Meet Lea (doll giveaway!)

It's time to meet Lea Clark, American Girl's 2016 Girl of the Year! Lea is a photographer and an animal lover who likes to travel and explore. In Lea's 2-book series, girls can read about Lea's adventures when she goes to visit her older brother Zac in the Amazon rainforest. I went to the American Girl Store in Palo Alto to get a closer look at Lea and take some photos to share with you! Keep reading to find out more about Lea and her collection -- and enter for the chance to win a Lea doll of your own!

I think Lea is one of the prettiest Girls of the Year. She has hazel eyes and long, wavy, light-brown hair. It could be the store lighting, but it looks to me like Lea's skin tone is slightly tanned, which would make sense given that she's in Brazil. I love the way her hair curls at the bottom!


Lea's dress is so cute, and I can totally see her wearing it to any tropical place.


I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lea comes with a compass necklace and a messenger bag ( not part of her Accessory set, they both just come with the basic doll!).


Lea's sandals are so adorable!


Let's take a look at some of Lea's outfits and accessories, starting with the grandest of them all, Lea's Rainforest House! This gigantic playset comes with a ton of accessories -- and for $395, it had better! Her house has a thatched roof, lantern, hammock, and so much more.


The loft bed has bamboo railings plus bedding in bright colors. Decorations include shelves, a flower vase, a framed poster, and post cards. Lea is so close to nature, there are even tiny animals -- a blue butterfly, a parrot, and a tiny green frog -- and flit in and out of her house.


I love, love, love this outdoor shower with mosaic tile backing! Also check out the soap-on-a-rope, seashell chimes and mosquito netting. Detail, detail, detail.



The table and chair look like they are made with rattan, bamboo, and wood. There are a ton of native foods as well as utensils, a plate, a rice bowl, and a fruit drink. Lea can also use the table to work on her tablet and keyboard.


A less extravagant, more practical playset is Lea's Fruit Stand, which is a relative "bargain" at $150. It includes lots and lots of pretend fruit, food, plates, utensils, a blender, baskets, counter tops, a working window, and more! (BTW check out Lea's Bahia outfit, $28 -- I would totally wear that printed top).



Here's a closer look at the fruit stand.


Like the Rainforest House, the outside of the Fruit Stand has great detail, so girls can play from all sides. The side in the photo has a toucan perch, toucan, menu holder, and outdoor table. Girls can put decorative stickers on the side walls.




Lea gets to explore the ocean in a clear-bottomed kayak with removable sail.  The Ocean Kayak set ($85) includes a life vest but Lea's 2 piece swimsuit is sold separately (it's part of her Mix and Match Swim Set). The sea turtle is also a separate item.


Here's the other half of Lea's Mix and Match Swim Set ($34). Everything else in the photo is part of her Beach Accessories set.



Lea's collection comes with not one, not two, but three plush animals! Because she's in the rainforest, the animals are also rainforest animals -- a Three Toed Sloth ($20), a Margay Cat ($20), and a Sea Turtle($18). And because no GOTY collection is complete without a worthy cause, American Girl will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund for each animal purchased, up to $100,000. Way to go, American Girl!


Here's Lea with her new Brazilian friends. She's wearing her Rainforest Pajamas ($24).

Win a Lea Doll and Book

One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a Lea doll and book! Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below by 1/26/2016. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway




Disclosure: Giveaway doll provided by American Girl via Weber Shandwick. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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More photos of Grace Thomas, American Girl of the Year 2015

Each new year brings new beginnings, new opportunities, new adventures.... and a new American Girl doll!  Each year American Girl seems to bring out a doll that really resonates with girls, and this year is no exception. I feel a close kinship with this year's Girl of the  Year, Grace Thomas, because she loves to bake, and she loves to travel.  Paris is one of my favorite cities!  We were so excited when American Girl sent us Grace to review -- check out some photos of Grace below:

Like all American Girl dolls, Grace stands 18 inches tall, with molded face and limbs, and a soft body. She comes with a printed shirt, pink miniskirt, grey boots, a doll bracelet, and a book.

Grace has a beautiful face, with blue eyes and a light dusting of freckles.

Grace has long brown hair with a side braid and sideswept bangs. The Pea wants bangs like Grace!

Grace's shirt is a screen-printed tee with a glittery Eiffel Tower design. One sleeve of the shirt has a Grace applique.

Grace's grey suede boots look so stylish and comfortable. I wish they made those in adult sizes.

Grace comes with a doll charm bracelet.  The charms symbolize the things that Grace loves: travel, the Eiffel Tower, cookies, her dog. The bracelet is a bit tricky to put on, but once it's on, it won't come off easily.  It looks great on Grace's wrist!

