Build a Bear Alvin and Wii Giveaway

A fun Christmas tradition to entertain your children is going to Build a Bear Workshops. Children will love “building” their own friend and parents will love the reasonable cost. Here is how it works:

To make their stuffed teddy bear or flamingo, or monkey – there are dozens of choices– “guests” (i.e. kids of any age including anyone feeling young-at-heart) do a circuit of eight bear-making stations.

• Choose Me: guests choose the furry friend they’re going to make.

• Hear Me: guests choose a pre-recorded sound that will be inserted in the stuffed animal; or they can make their own message (for about $8).

• Stuff Me and Heart Stuff: “master Bear Builders associates” (aka store staff) fill the teddy with stuffing. “Heart Stuff™” is a special step: each Guest chooses a satin heart, makes a wish, and puts it inside the stuffie.

• Stitch Me: before the stuffed animal gets its final stitch, the “master Bear Builder associate” inserts a barcode, so that if the stuffed animal gets lost, it can be returned to Build-A-Bear Workshop and its owner can be identified.

• Fluff Me: the guest brushes the animal at the bear spa

• Name Me: the Name Me computer asks guests questions about their new stuffed animal, and this info goes on a personalized birth certificate (English or Spanish).

• Dress Me: of course, there are fashions for all occasions. Pawsonal Shoppers assist.

• Take Me Home: guests get the customized birth certificate, and a Buy Stuff Club® card. The stuffed animal travels in a Cub Condo® carrying case.

Prices for your child’s furry friend are reasonable — $10 to $25– as are prices for outfits. Most major cities have a Build-A-Bear Workshop ®  Every year they have new characters to build and cherish and this year I am excited about Alvin and the Chipmunks. Nolan is a big fan of them.

GIVEAWAY:

ALVIN BUILD A BEAR

BUILD-A-BEAR WII GAME

Build-A-Bear Workshop ® wants to provide one of Bookroom Reviews Readers with your own Alivin!  YEAH!  NOTE: due to availability they will not be able to get him to you until after Christmas.

In addition, I will send the winner the fun Wii game, Build-a-Bear Workshop: A Friend For all Seasons. Rated E For everyone.

The store that lets children design and build their own teddy bears migrates to the Wii for the first time in Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons. Up to four players can join in the action by creating their own unique furry friends and sending them off to compete in a number of mini-games. Gamers can help their bears hop through a sack race, use the Wii Remote to toss around a flying disc, or get acrobatic on a trampoline, and each mini-game rewards players with medals that can be used to buy new outfits and accessories. ~ Christopher Brown, All Game Guide

TO ENTER: VISIT BUILD A BEAR.COM AND LET US KNOW WHAT OTHER CHARACTER YOU WOULD LIKE TO BUILD FOR YOUR FAMILY

ANOTHER ENTRY: FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND TWEET THIS CONTEST AND LEAVE THE LINK IN A SEPARATE ENTRY

ANOTHER ENTRY: SUBSCRIBE TO BOOKROOM REVIEWS AND LEAVE COMMENT IN SEPARATE ENTRY

THIS CONTEST WILL END DECEMBER 20TH AND WE WILL E-MAIL THE WINNER WHO WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND. THANKS FOR ENTERING AND GOOD LUCK!  U.S. only please.

BUILD A BEAR PROVIDED THE PRODUCT FOR REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Listerine Gingerbread House Giveaway

Listerine has a fun package for Bookroom Review readers to win for the holiday season. This “Eat Your Sweets and Keep Your Teeth Too” giveaway of holiday goodies is sure to bring a smile to everyone in the family and is worth $50.

Get in the holiday spirit and spend quality time together creating a festive gingerbread house. After all the sweets, Mom, rest assured your family will have photo-ready smiles and healthy mouths when using LISTERINE™ PocketPaks®, LISTERINE™ TOTAL CARE and LISTERINE™ Antiseptic and REACH® by Design™.

