Götz Doll Collection
Growing up, I can remember asking my parents for several different types of toys. I never once focused on just one group and that always made shopping interesting for my parents. My daughter is nothing like me in that sense. She doesn’t want everything in sight and is only content with baby related items. She loves her dolls, dressing them up and taking care of them. No other toy in the world can compare.
We were recently given the opportunity to review a Götz doll from Pottery Barn Kids and my daughter went straight to cloud nine! What I love about these dolls is that they have a history. Götz is a doll manufacturer from the small village of Rödental in Bavaria, Germany and since 1950, they’ve created dolls with superior quality and design and have long been a favorite of doll lovers and collectors. My daughter, on the other hand, loves that she can dress up.
Some features of Götz dolls:
- Each of our dolls has long hair that can be washed, styled and brushed.
- Faces have blushed cheeks, life-like eyelashes and eyes that close.
- The dolls’ arms and legs can be moved up and down.
- Each doll comes with a blouse, sweater, jeans, shoes and purse (as shown).
- Choose from Ashleigh Doll (blonde), Marianne Doll (brunette), Megan Doll (red hair) or Maya Doll (black hair).
- Sized to fit all of our doll outfits (sold separately).
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
My Comfy Critter’s Review
My daughter, bless her little heart, is obsessed with dragging blankets, pillows and stuffed animals/baby dolls around the house to snuggle up with. And while this gesture is incredibly cute, it’s also a time consuming thing for mama to have to follow the trail to pick it all up again. That being said.. let me introduce you to mama’s newest and quite possibly most adorable solution- Comfy Critters! At first glance, y’all are probably thinking it’s another stuffed animal. Except that it’s not only a stuffed animal, but also a hooded blanket.
My children received Seymour the Shark and have fallen madly in love. In fact, I recently purchased a duplicate to prevent arguments between the two kids. Seymour is made from super soft, high quality chenille fleece. He starts out as a huggable stuffed animal and becomes a snuggable hooded blanket measuring approximately 47” W x 36” H! The blanket itself is easy to access, as all you need to do is unfasten the Velcro strap on Seymour’s belly. Putting the blanket back is also as a cinch, as Seymour comes with directions on folding the blanket properly. Seymour usually makes his grand debut during nap-times, snuggle time or on family movie nights!
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Diaper Dude Diva Bag
Finding a diaper bag that accommodates all of you needs as a new and/or experienced mother can be hard. When your first born comes along, you feel the need to pack the entire house. It’s not until you’re on your second, third and so on that you realize what is priority and what is not. You become experienced and a little more relaxed.
I love the Diva Bag from Diaper Dude, as it has compartments for just about everything a mother could imagine. You will no longer have to do the diaper bag shuffle– trying to carry baby on one hip and digging through the diaper bag trying to find the items you need. I’ve had such great success with this diaper bag and it’s ease of use. Not to mention, it’s not too shabby looking (even the boy will carry this bad boy over his shoulder– giving me a small break).
Features:
- Stroller Strap.
- Durable polyester stands up to everyday use.
- Ergonomic, across-the-chest design is super comfy and saves your shoulders.
- Wide, adjustable strap has padded panel and clips open and closed for easy on-and-off.
- Padded back for extra comfort against your body.
- Three exterior zip-closed pockets are perfect for wipes, bibs, food and more.
- Elasticized bottle pocket is easy to reach.
- Removable, on-strap cell phone pouch.
- Large inner compartment with zip-closed pocket and special pouch for diapers.
- Interior key clip for keys and more.
- Padded changing pad included.
- Two large elasticized slots in back.
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Jusami- Terrific Tees for Kids
After receiving several tops from Jusami, I can promise you that their boutique has made it to the top of my shopping list. Not only do they create a line of fun, whimsical designs for children but their clothing is made of a nice, durable cotton. It’s not often you can find cotton shirts that are not super thin. Aside from the brilliant colors and design, I noticed the quality of the shirt as I held it in my hands. The shirts were thick and super soft.. all of which are great qualities to have when it comes to clothing in general.
Both of my children loved their shirts. My daughter wore her’s the second it arrived and refused to take it off for bedtime. My son couldn’t wait to wear his new shirt to school and show it off to all of his friends, whom also absolutely adored the design. Overall, this is a company we have fallen in love with and plan to support for a long time.
