Category: Blog

How to fill a Team Hope Shoe Box

Every year our family endeavor to fill several shoe boxes for Team Hope. These shoe boxes go to children around the world who won’t be receiving other Christmas gifts this year. I have first-hand experience of seeing children in both the Dominican Republic and India receive a Christmas shoe box. In the Dominican Republic they were given to street children and the child I met in India had a parent who had leprosy.  And, because of this experience, I feel strongly about supporting this project every year. I also think it helps to bring a little bit of perspective to my children, who will receive a lot this year.

I have found that it is much more cost effective to fill several boxes than just fill one as items like facecloths and soaps come in multipacks!

Team Hope has made things even easier for people this year, as you can now buy flat pack shoeboxes. I stock them here. They cost €3 each which is great value considering the time you would spend sourcing and wrapping a regular shoebox. Of course, regular wrapped shoeboxes are also still accepted and appreciated. It’s just a matter of what is easier for your family.

 

 

Once you have your box, you need to decide whether it is for a boy or girl and what age to do it for, so you can buy or find appropriate items to put in it.

So, here’s what you need to put into them:

If you are looking for any of these, I stock

• novelty pens,
• colouring pencils,
• crayons,
• markers,
• flowery colouring boxes,
• animal colouring boxes,
• colour by number pads with colours for boys and girls,
• lipstick erasers,
• microphone rubber and sharpener and lots of other fun stationery that children love.

Again, I can help you with a lot of these. Don’t forget that you don’t need to put in one of everything. Just one or two items from each list are perfect.  Here are some quick links for some of these items:

• Stickers
• Toy Car
• Ball
• Skipping Rope and French Skipping Rope
• Yoyo
• Maracas, Tambourines, Castanets or Triangles

You also need to include €4 towards the shipping of your box to the child. There’s a list on the Team Hope Website of items you are not to put into your boxes and also a list of drop off points for your box.

I hope you enjoy filling your box. I’m sure it will bring so much joy to a little person this Christmas.

xx Suzie

It was my daughter’s 7th birthday in August and she received some really lovely gifts, including a Decoupage Made Easy Kit.  It was a great gift for her as, when she was younger she loved doing mosaics and sticker work and this kit is all about sticking.

Inside the box there’s:

• a paper-mache owl that’s about the same size as an adult’s outstretched hand
• 176 pre-cut stickers in 8 fun patterns
• glitter decoupage glue
• a foam craft brush
• 2 sticker eyes and one nose sticker
• Detailed instructions

It’s recommended for children aged 6+. My (just turned) 7 year old found it easy and enjoyable to do and she didn’t need any help (bonus for me!).

The idea is that you just peel off the stickers and stick them onto the paper-mache owl. You can choose to put them on randomly or in a pattern/design. This took my daughter about 40 minutes to do.

Once all the white of the owl is covered in stickers, it’s time to paint it with the glitter decoupage glue. I should mention that there were plenty of stickers to cover the owl and even some left over.

Once the glue has dried, all that is needed is to stick on the eyes and nose and you have a really pretty owl.

What We Liked:

• It really was easy to do. My daughter was able to do it on her own
• 2 months later and all the stickers are still stuck to the paper mache and it looks as good as it did when she first did it.
• That there was enough stickers and glue without having to scrimp.
• It’s a great introduction to decoupage for children

What We Didn’t Like:

• I’m finding it hard to think of something that I didn’t like about this kit but it’s really hard. I guess it’s more to do with my personality than the product. I like crafts that can be done over and over again and I hate clutter. This is a ‘do it and it’s done’ kit and now I have an extra ornament in the playroom to sit beside lots of other projects my girls have done. There’s virtually no play value to it once it’s done, apart from showing it off to everyone who comes to our house!!

If you think you’d like to buy one of these Melissa and Doug Decoupage Made Easy Kits, I stock them here. They cost €14.50.

Happy Crafting,

xx Suzie

This is Space Week (4th – 11th October) and to do my part, I’ve decided to show off any space-related toys that I stock.

1. Stargazer Lottie is a Lottie Doll that comes with a doll-sized telescope and tripod. She also comes with solar system collector cards and information on notable women in astronomy and she is dressed in warm clothes,  perfect for star gazing in!

