So what do I think of the myWallaby bag? I think it would make a wonderful gift idea for a little girl who loves to take her dolls along with her wherever she goes. There are several features I really like about the bag.

• It’s hard to tell by the photos, but the materials and fabrics the bag is made from are very nice quality. The shell is canvas, and the straps and bottom are made of a soft microfiber material. The inside of the bag is made up of a satin fabric.
• I also like the Velcro safety release on the strap. I always worry about straps, so this definitely put my mind at ease on the safety issue.
• Another great feature is the bag bottom, there’s a kangaroo pouch that unfolds and drops down to allow room for the dolls legs. This allows the doll carrier to hold dolls of several different sizes. Smaller dolls can be held in the bag without the pouch down. For dolls that need a little leg room little fingers can easily release the pouch to accommodate their longer legs.

I always like to judge items I review on whether I would buy the product, and I have to say this is one product I would definitely buy for my niece who loves to haul her dolls around with her wherever she goes.

While we’re holding the myWallaby giveaway, myWallaby is also offering free shipping for anyone who purchases the bag during the giveaway and for three days afterwards. Just add the promo code “PLAYSHIP” when you’re ready to check out.

I think the myWallaby doll carrier would make the perfect gift for a little girl who loves dolls, and it’s a unique gift idea that you won’t find anywhere else.

Image myWallaby.com

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I read the label on some juice boxes and cringe, there are ingredients in there I can’t even pronounce, and some contain no actual fruit juices.

Honest Kids juices are USDA certified organic, and come in fun flavors like Berry Berry Good Lemonade, and Tropical Tango Punch. They have less sugar than most of the other brands of drink pouches, and the sugar in Honest Kids juices is pure cane sugar.

My son gave them a taste test and came back for more. He had a couple of them packed in his lunches last week, and gave them his seal of approval to be added to his lunch again some time.

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Image (c) L Gerlach

Fruit Chillers are a fun and fruity frozen sorbet snacks. They’re not only tasty but they are also made with real fruit puree, a rich source of vitamin C and contain no corn syrup!

Image (c) L Gerlach

Some things I like about Del Monte Fruit Chillers:

• The tubular shape makes them an easy, no-mess snack.
• They can be found in the canned good aisle at your local grocery store.
• They don’t have to be frozen until you’re ready to eat them. So you don’t have to worry about them melting before you make it home from the market.

We taste tested the grape and the strawberry. My son gave them two thumbs up. This is definitely a snack I’ll look up in the local grocery store this summer to try again.

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The cupcake maker is really more of a cupcake decorator. There are instructions for making the cupcakes, but the actual making takes place in the microwave.

We did use the Girl Gourmet to decorate our cupcakes, and it is really fun for kids to decorate a couple cupcakes with the decorator. It’s not really set up to make more than one or two cupcakes at a time. It holds enough icing in the chamber to decorate one cupcake.

It was a fun process to watch, and my niece had fun making the cupcakes. She even made a few extra to take to a friends house when she went for an overnight. The Girl Gourmet Cupcake set has a little carrier you can transport a couple cupcakes in.

The Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker by Jakks includes 1 safe and easy microwave container, the Cupcake Froster, 4 luscious flavored cupcake mixes featuring Red Velvet, Cinnamon Sugar, Chocolate and Yellow Vanilla, 4 delicious frosting mixes which include Cream Cheese, Chocolate, Vanilla and Strawberry; a tube of sprinkles, mixing bowl, spoon/spreader, multi-designed cupcake cups with cupcake cup holder, and recipe cards.

The next time we’re going to try making the ice cream sandwiches.

For more on the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker, check out the Play Library Toy Guide.

Image courtesy of Jakks Pacific

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The Bathtub Assistant is compact and easy to store.  It assembles easily and takes the strain off of your back as you bath your child.  Other uses include bathing your pet, washing your hair, cleaning the tub, and so on.  What’s even better is that with the Bathtub Assistant, both of your hands are always free, which is particularly important when you’re bathing an infant or excitable dog.

The Bathtub Assistant is a great baby shower gift.  Grandparents also love it!

The BathTub Assistant weighs 8 lbs. and comes with a 30-day money back guarantee (minus shipping charges) and a 5-year warranty.  The weight limit on the BathTub Assistant is 200 lbs., and the height is adjustable.  The product retails for $99.95.

Images: used with permission from Bathtubassistant.com

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I was lucky enough to receive a new I Spy game – I Spy Private Eye – from Briarpatch that my triplets were more than happy to test out for this review post.  If you’re familiar with the I Spy books where children search for hidden objects within pictures, then the I Spy Private Eye game will look familiar to you.

