Awesome Toy Alert! The Alphabet Apple

Believe it or not, I'm not a giant fan of electronic kids toys. That is hugely hypocritical of me, as I was raised on the Atari 2600, Coleco's handheld electronic football game, and Simon. But I love the simple old toys: blocks, Lincoln Logs, Tinkertoys, so when we buy toys for Jack we usually lean towards the basic and the classic.

Except when something awesome catches our attention.

We decided to buy Jack a little prize since he had a really rough week last week with his high fever and then a bump on the noggin (rolling baby = faceplant), so we checked the toy aisle at Wal Mart and came across the VTech Alphabet Apple.

The Apple immediately got Jack's attention, so we investigated it a little more and liked what we saw.  The Alphabet Apple has 26 light-up buttons - one for each letter of the alphabet - and each corresponds to an animal.  The Apple has eight different play modes, including lessons on time telling, spelling, animal sounds and music.  The Apple quizzes children on spelling (and gives hints by lighting up the appropriate letters, when needed) and rewards correct answers with applause.  It teaches time with an analog clock (love!  I can't believe that so many kids don't know how to read anything but a digital) and the animal sound matching game is both fun and educational.  The music mode plays different songs accompanied by elaborate light patterns.


The Apple is definitely meant for pre-school aged kids, but Jack loves the sounds and lights.  I see this as being a toy that he will learn from as he grows and enjoy for years to come.  We paid $21.97 at Wal Mart, and I think it is worth every penny.

My Son has Pink Things

My husband has made it clear that our son will grow up to be a manly man. He has visions of little Jack the lumberjack, chopping logs by age 3 and wearing Old Spice to Kindergarten. I'd never put my little man in a dress, but I also don't believe that baby boys need to wear blue every day until high school. A few little pink details have slipped in over the months.

Jack has a pink swing. I didn't realize the importance of a baby swing until Jack was four days old and I was exhausted from holding and rocking him around the clock. In my sleep-deprived stupor, I drove myself to Target to get him a swing. I knew that beggars couldn't be choosers, but sadly their selection left a lot to be desired, ranging from completely hideous to ridiculously pricey, except for one lovely little Boppy swing. It had all the features we wanted: variable swing speeds and music, and it was just the right size. And...it was pink. With pink plush animals hanging from it. And a beautiful band of pink across the top. While more rested minds may have done differently, Mommy was tired so Jack has a pink swing.

Jack has one pink diaper. We cloth diaper part time (he's in disposables for overnights and for travel) and I purchased most of his diapers in lots of 3 or more. One of those lots contained a mix of colors, including one lovely pink diaper. He wears the pink one occasionally, usually when my patience is wearing thin. "You want to cry, honey? Fine. Cry in a pink diaper." These things keep me sane.

Jack has a pink Boppy pillow. My frugality was flaring when this happened. I saw a Boppy pillow on sale for a great price. Sorry, baby. Mommy's a cheapskate.

If Daddy ever gets more than 4 hours of sleep in a night again, he may notice all of this pink that has slipped into his manly son's life. For now though, Jack and his precious pink things are safe.