Magformers toys

My son, who is almost 6 years old, received a set of Magformers for Christmas from an uncle. Charlie opened the box and immediately started playing with it. They kept him occupied for almost an hour which is unusual for him (unless he is playing with Hot Wheels).  Charlie even got them out and played with them the next morning! I have to admit they are super cool and I played with him for a bit.

My brother-in-law bought this set at Learning Express Toys but you can also order from Amazon.

Our Mag XL 30 piece set is bright blue and yellow but it comes in other colors as well. There are 18 squares and 12 triangles in this set which is enough to build some basic shapes. There are quite a few different sets that can also be purchased to add on and expand building possibilities. There are even vehicle sets that include wheels!

 

According to the maker, Rainbow Products, the magnets used are super powerful and use intelligent magnet technology, a fancy way of saying they always connect and never reject.  In 2007 the Mag XL Magformers won an Oppenheimer Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award. This toy is intended for ages 5 to adult.

The Good:
Charlie played with them for an hour. The magnets stick together even when picked up. The bright blue and bright yellow are fun cool colors. Other color combinations are available as well. There are quite a few different building sets available, including sets with wheels for building vehicles. The 2 different shapes allow for all sorts of creative and imaginative building play. He's played with them every day since Christmas.


The Bad:
This isn't a real bad thing but the magnets are super strong. Charlie did have some trouble separating them when they were stacked on top of each other. Heck I did too. Also since the magnets are super strong I recommend you keep them far away from some electronics or anything that can be affected by them.


The Ugly:
Nothing that I can see.

I recommend these toys as a future birthday or Christmas gift for a boy or girl you know.

Elizabeth

{Disclosure: I have not been given anything from Rainbow Products or compensated in any way. I'm just impressed with the product that my son received as a Christmas gift from his uncle.}

Happy Thanksgiving!

May your day be filled with fun, food, family and fellowship!

(artwork by my son)

Elizabeth

Cascade Dishwashing soap - product review

I loathe my dishwasher. It came with the house when we bought it 12 years ago. The dishwasher is probably about 20 years old. It worked okay when we first moved in but over the years it's cleaning capabilities have diminished to say the very least.

I admit we also have very hard water in our area. I should buy stock in CLR! 

I have been rinsing and scrubbing our dishes along with pots and pans but it didn't seem to help matters. My glasses were coming out spotted and dirty looking. The pots and pans weren't getting clean and neither were the dishes. I've used Dishwasher Magic and it helped for a little bit. I've used a variety of rinse aids including vinegar. Honestly, the plain old white vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser has helped somewhat.

I  have, over the years, tried a variety of dishwasher detergents. For the longest time I used Sunlight because it was what my mom always used. It did fine but seems to have been discontinued. At least I can't find it in stores anymore. I've tried Palmolive and Finish but they didn't do the job very well either.

Upon the recommendation of my sister and best friend I gave Cascade Complete All-in-1 Action Gel Packs a try. Actually my sister gave me 4 or 5 gel packs to try for free. I had resisted because Cascade is expensive compared to the other brands. You really do get what you pay for!

According to the official Cascade website, 

Cascade Complete All-in-1 ActionPacs™ combines the best of powder and gel in one powerful pac to conquer tough food cleaning and greasy messes. It pre-treats, fights stains, and rinses away tough food particles; all while fighting through layers of residue and leaving nothing behind but shine.

My dishes, pots, pans, and glasses are getting clean and looking clean now. My glasses no longer have a white film on them. I'm not having to practically hand wash everything before putting stuff in the dishwasher. I am officially a convert! From now on I will only be using these cute little gel packs in my dishwasher along with recommending them to everyone, especially if they have hard water issues.

Elizabeth

{Disclaimer:  I have not been compensated by Cascade for using their product. The only compensation I have received were the 4-5 gel packs my sister gave me. I'm just thrilled to find something that finally works!}

The lucky winner of the Thomas the Train Giveaway!

Thank you for your patience in announcing the winner. We were out of town this past weekend. On our return both Hubby and I came down with sniffles, coughs, etc. Thankfully it just seems to be allergy related.

Anyhow, I had my Random Number Generator (Hubby) pick a number between 1 and 21. The lucky number is 6, A Family of Love. I'm quite sure her son, Matthew, will enjoy playing with Thomas.

A huge thank you to all of y'all who entered! I'm still cleaning out closets so depending on what I find, there might be another giveaway in the future.

