An Uncommonly Good Speed Racer

I used to be a little sheepish to admit it but my main love language is definitely gifts. I love receiving a well thought out present but, even more, I love giving good gifts and am always on the lookout for exceptional ideas. Therefore, when UncommonGoods contacted me about reviewing one of their products, I was thrilled. Jeremy and I had a blast looking through their website...they have so many unique products. We finally decided on the Magnetic Wooden Car Set, since Mini Man is currently obsessed with cars and is determined that someday he will be a race car driver. He also has a creative streak and loves to build, so this toy seemed perfect for him.

And boy were we right! He was thrilled when he saw it for the first time and two weeks later he's still pulling it out everyday. Big Buddy and Little Lady are fans too. The packaging is well designed. It acts as it's own storage and works as a ramp. It's also compact, 4" x 6", so it's a good travel toy. Last week, Little Lady chose it as her toy for the boys gym and swim class and it drew quite the crowd.

The car is also quite sturdy. My boys are risk-takers and they like to make their toys take risks too. The car has jumped it's ramp several times as well as taking a plunge off a few cliffs.

This wasn't my first experience with Uncommon Goods. A couple of years back, one of Jeremy's stocking stuffers was their Ticket Stub Diary; he's a pack rat and his "do not throw out" piles were driving me crazy! Also, when Big Buddy was going through his digger phase, one of his aunts gave him the construction set utensils - he was on cloud nine! They have several small treasures that would add a bit of whimsy to anyone's stocking.

They also have a lot of great gifts for under $25. Here are some of our favorites...

bubble calendar, ballon modeling kit, cedar thumb piano, magbot magnetic block set,
Handy Dad book, and flying caterpillar

If your budget is a little bit larger, they have some more great gifts for under $50.

What are your favorite picks?

*Total Transparency, we received the magnetic wooden car set at no cost. However, all reviews and ideas expressed are my own.

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A Little Red Cardboard Barn

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Jack-O-Lanterns on the Fridge

Last fall I saw the idea for refrigerator pumpkins with face pieces in FamilyFun Magazine and have been anxious to recreate them ever since. It was pretty quick and easy and since the only thing we didn't have on hand was magnetic sheets ($1.50 with coupon at Joann's) it was also very cheap. my supplies: magnetic sheets, orange & black construction paper, white pen, tacky glue *i know they have self adhesive sheets but my Joann's didn't carry them glued (very messily) and ready to cut Both the boys were quite enthused when they discovered them after rest time :) Hopefully it will keep them entertained until we carve real pumpkins.

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Joyfully Weary

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