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Apparently, Tonka does not read this blog

October 30, 2009 · by · 17 Comments
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Tonka truck
Image by unloveablesteve via Flickr

Just over two years ago, on October 19th 2007, I wrote a post titled  Tonka Trucks: “built for boyhood”? in which I called Tonka to task for their commercial showing boys playing with Tonka dump trucks,  a commercial in which not only did they insinuate that Tonka Trucks are built specifically for boys, but used the phrase “boys are built different” several times. A phrase, as one commenter pointed out, that isn’t even grammatically correct.  The point of my post was to point out that GIRLS also play with Tonka trucks, so obviously their products are built for girlhood too.  My comment that playing with a dump truck does not cause a girl to grow a penis or anything was a big hit with my readers back then.

Well, Tonka, you did it again.  In heavy commercial rotation right now is an ad for Chuck the Talking Truck. It goes like this:  “Hi, I’m Chuck. Your BOY’S friend”.

*insert sound of facepalm*

Tonka, Tonka, Tonka.  You really need to get over this archaic notion that children can only play with gender-specific toys.  While I recognize that there are parents who don’t let their sons play with dolls or play kitchens, and don’t let their daughters play with toy guns or pretend power tools, what about the rest of us? What about those of us who want our little girls to truly believe that they can be ANYTHING they want to be when they grow up?  Are you telling my daughter that she shouldn’t play with your dump trucks because it’s not like she’s going to grow up and OPERATE ONE some day?

We bought a Chuck the Talking Truck for the boys for Christmas one year when they were probably 4 and 2, and it was a huge hit. I’ve saved it all these years in a tub in the basement because Tonka products are so well-made.  Seeing that commercial reminded me that I still have the toy, and I’m planning to dust it off, insert some fresh batteries, and surprise Kaitlyn with it. I predict she’ll love it. The way the toy works is, you clap your hands and call to it, and the truck rolls to you.  I bet she plays with it like that for a while, and then loads up the truck bed with My Little Ponies and uses it as a transport vehicle.

I know I’m not going to change the advertising strategies used by Tonka.  But I just had to write this follow-up to that 2007 post and point out that like the French say, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose – the more things change, the more they stay the same.

oh, and in the interest of full disclosure, I work with Hasbro, the makers of Tonka, on lots of campaigns. I LIKE Hasbro. I LIKE Tonka! I just don’t like this particular choice of words for these particular commercials.

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PLAY-DOH Burger Builder Review

October 30, 2009 · by · 1 Comment
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PLAY-DOH Burger Builder is the 2009 Family Fun Toy of the Year Award Winner!

PlayDohBurgerBuilder

Cook up something extra special with this fun PLAY-DOH set and its tons of burger-building accessories! Mold pretend “burger patties”, “onions”, “lettuce”, “pickles” and more, press out “fries” and then use your special TWIST-A-CHIP tool to crank out the coolest pretend potato chips you could possibly serve up! · Super-fun PLAY-DOH set lets kids press, mold, twist and “cook up” a “burger” and “chips” meal that looks almost good enough to “eat”! · Includes 5 56.6g cans of PLAY-DOH compound, molds, press, plate, plastic knife, rolling pin, and TWIST-A-CHIP tool. · Ages 3 and up. Notice Parents: Contains Wheat. Non Toxic.

Hasbro sent us a Burger Builder set to review, and I have to admit, it’s pretty clever.  Once I showed Kaitlyn how to pinch off a piece of the colored dough and press it to form the “burger” parts, she had fun making the parts for me to assemble.  Here she is hard at work:

Kaitlyn with Play Doh Builder

Your child can get as creative as they want with the colors, make a green burger on a red bun if they want,  I’m just a stickler for doing things the way they are “supposed” to be done, so I encouraged Kaitlyn to make the components the “right” colors. Here’s our finished “burger”:

Burger

The only part we had problems with was the extruder that squeezes out yellow strips that are supposed to be french fries. They come out in short little stubs that don’t really look fry-like at all, so we didn’t make too many.  Then I hit on the idea of rolling out the bright yellow Play-Doh into flat sheets and cutting it into squares to make “cheese” for our burgers. That’s how we like to eat  ‘em anyway!  Kaitlyn was happy with our finished result:

Kaitlyn with Play Doh Burger

Hasbro’s PLAY-DOH Burger Builder has a suggested retail price of $14.99, but I found it through my Amazon Associates link for only $10! Click this link if you’d like to buy it from me and help me earn a nickel :)  - Play-doh Burger Builder
It’s a recommended gift for the holidays!

