#ae dreams

[luvaaheee]

ok no one cares but i had this dream two days ago and it has not left my mind since but there were like five or six of us in it and we all lived in this private school or like... boarding school next to/outside the city (and the building for the dorms were TAAALL) and ig we're some type of heroes or smth?? (like teen titan shit)

but i was there and i was some coordinator and the driver for this monster truck lookin thing but was more like a jeep w bunch of space in the back with sick neon lights outside and inside and i would drop them off to fight shit and able to see thru their eyes to help and communicate w them??? like it was so sick!

but anyway okay so im sittin outside next to tbe truck and some of them were there but the other two were takin awhile so i whip out this firework thing and set it off and afterwards everyone heard and woo gangs all here now (like a "aight everyone meeting place now" which was the dark field next to the dorms) and we drive off and its like cyberpunk shit and neon signs and TALLL buildings at nighttime

THEN they start dealing w this huge robot lookin thing and for some reason EVERYTHING has this pink/purple/blue color scheme going on (like theres an overlay, all colors r there but they have this heavy tint over it... which was so cool?? i wish i could see lik that) and back to the robot

it was round and huge and i was able to look thru this girls eyes who was fighting it and she got caught and ended up inside but managed to get out and shoot it down by shooting its legs (it was round and had these four mechanical legs like.. Spider) then i saw thru the eyes of my friends fightin something else like a creep baby looking thing scaling buildings and two of them ended up fighting it on top of buildings and they were holding onto this antenna of a building to think of a plan and im all throwing ideas w them but im not there?? physically but mentally i am its odd.

but it was just so cool and it was like we couldnt get hurt much and were immune to shit? we couldnt exactly fly but had this stuff that let us we could just quickly strap on (and other stuff like poison, gas, guns of diff types, black market shit, then there were fun stuff so the truck seemed like a hangout spot for us) and the truck had some of our personal stuff and was something like a safe spot that i drove around to follow and occasionally step out to fight and two or three of us had actual powers and another was good w guns and i was somethin like a coordinator and some smartass in it but after the tower convo it ended cus i woke up to my neighbor banging on something so that sucked

[ae-dreams]

A New Look for Dolls Inspires Pretend Play

Tree Change Dolls are a great example of how families can breathe new life into old toys. When this mom repainted and redressed old Bratz dolls, the children who played with them were better able to relate to the dolls.  One girl's reaction to the Tree Change Dolls was "You can kind of think that they're the same age as you." It's an eye-opening comment, for me as a parent. It's a reminder that so many things marketed to children show a dramatized and often narrow version of what adulthood is supposed to be like.

The relationships children build with their toys are incredibly important to their development, since imaginary play is a way for children to explore their own emotions, perspectives, and roles in the world.

The Tree Change Dolls remind me of a doll conceived right here in Pittsburgh: Lammily, a doll with the proportions of an average 19-year-old girl. Little girls who met Lammily for the first time exclaimed, "She looks like my sister!" 

-Alysia

[ae-dreams]

An Inspirational Pitch

"Move over junk food!"

Fellow mom, entrepreneur and Carnegie Mellon alumna, Bobbie Rhoads, designed FunBites with the goal of making healthy food more fun for picky eaters.

Junk food marketers have been using shapes, characters, and bright colors to entice children for years. She is taking that strategy and putting it in the hands of parents!

Bobbie recently appeared on Shark Tank and, as a mom and entrepreneur myself, I was so moved by her passionate pitch :)

-Alysia

FunBites website: http://funbites.com/ Shark Tank Pitch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-bs-z7UwfA

[ae-dreams]

Slow and Steady Wins

We came across this adorable and inspirational little book: Lessons of a Turtle (The Little Book of Life) by Sandy Gingras. "Thank goodness for rest stops." "How did time-out become a punishment?" "Realism goes just so far..." Her musings comes from her daily re-runnings of the classic "The Tortoise and the Hare" race. This book reminded us of why we created Turtle Mail, and where it got its name. While coming up we ideas for cool tech toys for kids, we came across so many families who felt their children had no patience for the little things in life. One of our early ideas involved sending children daily puzzle pieces - parents thought it was so cute! But many parents said their children would not and could not wait for something to arrive in the mail. Their kids expected everything instantly. A couple of parents were intrigued by the idea that such an experience might help their child slow down in life and appreciate the anxiousness that comes from waiting for something special to come your way. Thus was born Turtle Mail: It's faster than snail mail, but still beats the metaphorical hare in the end! With our version of "the Hare" being email and text ;) You can view snippets of "Lessons of a Turtle" on Google Books. -Alysia

[ae-dreams]

The Little Girl from the 1981 LEGO Ad is All Grown Up, and She’s Got Something to Say

LEGOs are a perfect example of how children's entertainment has changed from being a very active and creative process to being a passive and cookie cutter experience.

These blocks can be anything, it's up to your imagination! But most toys and games hand kids a fixed storyline and an intended model, taking away much of those open-ended scenarios we grew up with. We hope to bring back some more open-ended playtime for kids of Generation Z.

-Alysia

[ae-dreams]

Turtle Mail Play Dates are well underway! We're having so much fun and learning a ton from these young playtesters. We're holding Play Dates through the end of January for Pittsburgh kids age 3-11. Sign up to let your kids meet and play with Turtle Mail!

[ae-dreams]

Happy Holidays from AE Dreams to you and your family! We built this festive Gingerbread Robot at AlphaLab Gear's gingerbread contest this week! He spent the whole event standing proud, until just before judging time came around. Then, of course, he decided to take a seat.

[ae-dreams]

Hi everyone! We're holding our first round of product testing for Turtle Mail. 

If you have a child between the ages of 3-11 and live in the Pittsburgh area, we invite you sign for a Play Date with Turtle Mail! We'll be holding these Play Dates through mid-January. We will introduce you and your child(ren) to Turtle Mail and it's features, and send your child some personalized messages and activities. We're looking forward to your feedback!