12/14/16: Skylanders Imaginators and Giveaway

CONTEST CLOSED: CONGRATULATIONS CINDY!
My son loves playing video games!  We have been playing Skylanders since 2013!  When the Skylanders Imaginators starter pack showed up for review I knew he would love playing it.  Plus if you read on I am giving away Skylanders Imaginators Master Mysticat and Water Creation Crystal!

Evan really enjoyed the game play and the character in the starter pack.  He also liked using Skylanders from his previous games.  I was very happy that it also supports all 300+ Skylanders from previous games. You can create your very own Skylanders by choosing their body parts, size, catch phrase, powers, colors, theme music.  The starter pack includes two Sensei characters, one Creation Crystal, Portal of Power and game disc.

You can also create on-the-go with the free Skylanders Creator App (select iOS and Android devices), offering the same in-game character creation tools plus the option to bring creations to life as a t-shirt, 2-D playable card, or a fully playable 3-D printed Skylanders Imaginators toy!

 There is also the all new, festive Sensei toy, Jingle Bell Chompy Mage.

The game has been named to the Toys“R”Us® 2016 Hot Holiday Toy List, Amazon’s 2016 Holiday Toys List, the Toy Insider’s Hot 20 Holiday Toys List, and Parents magazine’s “2016 Best Toys.”

It is available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 1, Xbox 360 and WiiU and retails for $74.95.

Enter below to win Skylanders Imaginators Master Mysticat and Water Creation Crystal!

Disclosure:  I was provided with Skylanders Imaginators for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinion are my own. a Rafflecopter giveaway

12/10/16: Macy's Gifts for Everyone on Your List

I still have quite a bit of Christmas shopping to do so today I headed to one of my favorite stores to shop at, Macy's!  I have been shopping at Macy's since I was a young child and it was Jordan Marsh here in Boston.  I even registered there when I got married.  This store has you covered for holiday gifts for everyone on your list.

Our store has three floors of lots of merchandise for everyone on your holiday list!  Plus the deals all over the store were amazing!  I saw so many signs of 50 and 60% off!  I love deals.  In fact I rarely buy anything that isn't on sale.

I love these pajamas for the family!

They even have decorations for your Christmas tree and home!

I personally was shopping for the kids so I headed to the Children's Department.

Is this every boy's dream or what?  I don't know about your kids but my son is all about Under Armour!  Plus they were all 25% off!

I got Evan a winter jacket that was 60% off!  Plus when I got to the register they also applied a $10 off $50 code even though I didn't have the coupon.  The sales associates were so nice.

There were also lots of sports related boys shirts which is totally what Evan is in to.

My kids are too old for this section but I had to take a peek at all the cute clothes for babies and toddlers!

Now this is exactly what Lauren would wear!

She loves leggings with prints like this.

There were also beautiful dresses.

I love this one!

I decided to get Lauren these pajamas as she loves to dance and they were 60% off!

I love these fuzzy jackets and vests and they were all 50% off!

If you can't decide what to get there are always gift certificates for a perfect fit for everyone on your list.

I love the house wears section.  We got all our China from here and our silver.

They also have awesome makeup and cleansers.

Make sure to check out your local Macy's this holiday season!

Shop online or in stores:  http://www.macys.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Macys/

https://twitter.com/macys

Disclosure:  I received a Macy's Gift Card in exchange for this review.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

12/7/16: Brackitz Driver Set Building Fun

Evan loves building cars of any kind.  He loves to race them and make different designs to see how they perform.  When I saw the new line of Brackitz Driver Sets I knew that they would be a hit with him.

These awesome construction lines are made in the USA.  They are also very durable.  Evan was having a blast putting them together.  They snap together very easily.

This new Driver Kit includes 43 pieces, which includes 4 wheels.  Evan started by building a few of the 10 driving machines they provide directions for and then he got creative and did his own thing.  The nice thing about this toy is it is good for many ages.  The pieces are large enough for Pre-K kids but also good for older kids.  I found myself playing with them too.

Here you can see the pieces it comes with.  There is also a Driver Expansion Pack you can purchase to add on to the set.

