Maukilo Great Toys To Make It A Merry Holiday *review and giveaway*

It is that time of the year again where parents are in a scramble to find that perfect toy for their children. The holidays are a wonderful time of the year, but along with all the merriment of it all, there is also a lot of stress. This year with many parents being budget conscious, you tend to want to find some of the hottest toys for 2009 but also toys, that your children will certainly be interested in for longer than five minutes.

Each year I try and sit down and make a list of things that the boys seem interested in and start looking for things that sort of combine that interest with things that are going to last when they play. I ma a huge fan of wooden toys, and toys that are more educational. I still buy the boys some of the mass marketed toys but, I also like to get things that are a little more meaningful or have what I call higher quality play value.

One of my favorite places to visit for shopping is Maukilo. They are a great site that is owned by HABA, and if you know anything about HABA toys you will know that they make some of the greatest wooden toys. I have toys made by HABA that are still in perfect condition and can easily be passed on to another child and I love all of their brightly colored toys.

We were recently given the opportunity to pick one of the many wonderful toys that Maukilo has to offer. Amongst the great collection of HABA toys , they offer so many other choices. We were sent Rody the jumping horse and I could barely get the thing out of the box and inflated because the boys were literally bouncing with excitement to get on this thing. Rody is an inflated ride on horse which you can inflate more as your child grows. Balance and coordination are tested as kids enjoy hopping on their Rody. Made of latex-free vinyl, in Italy.

My twin 3 yr olds have boundless energy, and I can tell you that I am a huge fan of Rody. They hopped all over the house in this thing and it is perfect for expending all that pent up energy. I am thinking this is going to be excellent for the winter months when they are stuck inside! When I first looked at this inflatable horse, I couldn’t imagine how much fun they would have, but they had a blast on it, and now I am thinking I will have to get them another one so they don’t fight! Rody is a perfect gift to have under the tree and Maukilo is a great place to make that holiday magic happen.

**Rody the horse was provided to me free for review by Maukilo.com  the opinions expressed here are that of my own**

As part of the gift giving season, and to introduce you to a wonderful site. DoubleBugs and Maukilo would like to give readers the chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Maukilo.com to do a little holiday shopping for your child and light up their faces on Christmas morning.

This Contest Is Closed!

To Enter Here’s What You Gotta Do!

Visit Maukilo.com and tell me what you would like to buy with your $50 certificate and who you would like to give the toy to.

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Contest Starts November 22, 2009 and Ends December 15, 2009

GOOD LUCK!!!!

US Residents Only

Sports Authority Is Teaming Up With Nintendo To Get Moms In Shape! *giveaway*

We are a huge Wii family here and love the opportunity to try out anything new.  With the Wii Fit board it has made it possible to have fun while getting in shape.  When  you are on a Wii Fit board you sort of forget that you are doing any work at all and that is my type of workout!

I was naturally excited to find out  that Sports Authority is teaming up with Nintendo to create a new way to experience fitness gaming.  Sports Authority will be selling Wii gaming consoles, Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus, as well as various accessories and games for the Wii, in its stores.And to help you get to know the Wii better, Sports Authority will create a “We know fit. We know fun.” experience at 102 of their stores. Stores will feature a dedicated area with a demo unit and knowledgeable trainers to help customers try the Wii Fit Plus before they buy! This is a great way to trade those boring workouts of the same thing  for something that is fun for everyone.

To kick off this great new initiative and campaign to get fit the Sports Authority is launching this experience on Thursday, Nov. 19 at its store in Torrance, Calif. (located at 3610 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA) starting at 9:30 a.m. If you are in the California area, the event will feature Jillian Michaels from the *Biggest Loser*, and the World’s largest Wii Fit Demonstration with 102 people and tips from Jillian Michaels.  They are also giving away some really awesome prizes, Wii Fit boards included, so you won’t want to miss it!

I can’t think of a better way to get thinking about those dreaded New Years resolutions of getting in shape.  Rather than dreading it, why not make it fun!   You can find out more by visiting the Wii Sports Authority page.

As an incentive to get your body moving and in shape, DoubleBugs,  SportsAuthority and Nintendo, want to give readers a chance to win the Jillian Michaels’ new fitness game for the Wii and a Wii Fit Plus board!

