2016 Gift Guide Archives

The Fun in Wobbly Worm

March 23, 2017 by Momstart 46 Comments

This is a partnered post and contains affiliate links.

I actually had a lot of fun with this campaign. My kids and I created a fun commercial type video for Wobbly Worm.

Wobbly Worm is a game for toddler, or rather kids age 3+ but probably appropriate for 2-7. It’s cooler than I initially thought because it is battery operated. It’s not just your average ring toss game. You have to toss and get the rings on while the worm is actually wobblying.

I also made a box opening video. Wobbly worm comes with….

1 Wobbly Worm, 9 Rings, 1 Instruction Guide

Does not include batteries.

The Wobbly Worm features….

It’s twisting, turning fun! Try to hoop the loopy worm with all your rings to win.
Wobbly Worm grows with you! Add segments for more motion as you get older
Wobbly Worm stands 3 feet tall at its tallest!
Wobbly Worm is for 2-3 players ages 3 and up and requires 2 C batteries (not included)

My kids had fun working with me. We made a lot of video and I edited to the short version that you saw above. We have the longer version here:

You can find Wobbly Worm at

Wobbly Worm is the wiggly, giggly, wobbly fun game that preschoolers can play with their older siblings. Younger kids hold the rings and try to loop them over Wobbly Worm’s head as it wobbles by. Older kids can stand back and toss the rings over Wobbly Worm’s head. Three hoop sizes make it more challenging – the smaller the loop, the harder the hoop! Wobbly Worm is a fun, active way to help your child improve their dexterity and sense of timing.

It was hard to get Zoe and Miles to actually slow down and challenge themselves. With it moving and bouncing they had a hard time getting the rings. But as you can see they had fun.

Must Have Hasbro Toys This Year

December 21, 2016 by Momstart 6 Comments

My kids helped me create a few videos of this years most wanted Hasbro Toys. Here is the video of all the top toy picks from Hasbro together.

And here is the video of Zoe showing you what all comes in the box for the My Little Pony Friendship is Magic.

We didn’t do a video for Pie Face Showdown but we did give it to one of our cousins and the smile on his face was pretty big.

My daughter did want to do a video but I wasn’t sure how to give it as a Christmas gift and enjoy it as a game. I’m pretty sure she just wanted whip cream in her face.

But Miles did show is super excitement for the Rogue One Star Wars Imperial Storm Trooper.

We also have a few Halo toys that Miles was really excited to share, one of which is a Halo Monopoly and Monopoly is licensed by Hasbro.

We always love everything that Hasbro makes. They keep up with all the best Kid characters like Elmo and make fantastic toys.

Oh and Transformers, My Little Pony, Play-Doh, Long list of board games, NERF, Beyblade, Yokai, Marvel, Furreal Friends, Baby Alive, Elefun and Friends, Star Wars and many other Preschool brands.

My daughter still loves Play-Doh to this day so she also wanted to keep the Play-Doh ice cream making kit.

Give The Gift of Style & Function This Christmas With Solo

December 19, 2016 by Beeb 3 Comments

Sample provided.

Whether you’re shopping for a college student, professional, or someone who just likes to stay organized, Solo has something for you. Offering a wide variety of beautiful laptop bags, briefcases, totes, and tablet cases, this brand creates high-quality, functional products that are also classic and stylish. I had the opportunity to check out their Leather Universal Tablet Padfolio for tablets sized between 8.5″ and 11″, and it has provided the perfect home for my new iPad Pro!

This zipped tablet case has unique straps that hold the tablet in place rather like bungee cords. It can be adjusted to multiple viewing angles while in use, then laid flat when you want to zip the case back up. The Padfolio also features a built-in notepad, pen holder, and several pockets to hold documents and business cards. This is such a handy case for anyone who brings their iPads to meetings or classes, since you can keep all of your notes in one place! It’s also elegant, with a full-grain leather body.

Get a closer look at the Leather Universal Tablet Padfolio in our gift guide video:

The Solo Leather Universal Tablet Padfolio is available on Solo.net and Amazon.

