Children's Toy Review: Counting Bunnies Puzzle 23

In this day and age store bought toys are a dime a dozen and their designs and novelty are temporary if not fleeting. Even the quality is not as it once was, with giant companies racing to cut over head by outsourcing to factories with shaky safety records, hoping to turn a lucrative profit.

But do toys really matter any more? When video games and electronic devices such as cell phones and ipods , have consumed the culture of most of the civilized world's daily existence, and become the most wanted items - echoed in the fashions and advertising campaigns that flood our televisions and printed media. Do seemingly "dull" toys of yesteryear have a needed place in our children's lives? I, among a growing movement of parents , educators and specialists, believe the answer is yes.

There have recently been many studies compiling findings that support the theory that moving our children into the digital age has not come without a price. People are cluing in to the fact that children are slowly loosing out on make believe play, which is critical for language and problem solving development within their growing brains. Articles such as The End Of Make Believe featured on Newsweek.com, site that technology and entertainment are NOT tools used to stimulate imaginative play, no matter what their clever advertisements may lead you to believe.

In order for a child's brain to be stimulated to encourage proper make believe play , the toys he or she plays with need to be very plain and basic in nature (always wondered why your children enjoy the box the toys came in, more than the toy it's self?) - without all the flashing- beeping- digital goodness that floods store shelves. Wooden blocks and other basic toys are open ended - meaning there is no set outcome or plot, these toys can be anything the child imagines and the potential for creativity is limitless.

One of the toys I am reviewing today falls into the category of those reminiscent of toys of yesteryear.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle is offered by Imagiplay.com, a company that believes in selling toys that are eco-friendly and that inspire the imagination.

Counting Bunnies Puzzle Specs:

• Hand-crafted & hand painted with child-safe paints. Made from plantation-grown rubberwood, an environmentally-friendly hardwood.
• Non-toxic, eco-friendly, educational puzzles that teaches numbers, colors, dexterity and fun!
• Fair Trade allows artisans a fair wage to support their families.
• 10 puzzle pieces (8 bunnies, 2 carrots) 1 wooden puzzle base.
• 
• Ages: 3+
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 4 x 14.5 inches ; 1 pounds
• ASIN: B0016HPLK0

Pros:

This puzzle is sized very nicely, perfect for a child's hands. The pieces are larger than other similar puzzles I have seen on the market, they also have rounded edges. It is nice to have a puzzle that offers a 2 dimensional feel instead of the typical one-dimensional, painted-on-one -side-only puzzles you find elsewhere.

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle's design is very sweet with momma bunny watching over her babies as they race to get to the large carrots, all numbered to encourage your little one's counting skills. The way the bunny pieces are positioned will help your child to learn about balance and sharpen his or her's dexterity. It is a nice feeling knowing that the designer used child safe paint when decorating the puzzle pieces, so many toys are made without forethought into the ingredients that will be used.

My 5 yr old daughter liked the way the pieces fit into the base and thought the carrot theme was "so cute!". Even my 18th month old little boy was drawn to the bright colors and different shapes.


I was happy to know that this purchase is supporting fair trade ^W artisans and that the wood used to create this puzzle is rubberwood - which can regenerate new growth that is usable fairly quickly, so the harvesting process is very eco-friendy.

Con's:

The only slightly negative thing I can say about Counting Bunnies Puzzle is that because it is eco-friendly the puzzle came wrapped in shrink wrap, so there is not actually a container to house the pieces - which was a little inconvenient. My kids had the pieces all over the place in no time.

Overall Impression:

The Counting Bunnies Puzzle is well constructed by hand out of environmentally sustainable wood and supports Fair trade workers in disadvantaged countries. Not only will your children love the cuteness factor of the puzzles design, but this puzzle is educational and something that will last for years to come, and would make a great toy to pass on to future generations.

Related Posts:

• Encourage Your Little Chef, while Encouraging Listening Skills
• Product Review: I-Spy Memory Game
• Product Review: See Me Read Kit - Complete
• Book Reviews: Let's Get Ready Series

Uncommonly Cute : Infant & Toddler Clothes 18

Uncommonly Cute is an infant and toddler clothing e-store run by a husband & Wife team hailing from New York. They pride themselves on cute & cool apparel that is unique, which expresses your baby's individual personality. I am especially enamored with the site because they support two great causes :
R Baby Foundation (proceeds of 50% from this page go directly to R Baby Foundation) and Room To Grow. It is great when businesses give back to their community or country.

...Got A Bun
In your tum?
...soon to arrive

Freshly Baked?
Get this tee for your New Arrival.

This website is what the name implies.
A fabulous line of newborn, baby onsies and toddler
tees, that will make you smile. Baby clothes come
in size newborn - 2T. In a choice of gender
specific colors.

