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Boys and Their Dolls

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I’m a zealous convert to the play power of dolls. As a kid I was not as excited about dolls but for my daughter it was love at first sight.

Since my little boy looks up to his big sister, it was only a matter of time before he wanted to play with all of her toys, including the dolls. So we got him a Corolle doll to call his own: the charming Blue Suce-Pouce in soft blue footie koala pajamas.

He loves giving kisses to his “baby”, just like his Daddy cares for him…

Deal of the Day: Wholesale Silly Bands

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If your kids are crazy for Silly Bands, you could buy some wholesale. You’d be the most popular mom on the block if you gave these away as birthday goodie bags. And I’d imagine that Silly Bands would be a great fundraiser for your child’s swim or sports team since buying them wholesale gives you a very nice margin.

Get wholesale Silly Rubberband Bracelets from DollarDays.com! For $50.16, you can get 24 12-packs of Silly Bands. For $204.48, you can get 144 12-packs of Silly Bands.

Go Barefoot for Soles4Souls

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For children all over the world, a simple pair of shoes can be a gift of hope.

Soles4Souls first came to my attention when I heard that See Kai Run generously donates to their efforts. See Kai Run makes the kind of shoes that have children jumping for joy and adults wishing they came in their size. With bold colors, a hip, retro sensibility, and high quality design, these flexible-soled leather shoes stand out.

See Kai Run has donated thousands of shoes through Soles4Souls, most recently putting together an emergency shipment of 3,000 shoes for children in Haiti.

Tea for you, Tea for me: Gourmet Tea Gifts

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Some people enjoy fine wine, but that’s an expensive hobby. Gourmet tea is an affordable luxury. You can travel the world through your tea cup by sampling teas from China, India, Africa and South America as well as unique herbal teas (tisanes). When I lived in Boston, I was a regular customer at TeaLuxe, and I frequently shop at Teavana.  Recently I’ve become a fan of the Language of the Leaf’s gourmet teas after meeting their owner Neeta Khanna who sent me a wide variety of her teas to sample. Neeta gave me some free samples, but I’ve since become a paying customer.

Imagination Takes Off!

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My son got a special treat for his birthday in April: the Shuttle Imagination from KidsCraft Playhouses.  That’s him in the photo right after he first spotted his new “spaceship.”

Since then, we’ve had lots of fun decorating his spaceship with stickers and crayons, and it has held up for many hours of
“make believe” play. My son enjoys peeking out from the shuttle windows and opening and closing the doors.  Since he loves the Toy Story movie and books about space travel, we’ve had many happy hours playing astronauts or Buzz Lightyear.

Baby Slinger – Just Like Mama!

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Watching your children play with dolls can be like looking through a mirror at your own parenting. Not the part where they grab them by the ankle and drag them up the stairs, of course (thunk, thunk, thunk). Rather, pay close attention to how they cuddle and care for their little pretend babies and you will get a heart-warming affirmation of your nurturing.

Children use dolls to role play and process their day. And they mimic what you do with them and their siblings.

That’s why I love the Corolle Doll Sling.

The opinions expressed on Mamanista.com are based on a single consumer user testing, and are solely those of the author. Any factual claims, including but not limited to safety testing, are based on information from the manufacturer. Mamanista.com receives sample products for testing. Paid placements, such as announcements of sales or sponsored contests are clearly marked. See our disclosure policy.