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GiftGiv iPhone App Review

by 38 Comments

If you are on Facebook, you probably have noticed the little birthday reminders at the top of the screen. I always try to visit each of those in my reminders to leave them a little note on their wall wishing them a Happy Birthday. For those that are just more than “Facebook Friends”, I often want to maybe send more than just a little message.

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I recently downloaded the GiftGiv iPhone app that can make it very handy to send cards or gifts to your Facebook  and LinkedIn friends within minutes using your iPhone. When you install the app, you sync it with your social media networks so that can pull the information from your friend’s profiles into the app.

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Once you have the app installed and open it, you will be brought to a screen that shows your “All Upcoming” which is recent and upcoming birthday’s as well as those that you can send a congratulations to or maybe even a thank you card. You can of course swipe your screen to view just “Birthdays” or “Events to celebrate” if you don’t want to view them all.

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Once you see a person that you want to send a gift or card to, you simply select their name from the list. When you have selected the recipient, you will be brought to another menu where you can choose to send a card, gift card, chocolates, flowers, wine and more! In just the last week, I have seen an addition in the amount and types of gifts that you can send.

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Once you have found the perfect gift that you want to send, simply select it from the list on your screen and get your credit card ready to make payment. While purchasing the gift you have the option to select a specific date for the gift to arrive as well as enter a personal message. If you have the recipient’s address that will come in handy, but not needed as you can have the app send them an email or text message requesting their address so to receive their gift.

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With this handy app you can get a list of your contact’s events that are both expected and unexpected. Even if you don’t want to send a gift, you can still use the app to check on birthdays and such.  No need to keep track of your contact’s info on calendars, you can use this app to find it all in one place and send them a little something while your at it.

The GiftGiv  iTunes app is:

  • Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad.
  • Requires iOS 5.0 or later.
  • Optimized for the iPhone 5.

For more information on GiftGift and to download this app, visit: https://www.thegiftgiv.com.

 

D-Link Wireless N Day/Night Home Network Camera (DCS-932L) Review

by 36 Comments

Have you ever wondered what the kids were doing at home when you aren’t there? Or maybe you want to check and see if your baby is awake without having to get off the couch. This past month I have been having a little bit of fun with my new D-Link Wireless Day & Night Camera that I received for review.

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The D-Link DCS-932L Home Network Camera is a small little camera that can provide both day & night surveillance for your home or small office. This camera is a little smaller than men’s wallet and will give you access to your camera’s feed via a computer, iPad iPhone or Android device. Since I have 4 children including 2 teenagers and 2 under 10, I thought it would be a great idea to install this handy camera in the living room of my house so that I can keep an eye on this part of my house when I am not home.

When I first setup the camera my husband and I thought it would be a good idea to have a little fun with the camera before we told the kids about it. After I setup the camera I installed the mydlink App on my iPhone and tested it out to make sure it worked. The first time we left, we made a call home and made a comment about what was going on in the living room. Nothing bad, just wanted to let our teenagers know that we can see what is going on. Not only can you see what is happening in front of this camera, it also has sound so that you can hear what is going on too!

With my iPhone I can see what is going on my living room in just a few seconds….

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I can also snap a photo of the live action at my house with just a touch on this app too! Or I can zoom in if I want.

With the D-Link DCS-932L Wireless N Day/Night Home Network Camera, you have to have a wireless home network for the camera to join and a stable internet connection to be able to view the camera outside of your home network. This camera is wireless, but there is an AC power adapter that you will have to plugin to make it work. You can choose to stand the camera up vertically or use the mount on the back of the camera to place it on a wall as well.  The camera is equipped with an adjustable neck so you can get the perfect view and also is equipped with infrared LED’s so that you can see when it is dark up to a few feet.

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For the price of this camera, I think it is pretty handy. If you don’t have an iPhone, iPad or Android Device you still have the option to view the camera if you have internet access by setting up an account on the mydlink website. With your free account you can access any of your D-Link cameras you have setup. Take a peek at the screenshot I just took below:

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The only thing that could make it better in my opinion would be the video playback. The camera currently plays the video you view in black and white, but that is fine for me. Or maybe the option to record!

Disclosure – I received a product sample to provide you with this review. This post is not a paid post (but does contain affiliate links) and the opinions stated herein are 100% my own.

 

Frankenweenie Now On 3D Blu-ray + Movie Night Fun Pack

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Last year I seen Frankenweenie in the theater with my daughter Hannah and we both loved it (read my review). This week Disney released Frankenweenie on 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack and I have a copy in my hand. We  will be watching Frankenweenie on Blu-ray this weekend for our family movie night since the rest of my family hasn’t seen it yet. They have only heard how good it was from my daughter and I.

