Pinypon Is Perfect for your Little Lady

Are you looking for something for your daughter, or a special little girl this holiday season? Be sure to check out Pinypon!

This new product line is sure to have your little lady (ages 4-7) excited and eager to play with on Christmas morning! With fun and funky characters that your child can personalize and play with, their experiences are never ending. We had 8 girls come over and have a playdate with Pinypon. Here's most of their reviews!!

"I love that you can take out their hair clips and pop different ones in." -A.M. age 7

"I like all the fun stuff that they are wearing, and all the colors make them more fun!" -M.H. age 6

"The bus is super cool, I like how everything pops out. I also like that their faces switch." J.S. age 6

"Their hair is really pretty." H.B. age 5

"I like them, a lot. Can I play with the car again?" A.B. age 5

"Some of the pieces are really small, so I'd have to keep them away from my baby brother, but I can still play with them ok. I'd also have to take really good care of them." A.H. age 6

"They're pretty." S.C. age 4

Most of the kids agreed that they were fun, easy to play with, easy to change the look of, and brightly colored meant they were even cooler. They all loved the caravan, and the fact that everything was easy to use. The caravan has a fake shower, and for some reason, that was one of the most popular parts of the vehicle. Some of the kids called it a "bus" some a car, but all in all, they left asking their parents for some more Pinypons! Each child got to take a few toys home with them, and they all loved the coloring sheets they received. 

As a mom, here's my review. I love the fact that Pinypon allows kids to be unique and customize their dolls. They can interchange just about everything, even the hair and faces. That's awesome, but it also means there's a lot of little pieces. If your child is not great about keeping little pieces together, I would wait until she's a little bigger. It was a little rough for the 4 year old that was there to work with the little pieces, but she loved playing with the dolls themselves. They were chunky enough for her to grab them and manipulate them, without the bigger girls thinking they were too babyish. There's a TON of accessories and add-ons available, making this toy something that could grow with your child for years to come. The fact that there's oodles of little pieces also ensures the brand loyalty, because your daughter will eventually want more accessories for her Pinypon person.

Abbie has a few other dolls with teeny tiny pieces, and while this one has small parts, it's not the worst I've seen. As long as your daughter is good with keeping it all together, you should have no problems.

Now that our party was a few weeks ago, I can honestly say that this is a product I've seen my daughter playing with consistently. You do need a few little Pinypon people, because of their size, although, they have made friends with a young lady named Polly...

The Pinypon's themselves make great stocking stuffers, so if this is a product you might be interested in for the holidays, keep that in mind.

All in all, I think it's a great product for kids 5-7, maybe even a young 8, for the personalization/fashion aspect of it. Be sure to follow Pinypon on Facebook to stay up to date on all of the new products being released, any contests, and for special offers, too!

Special thanks to our friends at MomSelect for allowing us to review these products, and host this fabulous party through MommyParties.

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Mega Bloks Lil Princess Party

Mega Bloks has a brand new line of toys geared specifically for girls. Mega Bloks Lil Princess introduces a construction set in pastel pink, blue, orange and green that's enticing for preschool and young girls alike. With names like Princess Dewdrop and Sunray, girls will find themselves in a world of royal make-believe. Also available is a three-story Enchanted Castle, a Twinkling Castle, and a Magic Carriage.

My oldest is a boy, so Abbie often "gets stuck" playing with all of his toys. She's adopted a lot of his likes, and that's perfectly fine for us. Of the many things she enjoys, she LOVES to build. Recently, other toys originally geared for boys have come out with new girl-inspired lines, and while awesome, they're still just a little too detailed or advanced for Abbie. Not only that, she got so frustrated when all of the little pieces from the play set that she got her last birthday seemed to disappear. I find she gravitates to the Mega Bloks while her brother creates with tinier blocks.

I have nothing against primary colored toys- in fact I usually love that they can be gender neutral, and encourages both boys and girls to create open-mindedly. I must say though, that I love that Mega Bloks has come out with the new Lil Princess line of building blocks and pretend play items. I love that girls can build on the castle grounds, encouraging imaginative play beyond their wildest dreams. The chunky pieces don't get lost easily, and the girls that came over to experience them ranged from a year old to age six, and ALL of them enjoyed the play sets, "ponies" (they're really unicorns), and princesses. They tried to build fortresses (many have older brothers), and Abbie even ran to get some of Alex's robots- who tried to terrorize the Princess Land.

