Family Fan Fun with FOCO & Link Up On the Edge #194
I have some more things from FOCO to share with you all in the form of family fan fun. Last week, I shared my cute new Carolina Panthers fan gear from FOCO and this week it’s all about the fan toys!
My boys love building things and they were quite excited when I let them choose which BRXLZ block sets to try. Of course, we only checked out the Penn State BRXLZ sets, but there are different building sets available no matter which team you support. Archie chose the Nittany Lion Mascot set and Ralphie chose the Penn State Mini Helmet set.
*This is a sponsored post. The products were provided to me for purposes of this post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. I am also a member of the FOCO affiliate program. You can read more about affiliate programs in the disclaimer on my right sidebar or on my Disclosures page.
When the box arrived containing our goodies, I had to fend off my children with a stick (not really, but you get the picture). They were so mad at me for making them wait two days until I got around to taking photographs before letting them build. But once I let them loose on their new Penn State building sets, the game was on. They are very competitive with a lot of things including who can build better and faster. I guess that is par for the course when I have two boys less than two years apart. The sibling rivalry is no joke.
If it were an actual competition, Archie wins the gold medal on this one! He completed building his Nittany Lion Mascot, which consisted of 1,103 teeny tiny block pieces in mostly all one color, in a matter of a few hours.
Ralph was enthusiastic in his approach to building the Penn State Mini Helmet, which consisted of 1,125 teensy weensy block pieces, but got super frustrated about 4 layers into the building process. After reacting to said frustration in his typical way of over-exaggeration, he promptly disassembled the whole thing and declared that he quit.
Archie’s Progress
Ralph’s abandonment of the project resulted in me picking up the slack. I am not all that into building anything to be honest. I chose these block sets to occupy my children so I could get a few hours of peace and quiet during quarantine. And suddenly, I found myself with this obligation to assemble 1,125 Lilliputian pieces.
I went through a series of emotions during the building process. The first thing I discovered was that building these sets is actually kind of relaxing and therapeutic. I felt the same kind of focus and distraction as I do when I color in an actual coloring book or work on a jigsaw puzzle. Well, maybe not so much the jigsaw puzzle. I am not a huge fan of those. I am easily frustrated, like Ralph. In any event, finding the correct pieces for each step and then following the instruction book to properly connect the blocks as I watched the helmet begin to take form was really quite fulfilling.
The Progress of the Helmet
I was happily constructing and quite enjoying myself…until I hit a point where I realized that I had clearly done a step incorrectly…about 5 steps earlier. Obviously, this error would require disassembling the pieces back to the place where I erred. But these little blocks connect quite tightly together and as I struggled to get them apart without destroying the entire thing, I began to feel exactly as Ralph had felt. I couldn’t get the darn things apart and so I, too, quit in complete frustration. Jeff has said that he will take over from there, but hasn’t quite gotten around to it. So we have half of helmet with more to be completed.
Archie, who won this contest in spades, has proudly displayed his Nittany Lion Mascot in a prominent position on a shelf in his bedroom. He does like to point out to the rest of us what giant failures we were in this project!
If you do enjoy building sets though, I can attest to the fact that these sets are challenging but fun. Archie absolutely loved it and I am sure if Jeff doesn’t finish the helmet, Archie will get the job done. If you are looking for fun things to do for your kids or with your family, I highly recommend going for a BRXLZ block set representing your favorite sports team. They have stadiums and mascots and logos and helmets and all sorts of other things you can create. And when you are finished creating, you have a cute little keepsake souvenir to show your team spirit.
FOCO is offering my readers 10% off your first order by using code SHELBEE10 at checkout. To stay on top of their newest product releases, you can follow FOCO on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. I know I will be! I have now found my one-stop place to shop for all of my fan gear needs!
Do you like building block sets like these? Is this something you would do together as a family?
And now your featured favorites from last week.
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked)
Simply Crafting shared this scrumptious Spicy Corn Salad Recipe. It looks super easy to make and right up my alley, perfect for summer time eating in the back yard!
My Favorite Fashion Post
Kellyann of This Blonde’s Shopping Bag really caught my eye with this gorgeous floral kimono in her post, Friday Favorites 1st of May. This is my kind of summer time outfit right down to her leopard sandals! Kellyann also has some other really adorable things in this post, so do go check it out if you can.
My Favorite Non-Fashion Post
Patrick of Adventures in Weseland shared his post, Gems of the Hard Rock Cafe in San Francisco, and what really got me excited about this post is the Jerry Garcia portrait painted by Grace Slick. What I wouldn’t give to own this piece of artwork!
