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What Can The @PTPA Seal of Approval Do For Your Brand?

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I learned of the Parent Tested Parent Approved “Seal of Approval” long before I began my blogging journey. In fact, the first time I saw it was on a PlaSmart toy I purchased for the kids, that they loved!

Ever since that day, I have purchased a number of other products from PTPA Winners. From companies like Norton and Indigo to PlaSmart and Vtech, I always check for the seal when I’m out shopping for my family.

The reason I do this, is because I know that the products with the PTPA Seal have all been tested and approved by the people that matter most, the consumers. That’s right; every PTPA winner goes through a number of tests from Moms, Dads and Kids, before they submit a final review.

As a brand owner, there is no better feeling than knowing that your customers not only approve of your product, but that you can proudly show that Seal of Approval right on your packaging. Here are some of the other benefits of submitting your product or service to the PTPA for Approval:

• Brands receive objective reviews from volunteer parent testers

• PTPA’s mission is to be a liaison for the Brands and the parents – providing each access and a voice to share and engage with one     another

• PTPA provides access to all of the completed evaluations providing invaluable market research

• PTPA has 60,000 volunteer parent testers across North America

• PTPA is the only Seal that awarded based 100% on the parents evaluations

• Earning the Seal of Approval gives Brands credibility and a voice to communicate with their target market

• The PTPA Seal of Approval is one of the most publicized and recognized seal in the family consumer market

• Award winners receive direct access to their target market through a variety of innovative marketing initiatives

• No risk guarantee – companies who do not earn the Seal of Approval do not receive any negative attention and are refunded for their submission

• Founder and CEO Sharon Vinderine has been featured on over 55 morning shows including The Rachael Ray show

If you’re not convinced yet, please take a trip over to the PTPA’s website and poke around at all they have to offer and you’ll also find an impressive list of some of their clients. You can even register your product for award testing on that site.

Also, feel free to stop into one of the many social media channels the PTPA has to offer. Their Facebook page is filled with great information, testing opportunities and contests. Furthermore, you can follow them on Twitter @PTPA and watch how committed they are to promoting your brand through all of their amazing Tweet Chat’s (Don’t worry; I can explain those if you haven’t heard of them).

Finally, there is the Blogaholics’ Page, where you’ll find me and many other amazing bloggers, who are there to talk about the things that matter most to them; their families, lives and the products they love to use.

If I were a business owner, the decision would be easy. I would want my product to go through the rigorous testing process provided by the PTPA and their group of over 60,000 volunteer parent testers.

So, what’s it going to be? Go get the PTPA Seal and watch your business shine in the eyes of parents everywhere!

PlasmaCar Review & Giveaway from @PlaSmart (US/CAN)

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One of the things the amazing people at PlaSmart said when they agreed to let me do a review and giveaway of one of their PlasmaCars, was that I should only use photos or videos that I took myself.

As you can see from the image above, it looks as though I didn’t follow their instructions very closely….

Unfortunately (or fortunately), I can assure you that those 4 PlasmaCars all belong to me! You see, my wife runs a daycare in her spare time (LOL, kidding honey!) and we have 6 kids in the house at any given time.

Even with the 4 PlasmaCars, we still have fights over who gets to use them! The point is, these are probably the greatest toys ever made! Seriously, the kids (and Daddy) love them and use them literally everyday. On top of that, they are perfect for all ages!

My son even took his out in the snow this year because he was tired of waiting for winter to end. True story!

I’m so proud to be able to bring you this amazing giveaway, where PlaSmart will send the winner a PlasmaCar of their very own! All you have to do is use the RaffleCopter form below and I’ll notify the winner by email. Please read the Terms & Conditions before entering so we don’t have to do the awkward rules dance later!

With that, I leave you with this short video of my 1 year old daughter enjoying her PlasmaCar! Proof that they are suitable for all ages, lol. Good Luck!!

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Front Runner For Toy Of The Year

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My kids have a LOT of toys! They live in a house that is also home to a Day Care, so there is never a time where a toy isn’t within arms reach.

