Giveaway: $100 Rokenbok Action Set & $50 Deluxe ROK Block Set
If you're like me, you bore easy. I can fall asleep watching True Blood, so you can imagine what goes through my head after saying "No sweetie, the triangle won't fit in the square space" for the 400th time.
Toys for a 19 month-old are MIND-NUMBING. We've got multi-colored stackers, alphabet blocks, shape sorting cubes (pictured left), laughably easy puzzles and….ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz… Huh? What? Where was I?
The most exciting toy that Mazzy has at the moment is a talking map of the United States. I like it because it's fun to hear Mazzy say "Colorado" and because (embarassingly) in the face of a blank map, I would not be able to name all the states. So if a blank map is ever presented to me in some sort of "name the states or everyone dies" scenario, recalling Mazzy's map is the only shot I'll have at saving the world. (See? I have everyone's best interest in mind.)
As Mazzy gets older, I predict we'll ditch the boring stuff and get toys that are a bit more entertaining for the both of us. Something that doesn't make animal noises when you pull a lever. Or make me want to throw myself off Mazzy's mini-kitchen.
Something like a Rokenbok building set.
I know you think Mazzy and I are all dolls, necklaces and hairdryers (and mainly we are) but please don't be so quick to place us in the "princess/ballerina" box. Lincoln Logs were one of my favorite toys when I was little and Mazzy can currently stack about five of her alphabet blocks on top of each other— so yeah. Obviously, I'm already looking into whether MIT has a preschool engineering program.
Unfortunately, Mazzy is currently too young for Rokenbok (the sets are for kids 3 and up) but I've come to understand that Mazzy will keep growing (whether I'm on board or not) so in the interest of OPERATION: AGING BABY ACCEPTANCE, I had Rokenbok send us a set to check out.
Basically, I learned that Rokenbok is not your average set of blocks.
Their building sets involve things like scaffolding, mechanics and remote control (I think Mike just started to mouth breathe over my shoulder) that challenge young minds and create a totally educational experience. Kids come up with their own ideas and then they are able to build and interact with them on a whole other level— that is, if they can wrestle the remote control away from Dad. (Or Mom. No gender stereotypes here!)
Today, I am giving away two Rokenbok sets. One winner will receive an $100 Rokenbok Action Set with remote control and moving parts (pictured above) and a second winner will receive a $50 Deluxe Rok Block Set (example of what can be built pictured left) just by leaving a comment below (winners selected at random).
Both sets are excellent entries into the Rokenbok world. But be prepared because the Rokenbok world is full of diehard fans who let scaffolded remote control building sets take over their entire homes (see video below).
I, for one, can't wait to get started on my Diaper Changing Robot.
GIVEAWAY RULES:
1) You must be a Mommy Shorts Facebook Fan to enter. If you are not already a Mommy Shorts Facebook Fan, you can easily become one by clicking "like" on my right sidebar or by clicking here.
2) If you'd like a second entry, become a Rokenbok facebook fan (they do fun stuff like facebook giveaways and caption contests). Then leave a second comment below.
3) Just for fun, tell me the most boring toy/game your kid makes you play.
One last thing. And I'm doing this both because the Rokenbok lady was so cute/persistent and also because it really gives you a much better idea of the kind of toy I'm giving away.
Here's a two mintue video explaining the world of Rokenbok:
OMG that looks like so much fun! My boys would go NUTS!
My boys like to “cook”, because Daddy cooks, so when they get out the cook set they have I RUN! It’s like having a tea party! ACK!! It’s why I was glad I never had a girl…no tea parties. But with something like that? Ohhhhhh they might forget about the cooking!
Oh yeah and I Like you on facebook!
I think it would be a fight between my husband and my son to see who would get to play with that, it looks awesome.
The most boring toy my son has? Any of his 124,376 Hot Wheels cars (I’m mostly exaggerating the number). Maybe not so much boring, but totally confusing because at 3, he’s already taken to making up rules for driving a Hot Wheels car up and down the table (and I never do it right apparently).