2. If your child loves the stars, it’s easy to bring them into their very own room with this pack of 50 glow in the dark stars. Why don’t you attempt to stick them up in constellation patterns that your child will recognize?

3. And, if they are not satisfied with the glow in the dark variety of stars, this very basic microscope/telescope might come in handy on a cloudless night.

4. Finally, if your child loves imaginary play and dreams of being an astronaut then buying them a Lottie doll and this Astronaut costume for the doll is a must.

It’s worth taking a look at Space Week’s Website as they have loads of events running all week all over Ireland. They also have a lovely family resources page on their website with space-themed craft and science activities for children.

Enjoy the week,

xx Suzie

Magnets have always been very popular toys and I feel like they are in greater demand than ever. If your child loves thinking scientifically or you just like fun games where the pieces all stay in one place, then take a look at these really cool magnetic toys. I’ve something to suit every age!

1. Plan and Simple Magnets

 

Junior Magnets

8-piece Magnet Set

These types of magnets are great for imaginative play. Use them to pick up coins or other metal objects. Alternatively play some magnet games like trying to move a metal object with the magnet through an assault course or using the metal object and the magnet to paint a picture.

2. Fridge Magnets

Magnetic wooden numbers

Magnetic Alphabet

Each wooden animal in this box is divided into 3 body parts and they are magnetic. Piece them together to look normal or choose to mix and match to create your own Crazy Animals!

If you have your fridge behind a wooden door, I stock magnetic whiteboards which you can keep in your kitchen or child’s room to play with these on.

3. Magnetic Toys for Pre-School Children

Magnetic Fishing Puzzle with a magnet on the rod.

Magnetic Car Loader

Billy is a wooden boy with magnetic clothes

Abby and Emma are similar only there are two of them!

Bellissimo is a tin in the shape of a girl. Inside the tin are wooden magnetic clothes to dress her in.

Or, make some Funny Faces using magnetic eyes, mouths, bows, mustache and much more on this double-sided tin.

This is another version of the fishing game only the fish come in a box and not in a puzzle.

This magnetic box opens up and comes with loads of magnetic shapes and pictures to copy. It’s called Magnetic Pattern Blocks.

4. Magnetic Toys for Older Children

Instead of the dart having a pointy end, it has a magnet. This sticks to the magnetic dart board.

Colour in the plastic pictures, put them in the oven and watch them shrink to become much smaller and thicker. Then stick the magnets to the back of your Shrinkles. I stock them in Stegosaurus, Princess, and Unicorn.

Use the plaster of Paris to make either Mermaids or Dinosaurs. Then paint them and add the magnets.

Magnetic Putty Peeps comes with a very strong magnet which draws the putty towards it and can even hold the putty magnetically. All ages will enjoy it.

I hope this blog has helped you see that there are some really fun and cool magnetic toys on the market these days.

xx Suzie

 

Before I stocked L.O.L Dolls, I was under considerable pressure to buy them! The reason being – I have two daughters (aged 7 and 8) and apparently, EVERYONE in school had a least three or four of these dolls. If you follow my blog, you’ll know I have a distaste for cheap toys that have little play value in them and I automatically presumed that these L.O.L Dolls would fit into that category. Oh, how wrong I was! If I’d known how much time my seven-year-old would spend playing with these dolls, I would have bought her some a few years ago! She literally moves into her own little imaginary world every day and from the playroom, I can hear her giving each doll a voice and squeaking out conversations between them. Now, I also have to say that my older daughter loved opening her doll and that was it! She is my more creative daughter and she has never engaged in imaginary play to the extent of my younger girl. She did, however, revamp her doll by painting her clothes and hair in metallic paint!

So, if you haven’t come across these dolls before and you are under pressure to buy one, what exactly are they?

