Monthly Archives: February 2008

Boogaloo toys and gear

OctubuddyOther than during Madelyn’s nap time, bath time is when I feel most relaxed because I know Madelyn is contained and occupied.  We have gone through a lot of bath toys between our two children.  One toy that has remained a regular fixture in our bathtub is Octobuddy from Boogaloo.  Octobuddy is a colorful, plastic octopus that floats on the water and has four feet with objects inside a clear ‘bubble’ that move or spin when water that is poured into Octubuddy’s head using his hat, reaches the object. 

Each of the four objects does something different and the water is dispersed evenly so all four objects move at the same time.  Pour and watch, pour and watch.  Toddlers love repetition.  Madelyn’s favorite is the water wheel.  The other objects are a bobbing fish, a peek-a-boo critter, and a spiral wheel.

Where to buy:  Amazon

Icon_website2 Boogaloo toys & nursery products

T-mobile Sidekick Slide, LX, and iD

Sidekickslide_2
The T-Mobile Sidekick series offers sleek looking devices with many functions.  I reviewed three Sidekick devices; the Slide, the LX, and the iD all of which have a look of their own as well as differing specs.

The Sidekick devices are all great for messaging. Texting is great for parents when we need to relay a short message such as ‘please get milk’, or ‘I’m going to be late’.I found that all three Sidekicks have superb messaging capabilities.  The QWERTY keyboard on all three Sidekick devices is easy to use however, I prefer the keyboard on the LX because of its ‘clickability’. I like to feel the click when I push on a key and the LX gives that sensation.  The keyboard keys on the Slide are softer than the LX keys.

One major difference between the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide and the other
two Sidekick devices I reviewed is the slide-up screen. Instead of a
swivel screen,
you just push up the bottom of the display to access the QWERTY
keyboard. The sliding motion is smooth and the screen clickSidekickid_3s into place for a very sturdy feel.

The LX and the Slide are bluetooth enabled so you can talk hands-free and sync your phone up to a bluethooth enabled computer.  The iD is not bluetooth enabled. All

three devices have a speakerphone function which I love.

While having customizable face plates, the Sidekick iD is the least feature rich of the devices.  However, it includes features that I think are sufficient for social teenagers including a talk time of up to 5 hours, text messaging, email and games.  The iD does not have a camera like the Slide and LX.

Overall, I prefer the LX over the Slide and the ID.  The back of the LX has a nice texture which makes for easy holding while texting, and I actually Sidekicklxprefer the heavier weight of this device which gives it a more substantial feel.  When a phone is too light I find it hard to hold on to.  Both the LX and the Slide produce good photographs.

The Sidekick LX has a built-in music player that w
ill play MP3, WAV,
WMA, and AAC files. You can search for songs by artist, album,
genre, or composer, as well as organize tracks into playlists. To get
songs onto the Sidekick, use the included USB cable and then
drag and drop tracks from your PC to the Sidekick.  Transferring songs is very easy.  Other Sidekick LX features include a calendar, notepad, task list, and a download catalog.

WIN ONE!!  Sign up for our newsletter using the box in the upper right column to be notified when we are running the contest and to learn how you can enter to win a Sidekick Slide!

Icon_website2  T-Mobile Sidekick Slide, LX, and iD

Honey Buns Boutique: bringing simple back

Honey Buns Boutique is truly an exceptional shop.  Stepping away from frilly dresses (not that we don’t like frilly) and high prices, Honey Buns Boutique brings simple, and affordable, back.   The designs were created by a mom with a super handsome 6 month old son so you can rest assure that she knows what moms want in both style and durability.

You will find a variety of cute and sassy shirts, onesies, and accessories for mommies, babies, toddlers, and children up to size 16 at Honey Buns Boutique and best of all, Honey Buns clothes are exclusive – you won’t find their designs anywhere else! How cool is that? 

I love the Bubbles mommy tees and the Sugar & Spice tote bag. The simplicity of these designs is refreshing.

Icon_website2_2 Honey Buns Boutique: clothes & accessories for mommies, babies, and toddlers.

Motionbox: online personal video managment

MotionboxlogoI have been using the Motionbox.com premium service
for about two months and I couldn’t be happier. When I started my Motionbox membership, I was paying a ‘big name’ online video storage website.  Motionbox totally won me over and I am not paying the other service any more!

Motionbox premium allows for unlimited storage, the ability for your family to download the videos you have uploaded to Motionbox, and I think uploading a video to Motionbox is so much easier than to YouTube.  You can sort your videos into folders. I created a ‘Sebastian’ folder, a ‘Work’ folder, and a ‘Product reviews’ folder to name a few. The folder feature makes finding the video I am looking for quickly.   

What really makes Motionbox stand out from the rest is their Flipbook product.  Do you remember those?  I used to make them when I was a child.. with the ball bouncing up and down.  You can create a Flipbook from any of your videos and you can choose a custom cover for your flipbook.  One other feature that I absolutely love is the ability to edit and ‘mix’ videos.  For those of you who have a website of your own, you can embed a video onto your website.  Simply click on the ’embed’ link below the video and choose to include the filmstrip or not and the code is supplied for you.

Like I said, Motionbox has a lot of great features.  The website itself is very easy to get around and once you log in to your Motionbox account, uploading videos is very easy. I highly recommend Motionbox as a great tool for parents to share their videos with far away family and friends.  You can sign up for a Motionbox premium now for only $29.99 a year as opposed to the regular $34.99 yearly fee.  This offer is available for a limited time.

Icon_website2_2 Motionbox: Online personal video storage

Table Five Designs

Tablefivedesigns
Ooh, la la!  Take a look at this french vintage print Tralala Rose Lace Swing Jacket Set.  How cute is it? Madelyn transformed into a gorgeous princess when I put the Tralala
outfit on her and she knew it. I didn’t take photographs because the
outfit is a little large on her and the photograph wouldn’t do the
outfit justice. Table Five Designs carries this whimsical toddler outfit as well as aparell for infants all the way up to age 6 and for both girls and boys. 

Angela Clemente, owner of Table Five Designs, chooses the finest items to feature in her store.You will find all types of goodies including children’s apparel, high-end furniture, designer wall
clocks, wall art, picture frames, silver, drapery, lighting, diaper
bags, burp clothes, bibs, luxury play houses and more.

Oh, you should check out the $36,000 playhouse
while you are there.  If you don’t have that much in the bank, I’m sure you can hold off on groceries for 10 or so years.  These playhouses are such a great idea for the right family with a large yard.

Icon_website2Table Five Designs