The gift basket will include the following:

Williams-Sonoma No-Bake Winter Wonderland Gingerbread House Kit

This family-friendly kit includes a building tray for the house foundation, sturdy precut gingerbread walls and roof, and colorful candy decorations. Easily assembled, this is sure to create lasting holiday memories you and your loved ones will cherish.

Make Holiday Brushing Fun: *NEW* REACH® by Design™

Brush away gingerbread crumbs with the new exclusive brushes from REACH®. Adults and kids alike will love the festive patterns that make brushing your teeth fun! Plus, the brush is designed to clean and remove more plaque in hard to reach places

For the Holiday Party: LISTERINE® PocketPaks®

Family get-together coming up soon? Keep this on-the-go solution for fresh breath with you at every occasion. These slender packs fit easily in your pocket or purse, so you’re always prepared to mix and mingle with friends and family!

LISTERINE® TOTAL CARE and LISTERINE® Antiseptic

This holiday packaged duo is the perfect dop kit necessity. Plus, the individual travel-sized LISTERINE® Antiseptic and LISTERINE® TOTAL CARE have germ killing action. Keep your family’s mouths germ free, while maintaining fresh breath and a healthy smile for those memorable holiday moments.

TO ENTER: LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE HOLIDAY TRADITION.

ANOTHER ENTRY: FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND TWEET THIS CONTEST AND LEAVE THE LINK IN A SEPARATE ENTRY

ANOTHER ENTRY: SUBSCRIBE TO BOOKROOM REVIEWS AND LEAVE COMMENT IN SEPARATE ENTRY

THIS CONTEST WILL END DECEMBER 20TH AND WE WILL E-MAIL THE WINNER WHO WILL HAVE 48 HOURS TO RESPOND.  THANKS FOR ENTERING AND GOOD LUCK!

Listerine provided the prize package for giveaway and review

Hexbug Nano Review

If you have a youngster whose stocking needs stuffed this holiday season with a fun but affordable toy, the HEXBUG Nano may be your best solution.  With a retail price of just $7.99, the Hexbug Nano from Innovation First International is an irresistible, ultra-engaging bug-like robotic toy that uses the physics of vibration and robotic intelligence to skitter along and explore its environment on smooth surfaces.

The HEXBUG Nano provides hours of fun for the entire family and is now available at ToysRUs & RadioShack stores nationwide.  As a nice add-on benefit, HEXBUG Nano fanatics interested in the lore of science and discovery can visit www.handandstars.com to test their knowledge of scientific history and key scientific discoveries, engage in online game play, and register their Nano collection to earn points and global prestige.  HEXBUGS are designed to engage and inspire kids at a young age by giving them a positive experience with robotics, ideally furthering their educational interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.

The HEXBUG Nano is without question the most interesting, entertaining, and sophisticated toy that costs less than $10 that I have ever seen.  One challenge we found is that the HEXBUG is so frisky that you should try to establish clear boundaries for them before you turn them loose.  They operate with a natural affinity for turning and flipping when faced with boundaries.  We ended up having to dig ours out from under the fridge and TV until we realized to keep them under wraps.

Described by my father in law as an electronic bug, the HEXBUG is sure to be a highlight for your child this Christmas!

Cyber Mondays Coupon Craze Tips

The upcoming Cyber Mondays fueling the Coupon Craze start with November 30th (the Official Cyber Monday), which follows the Black Friday weekend sales with its own set of bargains. This is considered the biggest online shopping day of the year as many people only have access to high-speed Internet at work and use work PCs to do their shopping. There will be plenty of people leveraging the coupon craze on that day.

The other Cyber Mondays follow on each subsequent Monday, through Dec. 21st, which will be the last day you can reliably order something and expect it to be delivered by Christmas. While the coupon craze will center on the official Cyber Monday, you will find plenty of deals as retailers drop prices to the bone in these recessionary times.

To find the best deals and best coupons for either Cyber Monday or Black Friday, ads, deals and coupons can be found at a variety of places. For example, there’s the site called “Coupon Craze.” That site has a clever name for this Black Friday ad crazy time, and it specializes in coupon codes and links to be used on a variety of sites.

