Friday, June 3, 2011

Disney Pixar Car 2 Tokyo Spinout Review

Calling all Cars fans!  Are you ready for Cars 2?  It is set to be released in theaters on June 24, 2011.  I can tell you the little man in my house is patiently waiting.  In the meantime, I had the unique opportunity to review the new Cars 2 Tokyo Spinout Track Set that has been inspired by the new Disney/Pixar film, Cars 2. 

This play set lets you race two cars through the streets of Tokyo, with one winner car and one loser car that spins off  the track!  This set features the Pagoda Pit Stop, dual tracks, two spinning platforms, landing crash zones, flipper and exclusive Cars 2 Lightning McQueen vehicle.  You can also connect the three other play sets available to create a hugh chain reaction!

This set was super easy to put together.  I admit, my husband was in charge of this construction project, but  it still only took him about 10 minutes to assemble.  Mason stood by his side the whole time playing with his new Lightning McQueen car, waiting to send it launching through the air.  Once assembled, it was so easy to start racing the cars. 


I am always skeptical that these toys deliver what they promise.  Will the cars really jump off the track...and successfully make it to the landing zone?  I am here to tell you that this toy actually delivers all the mid-air spinout that it promises!   The cars were easy enough to set in the launchers, and with one push of a button, the cars were spinning and racing to the end.


Since Mason is only 2 and this toy recommendation age on the box is 4, he did need help to reset the spinning platform.  He was able to set the cars, launch them, and set and reset the crash flipper.  I do think that with a little practice that he will get how to reset the spinning platform.  Otherwise, there are no small pieces or anything like that that would make this toy inappropriate for a child 3 and up.  I would feel totally comfortable having him play with the Tokyo Spinout Track Set by himself once he learns the mechanics of the play set.

It is appropriate for children ages 4 and up and retails for about $ 29.99.
















Thanks to Mattel for providing the item above in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are 100% mine.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Delicious and Easy Banana Bread Recipe


It seems that during the summer months the bananas in my house seem to ripen twice as quickly.  I hate to waste any food, which is hard with a toddler anyway.  Yesterday I had a small bunch of bananas that I knew no one would eat.  So my choices were a smoothie or banana bread.  I chose banana bread since I haven't made it in forever and I needed a new recipe anyway.

I found a GREAT recipe on simplyrecipes.com.  It was simple and it uses ingredients I readily keep in the house anyway.  There is also no need for a mixer.  I like spoon mixed batters best.

I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the finished result since my family ate it all up.  Give it a try and you will see how fast it goes too.

Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour   ***(My bread too about 1 hour 15 minutes to cook)

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat and Disney Princess Ariel and Sister Set Review


If you follow along and read my posts, you know I have a son named Mason.  What you don't know is that I have two nieces and nephew that I adore!  So, for this post, it was only fitting that my 5 and 3 years old nieces, named Anna and Kylee, help me with this review.  Not only are they in love with everything Disney and princess, but they will honestly tell you what they think.

Saying they were excited when I gave them the toys is a huge understatement.  They were so excited and kept jumping up and down, screaming the Ariel Boat, the Ariel Boat!  Apparently they have had their eyes on the Disney Princess Ariel Fountain and Bubble Boat for a while and couldn't be happier to check it out for me.

Once we assembled the boat and added the bubbles, we were set to go!  Kylee's favorite part was the bubbles the boat made.  Anna loved the fountain. This toy seems to have the perfect combination for any little girl.  Anna and Kylee were able to easily turn the dial to turn on the bubble maker.  When they turned the dial one more time, the fountain sprayed into the air and they giggled and giggled the whole time!  The play set came with a very cute Ariel doll, who they had a ball sending down the slide and swinging on the seashell throne.  

I love the interactiveness of this toy, yet it allowed the girls to use their imagination to create a watery world.

The Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat retails for $26.99 and is recommended for ages 3 and up.  It also requires 3 AA batteries, which are not included, so make sure you have them stocked up!



A perfect compliment to the Disney Princess Fountain and Bubble Boat is Disney Princess Ariel and Her Sisters Doll Set.  This doll set is based on the characters from the classic Disney film, The Little Mermaid. The set includes Ariel and her two sisters, Alana and Arista. 

This doll set was a huge hit also.  All of the dolls have "magical" tops the change color in the water.  The girls also liked that they could move the doll's "hips" and pretend to make them swim.  This is a great feature that adds to the creativeness of play. If you purchase the Fountain and Bubble Boat, be sure to get this set as well so your little princess will have hours of fun in or out of the tub!

The Disney Princess Ariel and her Sister Doll Set  retails for $14.99.  It is appropriate for ages 3 and up.

















Thanks to Mattel for providing the items above in order to facilitate the review.  All opinions are 100% mine.