Splash N Boots Review and Giveaway

I promise, we did try to keep little man from commercial efforts and to minimize his television exposure.  That said, commercial images and television still managed to find Jack.  I've come to the realization that as noble as my intentions were, I am not going to keep peanut TV free.  In fact, as a working parent, sometimes you need 15 minutes to get the dishes done, 20 minutes to work on dinner etc.  With a super active kid like little man, finding something that will hold his attention ensures that he will be in the same place without injuring himself.  Somehow, finding quality programing helps ease the guilt I often feel in doing this.

For these reasons, I am grateful to have been offered the opportunity to review a recent DVD and CD release from Splash N' Boots.  Ever hear of them?  I hadn't before the review, yet their work is highly acclaimed, awarded and extremely popular in Canada.  Having witnessed their work, I can honestly say I agree with the hype.

Splash N Boots are the infectiously enthusiastic duo of Taes and Nick Adams.  Their music and programing is very imaginative and energetic.  Lyrics are clever and very catchy--be careful, songs will get stuck in your head--while maintaining semblances of educational content that makes the programing mom approved.  I listened to their "Coconuts don't fall far from the tree" album and their "Act 2: A whole lot of Awesome!" DVD.  The DVD can be described as" a mash-up of over 50 minutes of infectious melodies and hilarious music videos with a plethora of skits featuring dedicated Splash'N Boots fans."  While there are a few random for Canadians only references, and the alphabet ends in "zede", these small things do not detract from the overall enjoyment.  In fact, if your children are like my son, they will likely not even notice. They will be too busy spinning, dancing and clapping along.  Splash N Boots really offers entertaining programming your children will love.

Want to know more: Connect with Splash N Boots:
WEBSITE: www.splashnboots.com
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/splashnboots
TWITTER: www.twitter.com/splashnboots
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/splashnboots
INSTAGRAM: username: splashnboots

Would you like to give Splash N Boots a try in your home?  Enter my giveaway below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c6803a8/" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Couldn't Wait to Tell You about #ConsciousBox #Giveaway

As a product reviewer, there is nothing I like more than coming home to a delightful surprise in my mailbox.  Its like a small glimpse of Christmas morning as I'm pulling in the drive at the end of a long day.  Despite this insanely gray winter, surprises in the mail are my little rays of sunshine that lift the soul.

That's probably one of the biggest reasons I am so glad to bring you a review and giveaway from Conscious Box. Conscious Box is a subscription based service that once a month delivers to your door a little ray of sunshine.  Their box made of recycled materials is crammed full of the "purest, most natural products on the planet." 
Get New Eco-Friendly Products Delivered Right to Your Door! You can subscribe for one month, three months (you could win 3 months below!), six months or even a year.  I happened to get a Classic Box, but you can also select a Vegan or Gluten Free box. Each month of your subscription, Conscious Box will deliver new, exciting and earth friendly products to your door step.

I received a free box to try this month.  I could hardly wait for it to arrive!  Inside my box I found 2 Two Degrees quinoa, chia and millet bars which really look scrumptious. I also found a 1 day adult and 1 day kid smarty pants gummy vitamin supplement.  I am excited by the OldeMan Granola that genuinely  looks like granola that I would have made. My husband tried the Zarbee's All natural cough syrup, which seems to be predominately comprised of dark honey. For the tea drinker, there are multiple packets, and Nektar honey crystals--which sounds like a fascinating way to travel with honey. There's also a bottle of wheatgrass boost--which looks a little like 5 hour energy for the green crowd -- I don't think it makes the same 5 hour energy claims. The small tube of Motherlove diaper rash cream looks like it should be cloth diaper okay, so that's always something good to have on hand. 

