Jumpin-Beans

Toys sure have changed from when I was a kid.  I mean, I know we had some pretty cool things, but man oh man, did they come out with new toys like every single day back then?  I can't lie, some are pretty cool that makes me want to buy them for us to have (like we really NEED another toy) but then some make me wonder who thinks they need them and why?! We were recently at a store and spotted a doll that changed between a cupcake to a doll.  Of course, we had never seen them before and Savannah just HAD TO HAVE IT.   FTC Compliant Review Policy:    The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are  my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Once we got home, she was in love with this little cupcake surprise.  Little did we know that they had more than one size, more than one doll and .... get this......

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation .   We have been lucky to review the road tape from In Road Toys in the past.  The great thing is that they offer so much more than just a plain, boring tape!  You can choose from their tape that is "Classic Road" in colors such as Black, Red, Orange and Purple.  It gets better though... You can also choose between Railroad Tape, Trolley Tape and even over grown railroad tape!!!   We decided to go with Purple Road Tape (*remember, he likes LSU too) and since he has always loved trains, we went with the train tape too! As soon as it arrived, he was excited to play with it, as it is easy for him to put down and play with. Not to mention the fact that it lays flat on the ground, so h...

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I am all about Broxton using his hands and his brain in being creative and having fun.  We love different toys that allow him to express himself in many different ways, so when I saw the OgoBild box, I thought this would be perfect for him to play with!    I was so excited when the chance to work with them arrived and I know that you will love it too!   First up, let me give you the "overview" of OgoBild from their website:  We are designers. But we don't just design products. From award-winning classics like the Super SportsDisk to newer creations like OGOBILD, we don't just design toys or sporting goods - we design something more...We design active play for all ages. We design en...

You know we love toys here... We love creativity... We love longevity and we for sure love Made in the USA.   The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Time to let you in on a secret.  I have never played with Tinker Toys before!  I have seen them talked about for as long as I can remember, but physically playing with them has never happened in this house.  I knew it was a house hold name (just not our house) and then I almost fell out of my chair when I learned that Tinker Toys were founded in 1913. What?!  They already celebrated their 100 year birthday?  I didn't have a clue... But come December 25th, I will be immersed into the word of Tinker Toys!!!!  Yep!  Broxton is getting this set for Christmas!  I love when he gets toys like thi...

Christmas brings so many cool new toys for us to play with and so many great memories of playing, learning and building!  I love getting Broxton gifts that is not only exciting to play with, but also gifts that get that brain working!  Building and thinking, learning and laughing... Isn't that what childhood is about?   The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.   Broxton got a nice big box of Lincoln Logs for Christmas and he was in heaven.  He loved them and watching him play is so much fun!  He even was able to talk his Papa into getting on the ground and playing with him once!!!   Well, he is going to be in total shock this year!  Little does he know that he will be getting a Collectors Edition Homestead!  This is AWESOME!   The BIG...

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. Image Credit - Amazon Have a child between the ages of 2-6?  Or do you have (or know)  a child that loves to have fun and age really doesn't matter?  If so, I have a book for you to check out!     We recently received the book  Recipes for Play   and just looking at the cover, you know it will be a fun one!  The book starts with a "Letter to Mess"   You know, saying to come visit... but not stay to long :)  Then, as we get to the Table of Contents, you see what all is in store for you! They have a Sensory Guide, a bit of an  introduction as to "getting started" and they even include a guide as to making your own color dyes!   (Who would have known that to...

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. ALL IMAGES BELONG TO JUMPIN BEANS BLOG. I don't know about your house... but around here, Broxton is always adding things to his Christmas list... I guess it is my fault..  Every-single-time you turn around, he sees something he thinks he just "has to have" and instead of listening to him ask about it, I tell him to add it to his Christmas list... Then, once it is closer to Christmas, we actually write a list and see if he remembers everything.    (Thanks to INFOMERCIALS, we always have a nice long verbal list going!) Well, not that long ago we went to an event and saw some pretty new (to both of us) toys.  I loved watching him play with them all and I loved making mental notes as to what he reall...

FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation. PRO GRAM DESCRIPTION Join everyone’s favorite purple dinosaur for whimsical new adventures in  Barney ® : Imagine with Barney , arriving on DVD, Digital Download and Video on Demand  July 9, 2013  from Lionsgate Home Entertainment and HIT Entertainment. Featuring four all-new episodes plus bonus features that include an exclusive all-new game “Imagination Vacation,” the  Barney: Imagine with Barney  DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98. Trusted by moms and adored by children, Barney displays sharing, caring, imagining, dancing and learning on television, online and through live events, home entertainment, toys and publishing. In 2013, Barney is celebrating o...

