Holiday Gift Guide: TOMICA Car and Train Line Review and Giveaway!

If you haven't seen the commercials already, here is what your little boy (and maybe your little girl, too!) will be begging for this holiday season: a TOMICA car and train playset!

Toys R Us is carrying this line exclusively this Christmas season-- While it's new to the states, it's the number one die-cast car and train line in Japan, and my son is already freaking out every time he sees the commercial for the toys. Luckily, there's something in this line for every price point, whether the grandparents are pitching in and you're opting for this Super Big Set for $79.99 or you're starting a little smaller like we did, with a Repair Garage ($14.99) and Mini Shooter Set ($9.99).

From what I've seen of the line, I can't recommend it highly enough. The toy pieces are well-made and durable-- equally as important, they're easy for kids to put together on their own, LEGO-style. There are lots of interactive features and I love that kids can add on to their sets a little bit at a time for not too much money. I also love that it features both cars and trains, so you're not left deciding between one or the other with the available space you have in your home or apartment.

Want to give the toys a try yourself? I'm giving away a TOMICA Mini Tune Up Set to one lucky Suburban Turmoil reader! It comes with a Nissan SUV, Tomikids figure and other accessories! To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post telling me why you'd like to win the Tune Up Set between now and Saturday, November 6th at midnight, CST. For an additional entry, tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the link to your tweet.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I received two small Tomica car sets in order to write my review.

Giveaway: Win Two French Toast School Uniforms for Your Son or Daughter!

Since my daughter's school follows a Standard School Attire dress code, I'm always on the hunt for uniform clothing that's a)cute, b)durable, and c) affordable.

French Toast meets all three of my requirements!

If you haven't checked out the French Toast website before and your child wears a uniform or SSA to school, you really should give it a look. The clothing prices compare with Old Navy, and we've picked up several French Toast pieces in the last year or two-- All have washed well and held up.

And now one of you will have an opportunity to win two outfits for your child from French Toast (either two dresses or two tops and two bottoms)! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post between now and Saturday, November 6th at midnight, CST, and tell me why you'd like to win two French Toast outfits. Be sure and leave your e-mail address in the comment so that I can contact you if you've won. You can earn another entry to this giveaway by Tweeting about it- Just leave a comment with the URL to your Tweet.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I received two French Toast outfits in order to conduct this review and giveaway.

Holiday Gift Guide: Schleich Wild Animal Airplane and Figurines

You knew Schleich made awesome figurines of animals, fairies, and knights in shining armor. But did you know the brand also has made a Wild Life airplane to carry precious cargo to safety on the African plains?

My son got a wonderful opportunity to "test drive" this Schleich airplane and it's one of his favorite toys. I love it because it gives him something to do with his Schleich wild animal collection, and adds to his imaginative play. He loves it because he can zoom it all over the house, and pretend to transport his animals to places unknown.

Like Schleich's detailed, durable figurines, this airplane is very well-made and built to endure play by the average kid. I love this airplane as a gift idea for Christmas because it's the kind of thing your child will end up keeping long after he's grown up and giving to his own children some day, along with his Schleich figurines. Schleich makes timeless toys that have the feel of keepsakes.

Some ideas for your child's wild animal menagerie? We like these:





Schleich makes male, female and baby animal figurines, so if your child collects the set, you will have a full safari collection- and a plane in which to carry them a few at a time!

To find a Schleich retailer nearest you or online, check out Schleich's store locator here.

Disclosure: I received a Wild Animal Airplane and two elephants from Schleich in order to conduct this review.

Three Ideas for Your Next Family Movie Night

Need some ideas for your next family movie night? Here's what we've been watching lately.
Marmaduke is out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. We finally got a chance to watch it last weekend and really enjoyed it as a family. Owen Wilson and George Lopez are among the voices behind the characters, and that kind of talent really helps make the film work, even for adults. My six-year-old, of course, COMPLETELY ADORED the movie. And that's what really matters, right?