The last product, I'm really not sure about.... it's a box of disposable iPhone sleeves. It's from a company called chef sleeve, and the idea is you wrap your phone in these protective sleeves while cooking so you can still access the recipe on your phone, without caking it in flour.  I get the concept, and truth be told, if the sent one for iPads, while I might not use it for cooking, I so would use it to guard the screen against Peanut.  Honestly, you have no idea how embarrassing it is to go to work with all of the grime Little Man gets all over the screen--I don't know how he does it.  HOWEVER, I was a little taken aback by this selection... most of the products were organic, eco-packaged.... Even though it's recyclable--it's still a throwaway product.  The packaging doesn't make clear what number plastic it is, so I'm not even sure if my city can recycle this product... Jury is still out on this.  But that's just me, and this was only one month's box.  Next month may have an even bigger and better haul of treasures.

Overall, for someone who doesn't have a Whole Foods in her neighborhood, I feel that the box provides a good way to trial some of the products I browse on the shelf, but might be shy to commit to.  I happen to appreciate that many of the products in the box I received are also made in the US. 

Want to give conscious box a try for your self?  Head over to their website now!  Use promocode: DISCOVERNATURAL and receive 50% off any subscription!  Wouldn't this be a great Earth Day/Mothers Day gift for that hard to buy for someone?

Half off is pretty good, but FREE is definitely better.  Use the Rafflecopter form below to enter for your chance to win a free 3 month conscious box subscription--that's a $59 value!

This was not a paid post. I received the product mentioned above in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinions are solely my own. Thank you to Conscious Box who supplied the product for review and giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

#Win Sew Red: Sewing and Quilting for Women's Heart Health #Review and Giveaway

Every 90 seconds, a woman in the United States has a heart attack. 
Both men and women suffer heart attacks, but they are often more fatal in women.
More than 10,000 American women younger than 45 have a heart attack every year.

Sobering statistics reported in the Heart Healthy Living section of my latest product review and giveaway.  I am honored to have the opportunity to bring you Sew Red: Sewing and Quilting for Women's Heart Health. Sew Red is part of author Laura Zander's  and her Jimmy Beans Wool heart healthy campaign Stitch Red, which hopes to educate the public  and raise awareness  of the startling reality of these statistics.

As a book, Sew Red is a beautiful compellation of 30 red themed sewing and quilting projects, each brought to you by some of the biggest names in the crafting world, including some of my favorites, Anna Griffin, Nancy Zieman, Kaffe Fassett and Ty Pennington.  Each project features a bio of the designer, and his/her tip for a heart healthy life.
The projects represent a good variety of style, time required, and skill level, showcased in its full photo table of contents. Each project includes material requirements, supplies, cutting instructions, and sewing instructions.  Illustrations are plentiful helpful, making instructions easy to follow. Patterns are enclosed in an envelope at the end of the book and are made of good quality paper (not the flimsy tissue paper patterns), making storage and reuse of the patterns possible.  I also love the spiral binding of the book, making it much easier in the sewing room to fold the book flat to a single page. 
As someone who aspires to sew so much more, I really love the rich variety of fabric patterns represented within the single color theme.  I especially love the sweet sixteen skirt, the Sonoma purse, and the Fleur Rouge Quilt.  I hope to bring you photos of my work--probably not until the summer.

Beyond what you would typically expect to find in an average sewing book, you will find a heart healthy living section, which features information, tips, resources and even recipes.  I'm very excited to give the heart healthy macaroni and cheese recipe a try... I'm sure it has to be tons better for me than my current family favorite.

Sew Red retails for 22.95, a portion of the proceeds benefit the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health in support of The Heart Truth^®, a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease, sponsored by the NHLBI. The Publisher has generously offered to share a copy of Sew Red with one of Kat's Adventure Book's lucky readers.  To enter, please use the Rafflecopter entry below.

Please note that I received a free copy of Sew Red in exchange of my fair and honest review.  I received no additional compensation.  All opinions are my own.

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Progresso Recipe Starters Game Day Review and Giveaway!

It sure has been a long time since I've had the opportunity to bring you a great product to win.  Where does the time go?
Want to win an amazing appetizer kit like this?  Read more.