I can't wait to dress Grace in different outfits and get her started with her baking!  We've made some adorable sweet treats out of polymer clay.  Stay tuned for future Grace Thomas posts and more photos.... and in the meantime, check out my photos of some of the Grace Thomas playsets at the American Girl store!




Disclosure:I received a sample for review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up: review and giveaway

Growing up is tough.  I've been through it once, and that was enough!  Getting through 11, 12, and 13 is not an experience that I'm in any hurry to repeat.  The Pea is halfway through puberty (she'll be 13 in a couple of months), and even though she knows her dad and I are always there to talk with her about it (and we do!), I know there are lot of things she'll want to share only with her friends, or things she wants to work through on her own.  Even if she's not coming to me for answers, I want to make sure she gets all the right information -- so I'm really glad that the editors of Discovery Girls Magazine have published a new guide to help girls through puberty:  The Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up.

About the book
Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up gives girls reliable facts and helpful tips about what’s going on inside their bodies and what to expect next, all written in a fun and easy-to-understand way. Most puberty books just cover the physical changes, but this one also teaches girls how to handle their emotions, have strong self-esteem, and love their bodies so they’ll be confident, empowered, and ready for all the challenges of puberty. Filled with real stories, interesting statistics, and fun illustrations, Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up is the perfect gift for every tween girl.

Here's an image of the table of contents of the Discovery Girls Guide to Growing up.  The book covers pretty much everything that girls will experience during puberty, from physical changes to mental and emotional changes.

The book is written in a style very similar to the Discovery Girls magazine: photos of real girls, cute illustrations, easy-to-read articles, fun quizzes, Q&A sections, with useful tips and interesting facts scattered throughout.

Here's a sample of useful tips found in the book.  Even I can learn from this book!
How to Measure Your Bra Size
How to Use a Tampon
Best Ways to Relieve Cramps
The Do's and Don'ts of Skin Care

One of the most unique things about this book (and one of my favorite things about it) is the real-life perspective given by real girls.  Discovery Girls magazine has been talking to tween and teen girls for years, and for this book, they have gathered a group of girls to act as a junior editorial board.  The girls helped keep the content readable and relevant -- if those girls liked the book, there's a good chance that your tween will like it too!  The book contains lots of quotes from those girls, dishing out about topics such as:

What they love about their bodies
Body Hair
Growing Up
Getting My First Bra
Getting My First Period
Tampons vs. Pads
Feeling Emotional
Dealing with Acne

Being able to read other girls' experiences is great, because it helps girls feel like they're not alone!  Getting through puberty is difficult enough!


Win a copy of Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will receive a copy of the Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up.


Required Entry
Leave a comment on this post and share a challenging issue you faced when growing up.

Extra Entries
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I entered the Discovery Girls giveaway! http://ow.ly/sTzDn

6) Tweet this (1 entry per day):
Enter to win a copy of the Discovery Girls Guide to Growing Up!  Enter by  2/6/14 on @bonggafinds: http://ow.ly/sTzDn

7) Join any open giveaway on Bonggamom Finds (1 entry per giveaway you've joined)

The Rules
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM PST on Feb 6,  2014; I will draw a winner at random on Feb 7and post their name after they confirm acceptance. Continental US residents only. For additional giveaway rules, click here.


Disclosure: Thank you to Discovery Girls for providing a copy for review and another copy to give away. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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Celebrate Pets with American Girl Magazine

American Girl Magazine is celebrating furry, fluffy, feathered, finned, four-legged friends -- basically any kind of animal that girls love -- with their We ❤ Animals issue for March and April.  It couldn't have come at a better time, since April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.  In addition, March 23 is National Puppy Day and April 26 is National Kids and Pets Day!  Here's a sneak peek at what's inside:

* A true story about how 12 year old Brooke and her wild mustang, Jacuzzi
* 13 horse posters
* Tips for taking great pet photos
* How to make a menagerie of sea creatures out of clay (The Pea really wants to try this!)
* Cute photos of readers' pets
* Fun quizzes: what animal best represents your personality and style?
* Decorating ideas for animal cupcakes
* Recipes for animal-themed dishes like Animal Crackers, Monkey Bread Muffins, Pigs in a Blanket, Birdseed Bars and more.

