Coast 2 Coast Mom

Having a Ball Playing Atari's New Sandlot Sluggers

Last week we were treated to an amazing baseball wonderland at Atari's headquarters in celebration of the upcoming launch of their Backyard Sports Sandlot Sluggers video game. They really outdid themselves bringing in Astroturf, a hot dog vendor, popcorn stand, t-ball equipment - thanks to Franklin for the backstop tents that saved me from spending my entire time chasing down baseballs to keep placing atop the t-ball stand for Li'l Boo to hit ;-) Oh yes, there were lots of video game systems set up for us and the kiddos to play Sandlot Sluggers.

Li'l Boo had a fantastic time (they had baseball pinatas! He got to play with @SelfishMom's kids!), and all of the kids appeared to pick up on the game quickly. The game feels like a diverse neighborhood gathering of kids playing baseball. Li'l Boo played it on the XBox and the Wii systems, and told me that he likes the mini games best. "Dingers" is his fave, and it's similar to playing a home-run derby with continuous power batting. Of course, this morning he awoke asking to play a "The Cube" mini game of pitching skills. ;-)

Make Your Own Muppets on FAO.com

I don't remember how exactly, but this morning I stumbled upon FAO Schwarz's online Muppet Whatnot Workshop. Li'l Boo perked up from his dinosaurs and caught a glance of my computer screen just while the Kermit and Miss Piggy video introduction was playing, and ran over to join me. Although not intended as a game, he loved the virtual Whatnot Workshop! I bet he spent a half-hour rearranging the optional body, eye, hair and costume choices, designing his perfect Muppet Whatnot.

Which made me glad that I didn't expose Li'l Boo to the Whatnot Workshop last holiday season as he appreciated it MUCH more today after having visited Disney's Hollywood Studios and experiencing Muppet Vision 3D earlier this year. (I think that was the first time he'd actually seen The Muppets cast of characters, and I think it's important to see them interacting to get a true sense of what The Muppets are.)

So now I have something else to send Li'l Boo and c2cDad off to do the next time I'm busy in the city on a weekend: they can head to FAO Schwarz and make their own Muppet Whatnot for us to keep. :-D

You can order the muppet you design online for $129.99, and they'll ship two or three business days after you place your order. They also offer e-Gift Cards for people to go online and design and order their own.

Pretty cool, huh?

Tegu Blocks: When Customer Interaction Lives Up To The Product

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting at my laptop, cappuccino in hand, skimming through my morning emails when one from Mamaista caught my attention. The email featured a modern take on children's wooden blocks, by a company called Tegu. The blocks are produced in Honduras in an effort to stimulate the local economy with a sustainable business that employs local people in a profitable trade, using abundant local resources, and reinvesting in the local community.

I checked out the site, admired the beautiful blonde (huesito wood?) and mahogany blocks with built-in magnets, and added my name to their waitlist to learn when the blocks would become available for purchasing again. That was around 10 a.m. Monday morning.

By close of business Monday, I received a personal email from Brandon, Tegu's Chief Customer Advocate, letting me know that they had sent an email out the previous week to their customer list announcing that the blocks would be in stock and available for purchase the next day, Tuesday. Since I joined the list after the email went out, he wanted me to know so I could take advantage of their availability.

Happy 30th Rubik's Cube! Now With Solutions To The "Hot Mess"

I saw a news release earlier this week about 2010 marking the 30th aniversary of the Rubik's Cube in the U.S. (While created in 1974, it was introduced and sold in the U.S. beginning in 1980.) To celebrate the anniversary, Rubik's Cube is launching a new initiative for kids and teens, "You CAN Do The Cube," that provides incentives and solutions for kids ages 8-18 tackling the madness that can be the cube . . . causing the addictive user like me to become a "hot mess." 

The "You CAN Do The Cube" campaign is working with schools, camps and community youth organizations to promote the ease and usefulness of mathematics, in addition to the sense of accomplishment one feels when tackling a seemingly unsolvable problem.

Flipping for Phonics: Learn to Read with Word Families

Last fall I had the priviledge to attend a luncheon with Ellen Steiner to learn more about Flipping for Phonics. Flipping for Phonics is an affordable  learn-to-read system based on phonics. It features Flip the Monkey and has three components: a flip book allowing you to form different words up to six letters long, storybooks featuring popular rhyming word families, and a music cd to reinforce the phonetical learning.

Siftables: These Little Blocks Could Be A Big Deal

As I prepare to attend Toy Fair next month, I want to share a product - launching later this year - that may be a contender for one of the top spots on holiday gift lists next year: Siftables. These smart blocks interact with each other by wirelessly sensing and communicating with neighboring blocks, creating essentially a digital block-based gaming system. Imagine your child playing Leapster 2 games or their favorite iPhone apps with interactive blocks. Cool concept, and even cooler to see the video demos on their site.

