The Shopping Mama

Earth-friendly Toys for All Year ‘Round

by Shannon on April 22nd, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

It’s Earth Day, so here at The Shopping Mama we’ve compiled a list of earth-friendly kids’ toys that we really like. Please do us a favor? Bookmark this page so that the next time you need a toy, birthday gift or “just for” present, you’ll think about these responsible options.

Please remember that this list is but a sampling of the amazing options available. For example, my daughter loves The Cupcake Game by eeBoo, but this company manufactures a wide variety of games and toys made from recycled materials and some have no plastic pieces whatsoever. The same is true for all the manufacturers, sellers and handmade toy makers on this list. So, check out their other offerings for responsible toy purchases for kids of any age and interest.

The Cupcake Game by eeBoo ($14): 90% recycled grayboard and soy-based inks.

Veggie Sidewalk Chalk by Wee Can Too ($12): edible sidewalk chalk made with only food-grade ingredients.

Natural Watercolor Set by Glob ($24): botanical watercolor pigments.

Color Sudoku Game by Grimm’s Spiel and Holz ($41): water based dyes and natural wood oils.

Mushroom Kaleidoscope by Plan Toys ($5): natural, chemical free recycled rubberwood and non-toxic, lead-free, water based paints.

Zoe B. Organic Biodegradable Beach Toys ($18): biodegradable in fresh or salt water in 2-3 years, not 500+.

Balancing Cactus by Plan Toys ($28): chemical-free rubberwood with non-toxic water based paints and non-formaldehyde glue.

Personalized Toy Truck ($20): sustainable hardwood and organic, food-grade wood oil.

Motorworks Customizable Vehicles by Manhattan Toy {Review & Giveaway}

by Maureen on April 8th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Giveaways, Reviews, Toys

Got a car-crazed kiddo? Introducing Motorworks, Manhattan Toy’s new line of sleek, customize-able wooden toy vehicles, accessories and play sets.

The Specs

The Motorworks Collection includes three different trim levels: the Street Series, Speed Series and Extreme Series. Each vehicle features a smooth beech wood body and sturdy removable parts and trim. Vehicle parts are interchangeable across all three series and snap easily into place. Accessory packs, sold separately, provide endless customization possibilities such as decals, spoilers and ground effects. Best of all, the cars are easy enough for my preschooler to build and customize, yet have a cool factor that also appeals to older kids.

“Vroooom!”

Patriot Dragster with custom wheels

The Critics Weigh In

My kids road tested the Patriot Dragster and the Flareside Truck, along with the Racing Wheels accessory pack. “That’s some car,” my kindergartener said appreciatively of the Dragster. (We recently read Charlotte’s Web.) They immediately set about taking the cars apart, rebuilding them, and changing out the wheels. Kindergartener’s sage customization advice to Preschooler: “My car is going to look awesome with the green wheels. Your car will look awesomer if you put the blue wheels on.” My first grader got involved in true oldest child fashion. “I’m the mechanic and you boys are the customers.”

Happily building and customizing

45 minutes later…

To Buy or Not to Buy

To Buy … Forty five minutes later, they were still playing with the Motorworks. Any toy that captures my kids’ imaginations and keeps them involved and interested for forty five minutes in a row gets two very enthusiastic thumbs up from me!

Or Not to Buy … My only reservation is that they were smaller in person than I had envisioned. It might be difficult for little hands to use the decals to customize their vehicles.

Shop! Motorworks vehicles (from $14), two-pack vehicle sets (from $29.99), accessory packs (from $10), custom car decals (from $5), Tuner Lift Center playset ($35) and Tri-Level Super Garage playset ($100) are available online at Manhattan Toy and our affiliate Amazon, and in store at local toy retailers (search for locations here).

Win! Motorworks Vehicle and Accessory Pack!

One lucky reader chosen at random will win their choice of one vehicle package plus one accessory pack. To enter, please leave a comment describing what you think your kids will like about playing with Motorworks.

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Thanks to Manhattan Toy for providing samples.

Bargain Alert! Consignment Sales

by Maureen on February 19th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping, Shopping

I love shopping for my kids: clothes, shoes, gear … I’m just a wee bit obsessed. I especially love finding great deals on brands I know are stylish and of high quality. Kids grow so fast, though, that they generally grow out of things before they have a chance to wear them out. Want one-stop shopping for selling your own kids’ outgrown clothes and gear and buying gently worn items from like-minded parents? Try a consignment sale.