The oldest, perhaps, is eBates. That site gives you more than just the coupons that Coupon Craze does. In fact, it speciailizes more in rebates (or ebates) that are returned to you after you buy an item from a store. The rebates will vary in size, from 1 percent all the way to 20-plus percent. They also have coupon codes and links, but those are really secondary to the rebates.

Another good site to check when looking for Black Friday Deals and Cyber Monday Deals is FatWallet. Just as eBates, it specializes in rebates, but it also lists deals and coupon codes. It also has an online forum where users can post tips on Black Friday and Cyber Sales and Deals, and in fact deals all year-round.

Another favorite is Mr. Rebates. That site, as it sounds specialize in rebates, but it also supplies coupon codes as well.

Finally, one more is Current Codes. Like Coupon Craze, it’s all about coupons, not rebates, and doesn’t offer any rebates at all.

One thing to remember, whether trying to get the best Black Friday Ads and Sales or the best Cyber Monday Ads and Sales is that many of these sites invalidate the rebate if you use a coupon code from a different site. Thus, if you used a Coupon Craze code and went to Fatwallet, and clicked their “rebate” link, you may not see the rebate.

Finally, most of these rebate sites (though, as I said, not Coupon Craze, which is all about coupons) pay your rebates through PayPal. They are also available all year-round, not just during this Black Friday Ad and Deal crazy time (and Cyber Monday Ad and Deal craziness, too).

Kushies My Bag Giveaway

I am a HUGE fan of KUSHIES BABY and their latest product is a must have for busy moms!

My Bag is an overnight bag packed with accessories to make sleepovers, and the items you send with them a breeze to pack and unpack when they return. First, you start off with a fun choice between a girly pink and brown or boyish blue and brown My Bag. I love that the design is simple yet still fun for kids. When you invest money into a child’s overnight bag like this you want it to be something they can use for years.  Next, all the fun accessories included with each bag:

• 1 insulated snack box

• 1 insulated medicine box

• 1 clean clothes bag

• 1 dirty clothes bag

• 1 soiled clothes bag with laundry insert

• 1 spare shoes bag

• A pillow and blanket

• A handy hook for hanging

If I had to pick my favorite feature of the My Bag, I would say it’s the medicine tote. Often our children have medicines and supplies that really need to be with them. For instance, my son has asthma, this tote makes it easy for me to include his inhaler and any instructions I may have about his diet/allergies, etc.  Kushies is more than just the My Bag though. I reviewed their activity toys over Christmas and they are absolutely adorable and educational.  Right now you get a free CRITTER with a purchase of MY BAG.  You have to check out all of their other great products at www.kushiesonline.com.

Kushies Baby designs, manufactures and markets an innovative collection of quality baby products and accessories. The company strives for excellence in all areas to ensure its customers receive the highest attainable workmanship and quality. This is exemplified in our continued dedication to service – an uncompromising commitment maintained for more than 50 years.

KUSHIES had generously offered a Bookroom Reviews Reader their own MY BAG!

TO ENTER: GO TO WWW.KUSHIESONLINE.COM, LOOK AROUND AND COME BACK AND LET ME KNOW WHAT OTHER PRODUCT CATCHES YOUR INTEREST.  ALSO LET US KNOW IF YOU WANT TO WIN THE BOY OR GIRL BAG.

FOR ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER AND TWEET THIS GIVEAWAY, SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG, OR STUMBLE THIS CONTEST.

Contest will end April 13th. U.S. and Canada only please. Good Luck!

Holiday Guide For Kids

Kiddesign is a fantastic company that makes interactive educational toys for children.  KIDdesigns is a leading manufacturer of cutting edge, interactive electronic toys, learning aids, and real electronics for kids of all ages. We understand and respect the importance that toys play in kids’ lives. With that responsibility in mind, we combine state-of-the-art technology with old-fashioned fun to create innovative, exciting, and enjoyable products that kids will love and parents can trust.  KIDdesigns is dedicated to creating products that help boys and girls grow, learn, and have fun.

