Holiday Guide 2010

Kids are bugging out over the Hexbug Nano Party

The kids and Daddy enjoyed setting up the Hexbug Nano Habitat. We’ve played with other electronic toys before and have found this one even though the pieces are small is much more suited to children than the other. The Zoe and Miles both loved playing with the bugs and Miles took his bug everywhere with him for three days. Yes, in that time we had to replace the battery a few times because he would forget to turn it off. As we were playing the Hexbug Nano bugs my husband noticed that some of them said that they were special or rare. So he went looking on line and found the Hexbug Nano Field Guide.

The habitat was easy enough for Zoe, age 3, to put together and take apart. She actually did most of the construction on the habitat you see pictured above. Everyone that came over for the party was allowed to take home some bugs and extra batteries. We had quite a fun party last week with the little Hexbug Nano bugs. Everyone had a great time. I’ve received comments from all of the moms thanking me for sending home the little creatures!

One Mom Said,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting the boys spend some time at your house this morning! They had a great time and love the bugs you sent home with them. They’ve been playing with them all day; it’s been a while since they were all this quiet at one time.

Another Said,

Louise, thanks so much for the bugs. My kids had SO MUCH FUN playing with them all night!!

And one other mom said,

I’m very impressed with the Hexbugs because they kept my son’s attention for at least 30 minutes. He just sat there and played with the bug watching it go in and out of the habitat.

Every time I try to edit this video my computer crashes so it is a little bit longer than I’m sure any of you other than grandparents like to watch. This video is of the family enjoying the Hexbug Nano for the first time.

Thanks to Mom Select and Hexbug Nano for supplying us with the toys for this party.

Spin Master Presents Olivia Plush and 2-in-1 Transforming Playset

Last time I went to the book store to pick out some books for Zoe and Miles and picked up a lot of bargain books. One of them was Olivia, I didn’t realize until we got home that the book was a Spanish reading book. The kids recognize Olivia and it’s fun to look at even though we don’t know Spanish, but now I know why it was on clearance and why there were 20 more behind it. Winking smile . Olivia is too cute to pass up!

Olivia the cute pig from the storybooks you might read to your children, hopefully yours is in the language you can read and speak, is now featuring her own toy line. From the best-selling children’s book and hit Nick Jr. television show, Olivia inspires kids everywhere to think boldly and follow their dreams. Spin Master has taken Olivia’s bold personality and extraordinary imagination, and infused it into a collection of fun and creative toys for children ages 4 and up!

Zoe wasn’t exactly in the mood to help me review the toys today so as I was trying to capture a photo of her she snuck away out of the camera view. She all but threw a fit though when I told her it was time to put the Olivia the pig toys away. So here is our review!

The Olivia Plush:

The Olivia Plush is a line of dolls not just the one you see above. There are four dolls in the series all of them Olivia, but some of the Olivia Dolls are dressed up in costume. At Toys R Us, Olivia retails for 10.99. Olivia Basic Plush Doll – Olivia the Artist, Olivia Basic Plush Doll – Olivia the Artist, Olivia Basic Plush Doll – Cow, our favorite of course is Olivia Basic Plush Doll – Ball Gown. She is soft and cuddly and is great for creative play.

The 2-in-1 Transforming Olivia Playset:

The 2 in 1 Transforming Playset is quite a playset. Since it comes with stickers, it’s a winner right off the bat, Zoe loves, loves loves stickers. I haven’t watched Olivia in quite a while, but I hear that the house is just like the one she lives in on TV, it also transforms into a pirate ship, and Zoe was all about opening up the house. The final selling point for our family would be that it has a handle and can be loaded up with all of the accessories and carried from location to location, perfect for kids that love to carry something around like mine do. Zoe has been loading a bag, box or purse since she was 18 months old.

The Olivia Plush and the 2-in-1 Transforming Playset are available at ToysRus, Target and Kmart! For more information on the new product line visit www.spinmaster.com.

Spin Master and Team Mom Provided us with samples to review for this post!