Animal Planet Sea Lab Playset

Disclosure- we received the below in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are our own and honest.

11 04 14 products 037It is no secret my son is an animal fan.  If it has fur, scales, or feathers, then its for him.  Right now he especially loves playing with sea animals.  The Sea lab play set by Animal Planet fits in with the little guy’s play patterns because it (surprise surprise) has tons of animals with over 29 pieces.  There are whales, sharks, fish and of course two scientists to study the whole lab.  There are lots of lights and sounds to discover and a ton of fun to be had.  The lab folds open for extended play and fun with more then one person.  Then once you are all done all the pieces can fit right back into the lab for easy transportation and storage.  (The best part, in mom’s opinion.)
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Fun Holiday Toys and Gifts

With holiday shopping days winding to a close, you might be really stressed out trying to figure out the best toys to give the kids in your life.  Don’t worry, that’s what we are here for.  Check out some of these toys, sure to please any child.  These are easy to give, won’t break the bank, and are pretty much guaranteed to make kids light up like the Christmas tree or Menorah.

pic4Legos- you really can’t go wrong.  Got a little builder in your life?  These sets are awesome, and inexpensive (especially as LEGO sets go.  No matter if you have a boy or a girl (or want to give a gift for everyone to enjoy), either of these sets will be a hit.  The CREATOR Furry Creatures playset is adorable- everyone here had a good time building it. It comes with all the pieces you need to build a cat and a mouse, even a little piece of cheese.  You can also build this three-in-one set into a puppy dog or a rabbit, or try making them all and see what you like best.  $20 at http://shop.lego.com

Got fans of the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, or perhaps you yourself are and want to introduce it to your children.  The LEGO The Hobbit Attack on Lake-town is pretty neat, and offers a lot for the price of $30 (larger sets available).  Defend your land from those awful Orcs with Tauriel and her Elven warriors.  Includes 5 minifigures with assorted weapons: Bain son of Bard, Bard the Bowman™, Tauriel and 2 Hunter Orcs. If your kids are anything like mine, it is all about the minifigs, so having this many in one set, for this price, is pretty good (especially when you consider they are about $5 each out of the set).

pic5Jay At Play is making some pretty awesome stuff right now, and great for any kid.  Easy gift giving- and again, the kids will love the gifts!    First, look at the new Tummy Stuffers Wild Ones!  They come in several sizes, and right now you can get a large one with a free small sized Tummy Stuffer for only $20 at https://www.buytummystuffers.com/.  You really, really can’t beat that. You can choose from 6 styles of animal, all in funky, wild colors that the kids will enjoy.  Not to mention, that this is not only a toy, but it encourages kids to clean up- and they really like doing it!  They will put all their toys into that Tummy Stuffer, you wait and see how fast they clean up.  I kid you not- I would not lead you wrong.  They stuff their toys into the mouth of the animal until it is full, which takes longer then you might think.
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Cricket Magazine for kids

Disclosure- I am a Cricket Media Ambassador, and received the below in order to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own and honest.  For more information, see “I Disclose”.

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Over the next few months, we will be featuring a line of Cricket Media magazines. For our third feature, we will be featuring Cricket’s fiction, literature and nonfiction stories in the award winning magazine, Cricket. This month’s feature, Cricket, and is geared toward 9-14 year olds.

For the past 40 years Cricket has entertained children and teens around the world with the cream of the crop of children’s literature. The overall idea behind Cricket is that young readers love well written and well illustrated stories. All this and no advertisements makes a great magazine for more experienced readers. Cricket Editor In Chief and founder Marianne Carus put it best, “ The way to create in children a love of reading and an appreciation of good writing is to offer them beautifully illustrated, lively, well-written, interesting stories that sustain a witty tone and a sense of humor. I am convinced that children will respond to quality if it’s not forced upon them but presented in an engaging manner.”
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Netgear – Step Up Your Gear

There are many ways to get onto the internet and one of the most important aspects of this is your access point. Most often your access point is through a router and one of the most prolific router companies is Netgear. Today we will be looking at two new Netgear products which are sure to get you zipping along the internet in no time, be it at home or on the go.

pic1First up is for our traveling readers- often times while traveling, a Router and Range Extender would make web surfing a breeze. The new Trek is just that. It acts as a router, range extender, access point or a bridge and it small enough to fit in a laptop bag too.

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The way it works is twofold, 1 it can take a wireless connection and create a secure wireless Wi-Fi network or it can boost an existing Wi-Fi network to cover more area. Either way the device works great. You even have the option to power it with either a wall outlet or via usb, so even when in a tight spot with a laptop and the trek it is still possible to be the internet hero of the group. With either sharing a single wired connection and prepping for a meeting or just trying to connect more than one device which paying for access to one connection. The Trek has a multitude of uses which will become more apparent as you use it more often. At home or on the go it’s the perfect Wi-Fi companion.
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Cake Boss Accessories for Cooking and Baking

Cake Boss is a nationwide phenomena. The show follows the day to day life of the king of cake decorating Buddy Valastro in his family owned and operated bakery in Hoboken, NJ.

