TOOBS Review and Giveaway

When Noah was three, I started buying him Toobs. We call them Tube Toys. They come in all kinds of animals. They are really cool. He has quite a few of them.  I blogged about them in the past because I use them to decorate his birthday cakes because I am not a cake decorator in the slightest.  He also loves to play with them and collect them. He has taken them to the pool with them since most of the ones he has are sea life or fish. It is one of the things he cherishes.  In Kindergarten, he wanted to take them for show and tell, since they were educational.  So, I approved it through his teacher because they had issues with toys before. He brought them and another child stole them and passed them out to all the other kids. Noah was heartbroken. The only reason I knew about it was because the little boy he rode home with was arguing with Noah about a turtle.  We got it all straightened out and the teacher had to call every parent to get them back.  The other child lied about stealing them and said they were his.  I ended up buying him a couple new Toobs because we weren’t sure that we had them all. Some kids have special blankets or stuffed animals, Noah has his Toobs.  He looks forward to receiving them on Birthdays and even from Santa. 

I had the opportunity to world with Safari Ltd. They make Toobs and a bunch of other really cool toys. As I was browsing their catalog, I noticed he has some of their other toys too, like a realistic looking hermit crab. Santa got that at the Fort Desoto gift shop I believe.  I really like Safari Ltd because their toys look realistic.  Noah is really in to nonfiction and he knows that fish do not smile so if there is a smile on something he says something. He can really be silly. This time we received the Baby Sea Life Toobs and the Sharks Toobs. The Baby Sea Life are so cute. I am partial to little baby things.  Noah likes them too. He has matched them up with some of the grown up creatures he has.  My son can name all the different types of sharks too.  It’s really funny because he is constantly impressing adults with his knowledge of fish and sea life.  We went to a neighbor’ house to check out his new 100 gallon tank and Noah was talking fish and identifying all of them and taking about all the different types of coral. He wasn’t saying I like the pink coral, he would use the name of the type.  Toobs are a huge part of our lives. It is really cool to be able to share with Noah really cool toys that are also educational. 

Toobs are a great gift because kids love them. Boys and Girls alike.  They are great for a child who loves animals or sea life or pretty much anything. They have so many different types I am sure you could find something that interests the child in your life. They come in a tube so they could be a great stocking stuffer or wrap up a couple together and start collecting all the different Toobs. Be sure to check out Safari Ltd.’s other toys too.

For more information and to order please visit Safari Ltd.

I have a GIVEAWAY for you!

One winner is going to win:

One Sharks Toob

One Baby Sea Life Toob

Mandatory Entry: Go to the SafariLtd.Website and tell me something else you would like.

You must do the main entry for the bonus entries to count.

Bonus Entries: Each Bonus entry is worth two entries. Please leave separate entries.

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This giveaway is open to US Residents only

This giveaway will end on December 7, 2013 at 11:59 pm

Thank you to Safari Ltd. Ffor providing me with a couple sample Toobs for my review and providing the giveaway prizes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Green Ostrich Tool Box Review

Noah is just like my Grandpa Jim, he loves to see how things work. So, when I had the opportunity to review a The Recycled Milk Container 15-Piece Toy Tool Set from Green Toys sold by Green Ostrich, I knew it would be the perfect toy for him. Green Ostrich is company that sell products from recycled things. Their philosophy is Make a choice, not a sacrifice. It is a green toy company and it is really cool that they are able to use things that were discarded in to something for a child to play with. Growing up my Grandpa was a diesel mechanic and he had this tool box with all of his tools. After he passed away, his tools were given to my mom and my aunts and uncles. Whenever I use one of the tools I am reminded of him in his garage working on something. Noah likes to fix things and take them apart.

Noah loves the The Recycled Milk Container 15-Piece Toy Tool Set from Green Toys he received from Green Ostrich. About the toolbox: Dishwasher-safe toy tool box, Phillips screwdriver, flat screwdriver, hammer, saw, wrench, pliers, 2 two-hole connectors, 2 nails, 2 bolts, and 2 nuts made from 100% recycled, curbside-collected milk containers. I love that it is dishwasher safe. That way I can make sure it is always clean for Noah and if he is sick I can combat the germs on it.