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Nestle Family School Supplies Giveaway

October 29, 2009 · by · 90 Comments
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This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to the winner, comment #27 from Andrea V.!

I was invited to attend a blogger event at Nestle Headquarters in California at the end of September, but I had to decline because the dates overlapped with my trip to IZEAFest. I was really bummed out that I had to miss it, because I had been to the Nestle Culinary Center earlier this year and had such a wonderful time meeting some of the people that make Nestle brands. Even though I wasn’t able to attend the event, Nestle offered me an opportunity to give away a terrific pack of Mead and Five Star brand products, from a campaign they did for back to school on the Nestle Family website.   They sent me the same prize pack so I could see what the giveaway winner would be getting, and I have to tell you, it is pretty cool:

Photobucket

If you’re not familiar with the Nestle Family site, you really should check it out. You’ll find  Halloween snacks and decorations, recipes, and coupons for Nestle Family products like Stouffer’s, Libby’s Pumpkin, Nestle Toll House, Juicy Juice, Ovaltine, and more.  There’s also a link to the wonderful family calendar and organizer from Cozi, I’ve been using it for over a year and it’s terrific.

What I really like best about the prize pack is that there’s something for everyone – the Storybook and Stencil Kit for younger kids, the notebooks and folders for older kids, and the messenger bag has a padded section that makes it a laptop bag too!

WIN IT: To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me one thing you and your family are doing to make school mornings go more smoothly. Do you set the breakfast table the night before? Have breakfast in the car on the way to school? Whatever you’re doing, tell me in a comment. Don’t have kids? Visit Nestle Family and browse the site, then come back here and tell me one recipe or tip from the site that interests you. Enter by November 6th at 12:00 PM EST. Open to U.S. only.

BONUS ENTRIES: Help me spread the word about this super quick giveaway and earn extra entries for yourself!

  • Use the Social Bookmarking icons at the bottom of the post to promote this giveaway on Twitter, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Digg, and more. Leave a separate comment for each that you do. You can retweet the link once per day and leave a new comment each time.
  • Post the giveaway link on your Facebook wall and leave the URL in your comment.
  • Post the giveaway link on any forums you belong to and leave the URL in your comment.
  • Blog about the giveaway for FIVE extra comments! Leave a separate comment for each with the URL.
  • Enter any of the other giveaways I’m running here on Table for Five or on MomReviews (the links are at the end of the post under Related Articles) and leave the name of the giveaway you entered in a comment for FIVE extra comments! Leave separate comments for each.

Thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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Top Ten Family Rentals from Redbox Oct 19 to Oct 25

October 28, 2009 · by · 5 Comments
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SAN RAFAEL, CA - AUGUST 14: The RedBox logo i...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

These were the most popular family movie rentals on Redbox last week:

1. Monsters vs. Aliens

2. Imagine That

3. Hannah Montana: The Movie

4. Aussie & Ted’s Great Adventure

5. Race to Witch Mountain

6. Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins

7. Casper- Scare School

8. Battle for Terra

9. Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom

10. Sid the Science Kid: Change Happens

See what movies are available and find a Redbox near you at http://www.redbox.com/.

disclosure: this is not a sponsored post, just sharing information.

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Having a Totally Random Morning, How About You?

October 28, 2009 · by · 4 Comments
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I’ve been up for about two hours. I watched half an episode of Ally McBeal (Season One DVD. It’s awesome), helped two kids get their breakfast (Nathan, still sick, home today), made a pot of coffee, and turned on my laptop so I could start writing the approximately eleventy-billion posts I need to write (yes really, eleventy-billion. It is TOO a number).

Because I can never decide what site I want to have as my homepage, I’m currently using a customized iGoogle desktop. I have a section (module? widget?) for The Huffington Post at the top left corner, and the huge headline that Ahmed Karzai, brother of the President of Afghanistan, gets regular payments from the C.I.A. was too juicy not to click through to read, so I did, and…well.

