Hallmark Reveals New Keepsakes For Fall & Winter

While at BlogHer '12 in NYC just over a week ago, I had the chance to join friends to visit Hallmark for a sneak peak at what was new for the holidays this year.

There were some awesome new products that we sampled, but of course my first interest is always seeing what's new for the Hallmark Keepsake ornaments. Our Christmas Tree/Hanukkah Bush (it's what we call it) is the ultimate geek tree, and there's always at least one new Hallmark ornament selected for the tree each year. I think the oldest Hallmark geek ornament is my Star Trek shuttlecraft ornament with Spock's voice. My mom got that for me years ago - when I was a teen, I think - and it still works just as well as the day I opened it.

Looking over the new ornaments, I immediately saw the ones Aaron and I would want:

Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, The Amazing Spiderman

They also will have an Avengers set, but it wasn't on display. I'm sure my mom will get that set for us - she gets Aaron a superhero ornament every year.

For the kids, there were several new items. I loved the interactive storybooks that actually wait for a child's response and customize the story based on what option the child picks. It's like the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, only these are digital and voice responsive. Mira is going to love trying out one of these books - she always wants to have a say in the story.

Along the same line are the Interactive Story Buddies - they're plush animals who come with their own books. When you read the book out loud, the plush animals "listen" and then respond to key words in the book. The voice recognition is amazing, and it feels like the toy is listening to the story as well. (And chiming in just like any kid who wants to add a little more to the story!) It's quite possible that Nugget and Watson will find themselves at our house very soon.

In their back-to-school line was a cute little bug called Bug 'Em. It's a pint-sized plush that can hold cards and other tokens of encouragement and give an unexpected lift to any youngster’s day. My two girls have already claimed this little guy and asked that I use him to hide rewards for them when they've had good days. So I do - if they find him sitting out, they know they've done something good and look inside to see what goodies he might hold. They're so excited when he appears on the table or the couch!

Hey there, I've got a happy surprise for you!

Another cool kid product I got to try out was Text Bands. Text Bands allow kids to send text messages from wristband to wristband, expressing themselves and spreading encouragement in a fun, new way. How? Kids enter up to 10 characters into the screen on the band and bump fists or shake hands to pass the message. The bands light up and the messages transfer from band to band. They look and feel like an 80's flashback to me - but a good kind of flashback.

Getting a sneak peek at some of the new Hallmark products was so much fun. I love how they're working interactive technology into many products for kids - it's fun, educational, and gives kids a chance to feel like they have some control over their stories. And I know we'll have some new superheroes to add to our tree this year, taking their place among all of the other older ornaments.

Full disclosure: I was invited to attend a gathering with Hallmark to see the new products and received a gift bag with a sample of some of the items we tried out. All opinions are my own.

LeapFrog: Making Learning Fun With Tag & The New LeapPad!

I recently had the chance to try out some new products from LeapFrog in anticipation of the holiday season. I hosted a gathering of friends so we could all try out the LeapFrog Tag reading system and the brand new, ultra-cool LeapPad. As you can imagine, these were big hits with all of the kids.

My family is no stranger to LeapFrog. Each of my daughters has a Leapster with several games, and we already had a Tag reader. I love the educational games they get to play, and it's a great feeling to see my kids learning while having fun at the same time. For the party, I received a Tag reading pen for the guests to use, but I brought out the pen we already owned as well to give everyone more of a chance to use them.

The Tag reading system is designed for pre-readers through beginning readers. The pen works with special Tag books to either read each page to the child, or help the child with individual words or sounding out a word. You only need to touch the pen to the word and it immediately speaks the word for you. (After using a USB cable to connect the pen to your computer and download the book's information to the pen.)

But there's actually so much more the Tag pen can do beyond reading the words. Touch the pictures and the characters talk or sound effects are given. And most books contain games near the end that work with the pen to reinforce reading skills.

Mira can read just like her big sister now - and she's starting to recognize words thanks to Tag!

The Tag pen can also be used to learn geography. The LeapFrog Interactive World Map teaches about the different countries of the world as well as directions and distance through exploration with the pen and games available to play with the map.

