“Did the mail come?” It’s the same question my 9-year-old asks the minute she steps off the school bus. And sadly, unless it’s her birthday or another holiday, the answer is usually a resounding no. Because both my daughters have always enjoyed playing post office–we’ve even gone so far as to create a makeshift mail stop in our backyard tree, complete with leaves as letters–it’s no surprise that someone would someday make a toy that sends mail…for real. This year, we’re in awe over Toymail and Mailmen, a unique plaything combo that goes beyond standard post office delivery. It starts with toy Mailmen, a line of silly-faced mailboxes that connect to your home WiFi via a free app. Next record any message you like, at [&hellip
hot holiday toy Archive
In our house, the kitchen is on the…shall we say…intimate side. While there’s ample room for our table that sits four, the cooking space is really meant for one person at a time. If one of my kids come to “visit” me when I’m at the stove, and the other tries to open the fridge, I can feel my shoulders tightening. And don’t get me started on prepping a big meal during the holidays; it’s not uncommon to see me shooing guests into the more spacious dining room. While I don’t see a major kitchen renovation anytime in the near future, it doesn’t mean my family doesn’t get a home-cooked meal most nights. Maybe my determination dates back to my younger days when I pined [&hellip
My 3-1/2-year-old is fascinated with puzzles. She started out with simple 3- or 4-piece wooden models whose knob-handle pieces made them easy to complete. Before long, she was moving on to puzzles with more pieces, especially the ones that had sounds and other bells and whistles. I notice there’s a particular one at our local library that she favors: a maze of animals whose tummies get filled with tiny marbles by using a magnetic wand. Each time she “feeds” the hippo, she shouts out in jubilation. I’m impressed with her persistence, as it wasn’t too long ago when she would have given up and cried if she wasn’t successful right away. Practice and patience are two things I’m trying to teach my girls, and I’m [&hellip