Today I'd love to tell you about our experience with Progresso's Recipe Starters.  Its just the sort of thing to get you ready for the big game.  As a mother, it's also just the sort of staple to keep stashed in your pantry for a quick but satisfying weeknight meal.
Remember all of those casseroles your mother used to make using a can of cream of mushroom? Well you can make those and so much more with Progresso's Recipe Starters.  They come in five great varieties:
Creamy Parmesan Basil
Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Creamy Roasted Garlic
Creamy Three Cheese
and Fire Roasted Tomato

For the purposes of this review, we received a can of Creamy Roasted Garlic.  If you are ever at a loss for what to make for dinner, I love that each can has a great recipe printed on it.  The other night, nothing sounded good, so I nearly made the Chicken Pot Pie recipe printed on the can.  Instead, in the spirit of getting prepped for game day, we tried the Easy White Chicken Chili.  I'm a huge white chicken chili fan--a local restaurant serves the best white chicken chili--if they were closer, I think I would have to pick some up for lunch daily--it's sooo good.

As it is written, this is a super easy, super tasty meal that would be so quick. Combine these ingredients, warm through, top with tortillas and sour cream--super easy.

• 2 cans (18 oz each) Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ creamy roasted garlic with chicken stock cooking sauce
• 2 cups cubed deli rotisserie chicken
• 1 can (15 oz) Progresso® cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
• 4 teaspoons Old El Paso® taco seasoning mix (from 1-oz package)

Of course, I never do things the easy way.  I only had the one can of recipe starters, and I'm cheap and never buy already cooked chicken.  I think rotisserie chicken is a brilliant idea though--I've read in multiple places how it makes cooking so much easier. I really should aspire to be a rotisserie chicken buying girl. 
 As it was, I took two chicken leg quarters I had--and boiled those down in a small pot of water (seasoned with some fresh garlic, parsley salt and pepper) for about 30 minutes--ish. I pulled the chicken, cooled till I could handle it, then proceeded with the next steps.  Lacking both cans of recipe starter, I cut back a little  on the beans, chiles and spices.  It felt like I had too much chicken--even though I like a pretty hearty soup, so I added a little of the stock from cooking my chicken.  (of course, I then proceeded to add too much stock-- so I tempered some sour cream in to the mix).

The moral of this story: There are easier ways--and for the game on Sunday, I will be resorting to those far easier methods. I find ways to make what should be a simple meal into one that's fairly complex.  The good news, it tasted awesome, was very filling and with the recent arctic blast here, I was glad of a meal that warmed our house.

Need some ideas for the big day?  Check out these other great recipes.

 Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms featuring Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Chicken and Ham Slab Sandwiches featuring Creamy Portabella Mushroom
Chorizo Con Queso featuring Creamy Three Cheese
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches featuring Fire Roasted Tomato 
 Want some help getting started?  Check out this great coupon:
http://bit.ly/U3JoYK

In addition to my can of Progresso Recipe I received an entire Recipe Starters gift set of a beautiful 10 piece cheese and appetizer set--including a gorgeous bamboo cutting board. 

Disclosure:  The information, products and Progresso™ Recipe Starters™ gift packs were provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark. I received no additional compensation.  My opinions are 100% my own. 

Want a chance to win, Use the rafflecopter entry below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Hodgson Mills Grain Holiday Contest & Giveaway

Hodgson Mill® is a family-owned company with more than 125 years’ experience producing all-natural, delicious, healthy, stone-ground whole grain and organic foods made from premium quality ingredients and milled in small batches to retain each grain’s nutritional benefits. Hodgson Mill® products include: flours, corn meals, gluten-free flours, baking mixes, pastas, cereals, and more. Since 1882, Hodgson Mill®’s family of employees has been stone-grinding 100% whole grain to create wholesome, naturally healthy food – with no artificial preservatives, additives or colorings.