Here's a synopsis from the studio:

When Marmaduke (Wilson) moves to a new neighborhood with his family, the super-sized teenage dog soon discovers he just doesn’t fit in—literally! Marmaduke can’t help being a one-dog wrecking crew, causing fur-flying chaos wherever he roams. But, with the help of his friend, Carlos the Cat (Lopez), Marmaduke may just get out of the doghouse, fall in love, and surf off into the sunset.

My husband may or may not have gotten on the computer during our Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars family movie night, but I quite liked it, as you'd expect, and so did my daughter. This movie was a big hit with the tween set when it came out on TV, and bloggers will love the competition between high schoolers to get the most blog hits! It uh, hit a little too close to home!

This is maybe a good choice for a girls' family movie night. I'm glad my daughter's getting a tiny bit older and we can watch movies like this one, which we both enjoy.

Studio synopsis:

In a modern twist on the popular book series, Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars begins with aspiring writer Harriet The Spy Welsch determined to become class blogger. Competing against her supreme nemesis, Marion Hawthorne, Harriet will do whatever it takes to win the coveted title. But when it begins to look like Marion might take the lead, Harriet becomes desperate to figure out a way to get the most blog hits.

Finally, we got our hands on an advanced copy of Ramona and Beezus, which comes out on DVD November 9th. I couldn't wait to see this one- My daughter and I love the Ramona series and I was really disappointed to miss this film when it was in theaters.

Fortunately, the movie didn't disappoint- We all loved it! Punky loved Joey King, who does a great job in the role of Ramona, I loved Selena Gomez (so cute!) who plays Ramona's sister Beezus, and Hubs and I both appreciated the great acting from adults Ginnifer Goodwin, Bridget Moynahan and John Corbett. The storyline was touching, entertaining, and just plain fun. This is a definite family night must.

Studio synopsis:

Teen sensation Selena Gomez (Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place) teams up with newcomer Joey King in this delightful coming-of-age comedy based on the best-selling books by Beverly Cleary. Ramona (King) is a little girl with a very big imagination and a nose for mischief. Her playful antics keep everyone in her loving family on their toes, including her older sister Beezus (Gomez), who's just trying to survive her first year of high school. Through all the ups and downs of childhood, Ramona and Beezus learn that anything’s possible when you believe in yourself and rely on each other.

This should be enough to get you out of your family movie night rut, right?

Disclosure: I received screeners of each of these movies in order to conduct my review.

Holiday Gift Guide: Pocoyo Toys

You may recognize this little guy by his face rather than his name: Pocoyo!

Yes, this is the three-year-old we all know and love from Nick Jr, PBS and Univision. And now there's a toy line to go with the popular Spanish series.

We received the Bump n Go Car ($24.99) pictured above and the Squeeze n' Play Pocoyo ($19.99). What I love about these toys right off the bat, frankly, is that they look cool. Cool to me, I mean. Pocoyo has a little bit of a retro 1960s look to him that makes the toys seem hipper than your average Diego dolls.

Bruiser loves the Bump n Go Car, which travels along until it hits something, then changes directions. He has a really great time playing with it. One feature you'll appreciate is that you can flip a switch so that the sound is on or off. Sometimes I'm just not down with the toy noise, you know?


The Squeeze n' Play Pocoyo ($19.99) is perfect for younger Pocoyo fans. It's basically a soft, plush Pocoyo that makes three different sounds when you squeeze his tummy. Very cute.

Other available toys from the Pocoyo line include:

• 6-Inch Mini-Plush Assortment - Preschoolers can take Pocoyo and his friends Elly, Pato and Loula where ever they go
• Squeeze n’ Play Plush - Plush Pocoyo, Elly and Pato play popular music from the show when preschoolers squeeze their tummies
• Bath Figures - 2.5-inch figures of Pocoyo and Elly have a special water squirting chamber while Pato floats along
• Pocoyo Water Taxi - Scuba Pocoyo and friends can float in the tub or be pushed along the floor
• Bump n’ Go - Pocoyo zooms around in his racing car while music plays! If the car hits an obstacle, it stops, moves back and makes a U-turn

Pocoyo toys are available at Toys R Us! They make a great gift idea for your little Pocoyo fans!

