Girls Gone Gadget

Earlier this fall I participated in a Twitter contest hosted by @VtechToys and I won! Yay!  My prize — the Bugsby Reading System and two additional Bugsby Reading books!!!

From the moment we opened the box, my daughter was elated.  She loves books and books that came with an adorable book work…let the squealing begin!

The interactive reading system features pen touch technology wrapped up in a cute bookworm character shaped pen — Bugsby!  Simply click the software cartridge that comes with each book into the Bugsby pen and let the reading adventure begin.  My daughter loves that there are so many different options with each book.  She can let the pen read the story to her; she can tap each individual word to help her as she reads the story herself; or she can choose one of the interactive activities in the story.  She never gets bored!

I was amazed at how Abbi was able to start using the Reading System without any explanation from me.  The Bugsby Reading System is so user friendly and straightforward that a three year-old will have no trouble using it.  However, the system also grows with your child in the sense that your child can read the books on their own, using the Bugsby pen to help them with the words they are struggling with.  The reading system also offers an assortment of books targeting specific ages from 3 to 7 years.

And your child is going to love recognizing their favorite characters in the Bugsby Reading System books — from Dora to Olivia to Scooby Doo!  My daughter loves the Wow Wow Wubbzy book we received with our prize pack!

As a parent there are key features of the Bugsby Reading System that I love, besides the fact that my daughter loves it and it is educational, of course!  I appreciate so much that the designers thought about parents when they created the Bugsby pen.  They put a volume control button on it!!!  AND, this is where I believe there will be a place reserved for them in heaven, it has a headphone jack!!!!!  These may seem like small things but, when you’re in a car for more than two hours or on an airplane and your child wants to use their Bugsby Reader, you’ll be singing Vtech’s praises!

The Bugsby Reading System requires no additional software or extra set-up.  It truly is that easy and that fun!

I would highly recommend a Bugsby Reading System for any child ages 3 to 7, whether they love to read or not…whether they can read or not.  And, priced at just $29.99 for the Reading System and $12.99 for additional books, this will be a great gift this Christmas season.

*I received the Bugsby Reading System and two additional books as a prize from a contest I entered and won.  This review was not solicited by Vtech® and no compensation was received for the review.

Hippo Hooray! is actually three separate apps for the iPhone that are handcrafted to entertain and educate your little one. And my daughter loves all three — Hippo Hooray! Shapes, Hippo Hooray! Colors, and Hippo Hooray! Letters!

Each app presents your child with a screen with different options of shapes, colors, or letters, depending on the app. Then the little voice of the app asks your child to select a specific shape, color, or letter, again depending on the app. If your child selects the wrong shape, for example, that shape disappears from the screen, giving your child a chance to still find the correct shape.

My daughter loves that after selecting the correct answer she receives verbal affirmation — “Super Cool” “You Rock”!!! And, after getting a few correct answers in a row, the app shoots off fireworks for her or throws her a party! She loves it!!!

I love that the apps not only verbally asks her to pick a color (letter or shape) but it also has the printed words on the screen. She is quickly learning to recognize the spelling for the names of the colors and shapes as well as the actual colors and shapes. It is a great learning experience for her!

The downfall of the Hippo Hooray! apps…I wish the three apps were combined into one. It would be nice if I just had one Hippo Hooray! button on my iPhone and, when opened, the app would allow the child to select which “game” they want to play — shapes, colors, or letters. It’s really just a picky detail because I have a lot of apps on my phone and like to keep things clutter free!

Regardless, the Hippo Hooray! apps are great for toddlers and preschoolers and are very, very affordable!

The Hippo Hooray! apps are a product of Jackson Fish Market, a company based out of Seattle, WA.  Each app costs $0.99 and are available at the iTunes App Store.

I was checking out some of the blogs I read regularly and this caught my eye: Breaking News – Baby Einstein is issuing full refunds on their DVDs (from Cool Mom Picks).  What?  Why?  Are they leaking some sort of poisonous gas when my kids watch them???

It turns out that the refund is part of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. I guess, somewhere along the way, Disney was asked to recant the claim that the Baby Einstein videos were educational to children. Since then members of the CCFC has been pressuring Disney to offer reimbursements to Baby Einstein customers…assuming these customers felt they were wronged by Disney’s claims.

You can see all the reimbursement details and how to claim your refund here.

I’m not sure what to think about this.  I mean it’s great that Disney is stepping up and offering good customer service.  And, sure, the Baby Einstein dvds probably shouldn’t be labeled as “educational”, but really?  Did parents really buy these videos thinking their children would become geniuses?

We have a handful of the Baby Einstein videos and my girls love them.  They love the animals and they love the music.  The videos did actually help facilitate them learning different animals but, more importantly, those videos bought me 10 minutes to take a peaceful shower!  And it’s really nice to have my kids watching videos that don’t have cartoon characters talking in very loud voices or some weird guy running around in an orange jump suit and a furry orange hat!

