No secret here that we love American Girl dolls, accessories and outfits. As a child I would have been all over these sweet twin dolls. It was this summer at Blogher 13 when this Canadian Mama first experienced American Girl on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago. American Girl gave us a party experience to remember with pretty American Girl foods and the shopping experience too. I fully anticipate bringing my girls to this amazing store one day soon. Maybe 2014 will be the year for them to experience Chicago.  The American Girl craftsmanship here is exquisite and the lovely thing…

Who knew that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which were hot years ago would end up staging a huge comeback in 2013? We received these back in the summer when I went to the toy show Sweet Suite at Blogher 13 in Chicago. My girls, who do martial arts, had already been watching the movies and the TV shows for weeks at that point. So these guys, TMNT Flingers were a crazy hit. I knew I couldn’t hold them back until Christmas. Now, listen up because these guys are all the rage and will be hot this Christmas. Donatello and Teenage…

It’s time for another entry in my 2013 Best Toys of the season gift guide!!                                       My kids are super lucky. That’s all I can say. My girls are fortunate to have access to some of the coolest toys around and they get to try them out almost as soon as they hit the stores. Goldie Blox and The Spinning Machineis a building toy for girls that I had my eye on way back when I heard of the kickstarter project that…

It’s pretty easy to get the kids in the mood for the festive season with so many fantastic family shows on the stage this time of year. We were fortunate to get family passes to see Max & Ruby this year in the Nutcracker Suite at Centennial Hall. Although my kids have outgrown Nickleodeon, I was excited to take them to see this show because of the Nutcracker Suite element. Max & Ruby were staples in my kid’s viewing schedule (LOL) for several years when they were preschoolers. Max’s stubborn streak and his tunnel vision still makes us laugh. He…

No question this one is the runaway hit of the season. My Aunt Pat bought a fabulous Rainbow Loomfor my girls way back in August when they had a sleepover at her new house. Ever since then the Rainbow Loom has been all I read about or see. You can count the Moms of tweens at centergy class just by looking at their wrists for the colourful bracelets.  So what’s the Rainbow Loom all about? It’s simply a cool plastic loom on which you wrap colourful elastics and design various fancy bracelets, necklaces, rings and ornaments. There is no end…

We have been on a quest to get our house ready for sale and life is very disrupted right now with boxes everywhere, toys in storage and a series of contractors coming in and out of our home. The other day we dropped an old toddler bed off at a friend’s house and discovered a beautiful walking trail over in Oakridge area. So we stopped the van, jumped out and took a hike. It must be noted this was the day my girl, 9, insisted on wearing high heeled clogs that are 2 sizes too large for her feet. I…