First Time Mom and Losing It

Every year it never fails, my husband and I go overboard with the Christmas gifts. She is our only child so we tend to go a little crazy around the holidays. Even though she received a lot of gifts this year, there are only a select few that she still plays with on a consistent basis.


One of the Christmas toys I see my daughter take out at least once a day is the Lite Poppers. She always loved building and creating her own things so I knew she would love it. The lights on the Lite Poppers is a huge plus that keeps her entertained for a long time. My husband always loved building as a child too so it's nice to see them spending lots of quality time building. She is having fun creating and making stories with her new creations and I love that she is learning while she plays.

While playing with the Lite Poppers I know she is learning how to construct, problem solve and using fine motor skills. Looking at the colorful and easy to follow instructions also helps to start on math and reading skills. At first we built the models in the book together and then I let her go at it inventing her own models.


Lite Poppers is a construction toy with unique spherical pieces that click and pop together to create virtually anything you want. It comes with a rechargable LED base that lights up the pieces. It also comes with cute little characters that can interact with your creation to create a great story. The fun and colorful instructions, comic book and trading cards that also come with each kit gets the kids interested in reading too.


For more information on Lite Poppers and to find out how you can purchase your own, head on over to www.litepoppers.com.

When I went to the Toy Insider HoliDAY of play event in October I was most excited to see the toys that taught while being fun. Being a former teacher and a mom of a soon to be preschooler I know the types of toys that would keep her engaged. Since she will be going to Pre-K4 soon I want her to learn at home as much as possible while she plays.

At the HoliDAY of play event they had a whole category just for STEM. STEM covers Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. When I first went to the STEM station I didn't think that there would be many things for a three year old, boy was I wrong! The Thames & Kosmos company has some amazing engineering kits and three of them were aimed at kids 3+.


The one that mostly caught my eye was the Amusement Park Engineer kit. My daughter is at the age now that she can finally get into some rides at the arcade we go to. I love that this kit is a part of a fun story involving two very curious kids. They build simple models to solve problems that their family encounters while at the amusement park. While reading the story you can help your child build 20 different structures and machines. Some of these structures include a Ferris wheel, carousel, pirate ship pendulum, bumper car and so much more.

The Amusement Park Engineer kit is made up of large and colorful plastic building pieces that are perfect for little hands. While the kids are having fun building the structures it helps develop fine motor skills. It is also helping with science and math skills, and reasoning and development skills.

Click on the link to learn more about the Amusement Park Engineer. They also have an Automobile Engineer Kit and an Aircraft Engineer Kit.


Which one of the kits would you have most fun playing and learning with? 

**I received the products below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


This year I had the opportunity to go to Sweet Suite 15 and the Toy Insider HoliDAY of Play to get a first hand look at what was going to be the hottest selling toys of the year. These are the toys I feel a preschooler would enjoy the most.

Play All Day Elmo - $59.99 - 18 Months to 4+ Years
The Play All Day Elmo has two modes, one for toddler play and one for a preschooler. This was perfect to use with my toddler because once she became an expert on that mode and becomes a preschooler next year I can switch up the mode and she has a whole new Elmo and games to play with. The Elmo has 8 different modes of play and 150+ play responses like turning him upside down and tickling his tummy. It also has a Nap switch when you are done playing with him where he will sing a song and go to sleep.


Design & Drill® Flower Power Studio™ - $32.99 - 3+ Years
I love that it is a drill set made for girls. Girls want to be handy with tools too and my daughter loved it. Having the base fold and close was a big plus to contain all of the little pieces. Once I put the batteries into the drill my daughter was in love! She felt like a big girl using the drill and got the hang of it pretty quickly. She wouldn't stop until each nut was drilled in place. I love how it came with a booklet of designs to try.


Legoland Discovery Center Annual Pass - $65.00 - 2 to 10 Years
What kids don't love LEGOS? We took my daughter when she was 2 and a couple of weeks ago when she was 3. She enjoyed it both times so much that we are getting her an annual pass for the Holidays. Going just three times pays for itself and there is so much to do! You get a factory tour, view mini land made out of LEGOs, build and race cars, watch 4D movies, sing karaoke and the littlest ones have their own DUPLO village to play with and so much more. Great for when the weather gets colder and it's the gift that keeps on giving.


