Reviews Archives - Page 22 of 24

Keep your tablet safe during holiday baking season with AT&T

Remember when we used to use cookbooks to cook? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but those days are fading fast. These days, I get my recipes from Pinterest, from other bloggers, and from recipe sites – very rarely do I crack open a cookbook.

These days I leave my tablet or laptop on the dining room table and simply memorize the recipe in small pieces while I gather ingredients and cook so it’s safely out of my work zone.

In case you’re wondering, this isn’t the best idea for a forgetful cook who also has very distracting “helpers”. There have been many times I’ve transposed numbers or doubted myself enough to check the same ingredient over and over again because I got sidetracked.

But, not anymore. Now I’ve got this little guy to help me in the kitchen.

Holiday cleanup is a breeze with the Shark Rocket lightweight vacuum

by Stacey, editor and reviewer

My household requires a serious vacuum; with two dogs and two young kids my vacuum is on constant overdrive. I love having a clean house, but my vacuum has to keep up with my active lifestyle so I started my search for a machine that would help make quick clean ups a breeze.

The Shark Rocket, one of the newest lightweight vacuums on the market, was the solution to the things my large upright vacuum so often lacked. Shark re-engineered the full size vacuum to make a more versatile machine {without the usual heavy packaging} that deep cleans carpets and hard floors with ease.

This lightweight vacuum weighs in at under eight pounds, but don’t let the small package fool you, this machine has some serious suction that easily compares to any full size upright model!

A Girl for All Time: Clementine, Your 1940s Girl

Know that feeling when someone catches your eye and doesn't let it go? For me, that someone was Clementine. Compared to other dolls she was a few shades more vibrant, more beautiful, and full of personality. Before I saw her, I thought all dolls were pretty, but next to her they all seemed dull and just so… ordinary.

Maybe it was her bright red hair, or maybe it was because her attire was so quaint and old fashioned, or maybe it’s her distinctly British charm, but whatever it was, she really couldn't help but stand out. I knew right when I met her that she was going to be a lifelong friend for my children.

Clementine is the newest doll from A Girl For All Time, maker of beautifully crafted dolls, accessories, books, and more. Each of their beautiful 16in dolls are based on 500 years of the fictional Marchmont family and feature independent, determined women from different eras of the most exciting times in English history.

One look at their website and I was immediately smitten by their exquisite collection of dolls with their beautifully detailed faces and their accessories that looked like something from a museum. It’s not surprising to me at all that A Girl for All Time can’t keep these dolls in stock over in London. The dolls sold out in a mere 10 days at the famous Harrods luxury department store and are selling well now that they have arrived Stateside at FAO Schwarz and a handful of New York boutiques.

But, as much as I loved Matilda, the Tudor girl, and Amelia, the Victorian girl, there was something about Clementine that enthralled me. Clementine is from London in the 1940s and survives the evacuation of London in 1939 as a 12-year-old. She comes in a historically inspired dress with vintage daisy pattern complete with period accessories and trim. After reading her captivating background story online, I knew she had to come home for tea with us.

Own the road with Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires

Most people pay almost no attention to the tires on their cars, which floors me. Those 4 tires are what connects your car to the road and what keeps you rolling, yet they don’t get nearly the amount of love they deserve.

3 years ago, I was hit while driving on the freeway and my car lost control, spinning and eventually coming to a stop in oncoming traffic. Ever since then, I am petrified of losing control while driving and even something minor like a little bit of ice or water over a roadway sends me into a panic. Since tires can make a huge difference in what traction you get in inclement weather, tires are very, very important to me.

As you can imagine, I was thrilled when I heard I would get the opportunity to outfit one of our vehicles with Goodyear's newest tire, the Eagle Sport All-Season later this year. I’m really excited to take my car in and trade in my old tires for these new high-performance tires just in time for the rainy and icy seasons.

For over 100 years, Goodyear has been devoted to advancing tire technology, and to applying this knowledge to new products that advance driving excellence. At the Akron Innovation Center, nearly 1,500 engineers, scientists, technicians, and other specialists collaborate to improve tire manufacturing for a wide variety of vehicles on six continents. The result is the new Eagle Sport tires.

VTech Premium Kid Connect lets you connect with your kids anywhere {InnoTab 3S}

My kids love to text and call their dad throughout the day while he’s at work, but I hate to leave them unattended with my cell phone. This means I’m constantly guarding my phone and making sure it’s locked down, and the kids try their best to convince me to take their pictures and send it to daddy all day long.

The solution? The awesome Premium Kid Connect available on the VTech InnoTab 3S that helps parents stay connected to their kids when apart. You may remember how much I adore the InnoTab learning tablet for kids and how it saved our Chicago-to-Seattle train trip, got us ready for school, and now offers supplemental learning we can do at home, but it’s way more than that when you connect it to VTech Premium Kid Connect and any Wi-Fi connection.

With the Premium Kid Connect on the InnoTab 3S, your kids can send voice, text, and picture messages right to loved ones' phones in real time. All by themselves.

Getting organized with Fellowes {Powershred 63Cb shredder review}

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting (#MC) for Fellowes. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

Years ago, when the company I worked for closed, I had the task of cleaning out my old office where I was office manager and handled all HR. Let me tell you it was quite the task. There was 16 years of my paperwork in that office hidden away in drawers, filing cabinets, and folders, and most of it had nowhere to go.

