Now, I know we are the NON-Apple house, but I’ve said it before…. we do have an iPod Touch that my kids use.  I got the device for free via a sweepstakes I entered, so it’s not like I purchased something with that ugly little rotten apple on it.  My children LOVE to play the “talking games”  There is Talking Tom, Talking Perry, Talking Roby…. the list goes on and on and on.  Since our iPod Touch doesn’t have an internal m.  icrophone, they use headphones with a mic to make those guys repeat them.

I was sitting on the couch next to my daughter as she was playing one of the talking games and I heard a naughty word coming out of the headphones.  I immediately sat up and went… what the heck is going on?  First as a disclaimer… my husband and I do not curse.  So never before have my children heard us say these words.  So I checked out what she was listening to.  Apparently you can record your own Talking Tom videos and upload them to YouTube.  Where the system breaks down though, is that you can view videos other people have uploaded.  Let’s just say not all of them are kid appropriate.

We haven’t let our daughter browse through YouTube for a long time now.  While there isn’t adult content on YouTube, there is definitely rated PG-13 and even R content on YouTube.  We since found a great alternative called KidZui.com.  She is able to browse through funny videos, and I don’t have to worry about the content, as it’s filtered.

So, back to my friend Talking Tom.  There is a filmstrip looking icon on the top that you can click that immediately takes you to videos others have uploaded.  This is a huge oversight on the part of Outfit7.  This game is definitely a favorite of kids.  It’s so easy to use, and they love to have the character make sounds.  Having such easy access to videos that can be extremely inappropriate is definitely a concern.  It should be a concern for you too, and it should be a concern of theirs.

Let’s round out this story with the aftermath of such access.  Of course, right after I heard that, I had a discussion with my daughter about bad words.  We’ve talked about it in the past with other words that she hears on TV that we do not say, including “Stupid” and “Shut up”.  We spoke about the fact that the F word is a bad word that we do not say.  This was a few weeks ago.  She knows it’s a bad word.  Then I spoke with her kindergarten teacher yesterday.  I knew she had gotten in trouble on Thursday, but I didn’t know what for.  She always “forgets” why she got in trouble in school, but she does tell us that she did get in trouble.  So when I saw her teacher yesterday, I wanted to ask her what happened yesterday.  Apparently she said the word.  THE word… TWICE!  She was sent to the office.  MY SIX YEAR OLD!  We had discussed that it was a bad word.  She knew better, and yet it happened.  She was definitely in trouble when she got home, and will not be having any fun this weekend.

I’m not one to blame video games on things like this.  There is a parental responsibility to check out what your kids are playing and watching to make sure it’s appropriate for their age.  It just caught me off guard that something so inappropriate would be so easily accessible from a child’s game on the iPod.  This week I’m going to dedicate to helping keep your kids safe, yet not sheltered from bad content that is just so easy to find now.  Get ready for some serious posts.  I’m extremely technically savvy.  My devices and my children’s access is extremely locked down and secure, and yet it can still happen.  ALWAYS be on the lookout.

Needless to say… I expect to be getting some phone calls similar to this…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epDS0h48qRk

Tired of being the one always taking the pictures?

When I compiled our family digital scrapbook last year, I seriously began to think it looked like I was creating a photo album for a single handsome man and his four adorable children.

Where the heck is mom in all these pictures?

Oh… that’s right. I was taking them all! Ahhh!

Well friends, worry no more. Now all your iPhone 4/4S and iPod photos can include the most important subject….you!

This is the Belkin LiveAction Camera Remote. It retails for $49.99, and paired with a free app in the app store, it will ensure you never miss out on a family photo op again.

This intuitive remote allows you to activate your iPhone or iPod Touch camera shutter from up to 30 feet away—wirelessly. Two button controls let you instantly switch between photo and video functions without ever touching your device.

How does it work? The remote and detachable stand separate for capturing those important pictures, and then slide back together to create the ultimate pocket-sized camera kit.

The iPod or iPhone 4/4S stand is both slim and small, but still remains sturdy enough to keep your phone upright and angled toward your subject.

To use your LiveAction remote, all you need to do is open the Belkin LiveAction free app available through iTunes here. The cool thing about the app is that  you can also easily email your photo and video files directly within the application. You can also upload your files directly to Facebook!

Thanks Belkin for letting me try out this family friendly remote! I can’t wait to actually start appearing on our family photo albums!

To purchase or learn more about the Belkin LiveAction remote, go here.

Formerly called Adobe Carousel, Revel is the new cloud-based application produced by Adobe. Revel is a really cool application that allows you to upload your photos from different devices, and then sync all your images to one connected library.

Revel comes complete with editing features worthy of the Adobe brand, with pre-set filters to create film effects, as well as some of the more powerful editing tools you’d find in full-fledged photo editing software.