Learn with Homer Learning Program Annual - $79.95 - 3 to 8 Years
Learn with Homer is a learning program that was developed by top literacy experts and proven to give results. I love that it has supplemental material you can print out and extend the lessons. One of my favorite features is allowing the children to record and hear themselves sounding out letters and words. My three year old has been using the program for about a month and a half now and is already reading and just started spelling words.



Sands Alive - Price Varies on Kit - 3+ Years
I got to first experience the Sands Alive at the HoliDAY of play event. I have been hearing about this sand for a while now and just wanted to play with it. You can easily mold it and manipulate it with tools. Then just knock it over and watch it come alive with how it moves.


Stikbot Studio Pack - $14.99 - 6+ Years
Although this one has a higher age range, I have been helping my daughter create movies using the Free app and one of the Stikbots we got in our HoliDAY of play gift bag. The little figurines have suction cups and joints that allow you to move them however you want to easily create stop motion movies. After you are done with your movie you can upload it to social media and share your creation. The package includes two stikbots and one tripod.


Amusement Park Engineer - $64.95 - 3+ Years
I love that the Amusement Park Engineer has a story connected to the kit where you have to problem solve and build things to help out. You go around the amusement park fixing and building things that are useful. The plastic pieces are big, bright and easy to put together which is best for little hands. I love that you can build 20 structures and machines with this one kit.


How do you find the perfect gift for your child? 

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


Last month my family and I went on a long weekend trip to the Poconos to stay at a resort and indoor water park. One our way back to New York we went to one of their most talked about malls and there was a Toys 'R Us Express. I took the toddler into the store to get something to entertain her on the long trip back home. They had this really big piano floor mat that she fell in love with. She didn't even look at the toys she could get because she was too busy with the piano. Hopping away at the big keys she loved all of the music that came out of it. I knew I had to get her one for Christmas.


Christmas came early when I got the opportunity to review the one from Click N' Play. As soon as I showed the toddler the box she was jumping for joy. We took it out of the big box and installed 4 AA batteries that I had already on hand in anticipation of getting the piano. We put it on the floor and off my toddler went playing some music with her feet and hops.


The piano mat is very durable and made of a really thick heavy duty vinyl. My daughter can jump around it for a long time and it looks like it can withstand the energy of a toddler. The mat is 6 feet across so it is huge! Since it is so big I love how much my daughter is being active by running back and forth and hopping on it. It has 8 different built-in instruments like a guitar and violin so you are not just getting a piano. The volume is adjustable and I love that it has an automatic "power off" feature so the batteries won't wear out.

You can purchase one and learn more about the piano on Amazon.

**The toddler and I were invited to the #PlayAllDayElmo Event and received a gift bag for attendance. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


When I received the invitation to attend the #PlayAllDayElmo Event by Hasbro I quickly RSVP'ed! My toddler has been an Elmo and Sesame Street fan since she was an infant. I have bought her every big Elmo toy for Christmas and they have always been a big hit. As soon my toddler woke up in the morning she yelled in excitement because today was the day! I might have told her a few days too early about the event! We took a long train ride to Spring Street and headed to the Crosby Street Hotel.


We went down to the event space and was greeted by an amazing staff. They took the care to decorate everything in cheerful colors, balloons and Elmo decorations! Cookie Monster and Grover was there to take pictures with the kids and then my daughter got escorted to a huge play room full of amazing Sesame Street toys.


We got to play with the Play All Day Elmo and given a little demo on it. The Play All Day Elmo has two modes, one for toddler play and one for a preschooler. This was perfect to use with my toddler because once she became an expert on that mode and becomes a preschooler next year I can switch up the mode and she has a whole new Elmo and games to play with. The Elmo has 8 different modes of play and 150+ play responses like turning him upside down and tickling his tummy. It also has a Nap switch when you are done playing with him where he will sing a song and go to sleep.