KIDdesigns has received some of the most prestigious awards and honors in the industry, including Family Fun’s “Toy of the Year” award, “Top Toy” recognition from the Great American Toy Test, and the “Best New Product Innovation” award from Toy Wishes Magazine. Our most-treasured honors, however, have always been the smiles and laughter from millions of boys and girls when they play with our toys and use our products.

They are must have on your Christmas list.  We loved playing with the following toys and highly recommend them!  You can buy them at www.kiddesigns.com and Toys R Us.   Free shipping for orders over $30.
Growing Smart Laugh With Me Botley (Isn’t he adorable!)
An Interactive Learning Friend

Botley is loaded with fun and games and he’s eager to help kids learn words, numbers, logic, and more! Watch as Botley comes to life with moving head and mouth. Join this lovable laughing robot for hours of teaching entertainment.

Logic Circuits
Logic and Reasoning skills keep young minds sharp and focused

Letter Circuits
Letter Identification and recognition is fundamental to language and reading skills

Word Circuits
Recognizing and understanding words is an important component to reading comprehension

Math Circuits
Teaches basic math skills

Game Circuits
A variety of challenging games help sharpen strategic thinking

Custom Game and Data Circuits
Customization of content creates a personalized challenge

Growing Smart Learning Laptop (Spiderman Design)
Your child will want to look just like you with his or her own laptop!  This one is the perfect size and teaches them e-mail even!  So cute and educational.  There is a Barbie laptop just for girls.

* 8 learning zones with 48 different activities, including great games like hangman, snake, word jumble, word matching, letter matching and more
* Spider-Man® speech and exciting sound effects
* S.M.A.R.T. Chip™ Technology will automatically adjust quiz levels that are appropriate for each child
* Translate button translates select words into Spanish instantly
* “My Zone” feature allows custom spelling lists, instant messages to Spider-Man, Email and more
* Backlit display

Barbie™ Pet Doctor

We have so much fun being a doctor to this adorable dog.  He makes sounds and lights up to show your child where he is hurt and where they can treat him.  A great toy to teach empathy and inspire your child to help animals.

* Interactive pet with pressure sensitive pads in head, back, and all paws to activate different exciting doggie sounds
* Dog responds to bottle and bone
* Realistic dog sounds such as barking, panting, yelping, chewing–even a heartbeat
* Includes a carrying bag to store doggie and accessories
* In store “Try Me” plays sound effects from paw
* Accessories include carrying bag, stethoscope, thermometer, milk bottle, syringe, bone, certificate, and a prescription pad

Be Fire Smart

Every year I love to decorate our Christmas tree with my sentimental ornaments and lights.  But we must also remember to keep our family safe, because Christmas Trees and other decorations can be a fire hazard.

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nearly 47,000 household fires occur during the holidays each year. Misplaced or dry decorations mixed with fires and candles can lead to injuries, the loss of property, and even to lost lives, a tragedy which most families fail to consider amidst their festive holiday planning.

In preparation for this year’s holiday season, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Holly Robinson Peete, actress, philanthropist and mother of four are teaming up to raise awareness and spread simple tips to keep families safe this holiday by encouraging moms to set aside a few moments before the holiday rush to review fire safety precautions and response plans with their family at BeFireSmart.com.

Here are some safety tips from their website:

1. Keep decorations (trees, wreaths, etc) at least three feet from heat sources. Candles, heaters, etc.

2. Inspect holiday lights each year for things like frayed wires. If you didn’t do this when you decorated, I really urge you to go ahead and do this now.

3. Do not overload your electrical outlet(s). Please change it  if you did.

4. Do not leave holiday lights or candles unattended. I know your tree is beautiful and you want to come home after Christmas Eve service to your beautiful tree. But unplug it when you leave and turn it back on when you come home.