I “like” you on FB as well.
That is so cool!! Can’t use it uet but I’m all for stashing things for later. Most boring toy? Well I love that Kate loves books but saying “Green! Red! Purple!” 15 times in a row makes me want to hide them. And of course she has no patience for the ones with an actual story. (I alreaxy like you on FB)
I’m getting that!
For my son of course.
Okay, my husband would totally dig this.
I would too.
So, there is a tie in the most boring game category with Silas. There is the newly discovered “Sock Drawer Pile-Up”. I created a monster when I taught him to toss daddy’s balled up socks into the drawer. Oh, how we clapped and cheered for our little helper boy. We were too encouraging and now he wants to put everything in the sock drawer and expects equal praises for a q-tip and a soggy puzzle piece. Then there is “Thank you” where he proceeds to bring you everything in the house so that you can pour gratitude upon him. This isn’t bad because you can flop down on the couch and try to follow the deep story line of Blue’s Clues but the problem that presents is the mindless task of putting it all back and saying “put this back in the basket” a bajillion million times.
OMG – If I had to save the world by labeling the entire map of the US, we would all be dead. It is so lame and embarrasing. I actually just shopped around online for a cool vintage globe so that when my son asks me questions about the world, I can at least find what he is talking about on the globe (after he goes to bed and I have time to scan it!)
Oh and our most boring toy, an empty huggies wipe box. My little guy is mezmorized by the tiny lid and spends a good 20 minutes a day puzzled by the complexities of the simple box!
I like you on FB! My boys would love something like this! The most boring game they play with me is “Interview” They ask me questions and record it on their camera. When I’ve been asked the same question 3 times in one interview it makes me want to scream. lol
And I went ahead and I now like Rokenbok on FB, too. 😀 I’d never heard of them before, so thanks for the introduction!!
currently parker is into climbing on his rocking horse and dropping his ‘horn’ really a flutophone. but during this he tells me to sit in the chair and watch him drop it….i may just fall asleep typing this…
This toy could ruin my husband and son’s relationship if not carefully monitored. It looks really great. The most boring toy my son has is a phone he got for his second birthday that is supposed to call different animals when you press the buttons but instead just buzzes. He got it from one of my more…”unique” relatives who I’m pretty sure got it off the clearance rack (don’t get me wrong, I’m all for clearance items, as long as they WORK) because its been doing that since the day we got it. The only upside is the classic look he gives me whenever he rediscovers it in his toy chest.
My 2-year-old son likes to play this game where we lie down in his closet and pretend to sleep.
I liked you on FB!
I would totally have to hide this from my husband! I currently need this toy ASAP as my son is in the middle of a total meltdown b/c we aren’t going out to play in the pool at this. very. moment. Need destraction STAT!
Most boring game played was just this past weekend, I was watching my nephews while my sister and bro-in-law went to a wedding. Her oldest, 2.5 yrs, was into “dressing up” and was putting his dads clothes on. He would get super frustred with the shorts and scream when he couldn’t get it figured out. So I would assist. Two seconds later he would take everything off and then another two seconds go by and he’s want to put them back on! I believe he got dressed at least two dozen times that evening, ugh, all while trying to entertain an 8 month old.
Finally something that is not pink, makes mind numbing noises or gets tickled. I love this toy!!!!
I like you and Rokenbok on Facebook. These toys look great.
I kinda hate to say it but playing hide and go seek with my three year old is mind numbing. She always asks me play when her big sis is done playing with her and she always picks the same spot to play in.
Love you FB and this is awesome for girls too! I want Aubrey to be able to remote control her creations!
My baby (16 months old) makes me play with her little red ball at least three times a day. I gave her two bigger brothers to play with and figured that would prevent some of the mind numbing action. Well…apparently only a mommy can play with a ball and a baby. Luckily she giggles and willingly retrievs it when it ‘accidently’ goes a little further than planned
Thanks for the giveaway! I like you on Facebook. And I’m bored to tears by our mountains of little metallic cars.