Here’s  What You Gotta Do!

Visit Sports Authority and tell me what you would like to have to go along with your Wii Fit Plus Board and why you want to have a Wii Fit Board and come back here and leave me a comment

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Good Luck!!

Constest starts November 19, 2009 and ends December 12, 2009

Can You See Me Now?

Well it has been brought to my attention that no one has been able to see my most recent posts.  In fact the only thing they could see was up until September.  I immediately freaked out when Trisha over at momdot pointed out in comment love that she could not see my recent posts.

Well apparently my database was corrupted, whatever that means….I am so thankful for my husband in this department, I am clueless.   But now it should be working and you should be able to see my latest post.  At least I am hoping!

Martha Stewart Living Thanksgiving Hotline

With the upcoming holidays, you know that us moms will be in the kitchen and cooking some of the family’s favorite dishes. I am a huge fan of watching cooking shows when I get the chance, and if I had more time, I would probably be trying new things more often.

I just got wind of an upcoming event on Sirius radio with Martha Stewart. This woman has her stuff together when it comes to anything crafty or anything food related and I wish I could be a fly on the wall when these broadcasts go live. I love just about anything Martha Stewart and drool over all the beautiful things that she does and secretly dream up in my head the energy it must take to get all of that done.

One of my favorite things are the cookie recipes she comes up with for the holidays and all the neat ways she packages them up for giving. Eventually when the boys are older, I want to get back to doing those things.

Here is a little bit about the upcoming Martha Stewart Living Thanksgiving Hotline..it looks like it is going to be a great show!

NEW YORK  November 10, 20009 SIRIUS XM RRadio (NASDAQ: SIRI) today announced that more than 30 top chefs and entertaining experts will participate in the Martha Stewart Living Radio “Thanksgiving Hotline.” For 30 hours over three days

November 23, 24 and 25 these chefs and experts will broadcast tips, trricks, recipes, and kitchen secrets on SIRIUS XM to listeners across the country while answering questions from callers and tackling holiday quandaries ranging from the traditional to the unexpected.

For this annual SIRIUS XM special, more than 30 of the world’s leading chefs and entertaining experts including Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse, Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Bill Telepan will join the Martha Stewart Living Radioo hosts live in studio to reveal their juiciest Thanksgiving tips and personally answer questions and offer advice.

The Martha Stewart Living Radio “Thanksgiving Hotline” will air November 23, 24 and 25 from 7:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. ET on Martha Stewart Living Radio, SIRIUS channel 112 and XM channel 157 as part of “The Best of SIRIUS” package.  Each full day of programming and interviews will replay nightly at 7:00 pm ET on both SIRIUS and XM.

This extraordinary “Thanksgiving Hotline” offers Martha Stewart Living Radio and SIRIUS XM listeners a rare chance to hear these culinary legends divulge their favorite Thanksgiving recipes for the main course, hors d’oeuvres, variations on the traditional turkey meal, desserts, wine pairings, specialty cocktails (including non-alcoholic suggestions) designed for the holidays and much more. They will also share their personal Thanksgiving memories and family traditions.

Martha and her team of Thanksgiving experts will also supply useful tips for cooking on a budget and share simple yet elegant suggestions to spruce up the table and spread holiday cheer.

SIRIUS XM Radio listeners can call 866-675-6675 or email their questions to radio@marthastewart.com.

Full lineup of scheduled guests:

Monday, November 23

7:00 am ET: Alex Guarnaschelli, chef, Butter
8:00 am ET: April Bloomfield, executive chef, co-owner, The Spotted Pig

9:00 am ET: Michael Anthony, chef, Gramercy Tavern

10:00 am ET: Thomas Keller, executive chef, restaurant owner, Per Se, The French Laundry, Bouchon
11:00 am ET: Gina DePalma, pastry chef, cookbook author
12:00 pm ET: Bill Telepan, chef/owner, Telepan, cookbook author
1:00 pm ET: David Burke, chef, David Burke Townhouse, David Burke Prime and Fishtail

