Fancy Fortune Cookies

Celebrating 20 years of fortune cookie innovation, Fancy Fortune Cookies makes the perfect gift for anyone on your list. Their cookies are baked fresh in an on site bakery. The cookies ordered are baked the same day they are shipped out, how many companies can say that?

If you have friends and family that come and go through out the holiday's this is a good thing to have around. You can keep these stored in a cool place to have on hand for any unexpected guests. They can also be used as a fun, inexpensive gift for the kids. These specially decorated fortune cookies are great for any occasion. They weigh over one pound, are dipped in a milk chocolate, and are elegantly packaged complete with a personalized fortune inside. Our family received a fortune cookie to try and I have to say, honestly this was the best fortune cookie I have tried. They were very fresh, lasted days, and something the whole family could share. The kids loved breaking it apart and pulling out the fortunes for me to read. This could even make a great center piece on a buffet table! It's decorative and yummy!

The giant fortune cookies start at $29.95 with 100% satisfaction

Visit Fancy Fortune Cookies at www.fancyfortunecookies.com

Disclosure: The featured product in this review was provided to me, at no cost for the sole purpose of product reviewing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I or my family have personally used, and all opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Chic Canvas & Erin Condren

What do your pictures bring out in you? I love looking through old photos and keep them up around the house. For me, when I am having a stressful day, or things just don't seem to be going the way I plan - all I have to do is take one look at the pictures I have hanging on the walls and it gives me a warm feeling of family, security, and love. It's amazing how a picture can wipe away all your worries and makes all the little things we stress about seem so trivial.

Chic Canvas is a professional printing service that provides personalized photos on canvas. As a mother I love getting personalized items for the holiday's. It has so much more meaning and can be treasured for years. Our family was sent a canvas to check out - below you can see our canvas, although I have to say the camera does not do justice. I did make the mistake of choosing a picture with a dark side, the side with the boys is in the shade and I had to place the canvas in the light to always get a good view of it. It makes a wonderful addition to any room. The canvas is also "gallery wrapped" meaning that the canvas wraps around the side and then is secured to the back of a frame.

Pros -

• This would make a wonderful gift for anyone
• Great quality, durable and sturdy
• Friendly customer service, always available to help you if you need it
• If you are not happy with the product you can return for a replacement, no questions asked
• Quick turn around; close to 3-5 days
• Many different sizes and options to choose from

Cons -

• Can be a little pricey for some starting at $63.20 for an 8x10 (quality & customer service makes up for that)

You can visit Chic Canvas at www.chiccanvas.com/home

erin condren . com

Erin Condren designs offers personalized printed items for every occasion including invitations, thank you cards, table name cards, as well as life planners. Personalized life planners make a great gift for that busy and stylish person on your list. While I love the stylish aspect of it, what I found got in the way a bit was that the dates (numbers) actually overlapped the days so it was not like I could get a quick look at it and know what date it was or day. Everything else was great, I loved the little stickers that came inside the planner, it helped to make that date stick out more and not get forgotten.

Getting ready for the holidays you want to be "younique" - and Erin Condren has just that! Their holiday designs combined with their state-of-the-art technology ensure that your holiday cards are extra special! Each card will also come with a colored envelope and will be sealed with a style matching return address label. They have so many options available, it fun to see all the different styles and so hard to choose one!
You can visit Erin Condren at http://www.erincondren.com/store/#

SwitchFlops

Do you love a good pair of sandals? I am not one that is big on tennis shoes, just have not been able to find the pair that really hits me. One thing I love about the summer is the wide variety of sandals that are out there. You can find a different pair to go with every outfit. My husband laughs at me for my love of sandals. SwitchFlops are really two pairs in one. The straps are Velcro and can be flipped over for an entirely new look. Lindsay Phillips is the inspiration behind SwithFlops. Simply choose a shoe, then a strap. They also carry ballet flats, travel bags, and kids shoes.

Pros -

• This is a great gift for the female in your family - she will love it as much as I do!
• There are many straps to choose from as well as a wide variety of sandals
• Prices are good, and if the price seems high to you - they make it up in quality!
• As you shop you can see what the strap will look like on the shoe
• Easy to navigate website

Cons -

• Price might be a bit high for some, but I can say the quality makes up for it and you get two looks for the price of one.

You can visit SwitchFlops at www.switchflops.com and at Twitter

Disclosure: The featured product in this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the PR agency representing this product for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I or my family have personally used, and all opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Boon Inc.