Protect Those Holiday Gifts With Urban Armor Gear!

December 19, 2016 by Beeb 1 Comment

Product provided.

If you’re gifting a device to someone this holiday, don’t forget the importance of accessories! A protective case can make or break your shiny new tablet, literally, so make sure you pick up a good one to accompany your special gift. Or, if you’re racking your brains as to what to get for a teen, dad, or gadget head who already has all the devices they want, then turn your attention to what’s on their devices. Do they have a protective case, or is it just the same old, same old? If it’s the latter, then let me introduce you to Urban Armor Gear!

UAG offer a line of rugged, drop-tested cases for a variety of smartphones and tablets. I had the opportunity to test out their Folio Case for iPad Mini (1, 2 & 3), and I am very impressed!

This impact and water resistant case meets the military drop-test standard to keep your device snug and secure! Jai has been using an iPad Mini to control his drone with, so this is going to be an absolutely perfect companion gift – if someone plans to use their device outdoors frequently, a sturdy case is a must. Not to mention, Jai also enjoys listening to podcasts while he works on projects such as his handmade furniture, so that is yet another reason to invest in a case that can keep the iPad secure if takes a bump or two. He’s going to get a lot of good use out of this!

Learn more about Urban Armor Gear in my gift guide video:

The Folio Case for iPad Mini retails for $49.95 and is available at a store near you and at UrbanArmorGear.com.

Win a Kangaroo Notebook & Get Two PCs in One!

December 19, 2016 by Beeb 287 Comments

Product provided.

If you’re a parent, you know how crucial it is for children to have access to technology in order to learn necessary skills and keep up with things like homework. For families on a budget, it may not always be practical to buy every member of the household their own computer, but sharing one family computer opens up a lot of other hassles. What if you could buy two totally separate PCs for under $300? Well, now you can with Kangaroo Notebook!

The concept behind Kangaroo Notebook is quite ingenious: On the surface, it appears to be your standard notebook computer. But powering this system are two separate PC modules, which slide into the side of the notebook shell. Each module contains its own completely separate Windows 10 install, along with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of eMMC storage, and an Intel Z8350 Cherrytrail CPU, meaning that each user’s files and settings are physically separate from one another. This is so perfect for parents who share a computer with their kids, because you can set up a totally separate PC for them with appropriate filters, programs, and games, while keeping all your own data separate. You’ll never have to worry about your kids accidentally deleting your work presentation again! This would also be a perfect solution for homeschoolers and households with two children, since each child could have their own separate PC and eliminate arguments.

And it’s not just kids that this system is great for – it would also be fantastic for couples, not to mention work purposes, since this allows you to easily separate work and personal. For myself, since I manage several different websites and social profiles, I am forever logging in and out of different accounts. This will be seriously awesome for setting up one MomStart PC and one Contest Corner PC!

Watch our gift guide video for more on the Kangaroo Notebook:

Holiday Sale

Just in time for the holidays, the Kangaroo Notebook is on a special sale at Newegg (One of my favorite retailers!) for $269.99 until December 26th. Click here to snag this deal!

Enter to Win:

One lucky reader will win a Kangaroo Notebook!

To Enter:

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US 18 years of age or older, and ends on December 31st, 2016 at 11:00 PM PST. Winner will be drawn on January 2nd, 2017. Sorry, no PO boxes. See widget for more details and click here to read our giveaway rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don’t Lose it This Holiday Season – You Have Tile!

December 16, 2016 by Beeb 4 Comments

This is a partnered post.

Are you looking for a gift for the man who has it all – but can’t seem to keep track of it? I’m talking about our loved ones that constantly lose their keys, wallet, and phone. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could help them keep tabs on their items? (Aside from saying, “Your keys are over here!!”) Well, now you can, thanks to Tile!

