In May, I was lucky enough to win a WebkinzJr teddy bear, and we instantly fell in love with the soft, cuddly fella.  I was even more excited that this new line of Webkinz – aimed at kids 3 to 6 years old – has a fun, colorful, intuitive site where my toddler can play with his new toy:  WebkinzJr.com.

Yesterday, I was able to host a WebkinzJr Party (sponsored by MomSelect) at my house, where six new families were introduced to the WebkinzJr toys and site.

We listened to a fun CD of preschool music from Bebop & the Beats, an animal band featured on WebkinzJr.com and the Webkinz YouTube Channel.

We played animal charades, had a teddy graham snack, and colored animals for paper sack puppets.  But BEST OF ALL – each child got their very own WebkinzJr plush!  We were fortunate enough to receive the very *newest* members of the WebkinzJr family – the mouse, elephant, puppy, kitten, and giraffe.

visit the entire WebkinzJr catalogue

The kids loved them, and the moms agreed that they were incredibly soft and cuddly.  I was able to open the WebkinzJr.com site for them and let the moms and kids poke around.  There was a great response from the moms, who were excited to see a website so geared towards the younger preschool age group.  I also heard that it was nice to have a “jr” counterpart to the Webkinz products, which their older children enjoy.  None of them were aware of WebkinzJr, which was exactly the point of the party!  It’s great to introduce something like this to families who I {know} will enjoy and appreciate – and USE – the product!

Here are some pics of our party animals:

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(for more Top Ten Tuesday posts, visit ohamanda.com)

Oh, how I wish everyone would make their blog updates available via email.  I don’t know when my preference started leaning this way, but I love the convenience of getting blog feeds in my inbox, and I am *much* more likely to read them there than in Google.  I subscribe to far more than 10 blogs via email, but here are the first 10 I see to start off this Tuesday morning:

1. Savvy Little Women – I love Kate’s photographs of her five delicious daughters (which include TWO sets of twins!).  This blog reminds me to savor the time with my young children and look for extraordinary beauty in the everyday.
2. It’s Come To This… – It strikes me that Mandi’s posts are always so helpful – I *never* fail to walk away with something, whether it’s food for thought, a strengthening of my faith, or a knew skill or knowledge.
3. Adventuroo – Melissa started following me on Twitter after she read about our family’s 4-week road trip this summer.  I’m glad she saw a kindred spirit in me!  Melissa (or Mel) seems to have an endless supply of enthusiasm for adventure, and shares that with readers, along with great tips and advice for improving the blogging experience online.
4. Silly Eagle Books- Vanessa’s site is a gorgeous ode to the power of books and creativity.  Her design aesthetic is so lucious, I just love reading her tutorials and brief posts about how she surrounds her family with knowledge and beauty.
5. a belle, a bean, & a chicago dog – Oh, how I wish I could bottle some of Liz’s energy!  She seems to be everywhere at once with her wit, fabulous writing abilities, and focus on building community.  She is a shining star, for sure.
6. Closing Time – I first “met” Erin online when I did a review of her & her husband’s music CD for kids (Here We Go).  I rarely follow business relationships into a more personal sphere, but I’m drawn to Erin’s thoughtfulness, devotion to her children and homeschooling, and general sense of calm and confidence in the world.  She also has an amazing talent for graphic design.
7. Chris Brogan- I’ve compared reading his site in the morning to the way people in business and finance read the Wall Street Journal in the morning – if I want to know what’s going on in social media, I need to keep up with Chris Brogan.  An absolutely FABULOUS resource if you want to get down to the brass tacks of being online.
8. Pensieve – I have been a long-time fan of Robin’s – of her writing, her wisdom, her goodness.  I got to hear her speak at Type A Mom Conference last year and was just entranced; she is one of the most authentic, kind-hearted people I’ve ever met.  I love what she writes about her older children, the love she conveys for her family, her God, and her home.  She also has an *awesome* sense of humor!  She is absolutely the Real Deal.
9. ShePosts- The site’s focus is on “Curating buzzworthy news & scoops from the mom blogosphere.”  If Chris Brogan’s site is the Wall Stree Journal, ShePosts might be compared to People magazine (and I say that with a LOT of love – I adore People!).  It might have more attitude and sauciness (and pictures of people and parties), but ShePosts is still an important resource in tapping into the pulse of what’s going on with bloggers and companies online.
10. Tree, Root, and Twig – does it seem weird that I subscribe to my own blog?  I subscribe via RSS in my Reader, too!  I do it because I’m very concerned with how my blog appears over several platforms, and I like to try to look at things through my readers’ eyes.

Quick edit:  here’s a bonus #11 for you.  I swear, back when I subscribed to our Top Ten Tuesday hostess, Oh Amanda, receiving updates via email was not an option.  Was it?  Amanda, am I crazy, or did you add that in the recent past?  Anyway, ohamanda.com has been added to this list, too!

Like I said, I subscribe to more than 10 blogs via email, and still dozens more via Google Reader.  So you might not see yours or your favorites on the list, but I may still be a follower!  But tell me now, what’s one more blog I should add to my reading list?  And do you prefer to read your blogs via email or reader?

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