Watch out for that falling boulder!

True parental happiness is finding a toy that entertains Connor for more than five minutes at a time. Between a full school load, my writing schedule, and just household chores the joys of an active toddler can sometimes turn into exhaustion.

Imagine my pure delight when we put together the Zip Around the Mountain toy from International Playthings. It was a snap to put together, so much so I completed building it without any directions while Connor was squealing and crawling all over me wanting to play with it NOW. heh. We were playing in less than three minutes.

Connor was thrilled with the Zip Around the Mountain. Its become a fixture in our living room and he quickly learned out to operate it himself, its rather simple just put the car at the top of the track, push down the stoplight and the car goes racing down the mountain. You can add some fun to the mix by sending the boulder down after it to see who gets there first.

The stoplight at the top of the tower features sounds and flashing lights, but I'll share my little naughty secret. I'm currently attempting to hold true to my "less batteries is better" rule though we can't get around them on some toys this toy is just as fun with or without them and Connor is none the wiser. *shh don't tell him* Once he gets older and his play style gets more complex I'm sure I'll break the rule and install the batteries for an added surprise but for the time being we are enjoying our Zip Around the Mountain blissfully battery free. One little bonus note, the cars have magnet strips on the front and back bumpers. This allows you to store the cars in the parking deck on the side of the tower and it also allows you to hook the cars together which Connor particularly enjoys as we tend to take the cars with us on outings as they are light and the perfect size for little toddler hands.

Check out all the great toys over at International Playthings. I have my eyes on the Yokidoo line as well they look awfully neato!

Zip Around the Mountain is available for sale on the International Playthings website!