reviews

super deals this weekend!

If you aren't stuck inside due to crazy snow, there are some killer deals out in stores this weekend!

I picked up this cute cap-sleeve cardigan and this adorable shirt for me. And these shirts for the  girls and this bathing suit for the boy. Gracie somehow talked me into buying her this headband as well. ("But, Mom, its on SALE!")

and LOFT, click here to download a 20% off regular price coupon or use code SPRING20 at checkout. Everything that's on sale is an ADDITIONAL 50% off in stores. I picked up tshirts for under $10 yesterday, as well as a pair of amazing jeans for only $14. Yes, you read that right: $14!!

GO!! SHOP!!!

exploring trees inside and out at Please Touch Museum

This morning we were thrilled to get a special preview of the brand new  “Exploring Trees Inside Out” exhibit opening  this Saturday, January 23 at the Please Touch Museum! It was a huge hit with Grace (age 5) and Colin (age 1). By far their favorite part of the exhibit was the huge tree that they were climbing around in and Dancing with Trees. Colin spent most of his time trying to figure out how he and Grace were on TV while Gracie had great fun pretending to be a ladybug or a cardinal:

Gracie really enjoyed the more educational exhibits that were a little old for Colin. She built a birds nest, smelling the scents of various trees and hearing the sounds of the forest. She said her favorite parts were dancing on the tv and looking through the microscope.

The exhibit was very cool! Of course, all the exhibits at the Please Touch are amazing and perfect for kids of all ages. But I loved the way this exhibit combined education and fun at a level that even my 5-year-old could understand. Its so interactive and exciting that kids can't help to get excited about helping the environment! I love that!!

The exhibit is at the museum until May 2, 2010 and is sponsored by Doubletree Hotels and the Arbor Day Foundation. If you're planning on visiting the Please Touch Museum this year, make sure you go before May so you can catch this terrific addition to the Please Touch's amazing  permanent exhibits!

disclosure: we received complimentary tickets to the please touch museum. i was not compensated financially for this post.

shaun white snowboarding: world stage and academy of champions: soccer

My husband is a huge fan of sport video games, so we were really excited to try out these two new games from Ubisoft: Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage and Academy of Champions Soccer

What they say:
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

• Become the world’s best snowboarding crew: You and Shaun White will guide the World’s best riders to the very top of the world rankings.
• Tons of new powder to ride: From a half pipe in the middle of New York’s Times Square to the most prestigious competitions in France, Canada, and Japan. Explore eight huge mountains for 75 unique challenges.
• Seamless co-op multiplayer: Invite up to three friends to be a part of your crew at any point in the game.
• Everyone can hit the Slopes with the Wii: The Wii makes it easy to free ride or compete. The Balance Board lets you control your jumps and tricks with the intuitiveness and fun of having a snowboard in your own living room. A hilarious and inventive integration of the new Wii MotionPlus lets you create, name and play your own tricks.

Academy of Champions Soccer

• Action-Packed 5-on-5 Party Soccer Learn incredible moves that you never thought were possible on the field.Pick-up-and-play controls makes A of C playable by kids of all ages.
• Over 12 Mini-Games in a World Full of Excitement Take part in easy to play mini-games involving goalkeeping, shooting, passing and tackles.
• Pelé is Your Headmaster Discover the true value of fair play and respect. The legendary Pelé will teach you the skills necessary to compete at the highest level.
• Immersive Story-Driven Experience Develop your super skills in the imaginative world of Brightfield Academy. Battle your way to the top to defeat the evil Scythemore Academy!
• Multiplayer Battle your friends in head-to-head gameplay
• Unlock some famous video game characters: Take control of the Raving Rabbids, Sam Fisher, Altair, Rayman who appear… as kids!
• Wii Motion Plus™ Brand new peripheral is supported in core gameplay.

What I say:

Now first off, let me say this: I married a soccer hooligan and neither of us have ever been skiing in our lives.  So you can imagine which one we liked better :-)

My husband is a HUGE soccer fan and loves to play soccer games on his PS 3. But that game is super complicated (in my opinion) and is not something that the whole family can participate in. So Academy of Champions: Soccer was a hit with our kids. They were so excited to be able to play soccer with Daddy! They loved the cartoon-y graphics and liked the drills, where you practice shooting and goalkeeping and such. The simple dribble, pass, and shoot action made it easy even for younger players to play. This is great for families with younger children who aren't quite ready for the complicated, more 'realistic' sports games.

Now I did try snowboarding in real life once. And it did NOT go well. But even I was able to stay upright in Shaun White Snowboarding! The best part is that you don't need a balance board - obviously, since it has multi-player mode! - and it actually was easier without. (At least for the kids)
The only thing I can think of to add is that I've played a snowboarding/X-Games game on the PS2 before, but  this was 1000 times better.  Players don't just ride down a hill around doing tricks - the game is so much more. The levels/locations are amazing. This takes the genre to the next level - especially with the addition of the balance board! Any snowboarding fan would love this - I'm  passing this on to my sister, who is an actual snowboarder, to see how she thinks! (Update: she thinks its AWESOME!)

 disclaimer: i received a copy of academy of champions soccer and shaun white snowboarding: world stage to review  from ubisoft. i was not compensated financially for this post.

national liberty museum

Today my family and I got to visit the National Liberty Museum in Philadelphia. Despite living in Philly for years, we've never been there. We saw the Liberty Bell this past summer, but we didn't make it over there. So this morning we bundled up the kids really well and headed out.

