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Learn to Play Piano With the Skoove App!

July 31, 2020 by Beeb 6 Comments

Skoove
Thank you to our partner Skoove for sponsoring this post!

My husband is a self-taught pianist who can play Chopin by ear. It’s an impressive thing to watch, because most people do not have this kind of innate talent, myself included – so for the rest of use, there’s Skoove!

Skoove is a piano learning app that has over 1 million downloads. It’s unique in that it can be used in tandem with all keyboards and pianos, including acoustic, as well as providing an on-screen keyboard option for use on iOS devices, where you can play along video-game-style by tapping on the screen. You can even play on your PC or Mac using your computer keyboard!

I tried using Skoove on both my iPad and laptop, and I enjoyed the basic, short lessons they offer for total novices like me. They have a range of songs from classical to pop, and I enjoyed that Skoove has a range of music choices across genres – I was happy to see Kraftwerk’s “Das Model” on there, and promptly proceeded to butcher it with my total lack of skill, but hey! That’s what the lessons are for, right? 😉 Meanwhile, my savant husband was able to hook Skoove up to his piano, making this quite a versatile app.

The fact that some of the lessons can also be practiced on an iPad without a keyboard make it a great interim option for someone who wants to begin learning music theory and practice some of the basic concepts, but doesn’t yet have the space or budget to purchase a piano. And with schools and extracurricular activities shut down this year, in-home lessons are more useful than ever, whether you’re bridging the gap due to canceled music lessons or just want more activities to keep your family occupied at home.

Skoove is recommended for adults and children 12+; it’s free to sign up, and a basic account includes unlimited access to 25 lessons. Skoove Premium is a recurring subscription option that gives you access to 400+ lessons with new updates monthly, special courses, and individual advice from Skoove music instructors by clicking the “Support” button. A Skoove Premium account starts at $19.99/monthly with discounts available when you purchase a subscription in blocks of 3 to 12 months. Download it on iTunes now or visit Skoove.com to learn why Skoove is the best piano app!

Filed Under: personal, review

VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV: The Perfect Gift (Especially Now)

April 3, 2020 by Beeb 11 Comments

Our new living room setup with the M-Series Quantum
Thanks to VIZIO for providing their M-Series 65” SmartCast TV for review!

Our favorite “Featured Pick” in this year’s Modern Mother’s Day & Futuristic Father’s Day Gift Guide For Techies 2020 is the incredible VIZIO M-Series™ Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV. This review had been arranged in early March, and I thought it would not only be a wonderful addition to our home, but also a great surprise for Jai’s 50th birthday. Life has certainly changed since then: His birthday was on March 13th, which was the same day that a national emergency was declared due to COVID-19. We’ll certainly never forget this milestone birthday!

The TV shipment was already en route, and arrived the day before we began self isolating at home. I’ve never had the pleasure of owning such a large television before, and the process of receiving it was quite awe-inspiring: This TV arrived on a semitruck, which had to shut down a lane of traffic and idle in front of my house to make the delivery. It was truly an impressive sight! The driver and I both made ample use of Lysol spray and wipes as the handoff was made in order to protect each other. I’d like to take a moment to say a huge, gigantic “Thank you” to him and all other delivery drivers (and other essential workers) for what they are doing right now!

VIZIO special delivery

As it happened to work out, Jai was on his way home from his final errand picking up advanced prescription refills, so I waited on the porch next to the TV for him to come home – I even added a little bow on the top! I could see his jaw dropping as he pulled into our driveway. Happy birthday! Since we’ve never owned a TV this big before, the wall that we previously kept our TV on actually wasn’t big enough to fit this, so we re-arranged our entire living room setup to accommodate it. We switched around shelves and pictures, moved the couch to the opposite side of the room, got rid of furniture and switched up our entertainment center to make way for the M-Series Quantum. We love the new setup – the whole space looks better and feels more comfortable to be in. And we’ll be entertained in style now!

Our Living Room Makeover With VIZIO

The VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV is the most impressive TV I have ever seen. First off, let’s talk about the amazing 4K Ultra HD picture quality. It is incredible, providing such sharpness and clarity. VIZIO’s next generation Quantum color provides up to 80% more color than standard HDR TVs with with over one billion shades of colors – that’s a lot! Active Full ArrayÂŽ provides deeper black levels for more depth and contrast, while UltraBright 600 brings out detail in highlights and lowlights. You’ll also enjoy 120Hz Effective Refresh Rate and backlight scanning thanks to Clear ActionÂŽ 360, plus a wider spectrum of colors and detail with Dolby Vision™ HDR.

VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV

Combined with the 65″ screen, this picture quality provides a truly cinematic experience from the comfort of your own home – and since the new movies of 2020 are now showing “On Demand” instead of cinemas, you can really create that movie theater experience at home watching it on the M-Series Quantum. (Psst – you can also rent all those new releases right from the SmartCast Home screen!) And it’s not just movies that I notice the picture difference on – even watching a tutorial from one of my favorite makeup YouTubers, I saw much more detail than I usually do, which makes it easier to follow along and see how different cosmetics look. I wasn’t expecting that!

VIZIO WatchFree

The M-Series Quantum is also a Smart TV with VIZIO SmartCast 3.0, which gives you access to all the essentials like Netflix and Hulu. There are so many apps built-in to stream content with – I am especially impressed with VIZIO WatchFree, which allows you to access over 100 free TV channels – no subscriptions or logins required. It’s set up with an easy on-screen guide which replicates the traditional experience of flipping through TV channels, which I really enjoy – I “Cut the cord” many years ago and never looked back, but I do sometimes miss being able to just flip through channels the way I would on cable; I take a certain comfort in it!

And when they say this TV is smart, they really mean it! The VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV has voice control support built in, meaning that you can pair it with Google Assistant, Siri, or Amazon Alexa. While I was drinking my coffee this morning, I was able to say, “OK Google, turn on the living room TV” and it automatically powered on – it’s so futuristic, I felt like George Jetson! And if you’re a fan of Chromecast and Apple Airplay 2, you can stream content from your device right onto your TV. Aunt Martha’s family slideshow just got the 4k treatment!

I would have been thrilled to add the M-Series Quantum to our home anytime, but it’s especially helpful now that we are staying home for the indefinite future. Television is a source of both information and entertainment during this time that we’ll be leaning on; I’ve even been using the TV to do yoga on my Wii Fit and get that much-needed home exercise! The VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV is an amazing gift in any situation – and I can say from experience that it has been a really phenomenal thing to have during this lockdown.

VIZIO

The VIZIO M-Series Quantum 65” Class 4K HDR Smart TV is available to purchase online for $699.99. It would be a wonderful and thoughtful gift for stir-crazy parents as we approach Mother’s Day & Father’s Day! As always, check ahead to find out about current delivery times and methods – my delivery required a signature, so make sure you’re following current health advisories and practices since we’re in a rapidly changing situation. And if you’re reading this post after the world has come out of quarantine, hooray!

Filed Under: Modern Mother's Day & Futuristic Father's Day Gift Guide, personal, review, Tech, TV

The datAshur PRO²: Stuff Your Stockings With Security

November 10, 2019 by Beeb Leave a Comment

datAshur PRO²
Thank you to iStorage for providing the datAshur PRO² for review!

We’ve become big fans of iStorage since first discovering their products at the beginning of this year. Since then, we’ve featured several of their products in our Gift Guides, including the diskAshur2 Portable Hard Drive and the diskAshur DT². So when we were assembling stocking stuffer ideas for our Tech The Halls Gift Guide that launched earlier this week, we naturally had to include the datAshur PRO²!

The datAshur PRO² USB flash drive includes all the same features as the award-winning datAshur PRO that we featured in our Valen-Tech Gift Guide plus even more features to increase functionality and security. As with the other iStorage products we have featured, the datAshur PRO² has a tamper-resistant keypad built in, allowing you to set a secure PIN so that only you can access the contents. iStorage uses an impressive amount of technology to make these flash drives secure enough for government usage, including a brute force hacking defense mechanism and even a “Self-destruct” feature which will completely wipe the drive.

In addition to the incredible data security that the datAshur PRO² offers, this flash drive also offers a bootable feature, meaning that it’s possible to install an entire operating system directly onto the flash drive and use it as a boot drive. This allows you to essentially carry your computer’s functionality in your pocket, and can be opened on any other PC whilst remaining completely separate. So for example, a blogger like myself can load my operating system, programs and files on the datAshur PRO², then take the flash drive on the go to a friends’ house, plug it into their computer, reboot, and securely access my files, programs and Internet browser without disturbing anything on their computer or having any co-mingling of files. In other words, you can use any computer as your own computer without interfering with either. This is fantastic for working on the road, traveling, or keeping files separate on shared family computers. With so many applications, make sure you ask Santa to pop a datAshur PRO² in your stocking this year!

The datAshur PRO² is available in capacities from 4 to 512 GB with prices starting at ÂŁ49/$61.43 – learn more and buy yours by visiting iStorage-UK.com, and learn more about their entire product line by following along socially on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram!

Filed Under: personal, review, Tech, Tech The Halls Holiday Gift Guide 2019

The Legend of Mr. Ween Book Review

October 28, 2019 by Beeb Leave a Comment

The Legend of Mr. Ween
This is a sponsored post.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday. From costumes to candy, decorations to pumpkin patches, I love everything Halloween-related and try to get into the “Spirit” all month long. I think there’s nothing quite so cozy as curling up with a spooky book and a hot cup of pumpkin-spice-anything on a crisp Fall day, and I had the chance to do just that when I was introduced to The Legend of Mr. Ween by Daren Ross.

