Redakai Cards - Review

My son got the chance to check out the new Redakai cards from SpinMaster. My son has the Redakai Starter Pack which has several Character, Monster and Attack cards and the X-Reader that looks like the X-Reader in the show. The cards have a whole story behind them about some kids that are traveling the world to gather Kairu energy to use it to defeat evil.  There is also a show on Cartoon Network.

The cards are similar to Bakugan gaming/trading cards. You can collect and trade and play a game with them where you attack and defend. While the rules are similar, the cards are much different. They take things to the next level of cool. The cards themselves are really neat. They have SpinMasters Blast3D technology that makes them look 3D and they appear to move when you move the card. But the best part is that instead of having to keep track of the attack and defense the transparent parts of the cards do it for you. As you stack them they track your health and damage points.

You can check out the Redakai cards on their website.





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{Time Island }

All of my kids love online games. They will play as long as I let them and they love finding new games to play. When I heard about Time Island I knew my oldest daughter would have fun playing it. Time Island is a virtual game online where your kids will play and use their skills to survive. They are responsible for keeping their fed as well as maintaining hygiene. All set on on a lush island and also has games and adventures along the way! My daughter has enjoyed playing it and with it being in beta there are even more features and fun to come.
We were able to have a few of her friends over for a little Surviving Time Island Party. The kids really had a great time. We handed out Band Bracelets, Stickers, Temporary Tattoos and played themed games all with surviving in mind. We had some great refreshments and fed the survivors themed snacks and treats. Everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and the kids that never heard of the game were very excited to try it for themselves. You can read more about the game below as well as liking them on Facebook!

Time Island is a virtual game world designed for your child’s enjoyment and learning. The game takes place on a beautiful imaginary island inhabited by strange green creatures, called the Goggs.


As your child explores Time Island, he or she will come across a variety of games to play, some of which are educational and others which are designed to challenge and enhance your child’s multi-faceted skill sets. Among these skill sets are hand-eye coordination, spatial reasoning, music, logic and mathematics.


However, membership is required to truly give your child the experience and thrill of surviving Time Island while learning and having fun!


On Time Island the underlying theme is survival in nature, which is conveyed through the multitude of virtual world activities as well as a variety of do-at-home activities. The Time Island team is committed to providing a clean and safe environment for your child as he or she meets, communicates and plays with other children from across the globe.


Curse words are automatically banned from Time Island, while site managers ensure that Time Island is free of cyber-bullying and other inappropriate subject matter. Children and parents will be warned if rules of behavior are broken, and if need be a child will be removed from the site.


Strict guidelines promoting appropriate and non-threatening behavior will be diligently enforced to protect your child.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Never miss a post-Subscribe by Reader or Email!Smart and Trendy Moms finds products, ideas, projects, recipes, and other information that we have personally found helpful or interesting.  As always, it is up to you to determine what is appropriate for you, your children, and your situation.  See our Disclosure

{Lite Sprites Giveaway}

I love toys that have a story with them, encourage imagination, and help kids learn.  The new Lite Sprites are that type of toy. We recently got the chance to review the Lite Sprites Lite Wand, Prisma, and Pod.

The best thing about the light sprites is the amazing wand.  The wand can "collect" color and "share" it with the sprites and playsets.    It has a "color library" that you can add colors to by holding the bottom of the wand to the color wheel or to any flat surface.  The color of the surface then shows up in top of the wand.  If you aim the wand at a fairy and then hold the button, you can "magically" change the color of the sprites. Very cool!

{Aurora Softy Soakers Giveaway}

If you have read our blog then you may have read some of our reviews on Aurora toys. We have always loved their products and all my kids do. My kids love their YooHoo and Friends and Milly the Pinkest Kitten. And right now they are celebrating their 30th Anniversary this year, and are releasing a plush collection. These however are not regular plush toys. They actually grow when placed in water. The first in the collection is the Fanta-Sea assortment. This collection will include Dolphin, Seahorse, Turtle, Hammerhead Shark, Octopus and alligator.

