NEW My Little Pony Toys - Easter Gift Guide

MY LITTLE PONY RAINBOW WINGS TWILIGHT SPARKLE Figure
(Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $19.99/Available: Spring 2019)

Imagine the Princess of Friendship soaring through the clouds above Equestria with the Rainbow Wings Twilight Sparkle 8-inch pony figure! This purple pony figure has gorgeous rainbow wings inspired by scenes in entertainment. Push her signature cutie mark to see her unicorn horn and wings light up. Her rainbow wings also flutter while holding and guiding her up and down to pretend she’s flying. When her wings flutter, they light up too! She also comes with her signature princess tiara and a comb for styling her purple mane and tail. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide. My Little Pony Website.




MY LITTLE PONY MANE PONY CLASSIC Figure Assortment
(Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $4.99/Available: Spring 2019)

Inspired by the MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC television series, this MY LITTLE PONY MANE PONY assortment features 3-inch figures designed to look like some favorite characters from entertainment. Collect the Mane 6 in their colorful pony figure form with molded hair, character-inspired looks and signature cutie marks. These are great pony figures for kids who are beginning their My Little Pony collection and long-time fans alike! Each sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide. My Little Pony Website.


MY LITTLE PONY CUTIE MARK CREW SERIES 4 BLIND BAG: Beach Day Collectible Mystery Figure
(Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $2.99/Available: Spring 2019)

The Cutie Mark Crew combines the worlds of My Little Pony and Equestria Girls to imagine a universe of play and friendships beyond the mirror's portal. The My Little Pony Cutie Mark Crew Series 4 has an "Away We Go" theme, bringing together characters from the My Little Pony and Equestria Girls for a tropical vacation! Pretend some favorite My Little Pony characters are having fun in the sun with their beach-themed accessories. Each Beach Day blind bag includes an adorable 1.5-inch figure, beach-themed accessory, collector card, and a cute storage case. Collecting more Cutie Mark Crew blind bags means more stories to create. Which character is waiting inside? Find out! 12 of the 24 available blind bag figures have fun treatments, like neon or glitter! Look for all 24 to stack more cases and build out a world of pony, seapony, and Equestria Girls Cutie Mark Crew figures. Each sold separately. Available at most major toy retailers nationwide. My Little Pony Website.

Our Thoughts 

When thinking about Easter basket ideas for the kids, it's always hard to figure out what to put in their baskets; especially for little girls. The new My Little Pony toys are a great choice for those last minute Easter basket adds. 

My daughter has been able to play with the items of this review for the past week and has loved all of them. She is a kid who loves the little collectables and is crazy over horses so these My Little Pony toys are great for her. 

My Little Pony Rainbow Wings Twilight Sparkle is so much fun. My daughter loves the wings that move and they light up! Being able to comb Twilight Sparkle's hair is fun and her hair is easily able to be braided or twisted in different styles because of the softness. The girls have a great time playing with this toy with her friends and by herself. My daughter, who is five, opened this item herself without help. She was able to take Twilight out by using scissors with supervision but didn't need adult assistance at any time. 

The My Little Pony Mane Classic figure assortment is reminiscent of my own childhood and the My Little Pony figures I played with as a child. My daughter has loved playing with these figures and keeps them in my vehicle so she can have them while we are on the road or other places where she normally gets board very easily. Because they're about 3" tall, they are compact and easy to carry in my purse or in a small carry bag. The packaging was easy to open and was simple enough for a five year old to do it on her own. 

The My Little Pony Cutie Mark Crew Series 4 Blind Bags are fun for kids because they're surprised with the characters they get in the bag. My daughter really loved these and she got some of the characters she wanted and they were fun to open together. The only thing we didn't like about the blind bags were the confetti that came in the packaging with the bag. The confetti, while it was paper and not plastic, it made a mess and was difficult to clean up because it was in small pieces. The packaging itself was easy to open and deal with. 

If you'd like to see more of the My Little Pony items, please visit their website. They also have a kids website with games, videos, and character bios. 

Anibikes: Get outside and ride a unicorn! @anibikes #anibikes #outdoorseveryday #unicornswag

Kids have wild imaginations. They can visualize themselves as cowboys, as knights, or as princesses that can save themselves from the villains. There are a million possibilities when it comes to pretend play, but one thing that seems universal is the need for a valiant steed. For hundreds of years, children have played with toy horses, whether it was a stick with carved into a horse's head, a pogo stick, or a rocking horse in the nursery. Now, it's time to get ready for the next step in the horse-play evolution.

Anibikes is revolutionizing imaginative play with their  soft, foam animal heads. Children can choose between both horses and unicorns. These adorable caricatures can be easily mounted to most  riding equipment including bikes, trikes, scooters, or pogo sticks. You can choose from a variety of beautiful designs, or if you're feeling crafty, you can paint your horse or unicorn's head yourself using latex paint. Check out this fun video for cool tips on how to paint your Anibikes:



In addition to outdoor fun, Anibikes offers even more excitement for app-enabled children. The app provides children with a virtual pet that they can care for and which even tracks how much they ride their bike. They accomplish this by embedding an optional accelerometer in the toy which allows children to earn “health points” for each minute they ride their Anibike. These points keep their pet healthy, and encourages them to spend more time playing outside. 