Disclosure: I received two Pocoyo toys in order to conduct this review.

Giveaway: Win a Dusty Brown Antique Key Necklace Like Mine!

This is my brand new antique skeleton key necklace. Fellow Tennessean Dusty Brown made it for me (you can read the story here) and now she's letting me give one away to a lucky Suburban Turmoil/ She's Still Got It reader!

She will make it with any color beads you choose- and you can either keep it for yourself or use it as a gorgeous holiday present for a woman you dearly love.

To enter, just tell me why you want to win a Dusty Brown key necklace between now and Thursday, November 4th at midnight CST. Be sure and leave your e-mail address in your comment so that I can contact you if you've won.

You can get an additional entry by Tweeting this post. Just leave a comment with the link to your Tweet.

Good luck!

Our PASS Card Experience, Part Eight: If You Knew Then What You Know Now About Budgeting, What Would You Tell Yourself?

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of American Express and the new PASS Card for teenagers. Our 17-year-old is using the card right now and I'm writing about our experiences. You can read Parts One, Two, and Three and Four and Five, six, and seven here.

It is the final week of my series on teaching my teen to budget with the help of an American Express PASS Card, and I think my whole family has gotten a lot out of the experience.

When my stepdaughter began using her card, she was lucky to be able to even find it, and to have kept enough on the card to pay for what she needed. Today, eight weeks later, I can look at her PASS Card budget online and see that she's doing a much better job of staying within her financial boundaries. Mysteriously, she's also completely cleaned out her room, she's applying for college scholarships, and she's managing to juggle school, a job, and a part in the school play with aplomb. Does this have anything to do with getting a PASS Card? Let's go with YES! Whatever's behind her recent motivation to succeed, it is just the kind of progress we want to see in her as she prepares to head to college next fall.

She'll learn a LOT of financial lessons once she's on her own (I know I did!), but I feel like we've given her a solid financial foundation through helping her establish her own checking account, savings account, and PASS Card for gas and groceries. Still, I can't help but laugh when I think of the things she'll encounter when she doesn't have us to bail her out. I think we all have cringeworthy financial experiences in our pasts... Here are a few things I wish I could have told myself back when I left for college, based on what I've learned in the years since...

• Keep your checkbook balanced and your bills paid at all times! That way, you can maybe avoid a situation your sophomore year when you forget to pay your rent, see an extra few hundred dollars in your bank account, and go on a shopping spree before realizing you just blew your rent money on clothes. Daddy won't like this.

• Pay off your credit card each month. You already know this, but you'll appreciate not having to worry about debt more and more as you see the number of people around you whose lives have been ruined by debt.

• Always keep a twenty hidden somewhere in your wallet, as well as a few ones. You never know when you'll find yourself needing quick cash or tip money.

• Don't buy a new car and don't lease one. It's a better idea to drive your old car until you've saved up enough cash to buy a newer used one outright.

• You'll be glad you opted for the less expensive wedding and used most of your wedding budget to make a down payment on your house. Ten years later, you'll know for sure that having a great house to raise your family in was absolutely more important than a $10,000 dress and elaborate wedding.
  

• The sooner you learn that designer shampoos, shoes, clothing and cars contribute nothing toward real, lasting happiness, the better!

• If you can once you're married, work with your husband to carve out a small personal budget for yourself that's yours to spend on whatever you want. Sometimes a girl needs to do a little shopping, even if it's buying new makeup at Walgreen's, and it'll be more enjoyable if it's coming from "your" fund rather than the "family" fund.
  

Those are a few things I've learned over the years, and I'm sure I'll learn many more important financial lessons in the years to come. What about you? I'd love for you to finish this sentence in the comments:

"If I knew then what I know now..."

Two New Releases from DisneyNature: The Crimson Wing and Oceans!

Our local zoo just got flamingos.

