Review: Car Mount

My husband has been in search of a phone mount that would allow him to use the GPS on the phone without having to hold it or balance it on the dashboard. The ZiLu Universal Car Mount holder works perfectly and now my husband is navigating hands free as he should be. I also recently wrote about another Universal Car Mount which I currently use in my vehicle.

The ZiLu Universal Car Mount came in the box in two pieces that need to be assembled. With a quick snap the mount is assembled and ready for use. In the vehicle, mounting is a breeze. Squeeze in the handles on the base of the mount and slide it into the CD player, then release. Next, place your smartphone or other device in the cradle and you are ready to roll. It's that simple!

The device holder stretches to more than 6" wide which allows for a variety of smartphones. The mount rotates 360 degrees so that it can be adjusted to fit any user.

Disclaimer: I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest feedback in order for the seller to continue to provide excellent customer service. The opinions expressed here are my own and based solely on my own personal experience.

Review: iPhone 5 Case

I am probably one of the last people in "techie world" that still owns a generation 5 iPhone. hanging head in shame It's sad, but it's true. I was holding off on upgrading until my contract expired, and then kept putting off upgrading because of the rumors of an even newer iPhone. *sigh* It's a vicious cycle. The struggle is real!

While I was on one of my Amazon shopping sprees, imagine my surprise when I came across a phone case that still exists that will fit my old phone. It's a sturdy belt clip and case, plus it's pink! What's not to love?? You know what comes next. That's right... I quickly ordered it. 

The iPhone 5S Belt Clip and Case by Stalion arrived quickly thanks to FREE two day shipping via Amazon Prime. I had the pink beauty in my hot little hands in record time. I will admit that I was a little surprised to find that the case was made of a hard plastic, since the description suggests that the case has a "rubberized texture" which provides a non slip grip. The case does have a bumpy texture, but it is most certainly not a non slip case. The plastic is very slick and slippery. The texture of the case was not a deal breaker for me.

Both the belt clip and case have kickstands allowing the phone to be propped up for easy hands free viewing. The kickstand on the phone case is a little difficult to open, but it does lock into and stay in place, and it seems sturdy. The kick stand on the belt clip can be turned 180 degrees, allowing you several options for propping to view. Inside the belt clip is a nice piece of black velvet material that keeps your screen safely tucked inside. 

The top and bottom ends of the phone case are exposed, which makes it easy to reach the features on the top and bottom of the phone, but leaves me a little worried about full protection when the phone is not in the case. The camera and volume control buttons are easy to access with several cutouts in the case. I have also found that when the phone is in the clip with the screen facing out, the phone is very vulnerable to damage and the charger port is impossible to access unless placed in the clip upside down, making it awkward to handle.

Disclosure: I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest feedback in order for the seller to continue to provide excellent customer service. The opinions expressed here are my own and based on my own personal experience.

Review: Universal Car Mount

I recently purchased the Alpatronix MX100 Universal Car Mount to use in my own personal vehicle as a hands free option while driving. The device allows for hands free mobile use through the FM transmitter and is really easy to install.

My installation process:
* Place phone within the adjustable width arms.
* Plug the audio jack into the phone.
* Plug the mount into the charger port.
* Turn the switch on.
* Adjust the neck and base.
* Tune to an FM frequency.

How is that for easy installation? I don't consider myself a very tech savvy person, and there are times that I feel as if I live under a rock when it comes to tech gear, but this universal mount has redeemed me and I have feel as if my inner geek has been set free.

The car mount comes with some great features. I was particularly impressed with the extra wide adjustable arm width on the device clamp. The extra width will fit many different models of smartphones, but most importantly fit my device without having to remove the protective case. The neck of the mount rotates 360 degrees for a completely customized fit. Some of my favorite features One of my favorite features is the ability to charge my device with the USB plug that is on the mount.

I am not one that texts and drives, because I know that it is unsafe, and I usually have kids in tow. That being said, I do use my phone's navigation application to find my way to various places that we visit. This car mount works great to put my phone within my vision and free up my hands for safer driving. 


Disclosure: I received this product at a discount in exchange for my honest feedback in order for the seller to continue to provide excellent customer service. The opinions expressed here are my own and based on my own personal experience.

Countdown to the Reviewsio Launch

In just 5 days Reviewsio will launch and the fun will begin.

Now let's get to the begging question:
What is Reviewsio?

According to the folks at Reviewsio; members receive product for FREE in exchange for honest Amazon reviews. Sign up for Reviewsio now, before the official launch, and start earning points (by completing tasks) for rewards. It's simple!

Complete simple tasks like adding photos to your profile and sharing links on social media.
Invite friends to earn points as well.