The brilliance behind Revel, and what sets it apart from other storage programs, is it’s both family friendly and family focused. Let’s say you go on a road trip or family reunion. Everyone takes different pictures with different devices. Some images are on phones, some on cameras. Here’s where Adobe Revel comes in: Revel gives users what it calls carousels, which work as group image libraries. They allow you to send invites, so that friend or family member can then upload, edit, and download images with it. In other words, it lets friends and families share image libraries, even with people who do not have subscriptions to Revel.

The other benefit to Adobe Revel is that it helps you gather all your images into one place, and allows you to view them online on the go or at home. Revel works across different platforms and uses the same tools and interface for each. Currently it’s only on Apple products—Mac OS, iPad, iPhone—but the Revel website says Adobe is developing a version for Windows and Android, with a release date coming soon. Uploading images to Revel is simple and fast too.  The user just needs to tell it what image folder to upload.

One of my favorite features with Adobe Revel, is the photo editing capabilities. The photo editing tools in Revel are fabulous, and have a very Instagram feel to them in that they are very easy to use and have similar effects. I like how they go above and beyond by allowing users to also adjust exposure and cropping.

Overall, I thought Revel was a great tool to have for sharing and editing photos! The cost is $5.99 a month, which is comparable to many other photo storage programs yet most other don’t have such cool photo editing capabilities. If you are interested in trying it out, you can download a free 30 day trial here.

Thanks Adobe for letting me try out this amazing organizational program!  To learn more about Adobe Revel, go here.

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this review, however I was given a subscription for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I am always looking for quality printing, and was thrilled when MyPix2Canvas asked if I would be willing to review one of their fine-art giclee prints.

MyPix2Canvas knows that I am passionate about photography, but what they don’t know is that I am kinda a wrapped canvas expert.

Well, I pretend to be. But my husband really is.

My husband has worked in the fine-art printing business for over fifteen years. He knows everything there is to know about quality printing, giclee printing, and wrapping canvas.  So as you can imagine, when the print arrived, he gave it a very thorough inspection.

But first, here ‘s a look at the print I ordered:

Beautiful!

First of all, I take color very seriously. I use a calibrated monitor, so it is very important to me that any prints I ever order match what I see on my screen. To me the canvas looked perfect, and the saturation and color were pristine. Oftentimes photo prints can appear dull and flat. The MyPix2Canvas print is vibrant, and it is obvious that quality ink was used.

Here’s some of the things my husband noticed:

The corners of the canvas are very clean and well rounded, giving the canvas a very polished look. Also a good quality cotton, or at least a cotton blend, was used for the canvas.

A solid wood was used in the stretchers, and they are as wide as those typically used by fine-art printers.  Those are both wonderful qualities, as they can benefit the life and presentation of your canvas.

My husband also smelled and rubbed the canvas with his wet finger! Right away he knew that MyPix2Canvas had taken the time to add a coating to the print. This is very good news! You want your wrapped canvas protected from moisture and sunlight. You would be surprised how few printers now take this extra step.

Overall, I was incredibly impressed with MyPix2Canvas! Giclee prints and wrapped canvases are so popular right now, it’s nice to find a company who’s price and quality stand up against the competition!

If you want to learn more about  MyPix2Canvas, you can visit their website here. They are currently running a fabulous Mother’s Day special where you can purchase a 16×20 canvas print  for just $29! Just enter MDAY2012 at checkout. To learn more about giclee or canvas printing, go here.

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this post, however I did receive the print above for review purposes. All opinions and photographs of totally awesome trees in my neighborhood are my own.

I shared a few weeks ago on our Facebook page that I was thrilled to try out a brand new app by Happi Papi called Happi 123. Our six year old daughter has been struggling with math, and I was desperate to try anything to peak her interest. Happi 123 is an iPad app that sells for $1.99 and is catered to kids ages 4-7 (Although my three year old was easily able to play as well with my assistance.)

This app is fabulous for young kids, and stresses teaching mathmatics the natural way- by counting with our fingers! In fact, I don’t know if any other math apps that use the same method that we used when we were kids and first learning to add.

Happi 123 focuses on teaching kids counting, addition, subtraction, number series, and pattern recognition. There is even a level that is timed, which is a wonderful way of preparing kids to early childhood education where they typically do have to do mathematics equations in a specific amount of time.

My daughters favorite part of the app is the matching  section where she was not only challenged, but rewarded, for getting the answers correctly by completing a fun puzzle.

After playing Happi 123 for several hours, I was really excited to try out other applications by Happi Papi!

Happi Spells is another educational app for kids 4 and up. Happi Spells is intended for the iPad, iPhone, and iPad Touch. It also retails for $1.99 through the App Store, and  is a fabulous app that was recently featured by Apple.