2:00 pm ET: Amanda Freitag, executive chef, The Harrison
3:00 pm ET: Emeril Lagasse, chef, restaurateur of numerous restaurants including Emeril’s and NOLA, television personality, and cookbook author
4:00 pm ET: Martha Stewart, cooking, entertaining expert and founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia

Tuesday, November 24

7:00 am ET: Mikey Price, executive chef/owner, Market Table
8:00 am ET: Lidia Bastianich, Italian chef, owner of numerous restaurants including Felidia, cookbook author, television host
9:00 am ET: Michael Lomonaco, executive chef, Porter House, television host, cookbook author
10:00 am ET: Nigella Lawson, television host, bestselling author
11:00 am ET: Johnny Iuzzini, executive pastry chef for Jean Georges, author, Dessert FourPlay: Sweet Quartets From a Four-Star Pastry Chef,
12:00 pm ET: Charlie Palmer, chef, restaurant owner of numerous restaurants including Aureole, Charlie Palmer Steak, cookbook author

1:00 pm ET: Anita Lo, chef/owner, Rickshaw Dumpling Bar; food/wine columnist
2:00 pm ET: Marcus Samuelsson, chef, owner, Aquavit, cookbook author; Isaac Mizrahi, leader in the design business for almost twenty years
3:00 pm ET: Frank Stitt, chef/owner, Highlands Bar & Grill, Bottega and Café Bottega
4:00 pm ET: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, chef, restaurant owner, television personality; Bernie Sun, sommelier, corporate beverage director for Jean-Georges’ four-star restaurant group

Wednesday, November 25
7:00 am ET: Franck Deletrain, chef, Cafe Centro
8:00 am ET: Pierre Schaedelin, executive chef, Benoit Bistro
9:00 am ET: Mario Batali, chef/owner of numerous restaurants including Babbo, Del Posto, Casa Mono, Esca, television personality, cookbook author
10:00 am ET: Paul Liebrandt, executive chef, Corton, New York City

11:00 am ET: Elizabeth Karmel, chef, cookbook author and founder, Girls at the Grill, website that provides backyard cooks with simple barbecue instructions and recipes
12:00 pm ET: Jonathan Waxman, chef, restaurateur, Barbuto, cookbook author
1:00 pm ET: Rick Bayless, James Beard Award-winning chef, Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, cookbook author, television host

2:00 pm ET: Anne Burrell, chef, television personality
3:00 pm ET: Joey Campanaro, chef and owner, The Little Owl and Market Table, television personality
4:00 pm ET: Allen Katz, director of mixology and spirits education for Southern Wine and Spirits of New York; Govind Armstrong, executive chef/owner, Table 8, cookbook author

All of the chefs contributed their own recipes for a special, free online cookbook, Martha Stewart Living Radio’s Thanksgiving Hotline Recipes, created for SIRIUS XM especially for the occasion. This extraordinary collection of recipes and tips covers everything from turkey to desserts to wine selections, and is available for download at www.sirius.com and www.xmradio.com.

For more information, please visit: www.sirius.com/martha and  www.sirius.com/thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Turkey How Do I Make The Perfect Turkey?

I just realized that Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and that means getting ready to do a little cooking.  We rarely head home for this particular Holiday because of Christmas being so close.  I love all the food that comes along with Thanksgiving but sometimes the task of making all the good things you remember a can be an undertaking for our small but growing family.

The boys are still little so they don’t really eat all that much in a sitting, my husband refuses to eat anything with onions or nothing with any taste.  He won’t even eat sausage stuffing and I love the stuff.  I like to go all out so I don’t feel like I am missing the good food like I remember from back home.  The only problem is that, I wind up with all this food and it never tastes the same to me when you eat leftovers.

So this year, I will still probably go all out, but there is one thing, I have yet to master, the TURKEY.  I would love to taste a turkey that isn’t dry, that isn’t undercooked and that tastes like all these famous chefs brag about.  I have no clue what recipes to try, and there are  like a bazillion of them on the internet.  A turkey should be awesome, because it is the center of the meal.  I have heard that to brine a turkey is the best method, and I tried it one year and made a mess.  Isn’t there an easier way?  What is the best turkey recipe? I would love some hints and tips!

Winners Drawn *Wii Accessories and FLOR*

Congrats to DoubleBugs Newest Winners!

Winners have been emailed!

Here is the winner of the Wii gaming accessories

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

253

Timestamp: 2009-11-09 03:23:04 UTC

Comment Number 253:

blogged the givewaway no.2

http://ardy22.blogspot.com/2009/10/wii-accessories-by-performance-designed.html

Winner of the FLOR Giveaway

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

535

Timestamp: 2009-11-09 03:46:00 UTC

I like Rake Me Over in Olive or Fret Knot is pretty too in Olive! Thank you for the great contest!

Bed Side Manner

I can honestly say that I don’t particularly like heading to the doctor, and most people don’t.  Since having the boys, I am a little more picky about who we choose as their doctors.  I guess that maternal instinct kicks in, when there is someone messing with your babies other than you, so you are dissecting every little move the doctor makes, with regards to your child.

I would not say that, I am overly critical of doctors in general, but you do notice when they actually have a love of their job and an interest in caring for your child.  It is tough enough to bring them in for shots, or when there is something major going on, that it helps to have someone who is pleasant, who seems genuinely interested in your questions, and has five minutes to spare for your child.

Last week one of the boys fell down the stairs and broke his wrist.  It is a common fracture where the bone sort of bent in a way.  Since, at 3 yrs old a child’s bones aren’t completely calcified, there wasn’t a complete break.  I was totally freaked out when he fell, and he didn’t really complain much, so I figured he was ok.  The following day when he went to grab his cup he couldn’t hold on to it, so we took him in.

Fast forward to today, about 9 days later and a blue cast up to his armpit, we headed to our follow up with an orthopedist.  How much personality do you think a cold dead sardine has?  Probably way more than this doctor that we met today.  She walks in and goes do you want a half cast on that?  We were like yes, that might help with his mobility so we were happy with that.  He would get recasted with a new half cast in lime green  🙂  I then begin to ask about a cast protector for showers or baths since these plastic bags were a real task to get on and taped, and we even had a minor snafu with the cast getting wet. Not only that, we are spending a fortune in medical tape and plastic bags.  My son’s poor skin is breaking down from the tape so, I know they sell these protectors online but we were asking her if they sold them locally somewhere.  She said No and the places that sometimes carry them are probably out of stock (wouldn’t this mean they do sell them locally and could you please just tell us where?) and they can only be on for 10 min.  I’m like, well let me decide, but she goes 3 more weeks and it can come off and she walks out of the room.  Uhhhhhhh?

My husband and I were beyond irritated.  It was more like, hi and bye, let me collect your money.  She didn’t x-ray his arm to see if it is healing properly or anything.  I was wondering what the point was?  If you are a doctor that works with families and children, I’ve got a little advice.  Put a smile on your face, act a little more alive and considerate than a dead fish!   Thankfully after 3 weeks, we don’t have to go back!

Wordless Wednesday

Buzz and Woody!

*scroll down for more!*

Laptop Battery Woes

I didnt recently discover how important my laptop battery was to me until I became permanently attached to my cord.  I have only had my HP laptop for a little less than a year and the battery was pretty much toast.  This seems to be a relatively common occurence.

It was so bad that my computer would get unplugged and immediately shut off.  There was no running for the the next nearest outlet, because it would unplug and poof! vast nothingness. And, yes I take my laptop all over the house with me, so this no battery thing was cramping my bloggy style.

Well all praise and glory to the postal lady who fixed my laptop woes.  She didn’t even get to ring the doorbell because I had a tracking number, I won a new long life battery on ebay, and I knew it was coming to my doorstep today.  I think I scared the postal lady when I whipped the door open while she was in mid package drop on my doorstep.  I was in my jammie pants, my hair was a mess, and I didn’t care because  I was gonna be cord free!

I plugged in my new battery and wahlah, I was now safe to move about the house and country for that matter.  My new battery made it 5 wonderful hours before I had to charge it again.  Somebody pinch me, because I must be dreaming.  Thank you postal lady, and thank you ebay seller person, you made my day!