Once Reviewsio is live, visit the Review page where you will go on a virtual shopping spree in search of some of the amazing products that are available to review.

What are you waiting for? Don't miss out on the opportunity to try out some amazing products for FREE, sign up now!!

Charger Cable Chaos Resolved

In this house there are lots of techie gadgets. Those gadgets are in constant need of charging. It seems like we are always in search of a charger cord to charge one device or another. A hot mess right?

Most charger cables are 3ft. long and that is fine for most circumstances, but there are times when having a longer cable is needed. For instance, I like to have the ability to use my phone while the phone is charging. Whether I am talking on the phone or checking email, I don't necessarily want to be hovering over the charging station, connected to a short cable, in order to allow the phone to charge. With Reach Cables I am able to continue using my phone while it is charging.

In the car, Reach Cables are a must! I am able to operate my Apple devices comfortably from the passenger seat, while charging with the 10 ft Reach Cable. The cable also easily reaches the back seat, which makes it easy to charge and operate simultaneously without the worry of the battery expiring in the middle of a game or movie. This is an important feature for both of my children.

Aside from the extra long length of the Reach Cables, I am also a fan of the braided cord design. In the photo below, you see a 3 ft. charger cable on the left and the Reach Cable on the right. The handle on the end is a bit larger, and is much easier to grip. The braided cable is also sturdier and does not tangle as easily as other types of cables.

If you haven't ever considered purchasing the longer cables for charging your devices, I encourage you to try Reach Cables.

Disclaimer:  I purchased this product at a discount in exchange for my honest feedback in order for the seller to continue to provide excellent customer service. The opinions expressed here are my own. I choose to only recommend products that I have personally used so that I may provide honest feedback. 

Lemonade That's Easy to Swallow

Alan loves drinking tea mixed with Lemonade. He would prefer fresh squeezed lemonade. Considering we don’t have a lemon tree (though our neighbor does) and it takes a zillion lemons to make a fresh glass of lemonade, we will continue buying the pre-made stuff. Since fresh lemonade isn’t an option, hubby prefers the Minute Maid brand. Imagine my delight when I was at Walmart tonight and found these cartons on sale for only $1.00 each! SCORE!!

I grabbed several and put them in my cart and rushed to the checkout before someone had time to change their mind about the price.

Playing With Food

We are a Cheez-It family! In this house we all prefer Cheez-Its over Cheese Nips. When a new flavor or a limited edition of Cheez-It shows up on the shelf at our favorite grocery store, we will generally test it. Most of the time we are not surprised to find that Cheez-It has received our household seal of approval. This of course happens to be the case for the new Scrabble Junior Cheez-It Crackers that I just bought. I had a coupon for this new Scrabble version of Cheez-It Crackers, so of course I had to get them. The thing that my kids really liked was being able to play with their food. Before eating the crackers both of my children were lining them up on the table spelling words. Since the Cheez-It Crackers are baked they are not nearly as messy and greasy as potato chips, so this is one of the few times that I don’t mind when my kids are playing and handling their food.

We are fans of their Facebook fan page. There are always fun things being posted on there. Aside from promotions and announcements, on occasion they have given coupons on their Facebook fan page as well.

This review was written by me based on my own opinion. I was not compensated in any way for the statements made in this post.

Leaving A Mark

It’s funny and not funny all at the same time. Lately Joshua has been leaving his mark all over the house. On everything! In permanent, Sharpie ink! We have talked to him about it and he is still not sure how in the world we are figuring out that it is him. He has been leaving his mark on everything. Trophies, toys, books, notebooks, magazines. Mostly things that belong to him, but still. Hello? Dude! If you are going to leave graffiti all over the house you might want to use a pen name or symbol that isn’t your actual name for a little anonymity. Just sayin! 

So here is some of the evidence that I managed to photograph.

 

I don’t know why in the world I would blame the boy for these things, it was obviously some stranger that came to our house while he was away and tagged everything in sight, with his name and with a SHARPIE! No worries… Mr. Clean Magic Erasers to the rescue. Note to self: Keep these magic tools in stock. I didn’t get any photos of this. In hind sight I wish that I had b/c I was rather impressed that the name came off of the trophy without ruining the words that were pre-printed on the tags. I am also thrilled that the eraser removed the ink from the wooden toys – even though there is an indent from the pressure of the pen left behind, the ink is all gone. SWEET!

Wooden Beaded Necklace Craft

We found these really cute wooden beaded necklace craft kits in the dollar bin at Michaels a while back. We grabbed about a dozen various style necklace kits with plans to include them in goodie bags at Isabelle’s birthday party. So here we are on a rainy day and nothing fun to do so out of the craft stash comes the necklaces. I was so surprised that Josh was remotely interested in creating one because it’s a necklace and kind of girl-ish.

