CornerStorkBabyGifts.com is giving away a "Welcome to the World" Pink or Blue (you choose!) Baby Wagon Ten-Piece Gift Set.

"I’m sure you’ll agree that two things in life are precious—a new baby and your time. Instead of spending hours surfing the Internet for the perfect baby gift or baby shower favors, just start at www.cornerstorkbabygifts.com and you’ll find the best of everything. Here’s one site where you can browse through an exceptional collection of original designs in layette sets, bodysuits, baby blankets and clothes, toys, books, baby jewelry, room decor, and even baby shower favors.

For a gift that makes an amazing impression, choose something from the sizable selection of personalized baby gifts offered by CornerStorkBabyGifts.  If you need your present or baby shower favors in a hurry, this online store can get your order in your hands within a few days, though personalized items may take a wee bit longer. Remember this time-saving tip for the next momentous occasion that pops up."

Mom in the City members can enter simply by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with "Wagon" in the Subject line.  The winner will be chosen on November 30th.

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1. Hasbro Tonka Wheel Drivers Scoot ‘n Scoop 3-in-1 Ride-On: Recommended for children 9 months to 3 years old, this is a great 3-in-1 dump truck.  Both of my little boys love it!  They enjoy playing with the shape-blocks and playing with the steering wheel which makes noises, has lights, and vibrates.
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 39.99

2. LeapFrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set: Appropriate for ages 12 months to 3 years, this award-winning toy has been popular with both of my sons.  (I also see it in the homes of several of their friends.)  This is a great, fun way for kids to both practice matching skills and be creative with mix-matches.  The matches include animal names, sounds, facts and songs.  This is an all-around great toy. 
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 14.99

3. Fisher-Price Little Superstar™ Classical Stacker™: Recommended for ages 6 months and up, this has been a popular toy with both of my sons and many of their playmates (including their group classes).  There are four sparkly stars that light up while the music plays.  It helps the kids gain a variety of skills and it gives us parents a visual of their growth.  (It’s cute to see how they go from banging the stars together and putting them in their mouths to actually figuring out how to stack them, spin them, etc.)
APPROX. RETAIL: $ $10.00

4. Discovery Toys Measure Up! Cups: Appropriate from 12 months to primary school, these cups are a great learning tool.  (In my quest to figure out my "after-corporate" life, I sold Discovery Toys for about 30 minutes - until I realized that I HATE selling.  My kids got some great toys out of the experience though.  This is one of the best.)  Kids fill, dump, stack and much more with these colorful cups.  One especially neat thing about the cups is that they are "volumetrically correct"  (i.e. the contents of cups 3 and 4 really do fill cup 7). 
APPROX. RETAIL: $10.99

5. Musical Instruments by The Sarut Group:  For children ages 10 months and up, their instruments are super cute.  Most young kids like to shake, bang and hit things, so their maracas (which are coated with lead-free paints) and tambourines are perfect.  (If they sold drums, my instrument-shopping for my baby, Sean, would be completed!)
APPROX. RETAIL: $15.00 (Tambourine); $11.00 (Maracas)

6. Baby Genius - DVD - Favorite Nursery Rhymes:  For ages newborn to 36 months, this dvd receives great reviews from a wide variety of moms.  I’m not normally a huge fan of tv for babies, but there are exceptions to every rule.  This is one of those exceptions.  The animation and live action combine with classic nursery rhymes like Old McDonald, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to make a dvd worth letting your young child see.
APPROX. RETAIL: $9.95

7. Crayola® TaDoodles™ Washable Crayon Buddies: Recommended for 12+ months, these new crayon buddies that tip and tilt (but won’t topple) will make great stocking stuffers.  These crayons are non-toxic and they are washable (because you know that they will end up on something that you don’t want them to be on!).  Each set includes one red, green and purple crayon.
APPROX. RETAIL: $6.99

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To my surprise, this was the hardest section for which to choose items. I wonder why…