He will pretend to fix things. Sometimes when I need a tool, like a screwdriver, he will bring me one from his tool box. It is really cute. I love how it says what each tool is on the base of it. It also has screws in it. So, it is just like a real tool box. He loves to carry around his tool box and ask what needs fixing. He also likes to use the tools as other things. He has such a great imagination. We both highly recommend the Green Ostrich tool box or any of the other great toys from Green Ostrich.

For more information and to order please visit the Green Ostrich Website.
Thank you to Green Ostrich for sending Noah a tool box to try out. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Shopping for Noah

Since Noah turned 4 I have been thinking about getting him some new furniture for his room. There are so many cute things they have for kids furniture. They have little recliners that are the perfect size for our little ones. I think it would be really cute if Noah and I had matching chairs to sit in. He likes to sit on our recliner but it is kind of big and he used to have trouble climbing up and down. Now he is a monkey and climbs on everything. I am one of those moms who think small versions of things are adorable. I would love for him to have some stuff like that. He has a little soft chair but honestly it is not the best thing to sit on because the sides are attached with just Velcro. He occasionally will slide off the chair if he sits on it the wrong way, which worries me. I would also like to get sturdy furniture for him that isn’t too heavy that it could hurt him but not flimsy enough that Noah could break it with normal use or worse tip over hurting my little boy.

Another thing I have started doing now that he is four is finding me going in to the toy section at the store and looking at educational toys. I think that is part of being a teacher’s child. I have always been taught that education is very important. I want him to learn with every experience that he has. I am not someone who is very strict that he can’t play with pointless loud toys either. I find that somehow Noah is very creative that he uses the toys that you would think are not educational and finds a way to learn from them. He is always trying to figure out how things work. I remember when he was a baby he would examine things and try and figure out how to take them apart. He would turn his stroller upside down and get under it like he was working on it. He definitely gets that from my Grandpa Jim who was a diesel mechanic and was always working on something. It makes me smile so big when he does things like that because it reminds me of my grandpa and how he would examine things and was always thinking just like Noah does now.

Piggy Bank for the 21st Century

I have a really cool toy to share with you. I thought my readers with older children would love to hear about this brand new, unique, hi-tech, educational children's toy. The toy is the Ekomini Piggy Bank and it has been designed by educational professionals to promote financial literacy among kids. It features an interactive money box that connects to a computer via USB to provide kids with a fun way to keep track of what they save. I wish I had one of these when I was a kid. I would have to sit and count change all the time back when I did Kool-aid stands and sold other random items. It would also be great if your child is saving for a special toy or game. When Noah gets to be a little older I am going to give him an allowance and I am going to have him save for things he really wants.



Another really cool thing about Ekommini is that kids can take part in virtual adventures in Ekominiville where they learn about saving, spending, donating and investing their money in a fun context. I feel it is important to teach children about money at a young age to prepare them for the future. The Ekomini is currently being launched in North America and is priced at USD 39.99.
For more information please visit http://ekomini.com

What Exactly Does That Toy Do?

I decided when I was pregnant that my son was going to play with educational kids toys. There are quite a few useless toys on the market in my opinion. Who really needs a doll that comes with a dog that needs to be “housebroken” or creatures that make foul noises? I think it is disgusting. I think it is important to use toys as a teaching tool, especially when your child is young. I believe that your child can learn a lot with playing with toys. Noah has a huge imagination. He is always coming up with new ideas to do with his toys. He has blocks that he loves to play with and he makes patterns with them, complex ones. He will turn just about anything in to a crane or some other kind of transportation, yes he calls it transportation. He loves to build things or “do construction” as he calls it, and that helps with his gross motor skills.

There are what I classify as good toys and bad toys. Good toys are educational and have a purpose and are fun. Bad toys are those that are crude or violent. I know it is not really an issue at Noah’s age now but as he gets to be older he might want some toys I find unacceptable. I have already decided there will be no toy guns in my home. My neighbors have BB guns and it drives me up the wall because I am afraid Noah will pick up the BB’s the kids shoot and try and eat it. I also don’t like that they seem to aim at live animals on our pond. I don’t want Noah to think that guns are cool. They also look a lot like real guns and that is how tragedies happen.