Right now, Anibikes are still in the Kickstarter stage. To get the project off the ground, they need to manufacturer at least 1000 toys, and they will need your help to make that happen.  These exciting new toys are not available in stores yet, so contributing to the Kickstarter is the only way to get your hands on one first.

Anibikes are designed for children between the ages of 4-10. With each donation of $35 or more, contributors will receive the following:

• One virtual pet. Horse or unicorn; app-enabled or not. You choose!
• Mounting arms
• Mounting plate, 2 screws, 2 washers
• (Optional) Paint kit with 0.3oz of 8 colors (white, yellow, orange, red, blue, green, purple, black)
• Hours of fun

With you small contribution, you'll be getting a fun and unique toy your kids will be sure to love. Plus, you have the honor of being one of the first on your block to show it off. You could be the start of the next trend in imaginative play. So, what are you waiting for? Check out Anibikes today and help your child's imagination soar to new heights.

Let Tastefully Simple help with your dinner menu

Tastefully Simple has pulled together an Easter Celebration Menu that will help guarantee ham turns out just as good as your mom’s. It also rounds out the entire menu leaving you with an impressive culinary display that may even make your mother jealous. That’s a win win!!!

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My Thoughts

The first thing I noticed about all of these items was the ease of making them. These weren't complicated items to make. Many of them only needed butter, water, and eggs. That was it. These were things I already had on hand.

One of my favorite items was the Italian Garlic Seasoning. I mixed this with some olive oil and marinaded some chicken in it before putting it on my George Foreman grill. It was really good. Very flavorful and easy. It comes with instruction on it how to use on bread too, so you can make homemade garlic bread.

The next item I made was the Truffle Fudge Brownies. With these, all you needed was a stick of butter melted and 2 eggs. Add those to the mix, stir, then bake. It was a little hard to stir because it was thick, but these were really yummy. Very chocolately, thick, and moist in the center.

Before. You can see how thick the batter is.

After!

One of the other items in the kit I made as well, were the Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix. To make the muffins themselves, all you needed was water. You added water to the mix and then into the muffin pan. The box recommended to not use paper cups, so I decided to use my square muffin pan. Once they are finished backing, you melt down a stick of butter. I actually just did half a stick and it was enough butter. Then you pour the cinnamon sugar mix in a separate bowl. After about 10 minutes of cool time, you dip the top of the muffin into the melted butter then into the cinnamon sugar mix. Let it cool all the way before eating.

These were really good. I couldn't believe how good they tasted when all I added was water to the batter. I had a hard time eating just one of these, I wanted to have about three for breakfast.

The Easter kit from Tastefully Simple comes with all kinds of products. From marinades to desserts, and even a mix to make your own sangria. Check out all the products HERE. 

Product Review: Dandies Marshmallows

The marshmallows from our childhood desperately needed an ingredient list makeover. That’s why Chicago Vegan Foods, a family-owned company with vegan values, created Dandies. The first Non-GMO Project Verified marshmallows on the market, Dandies are made with all-natural ingredients and completely free of gelatin, artificial ingredients, and high fructose corn syrup. The products are produced in the company’s dedicated facility, which is free of dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree-nuts. Dandies marshmallows are also free of wheat, gluten and corn, 100% vegan, and certified kosher by the Chicago Rabbinical Council.

The best part is, these marshmallows are indistinguishable from their conventional counterparts. Dandies are air puffed, which gives them a traditional texture and flavor that melts and tastes just like the marshmallows we grew up with. Light, fluffy and kid-friendly, Dandies are perfect for roasting over a fire, making gooey summer s’mores, cooking up crisp rice treats, or putting the finishing touch on a loving cup of hot chocolate.

Dandies Classic Vanilla Marshmallows are available in big (campfire style) and mini sizes at Whole Foods Market and other natural foods stores across the U.S., Canada and select International markets. The SRP is $4.99 for a 10oz package. Dandies are also available for foodservice applications. 

Our Thoughts

So, since I changed my diet to non-GMO and Organic foods, there are some old favorites I have not been able to indulge in. That's why I am always glad to find better options to satisfy those occasional cravings. Dandies is one of those options. 

Billed as the first marshmallows to receive verification from the Non-GMO Product, these snacks are a fun addition to the holiday gift basket. I was sent three bags of these: two bags of the small variety, and one of the bigger marshmallows. I tried these with both hot chocolate, and in ice cream. My husband opted to get creative and use them in his cereal. 

These snacks took me back, reminding me of the days when s'mores were common sleepover fare. They tasted just as good as I remembered, especially when added to the hot chocolate. They blended nicely with the organic mix I use, and they practically melt in my mouth, even when not in something hot. 

The cereal was an interesting mix as well. The milk blended well with them, and made for a great snack. If you're looking for something bad that's a little bit better for you, I'd definitely recommend them, and will be looking for them in the store in the future.  

You can visit  the on social media at @MyDandies on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.

Purchase Dandies Vegan Marshmallows online and in stores at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and Thrive Market.