Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set Review & Giveaway

We were more than happy to review the Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set by Learning Curve.   First, I have to admit that we hadn't actually heard of Chuggington before but I am interested in watching the TV series now...we just don't happen to have the channel it's on in our area.  Connor has a slight obsession with trains, and Thomas and Friends in particular, so I have no doubt that he'll love this series of trains too.  I kind of like having something a bit different around because as much as I love Thomas, Percy and the rest of the gang, variety is good.

This train set is a bit different than the others we have so it took Connor some time to get over the fact that he has to actually push the train around and that the "train has wheels".  However, he seemed to get over that quickly once he realized that the train talked.  He turned into a little parrot and excitedly repeated the things the train said like "I'm big and strong" and "Ready to roll".   He also likes the wash and fuel stations as they make beeping sounds and even have lights which I tried to capture with my camera but didn't succeed at.  Of course, we just put this toy together for the first time yesterday so I have yet to see how long the batteries last..hopefully a long time because I used about 5 AA batteries between the two stations and the train that is included (Brewster) also required two batteries although those ones were included.

The whole set was quite easy to put together. I'm not particularly great with directions for these kinds of things but all the pieces are clearly marked and the instructions were easy to follow.  It maybe took a half an hour to get everything unpacked and put the actual set together.  Taking the items out of the box took the longest!  So far, Connor has been much better at taking the set apart than putting it together but he doesn't seem to mind if it's not exactly as it was intended.  He is still happy to push Brewster around the track that he has left intact and then stop at the stations every once in a while to play with them.

The set is called interactive because the trains can detect the other trains and the various stations when you buy multiple sets.  Obviously, I can't speak to that since we only have one set right now but I noticed the train says different things at the stations than it does on its own so that must be what it means.  The stations are kind of neat in that the fueling station offers different options including water, electricity or gas so there are some good educational aspects to the toy.  As far as the track itself, it clicks together nicely but it also flexible enough so that it's hard to break even when a two year old sits on it or bends it which may have happened a few times already.

Connor putting Brewster through the wash station.

The set is actually for ages 3+ which I assume is so they can put it together more easily on their own and because there are a couple of smaller parts.  The train we received is very solidly built and a bit bigger than his other trains.  I like that there aren't any loose parts on it that could fall or break off since Aleena is crawling around the floor too.  The only parts I put away when she was around were the road signs as they were much too small for a baby to be around.

Overall, this is a very well-made toy and I like the fact that it's different and includes the various stations that encourage additional creativity.  If he continues to play with it, I could see us investing in another set or at least another train to see how they interact.

Just a couple more notes:  The interactive railway sets are available exclusively at Toys R Us and this particular set costs $39.99.  There is a larger set which includes more trains and stations and there is also another smaller set available that could be combined with this one.

The Giveaway:
Learning Curve is giving away a Chuggington Interactive Railway Wash & Fuel Set to one lucky blog reader!

I will use www.random.org to select a winner from the entries and remember that each entry must be made in a separate comment.

How to Enter:
1.  "Like" Learning Curve on Facebook.
2.   Visit the Learning Curve Website and tell us what you like the best.
3.   Follow A Sophisticated Mommy via Google Friend Connect (in the right sidebar).
4.  "Like" A Sophisticated Mommy on Facebook.
5.   Share this giveaway. (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Forum, Blog)

This contest is open until Saturday, May 7th, 2011 and I will announce the winner the following day.

Open to Canada & the US.

What did you get from the Easter Bunny?

Having fun finding eggs and putting them in the basket.

As the title suggests, every kid is asked this very question every year and I think it's part of the problem for parents.  Our kids are still young so it's not a big deal but once they start comparing Easter baskets with cousins and friends, things could get tricky.  I won't worry about it until they are older but I am kind of dreading this.  I'd love some advice from experienced mommies on how to handle this.  I suppose it's an issue for every holiday but I feel like Easter expectations have changed since I was a child.  I think it's great if parents want to give lots of little gifts for Easter and I also think it's fine not to.  I am just not sure that kids understand why there's a difference in what the Easter Bunny or even Santa Claus brings.  Oops..tangent!  Back to Easter...

Our Easter was pretty much under control this year.  The kids got a couple things but we didn't go too crazy with gifts or treats.  I took a couple photos of Connor's little basket although we somehow missed Aleena's until it was Easter egg hunting time.  I think the Easter Egg hunt is my favourite part of Easter and something we didn't do when I was younger.  I got into doing Easter egg hunts when I lived in Taiwan and worked at an American English school.  We used to hide eggs and take our students to Cheng Ching Lake for a huge Easter egg hunt.  I really think this is more of an American tradition than a Canadian one.  Regardless, it's a lot of fun and a great way for kids to burn off some of that Easter candy.  That was also the time I learned all sorts of Easter songs like Here Comes Peter Cottontail.