Evan had a blast and I know your children will too. 

Here it is as packaged.  It retails for $24.99.  You can purchase it directly from the Brackitz website here:  https://brackitz.com/collections/driver-sets/products/driver-set
You can also find them in many major retailers including Amazon.

Disclosure:  I was provided with the Brackitz Driver Set for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

12/2/16: WowWee Mini MiPosaur

Next up in my Holiday Gift Guide is a fun little inexpensive gift from WowWee called the Mini MiPosaur.  It is a small little remote controlled dinosaur.

Here is the Mini Dinosaur.

The remote control has two buttons.  One to make the dinosaur go forward and one to spin around.  It seemed to respond pretty well to the remote control.

The kids had fun watching our new puppy chase it around.  She was quite amused with the toy.

It did work on our rug however it worked much better on the hard wood floor.

Here it is as packaged.  It retails for $19.99.  Check out all of WowWee's Toys here:  http://wowwee.com/

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

11/23/16: STEM Toys from Uncle Milton

I love toys that allow kids to learn at the same time and Uncle Milton does an awesome job with this!  We got to check out the new Virtual Explorer Space Expedition and the Star Wars Science Force Spinners Magnetic Lab with BB-8 and Evan had a blast playing with them.

I was especially impressed with the Virtual Explorer Space Expedition.  Being a space enthusiast and someone with an Aerospace Engineering degree I couldn't wait to see what this had to offer.  The coolest thing is that it allows you to explore the solar system via virtual reality technology!  The star planetarium projects hundreds of stars on the wall.

There is a dial that you can use to set it to a specific date.  There is an explorer activity guide that helps you learn about constellations, space expeditions and the solar system.

The Virtual Reality goggles open up for you to put your smart phone in to.  You then download a free app to start exploring.  The cool thing is that when I looked through I saw that the technology was Powered by Vuforia.  My company PTC which I have worked at for 18 years acquired Vuforia so this is our technology powering this toy.

There are Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality cards that unlock adventures.

Here it is as packaged.  It retails for $49.99.  They also have a Prehistoric Safari and Antopia Adventure.  You can see those here.

We also received the Star Wars Science Force Spinners Magnetic Lab with BB-8.  Evan loved the Star Wars The Force Awakens movie and thought BB-8 was cool so I knew he would like this.  You put the rip cord in to allow it to spin.

Us the force to push BB-8 with the magnetic force controller.  Use the speed rail for tricks.  Kids get to learn about magnets, friction and physics.

Even Shellie had fun playing with it.

Here it is as packaged.  It retails for $19.99.

Check out Uncle Milton Online:

https://unclemilton.com/

Disclosure:  I was provided with these products for review purposes.  No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

11/23/16: Lola the Therapy Dog Book Series

Reading is so important for kids so this is why the next cool gift in my Holiday Gift Guide is a book series about Lola the Therapy Dog written by Marcia Goldman who is her owner.  Our new puppy Shellie the Sheltie decided to check out the books too with real pictures of Lola.

These books are adorable talking about visits to the doctor, going to work, first day of school and being a tattletale.  Lola is a little Yorkie.  I had a little Yorkie named Rocky when I was growing up.  They are great little dogs but not usually therapy dogs but Lola overcame the odds and became one.

How cute is she?

Lauren read to Shellie about going to the doctor.  Even Shellie was really interested in the cute pictures of Lola.  Lauren loved reading the books and thought Lola was adorable.

This is a such a wonderful book series because it teaches kids how to overcome their fears.  Children will identify with the feisty Lola as she struggles going to school, passing tests, and finally achieving her Big Dog dream.  If Lola can make it in a world of Great Danes and Labradors, so can anybody who's feeling like a runt.  The book shows children how through hard work and determination, anyone can achieve their goals.

You can purchase the books on Amazon.  What a great gift for your budding reader.  They are easy to read for young children and would be perfect for Kindergartners to Second Graders.

Disclosure:  I was provided with the set of four Lola books and small stuffed animal.  No other compensation was received and as always all opinions are my own.