KidStyleFile

Today’s post written by Angela

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If you’re in the market for some of the finest toys in the land, then I recommend taking a trip over to Send a Toy – www.sendatoy.com.au - who stock some of the coolest local and European brands out.

“Who?”, you ask, well try An Angel at my Table, Automoblox, Bajo, Brio, Cocoon Couture, Deglingos, Djeco, Dumpling Dynasty, Educo, EEBOO, Fiesta Crafts (my girls received this gorgeous puppet theatre/shopfront from Santa last Christmas), Folkmanis, Green Toys, Haba (don’t miss the Petit Fours), Heimess, Honeysticks, Janod, Kaloo Baby Gifts, Kathe Kruse, Lark, Le Toy Van, Mamas & Papas, Melissa & Doug, Moulin Roty, Nici, Pintoy, Plan Toys, Quadrilla, Rosie Flo activity books, Sevi, SIGG Bottles, Trudi Soft Toys, Vilac, Voila Toys, Wheely Bug (one of the best deals on the web for these iconic ride-ons), and WonderWorld!

To sweeten the Send a Toy experience, they are having a fab sale with selected items up to 50% off while stocks last. Check my hot picks below, and keep an eye out for new additions to the sale category – they are regularly popping new goodies in.

Send a Toy postage charges start at $9.90 for standard post (less for those in Adelaide, and for small single-item orders) and $11.90 for Express for orders up to 3kg, Australia-wide, excluding bulky items. Free gift-wrapping applies on most items. International orders are also welcome. Please see the Send a Toy Delivery Guide for full details.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Wooden toys are enjoying a joyous resurgence at the moment as parents hark back to their own childhoods, and seek a more natural mode of play for their kids.

I love timber toys for so many reasons – the tactile , organic qualities and solidity are at once stimulating and calming, and more and more manufacturers are now also producing environmentally responsible wooden toys that are earth, as well as kid, friendly options. Add to all this super cool design, and I am sold!

Kerri at Millie Molly Moo – www.milliemollymoo.com.au – stocks a range of fine wooden toys for babies and kids from birth up to 8 years that will thrill kids and parents alike.

Up until 31 March 2009, it’s a double delight, as you can take 10% off wooden toys from Plan Toys, Haba, Voila, Bajo, Lanka Kade, Anamalz, Sparkle T, and Live, Play, Create Tike Balance Bike – yay! No code is needed to take advantage of this discount: prices are as marked.

There’s not a product I don’t like with any of these brands, but if I had to choose I’d go the Live Play Create Tike Balance Bike, the super-cute Bajo motorbike racers (COOL! – *I* want some for me!), and the Haba fabric icecream – delicious! Also, stay tuned for the cutest abacus you ever did see – the Sparrow Abacus, complete with a row of colourful ‘counting’ birdies, courtesy of Bajo – coming soon to Millie Molly Moo.

As always, don’t forget to check out the sale items – some items are up to 80% off: sweet!

Prices quoted in red below apply until 31 March 2009 only.

A. The Little Experience Stitch It Doll $54.95 less 10% discount =$49.95
B. Bajo Wooden Toys ‘Porsche’ Sports Car $12.95 less 10% discount = $11.65
C. Voila Toys Motocycle Racers (set of 2) $43.50 less 10% discount = $39.15
D. Haba Venezia Ice-cream Cone $24.95 less 10% discount = $22.45
E. Plan Toys Parking Garage $165.00 less 10% discount = $148.50
F. Lanka Kade Fire Station play scene $49.95 less 10% discount = $44.95
G. Live Play Create ‘Tike’ Balance Bike $199.95 less 10% discount = $179.95
H. Bajo Helicopter $27.95 less 10% discount = $25.15
I. Haba Squeak Squeak Clutching Toy $26.95 less 10% discount = $24.25
J. Haba Soft Doll ‘Phil’ (available in 6 different girl/boy varieties) $98.35 less 10% discount = $88.51
K. Sparkle T Japan Doll Pencils $2.20 each less 10% discount = $1.98 each

Millie Molly Moo stock the following brands: Albetta, Alimrose Designs, Amplified Kids, Anamalz, And Me Too, Apples and Pears, Baby Hoot, Baby Legs, Bajo Wooden Toys, Big by Fiona Sanlan, Bla Bla, Blue Racoon, Bobble Art, Books To Wear, Boomshankar, Cha Cha Sam, Cheeky Little Soles, Chook Leaf, Claesen’s, Cocoon Couture, Custard Pie, David Fussenegger, Edenstar,Eeni Meeni Miini Moh, Fairy Floss Creations, fiona by Fiona Sanlan, Fish Lilly, Flat Out Bears, Fleurville Nappy Bags, Frankie Ray, Funkyds, Gaia Natural Baby, Gertie and Me, Giddy Giddy, Go Home, Haba Toys, Heavenly Creatures, Hop Skip Jump, Ikaboo, Infancy, Ish, Kaiya Eve Pettiskirts, Kalamazoo Kidz, Kipiis, Lakeland Design Mini, Lark Handmade, Lil Fraser, Little Blue Fish, Little Gems, Fairy Princess, Little Horn, Little Squirts, Live Play Create Balance Bike, Maileg, Miatom, Milestone Press, Mill and Mia, Mini Mermaid, Mini Metalius, MiniMink, Miss Metalius, Monstar Kids, Mooo, Moppit, Mum to Mum DVDs, Munster, Nordic House, Oobi, Papoose, Penny Scallan, Puddle Jumper Shoes, Pure Baby, Rock Your Baby, Smirk, Sudo, Tayla-Lu, Tea Princess, Three Little Trees, Toshi, Trunki, Two Belles, United Oddsocks, Walnut, Well Spotted Tees, Willow and Finn and Woolbabe.

Millie Molly Moo charge a flat rate of $8.00 for postage, Australia-wide. Orders over $250.00 are posted free. International orders are welcome; MMM charge a flat rate of $17.00 postage.

Today I’d like to introduce you to Edwina, the newest member of the KidStyleFile team. Edwina is mum to 3 gorgeous boys, and she’s also one crafty and clever chicken (see her blog Little Snoring to get to know here better). Edwina’ is currently our foreign correspondent – she’s hanging out in Los Angeles gathering all kinds of wonderful info to bring back home to us. Watch this space!

Take it away Edwina…

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The other night, looking for inspiration, I dipped back into the 90′s cooking classic How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food by the queen of the Mix Master, Nigella Lawson. In it she has a great chapter about feeding children. I love her writing and am enamoured by her no nonsense approach to providing nourishment for her little ones.

I was both amazed and strangely liberated by a recipe she feed to her 9 month old son, Bruno. It was a recipe for chicken liver with apricots and milk soaked breadcrumbs. It would never occur to me to feed my babies chicken liver (I dare say it would hardly occur to me to eat it myself!) but it is very high in iron and the way she prepared it seemed entirely convincing.

Ok, so perhaps chopped liver isn’t your thing. And, frankly who can blame you? Personally I am a cup cake and pudding kinda gal, but I do feel it is important to share the joy of eating and the pleasure of preparing food with my kids.

That said, we all have days when the strength to clean up after the little sous-chef has disappeared, and for those days I offer the following fabulous low-mess, low-calorie solutions. Play food that looks good enough to eat!

1. Haba Petit Fours, $29.95 at Send-a-Toy
2. Le Toy Van Honeybake Baking Set, $94.95 at Little Possums Toys
3. Haba German Bratwurst Toy Sausages, $12.90 at Send-a-Toy
4. Voila Toys Roast Chicken, $28.95 at Send-a-Toy
5. Plan Toys Shopping Trolley. cool enough to help with the grown up shopping. $99.00 at Send-a-Toy
6. How to Eat: Pleasures and Principles of Good Food, by Nigella Lawson – highly recommended. $53.42 at Fishpond Bookstore. Ships free.
7. Lark Designs Doughnut Rattle $14.95 at Baby’s Got Style
8. Lark Designs Ice-cream Cone, $14.95 at Baby’s Got Style
9. Ravioli – Feeling Crafty? This is a very easy project to make yourself and a great way to add some pasta to the menu!

Please check individual sites for postage costs and delivery information.

Today’s post written by Angela

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Well it’s only 5 days to the Big Day! Santa has had his suit dry-cleaned, and the reindeer are well fed and rested in preparation for their whirlwind world trip.

One place I know The Big Guy will have stocked up at for clothing, shoes, toys, books, and accessories for good little girls and boys with the finest taste in designed products is Kido Store – www.kidostore.com.

Kido have their finger on the pulse of everything that’s ultra-cool for kids, and they’re having a fabbo Xmas Sale on selected products right now. Take this opportunity to scoop up some Christmas finery, and state-of-the-art toys while they’re hot! (Because Kido ship via Express Post you can still squeak in an order before Christmas.)

Head on over pronto for the lowdown on this once-a-year sale, and don’t dilly dally now: this sale ends 5:30pm 24 December 2008, while stocks last.

Kido Store charge $7.50* flat rate postage, Australia-wide, and orders are shipped via Express Post or courier. Please visit the Kido Store Policies page for full information.