If you haven’t seen the trailer, watch a clip of Frankenweenie below:

 
For those that have the 3D Blu-ray players, you will definitely want to grab the 3D Blu-ray combo pack. You can get the 3D experience at home if you didn’t get a chance to see it last year in the theaters. With this combo pack you also get the Blu-ray disc that includes the Captain Sparky vs The Flying Saucers Original Short plus a some other cool bonus features.

Download Frankenweenie Movie Night Fun Pack

The Frankenweenie Movie Night Fun Pack includes a step-by-step guide on how to draw Sparky, printable character masks as well as Pin the Tail on Sparky and Frankenweenie Memory games.

Right now Amazon has the Frankenweenie 4-Disc Combo Pack on sale for only $27.99 with FREE shipping. This is regularly $49.99, so there is a savings of $22!

Disclosure – I received a copy of this film to provide you with this post. This post is not a paid post (but does contain affiliate links) and the opinions stated herein are 100% my own. This post does contain affiliate links

 

Dreamwork’s How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular Review

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how-to-train-your-dragon-logoThe How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular made its way to Sacramento last week and we got to attend one of the shows. I had heard good things about the show prior to last week, so I was really excited to be able to see this event myself. My husband, my son, my mother-in-law and I arrived a little early for this show and the parking lot was already getting packed. I told my husband that the show must be good since people were getting there early too. Once we found a parking spot and were inside the arena we found our seats and were all excited for the show to begin.

Before the show, my son got to pick out a souvenir to hold during the show. He chose a Night Fury plush and has been playing with it ever since he got it.

how-to-train-your-dragon-plushOnce the How To Train Your Dragon show started my son was very excited and kept his eyes on the arena floor the whole time. The beginning of the show doesn’t start out with the dragons as I had originally thought it would. It starts with some neat drawings by the vikings on the backdrop that come to life to create a great entrance for the show to begin.

Look at the sneak preview I have created to show you:

 
Once these beautiful dragons started appearing on the floor, my son was even more excited. In this live show there are 23 flying, fire-shooting, smoke breathing dragons. There is even a big funny looking dragon that likes to toot! Some of these amazing dragons are as tall as 20 feet, as long as 50 feet and have 40 feet wingspans! I enjoyed them all, but really loved watching Toothless, the Night Fury dragon fly through the air. I only had my cell phone but was able to get some neat pictures of some of the dragons.

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Want to see a sneak peek of the actual dragons in action? Watch my video clip below:

 

I thought it was neat being able to see my son so interested in the show. He will be 5 this month and these types of shows don’t always keep him entertained. When it was time for intermission, my son kept asking when the show was going to come back on, not if we were going home yet. I thought it was pretty funny though when we were walking to the car, my son tells us “You know those were costumes, don’t you?”.

For those that haven’t seen the movie How To Train Your Dragon, here is the show’s synopsis to give you a little more information about the show:

An original captivating story set in the mythical world of Vikings and wild dragons. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell, it centers on Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers. Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges him and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view. The story presents a vision so grand in scale that only DreamWorks Animation and Global Creatures could bring How to Train Your Dragon to life in front of a live audience.

The How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular is scheduled next to be in Anaheim, CA on July 17 – 20. Be sure to get your tickets now!

For more information on this show, visit: https://dreamworksdragonslive.com/tickets.php
 
Disclosure – I will be receiving complimentary tickets to watch the show with my family. These opinions expressed are my own opinions and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

 

Betty Crocker’s Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks Review + Giveaway

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In my pantry you will often find fruit snacks. Not only do the kids enjoy eating them, I think that my husband and I enjoy them just as much as the kids. When we are shopping at the grocery store for fruit snacks, there always seems to be a great variety with different characters and flavors. There are some fruit snacks that to me, taste better than the others too!

This month we received the new Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks from Betty Crocker. Each box of the Hello Kitty Snacks contains 10 pouches of the YUMMY fruit gummies that come in CUTE Hello Kitty shapes that are made with real fruit juice*, include natural flavors, and are an excellent source of Vitamin C.

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Now I have been a fan of Hello Kitty since I was young. I remember wanting Hello Kitty everything when I was a kid. Hello Kitty was launched in the US in 1976, the year that I was born, but originally launched in Japan in 1974 making Hello Kitty 38 years old this year!  I will admit that I am still a Hello Kitty fan and love that my 8 year old is a fan too. When we received these fruit snacks I think I was excited the most. Once my other children seen them, they wanted to try them too, even my teenagers.

In addition to these snacks being both cute and good, they also have Box Tops Labels on the package. We collect these for my daughter’s school, so seeing the Box Tops Labels for Education labels on any product makes it even more worth buying.

Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks Prize Pack Giveaway

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One LUCKY winner is going to receive a  fun Hello Kitty Prize Pack like the one that I received too! To enter my Hello Kitty giveaway, please use the Rafflecopter below:

Disclosure – The two Hello Kitty Fruit Snacks Prize Packs have been provided by Betty Crocker to provide you with this review. This post is not a paid post and the opinions stated herein are 100% my own.

 

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