For Toddlers - 3/10 - Views From the Ville

I received an item from Museum Tour in order to facilitate my review. No additional compensation was received; all thoughts and words are my own.

I’ve always loved getting catalogs in the mail, especially toy ones. Christmas was an especially good time of year for it, as there was always the Wish Book and other thick catalogs that would arrive. But no matter what time of year it was, I was always on the lookout when my Mom would bring the mail home.

One catalog that I wasn’t familiar with – but that you very well may be – is the one sent out by Museum Tour. Their fall catalog reached 2 million homes. It’s packed full of toys and fun learning activities for children to participate in beyond museum or science center walls.

Belly Bump Jr. from Museum Tour

Melissa & Doug carries some of our favorite toys! This year they have again put together their Terrific 25 List, listing the Top 25 gift ideas for the holidays. They are also giving away one toy per day until November 28th, and one Grand Prize winner will also receive all 25 toys! Keep reading for the entire list plus a review of a couple of our favorites.

A couple of my favorites on the Melissa & Doug Terrific 25 List are:

Take-Along Show-Horse Stable
Catch & Count Fishing Rod Game
Let’s Play House! Stainless Steel Pots & Pans

Check out the entire list of 25 toys and start making your wish lists now! And don’t forget to visit the Melissa & Doug Facebook page to enter their giveaway! Continue reading »

We received a Disney Princess & Me Jewel Edition Belle in order to facilitate our review. No additional compensation was received and all words and thoughts are my own.

My husband thinks I put her up to it (I don’t), but Bubbles randomly starts running around the house yelling, “I do, I do, I DO want to go to Disney!” She then tells us a list of all the friends she wants to meet while there: Minnie & Mickey, Tinker Bell and the fairies, and, of course, the princesses. Kind of hard to deny that enthusiasm!

While we can’t hop down the road to Disney World right now, we can create opportunities to play with her friends while at home. Last month Disney had an “I am a PRINCESS weekend” on the Disney Channel. If you missed it, don’t worry. There’s lot of princess goodness scheduled for the rest of the year.

In addition to watching Princess movies like Tangled and Cinderella on the Disney Channel or on DVDs, we also like to play princess. Bubbles has a tiara that she likes to wear, as well as a fancy “princess skirt” made of tulle. She then sends her little princess and prince friends off on fun adventures in her castle – like when they all received puppies to take care of, went to a ball, or even when they’re just having naptime (“Shh, mama, the princesses are sleepy”).

Disney Princess & Me Jewel Edition Belle

Now, though, Bubbles has a big princess friend to play with. Recently a Disney Princess & Me Jewel Edition Belle came to live with us. At 21″ high, she’s not quite life-sized but she’s pretty close. Continue reading »

Bubbles has really been in love with magnets for the last few months. It started with me trying to find something for her to do while I worked in the kitchen; she loves to be my helper, but there are parts she obviously isn’t old enough to do. So I pulled down all the “fun” magnets from the top of the fridge and had her rearrange them while I worked.

She liked it so much that I gave her a dry erase board with a bunch of magnets so she could play wherever she wanted. We came up with a few different games and activities for the magnets, but the small board, we were a bit limited in all we could do. I decided to look for a magnet set that would expand our play. When I saw the MagneTalk Match-Up Adventures Kit I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for.

Games for Toddlers: MagneTalk Activity Centerfrom Super Duper Publications

Thank you to flattenme for providing a copy of Owl Always Love You for our review. All words and thoughts are my own.

I’ve always been glad that reading to Bubbles is not something that we have to force. Even now that her interests are growing in other areas, it hasn’t changed. She’ll still pick up a book multiple times per day to thumb through on her own, or to bring to one of us for a snuggle and story.

One of the newest books that’s in our rotation is “Owl Always Love You”. It’s the story of Mommy & Daddy’s love for their little one, made even more personal by the fact that Bubbles’ name is printed on nearly every page. Sharing a sentiment that I want her to think about as she falls asleep, “Owl Always Love You” really is the perfect addition to our nightly routine.

"Owl Always Love You" Personalized Book from flattenme

Views From the Ville

Museum Tour’s Top 10 Toys & Gifts for 2013

Melissa & Doug Toys Review and the Terrific 25 List

Disney Princess & Me Jewel Edition Belle Doll Is the Jewel of My Little One’s Eye

Find Great Games for Toddlers from Super Duper

“Owl Always Love You” from flattenme Makes a Sweet Bedtime Read