Checking Our List #16: Melissa & Doug Parking Garage from Gifted Imaginations {Review & $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway}

{This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations, ♥Cari♥!}

I always have a hard time answering when my family and friends ask me what my daughters are "into" when their birthdays or holidays are growing near - can't I just answer, "Everything?" For some reason, that doesn't always get the most positive response.

The problem is that yes, they like pretend play and yes, they like outdoor play and yes, they like building with blocks... they're just the type of kids that, when they have a cool, fun, imaginative toy, it doesn't matter what it is in particular, they love it! Whether it is active or quiet or large or small, as long as they can be creative and inventive, they're happy.

So, maybe it would be easier if I just pulled up Gifted Imaginations and used page after page of amazing toys available there as an example?

Carrying a huge variety of items from some of the most respected manufacturers that all parents know, Gifted Imaginations offers educational toys that promote active and pretend play for kids of all ages. Whether you browse by category, age or brand, you'll be sure to find something unique and fun for infants all the way through childhood.

For us, Gifted Imaginations was able to provide my daughters with a high quality way to play, store and imagine with all of their toy cars in the Melissa & Doug Parking Garage.

As soon as this arrived and I began taking the pieces out of the box, I already knew that this Parking Garage was going to live up to the extremely high quality standards that we knew and loved from Melissa & Doug.

However, while I admired and appreciated the well-detailed and thorough directions and how nice it was that every last piece of this toy was labeled for fast and easy assembly, my kids were anxiously interested in just how entertaining this already was going to be.

In no time at all (10 minutes? Maybe not even that long?) I was screwing in the last ramp and it was time to sit back and admire just how detailed and incredible this four-level wooden parking garage truly is.

With a hand-operated elevator that moves between the levels with the turn of a crank, two colorful cars, a gas pump, a car wash and a parking booth with an attendant, this wooden set is packed with features and details for long-lasting play.

Measuring in at 16" x 17" x 16," my kids almost didn't know where to begin playing with the Parking Garage. Bring the cars up to the top in the elevator? Maneuver them around one of the levels to find just the right parking spot? Or maybe head straight for the car wash and its cute, fuzzy roller to get clean?

As this is recommended for ages 3 and up, I was initially hesitant that Little Sister B wouldn't be able to work the elevator or really understand what to do with the cars, but she proved that she could easily hold her own. Both she and Big Sister E had no problem turning the dials to raise and lower the elevator and they were able to move their cars throughout the levels and down the ramps without any issues - and with lots of smiles and giggling.

The addition of the separate gas pump and car wash are a really nice touch, as well as the toll booth and attendant. Both of my kids thought it was fun to raise and lower the toll booth arm and were vigilant about heading to the gas station to make sure their cars didn't run out of gas - there's even a hose to place right into the cars to fill 'er up!
An added bonus to the Melissa & Doug Parking Garage is that as well as the two cars it comes with, any small cars will easily fit in the elevator and throughout the levels. That means that as well as having more options to play, this is a great place to park and store a decent-sized toy car collection to be ready to easily pull it out to play again next time.
For a fun, unique addition for any child who enjoys cars, the Melissa & Doug Parking Garage is extremely high quality and allows for individual or multiple children to play. Fitting right in with the large collection of top-of-the-line imaginative and educational toys that Gifted Imaginations is known for carrying, this Garage retails for $66.99 (below the list price of $79.99) and would make a wonderful holiday gift.

Thanks to their generosity, one person will have the chance to select just the right active, creative, pretend toys or gear for the child in their life, because...

One lucky person will win a $25 gift certificate to Gifted Imaginations!

To enter to win: Visit Gifted Imaginations and tell me the name of one of the items you might purchase with this gift certificate.

Extra Entries (available after the mandatory entry above is completed; please leave a separate comment for each entry in order for them to be counted).

1 Extra Entry if you head over to A Mom's Balancing Act and enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Gifted Imaginations there, too!
1 Extra Entry (per method) if you follow Gifted Imaginations on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook and/or sign up for their email newsletter (found near the bottom left of their homepage).
1 Extra Entry (per giveaway entered) - Enter any (or all) of the Holiday Gift Guide giveaways (Checking Our List giveaways ONLY) running on Thanks, Mail Carrier for the duration of this giveaway.
1 Extra Entry if you follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting the tweet below and leaving me the link. Tweet daily for an extra entry every day!

Checking Our List 16: WIN a $25 gift certificate to Gifted Imaginations for great toys! #thxmailcarrier http://bit.ly/cradLd #giveaway #win

2 Extra Entries (per follow method) if you follow me with Google Friend Connect, subscribe to my RSS feed, subscribe to Thanks, Mail Carrier by email or become a fan on Facebook.
3 Extra Entries if you put my cute button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you have our Checking Our List {Holiday Gift Guide 2010} button up on your blog. Please leave an address where it can be found.
3 Extra Entries if you blog about this giveaway linking back to Thanks, Mail Carrier and Gifted Imaginations. Please leave an address where it can be found.

Giveaway will end on December 10th at 11:59pm CST. Do me the favor of leaving an email address or making absolutely sure it is visible in your profile, I have to have a way to contact the winner. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to contact me or respond to notification or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

A big thank you to Gifted Imaginations for providing a Melissa & Doug Parking Garage for me to review as well as a $25 gift certificate for one lucky giveaway winner. The opinions shared are my own and honest and if you really need to see more, click here to see how I roll.