My seven year old wasn't very interested in this product because she's already an advanced reader, but my four year old is obsessed with Tag. She loves to read the books "all by herself" with the help of the Tag pen, and it's helping her learn to recognize sight words. One of her friends also loved the Tag system so much that we sent his parents home with our extra pen and a couple of the books to get them started.

The big hit of the party had to be the LeapPad learning tablet, however. Several of us commented on how often our kids want to play with our smartphones or iPads, but we worry about them being broken or cluttering up our screen with nothing but apps for the kids. (Personally, I have barely been able to use my iPad because my kids love it.) The LeapPad, however, is the solution to win back our smartphones and tablets!

Mira even relaxes with her LeapPad like I do when using my iPad

The LeapPad is a tablet computer designed for kids 4-9 years old. It's smaller than an iPad but larger than a smartphone. The touch screen responds to both a finger touch and the included stylus. Like the grown up versions, you can download different apps for the LeapPad, including games, ebooks, and videos. (Apps are downloaded by connecting it to your computer with the included USB cable. And also like the grown up version, apps aren't free.)

It features a camera on the backside that can take still photos or video, and an editing program to create silly faces or add digital scenery to your photos. It has a cartridge slot at the top to allow you to use Leapster Explorer cartridge games as well.

I like the versatility of the LeapPad. It's simple enough for a non-reader like my four year old to navigate and use with little to no help from me, yet there are plenty of challenging games and activities for my seven year old. My younger daughter already considers herself a photographer now thanks to the camera app, and is now starting to dabble in shooting video.

All of the kids at our house had no trouble working the LeapPad. The youngest of the group - three years old - quickly found the drawing app and in no time was creating a masterpiece using the different drawing tools provided on the screen. The older kids played games and loved the interactive Cars ebook.

Reading ability is optional with the LeapPad - every kid loved it!

As for the parents, we all agreed the thick plastic case looked sturdy enough to handle rough play from our kids - far better than a iPad would fare! And the $99 retail price is a fair price for an electronic device that can do so much.

The one downside we noticed is that the LeapPad is battery powered. With heavy use, it needed new batteries by the end of the day, which can really add up. A rechargable battery pack would have been a better choice - we can only hope that it might be an option in the future. But since the party, my daughters have only been using the LeapPad for an hour or less each day, resulting in a longer timespan between battery changes. (Note: an AC adapter is available, which is great but limits the portability of the device when plugged in.)

Overall, I'm really impressed with the new LeapPad learning tablet and I predict it'll be one of the hottest toys for the holidays. I also like how many books and interactive products are available for the Tag reader now - my younger daughter has already pointed out several new Tag books she'd like Santa to bring her.

Take my advice - shop early for these educational toys! My daughters can't get enough of their LeapPad and Tag books, and I like that they're learning new reading and math concepts while they play. 

Full disclosure: I was provided with the above LeapFrog educational electronics and accessories to facilitate this review and demonstrate to guests at a play party. My party guests were also provided with coupons for discounts on LeapFrog products. All opinions stated here are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of LeapFrog. 

Monkeying Around With Curious George

Cordy watches Curious George on PBS Kids every day. It's on right when she gets home from school, and she's grown to love George's antics.

So when I received the Curious George Hide and Seek Zoo board game, I was hoping she'd be interested. It was out of the box for only a minute before she was pushing the red button on the walkie talkie that came with game.

The game is designed for ages 4-8, and combines a traditional board game with matching skills and a little bit of physical fun, too. Each turn, a player pushes the red button on the walkie talkie to get their instructions from the man in the yellow hat. If he tells them to go to a certain part of the zoo, they draw a card from that area and place it on the board in the spot that matches. Then the player spins a spinner and if there is a match, the player collects the matched card.

But the man in the yellow hat doesn't always give that instruction. Sometimes he says the bus of children are getting closer, and you then move the bus one space towards the zoo entrance.

The real fun, however, lies in a push of the red button and the man's voice saying "Oh, no, George, the animals have escaped!" At that point, all players except the one who pushed the button put on animal masks, run away and hide. The walkie talkie tells the active player when it's time to go look for them, and finds as many as possible before time runs out.

The player with the most task cards and hide and seek cards by the time the bus reaches the zoo is the winner.