I know that normally when Broxton watches TV and sees an infomercial, he normally will start talking about how he "needs" whatever it is that they are trying to sell... I know he gets it honest, because if my mom and I had tons of money to blow, we would own over half of the "as seen on tv" items!   When Broxton started in on wanting the Puppet Monster, I knew he was going to go on and on about it... That was why I was so excited when we had the opportunity to review a Puppet Monster on Jumpin Beans! You might not be familiar with the Puppet Monster .... They are "hats" that come with a face on it... You can buy other "accessories" to change their face whenever you want... Not to mention that the arms are interchangeable as well!  The arms also have little pockets in them near the hands so that they can place their fingers in them to allow the arms/hands to move when they are playing! (The arms and the face pieces have these button type f...

From Organa kids ...  a DVD to get the creativity and imagination in all kids flowing.. Dougie in Disguise Volume 1 is sure to have them exploring!!  Organa kids DVDs are DVDs that are not "mainstream" but they sure do grab young ones attention!!! Synopsis: Dougie is a curious kid who loves to play with sticker albums and is never without his friend, Tim the dog. Curiosity and imagination combine when Dougie dresses-up in a disguise and has an adventure. He will need your help to choose stickers from his book that will help him in his travels.  Dougie In Disguise Volume 1 Includes: as a Cloud as a Glassmaker as Merlin as a Shoemaker as a Masai Warrior as Peter Pan as a Gym Instructor as Robinson Crusoe as a Flower as a Pirate as a Jockey as a Teacher as a Jeweller FTC Compliant Review Policy: The product(s) featured in this review were provided free of cost to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing....

Working on building a library for Broxton is such a fun thing for me. I love how books will allow you to explore.  Travel.  Imagine.  Dream. If you are sick, its raining, its cold, its to hot, its Saturday, its Tuesday ... No matter the reason, you can always go on an adventure through a book. We had the excitement of going to THE MUSEUM a couple times lately. Not just any museum, but through the book, The Museum from Abrams Books. We actually had a museum in the bathtub!!!!  That is right, I read it to Broxton while he had a bath!!! What fun that was!!!! The Museum is a great book that I loved to explore with him. It opens with a girl going to a museum and all of the exhibits she sees. From paintings and drawings to sculptures and more.. She even takes a moment to "think" and we see Rodin's famous work! Broxton and I even had a minute to do "The Scream" as the girl in the museum passed by Munch's piece and she stopped to do the expression too! As mu...

As an adult, how do you "unwind" when you need to? I was sent a great book, it is called the Scribble Diary and I think it is so neat!   It is like a combination of a "diary/journal" added with a sketch pad!   It isn't just for kids, but it isn't just for adults either... It is for anyone who needs/wants a moment to be "them!" My plan was to start "filling it out" when Broxton started school, but then so much has been going on that it was pushed to the back burner...   I am so excited to use it and I am going to be starting this on our Anniversary this year!  (It will be 5 years, so a great way to journal the next 500 more!)  I love how it even has a cute little calendar and clock on the side for you to document the date of your thoughts!    What I also find neat is that not only do you have this really cool book to fill out... (I am totally going to be doing mine in color pencil... I was thinking about trying to ...

I would like to first say that we love toys...  We love imaginative play and we love creating new ways to play with what we have...  That being said, I really love arts and crafts projects too!   It is fun to watch their minds get creative and I love the end results...  Some are great to hang on the fridge and some are great to look at and later send to other places. Let me share with you the cutest gift!   I had the chance to review for Lazoo and I am glad we did! I originally contacted them about their clothing line that is just adorable...  But we ended up going with 2 of their books..  Mark my words now.... Every kid needs this!   (Okay, you caught me... adults need it too!) First up, their Color Book . Before you go thinking, "we do not need another coloring book!"  let me just stop you right there! This is far from the average coloring book. This book is magic!  Okay, it is NOT a magic book... b...

Get Dressed by Seymour Chwast is a great book for little ones!   I thought it was adorable, before I even opened the book! At first glance you see a nice jacket that you have to open to see inside the book..  It doesn't just turn like a page, opening the creativity to start from the very beginning!   Then, this book strays away from what you expect right off the bat! Instead of telling you to put your pants on and then your shoes, it lets the little ones be that... little and full of imagination!  The very first scenario: A belt, shirt, feather, pot, lid, funnel and more... What in the world?  You then turn the page and it has a kid dressed all in character (with the items listed on the previous page.) It simply says, Get dressed to read about dragons. So simple, but that is what kids need to get their juices flowing.. You do not have to buy a fancy costume or even go to all these expensive places..  You can enjoy ...