long.

The way it’s played is simple enough since it just involves matching tiles and seeing how many you can remove in each round, but don’t worry, there definitely still is a challenge.  When playing on your own you have 6 rounds which are designated by the Celtic Staff, a peg that you move each time you place a turn.  To start the game off, you set the “stone” on the symbol of your choice.  After removing all the tiles with that symbol, you can only flip over the tiles that are not touching any visible piece. 

Then you move the Celtic Staff to round 2, choose a new symbol and then remove those from the board before following the steps from the first round to see how many you can take off the game board.  Repeat until you can no longer play or all the tiles are removed from the game board.  The Celtic Challenge is to remove all of {or, in my case, as many of} the tiles as you can in 6 turns alone.  Rumor has it that no one has ever been able to remove them all in 6 turns or less, which sounds like a challenge I’d like to beat.

The Celtic Challenge is the perfect gift for the puzzle lover on your list, or simply a great game to have out when guests start arriving for the holidays.  With all the craziness of the holiday season, I can attest to the fact that just playing a game or two a week is a great “break” that we can all enjoy. 

You can find out more about Celtic Challenge at Find It Games and read about all the recent awards it's won as well as purchase it for $40.00.

Want to win the awesome Celtic Challenge Game?  Of course you do!

To enter, simply visit the Find It Games site and comment on this post telling me what your favorite game is that they make.

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Like Find It Games on Facebook

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us all:

Looking for a challenging game? #Win the Celtic Challenge giveaway from @raveandreview! http://t.co/1qiozd1i

3 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On December 28th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to: #58 Pauline M said...I've subscribed to your feed #1

A big thank you to Find It Games for sending the Celtic Challenge for review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Adorable and Bendable Anamalz Box Sets {Review & Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 11

Chances are you have seen anamalz all over since they arrived in the U.S. from Australia.  You now can find these adorable bendable animals in specialty stores, book stores, and toys stores everywhere for a really great reason - they are amazingly fun to play with and kids go crazy for them.  If you haven’t seen them, one look at their expressive wooden faces and their bendable bodies and you will immediately be as smitten as we are. 

Whereas other toy animals are rigid and come pre-posed, anamalz are different in that they are only limited by your imagination.  anamalz are made with a combination of sustainable maple wood and textiles and each have at least one body part that is fully bendable, which adds a whole new dimension to the traditional animal figures and makes playtime even more fun.  You can make them skip, swing from vines, and even give them their own personalities simply by positioning them however you like.

And, as we’ve said before, they are simply adorable.  anamalz all have a modern art look to them that may be display-worthy, but they are also kid-friendly.  Since we’ve collected a small zoo of anamalz in the past year, I love that our collection looks like art… even when it’s scattered across the floor as the kiddos play with them just about every day.  It looks so cute, in fact, that I can’t help but stop and play for a minute when I see them come out.

Really, the only thing cuter than anamalz is the new anamalz box sets that come with multiple characters in each box.  Perfect for gifting right in the package, they are one of my top gift picks this holiday season.  What could be better than picking up a trio of anamalz in a jungle theme, a dinosaur theme, or farm theme all ready for gifting to a lucky recipient? 

Need a bigger gift to go with your box set?  Why not get one of the awesome anamalz playsets they have pictured online such as the farm, the treehouse, the playmat, and the trees that are on my little ones’ list this year.  Amazing, right?

Besides being adorable, fun, and a great way to inspire imaginations, anamalz are truly a present you can feel good about giving.  Not only are their toys eco-friendly, the company is committed to giving back by way of their anamalz saving animals program.  To learn more about this great line and how they give back, you should check out the anamalz website.  You can find out facts about each animal, drool over the extensive anamalz line, and even register your critters with their site – all while rocking out to the anamalz theme song.

Want to win an awesome anamalz box set?  Of course you do!

To enter, simply visit the anamalz site and comment on this post telling me what your favorite animal is and what anamalz box set you would like!