• A small doll about the height of your index finger for the Big Sister Dolls. The Little Sister Dolls are about half the size.
• They have an oversized head for their body
• and big cutie eyes
• They are made of hard/good quality plastic
• Depending on the series, they can have different assets for example, the glitter series have glittery/sparkly hair.
• Depending on which doll you get, they do different things. They can wee, spit, cry or if you’re very lucky, change colour when immersed in icy water.
• They all come with a rubber sippy cup/water bottle which matches their hair (and clothes, if they come with clothes – depending on the series and size)
• Big Sisters come with a set of clothes and shoes (and sometimes two sets depending on the series), L’il Sisters just wear a nappy, which can’t be removed.
• You get a guide with each doll which shows all the different dolls in that Series and all their names.
• Each doll comes with a name and from it, you can deduct a little bit of the character of the doll. They all tend to have ‘cool’ types of names like ‘Rocker’ or ‘Honey Bee’
• If they come with clothes and shoes. These are made from soft plastic/rubber and my seven-year-old has no problem dressing and undressing her dolls. There’s no buttons or ties that little hands can’t manage.
• They come in a ball or capsule.

So, what’s the surprise element?

• Firstly you don’t know what doll you are going to get. You have to buy the doll wrapped in several layers of packaging. It’s like a ‘Pass the parcel’ only one child is getting to open every layer and with each layer, there’s a clue as to which doll might be inside. The clue can be a little piece of paper with some symbols, a pair of shoes, an outfit, an accessory (like a basket, a hairband, glasses or sunglasses)  and then eventually the doll. Because you don’t know what doll you are getting, there’s always a chance that you could end up with two of the same dolls.
• You also don’t know what your doll can do after they drink water from their sippy cup.

What types of dolls are there and what do the terms mean?

Now, I’m far from an expert in this area, so I can only talk from experience of the ones we have in our house and in my shop and I’m sure there are loads of ones that we haven’t got yet.

1. L’il Sisters are smaller dolls and ideally, you want to find their Big Sister (who kinda matches them – similar hair etc). There is less play value in these dolls as you can’t dress or undress them. They come with a pair of shoes which don’t fit the L’il Sister but are a gift from her to her Big Sister (if you’re lucky enough to get a match)
2. Big Sisters are the dolls I have stocked up until now.
3. Brothers. There are also boy dolls. I have yet to physically see one, so I can’t comment!
4. Pets. The Pets are about the same size as the Big Sisters and again, you’re aiming to get a pet that belongs to a specific doll. They come with a small container of kinetic sand for them to play with and in the sand is hidden something for your pet. We only have one of these (a horse) so I really can’t speak with too much authority on these.
5. Confetti Pop is referring to the ball in which your doll comes in. Most of the balls just have little compartments to open to get your doll and accessories out. The Confetti Pop has a ribbon and when your child pulls it, the compartment opens and lots of confetti flows out before you can get your doll.
6. Glitter Series. These dolls are more glittery than other Big Sisters. Thankfully the glitter is well secured on their clothes and hair and you don’t find it rubbing off on everything they touch.
7. Under Wraps. I think the story behind these dolls is that they are in disguise (I’m not sure why), so they come covered in soft plastic that you can remove. This can then be broken apart to form an extra set of shoes and clothes for your doll.

1. Eye Spy. These dolls come with a ‘magnifying’ glass made of paper and plastic. When you hold it against some of the packagings, it reveals hidden messages. Some of these come in capsules (you’ll know by the shape of them) and then you also need your ‘magnifying’ glass to read the codes and put the codes into the capsule in order to open it. My advice is to stick the codes either onto the capsule or somewhere safe because if you lock your doll or her clothes into the capsule and forget the code, you may have trouble getting her out!

I hope this helps with your understanding of the wonderful world of L.O.L Dolls. In my opinion, the surprise element is a bit of a craze and once the doll has been opened the joy from the surprize quickly fades. However, what you are left with is a really cute little doll that appears to have loads of personality and attitude (from her hair style and sense of dress) and which can lead to hours and hours of imaginative play.

I am currently out of stock of the Glitter Series but I have the Eye Spy Under Wraps Series in stock here.

I hope you are as pleasantly surprized by L.O.L dolls as I was.

xx Suzie

I’m sure this never happens in your house but in mine, it can be common enough.

• Kid 1 walks into the playroom where Kid 2 has been playing peacefully for 20 minutes. She kicks over the toys that were being played with and walks out and it feels like World War 3 has just broken out.
• The girls have been playing nicely taking turns with their favourite toy or sharing it. Then suddenly I hear screams, I rush to see what the problem is and they are both grabbing the same toy and pulling, claiming ‘You had it for longer than me’ ‘It’s my turn’.

