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Holiday Gift Guide, 2010: Neighborhood Market by Little Tikes

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I’m a fan of multi-use toys, they type that can transform easily and create a different feel and storyline for imaginary play.  The Neighborhood Market by Little Tikes is one of those type of toys and I recommend it for young ones in your life this year that likes creative play!

Features:
* Can be a bakery, market, or ice cream shop
* Clear sliding doors for real shopping fun
* 23 accessories include:
– Cash register
– pretend money and credit card
– 3 lemons, 3 oranges, 4 cupcakes, 2 bunches of bananas
– 1 ice cream scooper, 2 ice cream scoops, 2 ice cream cones
* Awning pulls down and winds up
* Wheels and handle
* Pretend cash register with play money
* Chalk board marquee

Setup:  When I opened the package I immediately went to the parts bags…there were a lot of screws! Often a parent’s nightmare, will all the work be worth it, I anticipated it taking a little while to put together.  It took me a full hour even with their very clear instructions to assemble it, remember to set it up prior to Christmas morning.

Our take:  The toy itself is very cute and has provided hours of fun.  Whether the kids are playing ice cream shop, grocery store, or bakery, you hear great conversations like “welcome, may I help you?” and “oh your oranges look so ripe, I would love to buy them!”  between them.

The cash register isn’t a working calculator (no batteries to buy),  though it does open and close easily for the money to be exchanged.  The doors slide smoothly to open and close to access the food in the bins, while the moveable awning is a sweet added touch.

The handle and wheel make it easy to move from room to room though with all the plastic parts its very light to carry. I’ve already seen my daughter use the awning as a stage curtain revealing her Barbies dancing on the stand, so I’d add “puppet theater” as the 4th feature for the toy!

The Neighborhood Market retails for $99.99.


Product was sent for purpose of this post/review, opinions are our tried and true experience and were not influenced by any source.

Dirt Devil: Gator 15.6V Cordless Hand Vac w/ Brushroll

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When it comes to cleaning, everyone has their job around the house.  I often find my older two kids yanking and dragging the big vacuum around the house trying to do their chores, let’s just say the walls and doors in the hall have nicks and dings.

Sometimes when the heavy vacuum is just too much power, I completely suggest something like the Dirt Devil Gator to get cleaning done fast, easy, and efficiently!
The Gator has a crevice tool built-in and I love this for cleaning my couches.  We recently moved our duo recliners into the living room and before they were the “no touch” couches.  The material on them is made from the soft and durable Durapella microfiber and it is a huge dust and dirt collector and begins to feel gritty when you sit on them.  I’ve gotten the Gator out and zip-zip-zip between the crevices of the  plush back/head rest seams, under the arm rests and on the foot rest, crumbs-be gone!

 

Another spot this is hand-vac is perfect for is the car!!  With 3 schools to drive to, 3 sports practices each week, we are in the car a lot and well it gets really dirty.  Also for the past 3 months we’ve been frequenting the beach at least once a week and the floors are covered in sand.  Our old car vac is incredibly bulky and  noisy.  We grab the Gator, attach the power brushroll and it makes for a quicker clean.  The suction is great too, and the dirt cup opens easily and it’s really a tool everyone in the house can feel successful using to clean!

Give the battery a full 24-hours to charge before using.  After a few uses the battery life seems to get longer, at first it only lasted about 15 minutes before the loss of power begins to be audibly noticable! I keep ours plugged in at all times when not in use.  If left out overnight the charge gets weak!  Also the brush attachement snaps in place also held by a few magnets…it can just fall off when carrying it around, be aware of that, I’ve dropped it a couple of times and I’m afraid I’ll crack it!

Features:
* Energy Star Rating  * Power Brushroll  * Gator Easy Opening Dirt Cup
* Built-In Crevice Tool  * 15.6 Volts  * Cordless  * Bagless Design
* Lightweight – Easy to Carry
Included Accessories:
* Power Brushroll  * Built-in crevice tool  * Charger

The Dirt Devil Gator 15.6V Cordless Hand Vac sells for $49.99 and be bought online at Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy!