Some information about Jusami and their fabrics:
Jusami shirts are designed with love in Brooklyn, printed in the United States and crafted of 100% cotton. Our fabric types:
Super-Soft, Smooth Cotton Interlock – Possibly the softest tee you’ll own, we choose this midweight cotton interlock fabric for most of our shirts. The interlock weave has an incredibly smooth texture and our most substantial handfeel. These shirts are made in India of super-soft, ring-spun combed cotton. Look for these shirts described as super-soft, smooth cotton in our product listings.
Soft Baby-Rib Cotton – You’ll love the airy, lightweight feel. Soft cotton with extra-fine ribs, this fabric is also made in India of fine ring-spun combed cotton.
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Wuggle Pets
I’ll be honest.. when my children asked for Wuggle Pets for Christmas, I just stared at them completely clueless. I had absolutely no idea what in the world Wuggle Pets were. So what are they? Wuggle Pets are an adorable pet that children can bring to life (something similar to Build-a-Bear). They are fun-filled pets that little ones will love to create and bring to life in no time! The Wuggle Pets kit comes with:
- Cuddly Puppy And Magical Unicorn Pets With Clip Attached
- 1 Fun Filled Factory
- 2 Bags of Fluffy Stuffing
- 12 Personality Charms Pet
- 2 Bags of Magic Dust
- 2 Birth Certificates
- 1 Zipper-Up Tool
Creating these little pets are so simple! Once you pull everything out from the box, open the fun-filled factory lid and put in half of the fluffy stuffing. Next you add the bag of magic dust, put in the remaining fluffy stuffing and put the lid back on. Attach your pet to the machine and hold onto it tightly as your child starts turning the handle on the fun-filled factory. Once your pet is full of fluff, your child can then pick out what personality charm(s) they want and then zip up their pets with the enclosed zipper-up tool. After Ethan and Addison’s pets were complete, we filled out their pets “birth certificates” and made it official.
As much fun as we had making these pets together, it’s no wonder they are a hit this holiday season!
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Brainstring Advanced by Recent Toy
I am not one for brain teasers, but this little contraption struck my interest. Not only was it interesting looking, but it was a challenge.. and I love a good challenge!
This puzzle consists of a transparent frame enclosing 8 identical coloured pieces arranged as if in a 3 by 3 grid. These pieces are three dimensional crosses, each with six perpendicular arms of different colours. The frame has three vertical slots at the front and three horizontal slots at the back through which the front and back arms of the pieces stick. There is one space in the 3 by 3 grid, and any adjacent piece can be moved into the vacant space, but the slots in the frame force a piece to roll over as it moves. By rolling the pieces around they get mixed up. The aim is to arrange them so that the space is in the middle and that the crosses all have matching orientation.
It took me a little bit of time.. okay, so maybe I fibbed. It took me approximately an hour to figure this little gadget out, but I did it. I am looking forward to purchasing each of my nephew’s one of the many toys from BrainString!
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Morphology
Morphology is a fun, creative and challenging party board game combining simple shapes, your imagination and creativity. Using wooden sticks, glass beads and colored cubes how would you create a “butterfly”? …or “airplane”? Now try doing it with your eyes closed or using only the string! Morphology takes unique twists and turns, and has everyone laughing out loud.
One of the things I love about my family, aside from our closeness, is our dedication to spending quality family time together and creating memories. Looking back through the years, I cannot remember a time when my family did not congregate around the table with delicious food and games galore. Those are some of my fondest memories. Even after all this time, some things have not changed. We recently added a new game to the mix, one that I am positive everyone will love. Morphology is such a fun, creative game that creates hours of laughter and entertainment.
How to play:
- DIVIDE INTO TEAMS.
- DRAW A WORD FROM THE DECK.
- USE THE SHAPES AND PIECES TO BUILD THE WORD.
- GET YOUR TEAMMATES TO GUESS WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME.
- IF YOU GUESS CORRECTLY, MOVE YOUR TEAM FROG FORWARD ONE LILY PAD. THE FIRST TEAM TO REACH FINISH WINS!
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
Once Upon A Tree House
Growing up, I can remember wishing for a dollhouse. One of my good friends had a handcrafted dollhouse, made by her grandfather. I wanted one just like it, but of my very own. Some of my fondest childhood memories go back to that friends house, playing in her toy room with all of the handcrafted toys. I remember when my parents were finally able to purchase my dollhouse– I was around the age of eight and I fell instantly in love. I played with that very house for almost two years before it finally broke down and my parents had to throw it away. Once Upon A TreeHouse has helped bring back those childhood memories and have given me to the opportunity to create new ones with my daughter.
Although we only have a couple of pieces from their collection, I have made it my goal to collect piece by piece until I have the entire set for my daughter to enjoy. I love how intricate these pieces are and how much detail is used. It’s not just thrown together in mass production- you can see how much love and care goes into each and every item.
