Blast Off For Fun

The Poo woke up from an unusual afternoon nap a few weeks ago and told me that she'd had a dream.

"Mommy," she said, "I dreamed I was an astronaut and I went to the moon and it was made of marshmallows!"

I told her that maybe, one day, when she was older she could go to the moon.

"No! No! I'm too scared. I'm just little," she replied.

And little she is, indeed. So instead of worrying about being all grown up, we play astronaut with a cool toy that the Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review.

Paz's Lift Off Rocket, offered by the Discovery Channel Store, is really a great toy. A very substantial plaything, the rocket offers kids a gateway to space via their imaginations.

The red rocket has three levels, with the top being the cockpit, the second being living quarters (complete with a bed and a coffee pot - these space rangers travel in style) and the bottom level is a bay for a moon rover vehicle. Four animal astronauts also come with the toy.

A button on the side of the rocket plays a recorded countdown to blast off, as well as the sound of a rocket engine revving up for take-off.

The Poo likes to make the astronauts jump inside a plastic crater that also comes as part of the set, and then "rescue" them with the moon rover.

My only complaint about the rocket is that the doors leading to each level will pop off if your kid plays roughly with it, which The Poo occasionally does. She ripped off the door to the moon rover's bay trying to get the vehicle back inside, and now I can't find the damn door.

But that isn't the fault of the toy - I was probably blogging or doing something similarly, ah, pressing when it happened. If you don't engage in benign neglect like I do, I'm sure it won't be an issue.

I was also hestitant to review a plastic toy made in China, but this is not your basic piece of plastic crap. It's sold by a reputable company whose name has not once surfaced in the many, many rounds of recalls of which we are all so aware this holiday season.

Rocket toys are difficult to find. I wanted one for my nephew's birthday in June and it took me hours of searching to find one. Ironically, I ended up buying this exact same one for him, and he also loves it.

In fact, my sister called me the afternoon of his birthday to tell me that she needed to step up her gift-giving game, because I always managed to get great gifts. The rocket, she said, was really awesome.

And it is. So if you have a little space explorer at home, be sure check out the Paz Lift-Off Rocket. It may seem pricey, but remember - you get what you pay for.