All posts by Alicia

15 Products That Get Kids Moving!

Gifts, ,

It can be tough to motivate kids to get moving, especially during the winter months.  Today I am sharing some of my kids favorite ‘get moving’ toys they’ve loved over the years.  The toy in my daughter’s #1 spot is the Plasmacar.  I got a Plasmacar to review about 9 years ago, before my daughter was born, and now she rides it any chance she gets.  It’s a great toy to take on road trips since it’s smaller than a bike and easy to operate on driveways and sidewalks.  My son’s favorite is the skateboard.  Actually he rides longboards but since those aren’t so mainstream I put skateboards in this gift guide. 🙂

These gifts will get and keep your kids moving year round! All of these gifts are available on Amazon.com.

Intel Tablet Holiday Shopping

Easy Holiday Shopping With My Intel Tablet

Gadgets, Technology,

I love shopping for holiday gifts now that I don’t have to sit in traffic, find a parking space, and wait in long lines at the store.  I’ve been shopping for my kids Christmas gifts for at least four years and wouldn’t go back to traditional holiday gift shopping for anything.  I support local shops the rest of the year , when traffic and lines aren’t a nightmare, so I don’t feel bad about shopping online for Christmas gifts.

Not only am I not going to sit in traffic and wait in long lines to shop for holiday gifts this year, I am not going to shop from my computer which stay in my home office. I am going to shop from the comfort of my favorite sitting chair in the kitchen, using my Asus MeMO Pad™ 7, an Intel Tablet.

Here is the screen I created on my Intel Tablet for my holiday shopping apps

Intel Tablet Holiday Shopping

Not only do I have big store apps on my tablet, but I also got wise and installed the RetailMeNot and Ebates app so I can save money and get money back on my holiday shopping this year!   I buy everything I can on Amazon and being able to search Amazon on the go and buy things with one-click from my tablet is such a time saver.  With the Ebates app, I can see what stores I will get the largest rebate from and click through Ebate’s link to shop and get a 4%+ cash back rebate in turn.

Intel Tablet recipe apps

Another way I can use my table to make life a little easier this holiday season is by using it in the kitchen.  I’m not much of a cook and I don’t have a plethora of cookbooks in my kitchen.  I have a few favorite recipes that I count on but I’ve been trying to break out of my comfort zone lately and cook dishes that require a few more than 3 or 4 ingredients.  My go to ingredients are, please don’t laugh, Quinoa, pepper, olive oil, and meat.   It doesn’t seem like there’s much you can do with those ingredients but a few minutes on the Cookpad, Allrecipes, or Food Network recipe apps and you’ll see tons of recipes that use quinoa for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  The problem is that most of them require the use of vegetables, most of which I despise.

I also have a few smoothie apps on my tablet.  I don’t use quinoa in my smoothies but I have been eating (drinking, really) a lot more vegetables since making smoothies.  If you’re thinking about having a try at smoothies, download a smoothie app or two onto your device so you have quick access to lots of smoothie recipes.

My Intel Tablet as well as most, if not all of these tablets, have a camera, making them a fun gift for a tween or teen who loves to snap photos and share them or for the budding photographer who enjoys playing with photo editing apps.

Read my other posts about my Asus MeMO Pad™ 7.

#spon: I’m required to disclose a relationship between our site and Intel. This could include the Intel Corporation providing us w/content, product, access or other forms of payment.

20 unique gifts for techie parents

20 Unique Gadget Products For Techie Parents

Gifts, Holiday,

Kids aren’t the only ones who love gadgets.  Parents enjoy a good gadget too.   I want the newest gadget as soon as it’s announced but I, unfortunately, learned that money doesn’t grow on trees and I can’t buy ALL the gadgets I want.  Bummer.  In this gift guide, I compiled a list of gadgets that every parent could use and will probably love having including one of my favorite products EVER, the iRobot Roomba 880 vacuum cleaning robot, a foot massager, wireless activity wristbands, and smartphone battery case.

I suppose these gadgets would be great gifts for teens too but I was feeling a little selfish when I put this list together and want everything for me, not my 15 year old son.  🙂

Most of these items are avialable on Amazon.com and Brookstone.com.  I highly recommend signing up for Amazon Prime NOW if you aren’t already a Prime member.  You’ll get free 2-day shipping as well as access to instant videos on Amazon Prime, something you might appreciate as you’re cooking that holiday ham and don’t want to be interrupted.

11 Things Busy Moms Always Lose Infographic

11 Things Busy Moms Always Lose – What’s On Your Lose List?

New posts,

No matter how hard I try to keep up with my keys by attaching them, via a carabiner, to my purse, or our handy key hook in our foyer, I seem to lose them.. often.  It stinks really.  It’s inconvenient to lose my keys all the time but what’s more inconvenient is the loss of my mind that has happened since becoming a parent.  Losing your mind is a little more disturbing than losing my keys but I just can’t seem to find it some days.   A little exercise and rest helps with getting my mind/sanity back but it usually doesn’t help find my keys unfortunately.   Anyway, I was asked by Sortly, a productivity app, to tell them something I lose and my response was my mind.  The fun infographic below shows my response as well as what other bloggers (also busy moms) say they lose often.  What are the top 2-3 things that you lose often?

