Fun in the Sun Day 7…CSNStores.com

Are you guys still with me?  I hope so because we have lots of great fun in the sun products still to come!  If you haven't had a chance to check out the other great products and giveaways then please do that as they are awesome! Today I’m featuring a company that I’ve worked with before and enjoy very much…CSNStores.com.  For those of you not aware of this company let me give you the lowdown.  CSNStores.com is a collection of over 250 online stores that offer a wide variety of products including home decor, health and fitness equipment, baby cribs and bedding, shoes and luggage, children’s toys and so much more.  You can check out the last review I did for them here.
Since this is the Fun in the Sun blog party I chose an item to review that I thought would be fun for the kids and easy for the adults!  CSNStores.com sent me the Kid’s Adventure Le Cafe Play Tent for my review.  I chose this item because I though it was adorable, fun, and affordable (at only $39.99).  Some of the features of the Le Cafe Play Tent include a front swinging door, shock-corded PVC poles, a striped awing and polyester cover. 

The Le Cafe Play Tent is so adorable!

Little Man figuring out how to latch the front door.

When the tent arrived I was very excited to get it set up so that the kids could tell me what they thought about it.  The assembly was a little more than I could do by myself (it actually took my husband, myself, and my oldest daughter’s to set it up).  The instructions were clear and easy to understand but the structure itself did not want to cooperate.  The poles used to construct the tent were simple enough to put together, but were not very sturdy, we had an issue several times getting the poles to stay up long enough to put the roof on the tent.  Once we had the roof in place the structure was a little more sturdy, but it still took all of us holding it to get the cover over it without it collapsing.  Once the cover was on the structure  and all of the Velcro snaps were together (another PITA)  the tent was actually very cute.  The hardest thing we had to deal with was the sturdiness of the tent, it was a little windy the day we set it up and several times the tent was lifted into the air…the problem was solved (temporarily) by placing rocks on the inside flaps.  Eventually we moved the tent onto our front porch where the wind would not be an issue—if you plan on buying this tent and have a playroom inside I would highly recommend placing it in there.  Once the tent was safely out of the wind the kids got to go inside and play and I have to say that they really enjoy the tent.  It’s very roomy (it holds up to 8 children) and the awning and roll out brick porch made the tent just absolutely charming.  

What I like about it:  I love that my kids like the tent…at the end of the day that’s all that really matters.  I also like the price…very affordable summer fun.  One big draw is how roomy it is…both of my oldest daughters, my son, youngest daughter, and one of their cousins fit in it very comfortably. 

What I think needs improvement:  I think one big drawback of this tent is how flimsy it is, maybe adding stronger poles would make the structure more sturdy.  I also dislike how it is not very outdoor friendly, one of the biggest reasons I chose the tent was because I wanted them to have a place to play outside and this tent is just not made to be used as an outdoor tent (unless it is placed on a covered porch or deck).  The Velcro closures also need work as they do not want  to stay in place, making the structure itself hard to stay together.
Buy it:  You can find the Le Cafe Play Tent from Kid’s Adventure at CSNStores.com.