Our most boring toy is a cup, my daughter hands it to me then takes it back, then hands it to me, then takes it back. Over and over, you get the picture. These look really fun!
I liked Rokenbok on Facebook too, I already commented on the boring toy. I’m sure I have another one if you need it! 🙂
I liked Rokenbok on FB
I am so tired of Super Mario Brothers! My 4 y.o. loves it!
my son luvvvvvvvs paper rock scissors… like 70 times a day…..however he only picks rock…lol…so i must pick scissors over and over and over and over….i hate scissors….i dont even own a pair…scissors are evil…..lol
I am your FB fan. I am still in the <1 stage, so my least favorite game is figuring out what the whiny-crying baby wants
My son digs playing with a funnel. He tries to balance it on his head and just giggles. He’s 19 months too, so I feel your pain!
I liked Rokenbok… I also have to admit that I HATE HATE reading Goodnight Moon. I have hidden the book in hopes she never enjoys it so that I can prevent self harm by repeatedly reading it when she is older.
I liked both you and Rokenbok. I’ve never heard of them but I can really see how it would be easy to let it take over your house!
I don’t know about most boring toy as X still carries things around a lot of the time but the most annoying toy and the one I most regret getting is Chuck the Dump Truck. That’s even worse that his Elmo TV Remote (that he treats like a phone; anything with a number pad becomes a phone, lol).
Ahhhh that is so cool!!! The most boring toy my son makes me play is Little People chat together weirdness. Okay that wasn’t articulate but basically there are only so many things we can talk about and it gets to be a bit much. Anyways, happy growing Mazzy! oooo and my new trick for not getting board while playing with my son is listening to pod casts. He doesn’t even notice that I’m not really paying full attention to him and it’s great!!
most mind-numbing thing ever… reading the same book over & over & over again. “Who’s that hiding under there? A brown bear in a chair!…” We have dozens of books but he only wants me to read this one. I am a facebook fan. 🙂
All liked up. 🙂 My boys live for Rokenbok. And I include my husband in that group.
My son has me drawing circles in blue crayon (only blue), over and over again, page after page, only circles, only blue.
Liked Rokenbok too!
i liked rokenbok on FB
My kids love to play in their “construction yard” in the back yard. It’s a section where they are able to dig to their little hearts content. They will just dig and move dirt for HOURS!!! I can only dig so much!
My 15 month old would rather play with her own shoes… or an empty diaper box than her vast collection of toys… so she must be even more bored with them than I am. (Sidenote… she has a talking stuffed dog left over from the baby toys that she still plays with sometimes. I accidentally stepped on it in the middle of the night and it said in the creepiest voice you can imagine “I LOOOOOVE YOOOUUUUU.” Pitch dark. Totally freaked me out)
Love it! My son loves to build with his mega-blocks and can only imagine what will come as he gets older. So please pick me!
I already like you on Facebook. 🙂
That is so cool!
The rubber ducky is the most boring toy to me, especially outside of the bathtub.
I now like Rokenbok on Facebook.
Also, I liked Rokenbok on Facebook.
My 13 year old daughter is going to be studying robotics this year, and from what I understand this is exactly the sort of think they start out with.
They look like so much fun! My little guy would love a set of these for his birthday next month! We have been trying to find more “fun” things for him to do…other than jumping on the couch and pulling my laundry baskets around the house with his bike! Never heard of them before so thank you for introducing them!
Playdoh!
I liked rokenbok on fb.
I just started with Rokenbok for my oldest son. He loves it but our current set has gotten a little repetitive for me. I would love to expand.
I liked Mommy Shorts on Facebook.
I like Rokenbok on Facebook.
Liked! and Liked!
My son would love this…and it’d be a win for my sanity!
My son is the king of boring mommy. If I have to watch Percy or Thomas go around the train tracks (just an oval, not even any clever turns!) one more time I may hurt myself! I wish I could throw myself in front of those stupid little trains!
I like you on Facebook. You knew that, though.
