Battle Machines Radio Control Laser Combat Tag 2 Pk Car Set Silverado Vs Mustang Review & Giveaway 12/18: WINNER CLOSED

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

chazvgo said...

I follow on GFC :) Chazvgo
My boys would love to have this :)

December 18, 2010 9:45 PM 

An e-mail was sent earlier and she has already responded!  

Thanks to all those who entered!

Battle Machines RC Laser Combat Tag cars are the ultimate in remote control awesome fun.  No matter if you have boys or girls or even big boys, the Battle Machines are a fun gift for the holiday.  We received the complimentary pack that included the Silverado versus Mustang and it lives up to the hype you see in commercials if you have seen them.  This is not just an ordinary remote control set up but a laser tag version that allows the users to have much more fun trying to chase each other down to shoot their laser at the rear of the other vehicle to disable it and win.  The first and second hits halts the opponent vehicle and it will rumble with loud sounds.  The next hit disables it thus making one of the players a winner.


Both vehicles are made to match their full size counter part and look great down to each detail.  They are easy to use and run on standard batteries.  They are little powerhouses and can run on many different surfaces.  What I also liked was the fact that it made the kids get up and move since they were wanting to win.  Have more than two kids?  The vehicles can battle against one another up to six vehicles total.  


Each twin pack comes with the following: 2 full function Licensed, high performance radio control vehicles 1:16 Scale. Two varieties. (a) ‘69 Camaro vs. ‘06 Mustang (b) ‘99 Silverado Dooley vs. ‘06 Mustang, Laser Canon/Sensors, Digital Voice Warnings, Explosive Sound Effects, Rumbling Motions, Power Meter which displays how many hits the car has taken, and 27/49 Tri Band Technology.




My only cons were they require eight batteries and they run out quickly so having rechargeable ones are the way to go.  The second con is slip cover to protect the antennae comes off easy which having one that stayed on would be nice but definitely not a deal breaker.

Overall, this is a great gift for any kid or adult that likes cars/trucks.  They were fast moving, mobile over many surfaces and just created so much fun for the kids.


The Giveaway:


One lucky winner will receive the same set as I did!


To Enter:


Follow my blog and leave a comment.

Extra Entries:

• Follow Jada on Twitter (below)
• Follow me on Twitter
• Like my page on Facebook
• Tweet about this giveaway (can be done daily - two entries)
• Blog about this giveaway (can be done once - five entries)
• Subscribe to my blog
• Enter any of my other giveaways (five entries).

Giveaway ends 12/18 at midnight (EST) - US only please.

_________________________________________________________________

Jada offers many gift ideas and more can be viewed here.

Follow Jada on Twitter

Ten Tips for Making this the Ultimate Holiday Season for You and Your Family

It's that magical time of the year and even more so if you have children or adults with kiddie hearts as I do!  I love Christmas and I love spreading happiness and joy with the gifts I give.  This year, my seven year old daughter's non-profit, Angels4Epilepsy, will be spreading Christmas joy on Saturday with gifts donated to the Ronald McDonald House.  The holidays can be stressful as I have found this year with trying to give my two younger kids, who have everything, something special.   I prefer to find a one place shop for my gift giving especially after today as I went from store to store trying to find the perfect gift without success.  I should have known that all I had to do was visit the Hasbro Ultimate Gift line.


As part of my participation in the latest TwitterMoms and Hasbro Ultimate Gifts blogging sweepstakes, I'm sharing my top ten tips for making this the ultimate holiday season for you and your family.  This is not hard to do given the entire toy line that Hasbro offers.