The Trunk Treasures seasonal consignment sale in San Diego, California

A consignment sale, done right, is not a rummage sale. The items for sale are required to be stain- and damage-free and in excellent used condition. Sometimes you might even find brand new clothes with the tags still attached. Many consignment sales are also particular about the brands they will accept – store brand clothing from Target, Wal-Mart and Kohl’s, no matter how cute, are typically not allowed. The sale is well organized. Clothes and shoes are grouped by size and season. Toys, books, nursery accessories, and gear (strollers, car seats, swings, etc.) are separated into different areas and laid out nicely so that customers aren’t digging around to see everything. It’s almost a traditional retail experience.

Kidsconsignmentsales.com is an online resource for finding consignment sales in your area and, if you’re a sale owner, for advertising your business. According to the KCS website, the advantages of buying and selling at a consignment sale are

Shoppers find better prices at seasonal consignment sales than at consignment shops
The variety and quality of items is better than what is found at garage sales
Consignors usually keep a larger percentage of the price of their sold items
There is none of the hassle that comes with advertising and holding a garage sale

For The Shopping Mama fans in the San Diego area, the Trunk Treasures consignment sale was held this weekend, February 16th-17th, in the Eastlake Design Center. As a consignor, I got to shop the sale one day early and I found some amazing deals! Highlights: brand new Pediped sneakers for my preschooler for $15 and Gymboree jeans for my first grader for $5. My total haul, which included six pairs of shorts, five pairs of jeans, three dresses, several tops, a swimsuit, a winter jacket, sneakers, a pair of sandals, and a set of Thomas trains and track pieces, came to $120.

The Trunk Treasures furniture & gear section

The Trunk Treasures toy section, including a ton of brand new Melissa & Doug

To find a consignment sale in your area, check out the sale finder page on Kidsconsignmentsales.com. A friend of mine swears by the Just Between Friends sale, which is a consignment business with seasonal sales in several different cities.

What is your favorite local consignment sale? Please share details about the sale itself and your haul!

Radio Flyer Discount Code, Photo Album & Birthday Club News

by Kate on February 13th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Shopping

We have lots of fun news (and savings!) to share from our friends at Radio Flyer.

Save 15% This Month!

Heart Month

To celebrate American Heart Month, Radio Flyer is offering 15% off everything at RadioFlyer.com. As we all know, being active is one of the best ways to keep heart healthy and Radio Flyer products are perfect for getting kids moving. Of course, when they’re moving, parents are moving and there’s nothing better than playing together. Use code Heart13 at checkout to save 15% off sitewide.

Share Your Radio Flyer Photo & Win

Radio Flyer receives customer photos from all over the world so they’ve created a Radio Flyer Photo Album. If you upload a photo you are entered to win a RadioFlyer.com gift card!

How it Works:

Visit RadioFlyer.com and submit a photo to our “Featured Album” – this month it’s “The Gift of Radio Flyer” - upload to one of the other albums. You can easily upload a photo of your child enjoying a Radio Flyer product from your Facebook, Instagram or your computer.
Radio Flyer will reward the “Most Loved” and “Flyer Favorite” in the featured album with a $100 Radio Flyer gift card.
Submit a photo to ANY other album, and you will be eligible to win a $50 Radio Flyer gift card.

Birthday Club is Back

Radio Flyer is re-introducing its Birthday Club with new content at RadioFlyer.com – including ideas to throw a Radio Flyer-themed birthday from the invitations, to the favors to the games. There are some great ideas! Also, don’t forget to join the Birthday Club, where you can get $10 off at RadioFlyer.com for each child’s birthday. Every little bit of savings helps and we know Radio Flyer gifts are perfect for birthdays!

Max is Eleven Months Old

by Kate on February 11th, 2013 | 5 Comments | Life

Max is 11 months old! ELEVEN. We are a matter of days away from his first birthday. Crazy times up in here, I tell you.

His poor little nose has seen better days. It’s been running (and running) and despite using Boogie Wipes, he’s still sporting a rough look. He managed to scrape himself in the middle of the night and scabbed and added to the very sick look. Poor thing! We’ve spent many afternoons lately in the ERGObaby carrier because he’s been generally out of sorts and not feeling like himself. After several days of fevers and general ickyness, Max had his second ever “sick baby” visit to the doctor who declared the culprit a virus.