That didn’t stop him, he picked a flower themed necklace, while Isabelle picked a mermaid one. The kits are in tiny packets since they have small pieces, so there is a concern of choking hazard for young children. My kids are old enough not to try eating the pretty little beads. I cut open the packets and hand the kids the pieces. 

Isabelle immediately started stringing beads randomly on the necklace string. She soon found out that a knot was needed on one end to prevent the beads from slipping off. Once a knot was tied on one end she began again randomly putting beads on the string. 

Josh on the other hand was looking at the picture instructions on the back of the necklace package. He paid close attention to the pattern suggestion on the package and followed it extra precisely. He first laid out the beads in the order he wanted to place them on the necklace while I tied a knot in one of the string. Isabelle quickly realized that she needed to follow a pattern and took the beads off the string and started over, following the same idea as her brother, lining the beads in order on the table before adding to the string. The kids were done with the necklace in less than ten minutes. 

If you are looking for a quick craft this is definitely it! The end result is one cute necklace, which of course makes both of my kids happy. Quick craft or not, it is certainly a win!

Overall this was a super cheap and really cute craft that my kids enjoyed from beginning to end!

Kid In Mind

I am a big fan of Kim Komando. She is the genius behind all things tech related: websites, e-mail, software, gadgets, you name it – she has covered it. So in today’s newsletter she covers a free site that is peaked my interest. We are fans of movies and enjoy streaming things on Netflix. Yes, I am THAT mother, the one that swore I would never let a TV babysit my kids. GAH! While I am not one that allows my kids to watch TV 24/7, still there is the occasional time that the good ole boob tube is a much needed distraction. Examples: waiting in line at a restaurant or the dread grocery store trip.

In regard to streaming, or watching a movie in general, there are the obvious choices that you know are for the adult audience and that the kids are not allowed to watch, but then there are some movies/shows that are either questionable or that you might possibly be on the fence about. Kim has introduced me to a site that goes beyond the generalization of the move rating system. The site I am referring to is Kids In Mind. This site enables me to make an informed decision about a movie choice based on criteria that matters most to me. I like Kids In Mind  because I can find out about movie content and decide if it is a family friendly movie with ease.

The criteria for a good family movie that matters most to me may not rank that high in importance to others. That is where this site comes in handy. For example, my son is 5yo and is quite impressionable when it comes to destruction. He does not quite pick up on any of the verbiage during a film being more interested in the action. After seeing only two episodes of the TV series The Dukes of Hazard (it may not be nudity, but it sure is on the raunchy side) it became quite clear that jumping over bridges in cars was not for him. In a matter of only a few days he has managed to destroy more than a dozen Hot Wheels metal diecast cars and dinged up the paint on at least half of the cars/trucks in his ginormous stash. We have since talked about fantasy vs. reality, but he is only five so time will tell. Back to the movie rating, we now look for movies with less violence since this is a trait of which we wish to steer clear.

Okay, that is certainly enough from me on the subject of movies.

Target Dollar Bin Win

So I scored big on the cool mom scale and guess what? It didn’t cost a fortune. We are a frugal, coupon savvy family, so I am always in search of a bargain. One of my favorite bargain jaunts is Target. Okay, they have been in the news a LOT recently b/c of the Missoni exclusive. The site crashed a few times b/c of the popularity of this partnership. I would say Target and Missoni both made a great decision to work together. For me, I am all about the bargain. Isabelle and I went to Target to pick up a couple of the cube shelf organizers that were on sale.

(note: we bought a white one)

Our first stop of course was to hit the dollar spot. We were a smidge disappointed that there was not yet any Halloween stuff available, but we’ll check back in a few days. I was completely surprised to find that some of the $1 items were on sale for 50% off. WOW! Fifty cents for a puzzle. You cannot beat that with a stick! Especially when it is a shiny, sparkly puzzle that comes with a little mini poster for my little Tinkerbell fanatic.

The Tinkerbell box was a little dinged up. Since we don’t keep the original boxes it was definitely not a deal breaker. I managed to find a puzzle for Joshua as well. I also snagged two coloring books, two 6 packs of chipboard magnets (which I plan to alter), and also a Tinkerbell composition book for Isabelle. In all, there were seven goodies from the dollar bin and I only spent $3.50! SCORE!!

I do want to add that in the past we have had minor issues with the cheaper puzzles. Sometimes the pieces won’t stay connected as well as if it were a more expensive puzzle. On occasion, the puzzle doesn’t quite match the preview. For the reduced price we usually take the risk. Puzzles cost anywhere from $3.00 and go up from there. I have seen some of the kids’ puzzles marked at nearly $10.00. That is too much for our entertainment budget when you consider that we could purchase ten puzzles for that price.