Combining elements of folklore and fantasy, The Legend of Mr. Ween spins an imaginative tale of the very first Halloween. The book opens with a mysterious traveler, Hal, arriving in Boston to seek work. Although the story is set in 1905, the frenetic pace of the city mirrors 2019 life, with the townspeople distracted, rushing around at breakneck pace and becoming increasingly more aggressive. Kind-hearted Hal senses that something is deeply wrong – and just as the hectic energy of the city belies something much more sinister, there is more to Hal than meets the eye as well.

What struck me the most about this short story is that the author clearly shares my warm feelings about Halloween. Most Halloween tales are horror-based, and while there are nefarious forces in The Legend of Mr. Ween, the focus of the narrative is on lighting up the darkness and triumphing over evil with kindness and positivity. Hal is a lovable figure, and the origins of Halloween traditions such as pumpkin carving are explained in a very charming way. This unique Halloween tale combines magic and battles against evil with the feelgood spirit of an uplifting Christmas story. I’m not personally a fan of scary stories, so I appreciated this take – I’ve always felt like Halloween was a time for childlike joy and fun, and it’s nice to see that I’m not the only one!

The Legend of Mr. Ween by Daren Ross is available as a free download on TheLegendofMrWeen.com, so go get your free copy today just in time for All Hallow’s Eve! You can also find Mr. Ween on Facebook.

Filed Under: book review, halloween, holiday, personal, review

Give a Unique, Personal Gift From 365Canvas This Year

October 18, 2019 by Beeb 1 Comment

365Canvas
Thank you to 365Canvas for sponsoring this post!

I’ve always been a big fan of canvas printing. I think it’s such an artistic, beautiful way to display favorite photos. Over the years, I’ve been slowly but surely getting all our favorite family snaps put onto canvas. I thought I had gotten pretty much every photo I would want to display or gift made into a canvas by now – so I was delighted to be introduced to 365Canvas, a company that offers creative news ways of personalizing and displaying canvas prints!

What makes 365Canvas stand out is the fact that each one of their canvas prints feature unique personalization options. These products aren’t just photos – they are fully customizable keepsakes that feature names, meaningful dates, and even maps! You can have your bridal portrait displayed with your wedding date, your baby’s first photo preserved with their birth stats, or a graduation photo with your class year printed on it along with an inspirational quote. This arts an artistic and more personal touch to the typical photo canvas, and is an option I haven’t personally seen offered anywhere else, which made these stand out to me!

Another unique feature in their product line is that in addition to photo canvas prints, 365Canvas also offers customized map art. You can have a map of a meaningful place printed as a standalone piece of art, or incorporate it with a theme – for example, they have a variety of wedding-themed prints showing maps from where the bride and groom met, got engaged, and/or married. This was such a unique idea that I knew I had to make one myself!

Square Map Canvas

I decided to have a custom Square Map Canvas printed as a gift for a friend of mine who is a teacher. The map shows the city where she teaches – I thought this would be a really cute thing she could decorate her classroom wall with. These maps make great teacher gifts as well as mementos of special occasions!
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365Canvas Map Print

Map Print Side View

In addition to canvas prints, 365Canvas also offer other types of custom photo gifts, including desktop plaques. These 7×5 plaques are the perfect size to display on your mantle and great for smaller spaces. My eye was immediately caught by their Don’t Sell Your Saddle Desktop Photo Plaque, which has been designed specifically for horse lovers. I don’t often see gifts that are so specifically perfect for horse owners, so I immediately knew I had to get one for a family friend who owns several horses. I asked my friend’s daughter to send me a photo of one her mom’s favorite horses, and it looks so cute surrounded by this western-themed frame with the “Don’t Sell Your Saddle” poem next to it. I can’t wait to surprise my friend with this at Christmas!

Don't Sell Your Saddle Desktop Photo Plaque

Desktop Photo Plaque Side View

Special Coupon For MomStart Readers: Save 20%!

If you’re looking for a special gift that is truly personal, 365Canvas has you covered this holiday season! Be sure to visit 365Canvas.com to learn more and browse their full product selection. Plus, use our exclusive coupon code momstart365canvas to save 20% on your order – this coupon does not expire, so you can take advantage all this holiday season and beyond!

Filed Under: personal, review

WompleMail: Relive Your Childhood & Bond With Your Kids

October 11, 2019 by Beeb 14 Comments

WompleMail
Today’s sponsored post is brought to you by Womple Studios and contains affiliate links.

All through my childhood, I wrote to pen pals all over the world. As a Millennial, I’m in the unique position of being old enough to remember when “Snail mail” was the main form of long-distance communication, but young enough to now be connected to those same childhood pen pals through social media as an adult! Last year, I saw my first ever pen pal in person for the first time in 20 years. I’ll never forget how much I looked forward to getting the mail every day as a child, and how much I enjoyed writing and receiving letters and fun little items like stickers, cards, and trinkets from all over; it was a very enriching experience to learn about different people and places through my pals.

While the Internet has made it easier than ever to connect to people around the world, the old school pen pal experience is pretty much gone – or at least, I thought that was the case until I was introduced to WompleMail.

WompleMail has brought the fun of a pen pal to today’s generation with their adorable subscription box just for kids. This charming service allows your child to become pen pals with a “Womple” – a Yeti-like creature from Antarctica that has been frozen for millennia. Womples have missed out on a lot of fun being frozen for so long, so now they’ve become world travelers, and are looking for new friends to send letters and postcards to from each destination. Each month, children receive a postcard from a new destination, along with two packages filled with their Womple’s travel tales along with fold-out maps, activities and stickers.

WompleMail Box

I received my own Womple Explorer Box in the mail, and felt immediate nostalgia! I was so excited to share something special from my own childhood with the next generation. I also happened to know the perfect pen pal to introduce my new Womple acquaintance to, so I took the WompleMail package along with me on a visit to my cousin for us to surprise her young son with. He’s a thoughtful boy who loves getting mail, which is a rare commodity in today’s digital world! I knew he would be the perfect recipient for WompleMail since he just celebrated his 6th birthday and started first grade – WompleMail is crafted with kids roughly 5-10 years old in mind.

Unboxing his WompleMail delivery

Upon opening the box, our young explorer met his new Yeti friend, named Roald, and instantly gave him a huge hug.

Hugging Roald

All of the items were so cute – we noted what a nice touch it was that the components were individually wrapped, because he had so much fun opening each one. Upon unwrapping the crayons, he held them up and beamed, “Two BIG crayons!!” The pure excitement of a child is so much fun to watch!

Two BIG crayons

Excited to see what's inside this month's WompleMail

All smiles

Checking out the Write-On World Atlas

Exploring the Womple Explorer Box

Because the whole family shares a love of travel, it was a really fun activity for everyone to share. His parents noticed that the package actually happened to include stickers from locations around the world where the family had visited when their son was smaller, so it was neat to point that out and remind him of those trips he went on. One of the destinations noted was Belize, where by coincidence, his parents are going on vacation later this month! I couldn’t have asked for better timing – what better way to involve kids in an upcoming trip than to have these activities on hand that can be related to real-life experiences? WompleMail generated a lot of conversation, from reminding us of our own travel experiences to learning about new destinations. And although the younger siblings aren’t quite in the age range for WompleMail, they still were excited to see what was in the box, play with the crayons and paper, and of course, hug Roald!

The family enjoying WompleMail

Two young explorers

WompleMail focuses on unique destinations and experiences that you won’t necessarily learn about in school, so kids and parents alike can learn new things about fascinating places. It’s a really sweet activity that parents and children can share, and I was so impressed by how cute and engaging the contents were – this little boy lit up as soon as he opened his Womple Explorer Box, and was so excited to look at all the different treasures. His enthusiasm was contagious!

Fun with WompleMail!

A WompleMail subscription is $23.99 per month, and if you prepay for 12 months, you receive the Womple Explorer Box as well. For the same price as a streaming subscription, you can receive tactile, tangible items in the mail that will capture your child’s interest and educate them in the process. It’s a delightful gift, especially as the weather gets worse and kids are stuck indoors! To learn more and download some fun free activities, visit WompleStudios.com and be sure to follow #Womple on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to see where Womple ends up next!

Filed Under: personal, review

Making Summer Memories With AirFort

August 9, 2019 by Shelby Leave a Comment

Playing in the AirFort
Sample provided.

AIR FORT – If you need a break from messy furniture forts, we’ve got your answer! The AIR FORT is the first kid’s fort to hit the market that inflates in seconds with the switch of an ordinary household fan. The fort blows up in seconds and is child safety protected. AirFort measures 77in wide and 50 in tall. There is no floor for an easy entrance and exit with a viewing window to see out of. It is easy to take down and fits in a compact bag for easy travel.

AirFort

One night before bed, while my five year old brushed his teeth, I quickly set up the AirFort to surprise him. By the time he came back in to say goodnight, there it was in all its glory.

AirFort carrying bag

Hooking AirFort up to a fan

AirFort side view

Inside the AirFort

Both surprised and excited, he couldn’t believe such a thing existed and that I managed to make it appear out of thin air. Before I knew it he was inside with his blanket and books; he just HAD to have his bedtime stories in his awesome new fort. Thankfully the lightweight fabric allowed plenty of the overhead light to shine through for reading and the spacious interior provided lots of room for snuggles with dad. Typically forts get hot and stuffy, but my husband noted how fresh and cool it stayed thanks to the interior airflow.

Cozy in the AirFort

Since that awestruck night, my son has used it numerous times for a myriad of different purposes: imaginative play, quiet space, art projects, movie “theater,” and all kinds of creative activities. Most recently he set it up and invited us in to play board games. It took less time to put together than it would have to clean the table off in order to make room for the game!
Besides the simple clean up, we love that we all fit inside. When I’m not able to play along, the mesh windows conveniently allow for him to stay supervised.

Playing games

Overall we’re huge “fans” of this ingenious invention. What an improvement from draping messy sheets all over the living room furniture or setting up complicated tents with posts just for temporary play. This will get plenty of use for years to come!

Airfort features:

¡ -5 color options

¡ -No floor for an easy entrance and exit

¡ -Viewing window for kids to see in and out

¡ -A light polyester fabric that is both breathable and durable

¡ -A mesh divider to prevent access to fan *child safety approved*

¡ -Velcro stickers to secure AirFort to fan

Making summer memories with AirFort

AirFort retails for $49.95 – get yours today on AirFort.com or Amazon!

Filed Under: parenting, review, toy review

Summer is Here, With JoJo Maman Bebe

July 31, 2019 by Jaime Leave a Comment

Summer is Here, With JoJo Maman Bebe

Samples provided.

Summer is here in the beautiful PacNW, and with the temperatures warming and the rain subsiding (for now), I’ve been able to bring out some of the beautiful and versatile maternity wear I received from JoJo Maman Bebe’s Summer collection. There is nothing like being pregnant through a long, hot summer to make you reconsider the essentials in your wardrobe (as well as consider retiring to the beach!).

While I have reviewed children’s clothing for JoJo Maman Bebe previously, this was my first chance to try out some of their maternity clothing, and because I am such a fan of their kids collections, I was so excited for the opportunity to try something on myself!

I received the following items:

Navy Spot & Stripe Maternity Tankini Bathing Suit

What a sweet little, 1950’s-inspired swimsuit! The halter style offers full support, and the two-piece tankini style is practical and stylish. As with most swimwear, JoJo Maman Bebe recommends rinsing immediately after use to prolong the life of the pieces.

Navy Oriental Print Pleated Maternity & Nursing Dress

Navy Oriental Print Pleated Maternity & Nursing Dress

Navy Oriental Print Pleated Maternity & Nursing Dress side view

This oriental-style floral dress is so elegant, and the material is so soft and silky. As someone who prefers sleeves, these flowy, half-length ones are ideal. This style also transitions to postpartum nursing Mamas with concealed panel openings in the front. I gotta say, I just felt way more glamorous than usual while wearing this gorgeous dress. Summer garden party, anyone?

Maternity & Nursing Keyhole Dress

Maternity & Nursing Keyhole Dress

This dress is so comfortable. The material is soft and stretchy, yet not see-through, a rarity these days (especially with an expanding belly!). I am so excited to try it the way it’s styled on the website, with leggings and boots- more of a Fall look. Currently, it’s 87-degrees Fahrenheit, so I am rocking this dress with some strappy gladiator-style sandals. Did I mention this also accommodates nursing Mamas with hidden panel openings? I love the versatility! My only criticism would be that I’d love it even more if it had pockets.

Navy Stripe Maternity & Nursing Batwing Top

Navy Stripe Maternity & Nursing Batwing Top

Navy Stripe Maternity & Nursing Batwing Top side view

This is one of the softest, comfiest shirts I own. Love the bat-wing sleeve style, hidden panel openings for nursing, and mid-hip length. I’ll definitely be incorporating this into my regular, non-maternity wardrobe. A great casual top that can be layered with a cute cardigan and taken straight into Fall.

Embroidered Maternity Dobby Blouse

Embroidered Maternity Dobby Blouse

Embroidered Maternity Dobby Blouse front view

This bright white, fully-lined, 100% cotton blouse makes me want to go to some sort of fiesta party; the embroidered floral pattern at the neckline is vibrant as well as beautifully detailed. I love the 3/4 length on the sleeves, and the sweet dobby pattern.

Black Geo Blouson Sleeve Maternity Blouse

Black Geo Blouson Sleeve Maternity Blouse

A work wardrobe staple!

This black and white blouse has been a staple in my work wardrobe since I received it. It pairs beautifully with bright trousers or dresses up classic blue jeans.

Duck Egg Blouson Sleeve Maternity Blouse

This is another that I incorporated into my work wardrobe. A fun, fresh blue, the color really works for all seasons, it’s the same blousy style as above.

In addition to these maternity looks, I also received two cute new children’s pieces:

Girls’ Cockatiel AppliquĂŠ Dress

Girls' Cockatiel AppliquĂŠ Dress

Girls' Cockatiel AppliquĂŠ Dress side view

Wearing her Easter best

I’ve been a huge fan of Jojo Maman Bebe’s clothing for children for several years now, and this beautiful girls Cockatiel applique dress doesn’t disappoint. 100% cotton gingham, with festive cockatiels along the hem, my daughter wore this on Easter Sunday, and it will take her through the summer. I love the attention to detail in the picot stitching and button-adjustable straps.

Girls’ Pretty Floral Blouse

Girls' Pretty Floral Blouse

Fun summer fashion

This adorable blouse has a sweet cap sleeve and picot edge stitching. Airy and light cotton, this will take us through summer. I love that this style adds a little bit of fancy paired with shorts or leggings.

I am happy to report from past experience that I know these items will hold up beautifully over time, and I’m so glad to see that JoJo Maman Bebe continues to hold to their high standards for quality and style.

Filed Under: fashion, parenting, review

Family Fun Celebrating National Donut Day With Entenmann’s! (Plus $25 Visa Giveaway)

June 5, 2019 by Beeb 22 Comments

Family Fun Celebrating National Donut Day With Entenmann’s

The coupons for product redemption, information, and gift card have been provided by Entenmann’s so that I could try the product and share my thoughts and information about Entenmann’s. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Entenmann’s.

Did you know that National Donut Day is coming up this Friday, June 7th? Our family loves donuts – in fact, we even had a heart-shaped “Donut wall” at our wedding! I will always have fond memories of watching our flower girls run around eating donuts before the ceremony. Since donuts are synonymous with family fun for us, we naturally had to put together a National Donut Day celebration with a little help from our pals at Entenmann’s!

Entenmann’s Donuts

In honor of National Donut Day, we picked up a few packages of our favorite Entenmann’s donuts and took them over to Grandma’s house. We enjoyed an afternoon of tasty donuts, a game of Rummy-O, and a lot of laughs!

The flavor you'll go nuts for!

The flavor you’ll go nuts for!

Another favorite activity in our family is entering sweepstakes, as you may already know if you follow my adventures over on Contest Corner. So I’m super pumped about the Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes! In honor of National Donut Day, Entenmann’s is looking for the next great donut flavor – and it might be created by you! Through June 14th, Entenmann’s fans can use the “Flavor Maker” on their website to create their own fabulous donut flavor. Choose a base, flavor, glaze, and a topping, then name your creation and submit it along with a little summary about what makes you an Entenmann’s donut fan. Each “Challenge Entry” will be reviewed by a panel of judges based on originality, passion and creativity. There are fab prizes up for grabs, including $5,000, a year’s supply of donuts, and a chance to have your donut creation made during the 2019 holiday season! And if that wasn’t enough, you’ll also have the chance to share the news about your donut creation on Facebook or Twitter to receive one entry into the bonus sweepstakes for a $1,000 prize and a year’s supply of donuts!

Entering the Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes

Entering the Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes

Being the “Sweeper” that I am, I naturally hopped on my computer and got to work creating my own donut masterpiece! The donut I created is chocolate with Irish Creme glaze, topped with pink and rainbow sprinkles, which I named “Mom’s Treat” in honor of this blog. I chose the flavor and glaze because I think chocolate and Irish Creme is the perfect treat for busy moms at the end of a long day! The sprinkles are in tribute to my love of pink and bright colors. I hope this donut gets made someday just so I can eat it myself! 😉

Married, with donuts

From our family to ours, we wish you a happy National Donut Day and good luck in the Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes! Here’s all the links you’ll need to enter:

Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes Logo


To get more information, read the official rules, and enter the Entenmann’s Fan Flavor Challenge & Sweepstakes, visit http://www.Entenmanns.com/fanflavorchallenge and follow the instructions to create and share your own donut masterpiece. And for more on everything Entenmann’s, visit their official website and follow along socially on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

Entenmann’s

Bonus: Enter to Win a $25 Visa Digital Gift Card!

And the fun doesn’t stop there: In celebration of National Donut Day, Entenmann’s is also giving away a $25 Visa digital gift card to one lucky MomStart winner!

To Enter:

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Uncovering Lost Family Moments: Converting my Super 8 Home Movie With iMemories

May 3, 2019 by Beeb 16 Comments

iMemories converting a Super 8 movie into digital

Converting a Super 8 movie into digital – photo credit: iMemories

Thank you to iMemories for preserving my family memories and sponsoring this post!

As an “Elder Millennial”, I came of age at a very unique point in technological development. I learned to write on a typewriter, but composed all my articles on a computer just a few years later. When I was 12, I referred to our set of encyclopedias for information; when I was 17, Wikipedia launched. I also remember a time when you could leave the house without anyone being able to call you! And another telltale sign of my Millennial status? There is a lot less photographic documentation of my life. Don’t get me wrong, my parents took lots of photos – you know, on film cameras! – but pictures used to be something you took during a special occasion, not as a daily occurrence. And while our phones are now filled with videos of the most mundane activities, there are no videos of my childhood at all – except one.