Logitech Pro 9000 Webcam *review and giveaway*

I have never been fond of using a webcam and have had only a very few of them in the past that I attempted to use.  This day and age it seems to be the norm to have a webcam when you purchase your computer.  I know my laptop came with one built right in.  Putting aside the fact that I hate how I look on camera, it really is a useful thing for us to have. We have a lot of family that likes to keep up to date with the boys and it is really difficult since they all live in another state or country for that matter.  With the internet and digital age it has made it so much easier to share photos and video with friends and family that may be far away.  We love to use programs like Skype or various messaging software, and almost all have video sharing capability. We were given the opportunity to try one of Logitech’s latest and greatest in their wide range of webcams that they offer.  The Logitech Quickcam Pro 9000 arrived and I was eager to see how easy this cam would be to set up for the average joe schmo like me who knows  little about technical gadgets such as webcams.  Don’t get me wrong, I love a new gizmo like the rest of the world, but I also believe that being “user friendly” is a huge plus.  If I cannot plug it in and go, then I am likely to throw it out the window. The webcam came with Logitech’s Video calling software which is pretty nifty but as a user of multiple programs that support video, I actually prefer to use my existing programs.  The image quality on this particular webcam is probably one of the best I have seen in with a webcam.  I typically use  my webcam in a fairly dark room and I was amazed at how well the Pro 9000 did under low light circumstance.  Setting the cam on top of my laptop monitor was a snap and the adjustable rubber gripped mount works perfectly to keep the cam in place.

Logitech Pro 9000 Features

Carl Zeiss® optics

You’ll enjoy razor-sharp images from a lens designed with the help of one of the pioneers in the industry

Premium autofocus

The innovative design keeps your images stay razor sharp, even in close-ups (up to 10 cm from the camera lens).

2-megapixel sensor

Delivers fluid, true-to-life video and lets you take snapshots at up to 8-megapixels (software enhanced).

RightLight™ 2 technology

Even if you make a video call in dim or poorly backlit settings, the camera will Intelligently adjust to produce the best possible image.

Logitech® Video Effects™

Your video calls get an extra dose of fun with Video Effects. It’s easy to spice things up with neon splashes, fish-eye distortions, and more.

Includes Logitech® Vid™

Technical Specifications

Carl Zeiss® optics with autofocus Native 2-MP HD sensor High-definition video (up to 1600 X 1200*) 720p widescreen mode with recommended system Up to 8-megapixel photos (enhanced from native 2 MP sensor) Microphone with Logitech® RightSound™ technology Up to 30-frames-per-second video Hi-Speed USB 2.0 certified Logitech® webcam software (including Logitech® Video Effects™: fun filters, avatars, video masks, and face accessories)

The software that comes with the Pro 9000 webcam is actually a whole lot of fun.  It comes with some pretty funny facial effects that you can play around with.  I did discover that you can also get many more video effects offered at Logitech’s site all you have to do is select get more effects.  This had me and the boys thoroughly amused for nearly and hour and I was even able to try them out with my messaging software.

The best thing about the Logitech Pro 9000 is its ability to capture video in high definition without totally frogging down my computer.   The quality of the video is superb and its image capture is just as good.  This picture you see here was captured in a room with only light from the tv and one overhead can light in my kitchen so I would say, not too bad.  Although the only thing I have to compare with is my very old webcam but I am still just as impressed.

The camera is equipped with autofocus which worked surprisingly well.  The built in microphone made me sound a little far away, but other than that, this camera is definitely a keeper and well worth the $99 investment.  If you are looking for a perfect holiday gift for family members who live on the other side of the planet this is a great idea.  It is a good webcam that works right out of the box and is just as fun to use, as it is to give.

*The Logitech Pro 9000 was provided to me for free to  review by Logitech.  The opinions about this webcam are that of my own**

Would you like to win  a Logitech Pro 9000 Quickcam???

Heres what you gotta do

Visit Logitech’s site and tell me what other great product you like and why you would like to win this webcam and come back here and leave me a comment

For Additional Entries

You can tweet once about this giveaway, all subsequent tweets will be disregarded

You can blog about this contest and provide me with the link

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Contest Starts November 2, 2009 and Ends December 2, 2009

Good Luck!!!

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