This weekend was one of many cookie weekends for my family.  From time in memorium, December means baking.  We must go through multiple batches of at least 6 different varieties of cookies--and trust me, this is pared down from what we used to make.  We used to make so many Christmas cookies, we had frozen cookies that would last well in to February.

This year, I'm trying to do something a little bit better.  I'm trying to bake with more whole grains.    I've had a few disasterous botches with whole wheat flour.  I've learned that it doesn't work just right in Spatzles or in our crepe recipe.  Inspired by the Hodgson Mill's "Have a  Grain Holiday" Contest, I attempted to make cookie with Whole Wheat flour.  Competing with 49 other bloggers, I've attempted to create a delicious and nutritious holiday recipe using Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour and/or Hodgson Mill Best For Bread Flour.  I'm competing for the chance to win exciting prizes including an iPad 2, gift certificates to Williams Sonoma, and gift certificates to the Hodgson Mill online store. 


Here's my recipe. I was amazingly pleased with the results.


Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies


1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon Cinnamon 
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)




1)Cream the sugar, butter, shortening, eggs and vanilla. Mix in Cinammon, baking soda, salt and flour until smooth.  Stir in Oats, chocolate chips and walnuts.  Works best if you allow dough to chill in fridge for a few hours or over night


2) Drop dough by the tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in preheated 350 oven for 9-12 minutes until edges are slightly brown.


3) Cool slightly then remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack.
Makes about 4-5 dozen


Do you have lots of holiday baking to do? Wouldn't you love to give this recipe a try for yourself? If so, enter below for your chance to win a $25 gift certificate to the Hodgson Mill online store.

Until December 25th, you can also stop here: http://www.hodgsonmill.com/grainday-thank-you/ for a chance to win one of 50 Hodgson Mill gift packs containing $85 worth of Hodgson Mill products!





I received samples of Hodgson Mill products in exchange for my entry in "Have a Grain Holiday Contest." Official Contest Rules  from Hodgson Mill can be found here: bit.ly/sWjRtv
I received no additional compensation in exchange for this review.  All opinions expressed here in are my own. 

Something about Silver Review and Giveaway

I am so excited to be able to bring this opportunity to you!  I recently had the good fortune to review a handmade necklace from Something About Silver.  The necklace I received is from the "Little Gems" line.  It is quite possibly the cutest silver necklace customized with Peanut's name and birthstone.  It is a dainty 5/8th inch disc in diameter, which really works for me--anything much bigger would seem a little gaudy.  We only have peanut, but you could add as many discs if you wanted to.  It's absolutely gorgeous and I seriously love having a reminder of my little guy with me all day.

I'm very in to personalized gifts, and Something About Silver excels with personalization.  For example, I love this one  with a quote from "Guess How Much I love you?"  Peanut has three copy of this book, one from my shower, one from his grandma, and one of those recordable hallmark  books as read by my best friend.  Anyway, a very sentimental choice that I'd love to add to my jewelry box.


Or how about a grandmother's necklace?  I  know my mother always wanted one--one with her kids, and her grand kids.  This just might be the Christmas I finally get her one.

Speaking of Christmas, I absolutely LOVE this baby's first Christmas charm.  I wish we had found this last year instead of settling for something that was a little generic.  I love the little feet!

I know I showcased mostly necklaces, but they have bracelets and rings too---even a "something for him" category.

How much would you love your own "Something about Silver treasure? 

Buy it:  Visit www.somethingaboutsilver.com and use the coupon code kathrynmcgowan to earn 10% off your entire purchase.


Win it: Use the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win a $40 gift code to customize your own special silver creation.


This product was provided by Something About Silver in exchange for my fair and honest review. No monetary compensation took place.  All opinions are my own.

