iPhone 5

So I did it. I broke down and bought an iPhone 5. My husband and I both went to Verizon to upgrade our phones. He wasn't too pleased that I opted to pay extra for the 5 while he got the 4s. His reply was "you always have to have the best out there, don't you?". The answer to that is YES!! I had a Droid with 4G, how could I possibly go back to a 3G phone? Although I love my iPhone for many reasons, I've compiled a list of my top 3 reasons. First reason is the ease of Facetime! A lot of my friends and family have iPhones, and I love how it's just as easy to Facetime them as it is to call them. For those of you who do not know what Facetime is, it's an application that is already loaded on your iPhone that allows you to video talk to another person. This especially came in handy when my husband stayed home to care for one of our sick children while I was at our other child's Christmas program. He was able to watch her from home. It's also nice on those long work days and you just want to see your child's smiling face while you ask her how her day was at school. Second reason is that I love the visual voicemail! Although this feature was available on my other phone, I had to pay for that service. With iPhone, it is built in. This allows you to see your voicemails on a screen, and you can choose which ones you want to listen to. You don't have to worry about dialing into your voicemail and entering a password in order to retrieve your messages. Better yet, you don't have to go through 20 saved messages in order to get to the one you wanted to hear. Finally, reason number 3......SIRI!! She is a wonderful personal assistant. Siri is voice recognition software with a wide range of capabilities. I say "Call my husband", and she does. I tell her "Remind me to pick up bread on the way home", and she does! Due to my lack of navigation skills, I often tell Siri "get me home", and she finds the fastest route to my house. I've played around with Siri just to see how she would respond to certain statements and she never ceases to amaze me. I said "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and she replied "the sound of that is something quite atrocious". Perhaps I'm easily amused, but I'm happy with it!

V/H/S Movie Review

V/H/S  -- In theaters October 5, 2012

This past weekend my husband and I invited my brother and his wife over to watch movies.  We decided to go through the ‘On Demand’ selection and watch the trailers in order to pick a movie we could all agree on.  After watching the trailer for V/H/S, we all were eager to watch it even though it was twice the cost of the others.   

Movie Info:
Rated R
115 minutes
Director:David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid, Radio Silence, Joe Swanberg, Ti West, Adam Wingard

The Synopsis:
“When a group of petty criminals is hired by a mysterious party to retrieve a rare piece of found footage from a rundown house in the middle of nowhere, they soon realize that the job isn't going to be as easy as they thought. In the living room, a lifeless body holds court before a hub of old television sets, surrounded by stacks upon stacks of VHS tapes. As they search for the right one, they are treated to a seemingly endless number of horrifying videos, each stranger than the last.”

My Review:

The whole movie was viewed as though it was recorded on a variety of VHS tapes.  So those of us that remember what happens to the tape when you record and then pause and then record again, especially over another recording, would appreciate the effects used in this movie.  Just as the synopsis states, the men watch videos of horrific stories, which kept getting stranger.  The videos were shot by different people in different situations.  The first video was unanimously our favorite.  It was about a group of young men who try to lure women back to their hotel in hopes of recording their sexual encounters with a pair of recording spy glasses.  Well, mission accomplished; however, it came with a huge, disturbing price!  Each video kept your interest and the movie did not seem to be 2 hours long at all, in fact, I wanted more.  There were bits and parts that were corny and left you thinking, “Okay…that was stupid”, especially in the third video; however, the fourth video’s unexpected twist blew me away!  You wanted to rewind because it all would make more sense if you knew what you knew in the end in the beginning!! (Did I lose you?).  The special effects in the last of the videos were amazing!  A group of guys thought they were attending a Halloween party at a (for lack of a better term) “man-made” haunted house.  What they find is complete horror!

My Rating:

Due to the originality and creativity, I give this movie a…

4.5 out of 5 stars

 **Disclaimer** I did not receive this item free of charge nor was I endorsed in any way,  this opinion is my honest review of this product!

 

Farm Rich Review & Giveaway!

As a mother of four, I am always looking for easy-to-prepare, healthy snacks that my children will love to eat.  Farm Rich offers so many choices for healthy snacks, lunches, and side dishes. They have Mozzarella Sticks, MozzarellaBites, Mini Pizza Slices, Stuffed Pretzel Bites, Queso Cheese Bites, BreadedMushrooms, a variety of Meatballs, Mini Quesadillas, Philly Cheese Steaks, Jalapeño Peppers, and a variety of French Toast Sticks.  I had the pleasure of reviewing two snacks from Farm Rich.

