We are vacationing in Florida this week and we always go to Park Avenue, a hip outdoor shopping area in Winter Park to browse the shops and play in the park. Today we went in a cute little shop on Park Avenue called Lighten Up! (here is their Facebook page) where Sebastian got a Hexbug Nano, a tiny robotic creature that looks and acts like a bug.. really. Sebastian has had a few regular size Hexbugs in the past and loved them so I figured spending $9.99 for a Hexbug Nano at Lighten Up! (can be found for the same price or less at Amazon.com here) would be a pretty good investment especially since I didn’t bring any toys for the kids on this trip. Oops!
Blue Hexbug Nano - picture from website
After the toy store we went to lunch where we had lots of fun watching Sebastian’s new Hexbug Nano try to find its way out of various paper napkin, silverware, and menu mazes. The Nano made music for us when it kept bumping into the silverware. It was really funny. I don’t think the other restaurant patrons found it as funny as we did though.
You can watch a video of Hexbug Nano’s in action on the Hexbug website here.
Here is a video of Sebastian playing with his Hexbug Nano. It moves so fast that I had a hard time getting a good video, but you’ll get the point.
Sebastian trying a Rice Krispies Treats star with raspberry sorbet filling
As you may know, I am a Rice Krispies brand ambassador and am participating in Rice Krispies latest Recipe Challenge along with 9 other great bloggers. We have been asked to come up with a Rice Krispies Treats(TM) recipe that includes something refrigerated or frozen – and the winning recipe will be featured on www.RiceKrispies.com and on the Rice Krispies® Facebook page!
Our recipes are due by June 24th, but because I am leaving for Orlando Tuesday, my kids and I worked for about 6 hours Sunday.. no kidding, making several Rice Krispies Treats recipes. The kids didn’t complain.. in fact Sebastian loved being a Rice Krispies Treats taste tester and Madelyn loved stirring the gooey marshmallow mixture and cutting out the star shapes with the cookie cutters.
Rice Krispies Treats are an experience.. not a snack, to me. When I want a snack I grab some Cheddar Bunnies but when I want a treat.. something special.. I want a Rice Krispies Treat or ice cream..or a swiss cake roll..or all three. Ok, I have to stop! When I was asked to be a Rice Krispies brand ambassador for their current Rice Krispies Treats Recipe challenge I was excited, nervous, and happy. Happy mostly because this gives me a REASON an EXCUSE for making tons of Rice Krispies Treats and did I ever! I went through almost all of our glass plates, spoons, knives, and wax paper in the last 6 hours.
I get to submit only one of my Rice Krispies Treats recipes and I can’t decide which one to submit so I’m letting my readers decide for me –thank you very much! 🙂
So here are my 3 Rice Krispies Treats recipes:
#1 – Rice Krsipies Treats bowl with chocolate rim, raspberry sorbet, cool whip, and fresh berries
Make Rice Krispies Treats as usual
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large pan on medium heat
Mix marshmallows in and stir constantly until completely melted
Remove from heat
Stir in 6 cups Rice Krispies
Transfer mix into a pan coated with cooking spray – let cool
When Rice Krispies Treats are cool, line a small glass bowl with 1/2 thick layer of Rice Krispies Treats
Push firmly to pack Rice Krispies Treats into bowl and make sure there aren’t any holes
Melt chocolate candy in microwave or in double boiler
Take Rice Krispies Treats bowl out of glass bowl – the Rice Krispies Treats bowl should be firm and cool by now
Dip Rice Krispies Treats bowl into the melted chocolate to cover the rim
Fill the inside of the Rice Krispies Treat bowl with raspberry sorbet (substitute with your favorite flavor sorbet, frozen yogurt, or ice cream)
Top with Cool Whip, strawberries, and blueberries
Garnish the plate with fresh fruit and serve
#1 - Rice Krsipies Treats bowl with chocolate rim, raspberry sorbet, cool whip, and fresh berries
#2 – Rice Krispies Treats stars with raspberry sorbet, cool whip and fresh fruit
Make Rice Krispies Treats as usual
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large pan on medium heat
Mix marshmallows in and stir constantly until completely melted
Remove from heat
Stir in 6 cups Rice Krispies
Separate Rice Krispies Treats mix into two 13×9 inch pans to make two thin layers
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour – not necessary, but keeps the sorbet from melting quickly
Cut Rice Krispies Treats with star shaped cookie cutter and put stars on wax paper
Coat 1/2 of the Rice Krispies Treats stars with raspberry sorbet (substitute with your favorite flavor, ice cream, or frozen yogurt)
Place a star on top of the sorbet covered Rice Krispies Treats stars
Top with Cool Whip, strawberries, and blueberries
Garnish the plate with fresh fruit and serve
#2 - Rice Krispies Treats stars with raspberry sorbet, cool whip and fresh fruit
#3 –Rice Krsipies Treats bowl covered with chocolate, filled with vanilla ice cream, topped with cool whip, and fresh berries
Make Rice Krispies Treats as usual
Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large pan on medium heat
Mix marshmallows in and stir constantly until completely melted
Remove from heat
Stir in 6 cups Rice Krispies
Transfer mix into a pan coated with cooking spray – let cool
When Rice Krispies Treats are cool, line a small glass bowl with 1/2 thick layer of Rice Krispies Treats
Push firmly to pack Rice Krispies Treats into bowl and make sure there aren’t any holes
Melt chocolate candy in microwave or in double boiler
Take Rice Krispies Treats bowl out of glass bowl and place on a plate right side up – the Rice Krispies Treats bowl should be firm and cool by now
Use a spatula to cover the outside and rim of Rice Krispies Treats bowl with melted chocolate
Place Rice Krispies Treats bowl, on a plate, in freezer to set for about 15 minutes – do not put the Rice Krispies Treats bowl back in a glass bowl yet!