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Like anamalz Facebook page

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us all:

Have you seen how adorable @anamalz are? @raveandreview has a great #giveaway to #win one of their new box sets! http://t.co/sa2M3GRq

3 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

On December 26th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This Giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: #181giveaway hound said...

http://giveawayhound.wordpress.com/2011/12/21/anamalz-box-set-ends-1226/ x1

A big thank you to anamalz for sending a box set for review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods Holiday Toys

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 10

I’m a huge fan of organic toys for a number of reasons, but especially for all the ways organic products work to better our earth and leave our planet beautiful for our children.  Toxin-free, adorable, and eco-friendly, there are a lot of reasons to choose Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods for your little one.  We were thrilled to hear about the line at BlogHer in September and even more so when some fun toys arrived on our doorstep.

My son simply loves the Dandelion Holiday snowman book and plush that came to play and it certainly makes us all feel festive as we approach the holiday season. Thank goodness Dandelion toys are quality made and ready for play, because my little one loves them “exuberantly” and carries {drags} them everywhere.  Thank goodness they are also both machine washable, as I’m sure they will both need some cleaning after all this love.

The organic velour Dandelion Snowman Cuddlie is colorful and fun and has soft corn stuffing which makes it ideal for snuggling {and teething} all winter long.  The soft cloth “Build A Snowman” book is perfect for pairing with the plush and is oversized for little hands to manage.  It has a cute little candy cane binding to secure the pages and make them fun to turn.  Even though my son is only 13 months and not anywhere near reading age, he likes to flip through the soft book and feel the crinkle of the pages while touching the shapes and colors in the book.

My daughter is 3 and also loves the Dandelion toys, so her favorite thing to do is read the Build A Snowman book to the snowman plush.  She did notice right away that the snowman described in the book is different than the plush toy in a few ways {button color, arms, hat color and shape}, but we just explained that, like people, every snowman is a little bit different than the rest.  She was happy with that, but she does tell everyone that the book is wrong still.  I guess you can’t win them all as a parent!

As colder weather sets in and we get our first snowfall of the year, I have a feeling that the snowman book and plush will get played with even more.  There’s nothing more fun than a snow day and now we will be able to have our own snow fun year-round in our living room!  I feel good about giving them to the kiddos and they love all the colors, shapes, and fun of the toys that are perfect for snuggling, playing, and learning.

If you are looking for some great environmentally friendly holiday toys for your little one, look no further than Dandelion Toys.  See the Dandelion for Baby website for all their great baby-to-toddler toys.  From dolls to bears and learning toys for babies and toddlers, there are so many great products to choose from that your little one will adore.  Going green was never so cute and fun!

A big thank you to Dandelion Earth-Friendly Goods for sending toys for review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

HABA Color Play Building Blocks {Review & Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 9

There’s nothing like creativity to help trump boredom.  I truly think it’s impossible to feel bored or restless if your mind is busy creating something grand and using your imagination.  It’s during these rainy and cold fall days that I like to encourage the kids to get creative right here at home.  So, we spend our time building with blocks together, playing “guess what I made”, and learning all about physics as we build up and defy gravity. 

This means that our HABA bin never really gets put away these days as it seems like someone is always playing with the collection of brightly colored beech wood blocks in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  Recently we added the Color Play Building Blocks from HABA and they have brought even more fun to our playtime.  

The Color Play set comes with 6 half-square blocks {or bridges} in various colors and patterns and then 3 small cubes that fit perfectly inside the pairs of bridges.  Then, in each one of the 3 small cubes is a special surprise in the design – whether it’s a ball in a gem, a rattle, or a squishy ball – that cannot be removed.  These extra special additions, of course, make these cubes the treasure when we are on a hunt or simply add to our creativity while we build our designs.

The Color Play Building Blocks are fun to mix and match as a puzzle and fit each of the cubes and bridges together, but they are also fun to stack and play with as building blocks.  And it’s because of the 6 uniform size and shape bridge blocks in the Color Play set that have allowed us to build a more stable base for our creations and thus build up taller and taller… which is more fun for us to build and all the more delightful for little one to knock down.  Naturally, this also makes our “guess what I made game” so much more fun as we now have uniform pieces to add to our collection that are perfect for making cameras, beds, telephones, and more.