Boon Inc.

innovations for modern parents

Boon Inc. offers a wide range of modernized products to help parents cope with the daily tasks that come with raising children. Our youngest daughter is five, so I was not sure if I was going to find a product to meet our needs. She just turned five, and I think up until then I still considered her a toddler. As I was browsing Boon's website, I came across these Groovy Plates. I thought how neat is that; and something that can fill a need for our kids. This is definitely something we could use, even for our six year old son. I loved how it had separate little bowls for the side dishes or dipping sauces. I could wait to get the bowl, my kids did not like it when all their food piled together, or the melted butter touched the meat....so figured this would be great! Just looking at the picture I loved how it has a little bowl that I could use for soup or a salad. Well....the Groovy Plate arrived and I could not believe how small it was.
Look at how small that is!! Even for dipping sauces that would just not do. My daughter who just turned five is a ketchup lover and this would be gone with one french fry! It does say this is for toddlers, but I would say more for newly eating babies.

Pros -

• Durable
• Bowls are removable and can be placed anywhere along the plate
• Scratch resistant and dishwasher safe
• Slip resistant base

Cons -

• Way too small for a child other than a baby who is just beginning to eat

To purchase this plate, find out more information or see their other innovative products visit www.booninc.com The Groovy Plate retails for $12.99 and is available in a variety of colors.

The featured product in this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or PR agency representing this product for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I or my family have personally used, and all opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

Hasbro Nerf Football

Ready for some football? Growing up I remember every Sunday, we could not bother our Dad - he sat in his rocker all day watching Football or Baseball. I have two boys now myself, and sports is a big part of their life, and I have to say I love it!! Watching them be involved in something other than video games, and that helps them to keep active is always a plus in this Mama's book.

The Vortex Mega Howler Football gives you that mega experience with an added howling sound as it flies through the air. The boys love this! They spent an entire afternoon outside tossing the football around, and even got a few neighbors peering out to see what was going on. It almost became a competition to see who could throw it the farthest and who could make the louder howling sound. As a family we found no flaws in this product. It's a great, affordable Holiday gift that any boy would love. It retails for around $7.99, it very durable and gets the kids out of the house for a bit.

The featured product in this review was provided to me, at no cost, by the manufacturer or PR agency representing this product for the sole purpose of product testing. I do not accept monetary compensation for reviewing or writing about products. I only review products that I or my family have personally used, and all opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.

I-Carly Remote

I-CARLY

I-Carly has become one of the hottest TV shows kids are watching these days. I know as a parent, I think I have seen almost every I-Carly episode at least three times! LOL!! Every night before the kids go to bed, we all gather around the TV and watch our nightly episode of I-Carly. The kids just love it! Playmates recently introduced us to the I-Carly Sam's Remote.

The Remote allows the kids to be just like Sam (my kids loved it as you can see them playing out their own I-Carly show) It has fun sound effects like applause, laughter and booing.

Make sure you turn up the sound as it was a bit low when recording. The kids made me record them over and over doing different variations of the I-Carly show. I highly recommend this product! The remote was much larger as I thought it would be, and the sound was loud and clear. A must have gift for any I-Carly fan! (Average price runs around $21.99)

Disclosure: Thank you Playmates for providing a product sample for our family to review. No other compensation was received for writing this post.

SodaStream

Thinking about all the money the average family spends on soda you could probably make a couple car payments with that, and then some. When I heard of SodaStream, a machine that allowed you to create your own soda creations at home, I was skeptical that it would taste like real soda. I have tried those store brand drinks and they do not even come close to what real soda tastes like. The SodaStream system includes products to make fresh, fizzy, sparkling water and soda at home.
With the SodaStream machine there is no electricity used, and no batteries needed. It is actually a very easy process, and really does take less than 30 seconds to make. Simply use cold water and fill up the bottle that comes with the starter kit. Screw the bottle onto the machine. Press the button on top until you hear about three buzzes or carbonate to your liking. Put the lid on quick, turn it upside down a couple times and that's all there is to it! Very easy! It took us a couple times to get the right carbonation mix, but now that we know how much to add, there is always a full bottle in our fridge. I think it comes very close to the "real" soda taste. My husband on the other hand is real picky and won't drink it unless there is absolutely nothing else to drink.

Pros -

• Quick & Easy to make
• Saves money in the long run
• Many different flavors / varieties
• Regular soda mix contains no high fructose corn syrup and diet soda mix contains no aspartame
• All-natural MyWater flavor essences are unsweetened and calorie-free
• Each 500ml soda mix bottle makes the equivalent of 12 liters (about 33 cans!) of soda
• Eco-Friendly - Reusable bottles reduces packaging
• Comes real close to the taste of "real" soda

Cons -

• Start up cost is a bit high (but so is a case of soda at the store)
  
• Tastes does take a bit getting use to, but that goes with most anything

For more information on SodaStream visit www.sodastreamusa.com The start up kit starts at $99.00. They have a wide range of over 25 regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free flavors.

Disclosure: Thank you SodaStream for providing a product for a review. No other compensation was received.