Yes, I’ve purchased Baby Einstein dvds that I wasn’t thrilled with.  There was a languages one that was really annoying to me and I sold it at a garage sale.  So, sure, it would have been nice to get a refund on that one.  But for the most part these dvds are great in comparison to some other options out there.

And never once did I expect my kid to solve some crazy mathematical problem or become musical prodigies because they watched some mouse puppets throwing flour at each other.  If anything I think I should be awarded some sort of ‘pain and suffering’ prize for having to listen to the whiney voice of Caillou and my daughter mimicking him!

What do you think?  Are you happy with Disney being pressured into this refund or are you just fine with getting 10 minutes of peace while your kids watch that non-educational Baby Einstein video?

I’m beginning to wonder who uses my iPhone more: me or my kids? It’s probably leaning more towards me but, if I keep finding these great kid apps, the scales are going to start tipping towards my kids. And fast!

Kid Book by Stolen Lunch (don’t you just love those names) is one of those “great kid apps” I was taking about!

Kid Book is a very simple app that helps kids learn colors, shapes, and animal names and sounds. The app is simple enough that my 18month old can use it with ease but interesting enough to keep my 3.5 year old wanting to play it over and over again. My youngest daughter loves the animal noises and learning how to say some of the words as the app says them, while my oldest loves to try to name the shape before the app can. And she LOVES that the sheep loses his wool! What is it about kid apps and sheering sheep?

As a mom I love that my kids are learning as they are playing. I also really appreciate that the game shows variation. One time the Monkey may appear on a Blue Heart and the next time you see the Monkey he is on a Green Hexagon. It means that my girls aren’t just memorizing the order of the screens. They are really learning the shapes, colors, and animals!

Kid Book (priced at $2.99) is available at the iTunes App Store, along with other Stolen Lunch apps.

The weather is getting colder. The days are getting shorter. And, since I’m a total wimp when it comes to cold weather, it looks like I’ll be turning my exercise to the indoors.

Two years ago I bought my husband a Nintendo Wii™ for Christmas and last year my parents bought me the accompanying Wii Balance Board™. And that has been the source of my workouts in the cold months this past year. Since having two small kids I just don’t make going to the gym a priority and that Wii™ and Wii Fit™ has been my saving grace.

Recently I had the opportunity to review a new workout game for the Wii™ for 5 Minutes for Mom, a site I often write for. The exercise game? Daisy Fuentes Pilates! I must say, I am a fan of the workout! It has been so nice to switch up my exercise routine with something new and, if you have a Wii™, I think you’ll love it, too!

You can read my review of Daisy Fuentes Pilates for the Wii™ and even enter to win your own copy over at 5 Minutes for Giveaways!

My girls love Sesame Street.  Pretty much everything about it keeps them entertained.  And, since I am usually stuck watching it with them, I so much appreciate how Sesame Street writers use their creativity to entertain the parents as well!

One of my favorite Sesame Street skits is their version of Law and Order: SVU.  I believe it’s ‘Special Letters Unit’.  They capture my favorite personalities from that show so well!  You know Sesame Street has to be doing something right when they get hundreds of actors, musicians, and celebrities to come on their show!

When I came across this short video from Sesame Street I knew I had to share it here.  It’s not exactly a gadget but, well, it’s just too fun:

When I first heard the news that Nintendo was dropping the price on the Wii gaming system, I was a little shocked. Just two years ago I remember standing in line three hours before a store even opened in hopes of getting my hands on one of ten consoles they were promising to have in stock that morning. But that was two years ago and, in the gaming world, that’s a long time!

Actually the Wii will be celebrating it’s third (launch) birthday this November. So, with the news of the price drop, I had to wonder if this means the Wii is on it’s way out and Nintendo is going to be releasing something new soon. Since there has been no news of anything new coming on the market, I can only assume that Nintendo is making a great strategic move!

After all, it’s been three years! Nintendo needed something to put the Wii back on the front pages of gaming news for a while. It also seems that Nintendo is taking to heart that consumers are tightening their budgets and gaming systems just aren’t a high priority right now. I think the price drop will have parents considering the Wii this holiday shopping season!

The original $249 price tag has been slashed to $199. And, if you purchase the Wii at Amazon.com before October 3, you’ll receive a $25 Amazon.com Gift Card. That means (until Saturday) the Wii will only cost you $174!!!

As I said, my family owns a Wii and we have really enjoyed it!  We are not die-hard gamers so this has been a perfect system for us.  It is something that everyone from my three year old daughter to my parents can enjoy.  Last year I received the Wii Balance Board for Christmas.  This year I’m excited about the New Super Mario Bros. Wii game!

