Do any of your kids have a lovey? A soft something-or-other they cherish and take everywhere?

Lucy has a crocheted blankie from a family friend. Alice is still developing hers, but one of her favourites is the NooNoo bug-gy blanket which we received from our friend Coreen at Raising Rascals.

Here’s why we love it:

• it’s oh-so-soft
• small and portable, with a loop for linking on a stroller, car seat, crib or high chair
• loops for gnawing on
• fun textures: the fabric is a soft felted wool, with circles embroidered on for pulling and counting, while the edges are lil’ rounded lumps
• a whimsical and cute sheep smiles out at you from the centre (the company says this is an example of “child art imagery)
• colourful polka dots on the back make both of us smile

The only thing I don’t really like is that it’s white. And white shows EVERY bit of dirt and food and whatever. Which might be a good thing, really — it certainly gets washed a lot!

These would make a lovely shower or welcome baby gift, and are sure to become a favourite as the child grows.

I have a NooNoo for a lucky reader to win! Here’s how: Poke around the Raising Rascals website, and leave a comment with what would be on the top of your child’s wish list.

We’ll announce the winner Thursday. Have fun!

Sara from Sarita Baby actually calls these taggy giraffes, but I like gourmet better. Because this is one beautiful, handmade, funky fabric-encased stuffed toy.

Here is our Gigi helping me work today. I  boldly emailed Sara and asked her to send me one to review, because I’ve coveted them for ages at various shows she’s been at — and had to show them off to you. Gigi the giraffe is for my girls, of course. Of course.

Do you see the sweet fabric? The clever use of ribbon for the mane and tail, which double as sensory pieces, loops and handles? They are the perfect size to snuggle with, and adorable to adorn a crib or bed of any age child.

Sara is a work-at-home-mom in Oshawa who sews while her two kids sleep, in the sewing room her “wonderful husband was so generous to make” for her. Her funky baby accessories — including bibs, blankets, change pads and tooth fairy door hangers — are made with designer fabrics.

Check out Sara’s etsy site to find the three Durham Region stores you can purchase these giraffes at, for just around $20. Or, you can buy off the etsy site, or email Sara for a custom order at sb13sarita@yahoo.ca.

Want to win your own giraffe? (For your kid(s). Of course.) We’ve got a gorgeous green one that needs a warm spot in a Durham Region Baby reader’s house. To win, take a spin through Sara’s store, then leave a comment here with your favourite Sarita Baby creation. We’ll draw a winner on Thursday!

Once upon a time

a little girl loved her water park.

She loved it so much,

she even played it in the dark.

But the water park was broken

when we turned it on this summer.

Lucy was heart broken.

It sure was a bummer.

Daddy took it apart,

but the pump was lost.

We were determined to fix it

no matter the cost.

So we emailed Step 2

and hoped for the best.

You won’t believe the story

until you hear the rest.

The water park was no longer being built

and we thought we were in trouble.

Until Step 2 said, “Don’t you worry!

“We’ll get something there on the double.”

So one summer day

Mr. Fed Ex arrived.

And left on our door step

the most wonderful surprise!

A new kitchen play sink

at no charge at all.

Lucy was so excited

She let out the biggest call:

“Mumma, I LOVE my new toy!”

And ever since then,

we’ve had nothing but joy.

For her birthday from Jen O. et. al., Lucy received a gift certificate for Build a Bear. So a few weeks ago, off we went to the Oshawa Centre — just the two of us –  for a girly morning with Jen and Eirinn.

Making the animals is quite the thing: There’s a stuffing machine (Lucy was scared of because it makes so much noise) and a big production with sewing a heart inside and kisses. Then a washing/grooming station (which Lucy was also scared of), and TONS of clothes and accessories. The place is a bit of a female-sentimental-pusher, reminding us how much we loved playing and dressing animals as kids. I can’t believe I paid $12.50 for an outfit for a stuffed CAT. I’ve never spent that much on an outfit my own kids! But Lucy loved it. Here is she is with “Pink Star” and Eirinn with “Dorothy Lamby Inch Kinch” (go visit here for the story on that one…).

We ate lunch, shared frozen yogurt (yes, Lucy DID eat an entire small on her own, eating all of us under the table, as they say), then Lucy and I stopped in the bathroom for an impromptu photo shoot.

I’d forgotten, these past months of chaos with Alice, how much fun Lucy and I have on our own. She is such a bright, funny and sensitive little girl. The whole day was just wonderful, from her uninhibited excitement to holding hands in the mall and cracking jokes with Eirinn and Jen. My heart swelled all day.

The end of us did happen. But there’s no reason we can’t recapture it every now and then.

“I have a confession to make,” I told my friend Kelly the other week.

“Ooohhh, what?” she asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

“You know those Colour Wonder books? With the mess-free markers?”

“Yep, with the Dora and Tinker Bell and Disney Princess and Cars books?”

I eye Kelly suspiciously. Her mouth is twitching.

“Do you…?”

“Colour in them after your kid has gone to bed?”

“Gahhhh! You do it, too!”

There is something soothing about colouring, isn’t there? I find it incredibly therapeutic. I don’t know why we stop colouring as we get older.

The ol’ box of crayons and thick line-drawn books — while still entertaining — are things of the past in the colouring world, though. Now we have Colour Wonders.

Jen O. first introduced me Lucy to them in the summer. The markers show up only on the special Crayola paper. Remember those books we had as kids, where that clear marker would reveal hidden pictures and words on special paper? Like that, only colouring book-based, with over-commercialized characters kids love.

Lucy calls this book “Sleeping Julie.”

They have been a lifesaver for me while nursing, because Lucy can colour freely without any worry of marking up the floor or walls. She loves flipping from page to page and revealing little sections at a time. Then going back and filling in more white spots. I love the pages that have hidden drawings underneath (you can see some in the photos here).

On more than one occasion I have picked up a marker and coloured a page when Lucy’s having bath with Eric, or has gone to bed and I’m cleaning up. As a surprise for her, of course. I do a lot of the backgrounds. I’ve even caught Eric intently working on an octopus while Lucy was trying to turn the page (“Just wait, Honey, I’m not done!”).

We’ve now gone through two books — Dora Saves the Mermaids and Sleeping Beauty — and every inch is covered in both. New books are very high on Lucy’s birthday wish list.

Two downfalls, though: Although they’re available online, I can’t find just the colouring books in stores — they always come with a set of markers. We only have the two books, and already have duplicate colours. Seems wasteful to me.

Because I can only find sets, they’re expensive — usually $8-$10 for a book and set of six markers. I did find a blank pad of Colour Wonder paper, but it doesn’t hold Lucy’s interest the way the books do.

Overall, definitely a favourite activity at Chez McDougall-Foster!

Ohdearlord. This isn’t a joke, either:

If you’re hooked on the BlackBerry, no doubt your kids will be too. LeapFrog thinks it has the answer with the Text and Learn kid’s pda.

Dubbed “Baby BlackBerry” by us, a spokesperson for the company told us that the new gadget for kids gives your little ones the feel of the email gadget without the worry of them sending a random email to your boss.

“We would love to talk to BlackBerry about a tie-up”, a spokesperson for the company told Pocket-lint.

Available in August, it will cost £19.99 

Not sure if and when it’s coming to Canada. I suppose it’s just the next generation of mini-technology toy imitators (think pull-cord rotary dial phones, cell phones, laptops etc.), but it seems awfully…artificial and sad about foisting a Crackberry on innocent children. But, they do see them all over, I guess…

Way back in the summer, when I snuck away with my sweet CP for a girls-only weekend, I purchased one thing to bring back home. And of course it was for Lucy.

I brought her back this neat dress-up doll from a fun toy store in the town we stayed in. I hmmed and hawwed over various dolls (do you all know the Groovy Girls? Almost got one of those, and would still like to, one day…), but fell in love with Maggie Leigh, by Melissa & Doug.

I like that she wears normal, not-too-revealing, yet funky clothes. Lucy loves to mix and match the articles of clothing.

I like that she has intricate parts and pieces, which Lucy has always been drawn to. She likes detail-oriented toys such as these. Everything is magnetic, so the clothes and shoes stick to the doll.

I like that she’s wooden, and the neat packaging. Do wish there was a snap-on lid, though, to hold it all together.

I like that it’s — I know, bor-ing! — educational. Maggie develops fine motor skills, and is a great tool for teaching matching (finding the pairs of shoes and socks).

Best of all: I like that Lucy likes it. No better review available!

Retails for around $10-$13, available all over. Pipsqueak Toys in Brooklin carries tons of Melissa & Doug products, as does Mastermind Toys and Scholar’s Choice stores.

If you are a parent or grandparent or anyone who buys toys for our children, you must read this investigative piece in today’s Saturday Star about our government’s failure in protecting kids from lead:

Tests find toxic toys in stores across GTA

More later…

When Jen and I went Playin’ at the Patch, the girls got their hands on these…odd plastic bucket thingies.

We didn’t know what they were. And Lucy and Eirinn certainly didn’t either, nor what to do with them. I think they held their attention for a few seconds.

Turns out they’re a Bilibo. Some sort of Swedish…odd plastic bucket thingie. The company calls them “elementary shells” that, “instead of imposing a specific play pattern, Bilibo is open to a wide variety of interpretations and encourages the children to invent their own games.”

Apparently our Canadian girls require play patterns.

Well, this is frightening:

Health Canada has issued a warning and recall about balloon blowing kits sold at last month’s Canadian National Exhibition.

These toys typically consist of a solvent mixture in a tube and one or more plastic straws for blowing. Children form balloons or bubbles by dipping the short straw into the solvent and blowing through the straw.

The concern: Blowing through the straw exposes a child to inhaling the solvent vapours. If kids blow balloons for extended periods, they may experience early symptoms of central nervous system depression or dysfunction (!), including euphoria, hallucinations, dizziness, and difficulties with coordination of voluntary movements. Prolonged exposure can lead to more serious symptoms including muscular twitching, unconsciousness, and coma.

Or: Blow the bubbles, your kid gets stoned, then can twitch and pass out.

I never even knew such things existed, which makes sense considering they’ve been banned in Canada since before I was born. Even in the early 70s they knew these things were bad, which says a lot considering babies were transported sans carseats and often fell down stairs in walkers.

The kits were sold from Aug. 15-20 at three booths in the International Pavilion, in the Products of the Philippines area.

More details here.