Do you know that we had our first nice day of the spring today? Yep, I spent 10 minutes dragging all my kids toys out of the garage so that they could enjoy them in this beautiful weather.

There were other things going on too. Some neighbourhood kids came over, I did groceries, Oh Yeah, and I took the garbage out to the curb.

With all the glorious toy goodness the kids had to play with, I was excited to see how they were going to react.

Were they going to play with their new PlasmaCars???

NOPE!

Most Definitely they’d be using their new hockey nets though!! Right?

WRONG AGAIN!!

You can imagine my surprise, after all my hard work, to find that the most popular toy of the day was in fact something that I had put out with the garbage.


There you have it folks! The 2012 Toy Of The Year is…..

Random Cardboard Box?!

Remember that when you are debating whether or not to get the $600 Kid sized Hummer from Toys R Us. It may look cool to you but the box it comes in will look a lot cooler to your kid!

Ever found your kids wasting your hard earned money by playing with garbage?? Share your story in he comments section and we can all console each other.

Cheers!

PlaSmart Perplexus Review and Giveaway

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Remember the game Labryinth? Yeah, me neither. At least not since I played the amazing 3D maze that is the Perplexus Original.

The fine folks at PlaSmart Inc were kind enough to help out a new blogger by providing me with one of their most popular toys, a Perplexus Original, to do a review and giveaway.

The first thing that happened when I first took the Perplexus out of the box, was that my 1 year old daughter grabbed it and wouldn’t let anyone touch it for the rest of the night. To avoid a tantrum, we obliged.

So the first night didn’t go as planned. On to Day 2!

My son is 3 years old and with the recommended age being 6+, I figured the best person to review this toy would be me and my work friends. I did let my son try it out and he did surprisingly well, getting all the way to 23 by himself before dropping the ball.

The point of the Perplexus is to get the little ball from levels 1 to 100 while navigating through the incredibly challenging 3D maze. To say this game has it all, would be an understatement.

I brought it to work to try it out and I rarely got to touch it. I placed it on my desk and before I knew it, people I rarely see, were popping in to say hi and to try out the new gadget propped up on my desk. It was actually nice because I got to see first hand, what this game can do.

I saw joy, excitement, sadness, anger, greed, anticipation, concentration and finally, I saw pure child like elation as the first person managed to finish all the levels.

Who was that person you ask?

Why it was me, of course! Who else could possibly tame this beast on the first day but the self proclaimed “Puzzle Master”?

On of my favorite features about this game is that it is broken down into levels, sort of like the show “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire”. Once you get past level 26, you get to start at the second starting point for each subsequent crack at it. The same goes for level 59, where you then get to start at the third position. From 59 to 100 though, it’s all you.

I thought after finishing all the levels, that I would lose interest in the game but that could not have been further from what happened. We actually began running time trials to see who could beat it the fastest and the game took on a new life.

The best news of the day came while I was browsing the Perplexus website and I noticed that there were two other versions of this game, The Perplexus Rookie (75 levels) and the Perplexus Epic (125 levels). Needless to say, we were playing the Perplexus Epic at work the next day….

This game is perfect for kids and adults alike, whether you are a puzzle nerd or not, the Perplexus will have you coming back for more. It’s an excellent centerpiece for a coffee table and guarantees to have your company talking about it and laughing with each other as you battle to be the first to the finish line.

PlaSmart does not sell direct from their website but they do provide a handy “Where 2 Buy” section on their website.

Please feel free to Like PlaSmart Perplexus on Facebook and don’t forget to Follow them on Twitter.

I wanted to leave you with one final glimpse inside the Perplexus world by providing you with a short video entitled the “Faces Of Perplexus”. It is on my “YouTube channel” and I hope it shines a light on exactly how badly you need to get one or all of these toys. I mean like now! Go Get One!

Thanks to the fine people at PlaSmart for taking a chance on a new blogger, it was very much appreciated!

Now on to the good stuff!! If you would like a Perplexus Original of your very own, all you have to do is enter the contest below and PlaSmart will send one to our lucky winner!!

Cheers!


a Rafflecopter giveaway