Take out of the freezer and place Rice Krispies Treats bowl back into the glass bowl
Fill the inside of the Rice Krispies Treat bowl with vanilla ice cream (substitute with your favorite flavor sorbet, frozen yogurt, or ice cream)
Top with strawberries and blueberries and serve
#3 - Rice Krispies Treats bowl covered with chocolate, filled with ice cream, and topped with Cool Whip and fresh fruit
Disclosure: This is part of a paid campaign sponsored by Rice Krispies® cereal.
Which of these Rice Krispies Treats recipes looks yummiest to you? Please tell me in the comments below.
Now kids can enjoy their favorite books from your iPhone! Forget the playstations, game consoles and DVDs, our mobile picture books will entertain and educate your child in the car, plane, train and more.
It’s almost a nightly ritual that after reading books, Madelyn gets my iPhone and read/watch two of Madelyn’s favorite PicPocket books; Eric And The Enchanted Leaf: The First Adventure by Deborah K. Frontiera and BlueBeary by Kathleen McMillan.
Madelyn with PicPocket Books app on my iPhone
PicPocket Books show both the words and the images from the book on your phone and readers can choose to read a PicPocket book to Madelyn or to have the narrator read it. And coming soon, friends and family can read and record the story in their own voices! Madelyn can touch the screen to turn the page or I can set the app to turn the pages automatically which I do when I’m hoping Madelyn will sit and watch the book by herself for a few minutes. The story can be paused anytime as well.
Madelyn is showing interest in learning to read and PicPocket books are great for that because the words are highlighted as they are read. The graphics are incredibly sharp and high quality, it’s just like reading a book but with a shiny screen.
PicPocket Books specializes in adapting and creating children’s books for the iPhone and iPod and that is noticeable in the quality of their apps. They don’t develop other types of apps which I think would diminish the quality of their book apps. Great job PicPocket Books!
PicPocket books range in price from .99 to $3.99 per book. You won’t be disappointed!
PicPocket books Eric and the Enchanted Leaf iphone book
PicPocket Books GIVEAWAY!
One lucky reader will win 4 PicPocket Book titles, for the iphone/ipod, of their choice from and 2 Kids Math Fun iphone/ipod apps!
How to enter to win:
Mandatory – Fill out the form below.
Optional for an extra entry – After you fill out the entry form, leave a comment telling us what your favorite PicPocket Book app is and why you want to win.
Did you know that your cell phone can be used as a GPS device?
TeleNav GPS Navigator (also called AT&T Navigator and Sprint Navigation) is a GPS navigation application that I’ve been using on my iPhone for a few weeks. It’s just like having a GPS device but it runs on your mobile phone. It provides GPS-enabled turn-by-turn directions, more than 12 million business listings, traffic rerouting, restaurant reviews, speech recognition, online route pre-planning and more. As we head into the summer travel season and the kids’ school year wraps up, TeleNav GPS Navigator is great for finding locations and providing directions to soccer fields, parks, restaurants and summer road-trip destinations.
The application works on more than 500 GPS-enabled phones like the iPhone, BlackBerrys and many Android phones and is free. You just pay your cell phone carrier a monthly fee for the service and you’re ready to trave far and wide with TeleNav!
What I love about TeleNav GPS Navigator:
I don’t have to keep up with a GPS unit.. as long as I know where my iPhone is 😉
I’m not nervous about going to new places anymore
The directions have been PERFECT so far. I used AT&T Navigator to get me to several places in and around metro Atlanta that I’ve never been before and was directed to each location without a problem. I love when the voice tells me “your destination is on the right”. Like I can’t see the big sign for where I’m going but that’s what’s great about TeleNav GPS Navigator is the attention to detail. If a take a wrong turn TeleNav will reroute me automatically and quickly.