BeFireSmart.Com acts is a resource for parents and educators that offers tips for talking with children about fire safety, how to prevent fires, and how to create a family escape plan should a fire break out. Games and activities such as a free downloadable coloring book further engage children as they learn how to spot potential fire risks and help to keep their families safe.  I love their interactive childrens activities.

Be sure to enter the Liberty Mutual Fire Smart Sweepstakes for your chance to win a 4-day/3-night trip for four people to the Walt Disney World® Resort. You can visit “Where’s the Fire?” — the nation’s largest interactive fire safety education experience — at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida.

Thanks so much to Mom Central and Liberty Mutual for reminding us about these holiday fire safety tips!

Children’s DVD Gifts and Giveaway

Great Children’s DVDs for Christmas!

In the midst of watching all the traditional Holiday classics, make sure you take the time to watch  The Child King this Christmas.  It is a beautiful and heartwarming story for kids and adults of all ages.  It is also inspirational and best of all 100 percent of the profits are donated to the Child King Foundation.   This feature-length family film, featuring comedian Lenny Clark, tells the inspirational story of a Jeremy, a teenager with Down syndrome, who takes his younger brother on a life-changing quest to find Santa Claus at the North Pole.  This heart-warming tale stands to become a new holiday classic – and one that allows families to give back during the holiday season.  All proceeds from DVD sales are donated to individuals and organizations that assist those with intellectual disabilities. In a year when doing good is especially important, The Child King is an award-winning choice that will teach everyone about the importance of going after your dreams while helping support an excellent cause. Please note that the film has been endorsed by KIDS FIRST! and the Coalition for Quality Children’s Media; it was also an official selection at the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival.  You can buy The Child King at CHILDKING.COM

As for profits, 100% of the profits from the movie are channeled to the Child King Foundation for disbursement as grants to organizations, charities and individuals that assist those with intellectual disabilities. Foundation grants are offered to eligible applicants after review by The Foundation’s awards committee. Any organization, charity or individual that advocates for those with intellectual disabilities is encouraged to apply for a CKF grant.

The Child King Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded by the movie’s producer, Jeff Kerr. Jeff is an active long-time supporter of Down syndrome causes, including The Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Animal Wow would make a great gift for any child with pets!  I love the messages and lessons they teach children about safety and treatment of your pets, and my son loves the songs and the puppets.  They are adorable and the songs are catchy and fun!  They are shown in an engaging and easy to understand way so children will not only learn but be entertained at the same time. You can buy the DVD set that comes with the puppets, DVD, music C.D. and booklet at the ANIMALWOW website.

First, a few statistics:

More than 2 million children bitten by dogs this year
75% of all families with kids have pets
The $40 billion pet industry continues to grow at 15% even during this recession, (possibly because during recession families tend to stick closer to home and make the most of their home-oriented recreation and entertainment experiences).

Now the benefits of kids learning about pets:

Good habits include: safety, responsibility, age-appropriate helping
Positive values include: caring, self-esteem, how to be a best friend
Life skills: when kids discover pets, they discover themselves

How Animal Wow helps kids and families benefit:

Award-winning DVD, “Dogs Wow Dogs” for preschoolers includes the above benefits (good habits, positive values, life skills), plus family fun, great songs, laughs, and dozens of kids and dogs.
Free “Dog Party Fun Book” download at www.animalwow.com .
Blog “When Kids Discover Pets” also at animalwow.com/blog

We don’t let our four year old watch too much television.  When I heard about The Global Wonders DVD s, I was excited to let him watch these videos because they celebrate diversity and cultural awareness. The Global Wonders series currently features four DVD s that are aimed at children. They currently have “Around the World,” “Mexico,” “India,” and “African-American.” Created by the former Executive Producer for Disney’s “Baby Einstein”, the videos opens children s eyes and ears to the worlds of various cultures through food, playing games, vocabulary and traditions.

Global Wonders discs provide preschoolers with continuous music and colorful images, along with plenty of kid laughter and giggles. If you are looking for a fun and different Christmas gift for your children, Global Wonders will not only teach them about the beauty of different cultures in our world, but will engage them with the colorful animation and songs. They also include “real” footage of various places and things from each culture. My four year old was truly engaged throughout the thirty minute videos. I highly recommend them! You can find the videos at major retailers like Target, Toys ‘R’ Us and on Amazon.com. The videos cost around $18 each. You can view a preview of the videos here. They will have more DVD’s coming in 2009, so make sure you sign up for their newsletter for special promotions.   You can receive discounts on the videos by registering at www.GlobalWonders.com.

Global Wonders has generously offered to send one of my readers a the Global Wonders All Around The World DVD!  Happy Holidays!

TO ENTER:  VISIT THE GLOBAL WONDERS WEBSITE AND WATCH THE DVD TRAILER OR MUSIC VIDEO AND TELL ME WHAT YOU LIKED ABOUT IT.

FOR SECOND ENTRY:  STUMBLE, TWITTER OR SUBSCRIBE ( NEW ONLY) AND LINK IT BACK HERE IN A SEPARATE ENTRY

THIS CONTEST WILL END AT MIDNIGHT ON DECEMBER 18TH AND I WILL E-MAIL THE LUCKY RANDOM WINNER!  COME BACK TOMORROW FOR ANOTHER GREAT CHILDREN’S DVD PACK GIVEAWAY!

Holiday Cooking

Christmas season brings out the chef in all of us.  One reason is there are so many Christmas party invites.  It can be stressful to figure out the right dish to bring to that potluck at the work Christmas party or for your own party.  To me, cooking with friends and family represents a true part of what the holidays mean, and it always ends up being a large part of how we spend our time – laughing and joking as we dice and sauté our way towards a meal. We love to try new recipes as well as cook up our favorite “go to” dishes
Mom Central wanted to let us know about this great website just in time for the Holidays.    In recognition of this important season, Heinz and Ocean Spray have teamed up to make a great, easy recipe. Their Ultimate Party Meatball recipe comes together with two steps and only three ingredients, perfect for a quick party appetizer or to throw together when unexpected guests show up on your doorstep. Heinz and Ocean Spray have also created the Ultimate Party Meatballs website www.ultimatepartymeatballs.com, filled with additional recipes, entertaining tips, and a sweepstakes with a grand prize of $3,000 to throw the ultimate party.  I love this easy meatball recipe.  I thought it tasted great and my family agreed with me.  I love holiday recipes!  If you have any great tips or recipes to share with me, leave me a comment below!  I would love to hear them!

Holiday Gift Guide For Children

Have you heard of kidthing yet? We absolutely love it! www.kidthing.com is a new browser-free and ad-free Internet place for kids.  Parents and teachers can download the free media player and select from a growing library of fun and educational content (read-along books, interactive games, videos from such publishers as Dr. Seuss, HarperCollins, and CrocPond), that automatically downloads upon purchase.  Kids can’t stray off of kidthing because the player resides on the computer and they have access only to the content selected for them. They have free samples to view once you download the player and I can tell you the books we viewed are well made and kept the little buddy entertained. The math basketball game is our favorite(you can try it for free too!) Another favorite is Animal Antics.

* kidthing offers Horton Hears a Who animated page-turner book which is a great pairing for the studio’s DVD launch of the same title December 9.

* Additionally, kidthing is an environmental gift – no driving, wrapping, mailing, etc. – simply download the player, select the high-quality products and let the kids play freely on the computer leaving parents a worry-free window of time when kids can learn and entertain themselves on the computer without being led away on the Internet.

* kidthing is as portable as your laptop – great for keeping kids engaged and entertained during holiday travel.

* kidthing offers something for kids ages three to 10

* The kidthing library is rapidly growing – we’ll have around 200 titles by the end of the year.