{Funrise Toys Gazillion Bubble Hurricane Giveaway}

One thing that I know my kids will always enjoy is bubbles! My kids can literally blow and play with bubbles for hours. Bubbles are something I always have on hand for the kids to play with. And they have so much fun when we love to use them for Birthdays, play-dates and more. But did you know your kids could be enjoying bubbles in the most extreme way? With the Gazillion Bubble Hurricane from Funrise Toys they totally could be. My kids have had so much fun with it. They dance and play in the bubbles and have a total blast! They now can effortlessly make tons of bubbles. The Gazillion Bubble Hurricane uses motorized rotating bubble wands, it is battery operated and comes with an 8oz bottle of bubble solution. It is easily refillable and is a durable toy! They have even more bubble machines and products that my kids would love to have! Visit Funrise Toys now and see all the fun toys they have.

{Paper Jamz Pro Mic, Drum and Guitar}

My kids have not had more fun with an item as they do with their Paper Jamz. Their kid friendly fun products make it so easy for your kid to be a rock star. We were able to review the drums, pro mic as well as the guitar. All are made really great and durable and make for hours of fun. My kids really had fun with the mic. It comes with 2 bulit in songs as well as settings for Chorus, Perfect Pitch and more. My kids were not born with a singers voice but with the Pro Mic they are singing and having more fun then ever before. They can also add songs to it with the Paper Jamz Pro app.

{ PetCakes® Collectibles Series 2 }

Way back in our Holiday Guide I told you all about PetCakes. They are some of the most adorable toys you can find. They are sweet stuffed friends that my all three of my kids love. We started out with their first series which included Randy Candy™, Blueberry Buddy™ , Twinkle Sprinkles™, Coco-Coconut™. And now we are so lucky to be adding series two to their collection. Again they are the sweetest things ever. The same great quality and just as much fun! My daughters eyes lit up with excitement when we got them. She loves to call them by their names as well as naming them herself. We have hours of fun with them. They're all so cute that she does not even have a favorite, she says she loves them all. I love that they are durable, bright colored, super cute and affordable. PetCakes are for ages 3 and up and each one of the PetCakes has a suggested retail price of $13.99.

{Neat-Oh! Hot Wheels™ZipBin®Toybox Playmat}

With three kids my home often feels like a very messy toy store. Sometimes I cannot get my head around how many they actually have. They seem to be playing with something different all the time and finding ways to keep them organized is always a challenge. For me the ultimate way to keep them organized is to make it fun. And that is why I totally love Neat-Oh!. They have the coolest ZipBin® Mats that zip up and  fold out. They are much more then a fun way to store their toys. Some of them are also available with your kids favorite toy or character on them.

{Chuggington Interactive Wash & Fuel Starter Set}

Do your kids love Chuggington? My kids sure do. They can watch episode over and over if I let them. The have so much fun watching and playing along. Now my son is really into the Chuggington toys. His newest toy is the Chuggington Interactive Wash & Fuel Starter Set. My son is able to play with Brewster on the figure eight track, he has a blast fueling up and washing off. I love that we can get him some of the other engines and they can interact with each other.

{Pillow Pets Purple Fluffy Bunny Giveaway}

I cant think of a toy that my kids get more use out of then their Pillow Pets. I love that they are completely functional and all the fun of their favorite stuffed toy .They have been so much fun for my kids and a big comfort on family weekends in our motor-home.They love to show people how they turn from a animal to a pillow just like that. These are wonderful just around the house and are awesome at grandmas or the sitter.They are very unique and huggable. Did I mention how wonderfully soft they are? So soft, perfect for kids to cuddle and love. They secure easily with Velcro, just unfold them to make a one of a kind pillow they will love! We have many of the Pillow Pets and our newest one is Fluffy Bunny. A bright purple soft and fluffy bunny with adorable floppy ears. My kids will be so excited to add Fluffy Bunny in their collection. Fluffy Bunny would make a great gift this Easter. You can find their entire selection on their website.

{Moon Dough Magic Zoo}

Have your kids played with Moon Dough yet? All of my kids are absolutely fascinated with Moon Dough. They can play with it for hours creating and having fun. One of Moon Doughs newest products is the Magic Zoo. It is a wonderful set that lets the creatures they create walk around! My kids love turning the handle and watching their animal walk around. Moon Dough has provided my kids so much fun while also letting them be creative. There are so many things that I love about Moon Dough products  and its awesome that it never dries out. It is really light and fluffy and super easy to work with. It is wheat-free, hypo-allergenic, and comes in 8 fun colors. It is not that bad to clean up, just dab a ball of it to collect more. Moon dough has many products available- You can find out more on their website!

