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Parents Bristle Block Spinners
Meghan Says
When Team Mom teased me with an email recently that we were being sent the newest toy from the Parent’s magazine line, I was thrilled. I mean, who doesn’t LOVE any toy that Parent’s Magazine puts out? We’re already big fans of the MP3 player, and I’m sure the other 200 passengers on our upcoming plane trip will love it JUST as much as we do. So I was excited to see what was new.
I was super excited to open the box and find the 57 piece Bristle Box Spinners bucket (which I’d been eyeing recently at Target). Sadly, Dylan was taking a much needed nap, so it was left to Zach and I to tear into it. Which we promptly did. I have NO imagination when it comes to building things (I would have been a TERRIBLE architect) so I was happy to see there was a little instruction booklet with a bunch of different things you could build…like a ship, car, airplane, etc. I can TOTALLY copy pictures (I’m a whiz at Lincoln Logs) so I had no trouble putting together a car, which Zach promptly began pushing across the floor.
When Dylan woke up, he was excited to play with it, but because he sadly inherited by poor imagination, he relied on my help to build anything elaborate. He did, however, quickly become adept at adding 4 wheels to the biggest piece from the bucket, which closely resembled a car and made him happy. The fact that a lot of the pieces move and spin makes it even more fun to play with.
A few nights later, our nephews came over, and being 4 1/2 and 7, they were ALL over this set. They built some amazing spaceshipy things that were pretty impressive. My hope is that having something like this around will inspire Dylan to get a bit more creative and use his imagination more.
The only downside I can find is that some of the pieces are hard to connect at times, which can be frustrating. Also, some of them don’t STAY connected, so a four wheeled car can easily become a three wheeled car. Which, let me tell you, REALLY annoys my 1 year old.
All in all, we thoroughly enjoy our Bristle Block Spinners set and would highly recommend it. It’s the perfect addition to your last minute Holiday list…and at $30 you can’t beat the price.
Rating: 
BOCA Meatless Products
Meghan Says
As I’ve mentioned before, I didn’t eat meat for a long time in the not too distant past. I’m well over that now, but I DO still enjoy turkey bacon and the occasional veggie burger, which is where BOCA products prove useful.
BOCA recently sent me some coupons so I could try their products and I immediately ran out to the store. I was seriously disappointed in the selection at my grocery store, where they only had Spicy Chili, so I gave up and headed to Target. Where I was met with a nice selection of BOCA products. I went with a box of Chik’n patties and a box of Chik’n and Swiss Sandwiches.
As soon as I got home, seeing as it was just about lunch time, I opened the boxes and made lunch. Which Dylan refused to eat. Which isn’t a reflection on BOCA products, he’s just super picky and unless it’s a PB&J or Turkey & Cheese sandwich, he’s not going to eat it.
Zach, however, wolfed down his Chik’n patty and I thoroughly enjoyed my Chik’n and Swiss Sandwich. So much I eventually heated up the other one. Which I’m pretty sure negates any healthy aspects of it. But whatever.
I’m bound and determined to make sure that Zach doesn’t end up as picky an eater as my husband his brother so BOCA products will be a common lunch option for us. I love that they’re low in fat (if you eat just one!) and they’re chock full of iron and protein. The only downside is that I find the sandwiches a LITTLE dry as is. Adding mayonnaise or ranch dressing (as would be my first option!), definitely makes them bad for you, but if you dip them in marinara sauce, they’re EXTRA delicious!
BOCA Meatless Products gets a Rating: 
Giveaway
I have three coupons for ONE FREE package of any BOCA Meatless Product that I’m going to send to one lucky winner. Simply head over to the BOCA website, look at what they offer, and come back here and leave a comment telling me what you’d use your coupons to buy. Please leave a valid email address with your entry, as that’s how I’ll contact the winner. Only one entry per person, open to US Resident’s Only. Contest runs until Monday, December 29th at 5pm. A winner will be chosen using random.org from all eligible entries. I will notify the winner by email and they will have until Thursday, January 1st to send me their shipping address. If I don’t hear back from them, I’ll choose another winner!
Good luck and happy eating!
Cole Family Christmas
Meghan’s Take:
When I was first offered the opportunity to review Cole Family Christmas, I was intrigued by the back story. As the original email said:
The book began as a small family project when Jennifer Liu Bryan, sat down with her 88-year-old grandmother-in-law Hazel Cole Kendle to write a family Christmas memory that had been passed down for generations and shared at family gatherings.