In the past, I would have joined in the fight. My voice trying to be louder and heard over the other two screaming children. In the first scenario, I’d be cross with Kid 1 and trying hold back Kid 2 from physically hurting her sister or trying to wreck something Kid 1 loved, as revenge. In the second scenario, I’d be trying to figure out whose turn it actually was and who had the toy for longer. This usually failed and I’d remove the toy and neither would be able to enjoy it for the rest of the day. After dealing with several of these a day, I’d feel deflated by their bedtime.

Recently, I’ve become aware that the problem isn’t actually the problem and I’m trying to fix a problem that isn’t the root one. If I can get to the root and deal with it, I can teach my children skills that they can use to solve fights when I’m not around.

So, for example in the first scenario, I’d enter the room and see the following problems:

• a game with pieces all mixed up/a colouring page with a scribble on it/a lego tower knocked over
• a very cross kid who wants revenge.

My solution would have been:

• try to put all the pieces of the game back where they were/rub out the unwanted scribble/rebuild the tower
• at the same time, tell Kid 2 to stop shouting/attacking Kid 1
• and at the same time, give out to Kid 1, try and make her apologise (even though she wouldn’t mean it, which would make Kid 2 even angrier) and help with the fixing of the toys/game (which would anger Kid 2 even more as she didn’t want Kid 1 anywhere near her precious toy)

This rarely worked.

If I looked at the root of the problem it would be:

• Kid 1 was jealous that Kid 2 had found something to enjoy without her.

Now when I approach the argument/fight, I don’t ask Kid 1, ‘Why did you do that?’ because, at the moment, she is too young to fully know and usually answers ‘Because I wanted to’ or ‘I don’t know’. Instead, I name the root by saying something like, ‘I understand that you were jealous that your sister was having fun without out’. Usually, her automatic response is to deny it, however, within seconds she will realise it is the truth and then we can take it from there and look at ways to resolve the jealousy like:

• Seeing if Kid 2 will include her in what she was playing.
• Pointing out that she has nothing to be jealous of, as she can have fun without her sister and that game. They have so many other toys/games to play with, they don’t need to be jealous over one. My parents would have used the term ‘Count your blessings’. This means taking the focus off what you are jealous of and consider all you have instead

• Pointing out the root usually humbles Kid 1, which in turn causes Kid 2 to be a bit more understanding towards Kid 1.
• When Kid 1 does apologise, they aren’t just apologising for their action but for the reason they did it and the apology is usually received.

I have found that dealing with the root of the problem and not just what is obvious from first glance is much more satisfying as a parent and I feel less deflated by the end of the day.

Now, to try and figure out how to practice this in my marriage! LOL.

xx Suzie

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Dinosaurs are very popular for boys and girls and there are loads of toys to help spark imaginary play and learning. Here are 7 of my favourite dinosaur toys that I stock on my website.

1 The Dinosaur Pop-Up Facts Book

This gorgeous large, hardback book has interactive activities on each page. Whether it’s a pop-up Dinosaur face, a flap to open, a tab to pull, it will keep your little explorer busy discovering lots of information on different types of dinosaurs. The flaps and tabs are made out of tough paper, so it’s not really suitable for children under the age of 3, who might lose interest in the detailed facts and rip the book from enthusiasm to play. This would be a lovely book to sit down with your child with and read together. If you’d like to see it in more detail, there’s a little video showing it off, on the selling page.

2. Dino Hatch Eggs

These eggs are very popular toys as they are cheap and children can afford to buy them with their pocket money or be given them as a reward for good behaviour. Santa always stocks up on loads of these for Christmas stockings too. Simply, place the egg in a bowl of water and over approximately 48 hours, the shell will crack and a growing plastic dinosaur will emerge. It doesn’t matter if your child gets several of these, as there are lots of different dinosaurs to collect and the chance of them getting one they already have, are slim.