Something Sweet about the Holidays

Listening to the radio on the way to work, I heard both inspiring and depressing news about those wonderfully sweet holiday favorites.  They were running down a list of the holiday treats that are the absolute worst for you.  Topping the list were my favorites egg nog and pecan pie. 
Where's the upside?  One of the radio co-hosts mentioned his personal philosophy for surviving the holidays.  He made a pact to ignore calories from November 1-Jan 1.  They simply don't count.  That way he can enjoy the holidays.  After that, it's back to health conscious business as usual. 
I don't know that I need that excuse, but seriously, for my family, the holidays equal food and lots of it.  I try to be good, but some of these food are only made once a year.  So although I will probably hate myself in January, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it through the holidays without sampling my favorites.  Perhaps portion control is a more realistic strategy?  One cookie instead of three....

One of my all time favorites has always been pecan pie.  It's so sweet a gooey and crunchy and wonderful.  I only make it once a year, but it is sooooo good.
This is the recipe I follow:
1 cup light corn syryp
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups pecans
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
2. In large bowl, mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter vanilla, and salt. Fold in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. 
3. Place foil around crust edge to keep from burning.  Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. Top should be golden and carmel color.  Center should spring back slightly when touched. Cool before serving.  Serve with a cup of hot coffee!

Do you have a favorite sweet recipe, especially one using Karo syrup?  Would you love to win a trip to Chicago?  If so, head over to their facebook page and enter the Karo Syrup "Tis the Season" sweepstakes by entering your favorite recipe.  The winner and a guest will spend New Years eve at the Wit Hotel, dine at Mastro's Steakhouse and take a chocolate tour featuring Sarah's Pasteries and Candies. 

Disclosure: I was entered for a chance to win a Karo Syrup prize package in exchange for this post.  No monetary exchange took place. All opinions are my own.

My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software Review and #Giveaway

Kat's Adventure Book the blog earned it's title from my own personal scrapbook that I've nicknamed my adventure book.  I started it around my senior year of high school.  It's an old school scrapbook from my grandmother.  You know, solid black construction like paper, funny long rectangle shape, very retro-green marble covers.  Tied together with what might pass for a shoe string.
Despite it's outward hideousness, I love my adventure book.  Within it's pages I have documented all of the amazing places I've been.  There are pictures from studying abroad in France and pictures from our family vacation in Yellowstone.  There are tons of pictures from fishing in Canada, or trips to the U.P.
I took tons of photos while we lived in Savannah, but since I left my scrapbook gear at home--I had planned to work on it when we moved back. Except now we have another adventure--Peanut.  Scrapbooking is so time consuming it is probably the lowest of the low on my priority list. Another challenge is the organizational space factor.  Our Red Room once was my personal craft room--this was ideal since I could leave a work in progress spread across the floor of the room, close the door and it would be fine.
Now with Peanut I sometimes feel that resentment an older sibling feels toward the younger sibling.  I used to have my own craft room.  Now I share it with the baby since the guest bed in that room has become his downstairs changing table.  That means extra organization in the craft room and definitely no leaving anything out--ever.  Please don't misunderstand me--I love my son.  I only miss my personal craft space.

I think that's why I am most excited about My Memories Digital Scrapbooking Software.  They contacted me to download and review a copy of their My Memories Suite Version 2.0,  I admit, I was apprehensive at first.  I wasn't sure exactly what digital scrapbooking was, how this package would work or even if I'd have time for it.  To my delight, I have been completely amazed and impressed.  I far surpassed my expectations and I definitely can find time.

No more pulling out those drawers of papers, special scissors, trimmers, sorting photos, spending hundreds on embellishments, making a complete mess of your craft room..... This software comes with everything you need.You will never "run out" of your favorite paper or find yourself one button shy of perfection. The step by step instructions make it super easy to use.

My Memories makes it easy to be as creative as you want--everything is fully customizable. Enlarge or shrink an embellishment to fit.  Change photo shapes or mats with a click.  For those with time constraints, preloaded album pages can help you finish an album in minutes--
These are some of my pages I literally created in just a few minutes.