In I Spy Private Eye, 2-4 players use their skills of observation and memory to identify objects.  Using a “jumbler” that holds 9 picture blocks, a timer and 30 game cards, players take turns shaking the jumbler and trying to memorize the 9 pictures that appear on the blocks when the jumbler is opened. 

This is where the timer comes in.  The player whose turn it is gets 30 seconds to memorize the objects on the block.  Then the jumbler is closed, and the player selects a game card.  Using the game card, the player must identify the objects on the card that he or she saw on the blocks in the jumbler.  After he or she names the matching objects, other players have an opportunity to challenge him or her if they believe that person made an error.  The correct person wins the game card.  Play continues until all of the cards have been won, and the player with the most cards wins.

I Spy Private Eye is intended for children 5 and up, and this age range seems appropriate.  My triplets turned 4 in July, and we had to modify the rules significantly in order for them to play.  The game retails for $24.99 and is sure to be popular.

Image: Briarpatch.com

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It only takes a few minutes to build the different designs.  You simply connect the balls and sticks and throw a bed sheet on top for an instant hideaway.  We tried the house and igloo designs.  The igloo seemed a bit stronger for my triplets, but one or two children would probably do fine with the house design.  I like the idea of buying additional Crazy Forts and making a huge structure!

Suffice it to say, my triplets love their Crazy Fort.  I love that it’s easy to assemble and easy to store!  They particularly loved when I let them eat a snack in their Crazy Fort! 

The Crazy Fort is intended for children ages 4 and up.  I think smaller children would enjoy it as well, but they might have a harder time understanding that they can’t grab the sticks, lean on the fort, etc. or it would fall apart. 

The Crazy Fort comes with 25 balls and 44 sticks, which is enough to make several different structures including a house, igloo and tunnel.  Of course, there are more options based on your imagination and additional designs are available on the Crazy Forts website.  You can also find participating retailers on the Crazy Forts website.

At $33.99, I think the price tag is a bit high for the Crazy Fort, but it does offer great entertainment!  Overall, I give the Crazy Fort a thumbs up.

Images: CrazyForts.com

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I’m happy to say that the Real-Action Automatic Bowling Alley is a hit among my triplets (and Mom and Dad, too)!  They love it.  The Real-Action Bowling Alley comes with 2 balls and an automated pin and alley set up.  You just insert 3 D batteries, turn it on and you’re ready to go.  There is even a ball return!

The Real-Action Automatic Bowling Alley is meant for children ages 4-12 and retails for $49.95.  I think that price is probably a bit high.  I also don’t think 12-year olds would be entertained by it for very long, but overall, it really is fun and does work.  If your kids like bowling then this would be a fun toy to add to their toy collection.  Bottom line, I give the Real-Action Automatic Bowling Alley a thumbs up.

Image: ToystoGrowOn.com

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My first thoughts after opening the box was that it’s very challenging to put together.  The more pieces you have together, the easier it gets, but I had a really hard time connecting the first few pieces.  It took me about a half hour to put it together, but my husband probably could have done it faster.  Your hands need to be strong in order to pop the pieces together.

Once the iPlay Aquatrax Water Adventure was set up and filled with water, I was happy to see that water didn’t leak out of it.  My triplets really enjoyed it and fought over the two boats and people.  It also comes with a small life raft.  The spinning wheel actually moves the water and the boats float quickly around the track!  My kids loved that feature.

Overall, my kids enjoyed this toy and it’s small enough that it’s easy to store.  I think they’d have a lot more fun with the larger version, the iPlay Aquatrax Deluxe Water Adventure System, but that one costs $99.95 vs. just $25.99 for the smaller version.  It would also be harder to store and much harder to put together.

Bottom line, I give the iPlay Aquatrax Water Adventure a thumbs up and recommend it with a warning – it might be hard and time consuming for you to put together.

Image: International Playthings

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When I saw this game on the store shelf, I thought it looked adorable!  We brought it home, and I’m happy to say that my kids really enjoyed it.  They still have some trouble getting some of the pieces onto Tigger, and I have to set it up for them at the beginning of each game, but other than that, it’s been a lot of fun for them.

The basic idea of the game is that Tigger is going on a picnic, and the players have to pile all of the items Tigger has to bring to the picnic onto Tigger’s body.  From a butterfly net to a hat and everything in between, players have to find places on Tigger’s body to hang and place each piece, including his arms, hands, head, ears, nose, legs and feet.  When the load gets too heavy, Tigger bounces up in the air sending the pieces flying, which kids think is hilarious.

With a price tag of just $18.95 on Amazon.com, the Bouncin’ Tigger game is definitely worth it for some fun and laughs.  I give it a thumbs up.

Image: Amazon

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