Child's Play LA Blogger's Brunch

Mother's Day started early for me this year with a fabulous LA Blogger brunch last month sponsored by Child's Play PR/Marketing Communications.  We gathered at the fabulous Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach for a yummy brunch (omelet bar!) and the opportunity to see and touch some great new kids, mom and family products. I loved seeing my friends from the LA Moms Blog and meeting new mommy bloggers. It was the perfect informal setting; you could eat, mingle, and talk at your own pace with the representatives from the various companies set up at tables around the hotel patio. One of the first tables I approached before I even ate my lox and cream cheese on sesame bagel was the Cold Stone Creamery table sampling their new Double Stuf Oreo Ice Cream sandwiches. I'm a firm believer in the saying, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!" I think you need to love Oreos (which I do) to enjoy this treat because it basically tastes like a giant frozen Oreo cookie. Cold Stone also gave me a gift card so I could share the new sandwich with my boys. Yum! The ice cream shop is also celebrating new premium flavors every month in 2010. Strawberry cheesecake was the Gold Cone flavor for May. I can't wait for June--chocolate peanut butter!

Food is definitely always one of the topics at the forefront of my mind, so of course when I approached the Bandai table the first thing I noticed was the Bandai Chocopot. I can't even link to it because it's not on the market yet! This kitchen tool for both boys and girls will be available Fall 2010. You can melt chocolate and use it like a fondue pot or use the chocolate and included molds to make your own chocolates! The heat source is so safe that it seems pretty impossible that you would accidentally burn your fingers. This will definitely be one of H's Christmas presents--shhh, don't tell him! I love it also because the name reminds me of Choco Pie, which is every Korean kid's lunchbox staple. Bandai gave me a gift bag of neat toys from popular kids programming that I was able to share with the kids in my Sunday School. Thanks Bandai!

I picked up some more toys for my boys from Backyard Safari Outfitters by Summit Toys! They are always picking up things outside so I knew they would love these toys that are designed to support a child's natural desire to explore and foster a love of science and the outdoors. One of H's favorites is the Backyard Safari Binoculars, which he has found very useful in spying on the neighbors in our condo complex. I'm not an outdoors person myself so I probably would not have known about these toys if I hadn't attended the lunch (they weren't on my radar so I might not have noticed the display at Toys R Us), but now I know what to recommend to mom friends who are outdoorsy types. 

You probably know by now we're a family of TV and movie-loving fools. I went to a magnet school for part of my childhood. We were bussed in from all over Chicago so my friends lived nowhere near me, which meant my best friend was the TV. If there had been Nickelodeon back then, I probably never would have left the house. As it is, whenever the boys and I are at home (one reason I try to go out whenever I can), we're probably watching Dora The Explorer, who is celebrating her tenth anniversary this year--I know, she doesn't look a day over seven. The boys were thrilled when I brought home Dora Explore the Earth DVD (Thanks Nickelodeon!) and forgave me for going to a party without them!

I put some of these fun items together in the beach bag provided by representative from Pottery Barn Kids, who were present with a new line of beach inspired designs, including the Shark Beach Wrap that is R's new favorite towel. My kids love to play at PBK (although the employees probably cringe whenever we walk into the store). It's one of those stores where I know I can go and shop and they won't try to run out of the store.

Then there were the companies with products for the moms. Pajama Jeans look like a pair of jeans but feel like pajamas. I just received a pair in the mail. They definitely live up to the hype and I will be wearing them all around town as soon as I get them hemmed. The gals from the Temptress cosmetics and skincare store in El Segundo gave me a mini-makeover. I've test-driven the 2011 Toyota Sienna so I was excited to see Toyota at the event. Dyson was also on hand with models of their upright and hand-held vacuums. I've been drooling over my friend's Dyson for some time now. This event confirmed it for me, as soon as my current vacuum dies, I'm getting a Dyson!

That day, I left R with a friend for the first time in his two years of life. He didn't cry or look for me once, which was a relief but also made me a little sad. But now I know he doesn't have separation anxiety and that he's probably ready to go to preschool in the fall. Thank you Child's Play, for hosting this awesome event for moms and providing the occasion for me to learn something new about my child! 

