blaze of glory by m. garzon, a book review

books, reviews,

My fascination with horses started when I visited Quezon province all those many years ago, people have horses tied in their backyards all around. If I can afford it then, I would’ve probably bought myself one! Horses are such fascinating, gentle creatures that I am always in awe whenever I see one in the zoo or last year, when we just hailed a horse-driven carriage when we got out of Manila Ocean Park, just because. It was an experience worth having. The little man is just as fascinated with the horse as I was.

Having said that, I guess it won’t be surprising that I’d also jump at any books with horses in them + enjoy reading them, too! Just like this one from M. Garzon, Blaze of Glory.

books, review

The gripping novel about horses, love, and the passions that consume us.

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christmas gift ideas for children #4: shake, rattle + drum

christmas gift ideas, children, musical instrument, music, toys, christmas

Christmas is finally upon us + I know a lot of us will be going out for a last minute shopping, even if it’s only a few more hours before Christmas Eve or even on Christmas Day itself. If you are hard up on brilliant ideas on what to give your little ones this Holiday season, you might want to check out this gift suggestion – the Shake, Rattle  + Drumtoy set!

christmas gift ideas, children, music, musical instrument, toyschristmas gift ideas, christmas, children, music, musical instrument, toys

Shake, Rattle + Drums is a perfect gift for your little Mozarts or Schubert. The set comes with a drum, 2 drum sticks, 2 mini-maracas, a tambourine stick + a castanet. It is a total package for your budding little musician-in-training.

christmas gift ideas, christmas, children, music, musical instruments, toys

What I love about this product:

  • It is perfect for kids 3 years + up {yup, my little one needs supervision whilst playing, but I don’t mind, I drum away with him while he does :D}
  • I love the size of each instrument which is just perfect for my son’s chubby little digits 🙂
  • Every instrument is made of wood + very durable that I know it will survive a couple of bangs + throws by the little man. I am expecting this toy will be around longer that most of the toys in my son’s toy bin.
  • The drum head is made from natural rawhide + it does make a very interesting + beautiful sound that got the little man, + probably the neighbors, interested
  • It conforms to international standards, including ASTM F 963-03 that I am certain it is safe to give to my little one to play with
  • It even comes with this parent-friendly activity guide that includes helpful suggestions + ideas on how to play with the set, encouraging the entire family to join in + promoting fun, bonding activity + learning {for the kiddos}

christmas gift ideas, children, music, musical instrument, toys, christmas

Shake, Rattle + Drums is a part of Sounds Like Fun music maker toys which are a “unique collection of of exploratory instruments designed to introduce young children to the benefits and joys of music making.” They are distributed by West Music, along with a host of other classroom instruments and an assortment of classroom music games.

Did you know that children who enjoy music at an early age are more likely to do better in school in the future? This is because music contributes to what the experts call a “rich sensory environment” that forge more pathways between the cells in your child’s brain. Thus, helping him develop his ability to learn in most areas, like reading + math. Music is not only a good learning tool for our children, it also helps them express themselves + develop their self-confidence.

So for this Christmas, give the gift of music + learning to our little ones 🙂

For more information about this product, please visit the West Music Website.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I was given this product for review purposes. However, opinions + views are 100% my own.

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christmas gift ideas for children #3: a day at activefun

image from metrodeal.com

There is nothing the children would want more this Christmas {aside from loads of toys, I guess} than a whole day of playing + having fun! Playing builds their character as well as develop their motor + coordination skills. Apart from that, for bigger kids, mums can catch up on her me-time {by probably watching a movie, going to the bookstore to buy stocks for her crafts or postcard collecting hobby, or have a mani-pedi, too!} whilst her little ones play. So, it’s like hitting two birds with one stone really.

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