Some of those mountains of paperwork were important and they went to my boss, who then had to store it just in case. Some of the paperwork was about clients and that went to the company who had bought us.

But, some of that paperwork was my notes and scribbles and it had no use to anyone, but was full of information I didn’t want to fall into the wrong hands. With only hours to evacuate and very little manpower because everyone was busy emptying their own spaces, I did the best I could, but eventually admitted defeat.

Sadly, some of this junk had to be taken with me as there was no way I was going to be able to track down 16 years of past employees in 24hours to ask them to come get every scrap of paper, time card, old insurance applications, bank slips and payroll stub dating back to 1997 {Fun fact! Most of these have your full social security number, account numbers and birthday on them!}.

Make yourself a home with Lundby {SMÅLAND Swedish dollhouse review}

I feel like I should win some sort of award for the fact that I still haven’t shown my daughter her new Lundby house she’s going to be opening on Christmas. It’s been an exercise in self-control to keep it hidden away in my office {which actually isn’t all that “hidden”, but that’s a whole other issue} even though I pass it numerous times a day.

Everyone is posting things on social media stressing about how there’s only 43 days until Christmas and all I can think is how on Earth am I going to be able to wait that long?

And, then when a new shipment of miniatures arrived the other day with a Lundby family and two packages to complete her Lundby kitchen and dining room, I realized this was going to be an even bigger task than I imagined.

Enjoy a hot lunch anywhere with Lava Lunch

I’ve become quite the expert lunch packer in the past 6 years. I have my method down to an exact science to make sure everyone always has a healthy lunch with all the food groups in it.

My planning starts on Sunday when I wash fruits and veggies, prep cheese and yogurt, and place each into reusable containers in the drawer of our fridge, as well as pre-portion items from the pantry for every day of the week. Then, on the morning of, I’ve got ice packs, a container in the fridge for each family member, and loads of insulated totes at the ready to make lunches only take a few seconds.

But, sometimes those lovingly packed lunches come back to me just exactly as I sent them because hubby or the kids was offered a hot lunch instead. Not that I blame them, there’s something really satisfying about a nice, hot lunch. If I’m being truly honest, I prefer hot over cold lunch any day of the week, especially during the winter.

In fact, I’ve even attempted to send hot lunch once or twice… and, unfortunately, haven’t succeeded yet. So, when I read about Lava Lunch, I was immediately excited about the idea of hot lunch on the go.

Melissa Zimberg, the owner of Lava Lunch, explained that in addition to just being nice on a cold and rainy day, hot foods are also more nutrient dense, have more flavonoids, and are easier to digest. She also described how hot food signals the satiated response sooner, so it also prevents overeating, which makes a lot of sense.

Lava Lunch makes sending a hot and hearty lunch possible without worry of spoiled food or cold and tasteless food. Instead of ice packs, Lave Lunch offers you something not available in other lunch bags – warmth. By combining proprietary insulation and Lava Rocks that provide additional heat, Lava Lunch bags can keep food warm for up to 6 hours, which allows you to pack all sorts of healthy and flavorful foods that were never possible until now.

Design your own jewelry with Pictures on Gold

Holiday Gift Guide – Day 1

I’m a sucker for personalized anything. Maybe it’s something deep rooted in my past from having a somewhat unusual name in the 80s, or maybe it’s just that personalized gifts these days are just so cool. Whatever the reason, I spend most of my holiday budget on personalized items like those from Pictures on Gold.

Pictures on Gold is just what it sounds like: jewelry that can be engraved with whatever pictures you desire. From clip art to special pictures to personalized messages, Pictures on Gold can custom create anything you dream up. The interactive “Build Your Own Locket” application on the PicturesOnGold.com website lets you do just that and allows you to control every single detail.

But, not only that, they also show you each step of the way what your item will look like. Drop in some clip art from the Pictures on Gold files and you can rotate it, enlarge it, and move it around your jewelry.

Stokke® Scoot™: The urban compact stroller

I’m an urban girl at heart and have never met any big city I didn’t feel at home in. My stroller, however, prefers wide open spaces where turning radiuses are as far as the eye can see. On the days that my suburban stroller makes it to the big city, I feel like I am constantly apologizing for taking up the whole sidewalk, for knocking things off shelves, and for occasionally running over a toe or two.

Since strollers are still very much a necessity once we hit the city and are ready to explore, going without is just not an option. But, even though we needed something compact, it needed to be something as adventure-ready as we are and hopefully with a few premium features. Umbrella strollers need not apply.

I finally found the perfect candidate, and am now fully in love with the Stokke® Scoot™, hailed as the urban compact stroller. Besides simply being compact, it is by far the most maneuverable stroller we have ever pushed. It has an incredibly small turning radius and it takes almost no effort at all to steer – even one handed with a child inside. Add in the suspension to give you a smooth, easy ride and it really is a dream to push.

Yes, that's all the same stroller pictured above in 4 different positions. As you can see, it features an active and rest recline both forward facing and parent-facing. And, it looks absolutely nothing like an umbrella stroller with a minimal frame and lack of features. As many of you already know, I pushed an umbrella stroller for exactly two days in the past 3 years because I simply cannot stand them. Sidewalks trip them up, they require two hands to push, and they have zero storage, comfort features, or agility to handle real city life. Thanks, but no thanks.

And, then I met the Stokke® Scoot™ and fell in love with the perfect stroller for our active lifestyle. I love how versatile it is, the kids love how comfortable it is, and it's a great for all of our adventures.