11/15/12: Duracell Powermat Power Up Your Holiday Shopping

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is one for the technology buff in your family.  It is the Duracell Powermat 24 hour Power System which can charge two smartphones simultaneously, or one smartphone and one portable backup battery.  

The package contains a very slim charging mat called the Powermat.  To enable your phone you just put the Duracell Powermat case on it.  They are available in black, white and pink at retail, and also in blue, green, red, and silver online.  The case is very easy to put on your iPhone.  It has an area that bends back at the top so you can then snap it on after sliding it in the case.

 Here is the case on my phone.

Now you just need to place your phone in the case on to the Powermat.  You feel a bit of a magnetic pull as it pulls to where it needs to be in place.  The symbol on the back of the case lines up with a dot that is on the mat.  You can even charge two devices at once on the mat.  Here it is in black.  The mat is available in white and black.

The best part in my opinion is the last component that is for power on the go.  I constantly struggle with this when I go to conferences or all day events.  The Duracell Powermat Portable Backup Battery is charged on the mat as the phone is and you can use it any where after it is charged.  Just put your phone on the Backup Battery and you are charging up.  It is so tiny you can put it in your purse or in you pocket.

It also comes with a micro USB and Apple connectors so it works with any smartphone. Plus this would allow you to switch to any decorative case you have and just connect when you are on the go via one of these connections.

Another feature that is cool is that unlike other chargers it is smart.  It knows when your phone is charged and stops sending power once it is fully charged eliminating energy waste.

The Duracell Powermat complete set as shown includes the Powermat for 2 devices and the wireless case and retails for $99.99 and additional wireless cases retail for $34.99.  It supports not only the iPhone but also an array of other smartphones. For more information go to:  www.duracellpowermat.com

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/duracellpowermat

Follow them on Twitter: @NeverPowerless

 Disclosure:  I received this product for review purposes.  No other compensation has been received and all opinions are my own.

11/12/12: Earth In My Room from Uncle Milton

My son has a Space Theme in his room, plus he loves to have illuminated items during the night.  With this theme is the next up in my Holiday Gift Guide.  It is a fun and educational toy from Uncle Milton called Earth In My Room. 

 It is remote controlled and can either cycle through city lights illuminating from East to West on it's own or you can press the button to cycle through.  Evan enjoys it as he is learning geography in school and likes seeing the United States all lit up.

It is cool as you can hang it up on the wall.  They also sell Moon In My Room so you could put both up.

It is very cool to look at.  Here is an image of it not lit up.

Now an image of it lit up.  I would say that it is not bright enough to be meant to be a night light on it's own.  I still put Evan's night light on along with this cycling through the light cycles.

When I was at Time to Play's Holiday Showcase I also got to see some other products from Uncle Milton.  One that caught my eye was The Force Glove.  If you are a Star Wars fan you would love this toy.  You can use "the force" of magnets to push a droid of pull a Lightsaber.  

Another item I saw was this Starry Night Lantern.  It doubles as a Lantern and projects a glowing field of stars.

For the animal lover in your house this super cute Nat Geo WILD™ – Anteater Bug Vac™ is awesome.  It actually vacuums up real bugs or fake ones, your choice.  It safely vacuums up bugs and then you can empty out his tummy compartment and release the bugs back out in to the wild.  So cute!  It was recently shown on the ‘Today’ show.

I would definitely check out the 30 new products Uncle Milton has this Holiday Season.  

Like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/unclemilton

Follow them on Twitter:  @unclemiltontoys

Disclosure:  I received the Earth In My Room for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/12/12: Peppa Pig New Collection of Toys

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide are new Peppa Pig toys from Fisher-Price.  These are great for preschoolers on your list or as I learned little ones in Kindergarten like them too as you can see here.  Peppa Pig is now sleeping in Lauren's room with her.  She is called Hug 'n Oink Peppa and when you squeeze her she laughs, snorts and talks.  So cute.

 Lauren really has enjoyed hugging her to hear all that she has to say.  She thinks she is adorable.  We also received the Peek 'n Surprise Playhouse and Peppa Pig DVD with a 60 minute compilation of 10 "peppasodes" as aired on Nick Jr.

 Lauren loves doll houses so the Playhouse was a big hit with her.  One feature I liked about it is that at the top you can see a handle coming out.  You can use this to carry the house around when it is closed up and you can put all the accessories in it.  I love portable toys.  Great to bring to Grandma and Grandpa's house or to play dates.

 The other thing Lauren quickly learned is that a lot of panels on the pieces turned around to display other views.  For example you could change the kitchen table to have two different pictures, switch the sink from messy to clean, change what is baking in the oven, the washer even displays a sock being washed, and the bath tub can go from empty to a bubble bath.

 Here is Lauren switching it on the oven to show me the pie baking.

 This is the full set with all that it comes with.  Super cute!  This Peek 'n Surprise Playhouse is only sold at Toys 'R Us.

 The kids ended up playing together with the Playhouse while watching the Muddly Puddles and Other Stories DVD of stories.  It is also available on iTunes as a digital download for $9.99.

 Evan loved showing me the different faces of the components.

 Here are all three as packaged.  What great gifts this holiday season!

To learn more visit:  www.PeppaPig.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialPeppaPigUS

Disclosure:  I was provided these products for review by being part of Team Mom.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own. 

11/11/12: Spin Master Nano Super Vert Crash Set Review

My son loves vehicles of all types.  He loves racing them and watching them run on tracks.  He was very excited to see the Nano Super Vert Crash Set from Nano Speed put out by Spin Master.  Seriously, look at how cool that track looks and these micro vehicles are really fast!

