A couple of weeks ago I shared with you that my family was playing a lot of NCAA Football 12 to gear up for the release of #NCAAFootball13. And now it’s here! It released last Thursday and after work I headed over to pick a copy up. If you follow me on Twitter, you may have caught my tweet with a picture of all the EA Sports NCAA Football 13 games that were on display.
After picking up our copy for the PS3 it was time for the rest of my shopping list. In addition to a few regular grocery items, I needed a few things for dinner that night, plus lots of snacks for while we played. You can view my Google+ Album to see my entire shopping trip.Continue reading »
When we were moving into our new place, I had to go to the town water company office to get the water, etc. transferred over to us. When I did, they offered me a free plastic recycling crate to use. We can sit it out with the trash every Tuesday, and the waste management company will pick up both for us.
While I like that they support recycling efforts, and provided the container for free, it’s not really something that I want to set in my kitchen. It’s kind of unsightly and Bubbles would be trying to load and unload it all day long. I also am pretty sure I would trip over it 19 times a day. I didn’t want to just toss everything into a paper bag or box, though; so messy and they would only be good to use a few times before they were destroyed.
Thank you to Build a Dream for providing us with a car from their collection of cardboard playhouses. All opinions are my own.
Inspiring imagination in Baby C. is something that, as a parent, I am very committed to. While I love technology and fully embrace it, I do realize that it’s very easy for kids to just be focused on that aspect of play and miss opportunities to be creative in an un-plugged way. I don’t see many young kids outside poking at puddles with sticks these days, you know?
So I love the products from Build a Dream Playhouse; they do double-duty in the creativity department!
Build a Dream Playhouses was founded by a Cleveland father dedicated tothe futures of the City of Cleveland, the State of Ohio, and the imaginations of children. Reflecting on his city’s hard times, he collaborated with the world famous Nottingham-Spirk Design Associates, a group of 3 to 9 year old children, and the Smurfit Stone Container Corporation. What they came up with is what they believe to be the most innovative, fresh, and fun playhouses on the market.Continue reading »
2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For Teens/Him/Her
(Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)
We enjoy most of those singing shows that are on TV – you know, the ones that pluck people out of relative obscurity and give them a chance to be a star? A1 even considered trying out for one when they came to town a few years ago (she should have; that girl can sing). So when we had the chance to try out the new Sing4: The Hits Edition, I knew it was going to be a winner.
Sing4 is unique in the fact that it’s the first singing game with high-precision lyrics that can tell the difference between actually singing and just humming. It also comes with 40 songs from artists like Train, the B52s, Lady Gaga, Carrie Underwood, Michael Bublé, Queen and many others. You can also download additional tracks to give you even more to choose from. The game has four modes: Solo, Duet (sing together, each taking a different part; highest score wins), Battle (up to four compete by singing the same piece, highest score wins), and Co-op (combined score; everyone sings the parts they’re best at).
The words come up on the screen, just like karaoke. And once A2 pointed out to us that the next line of lyrics was on the screen in the line under the current lyrics, we were all much more successful. The bars that are superimposed on the video (see below) let you know if the notes will be high/low or go up/down and also give you a sense for how long the sound should be held. You’ll also get instant feedback – like “Perfect!” and “Try Harder!”.
We’ve had a lot of fun with this game. There is a good mix of songs, so everyone is able to find something they like or at least remotely know the words to. I am glad, too, that there are more songs available via download (I hope they add more soon, too). Everyone took a turn – some braver (younger) folks took a few. Even Baby C. was doing her little “dance” while everyone sang. There was a lots of friendly competition; I have to be honest and say A1 and A2 kicked our butts. Still, it’s nice to be able to find a game the whole family can play together.
Sing4 is also sponsoring a contest right now. You could win $10,000 just by singing one of four songs and uploading your video. Videos must be uploaded by January 31st, 2012; visit their YouTube page for more info.
Where to Buy:
Sing4: The Hits Edition retails for $39.99; Amazon also has it with free shipping.
Want to Win?
One winner will receive a copy of the game plus the microphone. To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter below!
2011 Holiday Gift Guide – Suggestions For Her (Be sure to check out all the other great Gift Guide items and giveaways here.)
You may already have your outfits selected for all the holiday parties this season, but have you thought about your accessories yet? One item I consider an accessory – and that I love to shop for – is nail polish. Nail polish to me is really quite awesome; it finishes off any look, is easy to change and allows you to keep up with seasonal trends without breaking the bank.
If you’re like me in your love of polish – or you have someone on your shopping list that is – you will love Julep’s holiday sets. Whether as a gift or stocking stuffer any of their polishes would be sure to please.
Julep is a boutique nail salon that is also a place where girlfriends can go to take a moment for fun and style. They want to be a space where women can gather and find themselves, to connect and celebrate as part of a community. They are very focused on their message and they put their money where their mouth is; $1 of every nail color sold goes to organizations that support women. Check out the below pilot clip of the PBS show “Trendspotting” to see more.
I love burgundys and other shades along those lines so I’m really enjoying the Demi polish in the Julep Holiday Reds set (see below). The Brooklyn shade is my next favorite of the three; I enjoy the touch of sparkle that really steps it up for the holidays. The third shade is called January and it’s a real, tomato-red with a bit of shine to it. I’ve never tried wearing true reds but I’m looking forward giving it a try at one of my upcoming parties. I love the quality of the polishes and how easy they are to apply. They also wear nicely; a lot of polishes chip I use chip after the first day or two because of the amount of time I spend at the keyboard and these did not. I’m totally in love.
And if you’d like to make an entire group of friends smile for the holidays, consider purchasing the Julep Spa Pedicure At-Home Party for 6. It comes with four polish colors, topcoat, basecoat, Pomegranate Body Creme, Cosmopolitan Mix and 6 each of the following: orange sticks, nail brushes, toe separators, nail files, and pedi slippers. (If Santa’s elves are reading I want this please.)
Where to Buy:
All of the holiday collections – and much more – can be found on Julep’s site. Both the Holiday Reds and Silver Belles collections retail for $42 and the Pedicutre Kit for 6 retails for $84 (a $145 value). As a special for you all Julep has given us promo code SHOPPINGFORSAVINGS – use it to take 15% off your purchase!
Want to Win?
One winner will receive the Holiday Reds Collection! To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below.
