Review and Giveaway: Sentry Safe and a Tax Time Survival Kit

February 19, 2012 By 34 Comments

 

It’s that time of year again – Tax Time! If you’re like me, it’s a stressful time and I’m always trying to get all my documents together and organized before I sit down with my husband to do our taxes.

SentrySafe wants to Make Taxes Less Taxing by helping you out this tax season by getting organized and keeping your documents safe. Head over to this fun website when you need a break and play games, enter to win prizes and check out some tax tips!

Every household should have a fire-proof safe to protect all your valuables. I’ve always been worried if something would happen to our house and had important documents about our house and cars, birth certificates and CD’s of pictures in a box. But if something would happen I would have lost them. A fire-proof safe protects all of those items that can’t be replaced.

We were sent the HD4100, a Waterproof Fire-Safe File.

This safe is perfect for the home or the office. It holds up to 40 standard hanging folders, so it’s perfect to hold all your tax documents and other important items. The lid also provides organization and easy access to items like passports, flash drives and more. The safe features a privacy key lock with two keys to help limit access to who needs it!

In preparation for doing our taxes, I put together a Tax Time Survival Kit!

My Tax Time Survival Kit includes: 

- Notebook

- Nice, comfortable black pens

- Tylenol for any headaches that may pop up

- Post-it Notes for easy reminders

- Snack! I got some Reeses Fast Break Candy

- Iced Coffee [We were going to need some caffeine to keep us going!}

SentrySafe wants you to be prepared this tax season and they are giving one lucky reader a HD4100 Fire-Proof Safe and a $25 Walmart Gift Card to create your own Tax Survival Kit!

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Filed Under: Current Giveaways, Giveaways

Review & Giveaway: Win a $149 LG Remarq Kid-Friendly Cell Phone from kajeet

February 18, 2012 By 25 Comments

 

 

These days, technology is everywhere. I have friends who have children that are ages 10-12 and all of their kids are begging for a phone. Before I was a Mom, I used to think there’s no reason a child that young needs a phone. But these days, I’ve definitely been thinking differently. A phone can actually be a good thing for a child, as long as a parent is watching over them. When I think of Hayden being older and being without me I want to be able to get a hold of him when I need to and vice versa! But can you really trust a kid not to use their phone to go online, use up all your minutes or go over your text limit?

If you’re thinking about getting a phone for your child or teenager, look into kajeet cellular phones – phones specifically designed for children!

Not only are the kid cell phones from kajeet affordable, they are also safe and let the parents choose the features available on the phone!

Check out some of the great features that kajeet offers!

No Contracts, Activation Fees or Early Termination Fees.

kajeet understands that kids are always changing their minds. With kajeet, you’re not locked into a contract, there’s no activation fees or outrageous early termination fees like other phone companies.

Easy Parental Controls

With the parental controls, you can decide how many minutes and text messages are allowed. You can even control who your child calls and texts and when!

With the Time Manager, you can make sure your child can’t make or receive calls and texts during school or after bedtime.

The Feature Manager lets you control if your child has mobile internet access and the ability to download ringtones and games or even receive pictures!

GPS Phone Locator

Yup, I’m going to be one of those Moms who wants to know exactly where their child is. {Can I be like that when he’s in his twenties too?} I love the option of a phone having a GPS so you can instantly locate where they are.

 

kajeet cell phones are on the Sprint service, so you will have nationwide coverage also. Since kajeet is the company providing the service you won’t have access to things like Spring Navigation, Social Zone, Sprint TV and more.

The kajeet website is very easy to navigate also. First, you choose your phone. All of the available phones are Android phones like LG cell phones or even the HTC Evo Shift!

Once you choose your phone, it’s time to choose a service plans. Service plans start at just $4.99 a month. The most popular plan is only $19.99 a month and that includes unlimited texting, picture messaging, parental controls, GPS locator and 150 anytime minutes.

Fill out your information and then the phone is sent to you!

 

I received the LG Remarq to review, which has a slide out QWERTY keyboard, a built-in MP3 player and even a 1.3 MP camera! This it the perfect phone for your child or tween!

I love that parents have total control of the phone. Bad grade or missed curfew? Subtract texts and minutes! Good grade? Add some minutes!

Want to win a kajeet LG Remarq Cell Phone ($149 value!!)  for your child?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Disclosure: I was given a kajeet cell phone to review and giveaway in return for my post. The opinions are mine and honest. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook or Twitter.

Filed Under: Current Giveaways, Giveaways, review, Sippy Cup Tech

Interview with Will Arnett of The Secret World of Arriety

February 17, 2012 By 10 Comments

 

 

Last year I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, The Secret World of Arriety.

Residing quietly beneath the floorboards are little people who live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all.

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), a tiny, but tenacious 14-year-old, lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. But when 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger.

I had the chance to participate in a group interview this week with Will Arnett, who plays Arriety’s father Pod. My husband and I have been a fan of his since his Arrested Development days. It’s still one of our favorite shows and we frequently watch it on Netflix still. He’s currently starring in Up All Night on NBC, which is also one of our current favorite shows!

The Secret World of Arriety is  based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.” Will had not read the book but he was familiar with other popular Studio Ghibli films Spirited Away and Ponyo. Once he saw the Japanese version of the movie, he thought it was “so great and had such universal themes. I was very excited to be a part of it.”

Will is most known for comedic roles and the character of Pod is portrayed as being the strong, steady and silent father. When asked about playing against what he usually does, Will says, “Disney first came to my wife and me and asked us to be part of it. And I was excited that they thought of me, especially for me to do something that is a little bit outside of what maybe people are used to seeing me in…I know a lot of people think of Pod as sort of stern or whatever, but I think of him as the steady hand in this story. I was just happy they thought of me in this way and I was excited to something a little out of my comfort zone.”

