This is another unique toy from Oh! Toys.  I think my husband was just as excited to play with this as Madison.  This too is for ages 3 and up.  However, this does come with marbles, so if you have kids younger than three, you need to be very careful (the rule here is that Madison can’t play with this unless Will is napping).

Again, this is another toy that I like, because it makes my kids think. It requires them to think and do problem solving using creativity.  There are no bells and whistles; yet, Madison played with this for a good two hours the first day we took it out of the box.  Basically, what you do is make a track for the marble to work its way down. Right now, Madison is making pretty basic tracks with it. However, daddy did help her make a more intricate system like this one:

Also, clean up is awesome.  All of these pieces fit nicely into a bag that comes with it!  You don’t have to worry about how you are going to get all the pieces back in perfectly so you can close the box.  I also love that this is a toy that Madison can grow into.  Right now, she is only making very basic designs.  However, as she gets older, I know her designs will get more intricate.  This will also make it through the wear and tear of several children too.  It is made with good quality materials.  TheCugolino set contains 37 pieces and is 100% compatible with cuboro’s classic system.

Now, are you like me and impressed by the selection of unique toys from Oh! Toys? If so, I have the giveaway for you. Oh! Toys has offered to give one of my lucky readers a $25 gift certificate to their site. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Go check out Oh! Toys and tell me what you would use this gift certificate for!
2. Twitter about this contest. Please leave me your username so I can verify.
3. Stumble this post. If you don’t know what Stumble Upon is, please read Lori’s post at Blogging Cents. She explains it extremely well.
4. Add this post to other social media sites like Digg, Kirtsy, Blogging Zoom, Reddit, Propeller, Etc. (1 entry for each social network).

For 5 additional entries,

1. Blog about this on your blog. Please give me the URL, so I can verify.
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This giveaway will end on December 9 at 8:00 pm CST is available to US residents only. Good luck!

Want a product that both you and child will love that is educational? Goosie Cards is just that. These are first and only flash cards that you can fully customize! They have sets already predone that you can choose from, or you can upload your own personal photos to make flashcards according to the needs of your children. I made several flashcards for Will (on top of doing a set they already have predone — they have over 150 free full color professional photos to help you design your cards too.). It is really simple to do also. You upload your pictures, label the cards how you want them to read, and then check out. That is it. I had my cards in less than a week (actually, I think it was within about 3 days!) For Will, we did some cards to help him recognize me, daddy, and Madison. It was super cute, because he immediately took Madison’s card and started kissing it. It was also very cool to see that he recognized the other items on the other cards (like the goldfish crackers). I am hoping these will help him talk or at least let us know what he wants. You can create 10, 20 or 26 custom cards and the prices range from $28 to $46. You can also buy someone a gift certificate for here also. Best of all, these are made in the US.

Goosie Cards are also being used by parents, teachers and medical professionals in the autism and special needs community. They can help children with autism to learn a variety of skills to communicate effectively in the following areas: social, emotional, sequential, memory and communication skills. There is a discount program to provide some relief in price, while providing one of the most advanced, communication learning systems on the market.

I love these cards and would highly recommend them to anyone. They are tough (Will tried to wreck them already and has not been successful yet). They also wipe clean very easily. Best of all, my kids like them.

I recently came across a site called Oh! Toys that has some of the most unique toys on the US market.  The toys on this site stimulate creativity and development.  Also, these toys are a lot of fun, and you won’t find them at your local toy store.

Most of the toys on the Oh! Toys site are for kids between the ages of 3 and 10.  However, the Sina einSTEIN blocks can be used by all ages.  As you can see from the above pictures, we made it a family event!  The shapes of these blocks are truly nothing you have ever seen before.  You can made some of the most unique things with them:

Have you seen any blocks that allow you to make such interesting shapes? I know I haven’t.  Sina’s einStein Blocks have 36 pieces – 9 blocks in red, blue, yellow, and green.  I noticed that they also really made my 4 year old think.  This aren’t your normal traditional blocks.  You can’t build a tower like you normally would with them.  However, you can build so many new cool things.  These blocks are something she will definitely be able to use for a while.  Now, Will (my one year old) was able to help with the tower (a little), but his main goal was to knock down whatever Madison and Daddy were building.  They made it through the rath of a 1 year old and no harm was done to my walls or the blocks.

If you need a toy for that kid who has everything, this is definitely it.  It will make them think and allow them to create to their mind’s delight.

I See Me! are some the best personalized books out there on the market.  I was able to look at a couple of samples, and I am impressed.  My kids love the sample books, so I am seriously considering getting them their own.  There have several different books to pick from, but I am just going to review the two that I received.

The first thing that jumps out at you is the illustrations in this book.  They are some of the most detailed I have seen in a kids book ever.  My Very Own Name has each page spelling out your child’s name. They also have a cute saying to go with it.  Being that we are working on letter sounds and spelling with Madison, this is something very helpful to us.  When you get to the end of the book, your child’s name will be completely spelled out (first and last).  There also is an animal encyclopedia.  It tells you about each animal in the book.  For example, an elephant can weigh up to 13,000 lbs and a daddy emus sit on the eggs to keep them warm! This book also includes your child’s birthday and a dedication from the sender. This is definitely for both boys and girls from 0 – 8 years old.

My Very Own Fairy Tale is for girls ages 0 – 12 years old. This book has fairies spelling your little girls first and last name in rhyme.  The illustrations in this book too are awesome.  You just don’t see this in kids books.  At the end of this book, there is “The Fairy Patch”.  It is a listing of all the fairies in the book.  Each fairy is named after a plant, so they is also a little bit about each plant.  For example, we learned that growers harvest cranberries by flooding their fields with water and iris is the Greek word for rainbow.  This too has a personal dedication in it from the sender.

Both of these books are a hit in my house.  This is definitely a great gift for not only your children, but for that kid in your life that seems to have everything.  These books have already gotten hours of use at  my house.

If you know any pregnant mommies this Christmas, you need to get them a Cuskiboo.  This is the softest lovie ever.  It also is suckable and also has a tag for the baby to play with.  It is made from special bamboo yarn.  It is also ultra absorbent, antibacterial, eco friendly, biodegradable, and easily packed for travel.  What more could you ask for?

Now, mommy and daddy should sleep with this first, so it can get your scents.  Then, you can give it the baby to enjoy.  The part I love the best is that this is machine washable, and anyone who has had newborns knows how important that is.  Now, you can buy these singly or in a duo pack.  I would recommend the duo pack myself.  That way, if one is in the wash, there still is the other one available.  Mommy can also use the baby’s smell on this to help her breastfeed.

I know a pregnany mommy that I will definitely be getting one of these for.  I think it is an awesome idea, and I personally love that it is so environmentally friendly.  Also, since we travel so much, I love that it is small enough to fit inside your diaper bag quite easily.  Christmas, baby shower, baby birth . . . this makes a great present for all three!