I was sent product for purpose of this review.  The opinions are my tried-and-true experience and were not influenced by any source.

The Young and The Thirsty by Jesse and Jacob Kovacs: A Wine Education

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My husband and I love wine.  I’ve loved it for a long time and in the last few years have turned my husband on to it in place of beer on any California evening.  We’ve gone wine tasting together locally and love a great sweet white wine.  We’re far from sommeliers, but we are eager students willing to learn.

The Young & The Thirsty: 25 California Wines For New School Drinkers is the mold-breaking new book by young winemakers Jacob and Jesse Kovacs that provides a map to their peers just beginning to cultivate a love for wine.

“Because of the Internet, curiosity about wine among people our age is exploding,” said Kovacs, 28. “Traveling around the country, we’ve gotten the sense that there’s tremendous enthusiasm for the subject. This book is an effort to just channel that excitement and give people a place to start.”

I have to admit, I was intrigued by Jesse Kovacs from his appearances on The Bachelor and Bachelor Pad after learning he was a local winemaker (Szalay Winery, Monterey County CA,*photo courtesy of Kovacs Brothers’ website* ).

Our Take:  We received a PDF copy of the book for my Sony Reader and enjoyed every minute of it! The brothers provide an interesting, unpretentious look into the world of the wines of the California Central Coast. The book does an extraordinary job recommending wines that will excite novice and wine enthusiasts alike. Fragrance, taste notes, food pairings, occasion recommendations, serving instructions and contact information are included for each of the wines. The Kovacs Brothers’ personal stories of their experiences and the compelling chronicle of the migration of their family wine tradition from Hungary to the Carmel Valley gives the reader insight into just how intimate wine making is. The book does an excellent job at introducing the new school drinker to the unique variety of soils, climates, methods and people of the Central California Coast wine industry.  The brothers’ personalities really shine throughout the book, they are funny and knowledgeable and it’s quite an entertaining read as well as educational!!

The Young and the Thirsty retails for $19.99 and would be a fabulous gift for that budding wine drinker, a newly crowned 21-year old, or for yourself.  Order through the Kovacs Brothers website, http://www.kovacsbrothers.com/order/.  On their website you can also find info and ordering information for their wines, a link to their blog and more.
Check back next week when I review Kovacs Brothers 2005 Meritage!
We received the book in exchange for purpose of this review.  The opinions are ours and were not influenced by any source. 

T.J.Maxx and Marshalls: Revamp Your Fall Wardrobe

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It’s that time of the year when fashionistas need to revamp their fall wardrobes, but don’t want to break the bank. T.J.Maxx and Marshalls have the inside scoop on how to find on-trend designer duds – without the designer price tags. From feminine details on polished skirts and sweaters to military inspired jackets and classic designer denim, T.J.Maxx and Marshalls have the hottest trends and designer styles – all for less.

I wanted to give you some background on how T.J.Maxx and Marshalls are able to bring consumers the season’s designer looks for less. Buyers for the stores travel all around the world 40 weeks a year to meet with 12,000 different vendors, allowing them to snag the hottest in-season trends as they happen and negotiate prices up to 60% less than department stores. 10,000 new items arrive in every store each week, creating a “new store” feel every time shoppers visit.

My Take: I have both Marshalls and T.J.Maxx within a half-hour of my home and I alternate going to both stores and love finding something new each time.  The stores are STOCKED, I mean, you can really take a few hours in that one store getting through it all!  The prices are always the best around when I’m shopping for my kids and this time, I had the opportunity to buy for myself (shocking!).  I picked up some Jeggings for myself, I often love the look of denim don’t want the bulk of a pair of jeans.  Though the heat has picked up, I did find some gorgeous sweaters, both long and short sleeves.  My price tag was $55 while the retail value of the 3 items I bought was over $100! 

Another fall trend: animal print and faux fur! But, how do you wear them?  Style expert Sonya Cosentini gives some tips on this year’s top runway styles…

Faux Fur
* A wool cascade cardigan finished with a faux fur collar
* Boots with a shearling lining
* A faux fur stole over a timeless, simple black cocktail dress
* Vests with faux fur panels layered over a basic tee, skinny jeans and over-the-knee boots
* An Italian leather handbag accented with faux fur
* A military style coat with a fur-trim hood

Animal Print
* A neutral toned outfit and animal print handbag
* Dark skinny jeans paired with giraffe print, wooden bangles
* An animal print scarf and a plum colored pea coat
* A leather motorcycle jacket with a zebra print collar
* Zebra print gloves, mittens or ear muffs
* Black jeggings with a leopard print jacket

What are you wearing this fall?

My Giveaway:  One lucky reader of Jen is on a Journey will win a $25 GC to T.J.Maxx and Marshalls!
—————————–
To Enter:
MAIN ENTRY:  What fashion trend are you excited to wear this fall? This is your first and required entry before you can submit bonus entries!

—Bonus Entries (leave a separate comment for each entry)
*1 entry* Follow @themomjen and tweet this:
                (you may Tweet once a day throughout the contest):

#Win a $25 GC to T.J.Maxx/Marshalls to Go Shopping for Fall Fashion at Discount Prices! http://tiny.cc/aia3i @themomjen

*1 entry* “LIKE” me Jen is on a Journey 
*2 entries* Follow on Google Friend Connect(see my sidebar) and Feedburner! (2 entries TOTAL)
*1 entry* Comment on any non-giveaway post (each comment equals one bonus entry, you can comment on as many posts as you want)

—-Contest ends 10/11, if your email is not enabled in your profile, you must include it in your comments or I have no way to contact you if you win! Open to US residents only! Winners will be contacted and have 48 hours to claim their prize or another winner will be chosen.

I was sent a gift card to check out the fall fashions, the opinions are my tried-and-true experience and were not influenced by any source!

Reinvent Dinner with Pyrex Supper Savers

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The end of summer marks the beginning of the school year and associated extracurricular activities for many. Between shuffling my son and youngest daughter to soccer and my oldest daughter to dance class, mealtime planning and execution can become a challenge for many moms.

Pyrex wants to help with time-saving tips and, more importantly, the right tools to help mom plan, prep, and present meals with ingredients that multitask just like she does. With versatile products like Pyrex No Leak Lids Glass Storage, mom can go from the counter to the oven to the fridge in the same dish and preserve ingredients prepped one day for dinner the next. It’s not about serving leftovers, it’s about reinventing dinner.

The rectangle storage containers are amazing, when packing up our enchiladas made last week, I put two in one of the storage containers, put them in the fridge and they’re ready for lunch the next day for my husband. Just pop the microwave vent and he’s got everything he needs for his 30 minute time frame, at home or if he needs to eat at work.  The seal is strong as we have 3 kids back and forth in the fridge and have had to clean up spills so very often.  These containers can pack up in a bag or cooler and there’s no worry of mess!

Barbecue chicken was also in the fridge over the weekend and with the Pyrex Basting Brush, I can quickly throw some barbecue sauce on it to give life back to it and after a few minutes in the microwave, ouila!  Supper saver products from Pyrex can make parents feel successful during the week when time gets away from you.  I often tend to order pizza or run through a drive thru when time is short, but thanks to Pyrex I can extend meals without worry of spoiling or lacking in flavor!

Pyrex has been in our family since we’ve been married, it was my mom who insisted I register for Pyrex for my gift registry and handed down my first set of mixing bowls that I still own!  Today, over 70 percent of U.S. homes have Pyrex glass products, and thanks to Pyrex, they want you to have some too!


I was sent product for purpose of this post/review.  The opinions are our tried-and-true experience and are not influenced by any source.

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