The National Liberty Museum has a new “Heroes of Character” childrens' exhibition (and website)  are designed to inspire action and initiate a global dialogue about heroism and character in today’s society.  The exhibition speaks to young people using interactive technology, asking the question, “What do you stand for?”

My kids seemed to really enjoy the exhibit, despite being on the younger side. We've been dealing with bullying this year in our family, so we spent a lot of time at the anti-bullying  exhibit and my daughter was really excited to talk about the exhibit after we got home as well. (I highly recommend it if you're dealing with that issue!)

The museum was very powerful -- I would highly recommend it for upper elementary, middle school and above. Some of the images were a little much for younger elementary kids.  My kids have traveled all over the world and have seen a lot more than average, but some of the images bothered them (of concentration camps, etc). But I'm really looking forward to taking them back when they are a little older and talking through all of it.

I know you're probably like us and tend to head to the obvious places with your kids, like the zoo or the Please Touch. But don't ignore the rich history and variety of  museums right on our doorstep!! The National Liberty Museum is just one block from Independence Hall, so its easy to add on to your tour of Old City!!

disclosure: we received complimentary tickets to the national liberty museum. i was not compensated financially for this post.

a healthier breakfast

A few months ago, we decided our kids were eating too much sugar. It may or may not have been brought about by a box of cereal named after my favorite candy that made its way into my shopping cart. Anyway, we decided to - among other things - take a good look at our breakfast options. We all know how important breakfast is, right? In a perfect world, I would be able to make my kids a full breakfast of eggs with homemade pancakes or waffles every day. But.... at least two mornings a week, we have ready-to-eat cereal as a quick, healthy breakfast option. And while cereal is a great breakfast (and sometimes dinner ;-),  there is a LOT of junk cereal out there. How do we decide what to feed our family?

We decided that cereals needed to have under 10 grams of sugar per serving and have whole grain. So when I learned that General Mills has committed to further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving, I was THRILLED.  It is ridiculous how much sugar some of cereals have -- they kind-of negate the concept of a "healthy breakfast." This is a fabulous step in helping curb the sugar overload facing today's kids!

And its not just for breakfast: My 2-year-old LOVES Multigrain Cheerios (and I love that they not only are well under our sugar limit, but have 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein!) He is also a huge fan of Kix. So I take a bit of each and mix in raisins and make him his own little snack mix. He LOVES it! Its a great healthy snack on the go... or a great breakfast in the car for days when we're really running late!

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals. 

disclosure: i received coupons for free boxes of general mills cereal from general mills and my blog spark. i was not compensated financially for this post.

powermat wireless charger

At Christmas, we drove out to my mom's house for a week and we took with us a total of SEVEN chargers. (Ridiculous, right?) Then, the first day we were there my daughter realized her Nintendo DSi needed charging. That's when we realized that we had forgotten that charger! Despite bring seven others!  So the poor kids had to go without their beloved DS for over a week. (When they were getting new games for Christmas. And not to mention a 7-hour drive back home!) And did I mention I forgot my cell phone charger there when we left?

All that to say, when I got home and opened up a box containing Powermats, boy was I ready to give that Powermat Home & Office Mat and Powermat Portable Mat a try!

What they say:

• The Home & Office mat uses magnetic induction and Powermat proprietary technology to charge your handheld devices quickly, efficiently, and wirelessly.
• Connect your device(s) to a Powermat receiver -- either the Powercube or a dedicated receiver -- and place it on the Powermat surface to start charging.
• The Home & Office Mat can charge 3 Powermat-enabled devices at the same time, as fast as, or faster than with the original adapter. A fourth device can charged via the USB port on the rear of the Mat.
• Can charge 1,000s of devices including Kindles, eReaders, digital Kodak cameras, Bluetooth headsets, handheld game players, many many cell phone brands and models and more.
• The Portable Mat folds for ultra-compact storage.
• Included in the box for each is a universal Powercube with 8 tips that enable you to charge different devices.

What I say:

First off, this is a great idea. No cords all over the counter, no fighting for the outlets. I am famous for not charging my cell phone (and thus having it die mid-conversation) so this is terrific for someone like me. I can just store my phone on the mat and be done with it. (The mat shuts off automatically when its done charging, so no worries about overcharging your devices or wasting energy!) And its perfect for your kids - my girls could throw their DSi on the mat and charge it up - no messing with plugs and cords. Its smaller and much less bulky than other charging stations I've looked at (none of which are wireless like the PowerMat), which I love.

My husband travels a lot for work, and thought that the portable mat was amazing.  He'll probably just store the Portable Mat in his suitcase, so its one less thing he'll have to worry about packing. (And if you've ever forgotten your Blackberry charger during a business trip, you'll understand why this is such a terrific product!) This would be a fabulous gift for a frequent traveler! Especially one like my husband, who travels with lots of devices and still tries to never check luggage... anything to streamline his packing is great. 

I'm thinking of getting one for my grandma. My mom gave her a cellphone for emergencies but she never uses it because she can't remember how to plug in the charger. We could get her a mat and enabler and she'd always have a charged phone ready to go!

Realize before you buy that without an enabling case for your device, you are back to the old plug-in system. The Powermat only comes with one powering cube. So plan on purchasing one or two enabling devices in addition to the Powermat. They're not too pricey, but if you have lots of devices it could add up. (And if you have older devices, check to be sure they will fit. You know how they like to make each new version just a smidge different!)  You'll be buying lots of enabling cases if you are a frequent technology upgrader.

disclosure: i received a powermat home and office mat and a powermat portable mat from powermat to review. i was not compensated financially for this post.