1. International Playthings Lift-Off Rocket: Recommended for ages 18 months+, this rocket, with a lift off sequence, rocket sounds and light up boosters, has been receiving raves from across the board.  It comes with 2 astronauts, a space dog, alien, dune buggy and moon crater.  
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 39.99

2. Radio Flyer Fold 2 Go Trike: Recommended for ages over 1 and a ½, this is a great, compact award-winning tricycle.  My son loved his as did his friends (they have both a boy and girl version).  It comes fully assembled for instant riding and folds up for easy storage.  It’s also reasonably priced, which is good, since most kids will outgrow it by the time they turn 3. 
APPROX. RETAIL: $49.99 (You can get them for $39.99 at Toys R Us.)

3. EEBOO Tot Towers: Fun for ages 18 months and up, these beautiful block towers are great at helping toddlers build language and motor skills.  (I especially like the award-winning “Read to Me” tower.)
APPROX. RETAIL: $24.95

4. Melissa & Doug’s Monster Bowling: Recommended for ages 2+, this set is super cute (and I don’t usually like silly looking toys!).  Kids love this colorful bowling set, which has a monster ball and 6 pins.  While they are having fun, the kids are also developing physical dexterity, which is great!
APPROX. RETAIL: $24.95

5. Imaginarium 5-way Giant Bead Maze Cube: Recommended for ages 18 months to 3 years, this cube is a better version of what kids normally play with while waiting in doctors’ offices.  All sorts of skills are learned and/or reinforced in a fun way. 
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 49.99

6. IQ Preschool Push Along Block Cart: Suggested for ages 2 years and up, this multiple award winning set include 36 hardwood blocks in 10 different shapes all within a wooden push-cart.  I like that it combines a pull toy, building blocks and puzzle solving all in one package.
APPROX. RETAIL: $49.95

7. Building sets by JAKKS Pacific: Specifically, I like their KnotWüd™ sets (recommended for ages 18 months to 7 years) which use a durable, soft (no hard edges!) and lightweight foam material created to look like traditional wood.  This line features foam puzzles, construction block sets and other playsets.  I also like JAKKS’ colorful new Gorilla Blocks™ which are large, lightweight (they even float in water!), interlocking blocks that allow kids to build almost anything that they can think of creating.  They are great introductory blocks for young toddlers.
KnotWüd™: Range from $2.99 to $19.99
Gorilla Blocks: Range from $14.99 to $49.99

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1. Fisher-Price Smart Cycle Physical Learning Arcade System: Recommended for ages 3 to 6 years, this is one of the TOP pre-school holiday toys of the year (so shop early!).  Once the stationary bike is connected to your tv, your child must pedal and steer to keep playing the arcade games that they will be viewing on your TV screen.  Kids across the board have been enjoying all 3 modes of play - Explore/Encounter, Arcade Games and Race Mode.  It’s a little pricey (but at least your kid won’t be a video zombie!).
APPROX. RETAIL: $100.00

2. A World of LEGO® Mosaic:  Recommended for ages 4+, this set (with 598 pieces) will provide your kid with hours of artistic fun.  (I like practically all of the LEGO products!)  With this set, kids can build 2D and 3D models.  It also includes materials for kids to hang their “masterpieces”.   
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 19.99

3. Remo Kids Floor Tom: Recommended for ages 3+, I like the compact size (7.5" high / 10" diameter) of this drum and that it can be played with kids’ hands, mallets (it comes with 2) or sticks. 
APPROX. RETAIL: $44.00 

4. Arts and Crafts Supplies: My favorite picks of the season are my personal favorite, the Alex Toys Giant Art Jar (suitable for ages 3+) which comes stocked full of a variety of craft supplies.  I also like the PLAY-DOH Super Craft Caddy (also suitable for ages 3+) which will provide hours of squishy fun.
Art Jar APPROX. RETAIL: $24.99
PLAY-DOH APPROX. RETAIL: $19.99
 