Although incredibly fun to play, construct, and discover with simply on their own, when added to our HABA Animal Arranging Game, our buildings have taken on a whole new dimension.  The fun lopsided and off-square designs of the Animal Arranging Game allow you to create some truly funky towns, buildings, towers, and structures with the HABA Color Play Blocks.  The animal friends can then be seen peeking around corners, hiding on structures, and helping hold the town’s buildings together and add a fun touch of whimsy to whatever we’ve built with the Color Play Blocks.

Then once “Brozilla” {brother + Godzilla} knocks down the town, we gather up the small cube treasures to shake, observe, and bring some tactile fun to our block play.  Luckily the HABA blocks are age 1 and up which means that Brozilla doesn’t hurt the blocks, he just challenges us to build better and more stable buildings… hopefully on higher ground.

If you’re anticipating a long a cold fall followed by a long and cold winter, you will definitely want to make sure you have some HABA blocks on hand to help make cooped up at home feel fun and exciting.  The HABA Color Play Building Blocks are for Age 1 and up and retail from $31.49.  You can find both the Color Play Building Blocks as well as the Animal Arranging Game Blocks at Maukilo.com.   

One lucky winner will win the HABA Color Play Building Blocks! 

To enter simply visit Maukilo and tell me a favorite HABA toy that they carry {good luck choosing one!}

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!

1) Subscribe to Rave and Review, top of right sidebar (2 extra entries, must be verified to count)

2) Tweet about this Giveaway after following us both (daily Tweet, just post link here)

I love HABA wooden blocks from @maukilo & @raveandreview. Check out #ravereview and #giveaway to #win: http://tinyurl.com/88jf3rx

3) "Like" HABA USA on Facebook - Bonus: they have an awesome FB page that has tons of product info, places to purchase, and a real person that can answer any questions you have about the brand or products - gotta love that!

4) Blog about this Giveaway with links back to this post as well as the www.raveandreview.com homepage (2 extra entries, just post the URL where I can find your writeup)

5) Place my button in your sidebar on your blog or website  (2 extra entries, must have an active link to R&R)

6) Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

7) Email love.  Share this Giveaway with friends and family via email and cc Leanne (at)raveandreview (dot) com (I will never, ever contact your email recipients)

8) NEW!  "Like" Rave and Review on Facebook! {3 extra entries}

On December 20th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to: #100 Anne N. said... entered Discover the True Spirit of Christmas with World Vision {Review & Giveaway}

A big thank you to HABA for sending their Color Play Building Blocks for review. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

Our ActiFry Holiday Party {Giveaway}

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 8

Have you seen the ActiFry multicooker before?  We were introduced to this PTPA winner a few months back and have been simply amazed at all the entrees, appetizers and desserts you can create with little or no effort.  This amazing appliance is launching this week at Costco, so to celebrate we hosted an ActiFry Holiday Party at our house this past weekend to show friends, family, and neighbors what all you can cook in it. 

In the past few weeks that we’ve been busy planning, hosting, and recovering from our ActiFry Holiday Party, we have been more and more impressed with the ActiFry every day.  When people see the ActiFry box the first time, everyone thinks the same thing: French fries.  And, yes, the French fries and JoJo potatoes you can make in the ActiFry are simply delicious – the perfect amount of crispness, fluffiness, and just a tiny amount of oil – but that’s nowhere near the end of what you can make. 

While we, too, originally fell for the ActiFry just for the fact that it could take our homemade French fries and make them mouth-wateringly good and good for you, we continually are finding that the ActiFry can improve upon other recipes that we have loved for years, too.  From Asian inspired broccoli beef to hot wings to perfectly done veggies, every single recipe we have tried has become a new family favorite.  One look through the included ActiFry cookbook and I guarantee you that your mouth will be watering; they really do have everything from comfort food to gourmet entrees and even dessert. 

It actually took a long time to decide on the final menu for the party because everything looked so good and we wanted to try it all, but we finally made our choice of 7 recipes and gathered all the ingredients so we could try them out with our party guests.  By the time guests started arriving, we had most of the dishes for the night prepped, had roasted the pumpkin seeds and had the French fries cooking so we could start snacking right away.  And, as guests arrived at the party they were immediately hungry after smelling all the great smells coming from the kitchen.  The first response was always the same: what is that that smells so delicious?  The answer: everything! 