This looks like a great 3rd birthday present for my grandson. I was really impressed with the video.
Most boring? Gramma color this. Gramma draw a t-Rex. Gramma games?( on my iPod)
And I liked Rokenbok
I like you on FB! I had never heard of this kind of toy before, it sounds awesome. The whole fam would dig into it! The most boring toy would have to be the flashlight. Getting that flashed in my eyes over and over gets old fast!
Puzzles. my 3 year old claims she can’t do them alone, but really it’s just me watching her assemble them. She will not let me leave. I must sit and watch her assemble them again and again.
I’ve always liked you! Now I like Rokenbok, too! Most boring toy/game? I’m going with puzzles. Seriously, there is nothing more obnoxious than a huge box of tiny pieces and then watching/assisting two four year-olds while they get increasingly frustrated! Then I get frustrated! Then my 8 yr old steps in and tells everyone to get a grip, then she freaks out cause the puzzle says “ages 3 and up” and none of us can finish it!
Any great puzzles you care to share?
i am a facebook fan 🙂 the current snoozer around here is “train”…setting up every chair in the house in a big long line and setting dolls and stuffed animals in them…then we go…nowhere…by the time she gets them all set up she is bored of the game so they just sit there until i get enough ambition to put everything away (5 days later)
I’ve got to go with “Elefun” the game takes longer to setup and reload, and reload, and reload…. than it takes to acctually play it, plus with everyone flailing little plastic nets around, trying to catch the “butterflies” head trauma’s are a given.
My 11-month-old has just started walking and can get into EVERYTHING. The game we play is “Not for babies!” The rules are, he grabs something inappropriate (phone, remote, iPad, cat tail) I hand him one of his 6,890,123 toys, he drops the toy and grabs something even more inappropriate (coffee mug, computer cord, cat paw).
…and I liked Rokenbok. Now I think I *love* Rokenbok. Neat!
Pick me, random number generator!
We don’t have any stairs in our house, so my son likes to play “up the steps, down the steps” endlessly on our neighbor’s outside stairs. For, like, an ETERNITY.
I liked Rokenbok too.
I love these. My 9 year old nephew has them and he got pretty upset when i suggested about a year ago that he might like to pass them along to my son when he got bigger. Obviously, they are fun for all ages!
The most boring game my 3 year old plays is “Mom and Dad”. When I asked what the Dad does, he said he fixes things. When I asked what the Mom does, he said “she says help”. (Ummm. He didn’t learn that in my house. My husband doesn’t even change lightbulbs, let along fix things!) So, he carries around his toolbox and I tell him what to repair. Borrring.
By the way, liked both you and Rokenbok on FB. 🙂
Already like you on FB. My son loves to play this game where he throws his sippy cup on the floor. I pick it up. He throws it on the floor again. I pick it back up again. It’s his favorite game EVER. Mine? Not so much.
And I am also now a Rokenbok fan!
I like you on FB. : ) I am sooo sick of Wii for one son, and Transformers for the other. Sooo sick of them. This would totally rock!
I’m sooo sleepy, i had to go back to read what the thing I was supposed to comment on was…imagine my surprise when it said “Anything”. I hate it when I waste a scroll.
Do you think that’s normal, or just a blogger thing? The need to optimize scroll time, and click time, and read time? I think it’s a blogger thing, because who has time to do ALL the crap you are supposed to do to maintain your blog AND campaign for your child to win the Celebrity Baby contest? GO ELTON!
What was I talking about?
Drawing Vacuums. Seriously. Every time he wants to draw I shy away because I don’t want to draw any more vacuums!!
There are many boring activities to choose from, but the one that makes my husband and I want to stick ice picks in our ears the most is watching Caillou on TV. It would seem like watching TV would be a nice break for mom and dad, but he insists we sit with him and pay attention (“Mommy, put down!” if I am reading or talking on the phone during a show.) I’m a FB fan. 🙂
My 6 year old bores me to tears with “guess which hand it’s in”. I’ve tried to get her to pla that game with her 19 month old brother & even he gets bored. He on the other hand, makes me keep pushing the button on his chicken dance Elmo. SHOOT ME!