All the kids were able to put it together easily.  One even noted that once they were put together they were really hard to take apart.  This is a good thing when it comes to tracks.  I can't tell you how many tracks we have that don't stay together.

I love that Evan's head is right in the loop of the track.

Of course Evan couldn't wait to start racing cars.  His cousin was still putting it together and Evan was trying to race a car.

Here is a video tutorial:

Evan is all business racing his tracks.  It does have a small motor that launches the cars out and up through the loops.

2 cars come with it.  The blue one on the far left and the black car.  We happen to have the Fire Truck and Police Car so we had them join the fun.  I will warn you that these cars are extremely small.  When they got knocked off the race track we had to look right away as they do move fast and go far.

Such a cool race track.  You can either let the motor do the work and launch the cars that way or pull them back at the end of the track and send them on their way.  I will say that we had a hard time launching them on their own from this ramp before the three loops.  But you don't need the track to have fun with these cars.  You can pull them back and launch them any where.  You can make your own ramps.

You can buy the set at Kmart, Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and Amazon.

Like Nano Speed on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/nanospeedworld

Spin Master on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpinMasterGames

and

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spin-Master-Toys/110370562325351?nr=105609066138872

Follow on Twitter: 

Spin Master Toys: @SpinMasterToys

Disclosure:  I received the Nano Super Vert Crash Set for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/11/12: Disney's Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups Review

We love dogs.  Our dog Fred who is a Shetland Sheepdog has been my baby since we got him.  I was excited to be able to review the latest Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups from the Disney Buddies franchise.  

It was adorable to see Fred watching the movie.  I love how dogs know when there are dogs on the TV and automatically are drawn to it.  

It was a really cute and heartfelt movie.  The Santa Pups were so adorable and the trainers did an amazing job with these dogs during the filming.  My whole family really loved the movie and Kaitlyn Maher's singing was beautiful.

The whole movie showed how important having the spirit of Christmas in you is.

And we personally loved the head Elf dog.  He was so cute and watching him walk in the little boots was adorable.  That is exactly how my little Yorkshire Terrier used to walk when we put boots on him.

We especially liked watching the bloopers.  It was so funny seeing the reindeers talking and the dogs acting like dogs and not doing what they were directed to do.  Plus seeing Cheryl Ladd doing a Charlie's Angels pose.  Definitely watch the bloopers.

Here is a little video preview:

More about the movie:

The North Pole has a new litter of playful pups! However, when the frisky foursome—Hope, Jingle, Charity and Noble—practically destroy Santa’s Workshop with their mischievous gamboling, they realize the best way to prove that they’re responsible enough to become Santa’s Helpers is to show how well they can spread the Christmas spirit all by themselves. With help from a magic crystal, they start granting everyone’s wishes. But their good intentions backfire when one unhappy boy asks that Christmas go away forever! With his wish impetuously fulfilled, and the joyous spirit quickly disappearing from the planet, Mrs. Claus and the pups have to find a way to reverse the spell—or risk losing Christmas forever! 
About the Pups:  This cute litter consists of three female pups and one male pup. HOPE is the daring tomboy who wears a backwards red cap and rarely looks before she leaps. JINGLE is the diva with a bell on her collar who loves to sing, but can’t carry a tune. CHARITY is the girliest and most self-centered of the pups, with a mistletoe barrette, who has yet to learn the meaning of her name. And NOBLE is the mischievous only brother and self-appointed leader who is distinguished by a cheeky black spot around his eye. 

The New Litter Arrives This Holiday Season on Disney Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and HD Digital on November 20, 2012

Stay connected with the latest news and information about “Santa Paws 2: The Santa Pups.” “Like” them on Facebook at http://facebook.com/TheDisneyBuddies

Twitter: @disneysantapaws

View exciting trailers, games, video clips and more at www.Disney.com/SantaPups

Disclosure:  I received Santa Paws 2 for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/11/12: Ubisoft Just Dance 4 Review

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective. #UbiChamps

We love to Dance.  I danced when I was young and taught  all through College.  Now Evan takes Hip Hop, Lauren takes Jazz and Tap, and I take an Adult Tap class.  I knew Just Dance 4 would be a big hit in our house.

The fact that it has fun songs from One Direction and songs like Rock Lobster that I like makes it a great mix for the whole family.  It even had Jailhouse Rock which is tons of fun to dance to.  

Here is some video of You Don't Know Your Beautiful which Lauren loved because she loves this song.  Of course this was the first song they selected:

In fact every Thanksgiving we used to go to my Aunt's house at night and would play a game.  Usually it was Charades, however I bet the whole family would love playing this game.  You can attach up to 4 Wii Remotes to play together and could switch off depending on the song.

Here is some video of Rock Lobster, the kids liked the Lobster:

The kids liked dancing to the Tribal Dance.

Here is some video of that, as you can see they are getting a good workout too, which is also an option that you can play a more workout version of the game:

 They really had a blast playing it, and my husband even joined in to play with them.

They also enjoyed the Dance Battles.  Both Lauren and Evan played against John and had a great time doing it.

Just Dance 4 is tons of fun for everyone despite the rating of Everyone 10 years +.  My 5 and 7 year old loved it!

You can learn more on the Ubisoft Page.

You can buy Just Dance 4 for Wii, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U on Amazon and Toys R Us.

Follow them on Twitter: @justdancegame

Like them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justdancegame

Disclosure: This game was provided to me for review purposes. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.