When I write anything; whether it’s an email, a Facebook update, a letter, or a blog post, I try to keep it real. I want the person reading my words to hear my voice. I also want them to trust it.
Recently a friend asked me about review blogs. “Are they for real?” she wanted to know. “I mean, people seem to love every single thing they get. How is that even possible?”
The answer is…it’s not.
When I’m asked to consider a product or service for review I only ever write about the ones I would recommend to a friend. I mean what I say and say what I mean.
Fortunately I’ve been able to connect with some quality brands I love like Fisher-Price. Mom Central acts as the “middle man mom” between the brand (Fisher-Price) and the blogger (moi). They connect brands with bloggers who they believe align authentically with a brand’s message and products.
Mom Central tries to ensure that toy testers receive Fisher-Price products that suit their age, gender and interests. This month we received a bounty of toys suited to my daughter’s developmental age, but apparently not all of them suited her current interests. This kid is frustratingly fickle. One month she’s all about the “boy toys” the next, she’s only interested in anything pink, heavy on the fru-fru.
The Little People Disney Princess Songs Palace we received got a thumbs up and it was added to the growing “village” (now relocated from Avery’s bedroom to the more spacious playroom downstairs). *More to come about the Princess Palace. My kids don’t know it yet, but we’re going to Disney in November! The palace will be part of the “Treasure Hunt Disney Vacay Surprise Reveal” coming….whenever mummy actually puts the scavenger hunt clues together.
The other toy we received is the Jake and the Never Land Pirates Jake’s Musical Pirate Ship; a very cool toy….if you’re not my daughter this week. She wasn’t interested in any pirate play AT ALL, so basing a review on her evaluation wouldn’t be accurate or honest. However, Avery’s best friend and his brother are HUGE Jake fans and I knew they would be able to captain this ship and provide authentic feedback.
So on our next play date at their house we came bearing gifts; pirates’ treasure to be precise.
The boys were beyond excited and Avery was thrilled to be the one to cause such joy and squeals of delight.
Avery happily showed her pals around the poop deck and played with them for about three minutes.
And then she became restless and went off in search of other bounty…
…leaving the boys to play happily on their own with their new favourite toy.
They told me they loved the “cwok-o-dile” and “dat it has a slide.” The little guy in yellow stared at me blankly when I asked if he liked Shelley. (I swear I heard him call the bird Shelley). His mom, after she stopped laughing at me said, “Shelley is in our Zumba class. Skully is name of the parrot.” Oh.
These guys love Jake and were thrilled to be able to get their hands on his ship. Not only did this sturdy toy provide the boys with hours of entertainment (their mom assures me they are still happily sailing the seven seas), the toy also helps develop fine motor, imagination and creativity, and sharing and cooperation skills. That last one’s a toughy; especially between same sex siblings who love pirates. Not gonna lie, there was a little “yarrrrr-guing” when we were there.
And where was my child during all of this? She was upstairs rifling through a jewelry box. I kid you not. She came back downstairs wearing my friend’s watch. My child may not enjoy pirates at the moment, but that may be because she IS one in real life! 😉
Comments
One response to “Pirates and Play Dates”
Lisa! I LOVE this post almost as much as I luv you! Your honesty is refreshing. That's why I always come back to read your posts!