This shouldn't be that big of a deal- Still, the last time I took the kids, we made a special trip to see the newest zoo inhabitants.

We fell in love.

Flamingos are fascinating creatures. They are incredibly social. They interact. They squawk at one another. They fight. They flap their wings in unison. They run as a flock from one spot to another.

My kids were entranced.

"I need to find a book on flamingos," I told my husband when we got home. "I want to know more about why they act the way they do, and the kids would really find it interesting, too."

Guess what arrived on my front doorstep THE VERY NEXT DAY?

A review copy of The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos from DisneyNature!

Can you believe it?

Of course, this was our very next family movie night pick and we all loved it, from my 3-year-old up to my husband and me. Here's a synopsis from the studio:

"A heartwarming story of survival, The Crimson Wing explores the spectacular lives of a million crimson‐winged flamingos, offering a glimpse of their rare journey. Appropriate for families of all ages, this film showcases a dramatic, never‐ before‐filmed backdrop, as the regal birds wing to another world in an inspiring and colorful story of majesty."

DisneyNature films are just incredible. They manage to both entertain and educate and I love them as a family viewing option. In addition to a great film, the Blu-Ray disc I reviewed also has the following special features:

• Living Planet – Fully interactive through BD‐Live, explore the Earth with up‐to‐date facts, migration information and videos by the filmmakers and leading wildlife experts
• Filmmaker Annotations (CineExplore) – An in‐movie experience with pop‐up facts from the directors Leander Ward & Matthew Aberhard, and screenwriter Melanie Finn
• The Crimson Wing Screensaver

The Crimson Wing: Mystery of the Flamingos from DisneyNature is available now on Amazon as a 2-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo for $27.99.

Also out now from DisneyNature: Oceans.

Yes, this is the breathtaking Disney film that was in theaters just a few months ago.

This one was a given for family night and once again, we were all thoroughly entertained. Need a quick synopsis? Here you go!

Directed by Jacques Perrin (two-time Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary, Features for Winged Migration in 2003; Best Picture for Z in 1970) and Jacques Cluzaud (Winged Migration, Les Ailes de la Nature), the two filmmakers venture in, on and around our seas to discover photogenic oddities and endangered wonders. OCEANS dives deep into the very waters that sustain all of mankind—exploring the playful splendor and the harsh reality of the weird and wonderful creatures that live within. These two directors capture mesmerizing footage using the most technologically-advanced equipment that has allowed them to bring this to true high-definition powers.

I really loved that this particular documentary is both adult and kid-friendly... without leaving out the realities of ocean life. We were all able to enjoy the movie and we had lots to talk about afterward!

In addition to the film, the Blu-Ray disc contains these special features:

• Living Menus- a fully interactive experience.
• Filmmaker annotations
• "Make A Wave"- Disney's Friends for Change Music Video featuring Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato
• Disney & Nature: Preserving the world we share
• Deeper in the Ocean- Select bonus videos

Oceans is available now on Amazon as a 2-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combo for $24.99.

Disclosure: I received advance review copies of The Crimson Wing and Oceans to facilitate my review.

Ralph Lauren Holds Special Auction to Benefit Pink Pony Fund and Breast Cancer Research

As many of you know, this month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Nearly all of us knows someone who's fought breast cancer- In my own family, my grandmother got breast cancer in her seventies- fortunately, she was treated and hasn't had any signs of recurrence- She's now well into her eighties!

With so many women being impacted by breast cancer, it's more important than ever to raise research funds in hopes of finding a cure. That's where Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund comes in.

Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony Fund initiative, which raises awareness and funds in support of the fight against cancer, is also celebrating its 10th anniversary.

With a focus on breast cancer, Pink Pony supports programs for early diagnosis, education, treatment and research and is dedicated to bringing patient navigation and quality cancer care to medically underserved communities.