After playing with the toys we went to a screening room and the real Abby Caddaby and Elmo were there! All off the kids (and parents) squealed in delight when we saw them. We got to watch the new Play All Day with Elmo DVD while the kids jumped and clapped and did what the DVD asked them to do.



The Play All Day Elmo is the perfect holiday gift for kids ages 14 months to 4+. The Play All Day with Elmo DVD would be an amazing stocking stuffer too.

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


When I went to Blogger Bash in July one of my favorite booths at Sweet Suite was Educational Insights. Being a teacher made me appreciate how every one of their toys has some educational aspect to them. They create toys that are not only educational but extremely well made and fun. The amazing people at Educational Insights sent us some toys to play and learn with. My daughter was so excited to play with the big box of toys.


First we played with the Magic Moves® RainbowJam™. You just take the wand and press it onto whatever color you want. Every time you press on a color it will tell you what color it is and play a song to go with the color. It has different musical styles like Latin and jazz. It comes with a 16-page musical activity book. My daughter loved playing the songs with the colors and singing to them. She had the most fun running around the house clicking on every color she could find.


Next was the Puppet-on-a-Stick™ Rainbow Prancers, Set of 3. My daughter is a huge fan of ponies and unicorns are even better! I love that the Prancers had hair she could comb and stickers she could decorate with. First we played pretend with them by just moving the wands around. Then I taught her how to use the lever to move the mouth. It took her a few tries to do it but when she got the hang of it she had so much fun making them talk and sing.


Her favorite of the bunch was the Design & Drill® Flower Power Studio™. I love how cute the floral design was and the bright colors. Having the base fold and close was a big plus to contain all of the little pieces. Once I put the batteries into the drill my daughter was in love! She felt like a big girl using the drill and got the hang of it pretty quickly. She wouldn't stop until each nut was drilled in place. I love how it came with a booklet of designs to try.


We also got the GeoSafari® Jr. Jungle Crew Lab Set™. It is a 6-piece, animal-themed science set. I love that it comes with 10 hands-on activity cards with fun and easy experiments to try. I will be adding this set to our science curriculum and will be posting pictures soon of them in action.


Which one of the bunch is your favorite? 

**I received the product below free for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be a good fit for my readers. All opinions are 100% my own.


If you are looking for fun, great quality and educational toys for your kids you have to check out the HABA brand. Last month I got to view a selection of their amazing toys for babies up to 8+ years. I was so excited when I got contacted to review some of their toys that I jumped at the opportunity.

HABA is a wood manufacturing company best known for their amazing wooden toys. They are expanding their toy catalog to plush and even textile toys that are all brilliantly made. I love that most of their toys have some kind of education aspect to it.


My daughter got to try out the Dress-Up Doll Lilli Magnetic Game. It comes with a metal container, 4 background scenes and 54 magnetic pieces that include clothes, hairstyles, accessories and even some cute little pets.


I love that you can put the scenes right into the back of the tin and the doll and clothes stick right onto it. This makes it perfect for those long car rides we take with her. I love how she just picks the background and chooses the right clothes. Her favorite is the school background where she puts the perfect school outfit on and accessories Lilli with books and eyeglasses. Since the pieces are made out of magnets it is very durable and can make it through the hundreds of dress changes my daughter loves to make. I also love how all the pieces get stored right back into the tin when she is finished playing with them.



We also got to play with the Butterfly Threading Game. It comes with a huge colorful butterfly that is made out of thick wood.


It is extremely durable so I know my daughter will get lots of years out of this one. It also comes with 3 threads, 42 tiles and 2 double sided templates. My daughter loved all of the pieces that came with it and had fun playing with and stacking up the tiles.


I took the opportunity to go over the colors and shapes with her while she was playing. Then I showed her how to thread the tiles onto the string. She had fun doing that for a while and then I showed her how to add the tiles to the butterfly. I had her pick a template and helped her put the tiles on. She had so much fun playing with it and I had so much fun teaching her how to add the tiles.



HABA has so many more amazing toys and I will definitely be shopping around their website often. Their products are also available at major retailers too.

Which HABA toy is your favorite?