The Breaded Mozzarella sticks are made with 100% real mozzarella cheese and are a good source of calcium and protein.  They are packed with delicious cheese and are irresistible!  I prepared Mozzarella sticks and marinara sauce for a snack for the kids and ended up having to make more because my husband couldn’t stop eating them….they are that good!!!

I also tried the Mini Pizza Slices, and I was pleasantly surprised!  Everything about this snack was delicious! The authentic pizzeria-style crust surrounds 100% mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and marinara sauce to make a perfectly sized, mess-free pizza snack for my kids.  Everyone absolutely loved these! 

I recommend trying Farm Rich snacks; you won’t be disappointed!! Be sure to visit Farm Rich and sign up for the Keep ‘Em Happy Club for coupons, product information, and promotions!

Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win 2 coupons good for free Farm Rich snacks and appetizers ($6.99 value each)

*Disclaimer - I received the item mentioned above, free of charge, for review purposes. In no way did this alter my opinion of their products. All of my opinions expressed in this post are 100% honest and true.*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Kinect Rush: A Disney Pixar Adventure Review

Disney Pixar Adventure game for the Xbox Kinect is absolutely amazing!!  I don’t think people can grasp “your body is the controller” until they actually try the game themselves!  If you want your character to run, then you run in place.  If you want your character to jump, then you jump…and so on.   I am completely blown away by this game and how much fun it is!  I had guests at my Rush party ranging from 5 years old to 40 years old and everyone loved it!! 

There are different worlds you can enter and each one is a blast!!  You can enter the worlds of Cars, Toy Story, Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and UP.   My oldest daughters and their friends loved driving in Cars.  My second youngest loved being Remy in Ratatouille.  She used her arms to climb, throw things, and zoom down a zip line.  My brother and husband favored the Incredibles because they became superheroes.  They would have to use their bodies to ski down hills and jump in time to make it onto the tops of buildings where they would then fight villains by throwing large objects at them.  My youngest couldn’t pick a favorite, she said “they are all the best”.

I ABSOULTELY LOVE this game.  Children have to use their entire bodies to play instead of just fingers and thumbs.  It is one of the better Kinect games that actually requires you to move, and doesn’t allow you to succeed with minimal movement.  I actually think my kids get more exercise with this game than they do playing outside. 

*Disclaimer - I received the item mentioned above, free of charge, for review purposes. In no way did this alter my opinion of their products. All of my opinions expressed in this post are one hundred percent honest and true.*

Raffle to Benefit March For Babies!!!

This raffle is to raise money for March of Dimes “March for Babies”.  Your donation will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.  I have walked for the March for Babies for many years, this year I am walking for my nephew, who is in NICU as I write this.  He was born 6 weeks early and currently needs a feeding tube, is on bili lights, and is having a hard time maintaining his body temperature as well. 

Rules & Odds

You earn entries by donating to the March for Babies through my page located at http://marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=1867960&ct=4&w=5367014&u=christy924

Every dollar equals one entry (So a $1.00 donation will get you 1 entry & a $5.00 donation will get you 5 entries). I will check my dashboard on March for Babies & manually add the additional entries to RaffleCopter every night to equal your donation.  For every $20 earned, I will add another prize.  All the prizes can be seen below under “Waiting List” or “Current Prizes”.

Want to know your odds of winning?  I am starting at $0.00.  My March for Babies badge tracking my progress is on the right side of my website.  I am only running this raffle for ten days.  Each $20 allows me to move a prize from the “Waiting list” to the “Current Prizes” list.  Prizes are not limited to one per person, so one person CAN win them all.  Contest is open to continental US and 18+ only!!

You can feel secure in donating to the March of Dimes via Credit Card or PayPal; they use secure socket layer (SSL) technology to protect the security of your information as it is transmitted.  You can also write your donations off on your taxes!!! 

It’s a win/win situation.  You get to donate to a wonderful charity AND have a chance to win a great prize!  EVERY DOLLAR HELPS!!!  Good luck and Thank you for your donations!!

http://marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=1867960&ct=4&w=5367014&u=christy924

Current Prizes:

Victoria’s Secret Prize Pack: VS La Senza Anti Bacterial hand soap
(2) VS Strawberries & Champagne body wash 8.4 oz
VS Amber Romance Hand & body cream 6.7 oz
VS Amber Romance body lotion 4.2 oz
VS Amber Romance 4 oz Shower gel (ARV $46.50) 

Men’s Prize Pack: Stetson gift set with 1.5 oz cologne & .75 oz after shave
Right Guard Professional Strength Anti-perspirant
Men’s Grooming & travel set
Old Spice 1.7 oz Odor blocker body wash
Old spice 1.7 oz After Hours body wash
AVON Today, tomorrow & Always 5 oz. shower gel (ARV $39.57)

Bath & Body Works Prize Pack: B&BW Country Chic 3 oz. fragrance Mist
B&BW Moonlight Path 3 oz Shower gel
B&BW Enchanted Orchid 10 oz. Bubble bath
B&BW Sea Island Cotton 1.7 oz waterless hand foam
B&BW Sun-ripened Raspberry hand gel
Hot pink bath sponge
Home Interiors Hot Apple Cider pillar candle (ARV $44.74)

 

A must-have product for all moms!!!