Sortly is a productivity app that helps you organize all your things by creating a visual inventory that you can easily search, manage, and categorize.

11 Things Busy Moms Lose
Source: 11 Things Busy Moms Always Lose

 

Sprint Sharp AQUOS Cyrstal

Sharp AQUOS® Crystal (Sprint) Review

Gadgets, Smartphones, Technology,

Influence Central

When I opened my latest shipment for the #SprintMom program I was surprised to see a small box with the Sharp logo on it.  Sharp makes smartphones? Yes, Sharp does and a very unique one at that.  The AQUOS name isn’t limited to Sharp’s beautiful AQUOS LCD televisions any longer.   The AQUOS Crystal is like a tiny version of their AQUOS televisions.

Sprint Sharp AQUOS Cyrstal

The Sharp AQUOS Crystal, offered exclusively through Sprint and its prepaid brands Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA, has great specs for the price point of around $200 with no credit check or $0 with a 2-year service agreement.  From the start I oohed and ahhed over the 5 inch edgeless screen.  A few of my other favorite features of the AQUOS Crystal are the 8MP camera, Harman/Kardon audio technology (great sound!), Wi-fi calling, many camera features and modes, and Clip Now – a feature that allows you to send a screenshot of whatever is on your screen; a photo, contact, email, or web page for example, and send it to a friend.  I can’t leave out the Speaktoit Assistant.  This fabulous assistant could be my new best friend.  Ask him/her anything and your wish is granted.  What is the weather?  What movies are playing?  What is 640-62?  You can even customize your assistant to have brown hair and brown eyes if you’d like.  With the push of a button you’re on your way to finding out what you need to know right then and there.

Sharp AQUOS Crystal Highlights

• Android 4.4.2 KitKat

• 5″ frameless LCD display

• 5.16 x 2.6 x 0.40 inches

• 8MP camera

• Speaktoit Assistant

• App Pass

• Harman Kardon audio

• 2,040mAh lithium-ion pack

• Available at Sprint

The Sharp AQUOS Crystal runs on Android™ 4.4.2, KitKat and comes equipped with Google Mobile services including Google Search, Google Maps, Google Navigation, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google+ and YouTube!  I use Gmail, Google+ for photo storage and editing and YouTube everyday, all of which work a smartphone to the bone.   Another app I use everyday that put the AQUOS Crystal to the test is TwitPro, an app that broadcasts live and recorded tech podcasts.   I watch a video podcast while waiting in the carpool line which requires the device I’m using to have a good processor, great graphics, and reliable connection, all of which Sprint and the AQUOS Crystal offer.   Streaming video podcasts is seamless on this phone.  Madelyn watches videos on Amazon Prime Instant Video when we’re on road trips and this smartphone is the perfect size for just that.

The Sharp AQUOS Crystal has a bezel-free display giving it an edge in the smartphone design space.   No bezel means you have more screen real-estate for your favorite apps.  The frame is sturdy and strong and the curved design makes it easy to hold even for tiny toddler hands.  Speaking of toddler hands, kids get bored of apps and games quickly.  Sprint has a solution for that with their new App Pass program which allows customers to download apps from the App Pass catalog for just $4.99 a month!  How many times have you purchased an app for your child and she’s over it within 3 days.  The App Pass program nixes that by allowing access to an entire catalog of premium, hand-selected apps for just $4.99 a month!  App Pass offers unlimited access to these apps and games across two devices, and additionally, customers are given a $5 credit each month to spend on in-app purchases.  There’s an app for everyone in the family with App Pass. The apps are sorted into the following categories: Games, Free to Play, Lifestyle, Media, Utilities, Kids, Productivity, Books & Reference.

A snapshot of a few of the kids apps in the App Pass catalog

Clip Now feature on Sharp AQUOS Crystal

Camera & Audio

Take pictures like a pro with the 8MP camera and it’s plethora of features and modes.  Framing advisor improves photos by doing the thinking for you, helping with the composition and framing of your shot.  The advisor has options including food, portrait and outdoor scenes.  Never take a dark nighttime photo again with the Night Catch feature which brightens both subject and background for tricky nighttime shots.  Action shots are made easy with Sequential Shots. The Sequential Shots feature catches rapid movements by using one simple button hold.  One of my favorite camera features is Shutter Detect automatically takes a photo when it detects a smile.   I was amazed the first time I tried this feature.  It really does work, even capturing a photo of my husband smiling.. it’s a miracle! 😉   I found that the AQUOS’ color temperature is truer than some smartphones I’ve reviewed.  Many times, photos taken on a smartphone will lean toward the cyan side making the photo look cold and not natural.  The AQUOS Crystal camera is best used in bright light situations and when held very still.  Capturing unforgettable moments is easy and fun with the Sharp AQUOS® Crystal.

photo taken with Sharp AQUOS Cyrstal

I’ve heard of wifi calling but never really thought about what it is exactly.  Wi-Fi Calling allows users to use their voice and messaging services over existing home, office and public Wi-Fi networks, not using their valuable minutes.

The Sharp AQUOS Crystal has and a solid list of specs for an affordable price.  The 2,040mAh lithium-ion pack will easily get you through a full 14 hour day.

Sharp AQUOS Crystal

When you’re looking for your next phone, check out the AQUOS Crystal at your local Sprint store.  It is also available through Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile USA.