Reviews Archives - Page 17 of 25

Photo gifts and surprises from GingerSnapCrate

I just received one of the coolest packages I have ever gotten. Yes, ever. I’m a hard person to surprise, but I was so shocked by my GingerSnapCrate that it felt like Christmas, my birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day all rolled into one.

Picture presents are my absolute favorite, but that’s one thing that’s really tough for other people to get me. You see, I’m my family’s photographer, which means unless my photographer aunt is around with her camera, I hold all the pictures. And, I have a ton of pictures {I actually probably have a few dozen tons of pictures}, which no one wants to dig through to surprise me.But, GingerSnapCrate really surprised me, in such a good way. GingerSnapCrate is a customized monthly box of your favorite images made into custom photo gifts perfect for keeping or for giving.

I was honestly so surprised that I was confused. How did they get these adorable pictures I love so much? I know I didn’t send them all of these, so where did they come from? When they asked for a few pictures, I just drew a blank and sent the four most current pictures I liked of this spring. So, where did the rest of these come from and how did they know my taste so perfectly? And, then I realized that they had found my pictures on Instagram, which is so awesome. Out of my Instagram photos and the photos I uploaded to the GingerSnapCrate site, they made me some super awesome photo gifts that I am simply in love with. From calendar sheets to framed prints and photo bags to magnets and beautifully printed photos, they nailed every single item in the crate.

Find your keys, purse or phone with a Tile tracker from AT&T

Sometimes, things just happen for a reason. Earlier this month, when AT&T offered to send me a new Tile, I thought, “That’d probably be nice to have just in case”. I had no idea just how nice it would be to have.

I was literally waiting on shipment of the Tile when I truly lost my car keys for the first time in my adult life. It took over a half hour of all of us running around the house looking before I realized where they were – they were locked INSIDE my trunk sitting atop the stroller console where I had left them after shopping the previous day.

Thankfully, I have a husband who drives for work and he was able to swing by and unlock my trunk for me, because I would have had some super sad spring breakers missing a day at the Children’s Museum as a result of my forgetfulness. As it was, we had already wasted much of our day looking for keys and then waiting to be rescued.

But, what if we could have located the keys in an instant and immediately called my husband to help us out? That’s where the Tile Bluetooth Tracker comes in. The tiny Tile is the size of keychain, but it can do so much more. How much more, you ask?

Educational fun with the SmartMax Mega Ball Run

I can’t even tell you how many times I have refused or returned a self-contained pre-made ball run that has been given to my kids. It’s not that I’m against kids learning about gravity and momentum by way of a ball run, it’s just that I can’t justify the space that they require for the momentary fun of dropping a ball down a chute a few times before the kids get bored.But, when I was told about the SmartMax Mega Ball Run, I realized that someone finally got it. By adding in the fun of a construction toy and the power of magnets, SmartMax allows you to build your own ball run over and over again to enhance the play value and keep the kids busy for hours.

Let your little one follow their heart with Aeromax

We tell kids to dream big all the time. We say that they can be whatever they want to be… when they are older. But, what about now? What if we gave them the tools to follow their hearts today?

You won't even mind that what they want to be changes by the hour when following your heart is as easy as slipping on a new costume from Aeromax Toys. If you’re unfamiliar with Aeromax, I highly suggest you check them out. I was first introduced to their line of dress up gear at our local children’s museum, and even though the costumes had likely been worn and washed hundreds of times, it was clear to me that Aeromax Get Real Gear was special from first glance.

Where cute meets comfort – introducing the Rocky 4EurSole sandals

Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Rocky 4EurSole and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

A wise person once told me that life was too short to wear uncomfortable footwear. Never has that been more true than when you are caring for and chasing after kiddos. Ever try and take care of toddlers in stilettos? No thank you. I’ll take a pair of sneakers or sandals any day. But, that doesn’t mean you have to wear ugly orthopedic shoes. In fact, you can even wear cute, fashionable footwear in comfort with Rocky 4EurSole. With so many cute options to choose from, they make practical footwear actually lust-worthy.

When I was thinking about my needs over the next few months, I decided pretty quickly that I wanted to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Spring and summer in the Pacific Northwest is truly the best with waterparks, lakes, rivers, ocean, and pools in just about every town, so starting in spring break we spend most of our time in and around water. Clearly, I needed a good, comfortable sandal that would look and feel great for all of our adventures with kids, and I knew Rocky 4Eur Sole was the perfect place to turn.

It’s hard saying goodbye to beloved friends. In the past few weeks I have heard plenty from my kids about how sad they are that American Girl ever retires dolls and how much they miss McKenna, Caroline, Molly, Ruthie, Ivy, and Grace. But, I always remind them that American Girl plans these retirements so that … Read more

Enjoy the moment while capturing memories with the LUMIX G7

I participated in an Ambassador Program on behalf of Influence Central for Panasonic. I received product samples as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Every year after CES the emails and messages start rolling in asking me the same question. That question: what kind of camera should I buy? Most years, I will go back and forth with the person asking whether they want a large DSLR or a compact purse camera and then ticking off features and benefits of both. Typically, it is 10-15 messages or so before I give my recommendation based on their answers.

But, this year, it’s really easy on me because the camera I recommend whether you are looking for a small, compact camera or you want a DSLR is the same camera, the Panasonic LUMIX G7. It’s just that versatile.

Pocket-sized ZINK Zero-Ink photo printing with the Polaroid ZIP

Oh teenagers these days. They just don’t even understand how good they have it with their smartphones and digital world. Do they even know what it was like waiting for our film to come back all those years ago? I’m guessing probably not.

But, while the teens of today take thousands of pictures, selfies, shots of shoes on sidewalks, and photos of creatively arranged food, they also don’t know what they are missing out on. They are missing out on the joy that comes from having an actual photograph of good times shared with family and friends.

Granted, they might own picture frames, but you certainly won’t find many that have been updated this decade with new pictures. In this an era of instant digital photos hidden away on smartphones, teenagers these days don’t have anything tangible that they can hang up and make them smile every time they see it.

What they need is an introduction to Polaroid. No, not the Polaroid film cameras of my youth, the Polaroid ZIP Instant Photoprinter is the newest technology – a pocket-sized photo printer that makes inkless prints utilizing your smartphone pictures.

Scan your old slides and negatives easily with the Portable Digital Image Copier Deluxe

I have found the coolest new tool that every photographer of the 90s and early 2000s needs. Introducing the Portable Digital Slide and Film Converter from Hammacher Schlemmer that allows you to bring all those pictures you snapped on film into the digital era. If you know me, you know that I have been my family’s photographer since the nineties. This means that I got my start well before the digital age and I have a ton of pictures in boxes stored in random rooms and closets in my house… just in case.

Amazing sound, indoors or out with the JBL Xtreme Portable Bluetooth Speaker

You can find speakers just about anywhere these days – at discount stores, gas stations, even in packages of chips {true story}. But, where do you turn when you want an amazing speaker that will blow you away with amazing sound quality? Hint: it’s not the dollar store.

No, if you want amazing sound, you are going to want to look to a company that is known for audio excellence, like JBL. They’ve always been known for big, full sound, and their newest speakers definitely keep up with that tradition. We got to test out the JBL Xtreme Portable Bluetooth Speaker this month, and it has been adored since the day it arrived. Initially, I was sold on the fact that it is splashproof and rugged, which means it is as adventure-ready as we are. From camping to days at the beach, we needed a speaker that could keep up with us and keep the party going, and it’s been confirmed that the JBL Xtreme is the ultimate portable Bluetooth speaker for all of our needs.