Since 1946, Ten Thousand Villages has supported the work of artisans in over 30 countries including Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.  The company has grown to over 145 retail stores.  They continually strive to improve the lives of artisans in developing countries through the expansion of fair trade.  Most of its artisan partners use environmentally friendly processes, sustainable natural resources, and recycled materials for their products.

I was able to try out the Handmade Caterpillar and Butterfly Puzzle. Now, this is a tad too old for Will (who is 18 months old), but Madison (my 4 year old) seems to handle it pretty well. You can definitely tell this is a hand painted puzzle. It has the detail that you don’t normally see.  The butterfly puzzle has more pieces, but the bottom of the tray is also painted with a butterfly, so it makes it easier to figure out where the pieces go.  The catepillar is less pieces, so it is a tad easier to do.  As for materials,  this is painted albizia wood (and the paint is nontoxic).

Ten Thousand Villages has many other items to pick from also.  I focussed on the toys, but you there is really something for everyone there.  I found gifts for women, men, and even teachers!  If you are a looking for a one of a kind gift this Christmas, Ten Thousand Villages is your answer.

Smart Boy’s Toy Club & Smart Girl’s Party Game are the only games for preschoolers (age 3-6) on Nintendo DS.  These are “first-time games for first-time gamers.”  Included on these games are 18 skill based games that help develop the memory, and they encourage creativity through activities like interactive coloring books.  They also teach basic skills and work on hand eye coordination.

SingStar is making an encore performance with SingStar Vol. 2 which has 30 new chart-topping tracks from top artists including The Bravery, Spoon, Paramore, Radiohead and many more.  You are able to access hundreds of downloadable songs via the PS3 online Singstore.  You also are able to share your SingStar experience with friends and the online My SingStar community!  You can even get  SingStar ABBA for either the PlayStation 2 or the PlayStation 3.  SingStar ABBA features over 20 chart-topping singles from ABBA’s hit album, ‘Gold’ including ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme,’ ‘Waterloo’ and ‘Dancing Queen’.

I remember K’NEX from when I was a child. I am so glad to see that my kids will actually be able to enjoy their toys too! They have expanded the ages that their toys are for, so I am excited to be able to show you (and review) some of their new product lines.

The Abby Cadabby Building Set is designed for kids two to five years old. It is a 30 piece building set. It also comes with a play and learn activity sheet.  This set has everything a little girl needs for for Abby. There is a tulle skirt and pink fairy wings. There is also a flowery wand and a pigtails.  I love the size of the pieces in here; I don’t have to worry about Madison’s little brother getting into this and trying to eat it.  Madison could easily put the set together.  This is very reasonably priced too — only $14.99.  This building set also teaches hand eye coordination, role playing, and cognitive skills.

This Elmo Building Set is super cute too. It’s for ages two to five. This is a 14-15 piece set that also comes with a sticker and activity sheet.  Though I have to admit,  my favorite piece of this kit is the fishtank.  I can’t get over how cute it is!  This is available in four fun sets:  Elmo with Dorothy, Ernie with his rubber duckie, Cookie Monster, and Oscar with Slimey the Worm.   What I love the best about this is that the packaging looks like Elmo too, and the pieces all fit back into it.  You don’t have to worry about losing pieces.  Pricewise, this building set is $10.99.

You now can also build a fleet of trucks or even an amusement park too! The Road Rig series has four separate models that you can get:  Semi Truck, Pick-Up Truck, Dump Truck, and Tow Trick.  You even get a guy to drive the truck too!  Now, you can combines sets to create new and bigger trucks.  If you combine all four, you can make a ten wheeled hauler!  The semi truck building set has a motor, so it does require 2 AA batteries.  This is for kids five and up.  I love that it comes with instructions and shows you how to build all these cool things.  This set will run your about $19.99.

This DoubleDare Dueling Coaster, I swear, was making my husband salivate. It is for 9 year olds and up, and I will even admit it is really cool. The set is over 950 pieces and even has a motorized chain lift! Two chrome cars and 32 feet of track are included too.  You basically build two seperate tracks with this kit and then you can race them.  This does take a bit of time to get set up.  However, when you do, it is worth every minutes.  This should be about $39.99 which is an excellent price for this.

K’NEX is one of those brands that we know and that we love.  I am so glad to see that they are still around for my children to enjoy them.  They truly have something for every age group now, and it really doesn’t matter if you are a boy or a girl.  You just need to have an imagination and be willing to have fun.

Do your kids play on the Internet? Do you worry about them deleting your files or renaming them? Do you worry that they will end up on some porn site or worse? If you answered yes, you need to get KidDesktop.  KidDesktop was designed for children between the ages of 3 and 7. It gives them a safe learning experience, and you don’t have to worry about them deleting or renaming any of your files.
KidDesktop has a customized start screen and activity bar. You are able to customize it with activities, games, and websites that your children enjoy (for us, we did Noggin and Playhouse Disney. Madison knows those sites like the back of her hand). They even have the option to download and view pictures. (I can see some adults using this feature too, since it is about 100 times easier than my photo program). They even have a feature that allows you to search YouTube. For us, that is the greatest feature. We like to look for things on YouTube, but I never know when we start a video what exactly we are opening. Another great feature is that you can set time limits too! If I would let her, I think Madison could play on the computer for eight hours straight! I also like that the help menu is spoken too. Madison can’t read yet, so this helps her figure it out for herself without having to get me.

If you have kids in your house between the ages of 3 and 7 and let them on the computer, you definitely need to get a copy of this in your house! The internet will never be 100% safe, but this definitely helps make it safer for your kids.

I recently came across another item that falls along the lines of “why didn’t I think of that?”. The mom who came up with the Parking Pal, in my opinion, is a genius.  The Parking Pal is a circular magnet with a child size hand print in the center.  When you put it on your car/van/vehicle, you child puts they hand on their, and it keeps them safe while you load or unload your vehicle.  Being that I don’t have a driveway and we park on the street a lot with the minivan, I love that this keeps Madison safe.  I’ll be honest, when we first used it, I was completely surprised by something.  Madison knew what I wanted her to do without telling her.  She knew that I wanted her to stand there with her hand on the magnet while I was loading the car.  I love that this is intuitive enough that she just knew what was expected.  This has also been a hit with other moms.  They all wanted to know where I got this from, and all thought it was a great idea.  Now, the Parking Pal does come in several designs to pick from — everything from soccer balls, to fish, to flowers.  There is definitely something for your kids that you can get on there.  The Parking Pal will run you about $7.99.  However, $8 is well worth insuring my daughter’s safety.