Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

There are certain things going on in your
child's life you have no control over no matter how
tight your grip may be. The things in your children's
life we can't charge we need to accept as apart
of their life for there is no point stressing over
something that is out of your hands. Even the most
well intentioned parents have to go through this rationalization
for no matter how much you read or research a subject
of how many safety items you buy or early education
programs or toys that have bells and whistles and
do pretty much everything but pat your child on the
back and go, "Nice little Baby there, you are the best."
No matter how much advice you receive you still will
never be able to plan out your child's life, choose
who or what they Love or stop them from growing
up.

Let's talk about things they Love real fast. It
is easy to see Rowan Loves her Mommy and
Daddy and worships her Brother and the Dog has
went from being my sons Dog to my Baby to
now being completely devoted to Rowan. This same
Dog I worried so desperately over the fact that she
was totally attached to me that once Rowan got
here she would be jealous and not want anything
to do with her. I was even worried she would be
mean to the baby and though in my heart I knew
Boo would never hurt Rowan I thought she might
take out her frustration by destroying Rowan
belongings or trashing her room. Well that is a
concern I worried about for nothing. This same
Dog that only last year I had to chase around
the house and drag all 12 pounds of kicking,
squirming and sometimes growling fluff into the
bathroom for a bath and is now so devoted to
Rowan that she has to crawl into not only bed
with Rowan but the bathroom as well. For five years
she has only went as far as the doorway by
herself for me. Never once has she crossed
the threshold into the room of the bath but now that
Rowan is here she not only goes into the bathroom
she climbs up onto the rail of the tub and lays
there so she can make sure Rowan is okay while
she is in there. Feet and paws have even went
in the water and I am positive that come Summer
time Boo will be in the tub with that little girl and
my new problems will no longer be getting her in
the tub but getting them both out. Just as Rowan
and Boo have chosen their loyalty and Love for
each other Rowan has been busy developing her
taste and Love of other things as well. She has
chosen foods she eats while ignoring other ones
completely and has also picked toys she loves and
tossed others to the curb. Those expensive ones
I bought with all the educational value and lights
and bells and gadgets and Gizmo's has been abandoned
for simple items such as a couple of dolls and a
stuffed animal or two and a box filled with little
plastic boxes. Nothing I have given her that I
was 100 percent sure she would love to have
for the multitude of commercials and books and
magazines I have read told me she would go
crazy for has made the final cut. The toy I am
going to tell you about now I received as a review
item and if you were to look at it you would
never imagine how much a little girl can Love it.
It doesn't look like any doll you have ever
seen before. It barely looks like a doll at all. When
I saw it I thought it was cute but like Novelty cute.
I never imagined in a million years this would be Rowans
all time favorite Doll. That she would carry this Doll
everywhere she went and not be able to sleep without
it. I never thought she would go so far as to rip it
out of my hands if I touched it without her knowing
or even handing it to me. Why? Why is this doll so
special? Honestly I still don't get it. It has no pretty
hair to braid or play with. In fact it has no hair at
all. There are no girly clothes to change and you can
not dress her in one item or another for just like the hair
she is lacking clothes altogether. So if it isn't really a Doll
is it a stuffed Animal? Nae, I wouldn't go there either
for it lacks fur and isn't really a soft cuddly type deal
either. The item I am referring to is called an Aminal
Doll. To me, looking at it, I am reminded of my
7th grade Home Ec product where you had to sew a
pillow and it never turned out like it was supposed to.
The other thing it reminds me of is early art work of
mine. Take the two and put them together and that would
be what I am reminded of the most. Aminal Dolls are a
completely organic doll that comes in either a human form
or that of an Animal. Neither are an exact copy of either
for they look like a kindergartner made them. There in lays
the charm. I also believe that is why Rowan loves hers
so.

Now I am not implying for a second that just because
they look like a 4 year old invented them that they are
constructed in the same fashion for I assure you that
these are put together extremely well. This little girl drags
it everywhere and I do not use the word drag as a metaphor,
I mean she drags it everywhere. Since her main mode of
transportation is crawling her Baby is drug behind her almost
everywhere she goes. It has also been drug around by the
dog, tossed in the wash repeatedly and drooled on, spilled
on, sticky baby I have no idea what the goo is and
tugged, pulled and shook-en and holds up like it is made
of a super alloy. It is the toughest baby in the world. The
whole thing is completely Organic as well and the material
itself is rugged and tough. Like I said, not really very dollish.
But boy does Rowan love her baby who ironically enough
is referred to as the Momey Doll and not a baby at all.
I believe that a genius created this doll. A true genius who
was able to sink to the level of a small child and see the
world through their eyes. That is exactly what this doll
looks like. What a child would make had they they ability
to create their own. The creator of the aminals line must
have taken a look at their own child's artwork and rendering
of their family and brought them into a 3 dimensional world.
Memories of a trip to the Zoo or an old nature channel
show are now stuffed and portable and ready to go. If
you want to see your child's face light up as bright as
the Sun in the sky hand one of these guys to them
and sit back and watch. Apply some sunscreen, you are
going to need it. I don't think I have seen a child under
5 not break out into an all out grin yet. Now this was
a review I was happy to do and Rowan hasn't been the same
since. Every night when we go to bed she now needs three
things, her Music player, her Violate from Leapster and her
momey doll from Aminals!

Aminals!

I just missed the boat with this next review. I am
maybe 5 or 6 years too old but I remember a lot of
my friends little brothers and sisters going absolutely
crazy for the Rainbow Brite Dolls. They had a TV show,
toys and games and then a whole bunch of Branded Items
and everywhere you looked there was Rainbow Brite These
gals made Holly look like she had a pretty lame Hobby!
When my son was born I really didn't see them around any
more and thought it wouldn't have mattered for he is a
boy and wouldn't have played with them anyways unless he
needed something for his G.I Joe's to beat up on. A few years
ago Johns Cousin had a Baby and she showed up here one
day with a Rainbow Brite Doll and I was a little surprised. I
asked her if she got it from her Mommy since Johns cousin
and his Daughters Mommy are a lot younger then we are.
I was thinking it might have been one of her old dolls for
I know I had a lot of my Moms old Doll. The sad part with
my Mom's old dolls is I wrecked them and hers were 1950
something Barbies and I could cry now thinking of how much
they are worth today. Any who, I asked if they were her
Mommies and she told me no, she had just got them for
her Birthday.
Huh?
I thought they sorta disappeared. But here is this little girl with
a brand spanking new one! Hum, what do I know. Well I again
put it out of my mind for if my son would not play with one
when he was a toddler I know he would never touch one now
as a 16 year old. I thought they were pretty darn cute but
all I have is Nephews that are young enough for dolls and
I might look a little, okay, a lot funny walking into Toys R Us
and buying myself a Rainbow Brite doll. Then I found out
I was pregnant and going to have a little girl. The first thing
I thought about was, "How cool, I get to play with dolls and
dress them up and play with them and I can do this and I
can do that!" I didn't think about names or what she is going
to grow up to be or how blessed I was to be having her, I
thought about playing dress up and playing with dolls and little
girl toys. Does that make me shallow? I mean really, I can assure
you guys once I am done playing with the dolls I promise to
give them to her. I just called dibs!  Well shortly after she was
born I got all dressed up to head off to the store and John
stopped me and asked where I was going.
"To the store."
"What store, you just went grocery shopping and when I
asked you yesterday if you needed anything while I was
out you told me no."
"Um, just running to get something for Rowan."
"Like what?"
"A Toy."
"What Toy, she is only 2 months, she doesn't really need
one."
"Nothing special. I just want to have it ready for when she needs
it."
"What Toy?" He repeated.
"Um, " I mumbled down to the ground. " A Barbie."
"Ah What? Did you just say Barbie? She is not
going to be playing with Barbies for many years yet.
You are joking right?"
"AH, well, really," I mean what do you say here?
Should I come clean and say the Barbie is for me
and Rowan is just my scapegoat or do I make
something up. I mean it is pretty hard to explain my
need for a Barbie or a Rainbow Brite doll to an
adult, even more so to a male adult. So I stammered and
made up a silly excuse about a sale and he gave me the
there will be other sales speech and I ended up with
no dolls are all. Now after all that you can imagine my
surprise when last week I went to grab the mail and there
was a box there. In the box was a what? Yes, you guessed
it, a Rainbow Brite Doll! I was delighted and was giggling like
some kind of maniac as I tore into it. Rowan sat in her high
chair just staring at me for I am pretty sure she thought her
Mommy was loosing her mind. Andrew walked in and I was
still giggling and he demanded to know what was wrong with me
and I couldn't tell him about the doll so I told him Rowan had
been making some funny faces. John walked in and took one
look at me then walked over and grabbed the doll, turned around
and gave it to Rowan.
The Horror!

I didn't even get to play with her hair or anything. They have
pretty hair too! I got one of ( Okay, Rowan got) the new ones
and out of the dolls they have today one has pigtails, another
a pony tale but the pony tale is the one I like for she has
little hair ties and you can style their hair in different ways. When
I had my own dolls and didn't have to share with Rowan I didn't
have cool little accessory's like that. The New Rainbow Brite dolls
are celebrating their 25th anniversary and they all have an up-dated
look. Hey, I got a make-over at 25 too! They still have their classic
bright colors but they are just brighter and the 10 inch dolls are
made better and given a brand new wholesome look. They all have
removable fashion accessory's and you can also get their companion
horses and let me rephrase that, you have to get the horsey for
they are just too cute. Rainbow Brite is an Icon for many people
and now with their new look and zest for life they are sure to
be an Icon for many kids today. Rowan loved her baby for she
is at the age where all dolls and stuffed animals are babies and
she has to hug and kiss each one. Now I have to beg that little
girl for a Hug and the plastic dolls get one free of charge. Now
like I said, Rowan loves hers but is still a little young to really play
with it and I can totally see a little girl a couple of years older
going nuts for these 3 little dolls for they are darling. And if the
doll itself isn't enough to keep your little Princess busy for hours
the web site is. Rainbow Brite is a division of Hallmark and via
their site you can get to the Rainbow Brite page where there are
loads of activities and things for your girls to do. The site has
games and activities and animation and tells you all about the
girls and is just a good way to have some fun! The dolls we
have is just too cute and is a great gift for any little girl. Toss
in a Horse to go with her and you have a Birthday gift or Easter
gift your little darling will never put down! Now these ladies
may have hit the scene 25 years ago but they are still stars and
shinning bright!

The folks over at Rainbow Brite also have a doll for one of
my readers. To enter just head over to their home at Hallmark
and take a look around then come back here and post what you
liked best! The contest will start tonight and run to Midnight on
April 20th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.


Rainbow Brite




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