Children make messes!!

But to this inspiring artist.....

the world is her canvas!!!!

And...unfortunately, that includes my walls, floors, and furniture.



I am grateful I found Mr. Clean's MAGIC ERASER!!  My little artist somehow got ahold of a permanent marker from one of my older girls and drew on the floor and table (as seen above).  The magic eraser got every bit of it off!!  I use it to clean crayon, pencil, paint, and markers from almost every surface.  I also use it to clean shoes, toys, shower doors, and...well....practically everything.  I LOVE THIS PRODUCT!!!!

**Please Note** Mr. Clean did not in any way endorse me, this opinion is my honest review of this product!

Saving Babies

You help save babies lives by walking in the 'March for Babies' or sponsor me here

Saving Babiesby Christy Holbrook

 One in every eight babies born in the United States, which is around 543,000 a year, is born prematurely (March of Dimes). Prematurity is when a baby is born before 37 weeks gestation and can cause severe illness and complications that could affect the baby’s health in the future and their survival. A baby born before 25 weeks gestation or with severe defects has a 100% chance of mortality if there isn’t aggressive medical involvement (March of Dimes). If the baby survives, it is almost certain the baby will suffer from some sort of disability. Prematurity can cause distress to a baby’s brain and central nervous system that may lead to permanent damage. Many studies have revealed certain factors to be a possible cause of prematurity; however, in about 40% of premature births, the cause is uncertain (March of Dimes). Because the cause of premature birth is unknown, prematurity is a constant battle, and the consequences can have detrimental effects on the baby, causing them to fight for survival and then possibly live a life with medical complications.

As a volunteer with the March for Babies to help raise funds to help fight against prematurity, I felt that it is necessary to fully understand what prematurity is and what effects it can have on babies. I also have become more passionate about raising money for the March for Babies since I have been working closely with babies in the hospital. I am a newborn photographer, and I often take photos of premature babies, and I see the struggle they endure. I also witness the sadness the parents feel as they watch their child fight for his life. After completion of my research, I feel that I have a full understanding of the complications prematurity causes, not only for the baby, but for the parents. One must fully understand the problem of prematurity before the problem can be solved and the lives of babies can be saved.

Creative Gift Giving!

What do you get the person who has everything?
 A gift they never knew they wanted!!!
I love shopping for those unique gifts that most people have never seen.  How could one add something to their wish list if they never knew it existed?  There are tons of websites that offer great, crazy items.  Could you imagine the look on that special someone’s face when you hand the world’s largest gummy bear??

Or how about a melted clock? (I especially love this one!)

The Queen of Dollhouses!!!

First, I must apologize for my temporary leave of absence.  I left for vacation in November to Florida for a couple of weeks and visited Disney.  Then I was busy with Thanksgiving and Black Friday shopping.  Then I spent December playing catch up with finances to pay for our vacation and buy Christmas gifts.  Now I am back and ready to BLOG AWAY!!!

Anyhow, I have to tell you about my quest for a dollhouse.  I needed a dollhouse for all the Disney princess dolls that I bought in Florida.  I was out on Black Friday looking for a great deal and a great house.  I found Barbie’s Dream house and a Princess doll house at Walmart for around $149 - $179.  Although the girls would love either one of those, I knew they would only last a month (if that) because they were constructed with cheap plastic.  I then came across this dollhouse that was wooden and furnished with wooden furniture.  It stood four and half feet tall and four feet wide.  It had 8 rooms, an elevator, and the garage had working swinging doors.  I thought to myself “Do I really want to spend $200 on a dollhouse?”.  After the hour and a half of assembling the dollhouse (by daddy), I was then thinking to myself “I AM THE AWESOMEST MOM IN THE WORLD!!!” 

This dollhouse is AMAZING!!!  I know I played with Barbie dolls until I was 8 years old or so, and the fact that I am going to get the 3-4 more years of play from this house makes the expense worth it.  The best part is the strong construction that will allow me to resell it once the girls are tired of it.  The funny thing is….I could’ve stopped at the dollhouse….they didn’t even care about the other gifts.