Check Out Headphonies for Haiti: A Donation with Each Purchase

Now that holiday gift-giving is behind us, many of us are looking for ways to customize their techno gifts (such as iPhones, Droids, gaming devices and the like) with personalized cases, coverings or other accessories. One speaker accessory that I saw and liked the looks of at CES was the Mobi headphonie.

I haven't tried them out myself yet (soon), so this isn't a review or endorsement, but I just learned about the headphonies for Haiti fundraising campaign and this DOES endear them to me. If I'm going to purchase something, I like that the company is supporting a cause that I care about.  Announced earlier today, Mobi will donate $1 from the purchase of each headphonie sold on www.headphonies.com from January 18th - February 28th, 2010 to the American Red Cross International Response Fund.

These Headphonies won an Innovations Award from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) at CES last week and drew quite a crowd at their booth. (Yeah, these small speakers were a BIG deal.)

Let Your Kids Play With Your Computer Worry-Free With Kidos FREE Beta

I was going to create a round-up posting of my favorite products and offerings at CES for kids and parents, etc. here on Coast to Coast Mom, but because I'm writing about some of these items for Techlicious and Write On! Online, I've decided the best thing to do is just share my faves one by one to more quickly tell ya'll about 'em. So, without further adieu . . .

I LOVED Kidos for the 3-7 year old set. It temporarily turns your adult computer into a kids computer with a secure operating system and customized interface. Kidos is a desktop client that takes over your computer screen so there is no way for your child to be able to get to your email, mess with your settings, or alter your documents or drive files, etc. - they stay within the framework of the Kidos platform. (Genius!)

Our 2009 Holiday Roadtrip

We had a Merry Christmas in that the weather cooperated for our twelve hour drive to Michigan, and counting gifts from all of our extended family, Li'l Boo received most of what he asked for (alas, no puppy). The downside to our trip was that Li'l Boo and I caught a flu bug and we cut our visit with my in-laws to celebrate a very late Hanukkah waaaay short. One of the most difficult things about our roadtrips to Chicago, Kalamazoo and Detroit is that we can never fit in visits with everyone we want to see or do everything that we want to do, but alas that's what email, Facebook, blogs, etc. are for - right?

Some highlights:

• Seeing family! We miss 'em dearly and I always cry when we have to leave.
• Biggby Coffee (friendly and de-lish as always) and we tried Penn Station East Coast Subs in Kalamazoo which was great - kind of like Potbelly Sandwich Works and the fries reminded us of Five Guys.
• Li'l Boo's gifts: all of 'em. The entire family played his Beatles: Rock Band on Christmas Day (he asked for a drum set, and I thought Rock Band drums would allow him songs he could play rather than blindly and briefly banging on a set of drums - so perhaps he'll get a set of drums for his birthday ;-)), and he LOVES his new Trek bike and Leapster 2. We're going to have lots of fun playing with all of his new dinosaurs, trucks, puzzles and games!
• Missing having a country music station in NYC. Oh, and my favorite new cd: Carrie Underwood's Play On. It's been a LONG time since I could pop a cd in and listen to the entire thing without fast-forwarding past songs.
• c2cDad and I both stayed off of our laptops for three full days - a near record!
• Stopping off in Cleveland to get off of the snowy roads on our way home.

We're so thankful for our friends and family around the world, and hope everyone is enjoying a blessed holiday season!

Boys and Trains: Visiting the Lionel Electric Train Store in Rockefeller Center

I often contemplate the equivalent store or place for young boys that can possibly match the experience of taking a young girl to an American Girl store. Does such a place exist for young boys? I haven't found it yet, but a multi-floor interactive or custom train store has to come close! This weekend we visited the temporary Lionel Electric Trains Flagship Store in Rockefeller Center - established for the holiday season and it was a big hit!! Li'l Boo was exited about going to the train store days in advance, and once we entered the store, he literally could not stop waving his arms in excitment everytime the model trains came by on the tracks. We couldn't drag him away from the trains on display when we were leaving. (Tip: Expect a temper tantrum when you announce it's time to leave the train store, so plan your escape strategy in advance ;-) )

Lionel is introducing a new product line for toddlers this season called "Lionel Little Lines," and has a special relationship with WalMart this holiday season to set up large Lionel electric train aisles/displays in 2,000 WalMarts across the country, so be sure to check it out if you have one near you. There's a new Lionelville Destination: Adventure movie out on DVD this week too.

The Lionel Train store is temporary and thus not a destination in and of itself for families, but a definite must-see if you have boys and are visiting Rockefeller Center, Radio City, or the ice rink, etc. in midtown this holiday season. I hope the store does well and that a larger, perhaps multi-floor permanent Lionel Store will soon grace New York! :-)

The Lionel Train store is located at 30 Rockefeller Center (50th btwn 5th and 6th) Or online at http://www.lionelnewyork.com 212-782-3388. The store is open now through January 5th, 2010. Hours: Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.