When I was a toddler, my Mom knew someone who had a Super 8 camera and asked them to take a home movie of me. As a young family on a tight budget, my parents didn’t have a Super 8 projector at the time, but Mom thought it would be a great thing to have down the line. Super 8 became obsolete not too long afterwards, so we never did get a projector, and the film sat in storage for many years; none of us had ever seen it, but Mom knew it would come in handy one day.

She was absolutely right, but for different reasons than she anticipated. After my Mom passed away unexpectedly when I was 19, I inherited all the family photos and came across the film for the first time. When my Dad explained what was on it, I realized there was a good chance that my mom might would be on the footage, which made it so much more important than just looking at my baby photos.

Ever since I found the film, my husband and I have been keeping an eye out for Super 8 projectors at thrift stores, but they’re hard to come by. And the process of trying to convert and view the film myself made me really nervous: What if I try to play it and the film gets chewed up or burnt? What if I buy the wrong projector? After all, this movie was filmed in England before we immigrated to the US – would it even play on an American Super 8 projector? I wasn’t even sure until recently whether this was a Super 8 film or a regular 8mm film – they may sound like the same thing, but Super 8 and 8mm are two different formats requiring different projectors. Because of this, the home movie has sat in storage for the past 16 years, waiting until I figured out a way to watch it.

When I discovered iMemories, I knew immediately that I had found the solution. iMemories are a full-service digital conversion company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. They pride themselves on digitizing every format, from 8mm movie films and VHS tapes to slides, negatives and more. Here’s how it works: You mail your home movies and photos to their state-of-the-art facility, where they convert it to digital and then mail the originals back to you. Since iMemories handles such a wide range of now-obsolete formats, I thought they would be the best choice for converting my precious family movie.

To start the process, iMemories sent me their SafeShip Kit, which is currently on sale for $14.99. This kit includes a pre-paid shipping label and special packing materials to make sure your memories are protected and waterproof. You can also mail your items in using your own shipping supplies if you prefer not to order a SafeShip Kit, but given that this film is the only one of its kind, I wanted to make sure it was expertly packed and handled!

SafeShip Kit

SafeShip Kit

SafeShip Kit instructions

SafeShip Kit instructions

Assembling my package was simple: First, I dug my Super 8 film out of storage.

My Super 8 home movie

My Super 8 home movie

Next, I used the included waterproof bags and shock resistant bubble cushions to carefully secure the film. The waterproof bags ended up being important, because I dropped my package off at the UPS shipping center during a bout of pouring Oregon rain!

Waterproof bag

Waterproof bag

Carefully packing my home movie

Carefully packing my home movie

All secured with shock resistant bubble cushions

All secured with shock resistant bubble cushions

Next, I filled out the included Customer Card with all of my information.

Filling out my Customer Card

Filling out my Customer Card

I slid the Customer Card into the enclosed folder and placed it on top of the bubble cushions.

Placing the Customer Card into the SafeShip Kit

Placing the Customer Card into the SafeShip Kit

Now that all of the contents were securely packaged, I attached the enclosed shipping label, taped the box up, and dropped it in the mail!

Sticking on the shipping label

Sticking on the shipping label

Ready to ship

Ready to ship

Handling this fragile home movie made me nervous, so I really appreciated how simple iMemories made it to protect and pack my film. The instructions that come in the SafeShip Kit are very clearly laid out and easy to follow. Knowing that the iMemories facility has a team of 200 people doing thousands of digital conversions every day made me feel secure that my priceless memories were in the best possible hands. This process is a mystery to most people, and it can make one understandably nervous to hand off such important items. So to help demystify the process for our readers in this post, iMemories actually took photos of the entire process of converting my film from start to finish, in order to show the journey my home movie took after it arrived at iMemories headquarters!

All photos credit: iMemories

Unboxing my SafeShip Kit

Unboxing my SafeShip Kit

Examining my Super 8 movie

Examining my Super 8 movie

Bar coding to track my movie

Bar coding to track my movie

Converting my Super 8 film to digital, frame-by-frame with advanced equipment

Converting my Super 8 film to digital, frame-by-frame with advanced equipment

Restoring my home movie with digital editing by hand, including scene-by-scene color correction

Restoring my home movie with digital editing by hand, including scene-by-scene color correction

Creating a DVD from the digital conversion

Creating a DVD from the digital conversion

My Super 8 film is all done and ready to come home!

My Super 8 film is all done and ready to come home!

Once your memories have been converted, you can opt to just download your digital files, or you can create custom products from your files such as a DVD or thumb drive. I opted for a DVD, so that was included in my package when I received my original film back safe and sound. I was so delighted by the DVD, which features stills from my home movie on the cover. This would make such an awesome gift, and you can add a DVD to your order for just $9.99, so it’s definitely something I would recommend doing.