In the end, we got Connor a small chocolate rabbit (yet to be eaten..probably by Mom and Dad), a set of Curious George books and his first box of washable markers.  Aleena received her first colouring books with large wax crayons which she proceeded to eat..not sure what I was thinking when I gave her those.  I also gave her the Blu Ray version of Bambi and plan on buying more of the Disney movies as they become available.  I am already prepping the kids for a future trip to Disney World.  It's way more fun when they know the characters and stories so they can relate to everything.

Here are a few photos from our Easter this year.  I always wish we had taken more but then we get busy with everything and forget unfortunately.

Aleena with Great Grandma

Aleena and her favourite past time..hair pulling!

The only "Eastery" photo of Aleena on her first Easter and I focused on the bowl of eggs..oops!

Aleena all dressed up for Easter...off goes the headband!

Connor was on a mission to collect the eggs.

Thanks to Uncle Curt, Connor "found" each egg about six times each.

Connor colouring with his new washable markers on Easter morning.

For those of you looking for some amazing Easter basket inspiration, I wanted to share my friend Amanda's version of Easter baskets.  Her blog is called A Modest Mama although I'm not so sure how "modest" her Easter baskets are.  They sure are impressive though!  Thanks to Amanda for letting me post photos of her Easter creations here.  The first photo is from a previous year and the second photo shows this year's baskets for her two daughters.

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Just a reminder for anyone in Regina, Calgary, Edmonton or Lethbridge that Taryn Laine Photography is giving away two free photo sessions on my blog.  You can read the post with all the details if you click on her logo below.  The contest is open until May 2nd..aka as Election Day..aka as my first day back at work.  I'll somehow find time to announce the two winners that evening. :-P

Taryn Laine Photography Review & Giveaway

This review and giveaway was a bit different for me but it will certainly be a memorable one as we received some adorable photos of our baby girl shortly after her first birthday.  Taryn Laine Photography is a new photography business in Regina and Area and she has already been very busy taking photos especially ones of adorable children.  She took some photos of Aleena about a week and a half ago which was perfect timing as I was able to use some of those photos for my last giveaway.  She wore the pink flower headband from GurlyStuff... and more in her little photo shoot and Taryn did a great job of capturing (literally) a very active one year old that didn't sit still for long.  We've received plenty of compliments on the photos and it was fun to give some to our families at Easter.

Since Taryn is just starting out, her rates are very reasonable as she is still working on developing her portfolio and growing her business.  For only $100, you will receive an hour of her time and at least 10-15 edited high-resolution images on a CD.  Our CD included photos with the original background, several others with an edited background and also some black and white versions for a total of about thirty images.  I included one of each here so you can see the variety.  Basically, there was lots to choose from when I was trying to decide which ones to print!  I love this because the prints are often the most expensive part of buying professional photographs.  This way, you are able to just purchase your photo products on your own from whichever company you prefer.

Some other things I really appreciated about Taryn were her patience, professional approach, and her relaxed attitude.  There was no rush to push us through and we just sort of worked with what we were given since babies and toddlers are very unpredictable.  I was also impressed that she went out of her way to buy new backgrounds just for our photo shoot based on what Aleena was going to be wearing.  This just goes to show that she's interested in working hard to ensure she takes the best photos possible.

Speaking of the background, I love how she added a bit of texture to the background and jazzed it up a bit when she edited the photos.  The photos were ready within a few days and I picked them up about a week later so it doesn't take long before you'll have your photos.  Usually, you'll have at least a couple photos available for viewing within a day or two.

I hate to use cliches like "a picture is worth a thousand words" but I'm going to in this case because it's a photography review and giveaway after all and you can see her work for yourself.  Really, for a great price, you will receive some lovely photos in digital format with which you can do whatever you want.  At this time, Taryn's home studio is quite small but she can accommodate up to 2 children.  For larger groups, she will do 'on location' photography.  She would be happy to take photos of babies, children, families, soon-to-be mommies, and couples in love!  You can check out her website for more comprehensive pricing as well as to view her blog and portfolio.

The Giveaways:
Taryn is going to give away two free single-child photo sessions which will include at least 10-15 high-resolution edited images on a CD like we received.  This also includes optional background colour choices with the potential for optional patterns available.

There will be two winners for this giveaway!  She is located in Regina but would be happy to take photos in Regina, Edmonton, Calgary, or Lethbridge.  Taryn travels to Edmonton, Calgary and Lethbridge frequently and a winner from these cities will need to make special arrangements.  (Note: Studio sessions are only available in Regina.)

As always, I am going to pick the two winners using www.random.org. 

You can submit up to five entries and must make a separate comment for each entry.

How to Enter:
1.   Visit the Taryn Laine Photography website and let us know what your favourite blog post or photo is.
2.  "Like" Taryn Laine Photography on Facebook.
3.   Follow A Sophisticated Mommy via Google Friend Connect (in the right sidebar).
4.  "Like" A Sophisticated Mommy on Facebook.
5.   Share this giveaway. (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Forum, Blog)

This contest is open until Monday, May 2nd at 6 pm SK Time.  I will announce the winners that evening.