The book is based on a Christmas story passed on to Hazel by her 8 older siblings about their favorite Christmas when they didn’t receive what they wanted from Santa. Instead they found joy in what their parents crafted for them.
But then I read that it was about a coal miner and his family, and my curiosity was peaked a bit more. My grandfather came from a coal mining family in Eastern Pennsylvania. As a child, we would often visit my Great Uncle and Aunt who lived in the house in which my Grandfather and his siblings grew up. I used to love visiting and being able to peer at all the family heirlooms scattered about. Venturing into the basement was a real treat. Tucked away into the dark, damp corners were bits and pieces of a life gone by. I imagined my Great Grandmother, whom I’d never met, doing the wash or putting away the vegetables she’d canned from her garden. I imagined her, hair pinned up in a bun, wearing a worn apron…
Oh, wait. This is supposed to be about Cole Family Christmas. So, my point is that I was hoping it would give me an extra peek into what life was like for my Grandfather and his family. And you know what? It did. It’s a sweet book with beautiful illustrations. The writing is easy, the characters are real, and the message is clear. It’s a bit long, in that it’s not something I could sit down and read to my kids until they’re older. At 3 1/2 and 1, it certainly wouldn’t hold their attention for long. But it’s something that I will definitely keep in my collection and when they are bigger (if I can get them to sit still long enough!), I’ll share the Cole Family’s story with them. It’s a beautiful tale of America’s past, and it brought a little Christmas spirit to the Central Coast.
Rating:
Giveaway!
We have a copy of Cole Family Christmas for one lucky winner! Simply leave us a comment telling us what your favorite Holiday Tradition is. We’ll pick the winner using Random.org on Friday, December 19th at 6pm. Only one entry per person. Open only to US Resident’s. Please leave a valid email address with your comment, as that is how we will notify the winner. The winner will have until Sunday, December 21st to email us their shipping information, or we will pick another winner.
Good luck and Happy Holidays!
JP Monkey
Meghan Says:
JP What?! JP Monkey is a woman owned Santa Barbara company that makes reusable shopping bags out of remnant upholstery fabric. And they’re FABULOUS.
I saw an article about them recently in the Santa Barbara paper, and I immediately fell in love. I mean, how could you not? They’re GORGEOUS, they’re good for the environment, and they’re made out of upholstery fabric, so they’re heavy duty. No more broken bag handles, or grocery items falling through the bottom of the bag. You can’t beat that.
So, I emailed the company and they agreed to send me a bag…which I immediately put to use when I ran my errands yesterday. And let me tell you, I’ve never enjoyed handing a bag over the checker as much as I did yesterday! I was pleasantly surprised with how much it held. After my trip to Target, it was packed to the brim with all of my loot. These bags really do hold more than your typical grocery bag, and the stiff insert at the bottom makes them completely reliable.
The *only* downside I see is the cost. At $25 bucks a pop, they’re a bit pricey. Especially given that you’ll most definitely want more than one. But, they offer a 15% discount if you order 4 or more, which helps. The design, quality and practicality of them makes them WORTH every penny of the $25, so it’s not as though you’re paying too much.
JP Monkey reusable shopping bags get a Rating: . You won’t be disappointed, and if you’re in need of a gift for your mom or a girlfriend, this is a GREAT option. I recommend taking advantage of the 15% discount, buy a few different designs and keep them tucked away for gifts. You’ll be incredibly popular!
Giveaway
You can win the bag! I’m giving away a Bronwen JP Monkey bag to one lucky winner. All you have to do to enter the contest is head over to JP Monkey, look around the site and pick your two favorite styles. I say two, because if you’re like me, you’ll never be able to pick just one! Come back here and leave a comment with the names of the designs you picked. If you’re on Twitter, you can earn an extra entry by linking to this contest (http://www.hotmomreviews.com/?p=39)! Just leave another comment with a direct link to your tweet.
Open to US Resident’s only. Contest is open until 12 Noon on Thursday, December 18th. I will notify the winner by email (be sure to leave a valid one with your entry). They will have 24 hours to send me their shipping information or I’ll pick another winner.
Good luck!
ClickFree Computer Backup
Heather’s Take
So, if you read my personal blog, you know I was laid off a month and a half ago. Yeah, suck, whatever. What you DON’T know is that literally a week before I got laid off, Meghan and I were asked to review the ClickFree computer backup device. I thought, hmmm, this is great, because I have a lot of stuff on my work computer that probably shouldn’t be there, and wouldn’t it be terrible if something happened to it? I took it to work with me on a Monday, and I was laid off three days later. All I could think was THANK GOODNESS I backed up all my stuff!