Today we treated ourselves to the Grasshopper Shake.  It's cold and minty and oh-so-good, and the green color makes it perfect for St. Patrick's Day!  I've copied out the recipe for everyone to enjoy:

Grasshopper Shake
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups mint chocolate-chip ice cream
2 crushed chocolate-sandwich cookies (we used 3 Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies for extra minty-ness!)
chocolate syrup
whipped cream

Put milk and ice cream in a blender.  Ask an adult to blend until smooth.  Remove the pitcher from the blender, then stir in 2 crushed chocolate-sandwich cookies.  Before serving the shake, drizzle some chocolate syrup down the inside of a glass.  Pour the shake into the glass and top with whipped cream.  Serves 1-2.

Next up on our must-try list:  Frozen Purple Cow shake (made with vanilla ice cream and grape juice) and fun variations on the traditional Ants-on-a-log.  If your American Girl is an animal lover, this issue is a must!  You can buy the single issue online , or subscribe for the entire year.


Disclosure: I received a sample copy from American Girl Magazine for review.  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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Born This Way Ball: Sharing every Monsterrific Moment with Skype

Holy Mother Monster!  I attended Lady Gaga's Born This Way Ball concert last night at the HP Pavilion San Jose, and it was the best big pop concert I've attended in over a decade.  Actually, it's the *only* big pop concert (i.e. huge venue, big production numbers with dancers, costume changes, sets, etc. versus smaller venues and musicians/singers rocking out with their bands) I've attended in over a decade!

It has been over a decade since I attended a big pop concert, so the biggest change I noticed at the concert were the number of people taking photos and videos -- it seems like everyone was holding up a smartphone or digital camera!  Thank goodness for modern technology!

Lady Gaga was in San Jose for one night only and the place was packed to the rafters, so naturally those of us lucky enough to attend the concert took every opportunity to celebrate and share our experience.   Fortunately, Skype, one of the Born This Way Ball concert sponsors, has come up with tons of ways to share every moment with family and friends!  If you're planning to watch Born This Way Ball (check out tour dates and locations, through March 2013), make sure you read all about it below:

Skype mobile app
Everyone knows that Skype is great for staying in touch with friends and family.  We have family across both oceans (my family is in the Philippines and Alfie's family is in the UK), so we are big fans of Skype!  With Skype, Alfie's parents can see my kids wearing the new pajamas that they were given for Christmas, and Jammy can greet my dad Happy Birthday by playing Happy Birthday on the keyboard as they watch.

And with the Skype mobile app, you don't have to limit yourself to telling your friends how amazing Lady Gaga is -- you can show them.  You can send photos, videos and IMs (great for coordinating concert meetups with friends) from the Born This Way Ball, or any other concert, for free.  You can share pictures and photos with multiple people at the same time, so you spend more time watching the concert and less time scrolling through your contacts list.


Skype blue carpet
Skype's blue carpet area is a great place to get that all-important "I Was There" photo because it has a great backdrop (featuring the Born This Way Ball poster) and the lighting is good.  Just hand your camera to the Skype representative and strike your best pose! If you forgot your camera or if you're saving the battery to take lots of photos and videos during the show, don't worry. The Skype rep will take a photo for you, and instantly send it right to your smartphone via Skype file sharing -- so make sure you've downloaded the Skype app to your phone and created a Skype account!

Skype video booth
Who doesn't love hamming it up with friends at a photo booth?  For the Born This Way Ball, Skype has gone one step further by providing a video booth where concertgoers can leave a video message for Lady Gaga.  You can check out some of the videos fans have made on the Skypeball website for each show on the tour.

After leaving a video message, the video booth also takes 4 photos and prints them out for you as a fun souvenir.  You can even download your photos and video from the Skypeball website using the unique code printed on your keepsake photo.

Skype reporter
At every show, look for the roaming Skype reporter!  You'll get the chance to show off your monsterrific outfit for the cameras, and a chance to get upgrades to the Monster Pit, which is the area right in front of the stage.  You'll be close enough almost to touch Lady Gaga -- or at least close enough to throw a jean jacket onto the stage -- hopefully Lady Gaga will pick it up and wear it (which happened twice at our concert)!

Even if you won't get the chance to attend, you can still share in the excitement and keep up with what's going on at the concert via Skype's social media channels.  You might even be able to win a prize or two, including tickets to a future Born This Way Ball show!

Twitter
Follow @SkypeEvents on Twitter and keep an eye out for the #SkypeShare hashtag on concert nights; you'll get up-to-the-minute updates and get a chance to submit questions to Lady Gaga for her live pre-show group video call!

Tumblr
Check out photos and videos of the show on Skype's Tumblr account.

Pinterest
Enter the Skype Blue Carpet Pinterest Sweepstakes for the chance to win a Skype Prize Pack which includes a Skype Mobile Camera Lens, Skype Phone skin, Skype T-shirt and Skype phone credits and more. To enter, just repin any image from Skype's BTWBall Pinterest board.