Since we wanted everyone to help cook in the ActiFry over the evening, we had recipes set out at each station and bowls full of the ingredients to make them all.  Our first recipe was an appetizer to start things off, the Sweet and Saucy Meatballs.  http://tfalactifry.com/recipes/view/sweet-and-saucy-meatballs-2  We improvised a little with the recipe by adding different fruit juices and varying the amount of pineapple and peppers in our three batches we made, but each finished dish was gone in minutes after coming out of the cooker and everyone was raving about how delicious they were. 

The next recipe we started was the Tuscan White Bean with Sausage, which was one of the more gourmet recipes we tried out.  With ingredients such as escarole, which is something I had never heard about before the party, I was a bit worried that it was going to be a little fancy for our cooking party, but my worries were unfounded.  We made two batches of this recipe because everyone loved it so much, and many guests said it was their favorite recipe for the night.  

Next we did an all-vegetarian recipe, the Rainbow Vegetable Medley, and even though it was competing with French fries, meatballs, and sausage and beans, everyone was still raving about the medley.  I especially liked the lemon juice in the recipe as it added a light and healthy flavor to the veggies and made them amazingly flavorful.  I expect that this will be one of our regular week night dinner recipes as it was so great and so easy to make as well.

Even though we probably had enough food at this point, I really wanted to try out the “fried” chicken wings in the ActiFry, so I had the guys make up the Asian Style Chicken Wings for all of us.  The recipe really couldn’t be easier – you just put them in the ActiFry for 20 minutes and then add sauce and cook for 2 minutes.  While it’s simple {and ambiguous, since you could pretty much add any sauce you would like}, it really was the rave food of the party.  I can’t even tell you how many of the guys came up and said they had never had better wings before, and this is from a group who knows their wings.  I would call that a ringing endorsement

The last dinner recipe we tried was the Green Beans with Almonds and Parsley, which was one of my very favorite dishes.  The green beans were just perfect in their doneness and their flavor was simply amazing.  As with the vegetable medley, the recipe also called for lemon and zest, and it really added that extra kick to the dish, as was the addition of the almonds.  This is the perfect side dish for the upcoming holidays and I plan on making this recipe for a few gatherings. 

Yes, at this point we had plenty of food and really could have stopped cooking, but that would have left our party without dessert, and we can’t have that, right?  And, this dessert was simply amazing, we really wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.  If you like apple pie or apple crisp, you will adore the Chef Ming Tsai’s 5 Spice Crumble.   

While it is nearly impossible to describe just what this machine can do using only text and pictures, once you see it in action you will be simply amazed.  I know our friends were once they saw all that we were cooking for our party.  Even though we had been using the ActiFry for a few weeks before the party, even we were impressed after we tried all the amazing recipes.  In fact, we loved using it so much that we have made a spot for the ActiFry on the counter so we can use it for quick week night dinners and desserts, which is a very big thing for us!

Price: $250 ARV.  Find out more about the ActiFry, its many features and recipes, and where to buy at tfalactifry.com.

Want to win an awesome ActiFry for yourself?  Of course you do!

To enter, simply visit the ActiFry recipe site and comment on this post telling me what you would make in yours if you win!

 And, as always, there are extra entries available!  {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Like ActiFry's Facebook page and comment with what you would make in the ActiFry if you win and @ tag PTPA and Rave & Review

2 Extra Entries {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Simply tweet the following after following us all:

Make healthy "fried" foods easily with the super cool @ActiFry #giveaway from @RaveAndReview & @PTPA! http://tinyurl.com/7xqb8a2 ARV $250!

3 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus.  Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love.  Enter any of my other Giveaways and/or comment on any non-giveaway post!

For more entries, please visit my PTPA ActiFry Party blog post for more ways to enter to win this awesome prize!

On December 6th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email.  Winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen.  Giveaway open to US and Canadian Addresses.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered and congrats to: Teressa Bignell, you are the lucky winner!

A big thank you to ActiFry for providing the information and giveaway for one lucky winner.  All opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

The Muppets are BACK!