Ten percent of proceeds from Pink Pony products benefits the Pink Pony Fund, and to mark the 10th Anniversary and support this important cause, Ralph Lauren has partnered with charitybuzz to auction over 200 unique items and experiences from now through October 21st. It's a fun auction to visit even if you're only windowshopping and wishing... Items up for bid include a tour of the Vogue offices, a seven night stay at the Ritz-Carlton Club in St. Thomas, and your child starring in a Ralph Lauren ad!

I'm proud to tell you about this initiative as a Ralph Lauren Mombassador. Over the coming months, I'll be showing you all sorts of aspects of the Ralph Lauren line- If you're not already a fan, I hope you'll allow me to introduce you to the brand that is hands down my favorite for my entire family.

In the meantime, to learn more about the Pink Pony fund, be sure and visit their website here and view Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Products here.

Disclosure: I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Ralph Lauren and have received various Ralph Lauren products as part of my participation.

My Dream Family Vacation

Sponsored By


Cheerios® is giving you the chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your ultimate family vacation. As part of a paid promotion for their “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, Cheerios® is sponsoring my post today about what my ultimate family vacation would be. Read mine and Enter the Sweepstakes for a chance to actually win your own fantasy family trip or one of a bunch of other great prizes.

A little more than eight years ago, I flew to the United Kingdom with my husband-to-be, our parents, my two stepdaughters, and a few family friends for our wedding. We spent a few days touring London together, then we flew to Aberdeen, Scotland and rented a 15-seater "people mover" to drive everyone to the small village of Elgin, on Scotland's northwest coast.

We married outside a stone manor, beside a pristine river, and had our wedding photos taken amid the crumbling ruins of a 13th century cathedral. It was truly a fairytale experience, and one that everyone who was with us still talks about all the time.

We wanted to take a five-year reunion trip with our wedding party, but five years after our wedding I had a two-year-old, and another on the way. We've talked about taking a ten-year reunion trip, but the truth is that I want to go when our children are around the ages of ten and 12, and can really appreciate seeing where their mother and father got married.

It is my dream trip, and one I can't wait to take with my children. I want them to walk among the ruins of the cathedral. I want them to spend the night in the Mansion House Hotel. I want them to walk to the top of Lady Hill, where hundreds and hundreds of years ago, the town's inhabitants used to scope the surrounding countryside for marauders. I want them to taste black pudding. And I'd love to go on with them by train, as my husband and I did for our honeymoon, to Edinburgh, and York, England, and the Cotswalds.

It was the greatest trip I've ever taken, for one of the greatest moments of my life. And the only way to complete that experience, in my mind, is to take the trip again with the products of our union.


Don't forget to enter the “Do What You Love” Sweepstakes, for a chance to win your own ultimate family vacation. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Photo courtesy of flickrtickr2009/Flickr

Holiday Gift Guide: Discovery Toys

Ever heard of Discovery Toys?

Here's an explanation from the company:

We were founded in 1978 to help families gain access to educational toys, normally reserved for schools. It soon became apparent that we were in the direct sales party plan business as more and more Moms, came to see our toys. We began to help Moms earn additional income, too, by providing an opportunity to work from home. Last year we re-launched the company with a revitalized brand platform: new identity, new websites, new packaging design, marketing materials, and, most importantly, a revitalized line of learning toys, books and games with our Heritage preserved. We just welcomed over 1,250 new Educational Consultants to our growing team in August, which we believe is a testament to our terrific line of educational products and the DT business opportunity, despite the current economic recession!

While I'm not a huge fan of direct sales parties, Discovery Toys is one I'd likely go to- I love educational children's toys and am far more likely to consider buying one for my kids than a Pampered Chef Onion Slicer!

So once I had checked out the site, I agreed to review two learning games from Discovery Toys for my 3-year-old son.


First up, Letter Fun Lotto, a game that's helping him learn his letters and letter sounds while playing a fun game that's on his level.

The beauty of this game is that there are a lot of different ways you can use it. With my three-year-old, we're enjoying simply looking at the cards and naming the letters and pictures on them. We also play matching games, in which he matches the cards to the pictures on the corresponding lotto board.

