Melissa and Doug Rattle Rumble Toddler Push Toy Giveaway ends 11/19

Christmas is right around the corner! To help you get a head start on your holiday shopping, Melissa and Doug has put together their Terrific Twenty Holiday Gift Guide for 2012. For the next 20 days they'll be giving away hosting a giveaway a day, where one lucky Facebook fan will win one of the toys on the gift guide list. To celebrate they're also giving one lucky Life Unexpected reader a Rattle Rumble Toddler Push Toy!

"This sturdy push toy rattles and rumbles along with a toddler's early steps! Colorful toys tumble around in three clear canisters as this wooden toy moves forward or backward. It's a toddler classic that will have beginning walkers on a roll!"

Dimensions: 24.75" x 15.5" x 7.5" Assembled

Recommended Ages: 1+ year(s)

Adult assembly required. Adult supervision required.

The Rattle Rumble has a retail value of $69.99 and would be a great gift for any new walker! You can win a Rattle Rumble of your own by entering using the Rafflecopter Below! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Nuby Mommy Blogger - Bedlite Buddies Review

Getting your kids to go to bed can be a huge fiasco. If your kids are anything like mine, you probably hear a million excuses as to why they can't go to bed.
"I need a drink"
" I need my blanky"
" I need music, it's too quiet"
"I need a stuffed animal"
" I need a night light"
Nuby has you covered on the last three demands requests. Bedlite Buddies are super cute stuffed animals with a built in night light and it plays music!

 What Nuby says about Bedlite Buddies

The Bedlite Buddies™ are GREAT cuddle buddies. Their faces light up and sing when you hug them! They like to go to bed on time and get tucked-in. Bedlite Buddies™ are made of soft and colourful materials that stimulate your child's senses. The built in night light brightens up the face, bringing a smile to your child.

Ella napping with our Frog Bedlite Buddy

 Our Thoughts  

 The Bedlite Buddies have two main settings - "Light" and "Play". In light mode the Bedlite Buddies face glows when it's belly is squeezed. When you switch to "play" your buddy will play music in addition to the glow. I love that there are two different modes so I don't have to listen to the music in the car when the girls squeeze his belly for the 500th time in a row.

I really like that the sound/light pack for the buddy is removable so I can pop it out and toss the animal in the washer. Our kids like to take their favorite friends everywhere, and occasionally share a snack with them. Spot cleaning is never really enough, but you don't have to worry about it with a removable pack.

There's just enough glow to provide comfort, but not enough the light up the whole room and create a "party time" atmosphere like some of the other glow light options on the market. 

The only thing I was slightly unsure of is the plastic used for the Buddies' faces. It's a bit harder then I would have liked for an object that is most likely going to have a lot of cuddle time, however it hasn't seemed to bother our girls at all! Overall, we love the Bedlite Buddies and I think they'd make a great gift for any young child!

You can find Bedlite Buddies at Kmart and hopefully other retailers will have them in the near future! 

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, although as part of the Nuby Mommy Blogger program I may receive items to sample & review. 

What's Under Our Tree - Dora the Explorer from Fisher Price

Willow is absolutely in love with Dora the Explorer. Every time we go to the store we have to walk down the toy aisles to see the "Dora Doras". So when we started looking for the perfect gifts for Willow for her birthday and Christmas, we knew that we would be including Dora the Explorer items from Fisher-Price.
Just in time for the holidays, Fisher Price has released a wide variety of new Dora the Explorer products that any little Dora lover would be thrilled to find under the Christmas tree from Santa!

Magical Fairy Dora

Dora’s newest adventure takes place in the Enchanted Forest! After she helps the King save the forest, her fairy friends thank her by giving her magical wings! Inspired by the movie Dora Saves King Unicorno! Magical Fairy Dora wears a beautiful sparkling dress and comes to life with the press of her magical heart necklace. Wave the wand to hear Dora sing a special song and to watch her dress magically transform into beautiful fairy wings! Magical Fairy Dora says over 20 phrases in English and Spanish and includes, Dora, her magic fairy wand, hair brush and base. Dora requires 2 AA batteries, that are not included and retails for $32.49.

Dora the Explorer Dress Up Collection Doll and Fashions

At the very top of Willow's Dora the Explorer Christmas list is the Dress Up Collection Doll and her Fashions. Every time she sees her she asks for the "pretty Dora Dora", I know that she's going to be so excited to get her for her birthday next week!

This 15” Dora doll is ready to take you along for an adventure with her! The Dress Up Collection Dora has real eyelashes, rooted hair and comes with a fabric purse and an additional outfit change.This fashion forward  Dora wears stylish clothes just like your little fashionista! Dora also comes with a 32 page book It’s Friendship Day, all about her fun adventures! How cute are Dora's boots and matching purse?! Willow is in love with accessories, and never leaves the house without a purse and hair bow. It's only fitting that her Dora be accessorized as well. I love that you can add to your child's book collection while only making one purchase, I really wish more companies would include books with their products!

Fisher-Price didn't stop there, you can actually purchase additional outfits for your Dress Up Collection Dora!  There are currently four different outfits to choose from so Dora will be ready for any occasion.

Dora's Beach Vacation outfit comes with a plaid beach dress, gladiator sandals, twill vest and hat, chiffon scarf, plastic beach tote and “Dora’s Boardwalk Adventure” storybook.This outfit is perfect for taking Dora on your next summer vacation!

