And the Winners Are...

Thanks to everyone who entered our Melissa & Doug Role Play Set giveaway. Look forward to more fun giveaways in the future. You can stay on top of our giveaways, promotions and free family events through the blog, Facebook, Twitter and by joining the aList.

To choose the winners, we added up all the comments on each giveaway post, assigned each comment a number, then used a random number generator. The numbers selected determined the winners!

And the winners are...

This was one popular giveaway!  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to Carol and Michelle!

Be sure to check back with us often for holiday shopping ideas and even more giveaways!  In the mean time check out the HABA Family Game Night giveaway, there is still time to enter!

Halloween Costume Giveaway

With Halloween quickly approaching, we think it's fitting to do a costume giveaway. After all, kids love to dress up to pretend, and we love to inspire their imaginations!

Role playing is imperative for healthy early childhood development. It allows children to use their creativity, explore emotions and interactions, develop empathy and a sense of self. We encourage children (and kidaults) to creatively play all year round — not just at Halloween.  

Melissa & Doug make some really amazing pretend play role sets that also make high-quality Halloween costumes. Each costume is designed to fit children ages 3 - 6 years of age and features appropriate accessories.

We're giving away two costumes — one costume a piece for two different winners. The winners choose which costume they'd like to have. 

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Like both aMuse Toys and Melissa & Doug on Facebook.

2. Leave a comment on this blog post letting us know that you liked both Facebook pages. Don't worry if you're already a fan of both, it just saves you a step!

3. Cross your fingers and hope for the best! Two winning families will be chosen randomly on October 15, 2011. Winners will be announced via the aMuse Toys Facebook and Melissa & Doug Facebook pages on October 18, 2011. Make sure to fill in your email so we can contact you.

Here are some pictures of some of the Melissa & Doug costumes available. Stop by either aMuse Toys location to see their quality and cute style in person. Good luck, and don't forget to tell your friends!

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Perfect Pairings: Princess Lovers

There’s nothing we love more than making fun and unique gift suggestions for the loved ones in your life. For the next few weeks we will focus on items the compliment one another to make a perfect toy pairing. This week we’re focusing on our princess-loving customers.

Sleepy Princess & the Pea by HABA is a beautiful stacking and motor skill refinement game. As with all of HABA’s games, you can alter the rules to make it simple or complex to meet the skill level of the players. The adorable game pieces are also great for creating narratives through solitary pretend play. 

Players take turns stacking mattresses on top of the pea until all pieces are balanced into a wobbling mattress tower. Each player rolls the die and has the princess hop around the disk to determine whether they may place a mattress or remove one. The rules can be changed to make it cooperative or competitive.

Every child loves to pretend play and costumes help their imaginations soar. Melissa & Doug’s line of high-quality role play costumes include a pink princess outfit that’s great for perfect for ages 3 - 6. It includes a scepter and jeweled tiara.

Princess lovers will love to play Sleepy Princess & the Pea while dressed up in full regalia!

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Melissa & Doug Beach Toy Giveaway!

Enter to win a FREE Melissa & Doug beach set to take on your next vacation. These adorable (and very “Baltimore”) crab-themed sand toys are perfect for digging holes, playing catch or serving up some sandy treats. Here’s what you get if you win...

Clicker Crab Sand Pail & Shovel is great for digging holes, moving sand and gathering water. It’s made from a durable plastic and playfully decorated like a crab. This classic duo is a must-have for any beach vacation or day in the sand box.

Clicker Crab Toss & Grip helps kids develop hand-eye coordination by playing catch. Perfect for fun at the beach or in your back yard with these soft, self-stick mitts and balls.

Clicker Crab Flying Disk is a soft variation on a classic frisbee. It’s perfect for learning how to throw and catch a flying disk. Because it’s made of fabric as opposed to plastic, kids won’t get hurt if they miss.

Seaside Sidekicks Sand Cupcake Set is perfect for “baking” in the sun. This 12-piece set includes everything you need to make fun cupcake-shaped sand forms.

HOW TO ENTER:

1. Like both aMuse Toys and Melissa & Doug on Facebook.

2. Leave a comment on this blog post letting us know that you liked both Facebook pages. Don't worry if you're already a fan of both, it just saves you a step!

3. Cross your fingers and hope for the best! Two winning families will be chosen randomly on August 1, 2011. Winners will be announced via the aMuse Toys Facebook and Melissa & Doug Facebook pages on August 3, 2011. Make sure to fill in your email so we can contact you!

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Traveling With Children: Trunki

There’s nothing more exciting than gearing up for a family vacation, and getting there can be half the fun with Trunki. Trunkis are rideable luggage for kiddos on-the-go. Just pack them up with your favorite things, hop on top and scoot along! They make getting from point A to point B with kids in tow a cinch.

Whether you’re traveling by car, plane, train or boat, Trunki makes the perfect travel companion. They are especially great for plane travel because of their standard carry-on luggage size. They are easily stowed under the seat in front of you or in overhead compartments.

Walking long distances through concourses and airport parking lots becomes fun rather than frustrating as kids roll along happily behind you. They can either scoot themselves, or you can pull them using the shouldstrap, which doubles as pull string.

Its playful design, American-made quality and various color choices means there’s a Trunki for everyone. Because of their incredibly durable, hard plastic case, they can withstand being tossed around by baggage handlers. The clever locking mechanism keeps contents safely inside, yet easily accessible for security screenings.

Trunkis are also more dynamic than ever before with a new line of accessories that have just been released. Kids can give their ride some serious personality with Trunki stickers. They can make silly faces, write their names or add travel-themed objects anywhere they'd like.

 

The saddlebag keeps things at hand and doubles as a fun cushion for the ride. It can easily removed and carried as a shoulder bag while sightseeing on your trip.

The newest accessory is the Trunki Tote Bag. It fastens to the inside compartment to help organize the smaller items in your luggage. Like the saddlebag, it is easily removed and doubles as a shoulder bag.

Trunkis aren’t just for long journeys, they’re also perfect for sleepovers, trips to relatives’ houses, Summer camps or for toy storage at home.

As the weather changes and the end of the school year nears, we know that many people are thinking about vacation. The next few weeks we will dedicate each Tuesday to our blog series, "Traveling With Children." If you have any tips for traveling with children, please leave them in the comments section. We're compiling a list to share with our readers.

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