I've used scrapbook like software online from companies like Shutterfly to create my photo books, but I found the My Memories suite far more intuitive. I also like that I own my pages and can print them out any time I like.  Oh, and if you don't find what you want in the basic package, you can add on extra paper and embellishment kits to give you even more creative flexibility.

My Memories Suite Version 2.0  has applications beyond scrapbooks.  I'm thinking of making my family calender and Christmas cards using this software. I've also updated my button--check it out.  I'm working on a new cute banner too. Like I said--infinite possibilities.  If you are super amazing with technology--you can even add audio and video clips too.

Want to get your own copy of the My Memories Suite Version 2.0?
You can buy it online from My Memories for 39.99


OR
You could be the winner of my giveaway.  Just use the Rafflecopter form below.  Contest ends at 12:01 AM on November 29th.  Enter now! (You may need to select the "read more" link to view rafflecopter form)

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Blocks: Review and Giveaway

If you build it, he will come...

 There’s a new rule in our house; Peanut will not tolerate stacks to stand. A gathering of three or more blocks constitute a stack, and Peanut will do his best to demolish them. In fact, he will stop in his tracks, do a 180 and with great speed and voracity for an 8 month old, he’s on top of those blocks.

For these reasons, we love our latest review and giveaway offering from Peaceable Kingdom. If you are a fan of Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, a delightfully rhythmic and brilliantly colored alphabet book, you will love Peaceable Kingdom’s Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Blocks. Even if you’ve never heard of the book, you will still love the bright colors illustrator Lois Ehlert featured on these delightful toys.

The 16 blocks feature all 26 capital letters, 48 lower case letters, and quotes and illustrations from the book. They come in a durable storage box with magnetic closure—very handy when trying to pick up after play time.

The blocks are glossy and constructed from paper. When we first took them from the box, Rich and I feared they wouldn’t last long. However, they have held up to several weeks of rough play, being kicked, tossed and rolled over. They have even survived the ultimate test of toy durability—our monster dog Roz, who has a habit of carrying them around the house.

The block size is perfect for Peanut’s hands. He is able to grab, manipulate and maneuver the blocks straight to his mouth. With the number of falling block stacks in our house, I’ve also come to love the lightweight construction. I really don’t have to worry that Peanut will injure himself with this toy. It’s definitely one of our faves.

Buy It: Block sets retail for $17.99 on Amazon. Purchase these and other great Peaceable Kingdom games, books and toys from their website http://www.peaceablekingdom.com/

Win It: If you’d like to win a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom block set or one of your choice, enter my giveaway by leaving comments below. Be sure to include your email address and enter extra entries as separate comments.

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Peaceable Kingdom's website and comment here on which block set you will chose if you win. Remember to leave your email address in your comment.

Extra Entries: comment below after completing any of the following tasks

Like Peaceable Kingdom on Facebook–

Follow Kats Adventures via Google Friend Connect (2 extra entries--leave a seperate comment for each extra entry)
Follow @kats_adventures on twitter. Leave your twitter name in your comment

Tweet about this giveaway including @kats_adventures and the giveaway URL (up to 4 times per day, 1 hour between tweets)—leave the URL for your tweet in a comment below.
 sample tweet:
#Win your choice Peaceable Kingdom Alphabet Blocks! #giveaway @kats_adventures http://tinyurl.com/3ga54kx




Place my button on your blog—comment with the URL of where you’ve placed it. (2 extra entires--leave a seperate comment for each extra entry)

Blog about this giveaway. Must include link to this post as well as at least one photo. Comment below with the URL where you blogged (5 extra entries--leave a seperate comment for each extra entry)

Vote for me on picket fences (once daily)



Giveaway open to US only.  Giveaway ends May 17 at 12:00 a.m. EST. Winner will be chosen at random via random.org. Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours. Product will be mailed directly by the company.

I was supplied the above mentioned products by the described company/ PR representative.  I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  The opinions are entirely my own.