Tile is a simple, yet ingenious solution to this very common problem. These small, lightweight Bluetooth trackers affix to your items and sync to a corresponding app on your phone. I received the Tile Combo Pack, which includes 4 Tiles: A set of two Tile Mate, which hook onto your keychain, and two Tile Slim, designed to slip into your wallet or purse. When lost, simply open the app and, if your items are in a 100-foot radius, it will play a loud jingle so that you can locate your things quickly. Alternatively, if you have your keys but lose your phone instead, you can double press your Tile to make the phone ring.

The Tile app has several other handy features: If you leave it running in the background, it will automatically remember the last time and location that you had your item with you and display it on a map. And if you truly lose your item – more than just “Oh, it was in the couch cushions!” – you can select for the app to notify you when your item is found. If another Tile user happens to pass by your item, you will be automatically, anonymously notified of its most recent location. You can click here to read more about how the Tile system works.

I think this is so brilliant! I cannot wait to surprise Jai with this for Christmas to help with his daily keys-phone-wallet hunt. And Tile isn’t just a sanity saver for those who misplace keys frequently; this product would also be great for travelers to tuck into luggage while on the go, and for busy moms to stick into diaper bags and on the items that kids lose constantly, like lunchboxes, backpacks and stuffed animals. It could also be attached to critical health items, such as EpiPens. Watch my video below for more on Tile:

Tile Mate retails for $25, with pack of 4 retailing for $70. Get yours today at TheTileApp.com!

Getting Ready For Christmas With The Epson Expression Premium XP-640 Printer

December 16, 2016 by Beeb 3 Comments

Product provided.

As I prepare all of my Christmas gifts and cards, one tool that has been especially useful is my new Epson Expression Premium XP-640 printer. This is the latest in the Small-in-One series and successor to the XP-420, which I reviewed last year and have gotten a lot of good use out of. I was excited to try this new model and found it to be the perfect follow-up!

The wireless XP-640 can be used to print, copy and scan, with special features such as two-sided printing and even a dedicated CD printing tray. You can print from your computer, phone, directly from a USB flash drive/memory card, or remotely using cloud printing. This has been so perfect for all my Christmas activities – I’ve been scanning old family Christmas photos and printing out snapshots to include in holiday mailings. Last night, I was looking through old family photos with my uncle, and found a good one he hadn’t seen before. I scanned it in to share on Facebook so the rest of the family could enjoy it, which you can do in a snap with the XP-640’s scan to Facebook option. You don’t even need a computer to use this printer, because you can access all kinds of great templates for photo greeting cards and stationary straight from the 2.7″ LCD and touch panel.

Printers also make fantastic Christmas gifts. I gave my aunt the Epson PictureMate PM 400 Personal Photo Lab that was featured in last year’s Holiday Gift Guide, and she absolutely loved it and has used it all year to print out family photos. The XP-640 is another great gift choice because it is so versatile, and can be used for fun projects like photo scanning and printing, but also serves a practical purpose with its document functions.

Learn more about the Epson Expression Premium XP-640 printer in our video below:

The Epson Expression Premium XP-640 printer retails for $149.99 and is available in stores and on Epson.com.

Delight Your Friends & Family With The Winter Seasonal Beer Bucket!

December 14, 2016 by Beeb 2 Comments

Product provided.

Today, we’re sharing another top gift pick from our pals at GourmetGiftBaskets.com – and this time, they have outdone themselves! New for 2016 is the Winter Seasonal Beer Bucket, a collection of six festive beers and tasty snacks packaged in a handy bucket. For any beer lover, sampling new brews is a delight, and this collection features well-loved beer brands like Goose Island and Redhook that are sure to please. These are paired with classic beer snacks such as popcorn, salami, crackers, and my personal favorite – garlic cheese! This is the perfect gift for someone who is hard to shop for. Hear more about the Winter Seasonal Beer Bucket in my Gift Guide video:

The Winter Seasonal Beer Bucket is available on GourmetGiftBaskets.com for $69.99 and can be delivered straight to your recipient’s door!

