When we found out I was having a boy, I knew immediately that he’d grow up with cowboy boots, cowboy hats and trains! It was the one thing I just knew! From the first time I seen the Thomas the Train sets, I thought of how fun it would be to have a little engineer. I have loved the trains and would even walk in the aisle wishing that one of the girls would like trains. No such luck! So I knew Myles would grow up with trains from the beginning and he’d share the love with me!

Learning Curve Brands is introducing a whole new line of Thomas the Trains, Thomas Wooden Railway Early Engineers. This line is designed to captivate toddler’s imaginations and bring train play within their grasp. The Thomas Wooden Railway Early Engineers Line offers little hands the opportunity to embrace their love for trains at an early age. Even though this line was made with larger and safer parts doesn’t mean they sacrificed the quality wood craftsmanship and timeless signature look. To see this train in action, check out the video demonstration!

We received the Thomas Wooden Railway Early Engineers Roundabout Station Set for Myles. Because he isn’t old enough to play with it just yet, I borrowed another little boy that loves to help! Once I brought the set out, the girls were all over helping too! It was a huge hit for the kids that ranged in age from 18 months up to 4. One of my favorite things about the Thomas the Train sets is the ability to add to it. The Early Engineers Line is compatible with all other Thomas Wooden Railway sets. This means we can continue to expand the train set every year! With toddlers, we know that they aren’t fond of always sharing. The size of the Roundabout is perfect to set in the little one’s lap for safe keeping.

The Roundabout Station Set includes a Thomas Engine, two destinations, track and molded track layout with wooden tracktiles and two accessories. It is a great value for the price. I would love to see more Early Engineer sets become available for the little ones to enjoy. They do have a Rock N Roll Quarry Set that is on our shopping list. It would be nice to have other Early Engineer cars instead of just the engines too. I really hope this line continues to grow! I’m already planning on Myles new set for Christmas. By the time he is old enough to play with them, he’ll have a whole train set!

Thank you to Learning Curve for providing us with the Roundabout Station Set for Review purposes. The opinions stated in this review are solely my own.

Are you running a giveaway that you think my readers would enjoy? Feel free to share it! I will be promoting your links here every Monday. Enter them with the Contest Prize name and last day to enter in (parenthesis) so everyone knows what your offering and what time they have to do that by. If you are hosting an Adult Rated giveaway please put “ADULT” in the title. If it is not then I will delete it.

*IF YOU HOST A GIVEAWAY LINKY please click here!

I never got into the great hype of Moon Sand. Anytime I seen it on tv, I cringed. The mess! Then I was introduced to Moon Dough. I thought that it would be just as messy. I was only slightly disappointed! The kids on the other hand?

Moondough is a molding dough that feels like soft marshmallows. It was created for kids ages 3 and up. Moon Dough is hypo-allergenic and wheat free! It doesn’t dry out which is one of my problems with playdough. Moon Dough has 4 different sets and comes in a variety of colors. The Moon Dough Barn creates 4 different animals: horse, chicken, cow and our favorite, pig. Don’t forget to make some hay to feed your animals. What farm is complete without some picket fences.

My first problem with the Moon Dough was one I’m sure everyone will run into. I couldn’t get the kids to wait on opening it! They wanted it open right then. Isabelle, 7, easily put the pieces of the barn together on the playmat which is included. The barn comes with three different colored Moon Dough. I highly recommend following the directions and working the Moon Dough over before playing with it. Yes I failed to follow the directions! The cranking took a little practice for the girls, but once they figured out you don’t have to go all the way around, it was great! The key is to go slow. Another downfall to this is that I think it is getting their arms ready for those slot machines. That’s what the motion reminded me of!

The creations made with the molds worked great if you put enough Moon Dough in the mold and took your time. The details are a lot of fun. The kids don’t know what they will be getting at first. That makes the suspense a lot of fun. As I thought, there was a mess. But to my surprise it was easy to pick up. It vacuumed right up. It didn’t get hard and stick to the carpet.

The fence and hay mold can be kind of difficult for the younger groups to get the Moon Dough out. That was probably my biggest complaint with it. I would also prefer if the Moon Dough came in reusable bags or containers for storage. The detail is pretty neat. You can see the crevices in the fence and all the details on the animals.

I received this product for review purposes. The opinions stated in this post are solely my own.

Have you ever bought your child a game for their learning system to have it tossed aside? There are some games that surprise you because they are easily beat or can’t hold the attention of a fly. Renting these games would allow your child to test drive these games without spending the money on another boring game.

SmartyRents.com is an educational video game rental company that features games for LeapFrog and VTech systems. With games for eight different systems, you are sure to find something your child will enjoy. Parents can choose from four different rental packages to best suit their needs. Choose between 1-4 games at a time. It is fun to look through the different games with your child and build up your want list. SmartyRents is similar to Netflix and other mail order rental companies. There are no late fees and they are shipped free to your home!

SmartyRents wants to share their services with you! I will be giving away three-month packages for 5 readers! This will be a great way to try some games for your kids and not worry about spending any money!

TO WIN

Visit SmartyRents.com and tell me what game your child would like.

*You must have your own game system.

I also have a promo code worth 1 FREE month of the 1 Game at a Time package or $9.99 towards the package of their choice.

Promo Code: d89444
Expires:  12/31/10
One Game at a Time Package (Value $9.99)
First Time Customers Only

Additional Entries

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1. follow me on Google Friend
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5. grab my NEW button

For the entries that you received an extra entry, please leave one comment for each entry. For example (blog entry 1, blog entry 2, subscribe 1) this will ensure your entries are in!

Giveaway will close September 15 at 12pm EST.  Winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond. Open to US only!

I received a trial period to review the services of SmartyRents.

Are you running a giveaway that you think my readers would enjoy? Feel free to share it! I will be promoting your links here every Monday. Enter them with the Contest Prize name and last day to enter in (parenthesis) so everyone knows what your offering and what time they have to do that by. If you are hosting an Adult Rated giveaway please put “ADULT” in the title. If it is not then I will delete it.