5. Board Games and Puzzles: Both are great ways to spend time together as a family.  Favorite games include Hasbro’s classics games CANDY LAND, CHUTES AND LADDERS, and HI HO! CHERRY-O (all recommended for ages 3+).   As for puzzles, I really love Cranium’s (such a smart company!) Puzzles Plus® Talk ’n Tracks™: Monkey Safari and Seal Splash (both recommended for ages 3+) where kids follow a monkey through the jungle, and hear tigers roar — or listen to dolphins squeak and swim with a seal across the sea. The puzzle pieces can be assembled in any way that your kid likes in order to create a jungle or ocean scene. The animals move across the grooved tracks of the puzzle and there are great sound effects.
Hasbro Games Approx. Retail: $8.99
Cranium Puzzles Approx. Retail: $12.99

6. MY LITTLE PONY SING & DANCE PINKIE PIE: Recommended for ages 3+, this little pony is adorable.  Your little ones will enjoy pushing the buttons to see her dance, sing, tells stories, play games and more.  (I must confess that I had a lot of fun pushing the buttons myself!)
APPROX. RETAIL: $ 49.99

7. SPIDER-MAN 3 ULTIMATE WEB BLASTER: Recommended for ages 5+, little ones will love creating webs with this toy.  SPIDER-MAN is really huge around my home and with many of my son’s friends.  The kids already make fake web blasting motions with their hands, so they’ll love this.  It’s actually multiple blasters (water, web fluid, projectile launcher or foam dart blasters).  I already have in mind the little boy that will be getting one of these for his upcoming fifth birthday (unless his parents get it for him first!). 
APPROX. RETAIL: $34.99

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I’m so excited to share our first Holiday Toy Guide.  I compiled it based on the following:  things that my kids like; things that I see other kids like (at playdates, group events, etc.); new toys that I’ve had sent to me from a variety of toy companies (it’s been like Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa around my house…it has been interesting explaining to my oldest son that he can’t keep everything); other mommy recommendations and  research (by now, you all know that I’m an information junkie – if different editorial teams from 3+ parenting magazines considered a toy “tops”, I looked into it). 

You will find 7 Favorite Gifts for three groups: Infants (birth to 18 months); Toddlers (18 months to 3 years) and Pre-Schoolers (3 years to 5 years).  In addition, the number one gift item that I suggest across the board is one of my favorite things - BOOKS!  You can go with the classics, The New York Times Bestsellers or purchase books based on the kid’s areas of interest — there’s a book for every kid!

Be sure to leave comments on our blog regarding your favorite items…you just may win it!

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I am determined to not get caught up in the mad holiday frenzy.  I’ve already started putting together my shopping lists and making plans regarding what we’ll do for the various holidays.  I’m determined to enjoy this season and not stress myself out.  To help, I received several great tips from Consider it Done (www.consideritdone.com) a lifestyle management company that organizes and coordinates projects for busy people worldwide.

1) Start early - pull ideas from magazines and catalogs. (Our toy guide should help!)

2) Get organized - make a list by person and/or family.

3) Shop one stop - many stores offer wrapping and shipping so you have one less thing to think about.

4) Ask for help - delegate and outsource when and what you can with personal shoppers and gift wrapping services - such as Consider it Done.

5) Relax and don’t go overboard - keep it fun and do a little at a time…after all it’s the thought that counts!

I hope these tips help to make your holiday season a little saner!

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I was at a birthday party recently where I met a woman with a child a little younger than my 3 year old son.  As is normally the case, the topic turned to preschool.  I was impressed by her candor.  She said, "My husband and I went back and forth regarding whether or not we were going to play the preschool game.  We finally decided to play it.  Well, at least we know that we’re playing the game."  I on the other hand mentioned that I had decided the opposite…I refuse to play the game.  (For those who are wondering what in the world I’m talking about, "the game" is paying insane amounts of money for pre-school so that your kid can possibly get in a good school in the future.)  I don’t know, I just can’t wrap my mind around paying more for pre-school at Columbia  (which a friend of a friend is doing) than I paid for college tuition there (granted that was 15 years ago tuition).  Maybe it’s because I’m from the South and grew up with a totally different educational system.  (I’m not even going to start on how much I dislike the amount of standardized tests that NYC students have to take.  God forbid if your kid is a great student/ learner but not a great test taker…).  In any event, I love the city, but the educational system definitely still leaves much to be desired. 

(On a side note, the November issue of TimeOut New York Kids has an interesting, informative cover story on getting into NYC’s nursery and kindergarten schools.)

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-Laurie Berkner at Carnegie Hall: Kid favorite Laurie Berkner (a NOGGIN staple) will be making her Carnegie Hall debut with this concert along with Susie Lampert (vocals and keyboard) and Adam Bernstein (vocals and bass).  My son Michael loves Laurie Berkner and is so excited that we’re going to this concert (which, of course, makes me happy).  The concerts are on 11/4/2007 at 1pm and 4:30pm.  Ticket prices range from $25 to $35.  

-Target Free First Friday Nights at CMOM:  They offer FREE ADMISSION from 5-8pm on the first Friday of every month.

-Buckle My Shoe Nursery School in Tribecca is hosting a FREE parenting seminar on November 14th at PS 234 from 6 to 7:30 pm entitled Playing Your Way To Harvard, a how to course for making the most of playtime with your children.  The seminar will be led by Dr. George Forman, an expert in the field of Reggio which draws on the teachings of Piaget.  All attendees must RSVP by November 12th.  For FREE tickets, please email Lensko@bucklemyshoe.org.

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Big Apple Circus is giving away a family four pack of tickets to their new show “Celebrate!” .

“Your Circus is Back!

It’s 30 years since we set out to rescue the circus from the jaws of the sports arena. In the process we created one of the most eagerly anticipated holiday treats in New York: The Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center!

Now the tent goes up for our all-new 30th Anniversary show: “Celebrate!” Performers from all over the world are coming to make it a sensation. So juggle your schedule and bring the whole family. The Big Apple Circus is your circus. Big Apple is back in town! Big Apple Circus will be performing at Lincoln Center, October 19 – January 13

For tickets call CenterCharge: 212.721.6500 or Ticketmaster: 212.307.4100, or get yours online at www.ticketmaster.com

For more information about the Big Apple Circus and a full list of show-times visit www.bigapplecircus.org." 

Mom in the City members can enter simply by sending an email to contests@mominthecity.com with "Circus" in the Subject line.  The winner will be chosen on October 15th.

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Yesterday, I attended the opening of Hasbro’s LITTLEST PET SHOP VIPs Boutique in Manhattan.  The store is primarily geared towards girls (even though my son loved his pet dog and panda).  I was surprised to learn that this pop-up store will only be around for eight days.  Basically, it allows the kids to experience in real life the things that their VIPs (Virtual Interactive Pets) do on the computer. 

There were computer stations, an ice cream (not real) game, picture-taking and more.  Kids who complete each station get stamps that they can "redeem" for free t-shirts, mouse pads, pens and stickers (while supplies last).  Of course, the new line of VIP pets (cat, dog, penguin or panda) are also available for purchase at $14.99.  These plush toys are so cute … they have these big heads and eyes.  They also each have a unique code so that kids can "adopt" them in their online world.  Although intended for kids 6+, younger computer-savvy kids (like my 3 and a 1/2 year old) will also enjoy them.

The LITTLEST PET SHOP VIPs boutique is located at 587 Fifth Avenue and will be open the following days and times:
Oct 19-20: 9am-9pm
Oct 21: 9am-7pm
Oct 25-27: 9am-9pm
Oct 28: 9am-7pm

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