It gives me traffic updates! Wether I’m starting a new route or inroute TeleNav GPS Navigator / AT&T Navigator will give me a verbal and icon alert if there is traffic coming up. It even tells me which lanes are closed. If only it would make my Nissan Quest hover over the traffic.. wouldn’t that be great? When I’m given a traffic alert, I can push the traffic alert icon to get a new route if one is available.
TeleNav iPod controls
Keep listening!
There is an iPod icon on the GPS Navigator screen that when clicked brings up my iPod music controls so I can listen to music while getting turn by turn instructions.
I won’t get busted by the police for going too fast.. if I listen! The speed limit alerts are sure to let me know verbally and with an icon on the iPhone screen, when I’m going a little too fast. I am not a big speeder but I have been ‘busted’ as my 10 year old calls it, twice on the highway, by TeleNav. Ooops.. sorry!
Finding places is EASY!
If I am in an unfamiliar area, I can find the closest ATM, Wi-Fi hotspot, gas station, miniature golf, specific restaurant and more with the click of a button. What’s really funny is that I learned about a few parks and roller skating rinks that I didn’t know existed near me, just by clicking on the Amusement Parks button in the Search! Thanks TeleNav!
I can shake it to get home!
All I need to do to get home from somewhere is shake my iPhone and directions back to my ‘Home’ location come up.
One thing that I would like to see change about TeleNav GPS Navigator is the way the turn-by-turn voice prompts are heard over the iPod music. The music fades down in volume when the voice prompts come on but I think it would be nice if the music paused and then start back up where it left off when the voice prompt is done. Most of the voice prompts are just a few seconds long so it’s not a big deal, but if I’m not familiar with where I’m going then I would like for the music to stop while the GPS is telling me what to do.
TeleNav GPS Navigator is a must have for summer road trips. Gosh, it’s on your phone, it’s affordable, it’s simple to use, TeleNav is extremely comprehensive (jam packed with information), and gives parents much needed peace of mind while travelling.
Here is a 5 minute demo video I shot explaining how I use TeleNav GPS Navigator on my iPhone.
Sorry about the shaky video and the darkness. I think I need some new video equipment!
Disclosure: The Mommy Insider was given a free trial for TeleNav GPS Navigator subscription to use for purposes of this review. The opinions featured here are our own and were not influenced by free product or service.
TeleNav GPS Navigator Giveaway
We are giving two lucky readers a free one-year TeleNav GPS Navigator subscription!
To enter to win:
1. Mandatory – follow @telenav on Twitter
2. Mandatory – Leave a comment below telling us why you want to win OR fill out the form below.
Entries accepted through August 24th, 2010. Winners will be chosen randomly and will be contacted by TeleNav’s PR via email, with details on how to set up the free one-year TeleNav subscription. Winners must already own and have carrier service for a supported device. Click here to see TeleNav supported devices. The TeleNav contest is open to U.S. residents 18 and older only.
Fill out this form to enter to win if you do not want to leave a comment
I was recently chosen to be a Rice Krispies brand ambassador and to participate in a Rice Krispies Recipe Challenge along with 9 other great bloggers. My initial reaction was “Snap!”… Crackle and Pop! I couldn’t resist.
These kinds of programs are fun for bloggers to participate in as it brings bloggers together and allows us to get to know each other when we might not otherwise have the opportunity.
Myself and the other bloggers had to work together via Twitter yesterday (view our entertaining #ricekrispies Twitter stream in the box below) to figure out how to make a sentence out of the one word clues we each received in the mail. After a couple of hours of going back and forth with sentence ideas, we finally did it! It was about 11:30pm when we finalized it I think and I was exhausted but I couldn’t stop thinking about Rice Krispie Treats… yum! I love Rice Krispie treats.. I used to put extra marshmallows in them to make them extra gooey but my son doesn’t like gooey stuff so much so I had to lay off the marshmallows a bit.
Now all 10 of us have to create a unique Rice Krisipies Treat recipe with the sentence clue. Hmm.. what will I do? I have a few ideas that I’m going to work on Friday. Wish me luck.. please!
Do you love Rice Krispies Treats too? Check out the Rice Krispies Recipe Box Circle on TheMotherhood.com for fun Rice Krispies Treats Recipes.
What is your favorite Rice Krispies Treats recipe? Share it with us in the comments below.
Who are the 10 bloggers participating in this Rice Krispies Recipe Challenge?
I was recently chosen to be a Rice Krispies brand ambassador and to participate in a Rice Krispies Recipe Challenge along with 9 other great bloggers. My initial reaction was “Snap!”… Crackle and Pop! I couldn’t resist.