Category Archives: Gadgets

WedgEz, a mommy must have

Cleaning & Cleaners, Gadgets

WedgezWedgEZ is a product that I never would have dreamed of but can’t imagine doing without after having used it.

It’s undeniable that children are drawn to electrical outlets.  When I was 6 or 7 years old, even after being warned of the danger of putting something (especially metal) in an electrical outlet, I put a hairpin in an electrical outlet.  It hurt and scared the daylights out of me and needless to say, I never did it again. 

Outlet plugs were invented for a reason which is to keep children safe.   Rightly so, outlet plugs were designed to be difficult, if not impossible for children to remove.  You can’t deny though, that it is very frustrating when you need to remove an outlet plug and the thing won’t budge.  I’ve heard stories of parents using kitchen knives or tweezers to remove outlet plugs.  Yikes!

WedgEZ makes life a little easier for parents.  WedgEZ is a small tool that conveniently attaches to a standard vacuum for quick access.  I keep one in our kitchen drawer because it seems like we are always removing an outlet plug for one reason or another.  WedgEZ fits nicely in your hand for a good grip.  Simply wedge WedgEZ between the plastic outlet cover and the electrical outlet and the outlet plug will come out with ease.  You can buy just one WedgEZ or a multi-pack of three which I highly recommend so you can place a few strategically throughout your house.

Website: WedgEZ

Logitech Harmony One universal remote control

Electronics, Gadgets

LogitechharmonyremoteI love gadgets!  When Tim and I go to ‘the electronic store’ he looks at movies and televisions while I drool over the latest gadgets. When I received the Logitech Harmony universal remote control for review I think my mouth was wide open for at least a minute.  It’s sleek design, shiny gadgetiness, and knowing that it could replace up to 15 remotes in my home flattered me to no end.   So maybe we don’t have 15 remotes.. at least I don’t think we do, but the thought of consolidating 4 or 5 remotes into one is a dream come true. No more searching for remote control’s!

Set up is a cinch.  You don’t have to be an expert to set up the Logitech Harmony One universal remote control.  My husband could have even set it up if I wanted him to.  🙂 .  The Logitech Harmony One is programmable via the web and is Windows and Macintosh compatible.   The One’s backlit keys, color LCD, and varrying button sizes make for easy recognition and operation in the dark.. you know, those times when you are up with the baby at 2am. The Harmony One has less buttons than previous versions which makes it less intimidating and helps streamline operation of the remote.

The Logitech Harmony One controls TVs, DVD players, VCRs, game consoles, home media center PCs,  and even air conditioning units.  This remote can control just about anything that uses an infrared transmitting remote control.

The Logitech Harmony One may be a bit pricey but is a device that you will use for years and I doubt it will be outdated any time soon.

Check current prices at Amazon.com or click over to the Logitech website to learn more about the Harmony One

Wordlocks review + giveaway!

Gadgets, Safety, Travel

WordlocksWhen I was in high school, I was afraid that I would lose my locker combination and wouldn’t be able to get my books and homework out of my locker.   I had nightmares about it and would think about it so much that I set myself up for combination failure.   I’m not kidding. High school was a tough time.

Now, there is a product called Wordlock that I think is just great!  Using words instead of numbers, our kids can secure their locker, bicycle, ‘treasure box’ and more.

Wordlocks are locks that have letters instead of numbers so you
can come up with easy-to-recall 4 or 5 letter word or letter combos like your
child’s favorite food, C-A-N-D-Y. Wordlocks are ideal for parents with
children because children often forget number combinations, and parents often misplace
the sheet of paper with the combination on it.

Wordlocks come in padlocks, bike locks and
travel locks.  The bike lock is great for those times when your child might forget a numeric combination and you aren’t available for him to call and ask "hey mom, what’s my bike lock combination again"?  Now, he can set an easy to remember word combination.   Wordlock padlocks are great for outdoor pool gates, yard gates, and storage boxes that you don’t want the kids getting into.   The travel locks are
great for your small, personal luggage you take on your summer road trips with the family.  You know, the luggage you don’t want the kids rummaging through!

Wordlocks can be bought at Amazon.com.

GIVEAWAY!!
I have three padlocks, bike locks, and travel locks to give away to lucky readers!

Leave a comment about what type of situation you and/or your kids could really use a Wordlock and I will choose three winners to receive one of each Wordlock.   I will choose the winners Wednesday July 2nd, 2008.  You must enter a valid email address when leaving your comment so I can get in touch with you if you are a winner!

