Giveaway: Tonka Roadway Rig

I recently was sent a package from Time to Play Magazine's Toy Guy.  It included four of his top toy picks for the holiday gift giving season for me to check out.

In case you aren’t familiar with Time to Play, TimetoPlayMag.com is a playful destination website which provides adults with information, entertainment, and services on what’s fun for children and their families. The website is powered by aNb Media and a team of leading, well-known toy, family entertainment, and parenting experts including Chris Byrne "The Toy Guy".  Chris is the director of content for Time to Play and has 29 years of industry experience in the toy industry. He has appeared on Live! With Regis and Kelly, Oprah, LIVE, Today, Good Morning America, and more.

Wet Ones Holiday Survival Kit (Giveaway)

My oldest son was home with a terrible cold yesterday, it's apparently going all over his high school.  Runny nose, coughing, watery eyes.  Sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it?

I wasn't shocked he managed to come down with it, he has clearly not been getting enough sleep recently with a couple papers due, some longer football practices, and a few other extra activities.  Luckily football recently ended and he'll be able to catch up on sleep during break soon enough before training goes into overdrive for track.

ABC Family TV Hit SWITCHED AT BIRTH: VOLUME 1 on DVD DECEMBER 13th

Just ask most tween or teenage girls about ABC Family and they'll tell you it's the home to several hit shows including Pretty Little Liars, The Lying Game and Switched at Birth.  It's a fact that the January 2nd and January 3rd Winter Premiers of these three shows was even the subject of one of our households recent dinners.  In fact, I'm going to confess right here and now that I watch all 3 shows as time allows.  They may be aimed at the the teen crowd but it's my parental duty to watch with them, right?

The GameChanger iPad board game from Identity Games

We recently had the chance to test out The GameChanger during family game night. It's part iPad gaming app, part traditional board game, and a lot of techy coolness.

Hickory Farms Holidays Christmas Gift Baskets

A 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Pick from "And Twins make 5!"

Who doesn't need extra munchies around the holidays?  The kids are home from school, family and friends are dropping by, and everyone is busy wrapping presents and enjoying the season. 

Christmas Holiday Gift Guide Giveaway for $100 Target Gift Card

Our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide has arrived!

We are so excited that we are giving away one $100 Target Gift Card to celebrate.

Help us spread the word about this guide and enter for your chance to win.

Return daily to retweet the holiday gift guide link for an extra entry & see the new items as they are revealed.

Start a Family Tradition with some Elf Magic: Meet Jynx

This year we have a new friend and a new family tradition!

Shortly after writing Christmas letters to Santa, an elf arrived at our door.  His name is Jynx and he arrived complete with a change of clothes, a passport, and a little trunk that doubles as his hangout.  Jynx gets to stay with us until Santa picks him up on Christmas Eve.  I just hope Santa can find the little bugger when he arrives.

Holiday Gift Idea for the Family: Archers Farms Popcorn

A 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Pick from "And Twins make 5!"

One of my favorite holiday gifts for a family like my own is a movie night basket complete with gourmet pop corn and seasonings like these by Archer Farms.  It's such an easy gift to assemble and it's a definite crowd pleaser.  Add a popcorn bowl, family movies, board games, or even an air popper for additional WOW impact.

Holiday Gift Guide for Tweens: Disney Universe Video Game

A 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Pick from "And Twins make 5!"

What's a Christmas List in this day and age without a video game or two upon it?  One of our picks for this year is a game called Disney Universe.  Disney Universe is available for all 3 major platforms Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, & Playstation 3 as well as for the PC.

It's an action adventure game that takes place in a universe made up entirely from the virtual worlds created by Disney and Pixar.

Contest Results

The winner of Beethoven's Christmas DVD is #37 Terra H.
The winner of P&G and Walmart Family Movie Night Kit is #14, Dnbuster

Holiday Gift for Teens: PBTeen Headphones & Gadget Cases

A 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Pick from "And Twins make 5!"


I've learned from experience that electronics and cool accessories for your teens electronics fall into the category of a safe bet.  Both of my teen sons rank their headphones way up there on their favorite items list and now it's my daughter's turn to crave a cool pair.

Mega Brands Blok Squad Construction Set

Team Mom & Mega Brands recently gave us the opportunity to try one of the new Blok Squad buildable playsets.  There are several different sets in this category, we were sent the 218 piece Construction Set.  

The Keeper of the Good China

We all have roles to play in our families and extended families.  The peace maker, the organizer, the entertainer ... it seems everyone has a duty and many of us may have more than one.  I have recently named one of mine the Keeper of the "Good" China.

Holiday Gift for Tweens: Mattel Fijit Friends

A 2011 Holiday Gift Guide Pick from "And Twins make 5!"


 My 10 year old daughter has proven to be a tough one to Christmas shop for this year.  She's not a little little girl anymore, but she's definitely not a teenager either.  Her list is a vague one filled with mainly accessories, gadgets, and apparel.  Don't you just hate that whole "you know what I like" thing?  The pressure!

Free Dominick’s app for iPhone ($50 GC Giveaway)

You are probably all mad at me right now because your kids won't surrender your iPhones after I shared those past couple kid app round-ups.  I know this, because I've had to hide my phone from the twins.  If you can steal it back (maybe yell "snack time" or something), you'll want to download this free app the folks at Dominick's introduced to me.

Best iPad / iPhone Apps for Kids (December 2011 Edition)

It's December and while we are certain to keep busy with the Kid's Christmas themed apps listed in our special Christmas app round-up, we also have made a list of 9 great kid apps perfect for any time of the year.  The first couple apps are 2 of 5 released from Fingerprint Kids' today.

2011 Holiday Gift Guide

It's our 2011 Holiday Gift Guide and I am so excited!

December has arrived and with it comes the unveiling of "the first batch" of our holiday gift guide picks. As frequent readers may recall, I'd just love releasing the items slowly.  I'd highly suggest you take a moment to follow AndTwinsMake5 on Facebook so you can easily stay up-to-date as more and more selections are revealed.  We'll be uncovering more items as December progresses.  

This list includes the "best of the best" we reviewed this year along with some brand new holiday season finds.

Happy Holidays, and as always a big thank you for reading.  It wouldn't be any fun to blog without you.  Also need to offer a big thank you to the many companies with have worked with this year.  We are truly honored you chose us to help spread the word about you, the things you create, and the things you do.

And without further ado ... happy shopping!

P.S.  Spread the word about our gift guide for your chance to win a $100 Target Gift Card!  Details can be found here.

Cookie Ball Recipes

Greetings to all of you Holiday Cookie Makers!

We've featured a lot of Kraft Cookie Ball (or Cookie Pop) recipes in the past and I thought I'd help you find them all in this cookie ball round-up.  Below find links to all our favorites:

Current Giveaways include:

• No Name Premium Steaks & Chicken
• P&G and Walmart Family Movie Night Kit
• Tassimo Coffee Maker
• Pro Chef Roleplay Toy
• Beethoven's Christmas DVD
• EI Bean Bags
• EI Toy PowerTool Workshop