Overall, the girls had a blast, and the mama's enjoyed receiving a great coupon for coming to our Lil Princess Playdate. They enjoyed eating pink cupcakes, and coloring in princess crowns.

About the products:

The 3-Story Enchanted Castle comes with a sheet of stickers so your Lil Princess can decorate the castle however she fancies. (We kept the stickers hidden for the purpose of the party, because we didn't want any tears or arguments.) There's a spinning platform for the princess and her pony to twirl around on, and the girls loved the fact that all of the doors could open and close.

The Princess' tiara pops up when she's standing at the overpass, the girls thought that was "cool!"
and the sparkly tops of the towers were "pretty".  There are different ways that the girls could build up on the castle, making it the perfect palace, every time.

Princess Starlight (pink), and Princess Sunray (orange) are also pictured above. They come with their ponies, (who have removable wings), and a few blocks to add onto your play set with.

The girls did not play with the Magic Carriage, but we used it as a raffle for the moms who came to join us. It was just for the moms, so the girls didn't get upset. The mommy that won decided she's going to keep it for a holiday gift for her Lil Princess, and went out and got a playset to join it.

The Magic Carriage is adorable! One pony pulls it, and when the princess has reached her destination, it can be taken apart and the cutest gazebo can be built with its parts.

Tons of sparkles are all over this carriage's components, making it a great addition for this play set.

Part of me wishes it sat a little higher, allowing more of the building pieces and/or accessories to be stored in there.

It's a great size for any child 1-5, and a great way for them to experience Mega Bloks.

Keep in mind, although Abbie is 6, this was still appropriate for her. She loved the way she could manipulate the playset, and didn't get frustrated as easily as she does with other toys geared for 6+.

If you're looking for a great gift for your Lil Princess, add this one to the list, because I'm sure this line will be amongst the hot sellers this November and December.

Special thanks to our friends at Mega Bloks for allowing us to host a MommyParties Party through MomSelect, and for providing us and our guests with toys to review and enjoy.

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First Data eGift Social App Makes Gift Giving Easy- From Facebook!

Still need gift ideas? Did you forget about anyone? Why not try an eGift?

I will let you know when I first found out about this program, I thought, "there is no way this is going to work." As a brand new program, I did encounter a problem at the two Kmart stores that I tried to redeem the eGift at, but I do believe that it was because the cashiers honestly had no idea what it was, where it came from, or how to enter the Account Number and Pin correctly into the register. I think that as the program grows, and the employees are trained a little more on how to redeem the eGifts, it will run much more efficiently. With the insider (*wink*) knowledge that reading this review will give you, this may just be the answer to your gift giving prayers!

Here's how it works:

1. Sign into Facebook like you normally would.
2. Then visit the eGift Social App
3. Choose a store from the 10 current merchants (more are being added!)
4. Pick and Personalize your eGift- Is it a holiday gift? Birthday Gift? Give from $5-100.
5. Select who to send it to, and send your eGift instantly through email or Facebook!

You never have to leave your home (or your phone!) to give a gift, and your recipient never needs to leave to get it, or redeem it. Choose from merchants like Kmart, Sears, Dots, Sephora, Coldstone Creamery, FYE and more! If they are out shopping and didn't print out their eGift, they can look it up on their phone and give it right to the cashier.

I actually used my Kmart eGift online, and opted for in-store pick up of the items I ordered. I entered the "Account Number" for my eGift as gift card, with no dashes, then the pinnumber, and had no problems what-so-ever. I am assuming that if it was entered like that in store, it would also have no problems.

With most of my family 1500 miles away, this really provides a great opportunity to send a more personalized gift card, without the hassles of running to a store, then to the post office, then waiting three days for it to arrive, and then waiting to hear if your family received it. Just point, click, pay, and send.