Cordy loved playing this game. She loved putting on a mask and hiding from us. Mira loved it too, but she was too young to play along properly and sometimes got in the way. While the game is rated for 4-8, I think some 4 year old might need a little more prompting about the rules throughout the game. (And also walkie talkie supervision - she is notorious for pushing the red button more than once.)

This game is great for working on matching skills, and of course the hide and seek element adds a lot of silly fun to the experience as well. Just be sure to set your boundries for hide and seek at the beginning of the game or you'll be searching out in the garage for the missing panda bear...

Win One!

I've got an extra copy of the Curious George Hide and Seek Zoo board game to give to one lucky reader. To enter, leave a comment below before Friday, April 10 at 11:59 pm EDT. One winner will be selected by random drawing after that date. I can only ship to US addresses. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you in the comments.

Good luck!

Contest is now closed. Congrats to Carolyn!

An Art Table For Two, Without The Fighting

I'll admit that a lot of the big kids' furniture we have in our house is really more space than it might be worth. A giant easel, a kid-sized chair (especially when they insist in sitting in our chairs anyway), a small kid table that tips over easily, etc. Our house doesn't have a lot of floor space, so deciding which items can stay in the living room is difficult.

But recently I had the chance to review the new Step 2 Creative Projects Table, and I think I've found the one piece of kids' furniture that is worth every square inch. When I first saw the picture of this table, I knew it would be big, but I hoped my girls would like it. This table is designed as an art table for one or two kids. Got two kids who fight over the easel or art table? This is the table for you!

The table has two stools and two seating areas - one on each side of the table. This is way better than having two kids sit side-by-side, which inevitably ends in pushing, stealing crayons from hands, and tears. There is a wooden shelf in the middle which not only provides more storage, but serves as a good dividing line for determining each little artist's space. More storage is provided with four little storage cups, molded storage areas, and two lower wooden storage bins that are large enough to hold coloring books, sketch pads, or other books.

Set up was relatively easy, although I'd warn you to be sure to read all instructions before starting. There was an errata that came with the instructions that we missed at first, and had to repeat a step as a result. I'd also recommend a power screwdriver, or someone with good arm endurance, because there are several screws. I really like the mix of molded plastic and wood - the wood gives the desk extra stability and weight.

The stools are the perfect size for my slightly larger preschooler, and even my 18 month old can sit on the stool, too, although when she does her feet don't touch the ground. They should both be able to use the table for several more years.

Cordy started using the table exactly 2.5 seconds after seeing it.

While we're using the table for art, we've also found it works for nearly anything. Cordy has asked to sit at the table for dinner, and Mira occasionally uses it for climbing practice. (Like I said before, it's very sturdy, so I'm not worried when she climbs on it.) I think in the summer we'll take it outside for days when they paint, so it can be easily washed down afterward.

Mira excels at finding unconventional seating arrangements

My girls love this table, and I love how versatile it is. If one of them should ever lose interest in it, the upper wooden shelf can be moved back to create a single-user desk with lots of desk space.

If you have two or more kids who like to draw or color, the Step 2 Creative Projects Table is a must have. Even if you have an only child this table will provide ample space for any art or craft your child should want to pursue. My two use their table daily with few disagreements unless Mira climbs onto the table and sits on Cordy's artwork. The table not only gives them a place to keep all of their crayons, papers and coloring books, but it gives me a few extra moments of peace each day while they color.

A Smart Plush Playmate (& Contest!)

Contest is now closed - congrats to Ali!

Cordy's new favorite plush toy is her smart-e-dog. I received this toy for review after she looked over my shoulder while reading an e-mail about it and shouted, "Mommy, look at the doggy! Can I have it?" At that point I was committed to reviewing this toy.

Smart-e-dog, along with its friends smart-e-bear and smart-e-cat, is an interactive plush toy that can entertain your child through songs, stories and games. I think this gives the best description of what it does:

Designed primarily for non-reading 2 to 6 year olds, smart-e-dog encourages children to discover and explore through a library of literally thousands of award-winning songs, interactive stories, educational games and other content that parents can selectively purchase through the Internet and download to the toy with a super-easy USB connection. Measuring 13” tall, this plush pal utilizes electronics about the size of a deck of cards. The squeezable, adorable animals will enchant little ones with their “smarts” from hearing a song to reading a story to playing a game. There’s always something for kids to discover as the software changes and grows with the child’s interests from the nursery to kindergarten.