Super Mario Bros. Wii — Choose to take on the new version of a much loved classic or invite up to three friends to play with you in the multiplayer mode. The multiplayer mode of the game offers a combination of cooperation and competition. Choose to work together or toss your friends in the way of danger.

Releasing November 15, just in time for Christmas wish lists!

So, is the price drop a good move on Nintendo’s part?  I believe it will be.  It can’t hurt!

The iPhone owners in the US have won one more battle with controlling carrier AT&T! Today, as promised, AT&T released the iPhone update enabling MMS.

What is MMS? MMS, or Multimedia Messaging Service, is an upgraded version of Short Messaging Service, SMS. SMS allows you to send and receive text messages from your phone. MMS allows you to send and receive text, photos, audio, video, etc.

Why is MMS so important? Really, it isn’t. Not with things such as Twitter and Facebook around. But, it is nice if you want to quickly send an image to just one person. Sure, you can do that in Twitter and Facebook but MMS just makes it a few steps easier and faster.

The downfall, of course, is that the person you are sending the MMS to, the recipient, also needs to have a MMS enabled phone.

Anyhow, back to AT&T and the iPhone update. If you have an iPhone 3G or 3GS and want to check to see if your area has enabled MMS, simply plug your iPhone into your computer, open up iTunes and check for an update. Note: If you do not have an update available just check back in a few hours as your area may not be enabled yet.

After your phone has been updated you may need to restart your phone. I had to do this to get my phone to recognize the MMS. If your MMS Still isn’t working, go into your iPhone Settings, click on Messaging, and make sure your MMS Messaging is turned ON.

Great! Now you’re ready. When you go to your Messaging you’ll notice a cute little camera icon next to your message box. When you click on that you’ll have the option to take a photo or choose an existing photo from your iPhone photo library. Voila! You’re a MMS maniac now!

My three year old is known for saying things like, “Hey dad, did you see my Twitter last night? I was Twittering.” or “Mom, can you give me a minute? I need to send dad a text.”

Does she actually know what “Twittering” and “texting” are?  I don’t know.  Sometimes I think she knows more than I think.  Either way, she does know that when mommy works it’s on the computer and that we use our phones to do things like texting and Twitter.  She knows I check my email both on my computer and on my phone.  Of course she knows all of this, this is her life!

It often amazes me how many of my friends are not on Facebook or Twitter or using some sort of other social media format.  Ok, yes, I was surprised the first time I saw someone my parents’ age or my grandparents’ age on Facebook.  But, now?  I’m surprised when they aren’t on there!

Social Media has become so big now that there is constant talk of government regulations on the relationship between businesses/advertisers and bloggers.  A lot of companies have caught on to how impactful Twitter, Facebook, and blogging are on their bottom line — good or bad.  Good and, more often, bad customer service is no longer being reported to a customer service hotline.  It is being reported to anyone and everyone who will listen, in just 140 characters.

The video below is an amazing look at how Social Media is dominating our world, especially the business world.  I was actually surprised at some of the facts they show.  Take a look:

What are your thoughts on Social Media? Are you boycotting it or have you jumped in with both feet? How do you feel about the impact it is having on our kids?

Spend one day in my house or go on one quick road trip with my girls and you’ll have the song “Old MacDonald” stuck in your head within minutes. Actually my 3 year old sings it as “Old McDonalds”…she likes her Happy Meals!

Anyhow, however you sing it, it is a favorite in my house. My 3 year old sings the main part of the song while my 17 month old chimes in on the “E-I-E-I-O” part. It’s adorable…the first 25 times.

Needless to say, I was very excited when asked to review the new iPhone/iPod Touch app Old MacDonald by Duck Duck Moose.

The Old MacDonald app features 12 colorful and musical pages based on the popular children’s song. Not only are all of the illustrations fun and colorful but they can be manipulated! You can do everything from watch a cow get abducted by aliens to helping Pig-casso paint a masterpiece (of sorts). My daughter’s favorites are sheering the sheep and helping the bulldozer carry away the dirt!!!

The song itself is offered in five different languages (English, French, Spanish, Italian, and German), four different instrumentals, or choose to record your child singing! That’s right, you can actually record your child singing each line of the song and then that recording will play back as they are on that specific screen. My daughter loves hearing her own voice as she gets the little dog to eat the double-double decker sandwich!

Grade: We are definitely giving this app an A+! It is both fun and educational, as it allows children to hear the familiar song in a variety of languages. I love that it is interactive and can be personalized with your child’s voice singing the song lyrics. The younger kids will love the cute characters and variety in the song lyrics. The older kids will love that everything is interactive and that the characters themselves are not your run-of-the-mill cow, sheep, pig, or duck. The animals have style! And they let you know it!!!

This is another very affordable app, priced at just $0.99, that any child is sure to love!!! You can purchase this app now at the iTunes app store or head over to Duck Duck Moose to learn more about their other available apps!