Fun And Games This Afternoon

Thursday afternoons are officially Mummy/Poppy time. With no Preschool or toddler groups, Poppy is home and little Rosie has a nice long nap for about 3 hours. This means we have lots of time to play!

Traditionally these afternoons are messy and we usually end up baking or painting and gluing. Today however, Poppy was not feeling 100% (she is a bit run down and has a bit of a cold ). Instead of doing the usual activities, she chose to get some games out that are usually hidden away when her Sister is around!

One of her favourite games is Family Lacing a fantastic wooden threading toy from Djeco. We brought it as a Christmas present from Toyjeanius and it has brought hours of fun. We would definitley reccomend it to others and she couldn't wait to get it out.

Basically the set includes 16 colourful wooden pieces, 4 bright coloured laces and 12 cards. The aim is that you copy the designs on the pictures.  It is aimed at 3+ and Poppy is able to do it pretty well. The pieces are a good size for little hands and fingers and the the holes are wide enough for them to thread the lace through. She grasped the idea quickly and easily and has great fun with it.

Here she is today:

Another great wooden Toy that gets the thumbs up from this house.

We also played with several other games and puzzles and Poppy enjoyed a lovely afternoon. She is lapping up the attention from this designated special time with me. I do play with her everyday but just knowing she has special time with me alone seems to be making all the difference.

Karen x

Our Family Is Growing, Meet The New Addition

Meet Pluto, he is Rosie's new best friend and was named by her Sister.

He is the Plan Toys Sit and Walk Puppy, another beautiful wooden traditional toy sent to us from the lovely Jean at Toyjeanius. He is a very adorable pull along toy and you may be pleased to know, made from environmentally friendly materials and of course toxic free paint. 

The preservative free rubberwood  feels very sturdy and is easy for chubby little hands to grab hold of. Rosie has taken to him immediately. She loves his floppy felt ears and springy tail and they tolerate her constant pulling well. She is currently 14 months, a little under the recommended 19 months but that doesn't seem to be a problem.  She toddles around pulling him along and watching his little body wobble from side to side. She also enjoys making him sit so she can talk to him, wiggle his tail and gives him kisses:

Everyone loves kisses

Even her Sister loves him and happily pulls him along too despite being 3 years old. She even wanted to take him to bed on the first night but I said no!

If you have wooden floors you will be pleased to know the wheels are rubber trimmed, meaning they will protect your floors and make less noise. We have carpets and he works well on that too.

Don't just take my word for it though, here's a little slide show to demonstrate how much fun they are:

Customize your own free slideshow

To find out more or discover other beautiful toys, head over to Toyjeanius yourself. 

Karen x

"This Is The best Toy Ever" Says My Little girl!

I was terribly gutted that I missed Toyjeanius advertising for toy testers and only found out when she announced the successful ones. However, I have been in luck because she has been watching my pink and girly blog since then and has been on the look out for something appropriately girly for my little ones to review.

I was told to expect a surprise and was sent this fantastic toy:

Stylish Eve Wooden Magnetics by Djeco:

This is a 29 piece wooden magnetic dress up set that costs a very reasonable £12.95 and is for children 3+.

We were thrilled with it. Appropriately for our home, it came in a pink sturdy box with a magnetic lid.  This looks appealing, keeps all bits safe and tidy and is easy for little hands to open. The wooden magnetic pieces include Eves head with different hair colours and a variety of outfits including  pretty dresses, a skirt, jeans and a jumper. There are even shoes and accessories to compliment, including handbags and her favourite teddy bear.

As a little girl, I remember having the old fashioned paper dressing up dolls but this is far better and will last much much longer. It also means younger children can use it as it is much less fiddly than the paper versions.

This is a great toy for developing imagination. Poppy has really enjoyed making up stories about what Eve is wearing and where she is off too next. It has kept her busy for hours.

Don't just take my word for it though...here is a little video clip of her using it:

As you can see in the clip, we used ours on a magnetic board but you could use it on a fridge or anywhere you have a magnetic surface. The pieces all feel very sturdy and are a good size for little hands. Poppy is just three and has had no difficulty with it at all.

Poppy even announced that it was "THE BEST TOY EVER"! which is high praise indeed. We give it a huge 10/10.

For a wide range of beautiful toys including traditional wooden ones then head over to Toyjeanius yourself.

Karen x