Yeah, yeah, don’t tell me that all my personal stuff on my work computer was why I got laid off. I THOUGHT OF THAT ALREADY, OK?!
Anyway. Because I didn’t have an “administrator” level on my work computer, the ClickFree didn’t work automatically. But that was okay, as I could still drag and drop things onto the drive. It works just like an external hard drive. So that’s how you get around that whole “personal stuff on your work computer” dilema.
Hmm. This review has taken a strange turn.
The best part about the ClickFree is that it works on more than one computer. I plugged it into my home computer, and a little window popped up that said (to paraphrase) “Do you want the super awesome ClickFree to back up your computer so you don’t have a major hissy-fit meltdown like Meghan did when her computer crashed?” I clicked the “YES” button, and that was it. All my pictures of Madeline, my important addresses, my downloaded songs from iTunes, etc, are all safely protected on my ClickFree! Now I have to back up The Husband’s computer. He’s prone to hissy fits, too.
Oh, my rating? No doubt I give this Rating:
Meghan’s Take
There are few things in our lives today that almost EVERYONE is in need of. Food, water, clothing and wine, are just a few that pop into my head. Another one that you might not immediately think of is a quick, easy way to back up the information stored on your computer.
I know I’d never really thought about it before. Until disaster struck and my computer died. If you read my personal blog you may remember that episode. Anyway, it was poor timing to realize AFTER my computer died that I hadn’t had ANYTHING backed up. No photos of the boys, ITunes music, emails…NADA. Zilch. A few expletives may have been uttered. Again, if you read my personal blog, you may know that it was probably more than a few. But whatever.
The point is that I didn’t have anything backed up and I panicked. Luckily, my trusty computer repair guy was able to back everything up after the fact and return my computer to brand new condition (except for the milk spatters and cheerio crumbs in the keyboard). But, his backup cost me $150.00 and it was only temporary. As in, as soon as he re-loaded all my stuff onto my computer he deleted it from his back up device thingy. Which left me asking for trouble again.
And then ClickFree walked into my life. Suddenly the clouds parted and the sun was shining. I have the 160GB HD801 and I LOVE it. All you do is attach the USB cable, plug it into your computer, prompt it to begin the back up process, and then sit back and relax knowing that your important documents are all being magically transferred over.
There’s probably not really anything magical about it, but it seems that way to a non-techie like me.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone (or yourself) whose computer is their lifeline, this is a GREAT choice. Even if you need something for a set of grandparents or parents who have a million photos stored on their computer but NO IDEA how to go about backing them up, this is the piece of equipment for you. Or them, as the case may be. I really can’t tell you enough how easy to use it is and how much peace of mind it has given me. Now I just have to make sure my boys keep their grubby little hands off of it!
I’d give the ClickFree a 1,000 star rating if I could, but since I’m limited to 5, it gets a FLAMING HOT INFERNO Rating:
***Updated 12/10/08 – SO, we both have PC’s so we didn’t stop to think about whether it’s Mac compatible or not. And the answer is “not.” Sorry, Mac users!
***Updated AGAIN – Just got more info from Click Free. They’ve launched some great new products, AND they’re now Mac compatible!
· Clickfree 1 Terabyte Backup Drive ($229.99) which stores 220,000 songs, 440,000 photos and over 2 million documents automatically – just plug and play.
· Clickfree Transformer USB Cable ($59.99), a revolutionary new storage device that turns any external hard drive – no matter the size or manufacturer – into a totally clickfree drive for quick, easy and reliable backup.
· DataGuard Clickfree DVDs (5 pack for $19.99) that is perfect for single use scenarios where data needs to be backed up for archival purposes. The TripleGuard protection feature provides extra security from scratches, blemishes and dust.
· Total Backup Clickfree DVDs (4 pack for $14.99) expand the DVD back up extension to backup over 400 file types covering office, e-mail, photo and music applications.
· Additional new features including Mac compatibility and support; ability to restore data by category and to its original locations; ability to migrate data from one PC to another; instant uploading of photos to Facebook, MySpace, etc.; integrated music player; thumbnail view for video; password protection; backup reminder notifications
The Best Part
The best part is that ClickFree is offering the readers of Hot Mom Reviews $25 off a ClickFree device! So even though it’s TOTALLY (more) than worth the $125 or so bucks (depending on what size you buy) they charge for it, you’re going to get it for less! And?! They offer free shipping on orders over $99! Say WHAT?!