As an adult I have always loved crossword puzzles and recognized the important cognitive roll they can play. Why not crossword puzzles for kids? Happi Spells is the crossword spelling game where kids can practice spelling in a fun and exciting way by dragging letter tiles on to 60 different mini crossword puzzles.

Throughout the game you compete for “snails” and try to improve your own high score. If you don’t like your score on one puzzle you can just go back and try to beat it. The fewer mistakes, the more “snails” you earn. I love how every solved puzzle will help your child open up a new one.

My  favorite thing about this app is actually all of the bright and vivid illustrations. I have learned that kids love a well designed app, and tend to enjoy it much longer when it is aesthetically pleasing. My six year old loved the crossword puzzles, but actually said the music was her favorite! A very soft, soothing, and relaxing music plays in the background – and it can easily be muted within the application.

The last app I wanted to share with you, is called Happi Reads. Intended for the iPad, Happi Reads is priced at just $1.99 through the App Store.

Happi Reads is a wonderful app for beginning readers ages 4 and up that helps develop early reading skills in an engaging and rewarding way. The app focuses on beginning sounds and sight words, focusing more on play so kids don’t feel that reading is a hard work.

How the app works is a word is shown on the screen along with three images.  He or she will try to sound out or read the word in order to match it to the correct picture. For every correct answer your child will earn a piece of fruit to eat (tap it on the screen).

I love how the words increase in difficulty with each level, and are not just displayed in a random order. Currently, there are 100 words in 4 different challenging levels throughout the game.

Again, Happi Papi has developed another game with wonderful illustrations and soothing music. I always appreciate an app that goes the extra mile to make an application not only lovable, but also appropriate for children.

To learn more about Happi Papi applications for kids, you can visit their website here. On a side note, Happi Papi has recently launched an App Evaluation Program for Schools. Teachers can sign up here to receive all of Happi Papi’s new apps for free. What a fabulous way to support our educators!

Disclaimer: I was not financially compensated for this review, however I was provided with the applications for review purposes. All expressed opinions above are my own.

My kids are amazing iPad navigators. It’s no surprise though, as Apple’s devices are very user friendly for families. As my kids use our iPad more and more, I am realizing it can be utilized for continually educating them. Sure we watch videos and play popular games, but working on things like music, reading, and math skills can be just as fun with the right application and iPad accessory.

These are iPad tools made by  The Joy Factory. They are by far the most superb iPad tools I have found for both kids and adults.

First, is the Monet stylus. Unlike typical styluses that look like a shortened pen, the Monet stylus is elongated and an ideal blend of length, weight, and contour. This is great for painting, writing, and photo-editing on your device.

The Monet stylus is carefully crafted to feel solid in your fingers, yet light enough to move gracefully as you work. It also employs a super-sensitive rubber nib that is large enough that you don’t need to worry about little ones scratching the surface of your iPad… a problem I had with a shorter stylus I recently bought on eBay.

The Monet Stylus retails for $29.95, and can be purchased through The Joy Factory here.

Next up is the Apreggio keyboard, also by The Joy Factory. It is a perfect companion for your iPad or Bluetooth-enabled Mac. (We love having a bluetooth enabled keyboard on our iMac as it reduces one of many unnecessary cords!)

The Arpeggio is incredibly easy to set up with your iPad, and my absolute favorite part is it is rechargeable! No buying bulky batteries with this baby. The lithium ion polymer rechargeable battery charges very fast, and it goes to sleep if you don’t use it for four minutes, so the battery lasts longer too.

The great thing about the Arpeggio keyboard, is it is lightweight and very thin. It easily fits small hands if your kids are working on typing skills, and it’s great for mom and dad too! I love that it’s so thin I can slide it right into our iPad sleeve as well.

The Arpeggio keyboard retails for $59.95, and can be purchased through Joy Factory here.

To learn more about The Joy Factory and view other amazing products, go here.

Disclaimer: I did not receive financial compensation for writing this post, however I did receive the products in these post for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

I was browsing through “Google Play” (formerly known as the Android Marketplace) on my tablet yesterday and imagine my surprise to see a familiar little icon called instagram!  I was only slightly disappointed, because I had signed up to be notified when it was going to hit Android, and it appears that it came out on the 3rd of April.  I’m late to the game.  Since April 20th it has already amassed over 5 MILLION downloads!    I immediately downloaded it, excited to finally join all my Apple toting friends on instagram.

All things considered it’s quite a simple little app.  I have a stream of pictures from all of the people I follow.  I just hit the “request all” when it brought up a list of all my Facebook friends that had already joined.  Now I just need to patiently wait for Windows Phone 7 to join the party and I’ll be set, since I enjoy the app on my tablet, actually taking pictures with my tablet is kinda a little unwieldy.