So what to do if you live half a country away from Carlo’s? Why not bring Carlo’s to you if you can’t get to Carlo’s. With the new Cake Boss line of bake ware, decorating tools and serving ware. All you need is a creative baker and you can have the next best thing to Carlo’s Bakery, your own kitchen boss.

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The bake ware line is available in three lines of products- basic, deluxe and professional. Each product in the line is built tough and meant to be baked in an oven up to 450 degrees. The basic set is made from heavy duty carbon steel, and the cookie pans even have drop zones for your cookies for even, uniform cookies to delight all this holiday season. The Deluxe line feature commercial-quality carbon steel with rolled edges for added strength and durability. Most of the products have red silicone grips which stay cool to the touch even in the oven for ease of use. Last but not least are the professional products which are made of professional-quality aluminized steel. They also sport a texture which imitates Buddy’s quilting pattern while also heating evenly and eases the release of the baking items without leaving an odd texture on your baked goods.
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Wilson Creek Winery – personalized wine

Disclosure- I received the below in order to facilitate this review.  All opinions are my own and honest.  Please see “I Disclose” for more info.

pic1This holiday season there will be plenty of opportunities to spread holiday cheer, and just shy of singing loud for all to hear,  the second best way to spread cheer to adults is with wine or other libations.  Many people love it, some a bit too much, but as with all things moderation is key (ha).

Wilson Creek Winery was acquired in 1996 by the Wilson family.  They wanted to start a fun family operated winery that made great wine.  As proof of that, they won the 2010 Gold Business of the Year.

pic2One of the interesting aspects of the Wilson Creek Winery line of products is the ability to make your own labels for some very good wines.  We were given the opportunity to try Almond Sparkling Wine.  This is one of four general categories of wines, including red wine, 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, white wine, including 2012 white Cabernet Sauvignon, Grand Cuvee Sparkling Wine, and of course the Almond Sparkling.  All of these can sport custom labels which can be used as wedding favors, business ads, holiday cards, or any reason you can think of.  We brought ours to a family function and everyone got a kick out of the labels.  We included a nice family photo.  These wine bottles could be also used at family functions in your home.
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Adventure To Santa at the Cherry Hill Mall

“Tis the season for all things Holly and Jolly, and that usually includes a visit to see Santa. This year, if you are in the area, why not shake things up and visit Santa AND Shrek at the same time?

20141129_135551Best part?  You get a whole experiance, not just a quickie Santa’s lap visit and photo.   Wait, no, the best part is that you don’t’ have to wait on a zillion hour line.  You RSVP online for a time slot, show up, and go right in.  We got there just on time, checked in, and waited maybe 5-10 minutes to get inside.  Maybe the best part is that the kids were REALLY excited about all the stuff they got to do while on the tour.  Or that the price for the tour and photos are not any higher then they were for a typical Santa photo (The cost for a single photo with Santa at Radio City Music Hall is $25.  At our local mall, it’s $20.  Here, you get a 3 photos of your choice, in a variety of sizes, for $30.)  There are a lot of “Best Parts”….It’s hard to choose the best-best part.
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Win Wonderful Bluetooth Speakers from Turcom

 

Disclosure: The Bluetooth speakers from Turcom mentioned below was provided for me in order to facilitate my review. All opinions are my own and honest. I am disclosing this in accordance to FTC Guidelines. Please see “Disclose” tab for more information.
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Being out and about and having kids I am always trying to find a way to make sure that we can listen to music. I love that we all now have smartphones and that it is now easier than ever to have music right at our fingertips. With the girls, they want to listen to music just like I do. Once we get a new one we are always listening to it in the car and singing on the karaoke machine when we’re home. I find it hard to be able to have the music loud enough for the girls to hear as well and to be able to have it hands free and not attached with wires. The new bluetooth speakers from Turcom are amazing.

About Turcom:

Turcom Electronics has a company operated facility based in Souther California to distribute Turcom products to clients all over the domestic U.S. and internationally abroad. Turcom’s goal is to deliver high quality products featuring the latest technology at a fraction of the price of other major brands. Turcom Electronics is constantly searching for the latest technology available on the market to add to its unique blend of versatility, functionality, and value.

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About Turcom Portable Mini Wireless Speaker: You can now take your music with you wherever you are going. It is perfect for home and office and portable enough that you can take it wherever you prefer.

      • Compatible with almost all Bluetooth-enabled devices

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