School is almost over for many of you and it is time to look forward to relaxing and spending more time with friends. When you and your friends get together with your dolls for a slumber party, where does everyone sleep? My Doll’s Life has several options for your dolls and their friends. The easiest way to cuddle up for a good night’s sleep is with MASB, a 2 piece sleeping set that includes a fluffy turquoise fur and green satin sleeping bag and pillow. If you prefer having a piece of furniture, there are several beds available in single WF-SB and WF-PB or bunk styles WF-WBB and WF-PBB. Your dolls will have sweet dreams all night long.

With Earth Day approaching, I have had the opportunity to review a great craft kit by Kiwi Crate. Although they offer a variety of hands on, creative kits for children, this one incorporated the use of wind…a natural resource that ties in very nicely with Earth Day! This kit comes in a 100% recycled box and includes all you need to complete 2 projects; a Wind Car and a Wind Sock. Each project comes complete with its own booklet that details instructions with both written words and adorable illustrations. It even came with a pair of kid sized safety scissors. There are also critical thinking questions for your child to entertain which can easily be tailored for different ages. I love this…each activity is rated for messiness, grownup involvement and gross or fine motor skills! This would be the sort of gift I would have purchased for my children when they were younger and would have appreciated them receiving. Think about all you and your 18″ doll can learn about wind and keeping our world a healthy place to live. To learn more about Kiwi Crate, visit them at www. Kiwicrate.com. (photos from kiwi.com)

There have been many discussions about how dolls can affect the children who play with them. Many critics of the Barbie dolls argue that the doll promotes a body image that is unrealistic for women. Most American girl collectors will agree that the stories built around each doll provides real historic facts and the challenges that each girl faces, whether it be cultural, financial or personal. My daughters played with both in addition to Cabbage Patch, Raggedy Ann and a variety of paper dolls. They just enjoyed the interaction and the dressing, undressing, and hair styling! I enjoyed the imaginative play and creativity they demonstrated.  What do you think? What dolls do you enjoy most?  Do you have a doll that reflects something special in your life?

For all of you 18” doll lovers and American Girl blog readers,  you know that there are many dolls available in this size doll. Recently, while at Toy Fair in NYC, I had the opportunity to see some new additions to the Madame Alexander series of 18” girl play dolls called Favorite Friends.  There are several different dolls in the series with different hair color, styles and skin tone. Each doll comes dressed in a complete outfit. If you own this doll, or are thinking about purchasing one, Madame Alexander sells several complete outfits to fit their dolls. However, if you are looking for additional 18” doll clothing, the Favorite Friends dolls will fit into the 18” Sophia’s ® brand doll clothing sold on My Doll’s Life ®.

I have discovered another adorable American Girl doll blog for you all to check out. http://lovealldoll.blogspot.com is an adorable site for young American Gir®l doll collectors. Alyssa, the blogger, has a flair for color, design, fun and information.  Her site is fun and includes AG academy, a school for your American Girl® dolls!  Another great site for American Girl doll blogs is Doll Diaries. This site is dedicated to doll lovers of all ages and includes 18″ dolls like the American Girl, fashion dolls, collectable dolls and lots of others. Both sites are fun, easy to navigate and a wonderful place to interact with other doll collectors. If you love American Girl® dolls, you might want to bookmark these American doll blog sites.

American Girl® has just presented their newest doll, McKenna. A fourth grade student from Seattle, McKenna is also a gymnast. How many of you are trying to balance your athletic endeavors with academics? It is not easy! Both take much time and energy. How do you handle these challenges? Sports can be a wonderful outlet for all of us and can provide us with a feeling of success and achievement. If you and your 18” doll share a particular sport and you are looking for 18” athletic outfits and clothing for your doll, My Doll’s Life has a wide selection from which to choose.

I have discovered a new American Girl blog site for 18” doll collectors! Check out the link! It is very cute and another place for doll enthusiasts to check out what’s happening. There are craft ideas and opportunities to send photos of your personal 18” doll collection. http://lovealldoll.blogspot.com/

Have you seen the trailers for Jack and Jill, the new movie by Adam Sandler? I believe that there are 18” dolls featured in the movie, and I wonder if they are American Girl® dolls! Many of you have created videos with your 18” dolls, and on My Doll’s Life, you can also view some videos with the Sophia’s® Doll. Check out Youtube for   some great, creative videos featuring your favorite 18” play dolls!

For all you American Doll blog readers, I have found something fun! Another blog site, Doll Diaries is having a Halloween Parade for American Girl® dolls!  If you want to enter, you need to go to their site www.dolldiaries.com and enter. Once you do, you can upload your photos. The photos of the dolls are just adorable and feature the cutest costumes! What a wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit! If you are looking for costumes for your 18 inch and 15 inch dolls, My Doll’s Life® has a selection of holiday favorites…princesses, mermaids, ballerinas, witches, and other fun looks like an equestrian outfit, baking chef, and 50’s poodle skirt set.

American Girl doll blogs cover a variety of topics ranging from new store openings to how to repair a broken doll. At My Doll’s Life®, we try to bring you a wide range of topics that would be of interest to you, our readers. In the news lately, is the introduction of 2 new American Girl® dolls from the mid 1800’s. They also offer a large selection of contemporary dolls that can be dressed in fashions seen on young girls today. My Doll’s Life® specializes in a fashion forward line of 18” doll clothes for those of you that prefer to dress your 18” doll in clothing fashioned after today’s youthful styles. Visit the site and see the interactive games and videos…in addition to all the awesome clothes for your 18 inch doll.