Category Archives: Gadgets

Dyson DC16 Root 6 Vacuum – Pink

Electronics, Gadgets, , , ,

I've 41CdHZGPUqL._SL160_
had the cordless pink Dyson DC16 Root 6 Vacuum
for a little while and everyone in my family loves it, including the kids.  We have two hand vacuum's and 9 times out of 10, the Dyson is the vacuum we use.  This hand vacuum has uses Root Cyclone technology and has great suction, about twice the suction of other hand vacuums and it recharges about 3 times faster. and tools to make cleaning easier in tight spaces, as well as on hardwood floors.  
The Lithium ion battery lasts for 6 minutes or so giving amply time to clean small messes hand vacuum's are intended for.  The battery charger can be wall mounted and the vacuum features a low-battery indicator which is awesome for me because my 9 year old forgets to put the vacuum on the charger and I can tell how much battery is left.  
The DC16 is a bagless hand held vacuum cleaner and has a 1-touch cup-emptying system which I LOVE!  The 1-touch emptying system is great for those of us who make our kids vacuum their own small messes because they can easily empty the vacuum themselves.  Image that!

You can buy the pink Dyson DC16 Root 6 Vacuum
at Amazon.com for about $149.  Dyson and Target will partner to give $30 of each upright purchase and
$10 of each hand vac purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
for a total donation of $1.4 million

Top 10 iPhone applications for parents

Gadgets,

I rely on my iPhone for every day from setting up reminders, writing notes, sending & reading email to listening to and finding music and taking & sending photographs.

Here are my top 10 favorite iPhone applications that I (or my kids) use almost every day.  The prices and features of these Apps may change.

  1. Jott – Free. A really easy to use notepad that turns your voice recordings into notes and sends them to your email if you want.  Website, desktop, and iPhone sync available, free!
  2. Grocery Gadget Shopping List – $2.99.  Keep track of what you need, edit & delete items, and keep a running track of your total while shopping!  Popular grocery items are included but you can manually add and delete items as needed. I love this app.
  3. FLEX Photo Lab – Free.  A must have for parents.  If you take photographs with your iPhone, you have to download this app.  You can adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of your photographs and apply cool effects.
  4. Say Who Dialer – Free.  Don't dial and drive!  Just say a name in your contact book or a telephone number to connect your call.  You can create an auto-dial list and even nickname favorite numbers like 'pizza' or 'babysitter'.
  5. Burning Monkey Puzzle Lab – This is a really fun collection of 5 puzzle games.
  6. reMovem – Free and paid version available.  This is an addictive iPhone game.  All you do is remove blocks of colors to get points. The bigger the block of the same color, the more points you get.  When you clear the screen you get 200 bonus points.
  7. Preschool Adventure – .99.  Madelyn loves this game.   Toddlers will learn shapes, color, sounds, and matching with bright colors, and fun sounds.
  8. Shazam – Free.  This is a great app that will recognize any song and tell you what it is so you can buy it via iTunes. Just hold your iPhone up to your radio speaker and it will tell you what the name of the song is in about 10-12 seconds.
  9. Easy Relax – Free and paid version available.  High quality ambient and background noises to help you relax.  Easy Relax is great for using for yourself or your kids at bedtime.  The sounds are real and so relaxing! There are 7 preset relaxing sounds.
  10. Pandora – Free.  Pandora streams music right to your iPhone.  Create your own personalized music station that plays your favorite songs and artists.

WrapMaster plastic wrap and aluminum foil dispensers

Food and Drink, Gadgets

Wrapmaster_plastic_2At the beginning of the school year, kids like to think that they will buy lunch at school but it never fails, after the first couple of weeks they are begging mom to pack a lunch so they don’t have to eat the yucky meatloaf and green beans served by the school. I don’t blame them. What is the primary food that moms pack in their kids school lunch? A sandwich. Where there is a sandwich, there is plastic wrap. That is where WrapMaster comes in.

The WrapMaster is an inexpensive, easy to use and safe plastic wrap and aluminum foil container and dispenser. These neat little dispensers make it easy to store and use plastic wrap or foil without getting yourself wrapped up in plastic wrap or cutting your fingers on the sharp edges of the box.

WrapMaster dispensers are easy to use. Just pull out what you need and push down the lid and you get perfectly cut plastic wrap or aluminum foil every time. No fighting with the box, the wrap or sharp edges! The safety shield protects little fingers from the blade and the WrapMaster snaps shut when not in use.

Available as single units or combo packs, WrapMaster can be purchased online at http://www.wrapmasterusa.com, QVC, and Linens N’ Things retail stores.

Color Changing Digital Room Thermometer – Grobag Egg

Gadgets, Nursery & Room Decor, Safety

This is one of the most innovative products I’ve seen in a long time.  The Grobag Egg is incredibly useful and it looks really neat in a baby nursery.  I am obsessed with the Grobag Egg in Madelyn’s room.   I have the Grobag Egg on Madelyn’s armoire so I can easily see if the room is too hot or cold.  Lately, it’s been way to hot so the Grobag Egg glows bright red and has a frown.  The Grobag Egg helped me prove to Tim that Madelyn’s room was too hot especially for her to sleep in and he finally accepted that the air had to be turned down.  Before I could show him the Grobag Egg thermometer to prove that her room was too hot, he said it was just me.. I was the only one that was hot. 

Grobag_egg

When we started using the Grobag Egg thermometer I would yell
downstairs to Tim and tell him how hot it was in her room which ultimately led to the air being turned down!  Thank goodness.  When her
room reaches an acceptable temperature, around 75°F, the egg is a little lighter in color but still has a frown, and when the room is at the most ideal temperature, 61-67°F, the egg is a very vibrant yellow and has a smile.

The Grobag Egg thermometer glows softly and the temperature is backlit so I can see it easily at night while it provides a nice nighlight for Madelyn.

I have a few Grobag Egg thermometers to give away!  Stay tuned and sign up for our newsletter to be notified when the giveaway contest starts.

Website: Grobag Egg thermometer

mylo personal communicator: “My Life Online”

Electronics, Gadgets

Mylo1
Do you have a tween or teen that is always on her cell phone, not only talking but texting and surfing the Web which skyrockets your cell carrier bill?  mylo is for you then.  mylo will connect to the Web from any Wi-Fi location such as a coffee shop or even your Wi-Fi enabled home and does not require a cell carrier contract. 

Complete with a 3.5 screen and a 1.3 megapixel camera, users will have a great time surfing the Web, texting, listening to music, and taking pictures!  Does it get better than that?  Did I mention that you don’t have to pay a monthly fee to access the Internet from mylo?  Maybe I did.

Continue reading mylo personal communicator: “My Life Online” →