Let me just start off this post by saying that I get a lot of messages from companies who request that I review or promote their products on this blog.
"A lot" to me means a lot more than I expect...I still sometimes think of this little space as something that only me and my directly family read, while my weekly viewership stats continue to prove me wrong (and amaze me!)
Needless to say, there are a lot of really random contacts I receive from people to which I really don't pay much attention. No, my readers do not want to try out your paternity test kit...or maybe they do, I have no idea, but I sure as hell don't!
So when I received a message from Rich & Grace Twilley of Roughy Toys it was not only refreshing but inspiring.
Rich & Grace started Roughy Toys after Rich traveled to Brazil and witnessed children in extreme poverty, like the kind of stuff I can't even imagine. These kids had absolutely no toys. None.
I understand some people are like, "Kids don't need toys! They'd rather play with a cardboard box than the toy that came in it!" And yeah...MD has had his fair share of moments where I'm thinking why in the eff did I buy that $50 toy when all he wants is the box, but the reality is that if all he had was a stupid cardboard box to play with, it wouldn't be engaging for him. Toys help kids to learn about the world around them. They provide comfort, interaction, and fun.
I'm getting off track...sort of...see Rich went and to Brazil and saw all of these kids with literally ZERO toys and came home to a house full of them (it probably looked a lot like my house...except cleaner, because I'm convinced everyone's house is cleaner than mine). Then, a brilliant idea was born.
Roughy Toys was started and they created their first toy...Alex.
Alex is an adorable stuffed monkey with teal hands & feet so he appeals to both boys and girls. He's made with extra tough materials and stitching because kids in developing nations don't have the luxury of a washer & drier and clean ground to play on...so Alex can pretty much survive anything.
See, what Roughy Toys does is they allow you, the parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/friend, buy an awesome Alex toy for a special child in your life to enjoy, and then they send a toy to a child in need.
When I first read about their company my first thought was "OMG! It's like TOMS but with TOYS!" See, I don't own any Toms shoes (yet), but I've always loved the idea that I could buy something I already wanted, and then for no additional cost or obligation my part, a person in need would receive the same thing I just got!
So...when you buy an Alex stuffed animal from Roughy Toys, you get an adorable Alex shipped to you along with a book of his adventures around the world (because Alex literally flies all around the world), AND Roughy Toys sends an Alex to a child in need...BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT ONE!
As you can see, I'm super passionate about this concept, so I completely forgot to tell you about my experience with Roughy Toys. I got to the part where Rich & Grace contacted me to see if MD would like an Alex doll. Oh, and even though they were sending MD his for free, they were still going to send one to a child in need! Umm...yeah I don't think I'm going to say no that one.
Today, we received our Alex!!!
"A lot" to me means a lot more than I expect...I still sometimes think of this little space as something that only me and my directly family read, while my weekly viewership stats continue to prove me wrong (and amaze me!)
Needless to say, there are a lot of really random contacts I receive from people to which I really don't pay much attention. No, my readers do not want to try out your paternity test kit...or maybe they do, I have no idea, but I sure as hell don't!
So when I received a message from Rich & Grace Twilley of Roughy Toys it was not only refreshing but inspiring.
Rich & Grace started Roughy Toys after Rich traveled to Brazil and witnessed children in extreme poverty, like the kind of stuff I can't even imagine. These kids had absolutely no toys. None.
I understand some people are like, "Kids don't need toys! They'd rather play with a cardboard box than the toy that came in it!" And yeah...MD has had his fair share of moments where I'm thinking why in the eff did I buy that $50 toy when all he wants is the box, but the reality is that if all he had was a stupid cardboard box to play with, it wouldn't be engaging for him. Toys help kids to learn about the world around them. They provide comfort, interaction, and fun.
I'm getting off track...sort of...see Rich went and to Brazil and saw all of these kids with literally ZERO toys and came home to a house full of them (it probably looked a lot like my house...except cleaner, because I'm convinced everyone's house is cleaner than mine). Then, a brilliant idea was born.
Roughy Toys was started and they created their first toy...Alex.
Alex is an adorable stuffed monkey with teal hands & feet so he appeals to both boys and girls. He's made with extra tough materials and stitching because kids in developing nations don't have the luxury of a washer & drier and clean ground to play on...so Alex can pretty much survive anything.