One of the most obvious physical changes Max has gone through lately is his growing hair. It’s getting thicker and longer and I love it. Although, in this picture it looks a bit like he’s wearing a toupe.

Max’s preferred method of getting around is still a mix of cruising and crawling. I’ll be honest, I totally thought he’d be walking by now. For a period of time, he was doing everything early (or at least earlier than his siblings) so I thought walking would be an early milestone, too. But, he’s now officially my latest walker. He takes a few steps at a time when we encourage him, and walks while holding only my hand, but he’s content to crawl and cruise. Frankly, I’ll take it! He’s got plenty of time to walk and he already gets into so much, that I can’t imagine what it will be like when he’s walking!

getting brave 2

One of my favorite things to do lately is just watch him play. You can almost see his little brain working, as he struggles to make his chubby hands do what his head is telling them to do. His current favorite toys are the Playskool Poppin Park Lion and the Hape Pound & Tap Bench.

Of course, there are some things that Max isn’t quite ready to play with.

His first birthday is literally just around the corner and I can hardly stand it. I’m not prepared – not for the birthday party we’re hosting and certainly not for the fact that he will be a year old. In some ways, the year has flown by, but at the same time it feels as if Max has been a part of our family forever.

Much to my dismay, Max continues to thin out a bit. At the doctor’s appointment last month he measured 76% percentile for weight and in the 30th percentile for height. But, I swear all the moving around – and a recent lack of interest in solid food – means his thunder thighs are shrinking and his all around roly-poly-ness is decreasing.

Max at 10 Months

Weight: 24 pounds
Length: 30 inches
New Trick: Cruising, walking holding only one hand, babbling sounds like “mama” and “dada”
Big Adventures: trip to Paris, sick visit to doctor’s office

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Look back: Max at One Month, Max at Two Months, Max at Three Months, Max at Four Months, Max at Five Months, Max at Six Months,Max at Seven Months, Max at Eight Months, Max at Nine Months and Max at Ten Months.

Best Toys for the Holidays 2012!

by Kate on December 3rd, 2012 | 5 Comments | Shopping

It’s here! Our third annual 30 Days of Toys is complete and the result is a collection of the Best Toys for the Holidays! We love this year’s finds and know you will, too. We have everything from stocking stuffers to WOW gifts, from indie artisans to big brands, from super affordable to splurges. We think you’ll find something for every little one on your holiday shopping list.

Check out the Best Toys for the Holidays 2012 to see this year’s Toy Shopping Guide. For more detailed description of each pick, visit the 30 Days of Toys.

Happy toy shopping!

30 Days of Toys: Finger Puppet Set

by Kate on November 21st, 2012 | 5 Comments | 30 Days of Toys, Shopping

Toy: Finger Puppet Theatre Troupe

Get It For: A little theatre geek with a big imagination.

Why We Like It: This set of seven puppets includes Fox, Sheep, Dog, Lion, Bunny, Cat and Bear – lots of animals ready for the stage. These adorable felt puppets are a great way to encourage and build your child’s imagination and storytelling. Each puppet is approximately 3.5 to 4 inches tall and finished with darling embroidered details.

Shop! Exclusive to The Land of Nod, the Finger Puppet Theatre Troupe is $39 with Free Shipping.

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To see the best toys for the holidays, check out our Toy Shopping Guide.
You can also browse our picks in the third annual 30 Days of Toys.

Under the Tree Giveaway {Lots of Toys & Games}

by Kate on November 20th, 2012 | 5 Comments | Giveaways

No matter how you celebrate (or don’t celebrate) Christmas, this is an amazing selection of toys collected to spoil a very lucky child. With goodies from a major retailer’s Hot Toy list to educational games and learning materials to a darling Christmas outfit, we have an awesome giveaway worth more than $400! That’s a lot of presents to go Under the Tree!

Under the Tree Giveaway

1. $100 Carson Dellosa Shopping Spree. Say good bye to boring flash cards and hello to fun and engaging games! Carson-Dellosa Publishing, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, was founded by teachers and boasts a 35-year history as the leading supplemental education provider for educators, parents, and students around the world. The Carson Dellosa website is an amazing resource for more educational games than you could possibly imagine. My kids have been playing with the Phonics Fish, Addition Facts Bingo and Short and Long Vowel Learning Game – all are great at developing different skills in a fun way. Products are available at carsondellosa.com or at a participating retailer.