I did not receive compensation for this post. I did receive product samples for review purposes.

Did Someone Say Minivan? Yes, the 2011 Toyota Sienna

If you're thinking about trading your BMW for a minivan like my friend Elizabeth did or getting a new car by the end of the year to take advantage of the 2009 tax credit, you might just want to wait till next year if you're in the market for a minivan or a car with a lot of cargo space. I was invited down to the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel last week to test drive the various models of the all new third-generation 2011 Toyota Sienna.

I'm one of those SAHMs that still has a hard time letting go of her past life as a young urban professional. So a minivan has been a very difficult sell to me. When we moved to Southern California from New York, we had to buy a second car. We bought a Honda Accord with the plan of trading in the BMW a year or so later for a minivan. It hasn't happened. But now I'm feeling the pressure more and more with both boys acquiring their sets of friends and the need to be able to pick those friends up and drive everyone around instead of being trapped at home. So when the opportunity came up last week to test drive the ten different renditions of the five models of the 2011 Toyota Sienna, I knew I had to go. Elizabeth was also there and we partnered up to test drive three models, the XLE V6 AWD, the SE, and the new Sienna 4 cylinder. The XLE V6 AWD felt just like Elizabeth's current model XLE. We didn't really have the road conditions to experience the difference AWD would make. Some nice new features about the XLE AWD (XLE MSRP $32,175) are the standard leather interior and Lounge Seating (reclining captain chairs in the second row, complete with footrests). I think the new Sienna 4 cylinder with a base MSRP of $24,260 is meant to compete with the Kia Sedona, which had a base MSRP of $22,195 in 2010. With just a $2K price difference, I bet more consumers would go with the better reviews, styling and reputation of the Toyota Sienna over the Sedona, especially if you're only driving around town with the kids. The 4 cylinder vs. a V6 really makes a difference only if you're lugging a lot of cargo or doing frequent highway driving where you need the extra power. With gas prices going up and down, the better fuel economy of a 4 cylinder (26 mpg highway) also makes sense for the budget-conscious consumer.

That brings me to the new SE (MSRP $30,550). I really think that Toyota should have called the SE something else, and labeled it not-a-minivan. It sits lower and the steering is a lot tighter so when you are inside you feel like you are in a regular sedan, maybe even a sports car. The Chief Engineer of the 2011 Sienna is Kazuo Mori, someone who spent his youth competing in the All Japan Kart Championships. When he began redesigning the Sienna in 2006, it was after a 7,000 mile cross-country road trip from Socal to NY to Detroit with the Toyota Alphard, known as the King of the Minivans in Japan. His market research led to him believe that there was a need out there for a minivan that was not only about Comfort and Convenience, but, based on the comments he got on the stylish Alphard, also the "Cool" factor. So he was able to infuse his passion for sports cars into the design of the third generation Sienna, namely the Toyota Sienna SE. If I were to buy a minivan, this would be the one for me. It even has cool exclusive instrumentation that has a completely different look from the other Sienna models.

The all-new 2011 Sienna will go on sale in February with the arrival of V6-powered Sienna grade, LE, XLE, and Limited models. Four-cylinder Sienna grade and LE models, and SE grade will arrive at dealerships in April. Another neat aspect of the third-generation Sienna is that the sliding door slots are so well hidden that they are barely noticeable. A lot more features have become standard equipment at all levels so this means that the Sienna is giving the Sedona a run for its money, literally. That means even though you wouldn't get the 2009 new car tax credit, you'd be getting a lot more car for your money to make up for it.

So now that I know which Sienna I would get if I were to get a Sienna, I just need to make the decision whether to trade in that BMW. Bob Carter, the Toyota Division Group VP & GM I met at the test drive event, said that if I were to get the SE, he would change the name on that car for me so it wouldn't be a minivan. After all, what makes a minivan? The sliding doors? Well, at first glance you can't even tell that the SE has sliding doors. So I wouldn't really be buying a minivan, right? Stay tuned.