I especially liked the newborn onsie that has
"freshly baked" across the chest. For a baker
such as myself, not only is it funny but very cute.

Many a joke has been had at a pregnant
girl's expense referencing her "bun in the
oven". This simple statement is both endearing
and laughable. Your child is an Artisan made
creation, after all. Celebrate your handy work!

And for the geek in you - why not
check out this "famous on facebook"
tee, Deck your child out in some Social
Networking vanity goodness.

The funniest tee I saw was the"Elmo is my homeboy" shirt. Hilarius. This would go great with some Infant / Toddler Adiddas or maybe Infant / Toddler K-swiss .Teach your baby to embrace his or her's dopeness.

And for those political types, infant and toddler tees & onsies that say "I'm a Democrat" or "I'm a Republican". 2008 is an Election Year after all , babies may not talk - but they sure can scream and what is better than a screamer ? A screamer who supports his or her political party! Aww the magic moments of parenting.

To see the above tees and more...Visit the website to view all the baby goodness.

On Mothers 0

These are my smiling little children - The boy on the left is 12 months and the girl on the right is five years. Time has passed so quickly. It is funny I can look at them both and see them just as they were in the hospital - cradled in my arms for the first time. Their eyes squinting and unadjusted to the light all around them - unaware and scared of the world they had entered into. So tiny and red. Wrinkled and scented with what seemed the essence of purity itself.

I can recall flashes of memories, mainly feelings that awaken in brief instances. A mishmash of events carried out in a haphazard fashion, standard things every mother and father goes through.

In the begining the feelings of creating such a beautiful new life overtake - the tiredness, the aching, stress. All the agony and pain of labor seems to have washed away during this brief period.

Yet as the weeks progress, like in some cruel joke, nature inflicts upon us what seems like some maddash through parental basic training - unfortunately it is not a Drill Sargent you encounter, no, it is a screaming inconsolable infant.Which in some ways is worse. And slowly you feel the sleepless hours start to take there toll.

Your body is not in the physical shape you need it to be - you are ill equipped to be inching your way through mountains of laundry and dishes. You aren't ready to shimmy up the stairs, now starting to feel like a rope climb. Nor do you want to do laps around the house for forgotten infant equipment, that you think will somehow (hopefully) appease this baby. Nights turn into days as this baby turns your schedule topsy turvy. He has needs, and yours are trivial at best.....
And he has made his presence known.

But just like everything else, days turn into weeks and then into months, and that little screaming bundle of chaos grows into a babbling, toddling little person. One who can add the sweetest moments to your daily ritual. The days and nights slowly regain there proper momentum, and bedtimes are now a real thing to look forward to. Even though the demanding has changed from screaming into a more direct form, it somehow makes it more palatable.


I feel something that must be what only a mother's love can feel like --- the light in my children's eyes now blankets my heart, like I once swaddled and blanketed them. And when life's struggles and stresses creep in, and disrupt my mood - I can look at their faces and feel an instant wave of warmth, of joy rush over me and I can soldier on another day.

Photography : On the rails along the Columbia 3

I took this on the way home, traveling I-84. We pulled over and I got out with no fleece to take as many shots as I could in 2 minutes...brrr. It was very cold and the wind was a frigid guest.

on the rails along the columbia, originally uploaded by Amber *.

I am back home. I have some better shots in my photo stream of this sunset. I took some from my car window --- had I charged my camera battery I might have gotten more. Oh well.

I haven't a culinary gem to pull out of my chef hat at this moment --- but more will follow I promise.

I did the math recently as I looked at my feedburner stats since April 2004 --- I have over 130 readers by rss aggregation! Plus like 15 by email.

Wow! Thanks for reading! I wasn't trying to create a pretentious food blog, nor was I claiming to be some culinary wizard. I wanted to write my thoughts and I admit I haven't been the most regular poster. Balancing your life when your a blogger and single is one thing --- but when you have a family to take care of with a young child and are going to school full time it is a lot harder to be consistent when blogging...atleast for me.

It has been a struggle, as I have suffered a writing ship wreck --- I am surely caught in The doldrums:

Early sailors named this belt of calm the doldrums because of the low spirits they found themselves in after days of no wind. To find oneself becalmed in this region in a hot and muggy climate could mean death in the era when wind was the only motive force.

Writer's block. No creative thoughts, like a blank stare into a calm sea. Frustrating, as there is no change ...Just a sour awareness you are not creating anything new.

Blurb: Parental Anxiety, torrential Rains | uncomplimentary tastes 0

"Twenty, Twenty - four hours to go....I wanna be sedated...." [---Sung by The Ramones. ] And inevitably the theme song for my night of Hell.....