Will was asked if he related to the character of Pod more since he is also a father. Will says, “I would say once I started working on this film my performance was colored by it. What you don’t understand before your a parent is what it means to be a parent and what it means to have a child and that definitely changes your entire world view forever the moment your child is born. I wouldn’t have had the same perspective had I not been a parent when I started making this film. It definitely had an impact on me being a parent.”

Will has been in 6 animated movies in the past 10 years. When asked what about animated films attracts him, he says, “In animation you kind of get to hide. All you have is your voice and you have to work in concert with the other great artists who are creating this story. It’s a different kind of collaboration. It’s such a visual medium. I don’t know. It’s just such an interesting thing to be a part of.”

I loved the characters in The Secret World of Arriety and loved what they all stood for. The film is a great message of friendship and Will agrees saying, “I think there’s a really nice message of tolerance. It’s kinda about friendship and Arriety, ultimately her friendship is preserved and I think that’s a really nice message.”

Some other fun facts from the interview with Will Arnett:

- His current favorite voice over is Arriety. It’s hard for him to play favorites.

- Will’s real life wife Amy Poehler was the voice of Homily, Pod’s wife in the film. They did not record their parts together though, it was done separately.

- For the Arrested Development fans out there, they will be filming the mini-series soon and then on to an Arrested Development film. He currently is starring in Up All Night on NBC.

Make sure to check out my review of The Secret World of Arriety, which is out in theaters today!

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. Thanks to Walt Disney World Entertainment for the opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Disney, Sippy Cup Entertainment

Celebrate Your Child’s Birthday at The Magic House! #STL

February 17, 2012 By 3 Comments

 

 

Hayden turned 4 this month and I was so excited to throw him a party! The first 2 years we had “at-home” birthday parties and for his 3rd birthday we celebrated at a local pizza parlor. These parties were always with family and a few close friends, but for his 4th birthday I wanted to plan something that would be fun for him and involve his friends!

There are lots of places to have a birthday party in St. Louis, but the first place I thought of was The Magic House, a Children’s Museum in St. Louis.

The Magic House is more than just a Children’s Museum though. It’s an experience. It’s a memory you are making with your child. The Magic House has been a staple in St. Louis since it opened to the public in 1979. I have so many fond memories as a child going for class trips and special days out with my family.

Since Hayden turned one we have bringing him to The Magic House to explore and expand his imagination. The best part is that it’s for children of all ages!

If you’re not familiar with The Magic House, it’s a children’s museum whose mission is to provide children with hands-on learning experiences that encourage experimentation, creativity and the development of problem-solving skills within a place of beauty, wonder, joy and magic.

This is the perfect place to have a Birthday Party!

Starting at age 2 and all the way up to age 10, they offer a variety of different birthday parties like a Terrific Two’s party designed for the really little ones or a Big Birthday Bash where you can invite up to 30 children!

We got the experience a Themed Birthday Party where you can choose from 7 different fun themes!

- Construction Zone

- Fairy Tale Party

-  Fancy Party

- Magic Tree House Party

- Modern Art Magic

- Science Magic

- Trains, Planes and Automobiles

We celebrated with a Construction Zone Party! Each party comes with 2 Magic House staff members that set up and lead the party {that’s right, no leading the party yourself! You get to just have fun!}, serve refreshments and clean up!

The party comes with an hour of time in the party room and then unlimited play time in the museum before or after your party!

A themed party allows up to 20 children and 10 adults! Anything over 10 adults has to pay for admission into the museum. Each guest receives a delicious cupcake {they were so yummy!} to decorate and lemonade, apple juice or water!

Hayden was so excited when we arrived at The Magic House for his party. We arrived and were able to check-in a little early. In case there were other members of our party there, they made an announcement overhead when it was time for the party to start.

They had everything set out for the party and our two party hosts were so helpful, instantly explaining how the party would run!

The tables were set up with paint, paper and construction vehicles to paint with! What a fun idea!

The kids instantly put on their smocks and got to creating!

After creating some fun pieces of artwork, it was now time to decorate construction hats! The kids were able to choose from yellow or pink hard hats and then colored or decorated them with stickers!

After everyone had their decorated hard hats, it was time to decorate cupcakes! Everyone was able to choose what flavor of cupcake they wanted and there were also cups of different frosting and toppings.

These cupcakes were so delicious! The kids {and adults!} had a blast decorating them!

Then it was time for the Birthday Boy to blow out the candle!

After cupcakes, it was present time!

The presents had magically appeared around a chair for Hayden to open them in!

The party hosts were prepared with bags for all of the presents and a clipboard with paper and a pen so I could record who got what for Hayden! I hadn’t even thought of that!

After that, the party was wrapped up and then everyone was able to play in The Magic House for as long as they would like! Each child also went home with a little goodie bag from The Magic House which included fun items like suckers, stamps and a free Magic House admission for the future!

When planning the party, I have to admit I was a little skeptical on how everything could happen in just an hour in the party room! Our party hosts, Ryan and Danielle, were amazing and kept the party running so smooth. I loved being able not to worry about anything and have fun at the party. Best of all they jumped right into everything with the kids and they all loved both of them!

Hayden had a blast exploring the rest of the museum for a few hours after the party!

If you’re in the St. Louis and looking for a birthday party for your child, The Magic House is the place to go! I can’t imagine going anywhere else now!

Make sure to check out The Magic House for more information and connect with them on Facebook and Twitter!

Disclosure: We reviewed the Construction Birthday Party on behalf of The Magic House. All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Filed Under: Birthday, Sippy Cup Entertainment, Sippy Cup Family Activities, St. Louis, Uncategorized
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