I swear, I never mean to get as lost online as I do. I certainly never intend to look at the time in the bottom right corner of the system tray and realize that TWO HOURS have gone by, and that I have CHILDREN in this house. Okay, so they are pretty self-sufficient children, even Kaitlyn at 3 years 11 months is just fine amusing herself with a pile of Littlest Pet Shop animals for a while. But two hours? That’s like, bad, right? That I didn’t speak to the child sitting 3 feet away from me for that long, because I read an article on HuffPo and then clicked something else that caught my eye, and from there, something else, and so on?

So if you’re wondering what exactly I was doing for two hours that kept me so oblivious, I grabbed the URLs:

TV Squad DVD Review of Battlestar Galactica: The Plan- After reading the review by Mike Moody, I’m glad I didn’t buy this. I’ll add it to my Blockbuster Online queue instead. I was hoping for an original backstory, not recycled footage from the series with some new scenes added.  Then the banner ad caught my eye so I clicked and went to…..

Target StyleBoutique- Nina Garcia helps “frugalistas” find fashionable looks at Target. I can relate to Marci, the Mom of 3 who lives in jeans and t shirts. The blue/black plaid dress with the belted black cardigan is fine looking, but for me? I’d maybe have one time a year where an outfit like that would be appropriate. Still, the videos are interesting and I do love Target. From there I went back to Huffington Post and read about…

Kate Gosselin – who has renewed her registration as a nurse.  My first thought was, if she were to go back to working as a nurse, I hope she can get a day shift that would minimize the amount of time her kids would have to spend in after-school care or at home with a caregiver. Can you imagine what the cost would be for 8 kids, even part time?   Yikes.  Then, Kaitlyn came and sat down next to me with a Littlest Pet Shop poster and asked me if she could get the Cozy Care Adoption Center for Christmas. I said, “Let’s ask Santa to bring it”. She said, “how do we tell him?” I said, “I bet Santa has an email address”. So I googled “email to Santa”, and I found THIS!…

Email Santa-  So I told Kaitlyn we could send Santa an email and ask him to bring her the Littlest Pet Shop Adoption Center. I started suggesting what her email could say, got her feedback, and we came up with this:

Dear Santa,
I have tried very hard to be a good girl this year. I’ve been good to my brothers and to my Mommy and Daddy. I will help make chocolate chip cookies for you to eat when you come. Thank you Santa!
Love, Kaitlyn

I know, right? Seriously cute. Now “Santa” just has to start saving money to buy the aforementioned LPS toy, which costs FORTY SEVEN DOLLARS. Sheesh, kid. In my day we got an orange and a candy cane and WE LIKED IT.

So that was my morning. I also reviewed two Halloween episodes of WordGirl, drank coffee, and chatted with my Internet Twin about life and blogging and stuff. Maybe not the most productive morning, but definitely an interesting and enjoyable one.

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Watch This With Your Kids- Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs

October 28, 2009 · by · 6 Comments
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Ice Age 3Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs is out on DVD and Blu-Ray today! If you haven’t seen this funny follow-up to the original Ice Age and Ice Age 2 movies, I highly recommend you get Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (DVD + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]. It’s not often that the third movie in a series is as good as or even better in some ways than the original, but that is definitely true for Ice Age 3! It is rated PG, for mildly crude humor.

Synopsis: The sub-zero heroes are back on an incredible adventure. With a mission to rescue the unlucky Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle Flora and Fauna, run amuck and meet a relentless, one-eyed dino-hunting weasel named Buck (Simon Pegg). Oh yes, and Manny (Ray Romano) and Ellie (Queen Latifah) are expecting a baby, and Sid (John Leguizamo) finds three dinosaur eggs that he adopts, until they hatch and mama T-Rex comes to rescue them. Diego (Denis Leary) worries that he’s getting old and losing his edge, so he heads out on his own. There are some bittersweet moments but mostly, there’s a whole lot of fun. Our favorite part of the movie is a flying scene with Pterodactyls, I won’t spoil it but it’s very cool.