Well when I last left the blog, my daughter was very ill. Now, the intermittent fever of 104 ° F had ceased, she was medicated. And best of all she was driving mommy nuts in her oh-so-cute-toddler fashion, which is normal and pleasant. So we were relieved, and feeling out of the danger zone.

And that is why, when a friend invited us to stay at their family beach house in Seaside, Oregon - I gleefully excepted. It was going to be fun : good friends, laughs, drinks - all on the Oregon coast. Oh adult conversation and the like - where could we go wrong?

Yes where? When? Funny how the human body sneaks up on you. After the rainy drive through Portland...



now some of you are thinking , Isn't Portland & the Pacific Northwest in general - rainy? ultimately yes, but we have had a very dry Winter. Also the temperature has not dipped under 55°F in the last month - even elevating to 75°F , with plenty of sun.

....The mists were dense on the mountains and made the coastal forest appear ghostly and mysterious. Water littering the concrete spilled out into the cracks and red clay that made up the forest floor.

Water was streaming up my passenger side window - pushed outward from the sheer force of wind, intensified by the speed at which we were traveling.



We traveled onward, ever nearing the small coastal towns that lined the hilly forest scape, with names like "Mist" and "Veronia".

Once we did arrive in Seaside, the streets were sparsely inhabited. Locals & a few gutsy tourists braved the Gail force winds, plummeted by rain. We arrived at the house - a big beautiful craftsman, with a river stone facade and stereotypical low lying porch with columns. The inside was light and airy, it had a 1930's cabin feel. The kitchen was my favorite - large and tiled from floor to ceiling. There was a large island with range top, overhead a pan rack hung strung peppers, garlic & herbs. Every appliance you would want in a modern kitchen was there. Then you could walk into the dining room - a long heavy rectangular table & comfortable wicker lined captains chairs lined the room. Over head a rustic candelabra hung low, making for an intimate dining experience.

The house was full of windows. Full of big overstuffed Italian leather chairs - inviting you to lounge, while the waves could be heard crashing outside. The View from the Eastside of the house provided a look out onto the sand dunes, beyond was a view of the ocean. Nothing else to inhibit the view.

We settled in to the guest bedroom - complete with it's own living space & bathroom. Everything was going fine. The weather however had made up it's mind to send out the banshees - to howl their mournful, threatening cries. To thrash the waves about, making them swell into a woeful threatening mess. Sand was now a weapon furled at unsheltered victims - stinging flesh.

As the night wore on we made stir fry, unfortunately someone had purchased sweet potatoes & Thai peanut sauce for the dish. Now I have nothing against either ingredient, but when paired together - they do not complement each other, especially if added to a host of other ingredients: broccoli, onions , garlic, red peppers, Tofu, hot pepper. What happened is the sweet potato broke up & the starch encased all the other ingredients. The peanut sauce dampened by the sweet potato was not good at all. It had a bitter after taste.

If I had had my way I would've used teriaki sauce, omitted the sweet potato all together.

My daughter was screaming at the dining table, and I got up to take her to our room. She starting having stomach cramps and intestinal troubles. I couldn't get her to sleep. Finally after 2 hrs of trying,she layed down on the bed and fell asleep. Once she was secured I went upstairs to have some espresso and Baily's Irish Cream. As the night wore down, we realized that the weather wasn't improving, and there was a scramble to get the DVD player connection working. Unfortunately the surround ect. Was much more complicated & we didn't have the correct cables.

My daughter woke up, 2 hours later, screaming and the events that followed were quite scary indeed. She was writhing at times in pain. And her diapers were horrible. I was up with her, trying to settle her until 6 a.m. She would not lay down & would scream violently. We decided to wait it out until the morning - then if she wasn't better we'd go to urgent care. She had no fever, which told me it was something viral.

Sure enough by morning she was more herself - I let her sleep until noon. But even so she still wasn't doing well. I wasn't much for company - I couldn't stop fretting over my daughter's health. Plus I hadn't that much sleep and I was emotionally drained. I told my husband we should leave. We packed and said our goodbyes, I felt frustrated that we couldn't stay. I didn't want such "mommy" duties to get in the way.


Coming home....

Tommorow is my birthday...At 4:10 A.M Feb. 8 th 0

So I am a quarter of a century. Yet I still feel like a kid. Time is a very unusual thing. I have no plans just survive another day. Hopefully no one makes a big deal.

There is a point in your life when birthdays lose their "specialness", and the thought of another birthday makes you shrug.

But when you have a child all things "you" are pushed aside. The child becomes first priority. And celebration of your birthday wanes in comparison --- because everything is so new for the child.

Not that I mind this. But there is still a yearning sometimes for things that scream "ME"!