My iMemories order

My iMemories order

iMemories updates you via email in real time as your clips become available to view online through iMemories apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, PC and Mac, so you don’t have to wait until you receive a DVD or your originals back to watch the conversion! As soon as my movie was ready to watch, I received a message letting me know that it could be found in my secure iMemories account. Finally, after all these years, I was going to discover what was on this footage. Would I see my mom on the film? Where was the home movie taken? I had absolutely no idea; this would be the first time anyone had ever seen this family movie.

If you’re an Elder Millennial like me, you will marvel at the contrast of how our childhood home movies have the same film quality as the Zapruder footage, while our current home movies are shot in Ultra HD 4k on an iPhone!

The movie comprised of three short segments: One taken at a local park in Peterborough, England where I used to play; a clip filmed inside our home; and a portion filmed in the back garden. Based on how old I am in the film, I’d say this was taken roughly around 1985. I was completely blown away by the movie: Both my mom and dad are filmed alongside me, and it’s crazy to see these places I remember just as they were – a still image doesn’t really capture the feeling of seeing life in action. I have distinct memories of all the places shown in this film, including the slide shown at the park – I actually have a scar on my forehead from that very slide, which I got on a different occasion where another child pushed me down on its metal steps…

It was powerful enough to watch footage of my mom for the first time after so many years, but even more amazing to me is the moment that was captured. As I swing on the swings with my mom and run through the park with my dad, the joy on our faces is so clear. My mom looks so vibrant and happy – the way I would always like to remember her. Watching this was very profound for me and left a deep impact on me for some time after first watching it.

Losing a parent young is always tough, and the circumstances can make it hard to hang on to those memories of happier times. The 16th anniversary of my mom’s passing is coming up the same week as Mother’s Day, and this year, I feel like I have been given a wonderful gift with this footage. I never really talk about this publicly because I’m a very private person, but it just wouldn’t feel right to write about this service while glossing over its importance to me. This is more than just a cute little family movie or a cool product; this is something that carries deep meaning for me, and will be very special to my Dad and the rest of our family. I’m so grateful that my mom, being smart and resourceful as she always was, thought to have this movie taken; and I’m so grateful that I finally got to see it.

Since I’m anxious to send this film to everyone who loves and remembers my mom, I’m especially appreciative of just how easy iMemories make it to share your finished product. If you want to simply download your files or email them directly to people from you iMemories account, you can absolutely do that; but to make it much quicker and simpler, I would recommend purchasing one month of iMemories Cloud storage for $5.99. This is the easiest way to instantly share with your family, as it allows you to provide your loved ones with a direct link to view the video on the iMemories website and download it to their own computer directly from there. It also has one-click buttons built in to share the video to Facebook and Twitter. This is great for me, because some people in my life will want to watch the movie on Facebook, while others in the family don’t use social media and will need it emailed or text messaged to them in order to view it. Since I can send them straight to the iMemories website, I don’t have to worry about uploading it to a third-party storage website or going over email attachment limits. Click here to view my home movie on the iMemories website and see how easy it makes it to watch and share videos instantly!

The world has changed a lot, so if you’re an Elder Millennial stuck in between technologies and not sure how to even watch your old home movies, iMemories provides the perfect solution. It’s also an ideal service to help our parents and grandparents preserve their special moments – no technical know-how needed. And while I had assumed that video conversion would be expensive, I was shocked to discover what a bargain iMemories offers. You’ll always receive a free quote after mailing your SafeShip Kit to iMemories, so there’s no surprises or unexpected charges; the conversion of my entire Super 8 movie came to a mere $12.99. I was stunned by how inexpensive this was! I couldn’t buy a Super 8 projector for that, never mind the equipment to hook it into the computer and edit it – not to mention the experience needed to do so effectively! iMemories use state-of-the-art equipment that incorporates modern HD camera technology and LED lighting to bring these memories to life, which no one could replicate at home for $12.99. And even if you have a Super 8 projector and know how to use it, film has a limited lifespan, so having these precious films backed up makes sure that they will always be around – because as us Millennials have learned the hard way, the Internet is forever! 😉

I couldn’t think of a better Mother’s Day tribute to my own Mom than this video. Converting your precious family moments with iMemories is a wonderful gift idea for any Mom or Grandma this Mother’s Day, so I highly recommend visiting iMemories.com or following along on the iMemories Facebook and Instagram pages to learn how you can transform life’s precious moments into a gift that will be treasured forever.

Pin it For Later!

I created this handy step-by-step graphic showing how to prepare your family mementos to send to iMemories, so you can Pin this to your gift idea boards and refer back to it when you’re ready to order! No need to be intimidated by the idea of converting your old movies and photos to digital – all it takes is a few simple steps!

Converting a Super 8 Movie to Digital With iMemories

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Filed Under: personal, review

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