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[#1]

I was in a hotel room in Beverly Hills last week (we were there for a wedding, I don’t usually stay in such luxury, believe me) watching the Discovery Channel when a banner on the bottom came up that read.

Why are some people born curious? For some people “why?” never ends.

My husband and I cracked up because that is our three year old, Grace, to a T.

Why? Why? Why?  That’s what we hear all day, every day.  The child never stops asking questions.  Sometimes I want to pull my ears off , but mostly I am so proud that she is so freaking smart and curious.

Our 2 year old, Georgia, on the hand prefers to get lost in chasing butterflies and speaking here own magical language.  A language, thankfully, her sister can understand and translates for us.

They are very different little girls.  They are best friends, sisters from birth, born just 5 months apart but they have very unique, distinct personalities.

Another Grace type toy, but that I think Georgia will one day enjoy as well is the Flashpad. Last Christmas I watched a presentation of the flashing white tablet and my step mom called during the middle and said,” I need those, order me 3!” Unfortunately they sold out before either of us could get them. A couple months later they showed back up and I picked up 6 to have on hand for birthday gifts for the dozens of little ones in my life.  They have been a hit!!!!  The age on this is a bit older than my girls but when my toddlers watch their older friends chase the pretty lights and test their memory, they are in awe.  Let’s be honest, every kid wants the Ipad these days, but I am not convinced kindergartners should have one.  There is just so much technology, so much TV, so many video games.  I want my kids to play outside, use their imagination, and not become technology zombies.  But, when I was introduced to the flash pad, I felt like it was a happy medium between my desire for old fashion fun and their desire for gadgets.  It has the touch aspect you get in an i-pad and it isn’t loud and obnoxious like some games with sound, and I actually like sitting and playing the game myself. Its just plain fun!  I have a blast holding my cousins cute little fingers and helping her tap around the pad with the “catch me” game.   This is a toy, I love.  Kids can bang away on the sturdy face and I don’t have to worry that they will beak the screen like I would with an adult tablet. Great price for a family game that will grow with the child.  And a solution for the moms like me that like the technology for the little ones....but to a point.

Twister Trax takes the light up toy to a new level. It is arguably the coolest and easiest to set up race track Ive ever seen.  Its bright, its colorful, its glows in the dark AND it is a ridiculous low price for a huge gift!  253 pieces of a huge gift to be exact.  When I first saw it I was a little concerned because I knew who would have to be keeping track of the all those tracks but, when I saw it came with its own bag for all the pieces and the two glow in the dark cars I was sold.  This is a Grace toy.  The track is easy to snap together which is something she loves to do (take things apart and put them together.)  She stares at the great little cars, that are nice and rounded and perfect for chubby little hands, and contemplates how they work.   The track itself can be twisted around things (Christmas tree anyone?) and moved every which way because its flexible, but what really makes it cool is it all glows in the dark! 

Speaking of dark, my munchkins aren't quite at an age where they are afraid of the dark but they do love playing with light and having some control over their surroundings.  They have loved flashlights since they were infants and last year I put tiny adult flashlights in their stockings.  This year they are getting Little Tikes Bendable Flashlights. They are bright, bendable and much bigger than they look in the picture.  They are perfect for my 3 year olds. At night they can go around the bed post so they have a little bright buddy near by.  They can wrap onto a backpack, on the car seat, the stroller.  And, they are nearly indestructible. In my house we have two english bulldogs one of which has a crazy obsession with flashlights. I think it came from us taking her out at night as a puppy with a flashlight in hand.

At first she would chase the light but eventually she learned the source and she would try and attack the actual flashlight. Over the years she has become crazed when she sees a light and she has managed  to actually destroy a few maglights.  Anything even in the shape of a flashlight she tries to attack.  When we are out of town we have to tell the dog-sitter to beware because once our home alarm went off, and when the police showed up, flashlights in hands, Pumpkin tried to attack.  Not good. But these bright little buddies don't even look like flashlights. They are Grace, Georgia and Pumpkin approved.

 Ill be completely honest about this next toy.  I end up stealing it from my children. The Tranquil Turtle is my girls absolute favorite stuffed animal right now, but its mom and dads too, so once the girls are asleep I sneak in and "borrow" the soothing tortuga to help lull me to sleep. Georgia has become keen to my thievery and will occasionally say "mama you no take my tortuga" as I'm kissing her rosy baby lips goodnight.  She will wake up in the middle of the night and find it gone.  Then find herself in my bed.  But, if I'm, again, being completely honest I don't so much mind having her little toddler body snuggled up with me.  Turtles are one of the girls favorite animals, second only to dolphins, and because my girls were born at the beach we have always used ocean sounds in their room at night.  This is the best of both worlds.  The music is calming like a massage at a nice spa but its the watery light it casts on the ceiling that really puts me in a peaceful place.  My only complaint is that it doesn't play longer, but the upside to that is the girls have to actually go to sleep after twenty minutes as opposed to chatting away on their make-believe underwater adventure.  This is the gift I will be getting for all new moms, and I guess I’m going to have to pick up one more for myself as well.

When Georgia was a rapidly growing two month old and Grace seven months, I would take both my girls to the baby store and buy the darling little onesies and baby gear that I didn't really need anymore but was so adorably addicting.  I reasoned that as difficult as it was for us to have a baby, we would likely never have another so this was my last chance to enjoy baby stuff, and oh how I love baby stuff.  The Cushion Top RC gives me the same feeling.  I look at them and think adorable baby gear that I have to have.  The age is here is 2 and I when I picked up the little rubbery fire engine I knew my 2 and 3 year old would be fascinated.   They are so simple but brilliant.  They are cushiony remote control cars that come in a pack of two; either a fire truck and police car or a F-150 and a mustang.  The set of two brought me in but the soft construction sold me.  A two year old will inevitably run a remote controlled car into walls, furniture, pets (poor Pumpkin & Gourdie, my bulldogs take such abuse from the kids,) so that car better not leave a mark.  These don't, my ankles and bare toes have even been part of the controlled crash before and I have no bruises to show for it.  One of my favorite parts of a little kid is their chubby hands.  They are just so cute.  I could nibble on them all day.  But most remote controls are made with slender hands in mind.  Not these, the control is a simple steering wheel that Grace mastered in about 20 seconds.  She then proceeded to explain all about it in her broken spanish/english to her slightly slower sister. A toy that is already building teamwork in my girls?  Ill take it!

My at home testing is not done I have many more toys to try, and you can actually see me test them live on the air 10.23, 10.25 and 11.6.  What are your favorites?  Share with me your go to toys this year. Happy holiday shopping from my family to yours!

Have a blessed day

Kerstin Lindquist

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