LIV Maple Lodge

LIV Maple Lodge

Andy has spent the last year trying to get me to go camping or 'roughing it' (well I hope he was talking about camping anyway!) ... I wasn't convinced.  I need a proper bed, a fridge and my own loo .. I can't be doing with all this finding a big bush or tree to wee behind or heading off into a forest with a torch and a roll of Charmin. 
So Andy brought me a caravan :) I love my caravan so much that its clean and tidy (now if you can see my house you wouldn't expect my caravan to be tidy!).  

Anyway... so where is this going? or am I just prattling on about nothing?
Well LIV have brought out the "Its My Nature - Maple Lodge" which is slightly different from your normal play doll house.  For a start there is no pool, or wardrobe, or shoes, or real flushing toilet! this is because Maple Lodge is all about camping and living with nature.

The lodge folds out to create a good sized play house, but folds away to be able to store it easily.  This is a breath of fresh air (see what I did there? nature/fresh air!) for in our house as we had years of tripping over play doll chairs, beds, castles! and other HUGE equipment ... this one just folds away.

So what do you get with the Maple Lodge? There are 25+ accessories included in the set:
1 Sleeping Bag, 1 Hammock with stand. 1 Campfire that really lights up (how cool is that!), 2 Skewers, 2 Pots, 1 Pot rack with 2 hooks, 2 Plates, 7 Silverware, 1 Bowl, 2 Mugs, 1 Coffee pot, 2 Tree stump chairs, 1 Table, 1 Camera, 1 Muffin tin, 1 Milk/Egg carton, 2 Magazines, 1 Game board, 2 Placemats, 2 Hands of cards.

Now this is what confuses me ...... there are 2 placemats, 2 plates etc... but only 1 bowl! What if both dolls want cereal for breakfast?  Then you have things like 2 tree stump chairs (very authentic) but only 1 sleeping bag!! Do they have to play a board game or poker with the cards to work out who gets the sleeping bag? Does one doll get cold and hungry?  Then there is a muffin tray ... that'll be for whacking bears over the head with I suppose :)  My favourite accessory is the magazines ... well you need to wipe your dolls bum on something don't you ... did you see loo roll on the accessory list?

The lodge contains a fridge, cooker and cupboard, great for storing all the little bits and pieces that come with it :)

I do actually love this Maple Lodge, its really sweet.  Also goes really well with Nutmeg the Horse which I have also reviewed.

Available from Spinmaster in all good toyshops.
RRP £24.99

Moon Sand Sweet Delights

Moon Sand Sweet Delights

When I first saw Moon Sand advertised I thought it looked a bit naff, but after seeing the actual product and the accessories its actually pretty good.

Moon Sand is a sand based product that you can mould like dough.  After moulding you can even bake your creations and paint them (craft paint isn't included but I would use acrylic paint that you can buy at many craft shops, pound shops and supermarkets).

The aim of Moon Sand is to mould different shapes like a selection of fruits, chocolate and cookie delights, then scoop them up into the working blender with a dollop of Moon Sand ice cream. Decorate with straws, berries and umbrellas for the ultimate shake!
The set includes a real working blender (you have to turn the handle), a selection of moulds, 3 dessert glasses, 1 scoop, 3 spoons, 3 straws and 2 umbrellas.

It states that the Moon Sand will never dry out, but I would keep it in an airtight container anyway .... plus it will help with keeping it all together and tidy.  The box the product comes in is pretty good for storing all the bits and pieces and is stack able.

Age 3+ due to small parts.
RRP: £15
Available from all good high street toy stores, Internet and mail order.

A Spinmaster Toy product.

LIV Nutmeg Horse

LIV - It's My Nature - Nutmeg the Horse

Nutmeg is a fully poseable play horse with movable limbs.  Her hair is lovely and long, ready for brushing and styling.  From the ever popular LIV doll range, Nutmeg is a very welcome addition, she is a lovely toy and very well sculpted and produced.

Nutmeg comes with 15+ pieces including 2 blankets, 1 saddle, bridle and reins, grooming tools, hair styling accessories, a scoop and pretend feeding buckets and bags.