Elizabeth

Thomas the Tank Engine Giveaway

"They're two, they're four, they're six, they're eight, shunting truck and hauling freight..."

My son has loved Thomas the Tank Engine for several years now. Even at the ripe old age of 5 1/2 he still plays with his wooden Thomas and friends trains on a regular basis. We have quite a train track set up on his train table.

I love the wooden railway trains and tracks. They are very sturdy, standing up to years of play. In fact, ours have even been in the bathtub and still come out fine.

Anyways, on to the giveaway. I have an extra Brand New wooden Thomas the Tank Engine from Learning Curve to giveaway to some lucky reader!  He is not in the original packaging but is brand spanking new, never been played with. I bought some extras years ago and have been storing them in the guest bedroom. That's where I store all my extra gifts. (shh! - don't tell)  Since I have the extra and don't need it, I thought I would give someone else a chance to win it.

The giveaway is running from Saturday, Sept. 25th - Sunday, Oct. 10th. Entering is easy! You can enter several different ways...

•  Just leave a comment for 1 entry. This is mandatory!
• Follow this blog for 1 entry.
• Tweet about it & leave a copy of the link in the comments for 1 entry. (max 1 per day)
• Blog about the contest and leave a link to your blog post for 1 entry.
• Follow my regular blog (My Life, Such as it is...)for 1 entry.

Winner will be chosen by random number generator after 11:59pm PST, Sunday, Oct. 10, 2010. I will post the lucky person's name here. US addresses only!


Elizabeth

{Disclosure: I bought the train myself ages ago. I have not received any thing from Learning Curve or HIT Entertainment for this drawing. }

Life360 - Child/Family Emergency ID kits and more

 was contacted by a company called Life360 which provides a variety of family emergency services including IDs for children. I was asked if I would be interested in reviewing their child emergency ID kits. Since this is something I've been meaning to look into with Kiddo, I said yes.

Life360's premise is simple, to help parents & families in times of emergencies by keeping everyone informed & updated with information that they are safe. Taken from Life360's website:

After Hurricane Katrina, many families were turned upside down because of a lack of preparation and resources. People stayed uninformed, didn't have the proper supplies, and lacked an easy and efficient way to connect to their families to confirm that they were safe. While working on a project at UC Berkeley, the Life360 founding team realized that technology could have been used to better allow parents to protect their families, specifically by keeping their children safe. Life360 is like the neighbor you would find in a small town, we are looking out for the safety of you and your children.

Life360 offers either a la carte options of their services or a full package deal for $19.99 a month. The full package includes sex offender monitoring,  family tracking GPS, emergency monitor, family identity protection, emergency ID kits, Life360 Mobile & lost item recovery.  The website is VERY easy to use. Each product is thoroughly described with photos and a cute video on how it works. They even have apps for iPhones & Android.

I ordered the Emergency ID card with hang tag for me & the Shoe Clip ID for Kiddo.  You are given the option to upload a photo along with detailed information that emergency responders will need to know such as your doctor's contact information, prescriptions, health issues, etc. You can add quite a few phone numbers & email addresses for contact purposes as well as customize who gets notified first & at what number or email.

My ID kit arrived last week. I love that a keychain hang tag is included with the plastic card. In case of an accident & my wallet gets separated from me,  the hang tag is a backup. Or vice versa. Each family member is assigned a number with a pin. The card includes instructions for emergency responders on how to access your information. It also includes information on how to communicate with other family members in your profile. For kids, all the information for an Amber Alert profile is provided for immediate activation if needed.

I have not yet received Kiddo's Shoe Clip ID. I chose that form of ID over a card because of his age (5 years) & he does not carry a wallet. The ID clip is attached over the laces with heavy duty Velcro.

More to come once I receive Kiddo's Shoe Clip ID. Customer service promises it will arrive this next week.

Elizabeth

Look at what I won!

I won this gorgeous bouquet from a contest I entered on Mocha Dad. It is from 1-800-flowers.com and is the It's All About You arrangement. This floral arrangement features roses, mini-carnations, daisy poms, button poms, and more in a lovely red vase.

It was delivered directly to my house and so totally made my day! The arrangement looks exactly like the one on the website.

If you have not read Mocha Dad's blog, I suggest you do. It is well written, timely, and out right funny at times. His blog subtitle says it all - "The Musings of a Harried Dad in his Quest to raise Three Kids".

Elizabeth