BrickPiggy LEGO Rental: Yes, It’s a Good Idea

Boys with LEGO set

They’re not even mad that I sent it back.

With all of the services out there that were designed to make your life easier, of course there’s one that lets you rent LEGO kits and send them back when your kids are done with them. Or when you’re done with them – LEGOs are just for kids, right?

Yes, BrickPiggy is exactly that service. You sign up for an account on their LEGO kit rental site, choose a kit pricing level, then order your kits to be sent. For a fee as low as $24.95, you get 2 kits to play with for 30 days. Then you disassemble the kits, put all the pieces and instructions bag in the mesh bag they came in, then mail it back in the free mailer. And then you can continue to get more kits, just like that!

I know what you are thinking. “What if my kids loses some pieces?” Because that’s exactly what I thought when I first read about BrickPiggy. But there’s no penalty for missing pieces! Plus, BrickPiggy includes some extra pieces just in case.

The other question I wondered about was “What if my kid doesn’t want to return the kit?” Well, you can simply pay BrickPiggy the retail price of the kit and keep it! Same if you forget to return your kit within 30 days.

Sounds too good to be true, but my kids and I put it to the test. Since they are both into the Minecraft LEGO sets, I ordered a Minecraft kit from basic level of 350-700 pieces. It came packaged in a lovely box with gift wrap, a special bright orange foldable building mat that you get to keep, and the mesh bag for returning the kit.

The set was big enough for my boys to split and assemble together. Then they put it on a shelf in the family room so they could play with it while it stayed at our house.

It may be small, but the boys will tell you it took a long time because it was “complex.”

The biggest surprise for me was that when it came time to disassemble the kit, the boys enjoyed that just as much if not more than when they built it!

It was easy to shove everything in the bag, stick the return mailing label on the outside, and then place in our mailbox. The boys weren’t even sad to see it go, because they had had their fun. Our experience was fantastic, and I am not surprised that BrickPiggy was created by two moms who love to foster their children’s love of building and creating, but aren’t fond of the clutter!

A BrickPiggy subscription would make a wonderful gift, especially for those kids you love who live far away. Or for families who don’t have the room to store every LEGO creation the kids every get. Or its millions of pieces!

LEGOLAND: the Adventure Continues

IMG_5446

Last month our family visited LEGOLAND California again. Even though we’ve been there a few times before, it felt new because it’s been three years since we went as a family, and our boys are 3 years older, so it’s like bringing new kids! We know what to expect, but that gives us the comfort to look for new experiences in this fun familiar place.

The Drive: Coming from Agoura Hills, the drive can take a while, especially in traffic, so we wait until after dinner to get on the road. This time we set out around 8pm and checked into our hotel at 11pm.

The Hotel: Sure, you can drive down to Carlsbad, spend the day at LEGOLAND, and then hop back in the car after closing, but that would just be crazy. So we like to drive down the night before, stay in a hotel, spend the next day (or two) at the park, have a nice dinner, then spend a second night. On this second evening the kids can play in the pool and we parents can relax and stretch out our sore legs. Our hotel of choice has been the Best Western Encinitas, which is far less expensive than closer lodging options, and it’s only a 15-minute drive from the park. Free continental breakfast every morning and a nice little pool with a hot tub, plus it’s right near the beach.

IMG_5494

The Park: LEGOLAND has expanded since we last visited in 2013, with its newest attraction, Ninjago World, still not even open when we were here this time! (It’s open now, though!)

We stopped at all of the tried and true attractions we remember from when the kids were younger, but it’s kind of hilarious to see their bigger bodies in these settings:

IMG_5476

Upgraded shark mouth, 2016

IMG_9186

Original shark mouth, 2013

IMG_5458

 

IMG_5449

Driving School, 2016

IMG_9185

He fit better in 2013

We took the time to marvel at the LEGO creations, things we may not have paused to consider in earlier years when kids were rushing to the rides:

IMG_5588

IMG_5486

I was delighted to discover that they have added a new section to the water park, which is CHIMA themed.

IMG_5497

Pro tip for the water park: you should definitely pay the extra money to rent a locker for the time you are here. This keeps your valuables safe and dry, and frees up your hands so that you can run around the water park with your kids. You are given a wristband that you scan to open the locker, so you don’t even need to find a place to carry a key.

IMG_5509

IMG_5503

Among the new features at LEGOLAND is a new 4D movie, LEGO® NEXO KNIGHTS™: The Book of Creativity! But it’s not just a movie – it’s an app too! You can download it before you visit the park, and use it to locate six shields hidden throughout the Park. Interactive!

legoland nexo knights

This trip to LEGOLAND was special for me because we did it to celebrate my kids’ 9th and 11th birthdays. They are old enough now that I don’t have to worry about them running off and getting lost. They are much more patient waiting in lines, and more responsible. My 9-year-old still takes forever to pick out a souvenir (we limit each child to a $15 bill to keep this expense reasonable), so some things never change. That, plus the fact that their favorite attraction in all of the park is the Fun Town Driving School, where, without lines on a gray April day, my kids drove those cars again and again and again.

Our family’s favorite ride, collectively, has always been Pirate’s Reef, where you get absolutely drenched, but that was closed during this visit. The kids made up for it by getting soaked on Splash Battle.

IMG_5482

IMG_5484

Look at those happy faces. Totally worth it.

During the summer season, LEGOLAND CA and its Water Park and SEA LIFE Aquarium are all open later and later, plus they have special events happening all the time. To check out the schedule and to learn about discount ticket options, visit their website.

As an official LEGOLAND blogger, I received two complimentary admission tickets for this trip.

Get the Inside Scoop about LEGOLAND CA Right Here!

LEGO Ice Cream Pirate at LEGOLAND

As perpetual tourists in Los Angeles since we moved here many years ago, my husband and I have traveled all around Southern California. Now that we have children, it’s much more fun, because we have 2 built-in reasons to visit kid-friendly places. I recently asked our kids what their favorite trips have been, and aside from visiting their grandparents in Connecticut and Louisiana, they both said “LEGOLAND” without hesitation.

We have been to LEGOLAND as a family several times, and the kids even went with their great-aunts a few years ago (on an awesome kid-free weekend for me and the husband!). That’s a long way from our friends who are annual pass holders at other parks and pop in every time they get a free second (what fun!) but we are a good 3-hour drive from Carlsbad so we have to reserve our trips for sports-free weekends! With two active boys, our family doesn’t have a ton of those!

So why LEGOLAND? Well, it’s everyone’s favorite because:

The visitors are nice. Since the whole park is themed for kids and LEGO lovers, you’re less likely to have adults visiting without kids. And kids tend to make adults behave better.

The rides aren’t too scary. Even though my boys are getting older, they are still shy about braving the big thrill rides of other parks.

It’s not too big. Even with the water park, the SEA LIFE Aquarium, and LEGOLAND itself, a family can still go at a leisurely pace and have a great time without being overwhelmed.

We found a great place to stay. Instead of staying at the hotel on site (which is something we dream of doing one day!) we stay at the Best Western Encinitas, which is right near the beach and the groovy town of Encinitas. There is a small pool and hot tub, and continental breakfast every morning. It’s reasonably priced and only a short drive from LEGOLAND.

Legolander_logo_2016_FINAL-03

If you are planning a trip to LEGOLAND, keep your eyes on this site and social media channels, because I’m excited to say that Agoura Hills Mom is an official LEGOLAND insider! I’ll get first looks at new features and promotions from the park and I will share them here!