My personal favourite part of Nutmeg is her eyes, the play horse has real looking eyes that are set into the toy and not painted on.  This top finish makes her look really stylish and professional.

With each LIV toy you also get free web membership to LIV World via a code from the toy.  The website is a safe site for children to explore which is only open to people who have purchased LIV products.

I really like Nutmeg the horse and her accessories, the saddle and reins look as if they are made from real leather instead of having a plastic finish.

Available from all good toy shops and high street stores.

RRP £24.99

Moon Dough

Moon Dough

When I was little my mum used to make her own version of playdoh out of salt, flour and water .... I used to get moaned at for 'getting it stuck in the carpet' and I think this is where I got my aversion to playdoh from.

Poor Emma was never allowed to play with dough at home, but I did used to take her along to my pottery classes occasionally (I used to teach ceramics of all subjects) and let her make real things from clay ... I even let her glaze her creations how cool am I!

Anyway .... Moon Dough is supposedly different as it never dries out!  Honestly never again will you have to chuck out balls of dried up dough .... however this dough is really really crumbly, so unless you have a large table to use it on or a very large plastic sheet to protect you carpet - don't use the dough!

I found that before I let Emma get her hands on it I warmed it up by kneading it with my larger warmer hands.  This way it almost puffed up and became more foamy than doughy.  It was still crumbly but not as much as when it first came out of the packet.

The box sets of Moon Dough are pretty cool, the Barn is really sturdy and cute, it reminds me of the 'Little People' sets with the styling and colouring of the design.  I also like the Puppy set where you can make dog bones and other treats for your puppy.  There is also a pretend pizza kit ... but never fear as Moon Dough is completely safe if your kids do eat it and its even wheat free!

I know it states that it never dries out but I would suggest keeping it in an airtight container anyway, plus it helps when you try to get the kids to tidy up.

Available from all good toy shops.

Moxie Girlz Stamp n Style

Moxie Girlz Stamp 'n' Style

Every year since Emma was about 4 we have had various dolls added to her Christmas List.  Each year the dolls have got more and more stylish, more 'teenage' than the most famous doll and they now come in sets with accessories that Emma can use/wear too.

Moxie Girlz are one of the top selling toys for girls this year, the Stamp 'n' Style is a set which includes a doll with really really long hair and a range of hair accessories that are also safe to use on your own hair. 

Each doll comes complete with a hair stamping tool and shaped stamps which when coated in pink or purple wash-out-easy hair colour can create cool stamped shapes directly onto the dolls or your own hair!  You can also use the colours to create streaks or sections of coloured hair too.

Also in the set there is hair glitter mascara, a professional looking hair grip for easy sectioning and also a small brush for styling.  The stamp shapes come in 4 designs: hearts, wavy lines and stars. 

To be honest on the box they look really clever and I wouldn't mind Emma practicing on my hair too.

Basically the set is a makeover for you and your Moxie Girlz™!

There are 4 Moxie Girlz to choose from all with different outfits and accessories.  Avery has blonde hair, Lexa brown hair, Bria brown hair and Sophina also has brown hair. 
We have to always have the blonde one I don't know why?? Emma just likes Avery with the blonde hair!  I would think that with the stamp set the colour would show up better on the blonde hair with it being lighter.



Moxie Girlz™ Magic Hair Stamp ‘n’ Style dolls are available at all good toy stores nationwide and are suitable for ages 5 plus.
Prices start around £24.99.

In the night garden tea and friends playset

In the Night Garden ... Tea & Friends Playset
Pre-school children love to make Mum a nice cup of tea ... which you oooh over and pretend to slurp loudly.  The problem with playing tea party is that after 18 cups of tea you kind of get a bit bored of slurrrping and want to get on with some jobs.  This is where Igglepiggle and Upsy Daisy come in :)

The In the Night Garden ... Tea & Friends Playset contains a full size soft bodied Igglepiggle and an Upsy Daisy.  The soft toys can take over from you and your little one can serve them tea for hours without hearing one complaint from them.

With the set you can help Upsy Daisy get dressed up for her special tea party with Igglepiggle. Then you can help her set up teatime on the cozy blanket. Set includes everything needed - Igglepiggles blanket, two cups, two saucers, two spoons and a teapot and serving tray.