1. For me, the ultimate holiday season begins with decorating the house and tree.  This is a special moment for my family as it's something we all participate in.  It provides memories and helps to establish future traditions with my children.  Having a house with that heartfelt feeling for the holidays sets the motion for happiness and Christmas joy.
2. Planning early for gift buying is a must as nothing is worse than stressing and tackling the crowds.  This definitely creates a stressful situation and when mama is stressed, so will everyone else!  I try to start buying in October and planning my gift list early.  I don't always succeed but I try.
3. Creating the perfect Christmas card is a way to share that ultimate Christmas cheer personally from your family.  Whether you adorn them with pictures or a personal greeting, it helps to set the mood and brighten someone's day.  Taking the picture also leads to warm, fuzzy feelings every time you look at the picture.
4. No holiday season is complete without a trip to Santa Claus!  Go early to avoid the long lines and possibly stressed out other parents.  Seeing the delight and smiles on your face adds to the magic of the season.
5. Planning for the get-togethers to share in the joy and gift giving is a must.  I would love to have them at my house but since I live so far away, we must travel.  Spending precious time with those you love is all part of the season that leads to more memories to come.  Planning your event early and what you will bring will eliminate any surprises or last minute stresses. 
6. Each of my tips are meant to be pieces of a puzzle that leads to the ultimate holiday season.  Decorating cookies and making other deserts is another way to not only create a tradition but many memories for years to come.  Holiday baking is something that is fun and allows your creative side to emerge.  What child doesn't love to help decorate cookies or make a gingerbread house?
7. If you don't like shopping in person, utilize online shopping specials and deals.  Places like dealcatcher and others will provide online coupon codes offering tons of savings that will add up to spend elsewhere.  When I purchase something, I go through MyPoints to accumulate points to trade for gift cards.  This is a quick way to have gifts for others that they can use like a gift card to Hasbro.
8. Online shopping also offers the avenue of convenience.  As I stated before, finding a one stop shop like Hasbro is perfect.  They have all my children's favorites ranging from Furreal Friend's Biscuit to Monopoly to my husband's favorite, Star Wars.  Hasbro has a huge selection of toys that allows me to really shop one place and be done.  Shopping online eliminates stress, gives you more time to do other things and can save you money.  This to me, helps to ensure a perfect holiday season will be achieved.
9. Another aspect of my gift giving is presentation of the gift itself.  I love to wrap presents in beautiful, blingy type papers and ribbons.  Instead of busting the budget, I purchase my next year's wrap after Christmas so I can enjoy the paper I want.  By doing this, I avoid the stress of finding the perfect paper and I don't spend most of my Christmas budget on paper and ribbon.
10. My final tip is to give back.  Nothing sets the mood better than giving back to someone in need.  Whether it's a giving tree, a toy drive, food to a food bank, cards to our military heroes or nursing home folks, there are always people in need of a little attention.  This provides life long lessons to our children and sets them up to give back as they grow older.  Nothing sets the mood for me than giving back and teaching my children to follow me in my footsteps.

No matter what you do for Christmas, you can make it the ultimate one by just planning a little.  Whether it's planning every detail or just a few, planning ultimately provides the best way to alleviate stress and that leads to a happier, healthier Christmas season.  I enjoy the holiday and have found myself getting stressed which is a reminder that I just need to remember that it's about giving, smiling, loving and happiness.    

About Hasbro, Inc.
Hasbro, Inc. is a branded play company providing children and families around the world with a wide-range of immersive entertainment offerings based on the Company’s world class brand portfolio. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, video games and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its customers through the strategic leveraging of well-known and beloved brands such as TRANSFORMERS, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAYSKOOL, MY LITTLE PONY, G.I. JOE, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and MONOPOLY.

 The Hub, Hasbro’s multi-platform joint venture with Discovery Communications launched on October 10, 2010. The online home of The Hub is www.hubworld.com. Come see how Hasbro inspires play through their brands at http://www.hasbro.com. 

More info: http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com 

Follow Hasbro on Twitter: http://twitter.com/hasbronews

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Hasbro Ultimate Gifts blogging sweepstakes, making me eligible to get a $50 Gift card to use at www.HasbroToyShop.com! For more information on how you can participate, click here.

  

I Love My Readers

I just have to say that I love my readers and the one's who win my giveaways.  They are always so grateful and polite!  I also like the fact that when I close out a giveaway, the winners respond so quickly.

Thank you all so much and it's been so much fun giving things away!  I have more to post but I'm just a bit behind since my husband was home for two weeks from Kuwait.

Wii Versus Xbox Kinect

We did it ... we made the transition over to the Xbox Kinect to see what the hype is all about.  After a year or two using the Wii and the various exercise programs, I wanted to see what working out without the cords would be like and I have to admit, I love it!  Often times, I would whip myself in the face or arm with the cord flying about with the Wii.  With the Kinect Sensor with Kinect Adventures that we bought, it's so much easier.  The kids love it.  It works just like any other gaming system except the Kinect sensor focused in your and lets you get moving with ease.  It even takes pictures of you!

I bought The Biggest Loser and although I haven't had a chance to try it, I know it's going to make it much easier to use.  I also bought Kinectimals which is such a cute game for the kids.  Even my oldest liked having her pet and being able to interact with it.  I watched my middle one state commands and saw the little black panther roll over and more.  Watching her pet him was also cute.  They absolutely loved the fact that they didn't have to hold a control and the interference of my youngest wasn't an issue like I thought it would be.

Stay tuned for more posts on our Xbox Kinect!

COMMUNITY'S ABED'S UNCONTROLLABLE CHRISTMAS REVIEW

In this episode of Community, Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas is a special stop motion animation episode on the meaning of Christmas based on the lead character, Abed.  Abed is determined to find out what the meaning is in spite of his friends who feel he has lost it mentally and seek the assistance of others to help Abed.  If you aren't familiar with stop motion animation, it's the one's that we grew up with showing Rudolph, Frosty or Santa Claus.