See, what Roughy Toys does is they allow you, the parent/grandparent/aunt/uncle/friend, buy an awesome Alex toy for a special child in your life to enjoy, and then they send a toy to a child in need.
When I first read about their company my first thought was "OMG! It's like TOMS but with TOYS!" See, I don't own any Toms shoes (yet), but I've always loved the idea that I could buy something I already wanted, and then for no additional cost or obligation my part, a person in need would receive the same thing I just got!
So...when you buy an Alex stuffed animal from Roughy Toys, you get an adorable Alex shipped to you along with a book of his adventures around the world (because Alex literally flies all around the world), AND Roughy Toys sends an Alex to a child in need...BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT ONE!
As you can see, I'm super passionate about this concept, so I completely forgot to tell you about my experience with Roughy Toys. I got to the part where Rich & Grace contacted me to see if MD would like an Alex doll. Oh, and even though they were sending MD his for free, they were still going to send one to a child in need! Umm...yeah I don't think I'm going to say no that one.
Today, we received our Alex!!!
I apologize for the blurry picture, but the thing with MD is that when he's really excited, it's impossible to get him to sit still. I think it's safe to assume that he was pretty darn excited about Alex arriving today :)
Alex, in all of his glory!!! The only thing that would make this better is if I could see the child in need receiving their donated Alex...oh wait...there ARE pictures of that :)
Okay, so those aren't the specific children who will receive Alex because of MD's Alex order, but it's good enough for me! Those smiles....ahhhhhhhhhhh....love it!
MD wanted Alex to feel comfortable in his new home, so he read Alex the story about...well...Alex! I think it helped break the ice ;)
And before I knew it, MD and Alex were like peas and carrots :)
I knew their love was serious when I took this picture, while they snuggled, and watched Frozen together. An act of true love...I need to stop watching that effing movie.
So here's the part where I tell you what you really want to read about.
How you can get an Alex of your very own...for free.
And if you don't win the giveaway, how you can get an Alex of your very own for a very reasonable price (especially considering you are technically purchasing TWO Alex dolls, and one may be shipped across an ocean).
You can win an Alex of your own, and one will be donated to a child in need BECAUSE YOU GOT ONE FOR FREE!! This is the most no-brainer giveaway I've ever heard of. Even if you're not sure if your child needs another toy...you're not just getting Alex for them you're getting Alex for a child in need. Do you want to say no to a child in need?! Didn't think so :)
You can enter the giveaway using the PromoSimple entry below. You can enter one time per day until the giveaway ends BUT you can earn additional entries by "liking" Roughy Toys and Baby MD on Facebook (and Pinterest).
AND...if you're not the lucky winner, you can hop on over to Roughy Toys' website and order an Alex directly from them! I have to tell you, that Alex shipped faster than anything I've ever ordered online, ever. Awesome customer service over there.
http://roughytoys.com/
Good luck to you all!
I knew their love was serious when I took this picture, while they snuggled, and watched Frozen together. An act of true love...I need to stop watching that effing movie.
So here's the part where I tell you what you really want to read about.
How you can get an Alex of your very own...for free.
And if you don't win the giveaway, how you can get an Alex of your very own for a very reasonable price (especially considering you are technically purchasing TWO Alex dolls, and one may be shipped across an ocean).
You can win an Alex of your own, and one will be donated to a child in need BECAUSE YOU GOT ONE FOR FREE!! This is the most no-brainer giveaway I've ever heard of. Even if you're not sure if your child needs another toy...you're not just getting Alex for them you're getting Alex for a child in need. Do you want to say no to a child in need?! Didn't think so :)
You can enter the giveaway using the PromoSimple entry below. You can enter one time per day until the giveaway ends BUT you can earn additional entries by "liking" Roughy Toys and Baby MD on Facebook (and Pinterest).
AND...if you're not the lucky winner, you can hop on over to Roughy Toys' website and order an Alex directly from them! I have to tell you, that Alex shipped faster than anything I've ever ordered online, ever. Awesome customer service over there.
http://roughytoys.com/
Good luck to you all!
XOXO
Laurel
Laurel