3. Dinosaur Mosaics

This set comes with 2 colourful cardboard pictures of dinosaurs. However, parts of the pictures are marked out with blank squares with numbers in them. Your child will need to sit down and put the correct coloured (also numbered)  foam stickers over these blank spots. This is a great activity for improving fine motor skills and it will keep your child busy for about an hour per picture. When they are finished, they have a lovely 3D picture to display in your house. The set costs €10.50

4. Stegosaurus Shrinkles

If you have never tried Shrinkles before, then you’ve got to try them out. I think you’ll enjoy the magic of them nearly as much as your child. This set features Stegosaurus dinosaurs and only costs €7.20. There’s a plastic page of dinosaur pictures to colour in (colouring pencils are included in the pack). Then, cut them out, place them on a baking tray in a warm oven and watch them shrink down. They reduce size but become thicker and the colours intensify. When they have cooled down, you can make keyrings (also included in the pack) out of them and give them as gifts to friends and family.

5.  Dinosaur Stencils

These 5 plastic stencils will set your little artist up for any dinosaur pictures they wish to create. They are simple and easy to use and will help spark imagination as your child decorates their pictures and creates scenes around their dinosaurs.

6. Mould and Paint Dinosaurs

This is a craft that needs a bit of adult supervision. Inside the box, you get moulds and plaster of paris. Your child (with your help/supervision) needs to make the plaster and pour it into the mould. When it’s try, they get to paint their dinosaurs with the paints which are included. This set costs €9.99.

7. Dinosaur Stickers

This pack of stickers costs €3.50 and inside you’ll find 160 stickers (there are 80 different stickers, repeated twice). They are lovely for decorating pictures with or using for reward charts.

If you are looking for a dinosaur themed toy or craft, I hope you have found what you are looking for. My stock changes regularly and I have a page just with Dinosaur Toys to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for.

xx Suzie

Over the summer holidays, I allowed my girls to choose one toy each which we would review together. Typically, they both choose the same toy! They had been eyeing up the Bottle Sand Art for some months and the idea of sharing it and doing it together wasn’t an option.

Inside the box is :

• 4 small plastic bottles with lids
• 4 bags of coloured sand (pink, blue, green and orange)
• A scoop
• A funnel
• A mixing tool

The idea is simple. Layer the sand in the bottles to have colourful bottles. Both my girls (aged 6 and 8) were able to do this without any help.

Once you have chosen which colour and bottle to start with, you fill the scoop with the sand, place the funnel in the bottle and pour the sand into the funnel. Then you use the stirring instrument to help the sand move freely down the funnel and into the bottle. Once all the sand has moved down, you choose the next colour you want to use and repeat the process until your bottle is full.

We found that the sand wasn’t moving very freely down the funnel and the girls were getting frustrated waiting for it to dribble through, so we made our own paper funnel which quickened the process.

Filling the four bottles took about an hour and the girls really enjoyed both the process and the result.

What we didn’t like about the Bottle Sand Art:

• The funnels were too small and it meant that sand got caught in it and it slowed down the process
• There wasn’t enough sand to completely fill all 4 bottles (and the girls were very careful not to spill a large amount during the pouring process). This bothered me more than the girls. It would have been nice if they’d supplied more sand to allow for spillages.
• Only having four colours of sand. The images on the box shows white sand in the bottles too. In hindsight, we should have used some white table salt. If we’d done this, then there would probably have been enough to complete all 4 bottles.
• The girls expected the bottles to be bigger than they actually were.

What we liked about the Bottle Sand Art:

• It wasn’t messy
• The girls really enjoyed doing it
• They were able to do it all themselves.
• It kept them busy for an hour on a wet afternoon
• The bottles were plastic, so they weren’t breakable
• The end result
• You have 3 (or 4?) beautiful bottles which you can keep or give away as gifts to relatives.
• It costs only €10.99 which makes it an affordable birthday or Christmas present. It’s great value for what you get.

Overall, I would give this kit 6 out of 10. My eight year old gave it 7 out of 10 and my six year old gave it 9 out of 10.

I hope you find this review useful and if you buy this art set, I hope you and your children enjoy it.

xx Suzie

Most people don’t need to be convinced about online shopping, but if you are one of those people who is a reluctant online shopper, take a quick look at these 12 great reasons to shop online, that have been put together by my social media followers (thanks!)

They are in no particular order.

You don’t have to leave your house to shop online. This is especially handy if you have children who hate shopping or you don’t have a car. You can also get it delivered to someone else’s address, if you want to keep the contents a secret or if it’s a gift for someone else.