Kidthing has jumped ahead of the holidays with the exclusive Count Down to Christmas – an assortment of 25 interactive games for each day in December leading up to Christmas Day.  Countdown to Christmas is kidthing’s free gift to kids everywhere, so everyone can join in the fun. In Countdown to Christmas, kids will find a new fun holiday surprise each day inviting them lead the Canine Carolers in song, make angel decorations for the house, play a game,  learn magic tricks and much more!  As an added bonus, holiday travelers who download Countdown to Christmas on a laptop will ensure their kids have hours of engaging holiday entertainment delaying the inevitable “Are we there yet?” So what are you waiting for? It’s free for download, they are offering 25 games for free, and I really highly recommend it! It is one of my favorite reviews! Go to www.kidthing.com to get started.

Skoodlez are new, interactive and educational children’s toys that incorporate online and offline play. Each Skoodlez comes with a special access code that kids can use to log onto Skoodlez.com, to write and read stories. At the Web site, kids are encouraged to write creative stories. They can even e-mail their stories to proud parents and grandparents—there’s also educational activities and games for more entertainment.

The Skoodlez toys themselves are plush dolls with beanbag weighted hands and feet, which allow them to be posed and hung. They’re suggested for ages 4-11.  The Skoodlez animals are definitely adorable and well made.  I do think the online activities were fun, but maybe kids a bit older then our four year old would probably enjoy it more because of the level of play involved. They encourage reading and writing about your Skoodlez.  They also won the PTPA media seal of approval and it is well deserved!   Skoodlez would be a great idea for Christmas.  You can play on the website www.skoodlez.com and purchase Skoodlez animals at Macys for $14.99.( I just looked online today and they are on sale for $9.99) Here is the link!

LITTLEST PET SHOP VIP FRIENDS

Littlest Pet Shop is a great company that has come up with a fun way for your children to take their pets and have them come to life online.  Kids can discover the latest way to play with their plush VIP Friends. Each pair of “best friends” comes with a secret code hidden in the collar that kids can use to visit the Littlest Pet Shop online world at www.littlestpetshop.com. The code unlocks both pets in the virtual world where together they can play fun games and activities, as well as “shop” and “accessorize”.  There is a whole virtual world kids can explore while snuggling with the plush friends. Bring your cuddly Virtual Interactive Pet (VIP) to life in the virtual VIPs World! Register today! Then sign in anytime to spend time with and care for your Littlest Pet Shop cyber friend. The more VIPs friends you have at home, the more you can add to your online collection! Try it now for free here! Simply create a new account and borrow a pet from the adoption center.  Not in the US?  Go back to www.LittlestPetShop.com and change countries under Worldwide link.  The ages recommended are for eight and up.  You can buy them at leading retailers including Walmart, Toys R Us, Amazon, and much more.
The Canadian Toy Testing Council recently announced their top toys of the year and the SweetPea3 MP3 player was tops on the list.  I can see why, because my four year old loves it! It comes loaded with songs and stories and comes in two colors. The units are easy to use, relying only on three buttons, and they’re built kid tough. There are no moving parts and the player features a rubber overmolded design. Trust me, it isn’t breakable and it is safe for all ages.  It is recommended for ages 0 and up.  The unit comes with everything you need of the box, including batteries and USB cable which is so great for Christmas, just wrap and it is ready to go.  It will keep the kids busy during the car ride to Grandma’s too!

If there’s much of a down side it’s that the storage space is a bit limited at 1GB; capacity for roughly 16 hours of music. The unit connects to a PC over USB to transfer files. Perhaps future versions will incorporate a card reader or more memory to a child’s full song library can be stored on the player.
SweetPea3 MP3 Player Specs

* Fully functional MP3 player with integrated speaker

* Large LCD display shows song number
* Plays MP3 and WMA files
* 1GB memory
* Hidden volume control
* Support for up to 3 playlists
* Programmable Auto Off time
* Over 40 hours on a single AA battery (included)
* Durable exterior of soft, food-grade rubber
* USB port (cable included)
* Headphone jack
* AC adapter jack

Availability
The SweetPea3 MP3 player is available now, for $59.99 direct from www.SweetPeatoyco.com