Our current favorite game is find the feet 🙂 I like you on fb already! This looks like a toy for mom and dad for sure!
Does reading her “Shabbat Board Book” for the 60,000th time count as a boring game?
My husband and I are both software engineers, so this looks like fun for us as much as for our daughter 🙂
(Already a fan on facebook)
follow you on fb as charline stanley
stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net
follow rokenbox on fb as charline stanely
stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net
My little budding engineer NEEDS that!!! I tend to make his most annoying toys “disappear”. He had this really annoying Blue’s Clues thing at one time. It was truely odd in maddingly stupid way.
We <3 Rokenbok! All four of my boys (ages 6, 3, 1 and, er, 39) can play. As for the most boring game, I'll say Playing In The Street With Neighbors And Their Overprotective Grandma. We live on a dead end road, so the kids ride bikes in the road in the late afternoon. Neighbor Mom is fine but Neighbor Grandma is one big freakout. And the road is too small to avoid anyone.
I also liked Rokenbok and you on FB. 🙂
I fan you on facebook as Susan Chester. My 7 year old grandson wants to play the card game War. The game isn’t bad, it just lasts forever!
smchester at gmail dot com
Rokenboks are the da bomb!! I am already a fan of yours on FB… 🙂
Surprisingly I was not already a fan of Rokenbok on FB, but now I am. So thanks!
And the most boring game my kids make me play with them. Hmmm. i would have to go with your same type of game. Anything that Baby R insists on doing herself even though she can’t. S did that, but she was so much more patient. She just kept trying, so I would encourage her. Baby R, not so much. If she doesn’t get it the first time, she has a fit. So I offer to help and the fit gets worse. She tries again and has another fit. Ad infinitum. Sigh…
I am changing my answer. It is definitely running around our 4 ft kitchen island over and over. I can’t even catch my 3 year old and I bounce into the cupboards when I try to make the turn with my non-cat like reaction time!
My most boring thing isn’t a toy, it’s a game. I call it Sit and ignore. My daughter commands me to sit on the floor next to her and whatever toy she is playing with, then I have to sit there and watch her play.
I don’t get to play, I can’t read or talk to anyone, I’m not even allowed to pick up any of the toys she’s not playing with.
If I adequately perform my task I get labeled “good girl” and am given a satisfied smile. If not…
Oh yeah, I like you on FB.
I also like Rokenbok on FB.
Like you on Facebook
Like Rokenbok on facebook
The worst toy my kids play with is the toy vaccuum. Its so loud and doesn’t even pick anything up. They pretend for hours, but refuse to do any actual cleaning. lol
Thank you so much for bringing this toy to my attention. My six year old son loves building. He’s starting to lose a little interest in Trios and Legos. This just might be our next thing. He loved the video.
I liked you on FB, happy now?? Word of advice, don’t ever, ever, ever buy the Chutes and Ladders game for Mazzy. My 2.5 year old likes to play this game and when your child old enough to follow the rules it is mind numbing misery. When she is a “terrible two” it is a horrible, slow death. I have to find a way to make that game disappear.
I have also liked Rokenbok on FB. I would adore some super cool Rokenbok toys.
Hmm.. Most boring toy would probably be his “guess who” type pokemon game. It doesn’t help that he doesn’t quite understand how to play it, either.
I liked Rokenbok on facebook
I love this
my son plays with a remote and pretends it is his phone
I like you on facebook. (Kathleen Downes)
washoekathy@yahoo.com
I like Rokenbok on facebook. (Kathleen Downes)
washoekathy@yahoo.com
I like you on Facebook! My son plays chase the cat, which I can’t stand (neither can the cat). Thanks so much!
Renee Walters
bored2quickly@hotmail.com
I’m so sick of throw the ball at mommy! I wish I could get ore toys he could play with indepenantly.