Whether you are hiding a gift or making a purchase you don’t want your other half or children to know about, shopping online makes this possible.

Unlike physical shops and shopping centres that have opening and closing times, online shops are open 24/7. This means that you can shop from the comfort of your own sofa, in comfortable clothes, drinking a drink of your choice and indulging in chocolate and/or crisps!

I was amazed at how many people said that shopping online is easier. Most commented on the frustrations of bringing children with them and how much easier it is to do it online when their children are in bed.

How often have you had to buy each of your kids a small toy when you have been toy shopping for a birthday gift? Or picked up a ‘bargain’ at the checkout? Online shopping is more thought out and less impulsive. It’s also easier to find reviews of products, so you know exactly if they will work for you or not.

The smallest Irish businesses are often the ones that can’t afford a premise.  They are at the early stages of startup and by buying from them, you help them to progress and grow. I have found that a lot of these little shops are run with other ‘Work from Home Mums’ (WAHMs) who manage their family and their shop at the same time.  By choosing to buy from Irish shops, you are keeping money in the Irish economy, as these business owners pay taxes in Ireland and use Irish couriers/An Post, Irish packaging companies and much more. If you are searching for a product, simply add ‘Ireland’ into your search bar and Irish retailers will get a look in along with large multinational companies. You’ll find that prices are often better, as you are dealing in euros, delivery is cheaper and quicker, so it’s win-win for everyone.

Our time is valuable and often scarce. Make the most of the time you have by avoiding busy shops/queueing in car parks and shops, by shopping online. One great thing about shopping online is that you don’t have to wait for other shoppers to finish buying.

When you consider how long it takes you (and possibly your children) to get into your car, drive to a shop/take public transport, find parking, locate the items you are looking for, queue to pay for them, return to your car/the bus, travel home and unpack your purchases, you will start realising how convenient online shopping really is. And, there is nothing more frustrating that after all the effort of getting to the shop, they are sold out of the product you are looking for.

I think this one is self-explanatory!

I have heard people argue that it’s more expensive to shop online due to the delivery fees. However, if you ask them how much they spend on petrol/bus tickets and parking, you’ll find that it adds up quickly. It’s also very easy to check several shops in a few minutes to get the best price when you shop online. This isn’t something you can do quickly with regular shops.

My experience of shopping with kids has nearly always been stressful and it appears to be the case for a lot of the people who contributed to this blog too.

“Mummy, look at this”, “Mummy, where are you?”, “Mummy, can I have this?”, “Mummy, is this in my size?” and they are all looking at things they don’t need and you don’t get a chance to look at the things they do need.

 

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this blog post. If you are a reluctant online shopper, I don’t know what else I can say to convince you!! Let me know below, why you don’t shop online.

Enjoy shopping and thanks for shopping in my online toy shop.

xx Suzie

Day 1

Hi, I’m chicky and I’m a hatching egg toy. Well, actually, I’m a chick in a hatching egg! I’ve arrived with my owner. She can’t see me and I can’t see her, but we are both excited to meet each other in the coming days.

Day 2

She has followed the instructions on my box and put me in a jug of water. I hope she has enough patience to leave me here until my egg cracks naturally!

Day 3

I am growing, so my shell has started to crack! I am getting excited about being free and so is my owner, but I have a bit more to grow before I have completely cracked out of my shell.

Day 4

Since I’m still covered in water, I’m continuing to grow, which is forcing my shell to crack even more. It won’t be long now until I have completely cracked out of my shell.

Day 5

Yippee, I’ve completely hatched out of my shell. The water is a bit murky as my shell has been dissolving in it. Still, I am happy to be out. I hope my owner doesn’t leave me in this jug of water for long. If she does, I’ll continue to grow and I won’t fit out the neck of this jug, so she can play with me.

Day 10

You guessed it! She didn’t remove me and I’ve been growing. Today, she poured the water out and tried to lift me out, but I’m bigger than the mouth of the jug. She will have to wait about 10 days for me to shrink back again and fit out. Next time, if she wants to grow me back to this size or even bigger, she should put me in a bowl of water and not a jug!!

Thanks for reading my diary. I’ve loads of other brothers and sisters who are looking for a home to hatch in, so click on the link if you are interested in buying a chick hatching egg of your own!

xx Chicky