Abed, voice of Danny Pudi, wakes up in stop-motion animation and takes it as a sign that he and the group must re-discover the meaning of Christmas.  The group undergoes hypnosis to explore Abed's winter wonderland and soon unravel the truth behind Abed’s madness.  Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover, and Ken Jeong also star in this episode that will air this Thursday at 8 pm (EST).

It's an interesting episode that definitely appealed to adults given the humor and animation involved.  With my participation in the Sony project for One2One Network, I was able to preview the episode and found it interesting.  Seeing the show bring in aspects of my childhood Christmas classics made it familiar and fun.  I enjoyed the sarcasm as well and figure that most adults would as well!  It's definitely a different type of animation to watch to bring in that Christmas mood.

Watch tomorrow, December 9 at 8 pm (EST) to find out what Abed learns is the meaning of Christmas.

Disclosure: No monetary compensation was offered or accepted for this post but I am eligible to win a prize.

How to Reach Your Full Potential for God By Charles Stanley Review

How to Reach Your Full Potential for God

Never Settle for Less Than His Best

By Charles Stanley

Published by Thomas Nelson

Pastor and speaker Charles Stanley's message in this book is one of motivation, inspiration and faith.  It's an encouraging testimony to those who have experienced some of life's harder moments with the message of not giving up and wrapping one's arms around God.  I am drawn to inspirational books such as this one because the message is pure and allows the reader to understand that success is achievable and that believing in God's word is the path to start.  Pastor Stanley provides a path of stopping and examining one's life to determine if the person is living their fullest.  The guidance of seven essential ingredients is a perfect starting place for anyone regardless of the amount of teachings you have had.  The added Biblical examples help to reinforce what Pastor and Author Stanley is teaching.

I would recommend this book to anyone given the ease of understanding, the enjoyment he has partaken with getting the essential message across and how to relate our lives to betterment with God.

I received a copy of this book from Booksneeze for the purposes of this review. 

Our Christmas Card for Our Grand Baby Compliments of Shutterfly and a Great Canon Camera

I had to share the beautiful card I just made via Shutterfly.  I spent a long time trying to find the perfect card and I logged on to Shutterfly and made this within 10 minutes.  Isn't it great?


My oldest and I played around with the new Canon Rebel today and took that picture.

Starlight Snowflakes Christmas Card

Make a statement with Shutterfly Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Seeking Sponsors for Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway 2/2 - 2/6

I am participating in the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway that runs February 2nd to 6th and already has over 100 blogs participating!  This is a huge event that has a great following that will surely generate many hits to your site and product.

The rules behind the giveaway is the item(s) must be handmade which is a great feature for those with an Etsy store or any other type of forum.  I am interested in any business that would like to sponsor a giveaway as part of my participation in this giveaway.  The item(s) must be handmade and can include a gift certificate.  

My participation in the Holiday Gift Giveaway was amazing!  It generated well over 100 new followers and created a lot of buzz.  How will this help your business?  It is expected to be another high traffic event and the buzz is already building online about it.  Your business will have exposure by participation and you can also choose which level of sponsorship you want to choose:

The Sponsorship Packages are:

Gold Package- Donate a prize of $100 and up. You will receive:

• Your Business Featured Post.
• Sidebar Button Ad for the month of January up until February 6. You must provide me with the picture for the button.
• Facebook Post about your company on the Health, Beauty, Children and Family's Facebook page.
• Weekly Tweet to over 2700 Twitter followers about your company and a link to your site. (Starts January 1 to February 6).
• Description of your business with a link to your site and a picture on the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway post.

Silver Package- Donate a prize of $50 to $99. You will receive:

• Sidebar Button Ad for the event (February 2 to 6). You must provide me with the picture for the button.
• Facebook Post about your company on the Health, Beauty, Children and Family's Facebook page.
• Weekly Tweet to over 2700 Twitter followers about your company and a link to your site. (Starts January 1 to February 6).
• Description of your business with a link to your site and a picture on the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway post.

Bronze Package- Donate a prize of $49 or less. You will receive:

• Facebook Post about your company on the Health, Beauty, Children and Family's Facebook page.
• Weekly Tweet to over 2700 Twitter followers about your company and a link to your site. (Starts January 1 to February 6).
• Description of your business with a link to your site and a picture on the Handmade with Love Winter Giveaway post.

Please email me at youthfultips@yahoo.com if you are interested in becoming a sponsor or if you have any questions.

*Thanks to Simply Stacie for the verbiage on this post.

CSN Stores $45 Gift Card Giveaway 12/23 - WINNER CLOSED

CONGRATULATIONS TO ...

matt4melis said...