In case you haven’t noticed, the Muppets are coming, and around our house this is a very big deal. The Muppet Movie was released today, November 23rd, 2011 in theatres throughout the country and it seems the whole world is talking about it.  It’s been a few years since the last Muppet movie came out though, which means a lot of younger kids may not be as familiar with them as my generation was growing up. 

Instead of ignoring this fact as a lot of people would, the Muppets throw it out first and foremost by making it a major plot point of the movie. Coming from a household that used the Muppet Show as units of time {as in “We’ll be there in two Muppet Shows”} it’s hard to think of them as underdogs, but that is the reality today. 

So, in the beginning of the film we find the Muppets have stopped performing together, are spread all across the country and the old Muppet Theater is falling apart.  When an old oil tycoon {played by the always great Chris Cooper} sets up a deal to buy the theater but really intends to demolish it, the gang must reunite to save it. 

Will all the Muppets get back together? Will they save the theater? Well I won’t spoil the suspense for you here, but I will say that the same old sense of humor is here throughout the movie.  I’ve always thought the Muppets were one of the first shows to have jokes for kids and adults and that is definitely true in the new film. 

There are multiple times where the characters break down the third wall and mention the fact that they’re in a movie, mixed in with sight gags and fart jokes, as well as 80’s references and all sorts of social commentary.  I can’t think of another movie recently that I laughed at this much while my 3 year old daughter was enjoying it just the same. 

Another great staple of Muppet movies that continues here is the celebrity cameo. Every few minutes would be another instance of “hey look who that is!” It’s always fun to see who shows up, even to just deliver a line or two, and then see how many you can name at the end of the movie. 

Written by and starring Jason Segel the Muppets is a true celebration of Kermit, Miss Piggy and the whole gang. It is very clear that this was a labor of love and comes from someone who understands what the Muppets are all about.

So, if you like the Muppets even slightly, or just want a movie you and your kids can agree on you have to go see the Muppets movie. It really is a rare treat to be able to share something you loved from your childhood with your kids and have it be new for both of you. 
A big thank you to Disney and the Muppets for giving us a sneak preview into the new Muppet Movie. All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

It's Time to Dance! Live with Yo Gabba Gabba

As you may know, the Yo Gabba Gabba gang was in my town last weekend.  Having gone to the There's A Party In My City Yo Gabba Gabba show last year as well, I thought I knew kind of what to expect.  But, let me tell you, the show completely blew away my expectations, which admittedly were already pretty high.  It may be that my daughter is simply more of a concert age, or maybe it’s that she’s been a fan of Yo Gabba Gabba so long that they are more like friends than mere characters on the screen, but whatever the case, last Saturday was pretty much the best day she could ever imagine.

Just look at these faces… speechless.
In fact, she was so happy, so animated, and so enthusiastic in her love of the show that she was actually handpicked from the audience to go up on stage for a dance party with Biz Markie.  Yes, that happened.  Be still, my heart. 

At first when the guy from the dance party crew came by and talked to us, I was thrilled – my baby! onstage! – and then after he left and we had already agreed to have her go up the realization set in that my BABY was going to be onstage.  All the way up there.  Without me.  Gulp.

Intermission came and went and the excitement in our row was palpable as my daughter got more and more excited.  A few minutes into the second half of the show and off went my daughter as she was whisked away to the stage with the crew.  I stayed back in my seat for a fraction of a second before I made my way to the front of the stage just in case.  What can I say?  It was the mom in me.  Well, that and the fact that it was easier to get video.

Even without the dance party excitement, the show was pretty much amazing.  The energy, the excitement, everything.  Since the entire event is designed to be interactive, it makes the whole show an experience, not just a concert.  People were dancing, people were singing along, and you really couldn’t help be fully involved… and that goes for kids AND adults.  Basically, just being there felt like I was the best mom in the world, especially when I thought about all the stories she will be able to look back on throughout the years.  You know, when she reminisces about the time she danced with Biz Markie at the Paramount.  Best. Mom. Ever. 

