5/22/12: Treat Father's Day Cards Review and Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED
I like to plan ahead, and before you know it Father's Day is here.  You have probably read her that I love to make personalized cards.  I find them to be so much more special and my family enjoys them.  I love to include cute pictures of the kids in them since I take so many.  Father's Day is a perfect time to show Dad you love him and look at how cute this is for a daughter to give their Dad, it is the Daddy's Girl card from Treat who is one of Tiny Prints Partners!  Read on and you can win 10 cards!

Treat has some beautiful Father's Day Cards and has some cool features:

Your first Treat card is free! Use code FREETREAT at checkout.

You can add a gift card to top retailers (such as Amazon, iTunes, Target & more) in any greeting card.

Never forget a birthday again--import birthdays from Facebook and set up reminders.

Schedule cards for delivery—up to year in advance!

This card is also super cute.

Find them on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/TreatCards

Twitter:  @treatcards 

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/treatcards/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/b/117542183382899885395/

Here is how to enter to Win 10 Personalized Cards from Treat

1 entry for each item:

Mandatory Entry:

- Tell me what you do to for Dad on Father's Day.  (comment section at the bottom). Note if you are logging in anonymously please include your email so I can contact you.  Make sure you see comment posted.

Additional Entries Optional:

- Like Evan and Lauren's Cool Blog on Facebook and then comment here that you did.

- Subscribe to Evan and Lauren's Cool Blog (and verify the subscription to be valid) and leave a separate comment that you did.

- Subscribe via Google Friend Connect to Evan and Lauren's Cool Blog (on the Right hand side) and leave a comment that you did.

- Already a subscriber (thank you) then leave a comment stating you are.

- Share this link on your Facebook page and leave a comment here stating you did.

- Follow me on Twitter @galiberti If you already follow me, just leave a comment here that you are a Follower.
- Follow @treatcards on Twitter.  Then leave a comment here that you followed them.

- Tweet this Giveaway (you can do this daily): #Win 10 Personalized Cards from Treat @treatcards from @galiberti http://bit.ly/JAwJAA #Giveaway 

Contest closes Friday, June 1st, 2012.  US residents only. 

Winner will be chosen by Random.org.

Disclosure:  I received credits for Treat Cards for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

5/22/12: Summer Camp at GymStreet USA

I wanted to share information about Summer Camp at GymStreet USA.  My kids went last year and loved it.  In fact my daughter keeps saying she can't wait to go to Camp this year.  The kids are especially looking forward to the themed days.  Here is the calendar of camp theme days.  Also feel free to check out my other GymStreet USA posts.

June 13th - August 31st 2nd 7:30am – 5:30pm

GymStreet Members - Pay in Full by June 1st

and receive 10% off

CAMP IS ACTION PACKED

Parents check this out...

 They have the LOWEST CAMP RATES in the area - I know I compared

 You can create YOUR OWN schedule

 The security of knowing your children are not taken off site.

 Option to buy lunch your kids will love ($5.00)

Kid Friendly Lunch Menu including Chicken Nuggets, Grilled Cheese, Soup, Pizza, Hot Dog, or Mac and Cheese  Lunch includes:  Chips, fresh fruit and drink

Campers will have a blast doing

 Instructional Gymnastics

 Tumble Track and Trampoline Time

 Instructional Martial Arts

 Rope and Bar swinging

 Swimming in our foam block pool

 Free play in our huge Inflatable Room

 Movie every afternoon on our huge Movie Wall with surround sound!

 Parachute Games

 Relay Race Games

 Organized Sports:  (Soccer, Baseball, Basketball, Volleyball, Scooter Hockey and Kickball)

 And so much more…….