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
49 Comments
Nancy
Your boys are so totally different kids aren’t they! Well. at least they have got something creative to do!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Nancy! They are very different in their personalities, but they like so much of the same stuff! Which is nice because it makes buying gifts and toys fairly easy.
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I have three boys born in 3 years and they are all pretty competitive too. My middle son has put a few Pokemon sets like this together but by a company called Nanoblocks; once I saw the size of the pieces and how quickly he put them together I was thoroughly impressed. There is no way I would have had the patience for that.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for reading, Joanne! We have had nanoblock sets as well and my kids are equally impressive with the speed of their assembly. The BRXLZ sets are about the same size as the nanoblocks. I actually found it a fun process until I goofed up!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
I’m impressed! I think I just about went cross-eyed trying to find the little pieces those few times he needed help.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
My husband and both dread when the kids ask us to help them find specific pieces! All of the loose legos are contained in a plastic baby pool and when they need one specific piece, it truly is like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
My younger son would love these since he is a legomaster! So fun and they did a great job. Thanks so much for the link up Shelbee!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for reading, Kathrine! They have some really cool ones. I really like the stadium ones!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
Those look like fun!
Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Jennifer! It was a lot of fun even with our little outbursts of frustration.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jill
These sets are really cool! My daughter would have loved these when she was younger! Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Jill – Doused in Pink
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jill! We had a lot of fun with these. Happy Mother’s Day to you as well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellibelle
These look like such fun sets! I’ve always loved building legos, I still have a huge one in the basement I purchased for myself (now that my kids no longer want them – they say they have too many). I too find them relaxing to work on.
PS: Did you receive my email I sent for your good buy/goodbye series? I haven’t heard back from you yet and thought I’d better ask you 🙂 I know you’ve always been so quick to reply in the past.
Thanks for hosting the linkup!
Ellibelle’s Corner
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Ellie! I have a friend from college who still loves buying the huge Lego sets for herself to build! It is a nice creative distraction for a lot of people, I think. And yes, I did receive your email! I apologize for not replying. I had forwarded it to Nancy because she organizes everything. Then, for some weird reason, after I forwarded it, it wouldn’t let me reply to you! But I did get it, so thank you so much for joining us this month. Wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellibelle
Glad you got it, and no problem for not answering. Just thought I’d ask as I was planning on posting about it next Friday 🙂
Hope you’re having a good weekend!
xEllie
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Ellie! Both Nancy and I will have our posts live next Friday as well! I am not sure yet how we are arranging the submissions, but you sent in two photos so yours will appear on both blogs.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nanchi
Your boys are extremely creative and intelligent. You sure are a proud mother! 🙂
https://nanchi.blog/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Nanchi! They do make me proud just as often as they drive me crazy! I hope you have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lucy Bertoldi
Hey Shelbee! Even though one of your boys had you finish up the project…Bravo just the same! I could never ever help out on these projects involving mini ‘legos’ like this- I have no patience! So I admire anyone who could get at least an hour in! xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Lucy! There was a brief period of time where I was really enjoying putting the pieces together. It was a nice distraction from life. And then I ended up acting like my 7 year old after I got annoyed with him for acting the same way! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
My daughter had a similar one for Christmas with the tiny little pieces and it was hard for us all making sure it was correct! These look much more complicated! Archie did a wonderful job!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for reading, Laura! I think these were made even more complicated because all of the pieces were the same color. So when you do make a mistake, it’s hard to find it. But it was fun watching Archie zip through it like a pro! Have a great weekend and a very Happy Mother’s Day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
I am familiar with that sickening realization that you’ve made a mistake with some challenging crochet projects. Fortunately undoing crochet is a lot easier than what you describe with the helmet. But it does look like fun! When I was your boys’ ages, I would have loved something like that.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Michelle, thanks so much for reading. I have never crocheted and I think I might lose my mind over a mistake like that as well…even if undoing it is easy enough! I guess I am just as impatient as my younger child. Maybe I shouldn’t get so upset with him for that quality which he clearly inherited from me. Haha. When I was their age, I was obsessed with fashion plates and now I need to go searching for an original set from the late 70’s/early 80’s! I hope you have a great weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Archie nailed it, he did a great job.
I couldn’t do any of that. I suck at building things. Anything I build is backwards or incomplete. Lol.
Thanks for the feature, that put a smile on my face.
Hope that you and your family have a wonderful and safe weekend. Thanks for hosting.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! Archie clearly did better than I did because I am kind of like you! It is not my strong point, that is for sure. I hope you have a fabulous weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
jess jannenga
I am impressed! They both did such a great job! I had to look and see what FOCO was before reading 🙂 My niece likes to build things (age 9). Boy, that was impressive how long it took them, they set their minds to it! Love the Penn State items too. My brothers both went to Penn State University.
