Review: My Pretty Playhouse

by Lara A few months ago I was given the opportunity to review a My Pretty Playhouse with the kids.

Having something for the kids to use as a little fort in the basement was great.  I found up to 5 kids in there at a time, reading stories, playing with toys, or pretending to nap :) They also loved that they were allowed to colour on it!

I loved the details on the house and how easy it was to put together.

If you had kids who are less rambunctious than mine (mine are VERY rambunctious) it would probably last longer than ours did.  That being said, we got a good two months out of it before it had been a little too destroyed to keep playing in.

For $34.99 it's a good value.  I remember seeing houses like these in the past that ran for double that so the price point on this one definitely appeals.

*disclaimer. I received the playhouse for free but didn't receive any compensation and all thoughts are my own.

Disney on Ice - Rockin' Ever After

For weeks the Little Man, now 6 and half years old (the "half" being very important to him) has been asking to go to Disney on Ice. We went last year and while he remembers having an amazing time, I remember trying to entertain a bored little boy and avoid spending a small fortune on merchandise. So while part of me wanted to take him, especially since he doesn't ask for much in the way of entertainment, I was a little worried about shelling out money for another boring show.

Thanks to Kids in the Capital we were able to review the show this year and so I brought along one of Jake's oldest friends and his Mom - the same folks we saw the show with last year.

And we were so pleasantly surprised by the changes Feld Entertainment and Disney made to the show. Even though princesses were predominately featured throughout the two-hour show, there was lots to keep our boys riveted. The skating was fantastic, the costumes and props elaborate and colourful and the music was fun and upbeat.

The show featured Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck, along with scenes from Pinocchio, The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Tangled and Brace. I especially loved the "Be Our Guest" and "Under the Sea" routines and our boys were both taken with Maximus from Tangled. We had such a great time!

If you go . . .

1. There are still tickets available for today's performances. They range in price from $15 - $67.50.
2. Parking is $8 - cash only.
3. Popcorn and drinks will set you back $12 apiece, but you do get to keep the bucket and fancy plastic cups.
4. Merchandise featuring the main characters is also up for grabs, but be prepared to spend a fair bit.

We saw lots of little girls dressed as their favourite princesses, mickey ears and light up toys galore. Still, the boys in our homes still had a great time, and chatted about the show all the way home.

Have you been to a Disney on Ice show? What did you think?

Carly has red hair and occasionally the temper to match.  She loves potatoes, rainy nights, photography, her husband, her 6 year old son, Jacob and her 10 month old son, Noah.  Probably in reverse order.   She also blogs.

Dino Idol at the Museum of Nature

By Kamerine I was lucky enough to attend the media preview of Dino Idol at the Museum of Nature last week. It's now open to the public so you should go!

Dino Idol is a fun initiative by the museum to stir up interest and intrigue. Like American Idol the public gets to vote on their favourite, but the contestants are dinosaurs!  The museum has more than 200 fossils in storage and a new palaentologist got to pick 5 to star in the show. The fossils are encased in rock and sealed in plaster, and are now on display at the museum. They've all been given catchy names and a description of what lies beneath the plaster. The almost 100-year-old field notes are sometimes vague so the descriptions could be right on or way off.

Kids and their parents will have fun looking at the pictures of the dinosaurs and reading the descriptions, and finally choosing a favourite. The five contestants are Mystery Jaw, Stumpy, Regal Ed, Headrosaur, and The Canadian Club. There is a ballot box set up beside each to cast your vote.

The winner will be announced March 19th and will be opened at the museum's research facility. The process of extracting bones and preparing them is tricky work and can take up to a year so the museum will be blogging with updates periodically. What a fun way to get involved in the next dinosaur bones to be displayed at the museum!

Dino Idol is open to the public and included with the price of admission to the museum. It runs until March 17th. This is your chance to have a say in what dinosaur is cracked open next so go vote!

Disclaimer: I was provided free admission to the Museum of Nature to attend the media preview of Dino Idol. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.

Just Play Toy Rental Review

By Kamerine If your kids are anything like mine they love to run and play and  read.  They love toys of all shapes and sizes but often get bored with  their toys.  We like going to play dates and playgroups to mix it up,  but what if you could get new toys delivered right to your door every  month?  With Just Play Toy Rental that's exactly what you get.

I had the opportunity to review Just Play Toy Rental's subscription  service and let me tell you, it was like Christmas at my house every  month!  My kids, ages 1 and 3, were delighted with the toys and because  we had them for a month they didn't have time to get bored with them.   We tested blocks and puzzles and trucks and bigger toys like a tunnel  and a house.  It's hard to say what they liked best, everything got  played with.

 

I was very impressed with the quality of  the toys and the variation month to month, but I was also impressed with the company itself.  Just Play Toy Rental is an Ottawa business with a  great philosophy: stay home, relax and play!  The website is easy to  navigate and has all the toys available to rent, searchable by age group or type of toy.  They rent toys individually or by subscription and  will work with you to determine the best time for pick-up and delivery.  For us that was a weeknight after the kids had gone to bed so the toys  were waiting for them the next morning.

We enjoyed a  monthly subscription but I can see this being perfect for summer  birthdays if you wanted to rent bigger toys like tunnels, slides or  ride-on toys.  Or if you wanted to make sure your kid would like a type  of toy before buying it, just rent it for a month to check it out.   Either way, this is a great company and we're lucky to have them in  Ottawa.  So check out Just Play Toy Rental and stay home, relax and  play!

Disclosure: I was provided with a trial  subscription but was not compensated in any other way.  The  opinions are my own.

Kamerine is mom to 3-year-old Little J and 1-year-old Baby K.  She documents her life with two toddlers, a husband and a cat at followk.blogspot.ca.