Even if your child is just a casual fan of Yo Gabba Gabba {if there is such a thing}, I would highly recommend the live show.  It's an amazing experience that you truly will be talking about all year long, and it's hopefully going to be our family tradition for years.  You can find the rest of the Yo Gabba Gabba tour dates here, as well as more information about what to expect when they come to your town by visiting yogabbagabbalive.com! 

Also - Don't forget to enter to win our giveaway for an exclusive Yo Gabba Gabba DVD that was only sold at the show, as well as a copy of Music is Awesome 3, now thru November 30th!  You can enter to win here!

We received tickets to attend the YGG show here in Seattle so we could tell you all about how much fun we had.  However, all opinions are 100% ours and no monetary compensation was received in exchange for this Rave Review.

BigJigs Polar Glacier Playset

Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide - Day 6

Don’t you love when companies just “get it”?  BigJigs is one of those companies that understands that parents these days want the best of all worlds – imagination inspiring, adorable, educational, quality-made, and extended play value toys for their kids.  For 25 years BigJigs has been all the rage in Europe, creating truly amazing products that are all of the above and more, and they recently made their way to the States just in time for the holidays. 

If you haven’t been introduced to BigJigs before, you will definitely want to check out their amazing line of wooden heirloom quality toys to see all that their line offers.  From houses and castles to trains and tracks, there’s a playset for any interest and any age.  And, I do mean any age.

Just one look through their online catalog and you will be reminded of all that is awesome about childhood.  Imagine exploring a jungle with your child one day, visiting the artic the next, and then running a farm full of colorful animals after that.  When the adventure is through you simply hop on their rail cars and ride on home so at the end of the day you can relax in your cottage, your mansion, or castle with the rest of your family.  This is the life of BigJigs. 

A few weeks ago BigJigs came to play with us in the form of the Polar Glacier Playset and from the moment it arrived, it has proved to be hours and hours of fun.  As with most BigJigs sets, the first activity was putting the playset together as it arrived in pieces, flat for shipping.  While this typically isn’t the fun part of toys, in the case of BigJigs it definitely is.  The wooden playset pieces are incredibly unique in that they notch together like puzzle pieces to create exciting new worlds ready for play. 

In mere minutes the flat wooden pieces became an artic exploration unlike anything I had ever seen, complete with an underwater level with alcoves for the included animals to swim around, an ice slide for the seals to shimmy down, an ice cave perfect for a polar bear’s den, and an adorable igloo to house the sweet Eskimo couple when they are finished ice fishing.  To say that this playset is fun is an understatement; each day playing with it is more like an adventure. 

Not only do we love how fun it is to build our own icy world with the Polar Glacier Playset, we love all the included animals and friends that take play to a whole new level.  Now instead of a deserted landscape of ice, snow, and water, we’ve got a cross section of the artic that includes all the diverse animals and people who call it home.  All of this, of course, makes it a great learning tool as well, which is yet another reason I love that the BigJigs Polar Glacier set is such a huge hit in our house.  What better way to teach your children about people and places near and far than by spending an afternoon immersed in imaginative play?

If you are looking for a classic holiday gift for a special little one, I would highly recommend checking out the BigJigs toys line.  You can find their wooden heritage playsets at Amazon.com as well as many local toy stores and online.   


A big thank you to BigJigs for sending their Polar Glacier Playset to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% ours and no form of monetary compensation was received in exchange for this very Rave Review.

How to Host a Dinner Party, ActiFry Style

This weekend I’m hosting my first cooking party ever. 

I’ve hosted potlucks before, cocktail parties, and I’ve had dinner parties, but I’ve never done anything as crazy as let my guests cook. 

We’ll be cooking everything from appetizers to desserts in the PTPA Winning T-Fal ActiFry and would love to have you join us virtually as we see all that this little machine can do!  All Saturday evening you can follow our tweets at #actifryholidayparty to see what we’re up to!  {Bonus: anyone tweeting about the party using the hashtag over the weekend will get extra entries into the super secret giveaway we are hosting next week... woo hoo!}

Does anyone have any advice for me on ways to get it to run smoothly?  Any suggestions on recipes you would like to see someone try out in the ActiFry?

No compensation was received in exchange for this post.