SkypeBall Sweepstakes
Skype is giving away concert tickets to watch the Born This Way Ball, and to be Skype's official blue carpet reporter at one of the shows!  You can enter both sweepstakes at the SkypeBall website.



Disclosure: I received complimentary tickets to the Born This Way Ball and access to the Skype Suite for myself and my family, courtesy of Skype.  I was not required to write, nor was I compensated for, this post.  The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

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American Girl Magazine

The latest issue of American Girl magazine is out, and it's full of lots of crafts, advice and activities to keep girls busy throughout the fall.  We received a copy of the September/October issue (available for sale as a single issue at the American Girl online store, or via subscription), and it looks like a lot of fun!  Here are some highlights:

The Classroom Confidential guide helps girls tackle back-to-school challenges like making friends or forgetting locker combinations, and start the school year confident and happy.

The Fearless article inspires girls to try new and exciting things by featuring three brave girls who try karate, flying and soapbox derby racing.


The Monster Cake tutorial teaches girls how to make and decorate a fun monster cake for Halloween


The Haunted Hotel Party guide has everything girls need -- crafts, treats and game suggestions -- to help them through the ultimate Halloween bash.

American Girl Magazine is a wonderful resource for girls 8 and up.  The Pea treasures each and every one of her issues!  She has gotten inspiration for organizing her locker and decorating her room.  She has even tried making some of their healthy breakfasts by herself to get out of her daily cereal rut!  And she's not the only one who loves the magazine.....

McKenna and Marie-Grace love American Girl magazine too!  Whenever they can get their hands on an issue, they read it from cover to cover.

Even Coconut likes to read American Girl Magazine!  With all the fun crafts and recipes inside that girls can enjoy, Coconut wants to make sure he gets in on the action.


Want to make your own American Girl magazine for your American Girl dolls?  It's easy!  Just print out the printables and follow the directions below to make a 2.5"x3" magazine ......

1)  Click on each of the images below to view full-size, then right-click to save the image to your desktop. Print both images.

2) Cut each pair of pages on the dotted lines.  Make sure you cut around the tabs.

3) Arrange the pages with tabs A & A1 back-to-back, so that the printout shows on both sides.  Glue together.  Do the same for B & B1, C & C1, D & D1.

4) Stack the pages one on top of the other, with the tabs A, B, C & D facing up, with A at the bottom, B on top of A, C on top of B, and D on top of C.  The "American Girl" magazine cover should be at the top of the stack.

5) Fold the stack of pages in half along the solid line in the center.  Run your finger down the folded edge to help the pages lie flat.

6)  Open the folded stack.  Staple along the center line.  Cut the tabs off.  You're done!

Now your dolls can enjoy their own doll-sized copy of American Girl magazine as much as your girl enjoys hers!



Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of the Sept/Oct 2012 issue of American Girl Magazine.. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.


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First photos of Caroline

American Girl fans are waiting with bated breath for the release of their newest historical character, Caroline Abbott.  The Caroline doll, books, clothes and accessories will be available at American Girl stores and American Girl online starting September 4, 2012.

No doubt you've already seen photos of Caroline around the web -- they were gorgeously staged and photographed by American Girl.  The photos on this post aren't quite as nice, but I'm so excited to be able to show them off, because they're photos of an actual Caroline doll, in my house! American Girl sent me a Caroline doll to check out before the release -- so everyone can get a sneak peek.

My apologies for the poor quality of the photos; I will take better photos of Caroline and post them sometime next week, but I wanted to take some quick shots of Caroline and put them up before she comes out!

Here she is, peeking out of her red American Girl box.

As with all AG dolls, Caroline's hair has been carefully netted so it doesn't frizz and tangle while in the box, and her future owner gets to enjoy combing and styling Caroline's beautiful blond hair.

Here she is, out of the box.  Her pink empire-waisted dress is quite thin, and came out a bit wrinkled, so I'll have to give it a light press on the iron to keep it looking fresh.

Caroline's hair goes past her waist (which is probably historically accurate).

Caroline has cute pink patent-leather slip-on shoes and chunky-knit white knee-high socks that look like they might have been hand-knit (again, a subtle detail that goes a long way towards getting the historical period right).  I love the dainty lace trim on her pantaloons!  Note, each historical AG doll that comes with pantaloons has a different lace trim (check out Marie-Grace's clothes and Cecile's clothes).

She's beautiful, don't you think?  Stay tuned for more Caroline photos from Bonggamom Finds!



Disclosure: I received a Caroline doll from American Girl to review. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.
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