2. KMart Fab 15! Holiday Toys ($75). KMart has the ultimate list of this year’s hottest toys for the holidays. The KMart Fab 15! Toys list includes picks for children of all ages, and includes popular brands like Air Hog, LeapFrog, Furby and Imaginext. Emilie’s boys are building up fun with LEGO Monster Fighters: the Vampyre Hearse ($35), and my daughter is swooning over the pretty little Holiday Barbie 2012 ($40). Check out the list and enter the Fab 15 Daily Giveaways.

3. Melissa & Doug Trunki ($40). Named one of the Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts for 2012, the Trunki Suitcase is a carry on-approved, ride-on suitcase featuring fast-moving wheels and an extra-wide base to keep family travel rolling smoothly. Kids can pull Trunki all by themselves, or hop on board for a ride while a grown-up does the pulling! Make sure you check out the other Terrific Twenty Holiday Gifts to find something for all the kids on your shopping list. And, did you know Melissa & Doug now offers personalization of many of their toys? And it’s only $1.99!

4. Two Lolly Wolly Doodle Dresses ($68). Lolly Wolly Doodle is a kids’ clothing company owned a mother of four in North Carolina. The colorful, wearable, high quality clothes are designed and sewn with care, attention and love by the Lolly Wolly Doodle team. We love the Turquoise Corduroy Santa Hat A-Line Dress – the perfect combination of traditional Southern charm with modern colors and flair. Your two favorite girls (daughters, daughter and BFF, nieces, granddaughters) will look beyond adorable in matching dresses! The dress is available in sizes 12 months to 12 years and we think it’s a deal at $34. Make sure you join the Lolly Wolly Doodle community on facebook for access to daily sales with free shipping.

5. Monkeez Makes a Difference ($48). The first-of-its-kind innovative and interactive experience teaches children the importance of helping others through kid-friendly tools including the best-selling Genuine Monkeez and Friends™ plush characters, online games, real-life Do Good challenges and a special donation on a child’s behalf to one of three nationally renowned charities of his or her choice. Monkeez Makes a Difference gives children the opportunity to learn and practice giving back while having fun. It also provides an innovative solution to parents, grandparents and others who are hungry for tools to help them discuss and demonstrate what it means to think of others in today’s world. Save 20% on Monkeez and Friends with code THANKFUL through December 30.

6. Bananagrams Family of Games ($78). I first heard of Bananagrams a couple years ago from my good friend whose a high school teacher. She raves about the game and uses it in her classroom. I knew the game must be awesome (and it IS – it was even named the 2009 Toy Fair Game of the Year), but since it’s recommended for kids a bit older than mine, I never looked into it. Luckily for my family (and those with young children), Bananagrams has developed more amazing games with the same basic qualities: small, portable game requiring no pencil, paper or board. Here are the basics on the games that will have you planning family game nights on the reg.

BANANAGRAMS® ($14.95) is a fast and fun anagram game that drives players bananas! It comes in a small portable banana shaped pouch and is perfect fun for kids from 7 – 97 years-old, at home or on the go.
PAIRSinPEARS® ($16.95) is a word construction game for ages six and up where players race to make pairs of connecting words in matching patterns.
Appletters® ($16.95) was originally designed with younger players in mind and features three levels of play to amuse children and challenge adults. The game comes in an apple-shaped cloth pouch containing 110 ivory-like tiles.
ZIP-IT® ($ 14.95) is a two-player crossword race that can be played anytime, anywhere in as little as 20 seconds. For players ages seven and up, Zip-It features 24 high-quality letter cubes packaged in a unique cloth pouch with scoring zippers.
Fruitominoes® ($12.95), for players ages five and up, features 28 beautifully crafted dominoes in a compact pouch. It’s a fresh, fruity and colorful twist to the classic game of dominoes.

Win! The Under the Tree Giveaway worth over $400!

Prize Package includes: $100 Gift Card at Carson Dellosa, Holiday Barbie 2012 & LEGO Vampyre Hearse from KMart, Melissa & Doug Trunki, Two (2) Lolly Wolly Doodle Turquoise Corduroy Santa Dresses, Choice of one medium ($30 value) and one small ($18 value) Monkeez and Friends Knit Plush, and Bananagrams, PairsinPears, Appletters, Zip-It and. Fruitominoes.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends December 5. Open to US mailing addresses only.