Here’s what you have to do to purchase a ClickFree computer back up of your very own (or for someone else):
Go to www.goclickfree.com
Click on “Shop”
Click on “ClickFree Store”
On the Left Hand Side, under Products, click on “Portable Backup Drive”
Choose which one(s) you want and add it to your cart
Enter the coupon code: cfr3301
And VOILA, you saved $25.00 AND all the important stuff on your computer! It’s a win/win!
Delgo
Growing up I loved anything Shakespeare. I know, weird, right? My favorite play is Twelfth Night (which explains my odd extreme adoration of Shakespeare in Love), followed by Romeo and Juliet. Which is probably why this movie has piqued my curiosity.
It’s the story of Delgo (voiced by the adorable Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Princess Kyla (voiced by Jennifer Love Hewitt) who are to inhabitants of differing cultures in the magical land of Jhamora. They form a forbidden friendship (are you seeing the Romeo & Juliet connection here?) which causes the hostility between their cultures to escalate. At which point, some exiled mean lady (voiced by Anne Bancroft) to try to take revenge and reclaim her rule.
Usually, as soon as something starts with “magical land” and contains the keywords “fantasy action adventure” I know it’s NOT something that’s going to interest me. But, when I watched the trailer for this movie at www.delgo.com, I do have to admit that it looked like something I could get into.
And considering it attracted the voice talents of some heavy hitting Hollywood stars, like Val Kilmer, Lou Gossett, Jr., Michael Clarke Duncan, Kelly Ripa, Burt Reynolds and Chris Kattan, it must have something going for it!
I’m not entirely sure it’s something Dylan could sit through, so my plan is to hit up my Lord of the Rings loving friend Sarah and her 8 year old daughter to see it with me.
If you’re a “Fantasy Action Adventure” lover, this movie is most definitely for you. And seeing as it’s family friendly, you could take your kids and have a fun family night on the town!
Delgo opens in theatres nationwide on December 12th.
JCPenney – Your Holiday Shopping Destination
It’s been a long time since I’ve shopped in a department store. This is mostly because I hate crowds, and department stores are always at malls. But, now that I am gainfully unemployed, I’ve realized that malls aren’t crowded during the day. Who knew? So just as I was thinking I should take advantage of the empty malls, BlogHer and JCPenney gave me a $300 e-gift card. YEAH. THREE HUNDRED SMACKERS! Don’t hate the player, baby.
Armed with my e-cards, my mom, Madeline and I hit the JCPenney in my hometown. I had a list of people I wanted to buy Christmas presents for, but nothing in particular in mind. And, yeah, can you believe that I went Christmas shopping before Thanksgiving?! I totally broke my own rules. We entered by the kids section, so we wandered up and down the aisles. I found two cute Christmas dresses for Madeline, a shirt for my nephew, a onesie for my friend’s newborn, and cool pants and a hoodie for my older nephew. There was a lot of selection and the women who worked in the section were really nice and helpful.
After I had the kids done, we wandered around the store to see what else there was. I never realized that JCPenney sold toys, electronics, and gadgets. My mom and I fiddled around with the idea of getting everyone toys, but practicality won out. Darn practicality.
My husband has been lamenting the destruction of our blender for months now, so I knew I needed to pick him up a new one. On our way to the housewares section, I passed men’s athletic wear and picked him up some track pants and a sweatshirt for him. Now he can make himself a smoothie after working out! (Mike would like all of you to STOP LAUGHING, he does SO work out…sometimes.)
I seriously felt like I was on a game show. I bought pillows, a silverware set, a blender, and there were still lots of other things I would have loved to buy. But I still got TONS of loot for $300:
Why? Because JCPenney has insane deals. I didn’t buy a single one of those items at full price. EVEN THE 80 PIECE SERVING SET! When it was all said and done, my mom and I actually commented on how hard it was to spend $300 at JCPenney since everything was on sale.
My e-cards were printed on regular paper from my printer, so I was a little uncertain how they would be received by the cashiers. The first cashier I came on wasn’t sure how to ring up my purchase with the e-card, but luckily her supervisor was there. The supervisor then took the opportunity to show all the cashiers in the area how to use an e-card. I helped them learn!
Holiday shopping is always a pain, but JCPenney made my experience pleasant and easy! Whoo JCPenney!
Want to win your own $300 shopping spree? You’re in luck! BlogHer and JCPenney are giving away a $300 gift card each week for the next five weeks! Just go here to enter!