I had the privilege of having a conference call with representatives of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment where I got a sneak peek at the dozens of movies being released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the next two months, including Ice Age 3. I learned that there are three ways to purchase the movie. The single disc DVD has a list price of $29.98 (only $14.99 on Amazon!) and contains just the movie. The Double DVD “Scrat Pack” is a great value for Moms and fun for kids, it lists for $34.98 (only $22.99 on Amazon!) and has the movie on one disc, and a second disc that contains all of these bonus features:

- Scrat Shorts
- Gone Nutty-Scrats Missing Adventure
- No Time for Nuts
- The Sabre-Toothed Squirrel: Natures Nutty Buddy
- Scrat: From Head to Toe (Learn how to draw Scrat-Tutorial!)
- Scrat: “Breaking Story”
- Scrat: “News Report”
- Fox Movie Channel presents Making a Scene
- Falling for Scratte
- Buck…From Easel to Weasel
- Unearthing the Lost World
- Walk with the Dinosaurs Music Video
- Activities: Scrat Pinball Game, Eggshell, Bubble Trouble

Then, there’s the Three-Disc set with includes the DVD, the Blu-Ray with BD Live, and a Digital Copy you can use to put a copy of the movie on your laptop or other portable DVD player. There’s a very special feature that is exclusive to BD Live, the Ice Age digital story book maker. This is so cool. While watching the film, you can take a screenshot, then put that scene into your own Ice Age book, creating your own unique story right from the movie! There’s also a how to draw Scrat tutorial with the filmmakers, commentary by director Carlos Saldanha, and a feature that lets you look up what the actors from the movie are doing now, on IMDb, which is constantly being refreshed and updated! I’m telling you, Blu-Ray is the way to GO! The 3 Disc set has a suggested price of $39.99 which is a great deal (only $23.49 on Amazon!).

There are less than two months until Christmas, so consider this my way of helping you cross a gift off your list- pick up Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs for a fun gift for everyone in the family!

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Winners of Supermarket Guru Totes and KN Karen Neuburger PJs

October 27, 2009 · by · 2 Comments
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The three winners of Supermarket Guru totes, book and coupons are:

#115 Carolyn G.
#86 Kristin Wilkinson
#3 Theresa Shafer

KN Karen Neuburger had three winners, one to win Pajamas and chenille socks, that winner is:

#58 Julie L. who is giving this prize to her mom, a breast cancer survivor

Two additional winners receive a pair of KN Karen Neuburger pajamas, those winners are:

#56 Judy Brittle who is giving this prize to her daughter
#64 Stacey Moore who is giving this prize to her husband’s Grandma, who is a breast cancer survivor

Congratulations everybody!

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Accor Hotels Amazing 3 Day Super Sale!

October 26, 2009 · by · 10 Comments
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If you have ever dreamed of visiting one of the following countries, for vacation or to visit family, I have got info for you about an amazing Accor Hotels 3-Day Super Sale Asia Pacific! But first, look at this list of countries:

  • Thailand, Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong
  • Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia, Bali
  • Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan

Would you like to plan a trip to one of those countries without breaking your budget? Then you are going to LOVE this! Accor Hotels is having a 3 Day Super Sale with over a MILLION hotel rooms at amazing low rates.  I’m talking rooms as cheap as $30.00 U.S. a night!  Accor Hotels that are participating include Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All Seasons and Ibis hotels,  providing a vast range of affordable options.

To take advantage of these incredible deals, you have to book online between Tuesday, October 27th and Thursday, October 29th. Your hotel stay must be between December 09, 2009 and April 10th, 2010.  Airfares to Asia Pacific countries are also at a record low, so you can save even more on the trip of your dreams!

I know there must be somebody reading this who is thinking to themselves, should I go for it? Should I book a hotel stay in that country I’ve always wanted to visit, that country where my family lives, that country where I want to have my honeymoon? YES! You should go for it! Click the 3 Day Super Sale link at the top of the host and book your room!  Your adventure awaits :)

Post?slot_id=77342&url=http%3a%2f%2fsocialspark

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Halloween Safety Tips from FedEx and Safe Kids USA with a Super Quick Giveaway

October 24, 2009 · by ·
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This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to the three winners-

http://twitter.com/bridget3496 Bridget #52

http://misaacmom.blogspot.com/ Marybeth #22

Renee #37

FedEx Logo

SafeKidsUSA
Halloween is an exciting holiday for children, but they can be vulnerable to injury on this night. FedEx is working with SafeKids USA (http://www.usa.safekids.org) and child pedestrian expert Moira Donahue to spread the word about keeping kids safe while they have fun trick-or-treating. I was asked to help spread the word in exchange for receiving FedEx Halloween Safety Gift Bags for my kids and 3 bags to give away to readers. This giveaway has to end Wednesday so the gift bags can be sent FedEx overnight to the winners. Please read these safety tips first.

