Our lives have become so busy...and not just ours, but our kids lives too!  When my 13 year old tells me how quickly the year is passing by, I know that there's just too much going on.  We can all give advice on finding time (I make it a point to have dinner together every Sunday night, and at least 2 nights during the week) but it's really hard.  My  youngest loves CSI...so that's become a mom/dad/daughter event every Monday (she only likes Miami, not New York).  But what else can you do to keep your family together....well, there are some great toys (yes, that's what I do know about) that are offer you as a family, the perfect opportunity to get together and have fun.  Best of all, it's a lot less expensive than taking the family to a movie...and it's interactive.  You'll talk, you'll laugh, and you may even fight (depends on if someone is cheating)...but the time together is worth it!

So, from my hot list of toys for the holidays, here are some Toy Insider favorites that are sure to be a hit in your homes.

Guess What I Am is fun!  This takes the classic guessing game to a new level.  Every member of the family puts their face in the "card" and becomes one of 30 characters.  There's a set of questions (do I have fur, do I have 4 legs) until they figure out who they are.  There's no reading so your 3 year old can get in on the action.  At $17.99 (before any discounting) you're looking at a game that will last and will keep everyone laughing.  This is from Techno Source

Dads (and all Star Wars fans) will enjoy the AT-TE six legged vehicle.  It's two feet long and can transport 20 clone troopers.  This item is marked 4+ so at a young age, we can begin seeing our new Star War followers.  From Hasbro, $99 (but shop for the discounts)

Monopoly Here & Now:  The World Edition took five milliion Monopoly players and had them vote on which cities should be on this board.  22 cities are included from around the world in this new edition.  There's a digital banker and a deal button, but what's most important is that this is classic Monopoly.  This game gets your entire family (and friends) around the table and playing for hours.  You can put Monopoly away for months and you will always take it out again.  I find that in my house we have waves of game playing...and then it's dormant for a while.  A game like this is an investment in family time...and well worth it.  Hasbro makes this at $29.99

Knex makes a liine of motorized constuction toys...and I love the "amusement park" type pieces.  On our list this year, we choose the Sawblade Thrill Ride (9+) which is a two sided construction set with motorized wheels.  It stands more than four feet tall and can take eight passengers on a ride.  It's challenging to build a set like this and parents will have fun (yes, I said fun) building this with their children.  From Knex, priced at $59.99

Finding toys that we can share with our children is a great thing.  One of my favorites from last year was the Eyeclops Bionic Eye.  We had an evening in my house where my entire household...3 girls and my husband, we're up until almost 1am checking out our freckles, skin, hair, carpet fibers, etc.  The bottom line here was getting the biggest "ew" factor.  You can still find this item on shelves, and while you're there, this years Eyeclops is Night Goggles.  This is powered by infrared night vision technology and gives visibility of 50 feet in the dark.  Very cool, by Jakks Pacific at $79.99

Remember that the retailers have started discounting early this year, so shop around and shop online!!  And if you have questions, you can find me at thetoyinsidermom@aol.com. 

Our sweepstakes is still up and running, so enter to win a room full of toys at www.thetoyinsider.com.