 Dora's School Time outfit includes a velvet jacket, skirt, striped shirt, ballet flats, ribbon headband, and even has her own play notebook Dora’s “School Day Sharing” storybook. We love the stylish mix of colors, and Dora's little headband. The star button is an awesome final touch on an already awesome outfit!

  

Is your Dora going to a birthday party? Take her in her best party dress with her Birthday Fiesta Fashion. She'll look her best in  a satin and organza party dress, matching purse, ballet flats, chiffon scarf, flower hair clip and Dora’s “Happy Birthday Abuela” storybook. 

If you live in Florida like we do, your Dora will need to be ready for the inevitable afternoon rain. Dora's Rainy Day outfit includes a real vinyl jacket and hat, rubber boots, dress and “Dora’s Splish-Splash Adventure” storybook. We love her little pink hat, since Willow is always afraid of her baby dolls getting wet hair when we're out in the rain.

Dress up Collection Dora retails for $49.99 and each of her fashion outfits (doll not included) are $16.29. You can find these great Dora items and other Fisher- Price products at your local Target, Walmart or other retailers as well as Fisher Price's Online Store or Amazon.com. 

I recieved one or more of the above mentioned products at no cost in exchange for this post. I recieved no other compensation and my opinion was not influenced in any way. All opinions are 100% my own. Your experience with Fisher-Price and their products may be different then my own. Please see our disclosure policy for more information

What's Under Our Tree - Morphology Bringing Family Game Night Back

Morphology is a fun, creative and challenging party board game combining simple shapes, your imagination and creativity. Using wooden sticks, glass beads and colored cubes how would you create a butterfly or airplane. Morphology takes unique twists and turns, and has everyone laughing out loud. Morphology is a  new twist on a classic party game that's perfect for the whole family! Draw a word from the deck of cards and "build" the word using the items provided--string, colored blocks, marbles and more! The real challenge comes when you are forced to build with your eyes closed, with only one hand or limited to string only. Can your family and friends guess what you built?

Morphology is a great new twist on Pictionary and it's fun for the entire family! We received a copy of Morphology from Morphology Games to review and we've had a great time seeing everyone's creative interpretations of the cards they draw. Butterflies are hard to make with only sticks and string! Morphology is so fun, that you may be able to actually pull your kids away from the TV or video games for a bit to join you in a game.You could even break out Morphology for a more "grown up" gathering, I have a feeling things may get a little more creative after an adult beverage or two!

Morphology has won numerous awards including : 

• Top Ten Game to Help Get a Party Started - ChicagoTribune
• #2 Toy of the Year - TIMES Top Ten Toys
• 2011 Game of the Year - Timberdoodle Co

How to Purchase

Morphology would make a great gift for anyone on your holiday list this year and is available at Barnes and Nobel and Amazon.com for just $29.99.

How to Win

I'm really excited to announce that Morphology is our sponsor for The One Stop Christmas Hop! They'll be offering one Lucky Life Unexpected: Adventures of a SAHM a chance to win their own copy of Morphology to help get the party started at their home! Just check back November 29 - December 6th for your chance to win!

I received one or more of the above mentioned products in exchange for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post and my opinion was not influenced in any way. Please see our Disclosure policy for more information.

Rafflecopter Round Up Giveaway - Zoobie Blanket Pets

Welcome to the Rafflcopter Round Up hosted by Simply Stacie and Makobi Scribe. The prize for my blog is a Zoobie Blanket Pet! Enter in the Rafflecopter below, then hop around to find other great prizes all worth $25 or more! Good Luck!

 
Zoobie Blanket Pets are not only adorable stuffed animals, but also a comfy pillow and super-soft blanket all in one. Like most 3 year olds Willow's favorite animal changes monthly, but for this month it's hippos. We were really excited to see that included in the 24 blanket pets  Zoobies offers is a super cute pink hippo named Hada! When Hada arrived Willow could hardly contain her excitement. Since Hada has arrived she hasn't left Willow's side, walks, dinner, sleep, you name it Hada is there. The blanket pet includes a generously sized detachable blanket, and is perfect for preschool, or trips to grandmas.

Giveaway a Day- Shoulder Buddies

Shoulder Buddies are collectible friends that kids love to wear! But they're more than just cute... each Shoulder Buddies "Smarts" character teaches kids a special life lesson, from Friendship to Fire Safety. The Magical Coin lets kids wear Shoulder Buddies on their shirt, hat, hair and more! Kids can take Shoulder Buddies and their "Smarts" with them wherever they go! The Shoulder Buddy Smarts come from a magical wishing star, and inside that star is the Land of Understand. Shoulder Buddies go to the "School of Smarts" so they can earn their Fluffles on top of their head to fly. Once they have learned their "Smarts" they fly down from the Land of Understand and look for a Buddy to journey with and share their "Smarts".

Shoulder Buddies are a fun new twist on the Trolls we had as children. These little buddies come with a special coin that allows you to attach them to pretty much any soft object, shirt, hat, backpack, even your hair! We received 2 Shoulder Buddies to review and when Bubbles and Peace arrived Willow and The K-Man were super excited to try them out.

The kids quickly became attached to their "silly buddies" and had a great time seeing where they could make their buddies sit. The K-Man claimed Bubbles and they are inseparable, Bubbles has even made his way into the bath tub a few times. Willow had a great time having everyone try out Peace, including having Madeline wear him on her headband. Our Buddies are also very good nappers, and stuck right by Willow's side at nap time.

 Shoulder Buddies are recommended for age 4 and up and would make GREAT stocking stuffers or a small Hanukkah gift this holiday season. I know I'll be picking up a few for Willow's Christmas stocking since she loves Peace so much.