SafeKidsHalloween

To ensure trick-or-treaters stay safe, Safe Kids recommends that children:

. Always trick-or-treat with an adult until age 10
. Only trick-or-treat in familiar areas that are well lit
. Cross streets at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks
. Look left, right and left again when crossing; always walk, don’t run, when crossing streets
. Make eye contact with drivers and watch for cars that are turning or backing up
. Walk on sidewalks or paths; if there are no sidewalks, walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible
. Never dart out into the street or cross in between parked cars
. Wear light-colored, flame-retardant, costumes decorated with retro-reflective tape or stickers
. Wear well-fitting, sturdy shoes to prevent trips and falls
. Carry a flashlight or glow stick to increase visibility to drivers
. Wear face paint and makeup; a mask can restrict a child’s vision

Driving Safely on Halloween-Drivers need to do their part to keep trick-or-treaters safe from harm. FedEx reminds motorists to be extra careful this Halloween and recommends that drivers:

. Be especially alert in residential neighborhoods
. Drive more slowly and anticipate heavy pedestrian traffic on and near the road
. Be sure to drive with your full headlights on so you can spot children from greater distances
. Take extra time to actively look for kids at intersections, on medians and on curbs
. Remember that costumes can limit children’s visibility and they may not be able to see your vehicle
. Enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully
. Remember that children are excited on this night and may move in unpredictable ways
. Remember that popular trick-or-treating hours are during the typical rush-hour period, between 5:30-9:30 p.m.
. Reduce any distractions inside your car so you can concentrate on the road and pedestrians

FedEx Halloween Safety Gift Bag

THE GIVEAWAY: Three winners in this giveaway will get a FedEx Halloween Safety Bag. It’s a reflective bag and inside are some goodies to make your children more reflective on Halloween night; shoelaces, a blinking light, and a reflective strip. To enter, read the safety tips I’ve listed above, then leave a comment on this post telling me which tip you think is most important to you. Enter by Wednesday Oct. 28th at 12:00 PM EST. I’ll email the three winners for their mailing addresses and the sponsor will handle shipping. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only.

BONUS ENTRIES: Help me spread the word about this super quick giveaway and earn extra entries for yourself!

  • Use the Social Bookmarking icons at the bottom of the post to promote this giveaway on Twitter, StumbleUpon, Mixx, Digg, and more. Leave a separate comment for each that you do. You can retweet the link once per day and leave a new comment each time.
  • Post the giveaway link on your Facebook wall and leave the URL in your comment.
  • Post the giveaway link on any forums you belong to and leave the URL in your comment.
  • Blog about the giveaway for FIVE extra comments! Leave a separate comment for each with the URL.
  • Enter any of the other giveaways I’m running here on Table for Five or on MomReviews (the links are at the end of the post under Related Articles) and leave the name of the giveaway you entered in a comment for FIVE extra comments! Leave separate comments for each.

I know this one is quick, so thanks for entering and good luck everybody!

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Kaitlyn Lines Things Up

October 24, 2009 · by · 9 Comments
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I don’t remember when we first noticed it, but Kaitlyn likes to line things up. Like this:

Dado Cubes, lined up by size and color-

DadoCubes

Duplos and plastic counting bears, by color-

DuolosAndBears

Toy animals lined up around the corner of the coffee table-

Animals

My Little Ponies lined up in a row-

Ponies

I didn’t get a picture of it, but the other day I noticed she had taken all the different dollhouse chairs and lined them up by size.  Chris thinks it’s a touch of OCD, I think it’s just an almost-four year old imposing order on the things she can control. Or something.

Neither of the boys did this, so I can’t say well, it’s just something all kids do. Did your kids line things up or organize toys in a certain way?

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