When he gets older, the game play gets more advanced- He can play bingo, create words from the games, and play a more advanced matching game.

Short Vowel Fun is a slightly more advanced card game that teaches small children about short vowels by having them match cards that either start with the same letter or the same sound. It's a little advanced for my 3-year-old right now, but it's perfect for preschool and kindergarten-aged kids, based on my daughter's learning level.

Discovery Toys has plenty of other toys, books and games to choose from. Check out the site here and you can order online or look into hosting a Discovery Toys party or starting your own Discovery Toys business.

Disclosure: I received two games from Discovery Toys to facilitate my review. My opinions are my own.

Our PASS Card Experience, Part Seven: Different Kids Need Different Financial Teaching Tactics. Agree or Disagree?

This is a sponsored post written on behalf of American Express and the new PASS Card for teenagers. Our 17-year-old is using the card right now and I'm writing about our experiences. You can read Parts One, Two, and Three and Four and Five, and six here.

It is week seven of our PASS Card experience, and I have to say that while my 17-year-old is doing a great job managing her PASS Card funds, her parents aren't doing so well!

The PASS Card allows you to automatically load funds onto it at a pre-set time, but since some of my stepdaughter's funds are contingent on jobs she does (or doesn't do!) around the house, I am supposed to manually load a specific amount on the card each week.

And um... I don't always remember to do it.

Bad stepmom! Bad!

I'm working on that right now and my stepdaughter is learning how to have her card declined with grace. I'm grateful that PASS Card funds can be loaded within less than a minute- More than once, she's called, I've quickly loaded money onto her card via the Internet, and she's made her purchase a couple of minutes later. Whew! Thank God for technology!

I have to say that your comments on these posts over the last several weeks have really stuck with me. So many of you have said that your parents never discussed finances or budgeting with you, and that it really put you at a disadvantage as an adult. More than anything, writing this series has taught me that it is absolutely crucial for us as parents to teach our children about budgeting their money and not getting into debt. If we don't do it, we're really not doing our jobs.

But I also think there are many ways to go about teaching this lesson, and they even vary among children in the same family.

My 17-year-old, for example, has an after-school job and is doing a brilliant job of budgeting the money that she earns. She puts half of every paycheck in the bank and has fun with the other half, whether she's using the money to eat out more often, go to movies with her friends, or buy clothes from Forever 21.

We talk to her about the importance of budgeting her money, but she seems to be doing a great job of figuring out the process on her own. This really became obvious when she totaled her car last spring (don't worry, she was fine- her car was old, so it didn't take much to "total" it!) and spent the summer saving to buy herself a new car. By the first week of school, she had saved enough to both buy a decent car and still have plenty of money left in the bank. I was so proud of her!

We're using the PASS card to teach her the value of necessities like gas and groceries. She is having to budget the funds we load on her card for these things and I'm really happy that she's learning about conserving gas and the cost of various foods through using her PASS Card-- This will really come in handy next year when she goes to college.

My older stepdaughter needs a slightly tighter rein when it comes to learning how to budget. She also has a job and, no doubt influenced by her younger sister's impressive savings account, has just begun saving money on her own. She has a credit card in her name on our account, and we've had a few small unexpected purchases appear on that card. She's living at home this year and going to college here in Nashville, but we are now debating whether to get her an Amex Credit Card with a preset limit or give her a PASS Card like her sister's when she goes away to school next year. I like the PASS Card idea a lot for her, because if she suddenly gets in a bind and needs a larger amount of money, I can instantly load the funds she needs onto her card- but otherwise, she would receive a specific amount of money weekly and it would be up to her to budget accordingly.

I'm just glad there are so many options now when it comes to teaching our kids how to budget their money, whether you opt for a PASS Card, a credit card with parental limits, a credit card with bank-authorized limits, or no cards at all.

Now I want to know how you're teaching your kids about finances. Are you finding, like I am, that your approach needs to be tailored to each of your children's strengths and weaknesses, or are you taking a one-size-fits-all approach?