Check out their Daily Itinerary

7:30 - 9:00 Supervised play in gym

9:00 – 12:00 Themed Event and Games

10:00-10:30 Snack Time (must bring your own)

12:00-12:30 Lunch Time (bring or buy)

12:30 - 1:00 Craft/Free time

1:00 - 2:00 Gymnastics rotations

2:00 - 2:30 Snack time (must bring your own)

2:30 -4:00 Various activities

4:00 - 5:30 Movie

Inflatable Time Varies

***Daily Schedule is subject to change***

Price Per Week:
Half Day - up to 4 hours
Full Day - up to 8 hours
Full Day Extended - 8 hours or more
1 Day  Half Day - $40.00, Full Day - $55.00, Full Day Extended - $65.00
2 Days Half Day - $65.00, Full Day - $95.00, Full Day Extended - $120.00
3 Days Half Day - $85.00, Full Day - $130.00, Full Day Extended - $165.00
4 Days Half Day - $100.00, Full Day - $155.00, Full Day Extended - $200.00
5 Days Half Day - $110.00, Full Day - $175.00, Full Day Extended - $225.00
Please Note: Full Payment is due at the time of registration. We accept MasterCard, Visa, Check or Cash. Day per Week Pricing is only eligible on Weekly prepaid registrations. On vacation weeks additional added days are subject to the one day rate. We welcome walk-ins the day of camp however, it is subject to an additional $10.00 fee.

Space is limited so call today to reserve your spot!

978-694-9678 

http://gymstreetusa.com/camps.htm

Disclosure: I receive a free month of my daughter's Gymnastics in exchange for posts for GymStreet USA.

5/21/12: Evan's Angry Birds 7th Birthday Party

Evan loves Angry Birds!  So when it came to his 7th birthday I knew exactly what the theme should be.  Even for his formal pictures he brought the whole group of birds and pigs.

 We always have Evan's birthday at home but this year we decided to have it outside the house.  We had it at the Billerica Boys and Girls Club.  It started with an hour in the pool which was perfect as it was 80 degrees out.

 Having fun swimming.

 The kids had a blast in the pool.

 Then they ate some pizza and headed for the gym to play.

 Evan with his classmates.

 Evan with Lauren and his buddy Tanya.

 Evan with his friends Molly (who he has known since he was 6 months old) and Tullal.

 With his cake.

 Time to sing Happy Birthday.

 Blocking his ears from the kids singing.

 Blowing out the candles.

 The family in our Angry Birds shirts.

Here is a closeup of the cake.  Angry Birds and Pigs swimming in the pool.  The kids got a big kick out of it.

 And cupcakes.

 He opened his gifts at home and of course got another Angry Bird to add to his collection.  This one was Space.

A few more of the Formal Photos. 

Love the close up. 

I can't believe my little man is 7! 

So adorable!  Love ya buddy! 

5/20/12: 7 in 1 Rechargeable Solar Transformers from OWI, Inc.

My son loves vehicles, especially ones that move on their own.  We were lucky enough to try out the new 7 in 1 Rechargeable Solar Transformers from OWI Inc.  This product is really cool and kids get to learn some science by learning about solar energy.  Plus for parents how exciting is it to have a toy with no batteries or tools!  All the pieces snap together.

 Here is Evan showing me how to charge the car.  Evan likes the car best but there are five vehicles that can be made: Solar Car, Concept Car, Bulldozer, Dump Truck, and Concept Racer.

The Bulldozer:

 The Dump Truck.

 During the charging process.

This is how it starts and kids get to put the pieces together.

 Here is the charging station.  Note there are two places to plug in to for charging.

 The charging statio closed up.

 The cool little car that Evan loves playing with.

 Here it is plugged in.

Here he is playing with it after charging.  It goes really fast.

 Here it is as packaged.

More from OWI about the product:

OWI, Inc.®, a leading supplier of fun, educational RobotiKits™ has added the 7 in 1 Rechargeable Solar Transformers to their award-winning line of construction kits for all levels of experience.

This is an innovative solar science kit that encourages children to exercise their source of creativity and imagination. The 7 in 1 comes with all snap plastic parts (no screws, tools required), solar panel and accessories. It is easy to assemble the 7 different modules: 2 power charging stations and 5 different vehicles.

A full time fueling station is remarkable. The transforming rechargeable station has 2 output plugs; one for solar recharging and the other for battery recharging. Amazingly, the battery charging station can bring the selected unit to full power in about 5 seconds and the solar recharging station will fully recharge in approximately 120 seconds. The fun time - run time is approximately 50-80 seconds. The educational value is paramount, The 7 in1 Solar Rechargeable Solar Transformers allows the user to experience energy that can be recharged and stored in a power source and learn its principles and knowledge through assembly.

Similar to OWI's other mini solar kits... if you have sun, you have power. Enjoy five different vehicles: Solar Car, Concept Car, Bulldozer, Dump Truck, and Concept Racer.

So many choices... transforming, recharging, indoors, outdoors, creating, and building. Learning is fun!

Suggested selling price: $26.95 USD

Check out OWI on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/OWI-Robotikits/111044195591744

Follow them on Twitter:  @OWI_Robotics

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

5/19/12: Shoplet.com Office Suplies Review

If your house is like ours pens and office supplies are constantly disappearing.  Every time I go to look for a pen there is never any to be found.  I was lucky enough recently to receive some cool pens and highlighters from Shoplet.com for review that I wanted to share with you.

I received two products made by Sharpie.  I personally love the Sharpie brand as we use it a lot around house labeling things.  I did not even know that Sharpie made anything but markers so this was a cool surprise.  The Sharpie Premium Pen is a wonderful pen that is also permanent and easy to write with.  You can check out other permanent markers here.

 It wrote similarly to a black felt tip marker and I really liked the weight it had.  I was impressed at how durable it looked and quite classy.  This pen will definitely be staying next to our checkbook on our desk to have at all times.

Another item from Sharpie is their Gel Highlighters.  These may look like normal highlighters from the outside, but just wait.  These are really unlike anything you would ever expect.  There are other highlighters here.

Some information about them: 

- Features gel stick technology which provides the strongest smear protection across pen and marker inks and ink jet printouts Won't dry out if left uncapped or bleed through paper.
- Works great on all paper surfaces, including glossy or thin papers.
- Conforms to your handwriting style and writes as long as a traditional pen-style highlighter.

Look at the cool gel tips.  I really liked the way they highlighted and love that they don't dry out if left uncapped.  With kids around so many of our markers dry out due to being left open so this is perfect in our house.  I also think it is really cool that they can be used on glossy paper.  I scrapbook a lot and this will come in handy there.

The last product I received was the Paper Mate InkJoy 700 RT Ballpoint Pen.  These really did write well and had great weight to them.  They also have lots of cool Ballpoint Pens on their website.

More about them:

- InkJoy writing system gives you the best in effortless writing starts quickly without dragging, requires minimal pressure from the hand and delivers crisp, clean lines every time.

- Combines an hourglass shape with rubberized grip to provide comfort and control.

- Solid metal accents for long-lasting durability.

 I thought the coolest feature was this little plastic piece over the tip.  I am guessing this is to protect it from leaking in shipment.  I thought this was great.

What wonderful Office Supplies from Shoplet.com.  I look forward to shopping there more for office supplies.

Disclosure:  I received these products in exchange for this review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

5/19/12: Lauren's 1st Parade Twirling with the Suburban-ettes

Today Lauren marched in the Apple Blossom Festival Parade in Westford with the Suburban-ettes twirling team.  This was her 1st parade twirling baton and she did awesome!  Plus today was my Mom's birthday, Lauren's Nana.  So what better present than to have a parade.  She looked so adorable!

 Here she is with some of the other little ones before the parade.

 Here she was at home all ready to go.

 Ready to start the parade!

 Here she is with the little girl she twirls with.  They do a duet in two numbers.  One with umbrellas to April Showers and one with just their batons to the Mickey Mouse march song.

 Here they are walking to the start of the parade.

 All the girls ready to go.

 Here she is twirling away.  What a flashback for me as I twirled in so many parades as a kid!  I got to walk with them.  Of course I brought my baton to show Lauren what to do. 

 Doing so good!

 March, march, march.

 So seriously watching the older girls to make sure she was doing the right thing.

 So close to the end.

 Twirl, twirl.

Here is some video:

All done!

 Here she is with her teacher Mrs. Dunn.

 There was a carnival at the end.  Lauren was very excited to go on the rides.

 She loved the caterpillar roller coaster!

Such a fabulous day and a great job for Lauren!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA!