Melissa & Doug Terrific Twenty List and Giveaway

In the name of full disclosure, my family does not "do" holidays, BUT, I do enjoy taking advantage of the holiday seasons: the time off from school/work, the emphasis on spending time with your loved ones, and all of the sales!!! So while I won't be celebrating with gift giving on any particular day, I am keeping my eye out for items that my family will enjoy that are specially marked down for the holidays. Case in point: Melissa & Doug's Terrific Twenty. 

I have 3 very imaginative and creative girls, and we prefer to purchase toys that foster those qualities in them. Melissa & Doug are well known for producing quality toys and kits that fall right in line with that. These are the items on my wishlist for my girls:

For Pey:

Suspend Family Game

The Suspend Family Game is a family game of tricky hangs and steady hands! Try this hanging balance game and you'll be hooked! Suspend comes with 24 notched, rubber-tipped wire pieces to hang from a tabletop stand. Sound easy? Try adding another piece! Each time a bar is added, the balance shifts, the difficulty changes and the incredible midair sculpture transforms. Can you add all your game pieces without making it fall? This tricky game for 1-4 players is a test of steady nerves and steady hands.

I like this for Pey, because it takes a bit of strategy and forethought. She enjoys playing board games as a family and it seems challenging enough for her, entertaining enough for the adults, yet simple enough for her little sister. I also like that she can play on her own if she'd like.

For Lo: 

Scratch Art Portable Light Box

The Scratch Art Portable Light Box is perfect for my little budding artist. Not only is it completely portable (can you say, quiet time during car rides?), it is mess free! Place a Light Catcher sheet on the design surface, flip the switch, and bring your designs to life! This sturdy take-along design desk makes your "stained glass" masterpieces glow, even on gloomy days. A backlit pane shines through Scratch Art Light Catcher sheets as you etch! Just use the included stylus tools to see amazing stained-glass effects light up. The kids arts-and-crafts set comes with four Light Catcher Scratch Art sheets, two design tools, and the illuminating design desk light box toy.

For Kenzie:

Switch & Spin Magnetic Gear Board

The Switch & Spin Magnetic Gear Board is so eye catching and colorful! Kenzie loves to play blocks with her sisters, so I think this is the perfect next step for her; a way to be creative and discover the wonders of cause and effect through the different configurations of the gears. A unique spin on magnetic toys, Switch & Spin Magnetic Gear Board lets kids build their own toy! Simply choose a picture template from 10 unique designs and place it in the wooden frame. Then add the gears in the color-coded spaces to turn each picture into an amazing kid-powered machine! Or remove the templates to reveal the white magnetic surface - perfect for an open-ended exploration of simple mechanics, or a range of counting, adding, and problem-solving activities (instructions included). This sturdy, durable gears toy includes a magnetic board with wooden frame, eight magnetic pegs, eight colorful gears, and five double-sided, color-coded design templates.

Those are just 3 of my picks from Melissa & Doug's Terrific Twenty List, but honestly all 20 ARE terrific and if I could, I'd add all of them to the girls' toy box! Right now, Melissa & Doug are actually having a “20 Days of Terrific Twenty” Giveaway on their Facebook page! Every day (starting November 6),  they’ll be giving away one item from the Terrific Twenty list to at least one of their Facebook fans! Not only that, one of you lovelies have a chance to win another one of the Terrific Twenty, the adorable Beeposh Elvis Lion Stuffed Animal, right here on Mama Fashionista!

All you have to do is be a subscriber to Mama Fashionista (indicate in your comment whether it's via Bloglovin', Hello Cotton, email, or GFC), AND like Mama Fashionista on Facebook! For an extra entry, in your comment, tell me who you will be giving this adorable little guy to! A winner will be chosen randomly, and once the entry is validated, I will contact you via the email address you supply in your entry. Melissa and Doug will be sending the winner the prize; they ask that you allow them at least 10 business days after they have been given your shipping information to fulfill the order. The contest is open to US readers only (sorry international gals) and you must be 18 years old or older to enter. The contest will run until 11:59 PM EST, on Friday, November 16.  The winner will be announced on Facebook and notified via email by Monday, November 19. Until next time...