Basically, what arrives is a plush animal, instructions on how to connect to the online site, and a USB cable. It wasn't hard at all to connect, and I was amazed at how many songs and stories this dog can perform. To change what the toy can do, simply select the songs/games/stories you want it to have, then download the preferences into the toy using the USB cable. Most additional songs and stories are $.99 each, although there are some freebies available, too.

The smart-e-dog also has two settings, depending on how old your child is. It can either ask your child before playing any song or story, to give your child the chance to choose something different, or you can set it to automatically play without asking. The second choice is great for younger kids who may not understand how to choose between songs and games.

The software interface is a little confusing at first, but it doesn't take long to figure out how to create new playlists, download new songs and stories, etc. You can have the toy call your child by name, as long as your child is named something more common than Cordelia. (Cordy's name is never available for anything, and I'm used to that. Miranda was in the list of names, for the record.)

Cordy loves her smart-e-dog. She was confused by the interactive mode, so I switched it to shuffle instead, and now she loves letting the dog choose what to do next. When she gets the hang of it I'll probably switch it back. She takes her smart-e-dog to bed with her, brings him downstairs with her in the morning, and he has claimed top dog status among her other canine stuffed animals.

I like him too because he sings songs that aren't the usual boring "Twinkle, Twinkle" and - a feature all parents will appreciate - he has volume control and an off button.

To see all of the features, visit the smart-e-bear website and click on Learn More for the full tour.

Win one for Christmas!

I'm giving away one smart-e-plush, in your choice of dog, cat, or bear! Hopefully it will arrive just before Christmas to add one more present for your child.

How do I enter?
To enter, leave a comment by Friday, December 12 at 11:59pm EST, and make sure I have a way to contact you if your e-mail isn't in your Blogger profile. (Seriously everyone - I can't count the number of people who leave no contact info and I have to choose a different winner.)

Want a second entry?
Blog about this contest or link to this contest via Twitter and you'll have a second entry. Please leave a separate comment with the link to your blog entry or specific tweet.

One winner will be chosen after 12/12 by random drawing (Random.org). Winner must respond within 48 hours of being e-mailed to claim prize or another winner will be chosen. I want you to have the best chance of getting this by Christmas, although due to the congestion of the USPS at this time of year, I can't guarantee delivery by then.

Who Needs a Beach? We Have Sand & Water Right Here!

Summer didn't wait for it's official start here in Columbus. Last week it was hot - unbearably hot. And of course I had two children who wanted to go outside every day.

The problem, of course, is that any amount of time spent outdoors will melt the lot of us faster than a bucket of water on the wicked witch. Wait - water! Add water to a hot day, and suddenly it's not so bad anymore, right?

So last week we introduced the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart to our backyard, and the girls were very excited to try it. It required a little bit of construction, so I told the girls to be patient. (Never an easy task.) Thankfully, the pieces fit together easily, and the screws were easy to put in. I'm not good with building things, but this took only 10 minutes and very little effort with the well-written instructions.

The cart is very compact, yet still offers plenty of room for several kids to gather around and play. Wheels and a handle on the front make it easy to move around the backyard (we moved it to the shade), and a cute umbrella provides shade if the cart is out in the sun.

Cordy saw the water wheel toy on the cart and decided that no sand was needed. I was ordered to fill both sides with water, even though one side is designed for sand and I had a bag of it sitting nearby. Both girls immediately started splashing, pushing the boats around, and Cordy poured water into the water tower to watch the wheel spin. I splashed around with them for a little while (we had boat races by blowing on the plastic sails) and then I pulled up a chair nearby and relaxed in the shade for a bit.


An hour later, I had to drag them in from the backyard and deal with the wails that dinner wasn't important, because there was water to play with! Clean up was a snap: there's a spout on the bottom to drain out the water, and the toys can be stored inside or on the lower level of the cart. The cover fits tightly with bungee cords to secure it, keeping bugs and water from getting into your sand.