Schlage Residential Electronic Keypad Lock

Gadgets, Home & Garden, Safety

Schlagedeadbolt70% – The number of Moms, according to a Mom Central survey, who have given keys to people who are not members of the
household.  When asked to consider how many non-residents have keys
to their homes, 86% reported feeling at least moderately concerned.   The number that was even more surprising to me is 84% which is the percent of Moms who
have experienced a child, babysitter, or housekeeper entering a
designated "off-limits" area in the home, sometimes with serious
consequenSchlagepersonalces.  Scary!

I was recently given the opportunity by Mom Central and Schlage, to review a Schlage keypad lock and will never go back to a regular deadbolt lock and I think my family agree’s.

As featured on The Learning Channel’s Designing Spaces, Schlage keypad locks are a great way to keep your home safe from intruders who are pro’s at picking locks, while allowing your older children to enter your home after school or sports practice without having to keep up with
a key.

Schlage keypad
locks are ready to use right out of the box.  The keypad lock comes preset with two unique user codes so programming the lock in not necessary unless you want to create a custom code.  All you have to do is install the keypad lock with one simple tool, a flat head screw driver. 

The keypad lock allows you to add, change or delete
user codes in seconds and uses a premium 9-volt battery which is included.  Schlage keypad locks have a plethora of features including, but not limited to:

  • A simple keypad to be used for keyless access (no need to keep up with keys!)
  • Buttons are coated to prevent wear and tear
  • A warning signal after four incorrect attempts
  • Lots of finish options (brass, oil rubbed bronze, and more) that have been proven to withstand harsh weather conditions
  • Less than 30 minute installation
  • Available for interior and exterior doors and in varying styles
  • Innovative ‘Turn Lock’ feature allows you to lock & leave without a key

Take a look at all of the different Schlage electronic keypad locks here and where to buy one online here.

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SimplyMobile™ Mom – Take your favorite content with you.. on your cell phone, FREE!

Fun stuff for parents, Gadgets, Organization

SimplymobilemomSimplyMobileMom is a new online service that gives me the ab
ility to copy online & computer content to my cell phone whether it’s pictures, recipes or snippets from a favorite blog (The Mommy Insider, for example).  An example of how I use SimplyMobileMoms is copying content from a news website like FOXNews.com, to my cell phone so that I can read it later when at the doctor’s office, in the school pick up line, or at the park without having to find the exact article on the website. 

If you don’t have a cell phone with a web browser, or just don’t use it, the SMS version of SimplyMobile is what you need.  Instead of receiving a text message with a link to the content, you will receive the content in the form of a text message.  For example, if you want to save a news story to your cell phone, you simply select the text, right click on it, then click on the "add to simplymobile" text in the menu that pops up.  The SimplyMobileMoms application on your computer will open and you will then choose a category in which to place this content for quick access on your cell phone.

The content I add to my phone creates a "portal" where I can access my saved content when I am away from the computer.  Organized by buckets (phones/people to receive content), categories, and then content items, you
can always gain access to the content you’ve added to your phone, even
if you have deleted the original text message.

There are lots of ways you can use SimplyMobileMoms.  Here is a list of what I regularly use it for:
1. To do lists
2. News snippets  –  I send news snippets to my cell phone so I don’t have to visit each news website individually to read the news I am interested in.  I just go to my SimplyMobileMoms on my cell phone and can see all of the stories I copied in one place.
3. Finding local products – The "TheFind" plug-in makes it easy for me to find just about anything in my area.  I type "organic vegetables" and I got a list of stores in my area that sell books on organic gardening, stores that sell organic cosmetics, etc.. This plug-in is really fun!

HOW IT WORKS: SimplyMobile is software you install on your computer. It lets you add any content to your phone like directions, to-do lists, grocery lists, contacts, and more from Web and your computer.  You can even share that content with other people’s phones.  If I want to share a news story with Tim while he is at work, I can! 

WHAT YOU NEED: All you need to use SimplyMobile is a computer with Windows and any cell phone with any carrier because content you add is sent in a text
message. SimplyMobile covers the cost of the text messages I receive and I don’t get spam text messages.

Like with any new software or service, I have experienced a few small issues such as not receiving a text message when I add new content and not being able to add a photograph from my computer sometimes, but all-in-all, I think SimplyMobileMoms is a great service for moms and dads!

WEBSITE: SimplyMobileMom