But what I also love about this particular line is this:
- All of the wood toys (including the doll houses) are handmade of solid maple and CARB certified plywood harvested from sustainable forestry, and only environmentally friendly paints and stains
- All of the dolls are handmade using eco-friendly materials such as wood, cotton and wool
- For every doll sold, Once Upon a Treehouse will donate a doll to a child in need.
GrandCamp Adventures
My children love imaginative play. Whether it be dressing up in costume, role playing or making things out of cardboard boxes (more commonly houses and automobiles). We were so graciously given the opportunity to review the Here We Go! Around the World Family Adventure Story Book and Shake It Up! game from GrandCamp Adventures. We have fallen in love with ‘em! Ethan loves to imagine he is traveling the world, so he was pretty much sold on the book from the beginning. However, both of the kids have enjoyed playing the game.
Here We Go! Around the World Family Adventure Story Book is a beautifully illustrated book for any kid who enjoys an adventurous and magical bedtime story. The book is about a set of adventures grandparents and grandkids who with the assistance of papa’s magical compass circle the globe to recover their lost treasures. Along the way, Savannah, Luca, Aidan and their “Pa-Parents” get to know each other and the world around them. Discover faraway lands and traditions, breach castle walls, survive a brush with quicksand and meet a stowaway meerkat. Available for $18.95.
Don’t just buy any cuddly stuffed animal! Begin your cuddly stuffed animal collection with th
e entire Meerkat family–perfect for the animal lover. A great reminder of the fun adventures you’ve been on as well as traveling companions for adventures yet to come, these high quality plush animals make the perfect gift for grandparents to give their grandchildren. The only plush animal line created just for grandparents and grandkids, these high quality characters are sure to become a part of your family. Buy them all together for greater savings and then give them one at a time or all at once. Available at $49.00 and up.
What’s not to love about a treasure hunt? The Longbeard’s Treasure Hunt activity features a note from a colorful pirate character as well as treasure maps, clues, coins and special action cards. Explore how the adventure evolves in a way that will have kids and adults scrambling from clue to clue to find hidden treasures. Available for $54.99.
Ahoy Matey! Hear pirates singing in their search for treasure or join in with a “mob” of Meerkats in
a chorus all about family with original music, along with a few classics from GrandCamp Adventures. These songs bring everyone to their feet from blues to bluegrass to reggae and even a lullaby, the CD features 10 songs, including 8 originals that cover a broad spectrum of musical genre sure to appeal to both young and old. Available at local retailers, iTunes and www.GrandCamp.com for $12.00.
Great times are in store as you play your way through these handshake games and create your own Grandparent/Grandchild secret handshake. Turn the cards over and solve the floor puzzle picture from the Here We Go! storybook adventure. Enjoy these fun games at home, on vacation, or anytime you’ve got a few minutes for GrandCamping. Available for $16.95.
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
See it Bigger™ 2012 Medium Monthly/Weekly Planner
(PlanAhead/Approx. Retail Price: $6.99/Available: December 2011)
Being organized is a must for this mama. Between school events, doctors appointment, work schedules and other functions- I would be lost without my planner. It is quite literally my life line. With my See it Bigger Medium Monthly/Weekly Planner, I am more organized than ever. The pages feature easier-to-read weeks at a glance, monthly overviews and larger writing space for jotting your schedule or little daily memo’s/reminders. The convenient layout of the planner coupled with stylized covers, designed interior pages and laminated monthly tabs make organization a breeze. Larger space is also designated for emergency contacts and important information, a password log, contact pages and a two-year reference calendar.
With as handy as I have found this planner, I intend on purchasing one for several of my friends and family members. It is a Christmas gift that continues giving throughout the year!
disclosure: This was not a paid post and honest opinions were used. The opinions are solely my own and may vary from others. Thank you to the company and/or PR agency who supplied the product for review.
PJ Mommy Network
Pending Book Reviews
Letter to the Editor
Send us your thoughts and questionsLink to Us
Hot Sites
Excite yourself with wonderful Nintendo wii games. Keep yourself glued with quality Nintendo wii sport games.Baby Gift
Personalized baby gifts and other unique baby gift baskets at Gotobaby.
Baby Shower Decorations
Browse 20+ unique and unusual baby shower, firstbirthday, and bridal shower themes. Fast shipping, great service. Buy a pre-made kit, or build your own.
Family Travel Gear
Specializing in family travel products that assist parents traveling with babies, kids, and teens
