Your young
child will love playing with Fisher-Price’s Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends
Musical Table. This toy features four
modes with more than 50 songs and activities and four corners for learning fun.
Each of those corners has a character that lights up and encourages your child
to explore. The legs are removable so the youngest child can sit and play. Put
the legs on and enable your slightly older child to walk around the table.
TECHNICAL
DETAILS:
Recommended
for children aged 6 to 36 months.
Bilingual
English and Spanish. Requires 3
AA batteries. Measures 22
by 5 by 16 inches.
UPC Code 027084631357
FIND YOUR MUSICAL
TABLE
This toy was
first released in 2008 and re-released in 2011. At some point since then, it
was retired. You can still buy it but you will have to turn to eBay. When I
checked today, there were a couple available but more of the more recent DJ
Tables. See for yourself what Laugh & Learn Fun with Friends Musical
Tables are available today by clicking here to eBay.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
I often wonder what my mom would have told her 60-year-old self when she was 80.
Mom passed at 82, and although we had many conversations, I don't remember us having this one - but I'd venture that we did, and I've simply forgotten.
Now that I'm in my mid-60s, I often think about that. What would I tell my 40 or 30-year-old self?
Because even at this age, I certainly haven't learned nearly all there is to know. I imagine my mom at 80 had realizations and wisdom that didn't resonate when she was my current age.
It makes me think that no matter how old we are — 20, 40, 60, or 80 — we're always able to look back and see what we didn't know then versus what we know now.
So, this piece is about being in my mid-60s and reflecting on how every decade carries its own lessons. I'm sure if I'm blessed enough to reach my mid-80s, I'll see life through an even more seasoned lens — maybe not entirely different, but definitely deeper. That's how I tend to live: tracking the markers, assessing the growth, and asking myself what stuck, what didn't, and what I still need to learn.
What I'd Tell My 30-Year-Old Self - I'd Have to Laugh Mid-Conversation!
If I could go back and whisper something to my 30-year-old self, I think the first thing I'd do is laugh — because she would've never believed we'd make it through half of what was coming!
There was a time when I used to say, "If I could go back, I'd change schools, or take a different major, or move to a different city." And while that sounds practical, it's also impossible — because those kinds of changes would have altered everything. I wouldn't have the kids I have, the family I have, or even the same path that shaped me.
So I've grown past that kind of thinking. That was the younger me talking. The version that thought life was supposed to go according to plan.
Today, I understand that my life unfolded the way it was meant to — not easily, but meaningfully. I accept that I chose this life for a reason. My spirit wanted growth, and, well, it got it!
Sometimes I joke that before we’re born — if that’s how it works — maybe we’re up there somewhere making our life plans like a bunch of overachievers. And there I was, hand in the air, saying, “Give me all the lessons. I can handle it. I’ll do a thousand lifetimes in one. Let’s go!” Honestly, that's my character, so I can legitimately believe I would do this!
And then somewhere around my 50s, I did yell back, "Okay, that's enough now — who approved this plan?!" Because honestly, I think I signed up for a little too much growth.
Still, I can laugh about it now, and that's a kind of wisdom all on its own. Laugh, cry, feel it all.
What 65-Year-Old Me Would Tell Me 30-Year-Old Me:
If I could actually sit across from my 30-year-old self, I'd say this:
“It feels insurmountable right now, but you’ve chosen this path for a reason. Keep moving forward. Speak up more often. You’re going to discover strength beyond your wildest imagination. You think you know what strength is now — just wait. You’re about to master it, my Queen. Hold onto love, and you'll survive it all.”
I wrote the song lyrics in the above video in my late 30s, possibly early 40s. I was struggling then, deeply. And that struggle, as hard as it was, gave me this creative voice that I've used before and ever since.
Most of those poems mirror the ups and downs, the lessons, and the love I've found along the way. I originally published that book for my children, so when my time here is done, they'll still have a piece of me to hold onto, if they need it.
What Would You Tell Your 30-Year-Old Self?
Now, what about you? Have you ever asked yourself that question?
Would you tell your 30-year-old self to make this turn instead of that turn? To choose a different path, or avoid certain detours? Or would you simply congratulate yourself for surviving it all — for learning what you needed to learn, even if it came the hard way?
We all have our own version of that conversation. Maybe that's what life really is — a series of quiet talks between who we were and who we're becoming.
Closing Thought
So, here's to every version of us: the 30-year-old who was trying to figure it out, the 60-year-old who's still learning, and the future self who will someday look back and smile, realizing that somehow, through it all, we did okay.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
Follow along on our review of Fisher-Price’s Laugh and Learn Love to Play Puppy, a wonderful and affordable gift idea for the little one in your life. Puppy is a soft, cuddly toy who responds when your child touches with various silly sayings and sing-along songs including familiar ones like the Itsy-Bitsy Spider.
Puppy is designed to be played with while also helping your young child learn the alphabet, numbers, colors and parts of the body. You chose one of two modes: learning or musical. As a fun bonus, his dog collar lights up or twinkles to the beat of the music.
A version of this dog, with slight changes and a even a new name, has been released pretty much consistently by Fisher-Price since 2003 and buyers continue to praise the quality and educational aspects of this toy.
The Puppy I have featured at the top of this page has a purple shirt and paws that are red with a musical note, green with the word hand, yellow with the word foot and orange with the on and off button and controls for the learning or musical mode. He was made in 2008.
TECHNICAL DETAILS
Recommended for children aged 6 months to 36 years of age.
The Puppy shown here is model number C6325 and had the UPC code 027084131413.
Requires 3 AA batteries.
FIND YOUR LAUGH & LEARN PUPPY
If you are not looking for an older version of Puppy, you can find a new version of the Laugh and Learn Puppy by clicking here to Amazon. He has a slightly different name, which is Fisher-Price Baby Toy Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Puppy, but he still represents good value for a well-made, educational toy.
If, however, you are looking for an older version that you remember from the past, you will want to try eBay. You will find all of the versions of the Laugh & Learn Puppy available on eBay by clicking herewhere you will also find many different versions of this toy including pianos, walkers, rattles and more.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
