Last month, we randomly drew a name from our Mommy Pages mailing list and this person was destined to win our wonderful prize courtesy of Clever Cats.  The prize is a fully furnished wooden dollhouse made by award-winning American toy brand, Melissa & Doug.  

The winner is a young mom, whose 6 year old daughter, Gwyneth was more than happy to be  the direct beneficiary of the Mommy Pages-Clever Cats contest.  See Gwyneth’s  happy smile when she received her prize…

Gwyneth, daughter of Mommy Pages mailing list member, Suzanne, wins our Mommy Pages-Clever Cats promo this October

Incidentally, the prize came just in time for Gwyneth’s 6th birthday this month! Thank you Suzanne, for joining the contest and thank you to all those who joined!  Watch out for the next Mommy Pages promo to be launched within the month!

Mommy Pages thanks Clever Cats for being our promo partner from August to October 2009!  Visit the Clever Cats showroom and see their selections of educational toys that grow with your child, toys that are worth passing on even to your children’s children.  Clever Cats’ contact numbers are 09175102967 or 09226419188. Clever Cats is located at 1269 Batangas st. cor Guatemala st. Bgy San Isidro Makati. (see map below)

Having 3 children with ages ranging from 2 to 11 years old, you can just imagine the wide range of toys my kids receive as gifts from relatives and friends during special occasions, like this Christmas. That is why the times I shop for toys for them are quite few and far between, and it is only when I see something really special that I buy.

A visit to a new and unique toy store late last year proved to be a test for my mommy willpower.  Actually, it doesn’t even call itself a “toy store” because its interactive corners, toy display areas built like little houses, interesting features like a talking (indoor) tree makes it The Pocketful of Kids Toy Village.  It is located in a building and not a mall, making it truly a treasure find for moms and a virtual toy heaven for kids.

One of my fab mommy finds at Pocketful was this: Melissa & Doug Deluxe Jumbo Cardboard Blocks.

To start with, I am a person who loves and collects all sorts of boxes and containers.  So this is probably why I was automatically drawn to this particular toy, amidst all the other fun and educational products found on the Pocketful shelves.

I admit there was a bit of a debate in my mind on whether spending that much money to buy a “box of boxes” was smart, when it would be more practical (and earth friendly) to just give my kids used carton boxes and make them build whatever they wanted using those.  But then the colorful brick printed boxes in this Melissa and Doug product was too tempting.  It didn’t help that the Pocketful staff told me about its durability because of the cartons being double layered inside.  As I imagined all the structures I….er…my kids could build with these carton bricks, I handed over my toy budget.

Sure enough, it was a good buy and it remains to be one of my favorite toys at home, to date. My boys have built super tall towers…

I caught my daughter and son having a picnic yesterday…

The boys built a fortress for their little sister, who was just all smiles…

It’s been so much fun for us thinking of what to build next. Then challenging each other to get it up (extra challenging with a 2 year old around). Then when the structures fall (or are toppled over, by that 2 year old!), then we all cover our ears and just laugh together.

Who would’ve thought a “box of boxes” could yield this much fun and unadulterated bonding! Now I wonder what I can find next at Pocketful…

Pocketful of Kids is located at Unit A, 15th floor, Emerald Ave., Pasig City. Tel no. 6347888 and 6342888.  Pocketful of Kids launches its series of workshops and events for parents and kids starting January 10, 2009.  Inquire about their iLearn Courses in basic acting, arts and drawing, literary appreciation, Kindermusik demo classes, Camp Millionare (Life skills workshops), and a lot more.