2-Fan CSN Stores on Facebook 

http://www.facebook.com/matt4melis

matt4melis at hotmail dot com

An e-mail has been sent!

Can you believe Christmas is less than three week's away?  I am very behind which is unusual for me as I am on top of Christmas shopping and am done by now.  This year has been a mix of my husband's two week return from Kuwait to battling sick kids coupled with their chronic medical conditions.  I will probably be doing the rest of my shopping online to make things easier with everything else I have going on.  This is where I love the CSN  line of stores as they have over 200 online stores where you can find a variety of items ranging from shoes to office supplies to tv tables or even fitness equipment.

Our TV is acting up and the other two are older sets so I am in the market for a brand new TV.  CSN offers such a variety of tv tables to choose from that it will make it hard to decide which one I like the best.  I definitely like the corner versions (see picture above) to maximize the space in one of my rooms.  One of the things I like most about the CSN line of stores is the ease of searching for that perfect product you are looking for based on how they have the search functionality set up. 

I'm not sure which one we will order but I do know from past experiences, we have been very happy with our past two purchases from CSN's line of stores.  The prices were competitive, quality was exceptional and the delivery was quick.  

Just in time for Christmas, I'll be giving away a $45 gift card to CSN Stores.  I have the code ready to give so I will ensure the winner's information is drawn promptly and delivered in time for an e-gift if selected!

____________________________________________________________

To Enter:

Follow my blog and leave a comment on which CSN Store you like the most or what you would do with the $45 GC.

Extra Entries:

• Fan CSN Stores on Facebook (three entries)
• Follow CSN Stores on Twitter (two entries)
• Follow me on Twitter (two entries)
• Fan me on Facebook (two entries)
• Subscribe to my blog (two entries)
• Tweet about this giveaway & leave your URL link (two entries - can be done daily)
• Blog about this giveaway (five entries)
• Enter any of my other giveaways (five entries)

Giveaway ends 12/23 at midnight (EST).  Open to US and Canada but international fees are not included.

Disclaimer:  I wrote this post as part of my participation in a product giveaway.  The opinions expressed in the post are true and accurate based on prior purchases.

Our Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was special this year in that we, my oldest daughter and I, cooked and we cooked everything from scratch which made it more fun.  I even brined our turkey and used a recipe (below) that involved stuffing the cavity with a cinnamon stick, an apple, sage and rosemary.  This recipe was rated by over 3000 people and had five full stars so I figured I couldn't go wrong.  I also stuffed the turkey for the first time ever with a sausage stuffing and I have to say that it turned out wonderful!  I had so many compliment on the taste and texture.

My oldest with the two younger ones made turkey shaped brownie bites and added gum paste feathers in which they were able to paint with slight food colored water.  Brownie bites are so easy to make.  All you need are baked brownies, a can of frosting to mix in with the brownies, chocolate for dipping and that's it!  Shape your brownie bites into whatever you want, cool in the refrigerator.  If you are going to make brownie pops, dip the stick into the dipping chocolate and carefully insert into the brownie shape before you refrigerate and then place in the refrigerator.  After they have cooled, you can dip.  I found that I have to mix vegetable oil in with the chocolate to thin it enough to not make the brownie bites/pops too thick and rich.  Once I dip, carefully, I try to let the excess drip off and then put back on the wax paper or parchment paper to cool.   They make great decorating pieces for your table.

 

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, also featured in Food Network Magazine

Show: Good EatsEpisode: Romancing the Bird (A Good Eats Thanksgiving)

Ingredients

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

• 1 red apple, sliced
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup water
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 6 leaves sage
• Canola oil

Directions

Click here to see how it's done.

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skinliberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

Good Night, Little Sea Otter by Janet Halfmann Book Review

Another great children's book written by Janet Halfmann is the best way to sum up Good Night, Little Sea Otter.  Janet's books are engaging since they center around wildlife which most children enjoy.  Little Otter is a story of a cute little otter who is about to go to sleep.  Little Otter, like many children, don't always want to go fast to sleep and are clever with finding ways to stay up a little later.

The illustrations by Wish Williams are equally impressive and also entertain the children as they hear the story of Little Otter.  Both my girls listened intently and smiled at the illustrations.  It was a delightful little tale and ideal for bedtime since it wasn't too long.

Overall, we enjoyed Good Night, Little Sea Otter and would definitely recommend it for anyone with children.  The suggested ages were 3 to 6 but even my 7 year old enjoyed the story.  Priced at only $5.95, it would even make a great stocking stuffer or a book swap for Christmas gift giving.

Good Night, Little Sea Otter was provided by Star Bright Books for the purposes of this review.