Windows Phone 7 isn’t completely missing the boat though.  There is an app called instacam that will allow you to view and like and comment on instagram items, but you can not upload directly to instagram from the app, which is sad.  I’ll just keep waiting patiently for an official app.

And don’t even get me started on the eyerolling that this post has me doing.  Seriously folks?  ugh, Apple snobs.

Pick up instagram for your android device in the Google Play Store now!

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Sony hands down has the best white balance of any compact camera out there.

Which is why it was a pleasure to try out the new camera in the Bloggie family: the Bloggie Sport HD.

The Bloggie Sport is similar the Bloggie Live, but this baby comes with an extra punch. It’s shock proof, dirt resistant, and waterproof up to sixteen feet underwater.

The Bloggie Live can also capture full 1080p HD videos and takes crisp 5MP photos, which all display on a brilliant 2.7″ touch screen.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed that the Bloggie Sport didn’t boast the same 12.8MP photos like the Bloggie Live. Though there is a noticeable quality difference, I was still impressed with the images I was able to take.

Another cool feature, and Sony trademark, is the flip-out USB arm for uploading and charging the camera. This well designed feature helps keep the internal parts of the camera nice and dry when closed.

Some of my favorite features with this camera is the ability to shoot and videotape up close.  I also love that the large screen is a touch screen that even works while under water.

The bloggie sport is not just dirt and water proof, it’s a kid proof camera with a shock resistance rating for up to a 5 foot drop. I would definitely call this a family friendly camera!

Here’s a few shots of the Bloggie on a recent trip to Mexico. It did supremely well, and I couldn’t help but love the fact that I was one of the only people able to take pictures of an ocean blowhole that was spraying water everywhere!

The Sony Bloggie Sport retails for $179, and can be purchased through Sony HERE. Thanks Sony for letting me borrow this camera and try it out!

*Update: Giveaway is closed. Thanks you for participating!*

Mothers Day is not far away, and in honor of all you awesome tech savy moms, we are doing a fun giveaway! One  lucky reader will win three awesome tech tools from iLuv:

      Belgique Foam Padded Sleeve for Kindle Fire / Kindle Touch in pink- The Belgique includes Memory Foam for extra padded protection and a soft thin plush interior to prevent scratches. MSRP $29.99

To enter just leave a comment below sharing with us your favorite thing about being a mom, or about your mom!

One comment per person please. Giveaway ends this Friday, April 27th at Midnight MST. Winner will be announced on our Facebook page.

To learn more about iLuv, or view more about their awesome products above, go HERE. You can also take advantage of their promotion now through Mother’s Day to get 25% off all products. The promo code is iLuvMom2012 and is live and ready to use at the iLuv store at www.i-Luv.com.

Thanks iLuv for sponsoring this awesome giveaway!

Since I re-entered the “full time work out side of the home” life again a couple of months ago, I have decided that I need to do some more working mom posts!  Moms everywhere have extremely tight schedules, that typically don’t allow for full workouts.  I’m fortunate enough that there is a gym with 6:30 AM classes right up the street from my office.  During the day, however I get feeling a little restless.  I’m so used to chasing kids AND working that just sitting at a desk working for 8-9 hours makes me feel like getting up and running around the building!

So I’ve come up with some exercises that I have completely made up, that have no foundation or basis in any sort of health or fitness training.  Just what I like to do at my desk, so I thought I’d share.  This is NOT medical advice, and should not be taken as expert opinion.

Desk Pushups – To accomplish the desk push-up I push my chair away from my desk and place my feet about 2-3 feet away from my desk.  I place both hands on the edge of my desk and lower myself down to the desk and lift myself back up keeping my legs and back straight.  Then I switch the direction my fingers are facing and continue with more push-ups.

Chair Crunches – Move your rear to the edge of your chair, to make sure it’s more steady you may want to turn the chair around so it’s resting against the desk.  With your rear end near the edge of the chair lean back as far as you can.  Lift your feet off the ground and then bring your knees towards your chest.  Push your feet out away from your body and then bring the knees back in.  The further you can lean back and the straighter you can make your legs the more of a workout you will get.

Desk Run – Take the same stance as the “desk push-ups”.  Lift your knee towards your chest and then quickly switch legs over and over.

Chair Squats – Sit at the edge of your chair, and stand up, then start to sit back down, but as soon as you tap the chair, stand back up.

Swivel Chair – If your desk chair swings around sit in your chair facing your desk.  Steady yourself by putting your hands on your desk.  Lift your feet off the ground, and using your abs spin your legs around to the left, until they are parallel to your desk (or as far as you can).  Swing your legs back to the front.  Repeat on the right side.

Eye Exercise – If you stare at a computer screen all day like I do, take about 1 minute every hour and focus your eyes on something very far away.

I’ve included a video with some of the exercises I’ve explained, but some you’ll just have to imagine.