Learning and Snuggle Time with Piccoli Horses

Stuffed animals, one of the few things that are loved by virtually everybody. People win them at carnivals, spend a ton of change just to win them from machines, gift them on holidays to their loved one, and secretly or not so secretly cuddle up to them at night when we need some added peace and security. I think we can all agree stuffed animals are great but they are not all made equally, and being a 31 year old stuffed animal enthusiast and Mom of 2 I know a good one when I see one and let me tell you recently I have stumbled upon the BEST. That’s right you read it correctly, your eyes have not deceived you I have found the best stuffed animals out there, Piccoli Horses. Curious as to why I say that? Stick around and keep reading to find out.

Piccoli Horses is a company who you guessed it makes stuffed animals that are horses. Pretty self explanatory but what isn’t self explanatory is the quality of these horses and the thought and care that was put into them. I say thought and care because these are more than just stuffed animals these horses included with your horse is access to an app that encourages your child with language development. That alone had my mommy senses buzzing, my oldest child has autism, his speech was delayed and he is still enrolled in speech therapy to this day. Had I have had this tool around when he was younger it would’ve helped us a ton. Now that I have a toddler on my hands again, I am excited to use it with him and watch him flourish. Also, while the app helps children develop and learn language skills in the English language there are plans to add other languages. I love the idea of my kids knowing other languages, I plan on sitting right by them too so that I can pick up on some words as well.

Piccoli Educational App

Another thing that gave me the feels and told me someone had put a lot of thought into these horses is that when you purchase your Piccoli horse the experience is like adopting a new animal pal into your home. You can log online on their website and register your horse, your child will be able to give them a name of their choosing, making the experience even more special.

If Piccoli Horses doubling as the perfect cuddle companion/best friend and learning companion and being able to register and name the horse themselves isn’t enough to convince you that these are the best stuffed animals on the market then let’s talk aesthetics. These horses are nothing short of gorgeous. They each sport a different saddle with a different pattern, there is plaid and floral and they come in a variety of colors to suit your fancy. The saddles are interchangeable too, perfect for the kids who like to play dress up with their toys. One of the horses which happens to be my son’s favorite is listed on the Piccoli site as “Red Velvet”. Red Velvet sports a rose necklace made of roses. It is a racehorse and judging by the necklace around its neck a winning one. You see, I am from Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby. Horse racing is a big deal for my state and I like that the necklace is factually accurate in what a horse gets to wear when it wins a race. Not only is it a beautiful detail, but it is something that I can use when teaching my kids about the history of horse racing in our state.

Every horse is adorable in its own unique way but looks aren’t everything. What makes a stuffed animal for me has always been how it feels. These horses are made of the softest materials, when our horses arrived and we took them out of the box it is an automatic reaction to rub one against your face and then give it a squeeze, that’s how soft they are. My toddler picked up Red Velvet and instantly laid his head on it, we’ve had our horses for more than a month now and he packs it around everywhere. He will lay the horse in the floor and lay his head on it, he will also give it kisses, it’s the cutest thing ever. In my experience every child will find something early on, whether it be a blanket or special toy and grow attached to it. It is clear to me that Red Velvet is his thing. Understandably so since I have had my friends my own age come over and gush over how nice and soft they are.

Just a boy and his best friend

Now that I’ve proven just how great these are it’s time to talk about where you can purchase yours. The holiday season is coming up and I can’t think of a better gift to give then one of these adorable stuffed animals. These would look perfect sitting under the tree left by Santa. Piccoli also has miniature horses that would fit nicely in a stocking and fit easily even in the tiniest hands. If you plan on shopping for kids who aren’t yours, say a friend’s kids or whoever they may be these would be the perfect way to win Christmas and make a lasting impact. You aren’t just gifting a toy you are gifting potentially a best friend, a snuggle buddy, something that a child won’t leave behind or sleep without. Let’s not forget all of the points you will score with their parents when they hear it is a learning tool too.

If you want to purchase a Piccoli horse you can do so here: http://piccolihorses.com/

Feeling lucky? Want a chance to win one of your own? Comment below and tell me what you would name yours and I will pick a winner. Want extra entries go and follow Piccoli Horses on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/piccolihorses

The Magical Tale of Birthday Dust Review

Childhood is a magical time. When you are a child there are so many cool things for you to believe in. There is the old time tales that have been around for ages like Santa Claus, The Easter Bunny, and The Tooth Fairy and then there are newer traditions like Elf on the Shelf. If you take a glimpse even just a quick one at Pinterest you will see a million and one other ideas on what you can do to make your child’s childhood more memorable. Unfortunately, if you are like me, that is where those cute ideas stay; and it is not because we love our kids any less. The reason behind it is because of life. Yes life. Life gets busy; there are only so many hours in the day. I may want to make reindeer food like Cindy Lou Who down the road did for her child or I may want to type out elaborate letters from the man in the big red suit for each of my kids but sometimes it just isn’t practical. If you are one of those moms who do manage to do all of those things every single time then I applaud you but even you could use a little help from time to time.

Luckily, for us I have discovered a series of books that does all of the work when adding a little something extra for your child’s special days. The book series is called “The Magical Tales” and there is a book for every major holiday and even one for your child’s birthday. Loving the idea of these books, I was able to speak with the Author and creator of the book series Patricia Cardello who sent me 2 signed Birthday books from the series, one for me and one to give away at a get together that I was throwing.

To say that I was excited was an understatement, but the real excitement came when the shipment arrived with the books. I knew that the books were nice looking from seeing them online but the online pictures as good as they were really didn’t do the book justice. The book came packaged as a set,included with the book is a neon green soft pouch full of multi colored confetti also known as “Birthday dust”. The sack was closed by a thin red ribbon with a note attached. The cover and the box that the set comes in is so brightly colored and festive, I was really impressed. We have all heard the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover”, well kids don’t get that at their tender age in my experience anyhow. No worries with this book, my son spotted it when it was first delivered and was drawn to it. He commented immediately on liking the “sparkles” on the birthday hats the bears are wearing.

Once he seen it, it was decided, it hadn’t been my original plan and it was not anyone’s birthday but that had to be the book that we read before bed that night. A little background on my son, he is 10 but was diagnosed with autism around the age of 5. He is one of the most sweet and innocent minded kids you will ever meet and still very much believes in magic, and not sure if he will ever stop, and I don’t mind it at all; Actually I love that he does. If I have to I will still sneak into his room if he ever was to lose more teeth when he’s 20 and slide him a little something under his pillow.

Bedtime came and it was time to read “The Magical Tale of Birthday Dust”. Since I knew I would be blogging about it I paid extra attention to every little detail while going through. When you open the book there is a place for you to write your child’s name and a place for you to write when you started the birthday tradition. Immediately it made me think of how cool it would be to gift this book to a new parent. How cool would it be to gift something to them that they could use year after year and be remembered as helping them start one of their family traditions? We moved along and read the book, the illustrations were gorgeous and the font was a good size. I didn’t feel like I had to squint to read it, and the words used were easy for kids to read. My son was able to read a page, and then I would read one.

The story is about three cousins who have their birthday party together. One of the cousins has his list of who he wants to invite, the other cousin has hers, while the third cousin wants to invite her bears; but on the day of the party she can’t find her beloved bears. The party must go on, but after getting to the party and playing the cousins spot a bag on the ground. What is in the bag you ask? Birthday Dust that’s what! The illustration of the bag looks like the bag included with the book and the note says the exact same thing that it does in the book, which I thought was super cool! Not only does your child get this cool book and birthday dust but everything matches up down to the note on the pouch. The idea of the dust is that you make a wish and throw it up in the air, the birthday dust will help your birthday wishes come true. In this case the cousins wished for the bears to be able to attend the party, and after throwing the birthday dust in the air the bears appeared.

We loved the book! My son can’t stop talking about the magic dust now, and how he can’t wait to use it on his big day in March. In a normal situation I think it is meant to be read the night before your child’s birthday or maybe even a few days prior or else you will be in the same boat that I am currently where I will be hearing about birthday dust from now until it is time to use it for him 8 months from now. Also, aside from bringing some magic to your child’s birthday, I noticed that there was even a teachable moment. It was when all of the cousins used their wishes so that the one could have her bears at the party, and I think whenever we read it again we will talk more about it.

Now that I had read the book it was time for me to give the second copy away that came a day or so later when I had family and friends over for a day full of fun. I had a ton of activities for everybody to do that day there was a lot of outdoor toys and even water balloons for all of the kiddos to enjoy, but as hot as it was I knew that they would appreciate a good story time. I gathered everyone up and passed out some drinks, it was story time! I underestimated how hard it would be to get kids to pay attention, and listen all at the same time. How do teachers do it?

Eventually, after having to hide the birthday dust and the box that the book came in, we were able to have story time. Despite how hard it was to get everyone to listen, once the story started the kids were tuned in and I was even able to ask a few questions to test their listening skills. After the story was finished every kid there was wanting to have magic dust for their party which made the give-away even more exciting. In my head I thought about having all of the adults compete in a physical competition, maybe a badminton match, but who am I kidding most of us are in our 30’s. After being in the heat with a group of hyper kids all day, it wasn’t going to be much of a match. Instead, I wrote everyone’s name on paper and drew a name from a hat. Sorry I couldn’t deliver a more dramatic play by play of a hard long fought badminton battle but hopefully this adorable pictures of the winners will make up for the lack of drama.

After getting the opportunity to read this book and share it with family and friends I can’t say enough good things about it. What is there not to like? A book that helps busy parents do a little something extra for their kiddos without having to get second degree hot glue gun burns from trying to keep up with Pinterest Mama; and it is a thoughtful gift to give to a parent or expecting parent to give them a jump start on starting their own birthday tradition.

If you would like to purchase your own copy you can do so here: https://themagicaltales.com

Don’t forget to check them out for all of your special occasions. There are books available for Christmas, Halloween, Easter, and much more.