{ZombieZoo}

I love finding my kids unique and fun toys. ZombieZoo has a fun line of plush creatures that are completely fun and unique. They are unlike anything I have ever seen. Each one has their own personality and style. They have a living-dead look to them, but still really cute and appropriate for kids. These are far from the fluffy pink plush animals that my daughter already has. I knew she would love Boo the cat. Boo is the leader of the zoo and he also loves to read. My daughter loved reading about all the animals on their website, and loves to read with her cat Boo.They have amazing detail and stitching. They stand 12-15 high and are made of really soft and durable material. You cannot help but love these big headed animals.

{Hearthsong} + Giveaway

We were recently lucky enough to get the chance to review an item from HearthSong! The company was started back in 1983 by Barbara Kane who was having trouble finding good, wholesome toys for her children. Hearthsong has some amazing and unique toys, games, and craft kits.

{Melissa & Doug Monster Bowling}

My kids are so hard on toys and always have been. So for me to find toys that can withstand them and still be functional enough to pass down is sometimes challenging! Some of the best toys my kids have are from Melissa & Doug. My kids love their play food sets and will play for hours with them. They are durable, functional and really fun. I love the wonderful selection of Games and Pretend Play and many of their toys have won awards. Their website is shopper and parent friendly. Sign up for their Treasured Toy Club and receive Special Offers, Exclusive Coupons & Promotions, The Opportunity to Enter Giveaways, New Toy Previews.

{Mickey Mote + Mickey’s Number Roundup and Handy Manny: Big Construction Job.

With two younger ones home during the day, we watch quite a few kids shows on TV.  My kids have a few favorites in including Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I love how fun both shows are, and I love the fact that they enjoy them. They love all the talking tools on Handy Manny and have such a blast watching it and learning how all the tools work. Mickey Mouse has always been a favorite for all 3 of my kids. Now there is a whole new way to watch and play my kids favorite Disney preschool DVDs.

{CSN - Elenco Snap Circuits}

If you follow our blog, you probably already know that we love CSN stores. They make shopping online really convenient, fun and best of all they have over 200 stores carrying over a million products, including tons of things that would be perfect for Christmas, including home decor, housewares, cookware, toys, bedding and much much more.

While I of course always make sure to get the kids some fun things for Christmas, I also love giving the kids gifts that they can learn from. But giving things are fun AND educational - that's my favorite combination!  If your kids enjoy building things or figuring out how things work, I found a great gift idea at CSN stores that I just love. It's the Elenco Snap Circuits Pro Board Game which kids can use to learn about electronics. It's recommended for ages 8 and up.

{Bakugan - Review}

Everytime that I think that Bakugan can't possibly get any cooler, they do! I'm sure you're familiar with Bakugans. They are the ball-shaped miniature figures that pop open when rolled onto a special metal card.  They are used in a strategy game in which the player's bakugan battle to win the Gate cards. My kids love the figures and play with them even without playing the actual game.

{Zoobles}+ Giveaway

Have you heard of Zoobles? Fun bright colored balls that transform into adorable little creatures! These adorable little things have been such a hit in my house. My daughter in particular will play with hers for hours and never forgets to take them with her. Each one comes with their own "Happitat." She has so much fun watching them pop open when placed on it. They roll and play and create hours of fun! The single packs come complete with a Zooble and their own Happitat equipped with a hot spot to magnetically transform and display your Zooble. Happitats open to reveal a rest area to tuck away your Zooble.

{Super Sipperz}+Giveaway

Super Sipperz are a very cool idea.  They are straws with connectors that you can build amazing creations with and then use those creations to drink with.  Totally fun!  These are awesome because they are fun and they encourage kids to be creative too.

You can use them to make creations to drink through or you can use them just to build with also. They are totally fun either way, but who doesn't need that extra bit of incentive every once in a while to get the kids to drink their juice. And they are getting my kids to drink a lot more water too because I have them test their creations with water (and they do a lot of testing, lol).  Then, they drink juice through it once they are happy with what they've built.

{Pillow Pets} + Giveaway

Pillow Pets are adorable soft and cuddly stuffed animals that fold out into a pillow. They are made of amazingly soft chenille, and are totally cute and cuddly. It is really neat for kids to have such a cute cuddly security-buddy.

They are fun to play with and then when nap time comes, you simply unfasten the strap from across the bottom and unfold for use as a pillow.