Top Gifts For Kids From Barnes & Noble #BNGiftGoals

December 14, 2016 by Beeb 100 Comments

Gift card provided.

This year, I bought gifts for most of my Christmas list at Barnes & Noble. Like many people, I used to think that Barnes & Noble was pretty much just books, but I was so mistaken: They have countless other products perfect for holiday gifting, from home wares to tech gadgets and toys, toys, toys! Sitting in the comfort of my home, I was able to browse through their website and tick off name after name on my holiday list. If only shopping were always this easy!

Since they have so many great items for kids, I actually bought 75% of the gifts for the children in my family this year from Barnes & Noble. How awesome is that?! These are my top 3 gift ideas for kids from Barnes & Noble:

1. Utopia 360° 3D Virtual Reality Headset: VR headsets are one of the hottest trends for 2016, so picking one up is a great way to become a gifting hero! At only $29.95, this headset is a bargain and is compatible with most smartphones, including both Android and iPhone. It’s simple: Just load a few VR apps on your phone, pop the phone into the headset, and place it on your head to be immersed in a virtual reality world of videos and games. Jai actually made his own VR headset this summer, and it’s always a huge hit and conversation starter when we have guests over. It blows my mind that all my childhood sci-fi movies are coming true! I actually picked up a couple of these headsets as gifts for different people, including a teenage boy on my list that I was drawing a blank on what to buy for. Not only are these awesome gifts, but bonus, it will give the recipient something fun to do on Christmas day also!
2. LeapFrog Shapes & Sharing Picnic Basket: When I saw this, I knew it would be a great gift for my toddler niece who loves girly things and stuff that makes noise! This pretty pink picnic basket retails for $21.95 and comes complete with plastic picnic food and utensils perfect for a teddy bear’s picnic. It talks and sings songs, helping young children learn colors, shapes, matching and manners. The sound can be turned on or off, meaning that it can be used as a “Quiet toy” when appropriate! LeapFrog always make wonderful educational gifts, and I know this will provide a lot of entertainment.
3. Grumpy Cat Hand Puppet: My niece also loves cats, so I thought that good old Grumpy Cat would be perfect! Not only will old Grumps give the grownups a smile, but he has soft fur and cute little hands that you can move around to put on a puppet show! At only $15.95, this is a really cute little gift for any child aged 1 year and up.

Hear more about my gift picks in this Gift Guide video:

To further aid you in your holiday gift search, Barnes & Noble have put together a 2016 Holiday Gift Guide with ideas for everyone in your family. As part of this Gift Guide, they’ve compiled a list of the top gifts for children this year:

Top Gifts for Kids

Fun & Imaginative Stories for Kids

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J. K. Rowling

2. Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

3. Double Down (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #11) by Jeff Kinney

4. Don’t Push the Button! by Bill Cotter

5. The Land of Stories: A Treasury of Classic Fairy Tales written by Chris Colfer and illustrated by Brandon Dorman

6. Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes by James Dean and Kimberly Dean

7. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Extra Sweet Edition written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond

8. Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman

9. Darkstalker (Wings of Fire: Legends) by Tui T. Sutherland

10. Gravity Falls: Journal 3 by Alex Hirsch, Rob Renzetti, Andy Gonsalves, Stephanie Ramirez

This Season’s Top Toys

1. Barnes Exclusive 20th Anniversary Pikachu 8″ Plush $19.95

2. Pie Face Showdown $24.95

3. Hot Wheels AI Starter Kit $99.95

4. Sky Rover Voice Control Drone $86.95

5. 10698 LEGO Classic LEGO Large Creative Brick Box $59.95

6. Sesame Street Elmo 13 inch doll $16.95

7. My First Bananagrams $11.21

Top Tech Toys

Design, Make, Create & Build

1. Dash Robot $11.21

2. Bloxels: Build Your Own Video Games $49.95

3. Magformers Walking Robot Set 45pc $99.95

4. littleBits Gizmos & Gadgets 2.0 $199.95

5. Sphero Star Wars Special Edition BB-8 App-Enabled Droid with Force Band $199.95

6. Make: Spinbots Kit $29.95

7. Vex Robotics Pick & Drop $39.95

8. Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-pillar™ $49.95

Top Tech Tools

Coding, Robotics, Programming & More

1. CreoPop 3D Printing Pen – Starter Kit $129.95

2. Makeblock mBot $74.95

3. Utopia 360° 3D Virtual Reality Headset $29.95

4. Kano Computer Kit $149.95

5. XYZprinting da Vinci Jr. 1.0 Wifi 3D Printer $399.95

6. WEmake FM Radio Soldering Kit with Tools $24.95

Find more kids’ books here and more educational toys and games here!

Special Polar Express Pajama Storytime

Barnes & Noble are also offering a special Christmas activity at their brick and mortar locations that you won’t want to miss:

In addition to great holiday gifts, Barnes & Noble stores nationwide will host a special in-store Polar Express storytime event packed with tons of hot cocoa, coloring, writing letters to Santa and more. Come in your pajamas and join us as we get in the holiday spirit! Find your local Polar Express Pajama Storytime date online here.

When it comes to holiday shopping, Barnes & Noble has you covered for the entire family!

Enter to Win:

One lucky reader will win a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card!

To Enter:

Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US, 18+, and ends on December 19th at 11:00 PM PST. Sorry, no PO boxes. See widget for more details and click here to read our giveaway rules.

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The IQ Fun Pack By Testingmom.com

December 14, 2016 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Sometimes sharing something with you guys it’s best just to show you. I’m working with Testingmom.com. Testingmom.com is a website that can help prepare your children for any kind of test they may need to take in their educational career from grades Pre-K to grade 8. What’s unique about Testingmom.com is it’s use of fun well known characters and games to educate kids. We’ve spent some time testing out Testingmom.com from the free membership they provided us and will share more about them with you later this month. For now we want to focus on the game created by Testingmom.com the IQ Fun Pack. The best way we thought to do that is through the videos my daughter and I created. First, we wanted to show you what comes in the box when you purchase The IQ Fun Pack.

Basic what’s in the box video

Box Includes

Two Sided Game Board

Flash Cards:

Game Pieces
Characters
Cut Out shapes
Cut Out patterns

Motivational Stickers

Little Bags to Store each cut out and game piece in.

What we really love about each thing that the Fun IQ Pack comes with is that it is very brightly colored which always captures little ones minds. The questions are fun and thoughtful and really get kids thinking. Logic is such a necessary step in learning and the sooner you start helping your kids learn how to solve a problem the better they will succeed in life. We did a basic game play using our own rules. The on-line Fun IQ Pack is set up to let you play the game easily plus there are step by step instructions and video tutorials if you get lost anywhere along the way. But that’s just another thing we loved about receiving the IQ Fun Pack was it’s super easy to set up and play your own way. As long as you’re having fun family time and using the flash cards or other cards you may have you’re child will be learning valuable skills that will help them in school.

Basic Game Play Video

Now, like I’ve said above the game play we did in our video is not how you actually play the game. It’s just some rules we came up with on the fly. There are over 25 different ways you can play with this game and video tutorials for all of them. I’m so impressed with how detailed all of their explanations are. I was also surprised to find that my children could use more help with spatial reasoning and complex pattern recognition. Thanks to Testingmom.com my kids have been able to practice those skills through the fun games and I’ll get into more on that in another blog post. For now let’s continue our evaluation on just The IQ Fun Pack. After we played the game and put it away back in the box I asked Zoe a few questions….

Chatting about it with Zoe

Our overall review of Testingmom.com’s IQ Fun Pack is that it’s a valuable purchase. You have to first purchase a membership to Testingmom.com and for right now you can still get 50% off.

To purchase, register! After that, sign-up for a Fast Track Membership starting at $8.25 for 50% OFF!

And all it comes with is super worth it. It’s aimed at Pre-K to Kindergarten but you can grab any level questions and have fun seeing who can get to the end of the game first.