It's so exciting seeing how social media is evolving, and I am really excited about eGift giving using platforms like Facebook. I can't wait for more merchants to jump on this band wagon, too!




I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of First Data and received an eGift gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Overstock Scavenger Hunt Week #3

Still looking for the perfect gift for the people in your life that seems to have EVERYTHING?!

Here are the clues I received this week:

1.) Department: _______ is where the heart is. The _______ is where the vegetables, fruit and worms are.

2.) Categories: These rooms in the house are where family bond, catch up, and enjoy one another’s company – and one another’s food!

3.) Categories: These are the plates, bowls, cups and saucers you use… but not for breakfast or lunch! :D

After hunting, I found my way to the Dinnerware section. What a variety! I never really realized what a great selection of items Overstock has until this scavenger hunt. They have modern dinnerware, contemporary, traditional- you name it, they have something for everyone on your list.

So what are you waiting for? Visit Overstock.com for your last minute shopping needs, and take advantage of FREE SHIPPING!

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Overstock.com's "Find the Perfect Holiday Gift! Family Edition" Scavenger Hunt- Week 1

I am participating in this fun campaign from OverStock.com this holiday season, by participating I have a chance to win a gift card, but I'm not even doing it because of that. I'm doing it because shopping often feels like a scavenger hunt. You search all over for that perfect gift for a special person in your life.. and you finally find it on sale, trek all the way to the store, get there, wait for the doors to open, and by the time you weave through the aisles of people, the darn thing is sold out. Or you accidentally grabbed the wrong model, but the right model might be on an end cap all the way across the store.

It's reasons like that that many people are turning to online shopping to meet their holiday shopping needs.

So this is Week 1 of the Overstock.com's Find the Perfect Holiday Gift Family Edition Scavenger Hunt. Feel free to play along if you'd like with the kids. Here are the clues:
1.) Department: _______ is where the heart is. The _______ is where the vegetables, fruit and worms are.

2.) Categories: These rooms in the house are where family bond, catch up, and enjoy one another’s company – and one another’s food!

3.) Categories: Dishwashers, washing machines, refrigerators and coffee makers all fall under this category.

4.) Categories: This product saves time when chopping, dicing, pureeing and liquefying food. But it does not make a good milk shake…


After filling in the blanks, and deducting the different categories, the products that I came up with is Food Processors! Food Processors make a great gift for any cook or kitchen. The multiple uses for this kitchen gadget is a definite time saver. Is there anyone on your holiday list that would LOVE a food processor under their tree??

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Beauty Product Junkies Check Out GoGo Girlfriend! Totally Perfect Tween Gift!

Have a special tween in your life? Hate trying and buying the latest and greatest makeup or beauty products and having them totally bomb, not be the right shade, and take up precious space in your makeup caddy, bathroom drawer, or cabinet?

Check out GoGo Girlfriend, a great site dedicated to current or future-fashionistas that want to be 'in the know' with today's hottest products.

Six times a year, a ginormous box of 10-12 trial to full size products get mailed directly to your door. Then after you give them a whirl, take a few seconds to log in to the website and share your opinions about the products you've received.

Every box is sure to surprise you with all the cool stuff valued at $150.00 or more!

With your GoGo Girlfriend Membership you'll get:

• GoGo Girlfriend Gift Box Packed with 10-15 Top Brand Trial Samples Shipped 6X a Year.
• 5 entries into our giveaways upon new membership signup
• Access to Member Product Reviews on Items Shipped in Gift Box, Each Review Completed is an Automatic Entry into Monthly Giveaways (up to 15 entries)
• Special Offers Page with great discounts from our sponsors
• Special Girlfriend Discounts via email
• GoGo Girlfriend Newsletters
• * GoGo Girlfriend Editorials and Product Review Page
• * A Percentage of Your Membership Fees are Donations to Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research

Membership is only $4.99 a month to help cover cost of shipping and donation to Ovarian Cancer Research

Membership is billed every 2 months upon signup and anniversary date of signup. The box is 7" X 7" so it will have a lot of goodies for you to try. You may receive a surprise exclusive sponsor box from time to time in addition to their regular shipments.

Special thanks to GiveawayBlogs.com for sharing this information with us.

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