I really appreciate how portable this toy is. We don't have a deck or patio, so we have to move all of their toys to mow the lawn. Wheeling this cart out of the way is a breeze. And the cart can be used in several ways: sand and water, sand alone, or water alone. We added the sand this week, and they love digging in the sand to find things Cordy has buried. (And I get to practice my observation skills, as Mira tries to eat the sand every now and then.)


It's also a toy that both girls can use together. The one year old enjoys it as much as the nearly-four year old does. Mira enjoys the sensations of feeling the water and sand, while Cordy learns how water can make a wheel move and a boat float, and practices hiding and digging up toys in the sand.

I can see this cart will give us years of use, and I highly recommend the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart. Having this toy around has resulted in more time spent in the backyard and less around the TV. But I think we need to build a patio now just so I can relax at a table (with my computer, of course) during these extended outdoor play sessions!

Blasting Off To Fun

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. My goal was to be the first female commander of the space shuttle. I even went to Space Camp in seventh grade. Turns out, though, I'm scared of flying, which kind of put a damper on my astronaut dreams. But that love for space and exploring the unknown never left, and I still enjoy watching every shuttle lift-off and landing.

It seems my love of space has been passed on to Cordy. Some of her favorite toys are space-themed, including rockets and aliens. So when the Parent Bloggers Network asked for volunteers to try out the Discovery Store Ready Set Learn! Paz's Lift Off Rocket, I practically begged. OK, I did beg.

When this rocket arrived, it stayed in the box for all of 1.6 seconds. Cordy took one look and demanded we release it from the packaging right away. She played with it for the remainder of the afternoon, lining up the astronauts, exploring the crew quarters inside the rocket, and driving the moon buggy around the living room.

The rocket has a button on the side which produces lights and sound. When it's pointed in a lift-off position, pushing the button results in a voice counting down to lift-off, along with the boosters lighting up red. When the rocket is sideways and the button is pushed, only sounds of the engines are heard, as if it is flying through space. A handle on the side makes it easy for small hands to fly their rocket up, down, and all around.

There are three compartments inside the rocket. A cockpit holds two of the astronauts, and the crew quarters has a pull-down bed for them to sleep on. Below that, the cargo hold stores the moon buggy and the door becomes a ramp to drive the buggy down. Four astronauts are included - all are characters from the Discovery Kids Ready Set Learn! series, including Paz, Dog, Pig, and Rabbit.

Cordy is familiar with Paz, and she knew all of them by name right away. I was happy to see her so interested in the rocket, but expected that her interest would wane, like it does with so many toys. But she still loves this rocket. The first night, she insisted the rocket come to bed with her. And while she doesn't want it every night now, it's still not uncommon to see it in her bed, like last night:


The size of the rocket makes it useful for other toys to "take a ride" on the rocket, too. Her Little People sometimes hitch a ride in the cargo hold, and her Mickey Mouse figure has been known to pilot the rocket on a few missions, while Donald Duck takes a nap on the bed and Minny Mouse mixes up Cosmopolitans in the kitchen. (OK, I was the one playing Minny.)

This is a well-made toy, holding up to some pretty rough play and a few tosses down the stairs. Best of all, the rocket has helped Cordy practice imaginative play. One aspect of her autism is that she has a lot of trouble with imaginative play - she'd rather line things up or stack blocks than put together play scenarios with her toys. But when she plays with rocket, she'll put an astronaut on the bed and saying, "Astronaut Pig is taking a nap!" or drive them around in their moon buggy.

It's awesome to see her making such progress, partially thanks to this toy. Give her a doll house, and she wouldn't know what to do with it - apparently all she needed was a toy that was geared to her interests, and this rocket fits perfectly. When she does engage in imaginative play, the rocket is involved 75% of the time.

Obviously, I highly recommend Paz's Lift-Off Rocket. The price is appropriate for the quality of this toy, and the design encourages repeat play. It is recommended for ages three and up, but I think two year olds would appreciate it, too - the pieces are all big enough to not be dangerous to a toddler.

For us, I have a feeling this rocket will have a place of honor in Cordy's toybox (and her bed) for a long time.