And the Winner Is

Congratulations to Beau.  I'll be sending you an email soon.  I hope you love your Slope Shredding Sean as much as our Peanut does.

Many thanks to everyone who entered my first ever giveaway.  I'm so excited to have received so many entries!

Thanks also to Manhattan toys for sponsoring this giveaway.

Boysterous Toy Giveaway

What is the difference between a doll and an action figure? In vast generalizations, dolls are cute and cuddly, while action figures are hard, plastic and typically violent.  In most families, boys may play with as many action figures as they like, but will garner strange looks for preferring dolls.

I was surprised by a recent study that reported that young children, both boys and girls prefer dolls and doll-like toys over many other alternative toys.  The study praised playing with dolls for stimulating the imagination and providing a world for children to practice social skills. I even thought about how this study applied to my own young son and how he already prefers toys with faces over those without. 

So for dozens of reasons, there ought to be “doll-like” toys for boys. If a toy is too much like a girly-girl doll, my husband will  not be happy.  If the toy is too violent, I won’t be happy.  What’s a parent to do?

Enter Manhattan Toy’s Boysterous line, which just might be the answer to these parental concerns.  The Boysterous toys are a line of sports themed characters in what I’d call a “hybrid action-figure.”  They lack that hard plastic exterior.  Instead they are made from soft yet durable fabric.  They have an interior frame, making them bendable for posing in sports moves.  Their magnetic feet help them connect with their sports equipment accessories.  Each figure stands about 8 inches tall, making them a great size for their target 3-6 year old audience. 

Check out this video to see the boysterous toys in action. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9qfNDkzQ7w&tracker=False)

In all, there are 5 figures. 
We tried  Slope Shredding Sean--a Snowboarder,  and Golie Gavin--a Soccer player.   


We also got to try the zippable Boysterous Extreme Sports Zone.  I love the sturdy construction.  Designed with many sports field options, this multi-functional storage case/play set provides a flat or curved surface to suit the needs of the character.  I love how the case gives children a forum to start their imagination.  However, I am most in love with storage capacity of the case.  It easily holds our two dolls and accessories, so hopefully those extra pieces aren’t misplaced or left on the floor.

I love the toys as is.  However, the librarian/ teacher in me would love to see a simple storybook line to promote reading for boys as well.  Again, that's the librarian in me.

How can you get your hands on one of these great toys?

Buy It: Action Figures retail for $18 and the Extreme Sports Zone case retails for $30
Purchase these and other great Manhattan Toys from their website www.manhattantoy.com or from a Specialty Store near you.
As a special bonus, Kat's Adventure Book readers can earn Free Shipping on all orders through May 3rd.  just enter the promo code: BLOG040811

Win It:  If you’d like to win your very own Slope Shreddin Sean, enter my giveaway contest by leaving comments below.  Be sure to include your email address in each entry.  Be sure to enter extra entries as separate comments.

Mandatory Entry:

            Visit Manhattan Toys website and comment here on any other toy they make that you would like to have.  Remember to leave your email address.

Extra Entries: comment below after completing any of the following tasks

            Follow Manhattan Toys on Twitter

            Like Manhattan Toys on Facebook –thank them for the giveaway on Kat's Adventure Book

            Follow Kats Adventures via GFC

            Follow kats_adventures on twitter leave your twitter name in your comment

            Tweet about this giveaway including @manhattantoy and @Kats_adventures(up to 4 times per day, 1 hour between tweets)—leave the URL for your tweet.

            Place my button on your blog—comment with the URL of where you’ve placed it.

            Vote for me on picket fences (once daily)

           

Giveaway  open to residents of the continental US and Canada. Giveaway ends April 19 at 12:00 a.m. EST.  Winner will be chosen at random via random.org.  Winner will be contacted via email and must respond within 48 hours. Product will be mailed directly by the company.

I was supplied the above mentioned products by the describe company/ PR representative.  I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  The opinions are entirely my own.