Make sure you have your camera ready for taking sneaky snaps of your pre-schooler playing nicely for the family album... by the time they are 10 they will swear blind they never played tea parties and you will have hard evidence to prove them wrong (and embarrass them in front of their friends... oh is that just me? what a nasty parent I am!).

The pack also contains a DVD of In the Night Garden, so when its time for bed you can pop it on and have a nice cup of 'real' tea while they settle down for bedtime.

I like the way there is two full size soft toys in the pack .. however if your son/daughter is a big fan of In the Night Garden they will probably already have the Igglepiggle figure.  I would have preferred to just have Upsy Daisy in the box and maybe more tea set items eg.. 4 cups instead of 2, a sugar bowl or milk jug, etc...
Hasbro and Playskool could have packaged these separately so you could choose between the characters or even brought both sets?? although I would expect the price to be a little lower if this was the case.

All in all they are expertly made and excellent condition, no batteries are required and they make no noise and play no tunes ... so a nice quiet toy for imaginative play.

Age 2+
Priced around £29.99
Available from all good toy shops and high street retailers. 

Goodnight Friend Igglepiggle

In the Night Garden .... Goodnight Friend Igglepiggle

In the Night Garden is a tv show on Cbeebies, it is a very colourful magical picture-book place that exists between waking and sleeping in a child's imagination ... apparently.  To me its a nice pre-school show with lovable characters, uses keywords and rhymes to educate your child plus happy nursery rhyme style music which continues throughout the show.

Igglepiggle is the key character in the show, he travels by boat to the magical land where he meets and plays with his friends.  All children have their favourite character but Igglepiggle is most pre-schoolers favourite, well he is definitely popular in my mother-in-laws house when all my nieces are round.

Hasbro and Playschool have brought out a range of toys based on the In the Night Garden series. 
Goodnight Friend Igglepiggle is a soft toy with cuddly slippers and removable pyjamas, to be able to take off and on the clothing of a soft toy promotes manual dexterity skills in young children so this is a very good factor.  Igglepiggle also has his blanket with him which attaches to his hand with Velcro.

The lovable soft toy comes with a real working lantern which glows by pressing the button on the front.  The lantern is made from sturdy plastic and powered by 2 AAA batteries (included), these are hidden behind a screwed down flap so you will be able to change them if they ever run out.

Included in the box is a small 'Goodnight Friends' storybook for your little one to 'read' while cuddling Igglepiggle at bedtime.

I am impressed with the amount of fasteners that hold the toy into the box.  Igglepiggle is held in with 2 fasteners, the lantern is held in by plastic and the slippers with cardboard and some ties.  In comparison to other brands this is excellent! sometimes we have to have a production line to open up toys from the vast amount of packaging and wire ties ... Goodnight Friend Igglepiggle isn't like this at all, I estimate an adult can get in the box and have the toy ready in under 4 minutes, great for an impatient 2 year old on Christmas morning.

Age 2+
Priced at around £19.99
Available from all good toy shops and high street retailers.

Top Toys For Christmas - Cheat Sheet

Top Toys For Christmas - Cheat Sheet

We are all busy ... all work and no play, so when the 'Letter To Santa' gets sent and a pleading child starts to leave the Argos book open on your desk covered in Post-its .. what do you do?

a) Drop everything, jump in the car and drive until you reach Toys R Us .. hoping everything is in stock?

b) Get online order everything at the first price you see and hope its delivered by Christmas?

c) Send your Mother-in-law out with a list and a wad of cash?

or

d) Check http://www.frugalcrew.com/frugal-views/gift-buying-made-easy/2009/11/8/a-cheat-sheet-on-the-top-toys-for-christmas/ for the best prices and a ready-made list of what your child really wants for Christmas (along with the rest of the population).

Well I hope you answered D ... The Frugal Crew has compiled a handy list of the must-haves this Christmas and loads of handy links that take you straight there ... simple!

Christmas - without the stress :)

Have a good one !!

Frugal Crew: http://www.frugalcrew.com/

Great Gift Guide: http://www.frugalcrew.com/frugal-views/gift-buying-made-easy/2009/10/20/great-gifts-for-kids/