Happy 3rd Advent

Today is the 3rd Advent already. My, oh my time is racing. We got totally surprised here in southern Oregon this morning, by a nice coating of fresh snow. It was not supposed to hit the valleys but we were s excited to take out Zipfelbobs for a test run. Who would have thought we get the chance so fast.

Our snow was very wet and slushy, but the sleds still performed awesome !

I loved that they can carry these sleds so easily by themselves. They are super light, easy to stir. Just drop it in the snow and go… !!!

We are hoping for more snow tonight, it would be awesome to take out the sleds a little more. If not, we are planning a little trip up the mountains, but since snow chains are required up there we will have to head out to get those first. If you are curious about our ” Zipfelbob
go check them out (aff.link) I have had many sleds in my life growing up in Germany but these are so easy and maintenance free, I am really glad we choose these. I wanted the big, wooden, traditional one first, but they are soo expensive and require that you take care of them well after playing outside.

Anyways, hope you are having a lovely day , we are heading back inside now to snuggle up and play some more on this lovely 3rd Advent ! Just a few more days till Christmas 😀

This set comes from this  Playmobil advent calendar (aff link ) it goes along with the modern villa that was just recently released in the USA 😀 My daughter loves the modern style on the people and the furniture, and of course PURPLE lol… We opted for this one this year PLAYMOBIL Advent calendar – Dress Up for the big party I will have to post some more details of whats inside soon !

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Typing Instructor for Kids *Review*

Since we are still in our temporary apartment  we don’t have all that much to do. We have run out of most books already and keep us entertained by the local parks, boardgames we have brought and a little bit of school work here and there. The other day I saw a great gold deal though through the “A” place and could not resist. I have had this Typing Instructor for Kids Platinum 5
typing program  for the kids on our lists for a long, long time, but always thought it was not good to add something to our agenda. Now seemed a great time though. Especially since both kids had complained about their typing skills just the day before again while skyping with their grandparents…

Once we received it the girls were excited to try it out.  The installment was super easy and fast, and no problem even with the recently Windows 10 update.

There are many worlds to explore and levels to beat. Once you have beat certain levels/ words (by beating the accuracy and words per minute challenged ) you get closer and closer to the castle. Letters are being introduced slowly that in each level the kids can concentrate on the new letters. They can play more challenging games before advancing to the next level to get a higher accuracy as well.

My little one was excited to get closer to the castle, trying to cheat (by typing with one finger and just finding the letters quickly) but after telling her a few times that, that wasn’t the “right way” and point of the game she surprised me each time when I looked, that her hands were placed correctly !

I love that I can check on their progress and that each one of them can sign in with their own name and with that have their own accounts.

All in this is a really great beginners program that gets kids excited for typing on the computer. We have had so many incidents when my daughter has gotten mad over her typing skills that I have been wanting to find her something for quite some time. There are so many fun activities on the computer for them to do, but when typing just a single word, takes you “forever” it takes the fun out of it.  The lighting deal that day had the program for about $10 and the normal price is $17.99. For $10 it was amazing and very, very worth it. Would I buy it for the normal price ? Yeap, I think so. After a week they are still excited about playing it, and they have made a great progress in a short amount of time.

Any Cons ? The instructor voice is a little annoying and repeating with some of the instructions. It has bugged me a little, not the kids.

Other than that, I have not found anything yet 😉

Playmobil another review.. the modern luxury mansion

While we don’t have many toys and things in general here at the apartment right now, we notice pretty fast what things we miss the most and what not so much. Clearly on the top of my list are books and many, many things in the kitchen. Also my bed, specifically the mattress lol. For the kids it’s surely some of their toys, some more than others. But on their top list are clearly their Lego sets and PLAYMOBIL.

While going through my email list I stumbled across a newsletter and was delighted to see that one of our favorite sets is finally available in the US. My mom supplies us with the newest things very often directly from Germany and since we are all a little (or a lot) playmobil addicted we often just can’t wait until they come out here. So last year when we visited Germany my daughter fell in love with the newest Playmobil house, but she patiently waited until Christmas a few months after until she received it.

We love Playmobil for so many reasons.

1. My siblings (10 years older than me) already grew up with it. I have played with it all my life, 30+ and I have many sets and pieces that even my own kids now play with.
2. The quality is outstanding ( the above statement should clarify that 🙂 )
3. The details are amazing !!!
4. They always come out with new, wonderful, sets that you can add-on to anything prior.
5. Imaginary toys are simply the best, and there is no limit to your imagination !!

When I was little I spent many, many hours just playing away. Creating stories about anything you could possibly imagine. Family lives, castles, knights and princesses, pony farms, zoos and hospitals.. anything exists in Playmobil and it really is unlimited fun !

If you have never owned anything Playmobil, don’t be surprised to get a box of many pieces upon arrival. You do have to put them together (adult is best) yourself and if your child is very impatient you might want to do it a night before. It’s a fairly easy process though and depending on the set, done relatively fast ! Unfortunately I don’t have access to many pictures right now, but I just could not wait to share these exciting news with you 🙂

You can find it on amazon here ( affiliated link )

Our picture do contain a few extra pieces that are not included in the original set. There are many other sets available for different houses and you can mix and match any way you like 😉