Happy Mother’s Day to you!
Enjoy the weekend!
( virtual hug!)
jess xx
http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jess! I think a lot of kids really enjoy to creatively build things. My boys also love to free form things with Legos and I am always amazed at the things they create. I did not know that your brothers both went to Penn State. Yay! Even though I went to Lehigh University, I have been a Penn State fan since I was very young because my grandfather was their biggest fan…until I met my husband. Then I realized that my grandfather’s fan passion was nothing in comparison to Jeff’s! Happy Mother’s Day to you as well! I hope Gibby and Truffles are kind to their mama this weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
My oldest actually love these: he always enjoyed lego and this seems to take it to the next level especially if it involves football. I sometimes have issues building things because I get overconfident then I make a mistake and have to retrace my steps.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks for reading, Mireille! It is super fun to create with these blocks. And FOCO has all sorts of sports themed ones, not just football. So I really like these sets for sports fan. I think they make really cool gifts for the sports lovers in our lives, too! Have a great weekend. Happy Mother’s Day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Katie
Looks like a creative and stimulating project! Hopefully Archie will have fun finishing the helmet! I used to like playing with Legos as a kid, so I this project would be right up my alley!
-Katie
http://www.hellokatiegirlblog.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Katie! I hope I can convince Archie to finish the helmet. Or else Jeff will have to! But lots of adults like legos. Have a great weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Anne M Bray
Wow. Just looking at that half-helmet gives me a headache. It might be even worse than coding. Hahahaha.
That was VERY ambitious of Ralphie. I don’t blame him for quitting.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
You know, my kids actually love coding, too. Maybe that is why they enjoy these crazy little block things!
xoxo
Shelbee
Kellyann Rohr
Thanks for the shout out my friend! Archie looks so much like you – both of your boys look like they are having a blast building and creating!
xo,
Kellyann
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Kellyann! The genetic factor in our appearances always fascinates me! Archie used to look so much like Jeff’s dad and now he is really starting to look like me and my family. Ralph, on the other hand, is a mini image of Jeff but I see so much of my sisters’ kids in his face, too. It is uncanny and weird! Haha. I hope you have a lovely weekend, my friend. Happy Mother’s Day!
xoxo
Shelbee
ratnamurti
Every family is blessed to have an Archie. Patient. He did such a great job. The real reason that I never, ever did anything like this with any of my kids is: I am not an Archie. Impatience and frustration and (angry) defeat would have reared their ugly heads very quickly. My kids don’t know that; they just think I was mean not helping them (hehe)
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Ratnamurti, thank you so much! We are blessed to have these kids. It is so fascinating to watch how their personalities evolve. Archie is very patient (when he is interested in something) and I am much more like you when it comes to helping them with things like this! In fact, when my husband was deployed and my kids were 2 and 4, I told them very early on in the deployment that I didn’t know how to change batteries in their toys and they would have to wait for daddy to come home! And the poor little buggers believed me and just made a pile of toys that needed new batteries and put it aside until daddy came home. Oh my, what a terrible lesson I taught them (that mommy is quite helpless without daddy), but I didn’t have to find a tiny screwdriver and replace toy batteries for 9 months. Because stuff like that just frustrates the hell of me, too! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Darlene
Shelbee, I have four brothers so I know absolutely how competitive boys can be! Lol! The new version of Legos, huh? Very cool. A great way for kids to be creative and innovative.
xx Darlene
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Darlene! Four brothers! How did your mother do it?! I am always trying to find ways for these kids to be creative. Once they get rolling and let their imaginations take over, I love what comes out of them! Have a great weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar A Strauss-Benjamin
What fun kits!!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Tamar! They really were a lot of fun to work on together! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jacqui Berry
The boys look like they had super fun – I liked Lego when the kids were younger! Stay safe and well Shelbee. Jacqui x
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Jacqui! I love when they create like this. Have a lovely weekend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
That is some impressive Lego-ing!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Cheryl! They are like little wizards sometimes with building these things!
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
They look super fiddly but fun too! Isobel loves lego and is a lot more patient building sets now than she used to be. Having to backtrack to find a mistake is really hard though – on a few occasions she’s become very frustrated and asked me to help. Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! They can get super frustrating when you goof up. I’m an adult and I was about to lose my mind! I think sometimes the kids have more patience than I with this kind of stuff.
xoxo
Shelbee
Pingback: