The Mom Jen, Author at Jen is on a Journey - Page 306 of 322

Cahootie: A New Version of an Iconic Game

March 12, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

I remember being a girl, in junior high school and getting creative with folding paper. The result was a “cootie catcher.” Think Magic Eight Ball meets Fortune Cookie.

Not sure where the name came from, but it was a personalized way to make up scenarios and have fun and funny conversation with my friends. Colors on the top, numbers in the middle all the while opening and closing the contraption while spelling out the words or counting out the numbers. The ultimate ending, “you will have 3 babies and marry Joey Smith.” I love when history repeats itself. That’s one of the great thing about having children, often the trends and toys from the past come back in an updated form! Within the last year, I have found my 11 year old making the very same things!

Cahootie is the new generation of this same game I played as a kid, and their mission is to expand upon and enhance this timeless and iconic game that children have played around the world for generations. Through their award-winning products, Cahootie aims to deliver an experience of fun, learning and connection among Tweens and their families and friends.

Cahootie comes in 12 themes (one is a party pack), including 4 Animal Planet themes and each Cahootie includes 40 interchangeable and removable fortunes to make your game new and fresh each time you play.

How do you play? Check out this video… How to Play: Cahootie

Our Take: At my oldest daughter’s birthday sleepover, she and her friends sat down and made these out of construction paper. After they were done, I was shocked to see this idea come back around. When I was introduced to Cahootie, I knew she would love them. They are super easy to assemble, just peel and stick the fortunes in the appropriate spaces.

With 40 options, interchanging options just extends the life of the game, and what better way to get the most out of your money with a toy!

The result is something fun and creative, sparking imagination and communication among friends. No TV, no electronics, simple fun! My daughter can’t wait to share this colorful versions of the beloved game with her friends!

You can buy Cahooties for $5.99 in your local Justice stores, Hallmark, Learning Express, Amazon, and in the Easter section at Target!

I was sent 2 Cahooties to facilitate this review. The opinions are my tried-and-true experience and were not influenced by any source. Understand, you may have a different experience as I have had. I was not monetarily compensated in any way for this post.

Fibers.com Offers Customized Apparel

March 11, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

I love personalized items. Whether it been with names or images, making something for me or my kids that we had a hand in creating is fun and unique. We also have 3 kids with names that we’ll never find pre-made personalized products for like I did as a child (being a “Jennifer”).

Creating your own custom t-shirts and products has never been easier. Fibers.com offers advanced technology where you can customize ANY design on the site to personalize it with text or images.

Why Fibers.com?

No minimum order
Complete freedom in customization
Top-quality products
Unlimited printing colors
Quick turnaround, usually within 3 days
40+ products in over 200 color combinations
Apparel sizes from Infant to 5X

Offering trendy graphics and sayings, you can make shirts to wear to movie premieres…(click to enlarge)

Or personalize matching t-shirts for an upcoming girl’s event, mom t-shirts, and much, much more!

My Take: With my son’s upcoming baseball season, I decided to design a sweatshirt with a baseball theme. Here are a few photos of my sweatshirt depicting my own text and a few graphics provided by Fibers.com. (click to enlarge)

I was a bit disappointed by the printing job done. Unlike silk screening, the images on my sweatshirt were printed directly into the fabric absorbing the color. The text was done in a navy blue on the website and when received, the color looked faded and washed, not crisp. It gave me the sense of a used/washed/old garment, not a brand new one as I expected. I informed the company and were very helpful in wanting to rectify screen shots on their site to reflect a more accurate color after printing. I appreciate that. The sweatshirt itself fit nicely to size and they have a huge variety of fonts/graphics and ideas to choose from.

I was sent a sweatshirt to facilitate this review. The opinions are my tried-and-true experience and were not influenced by any source. Understand, you may have a different experience as I have had. I was not monetarily compensated in any way for this post.

The Clement Monterey: A Luxurious Ocean Front Hotel on Cannery Row

March 10, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Last weekend my husband and I had a couples getaway. Thanks to a giveaway I won, we got to spend the night at The Clement Monterey, an InterContinental Hotels & Resorts hotel on the famous Cannery Row. Although the area is an hour trip from home, it’s definitely a “stay-cation” worth making!

With restaurants, wine tasting, shopping, and sight-seeing all within walking distance, park your car and have the weekend getaway without stress!The luxurious hotel expands over both sides of Cannery Row, many rooms, suites, some with fireplaces and some overlooking the ocean. We were lucky to be upgraded to a ocean view room that was amazing and the sound of the waves crashing all night long was blissful!

Enjoy outdoor fireplaces over-looking the ocean (see below photo at the bottom) with a cocktail from the adjacent C Restaurant and Bar.

Even if you do bring the kids, The Clement offers…

* On-site VIP Kids Club with baby sitting services and organized activities.
* Children’s state of the art fitness equipment, flat screen TVs, video games and enriching Monterey exploration materials.
* Opportunity to explore Monterey area and participate in kid-tested crafts, games and adventures.
* Baby-Sitting

In the room, comfort, romance, and enjoyment is priority. There’s a stocked mini-bar in the cabinet, and a bottle of a local wine (for a price) near the fabulous 37 inch TV.

Up-to-date technology sees an alarm clock/radio for your iPod! The sound is fabulous!

Enjoy a good book…

A relaxing bath…

..or get to work with the in-room internet connection (a fee)…

Small touches like the city mascot Sea Otter stuffed animal (available for purchase,

Zen Garden, Sand Rake,

Free Appetizers to a nearby restaurants, The Fish Hopper or Old Fisherman’s Grotto,

bath robes and slippers, make this hotel your home away from home!

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, enjoy entertainment in the Bar lounge and in the Reading Room area.

Just below our room was a ballroom that was hosting a wedding reception, the beauty of it was memorable! And, though we didn’t use them, there is a whirlpool, pool, and gym right on site for your family’s needs!

Next time you head to the Central Coast of California, stop by magnificent Monterey and stay at The Clement from $169.00/night, it’s worth every penny. I can’t wait to stay there again, I know you will not be disappointed!

We received a free night through a contest win. All opinions are our 100% tried and true experience.

Playful Threads

March 8, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

Are you a mom who also works (inside or outside the home)? Often you need a break from the suits, the sweats, and want to be transformed into the woman you want to be. Playful Threads is an online shop that can help you with that transformation. With items such as beautiful and sexy lingerie, dresses, swimwear, leg wear, and jewelry, you can step out of the everyday routine and give yourself (and your significant other) a self-esteem boost!

The prices are so reasonable, you have to check out Playful Threads to believe it!

My Take: The website offers a variety of beautiful items for the confident vixen, to the more conservative woman. If you are like me, I tend to enjoy a more conservative look and I found the Debra Top and Boyshorts to be a happy medium, sexy but not something I wouldn’t feel unlike myself in. I was hopeful that the “one size fits most” size was going to work for me and the top was tight, but the bottoms fit perfectly. The top comes as a 30″ to 36″ B-D size, but falling in that size range, it seemed to fall in the small end of the range. It’s a risk to buy in the “one size fits most range.” Next time I may buy separately to ensure a better fit.

I was sent an item for my time to write this post. The experience is my tried-and-true experience and was not influenced by any other source. I was not monetarily compensated to write this post.

EcoTools Can Help You Make-Up like a Professional

March 8, 2010 by The Mom Jen Leave a Comment

With 2010 in full swing, beauty buffs abound with what some view as risky resolutions. Try brightly-colored eyeliner for a spiced-up look. Finally reveal that perfect red lip. But to make these daring dreams a reality, there’s a simple solution that should be at the top of the towering list of 2010 to do’s: believe in your beauty skills. All it takes is a lesson in the right steps and the right tools!

To beat this beauty quandary and to introduce its brand-new brushes, ecoTOOLS teamed up with celebrity makeup artist Meredith Baraf to bring you the products and pointers you need to create a professionally pretty face.

I’m not good at makeup, solely because I don’t know how to apply it properly. I usually only wear concealer and a bit of blush. Let’s get on the path to a better year, better you with a beauty pledge we can stick to: applying make-up like a pro! The instructional videos offer tutorials for the following looks:

A Cunning Cat-Eye: