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VeggieTales: It's a Meaningful Life Review

October 28, 2010 By Virginia

As I have mentioned before, we are all a little crazy about veggies around here. VeggieTales, that is. Especially now that the kids have seen VeggieTales Live. Mister easily recognizes Bob, Larry, and Junior.

VeggieTales continues their animated awesomeness with their latest Tale, It’s a Meaningful Life, out just in time for Christmas.

About It’s a Meaningful Life (courtesy of Big Idea)…

It was the biggest football game of his life and Stewart (Larry the Cucumber) had a chance to win it all. Injured in one bad play, his hopes of playing in the Salad Bowl – and living a life of fame and fortune – are dashed forever. Years later, silly-but-sweet Stewart loves his family, friends and job at the toy train factory, but still wonders “what if” things had been different. When he meets a mysterious train conductor who can turn back time, Stewart gets a chance to have the life he always wanted. Will he finally find all he’s been looking for? And what does this mean for those he loves most? Find out in this story of wonder that’s a lesson in being content.

This fun and inspiring story of wonder shares valuable lessons in understanding one’s worth and importance, and in being content with what one already has rather than seeking out what others possess.

VeggieTales: It’s a Meaningful Life includes an original new song from multi-GRAMMY and Dove Award-winning artist Steven Curtis Chapman entitled “Meant To Be,” a brand new Silly Song called “Goodnight Junior,” and other family friendly bonus features.

Check out this trailer…

Am I the only one that thinks it is HILARIOUS that Stewart (i.e. Larry) loves the Coffee Shop?

I understand that It’s a Meaningful Life is a spin off of the old classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life. As one who has never (*insert gasp here) seen the old black and white film, I can’t really say how closely it ties to that film. I can say that I was reminded of The Polar Express, the 2004 animated film for children, with the train that Stewart rode.

This fun, and whimsical, tale is an awesome lesson in being content. I want my children to strive for excellence, I don’t want them to be plagued by the “what if’s” as they grow up.

Mister and Sister both enjoy watching this film. And I enjoyed it so much, that I asked my husband if we could play it at our next family movie night in the backyard. I loved seeing it on our television, but seeing it on the huge screen that Hubs built for our backyard theater is going to be SO much fun!

Since we are currently experiencing bedtime battles, the new silly song, “Goodnight Junior” hit close to home and made me chuckle out loud.

All in all, this is a wonderful video, would be a great addition to any child’s video library, and would make a great stocking stuffer or Christmas gift.

It’s a Meaningful Life is available on the Big Ideas website and on Amazon.com.

Follow VeggieTales on Facebook to keep up with all their latest developments.

Filed Under: Reviews, Shopping Guides Tagged With: Gift Guide, Movie Corner, Review, Shopping

Deal- Portable Satellite Radio

October 16, 2010 By Virginia

I’m not sure how long this deal will last, but it is just in time for Christmas shopping…

XM XPMP3H1 Portable Satellite Radio and MP3 Player (XMp3i)

List Price:
$199.99

Price:
$119.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping.

You Save:
$80.00 (40%)

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Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: Shopping

Fellowes P-12C Shredder Review

October 15, 2010 By Virginia

I print a lot at home. Between what I print and don’t need, and the junk mail that I get, I generally have a lot of paper lying around. I had a shredder that I liked to use before I had children, but it isn’t exactly kid safe, so it generally stays unplugged until I have A) Free time without the kids. and B) A lot of stuff to shred. I refuse to throw paper in the recycle bin that has account numbers or what not on it, as I think it’s just asking for trouble. So, my stack has been growing.

I recently received an opportunity to review the new Fellowes P-12C shredder. I was intrigued by the Safe Sense Technology that it claimed, and given the amount of paper that was sitting on my desk, I thought it would be a great idea.

About the Fellowes P-12C Cross-Cut Shredder with SafeSense

Fellowes’ new P-12C shredder is a great gift for the holidays, and helps prevent one of the country’s fastest growing crimes, identity theft, which last year alone impacted 11.1 million Americans, according to Javelin Strategy and Research’s 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report. That’s an increase of 12 percent from the previous year!

Ideal for heavy-duty use, the new Fellowes’ P-12C is an innovative and durable machine, and features Fellowes’ industry-leading technologies.

The P-12C offers Fellowes’ patented SafeSense technology, an electronic sensor that surrounds the machine’s paper opening and shuts it down when hands come close.

It also features Cross-Cut technology, and a slim profile design, which allows it to fit easily under a home office or dorm room desk.

The machine has an easy-to-use pull-out bin and has the ability to shred staples, credit cards and paper clips.

Fellowes’ P-12C has a suggested retail price of $84.99 and is available at Target stores nationwide.

When the shredder arrived, I unpacked it and spent a few minutes reading the manual. I was surprised to learn that it will shred credit cards. I have always cut my old cards into tiny pieces and then melted them. Overkill? Maybe. Identity safe. So far. But, with this shredder, I won’t have to do that. Nice.

The Fellowes P-12C will shred paper, small paper clips, credit cards, and staples.

The Fellowes P-12C will NOT shred continuous forms, CD’s, DVD’s adhesive labels, transparencies, newspaper, cardboard, large paper clips, laminates, x-rays, or plastic other than noted.

I also liked the fact that you have to manually switch the shredder on in the back of the machine, AND use the control switch that is on top of the panel. Which means, if I have the disconnect switch turned to off, my kiddos can’t just walk up and turn it on. Oh, and, the ability to lock the control panel into the mode you want. Nice. I can lock it in the Off, Auto-On, or Reverse position, and unless I unlock it, it stays there.

After testing the shredder out myself, and confirming that it does indeed automatically stop if you touch the silver plate that surrounds the shredder entry, I thought I would let Mister try to shred some paper. Of course, Hubs was right on hand to help if needed (**please note- For maximum safety Fellowes Safety Instructions recommend to keep the Fellowes P-12C away from children and pets and to keep hands away from paper entry**).

Did you see how it just stops when his fingers got too close?

Thank you, Fellowes, for producing a shredder that won’t eat my son’s fingers!

I also like the paper basket on this machine. My old machine has a wire mesh basket on it, and even with putting a bag in it, it is M.E.S.S.Y. The basket is easy to remove, contains the mess, and replaces easily, as well.

I would certainly recommend the Fellowes P-12C Cross-Cut Shredder with SafeSense to anyone that is concerned about Identity Theft and has small children in the home. It is easy to use, safe for little fingers, and it would make a great Christmas Gift for young professionals or college students.

How do you dispose of sensitive paperwork? And since this is my first video review, I would love any feedback you might offer on the video itself.

Disclosure- Fellowes provided me with a complimentary shredder to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own and reflect my own experience. Your experience may differ.

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Filed Under: For the Home, Reviews, Shopping Guides Tagged With: Review, Shopping

BabyLegs Review and Giveaway

August 24, 2010 By Virginia

***Please Note–This Giveaway Has ENDED. ***

Please see Winners page for winning entrant information.

Do you remember wearing leg warmers? I do. I grew up in the 80’s, so I had a few pairs. In fact, if I look real hard, I may be able to come up with a photo or two of me sporting leg warmers with jeans, with shorts, and (*gasp) even with skirts. By the mid-80’s, the leg warmer fad had virtually faded away, and I hadn’t thought much about them until Sister came along.

I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to use some leg warmers with her. We have to keep our thermostat low, since Mister can’t sweat. And Sister often gets cold. Ahhh, to be able to wear cute clothes AND keep warm…

Baby Legs recently offered to allow me to review their products. I was excited to receive two pairs of BabyLegs leg warmers and a pair of socks. Sister was excited to wear them. She kept pointing to the orange fish on the one pair saying, “Pish.” Too cute.

<–Kaleidoscope Leg Warmers–>

<–Go Fish Leg Warmers–>

<—Baby Socks

About BabyLegs®

The BabyLegs® brand has grown from one mom’s diaper bag accessory – our signature leg warmer – to a popular children’s brand with essential child and baby products.

In April of 2005, a young mom was confronted with a diaper rash that just wouldn’t quit. The rash needed some fresh air to heal, but she was also concerned about keeping her daughter warm. In a moment of inspiration, she snipped the feet off of a pair of socks and fitted her daughter from hip to ankle with a cool set of leg warmers. These leg warmers not only kept her daughter warm, but also protected her from the elements, made diaper changing and potty training easier, and protected her soft knees while crawling. With some fun designs and some grassroots marketing support, the functional and fashionable leg warmers that began as a solution to keep little legs warm quickly became much more.

BabyLegs® leg warmers quickly became a parenting essential across the world because of their utility, practicality, and stylish appeal. Our continued desire to provide products that provide style and protection for little legs and feet eventually led us to expand into children’s hosiery with the introduction of baby socks and girls tights. In 2009, BabyLegs® was acquired by the United Legwear Company, a global manufacturer of hosiery and underwear. To learn more about United Legwear, please visit http://www.unitedlegwear.com/about-us.

I had no idea when we received the BabyLegs Legwarmers how much I would come to love them. And here is why…

BabyLegs are ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for potty training! No zippers, buttons, or snaps to worry about fiddling with when she has to go potty. The diaper (and in some cases, the pull up) is the only thing we have to worry about getting out of the way in time.

BabyLegs offers several practical and resourceful ways to keep children warm, protected and stylish.

Benefits of BabyLegs:

Makes diaper changing and potty training easier
Keeps legs warm in strollers and carriers
Protects knees from hard surfaces and rug burn
Provides lightweight sun protection in the summer months
Keep in diaper bag for a quick change when messes arise
Fashionable alternative to tights

Apparently, someone let BabyLegs know how practical they were for potty training, because they even have Potty Training Trios.

BabyLegs also wants to give one lucky Lady V dZine reader a grab bag of BabyLegs.

Mandatory entry—Become a fan of BabyLegs on FB and comment back here with your profile name. You are not required to post on their wall, but if you choose to, feel free to let them know that I sent you.

Bonus entries–

1 entry- Visit BabyLegs and comment back here with your favorite style.
1 entry- Follow BabyLegs on Twitter- comment with your user name.
1 entry- Join the BabyLegs forum- comment with the e-mail you signed up with.
1 entry- Follow me on GFC—right side bar, comment with your user name.
1 entry- Subscribe to Lady V dZine by RSS or email and comment back with the e-mail you signed up with (one each)
1 entry- Follow Lady V dZine on Twitter- comment with your user name
1 entry- Tweet this contest using @ladyvdzine and @BabyLegs- comment with your tweet status (up to 4x/day, at least 30 minutes apart)
1 entry- For each current giveaway that you enter- comment with name of giveaway
1 entry- For each non-giveaway post that you leave a RELEVANT comment on- comment back with post title or link to post
5 entries- blog this contest linking to this post and http://www.babylegs.com/- comment back here with link to your post

Have you entered my other current giveaways yet? You can earn extra entries into this contest by doing so!

Be sure to visit my Contest Rules and Bonus Entry Options for additional entry options.

The fine print…

Contest open to the US. Contest ends at 11:59 p.m. CST on 09/06/2010. Winner will be selected randomly. Winner will be notified by email and will have 72 hours to respond with mailing address. If no response is received from the winning entrant, a new winner will be selected. Prize will be forfeited and donated to charity if not claimed by primary or alternate winners.

FTC Compliant Disclosure- The marketing team for BabyLegs graciously provided me with the aforementioned product(s) to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. All opinions are 100% my own and are based upon my experience. Your experience may differ.

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/2/fsascc

Filed Under: Fashion, Reviews Tagged With: Clothing, Giveaways, Potty Training, Reviews, Shopping, Toddler

Informed Purchases thanks to AllReviews.com

August 23, 2010 By Virginia

As you know, I write product reviews. But often times, I find that I need to read reviews in order to make informed purchases. That is when I visit AllReviews.com.

The thing I like about AllReviews is that you will not find reports that read like advertising copy or warmed-over press releases. Each review gives the pro’s and con’s of a product. It also provides links to where you can purchase a product, if you choose to do so. The site is extremely easy to navigate, and as the name suggests, it is all about reviews. You can find just about any thing on AllReviews, from baby cribs to GPS systems, from coffee makers to gas grill reviews, and from home theater systems to snow blowers.

I appreciate that at AllReviews, you can find out how a product ranks, like in this 10 Best On Cart Gas Grills list.

You can browse by category or search by query using keywords. I noticed that they have camping gear listed, and since we plan to start camping this fall, I will be reading up on all things camping related at AllReviews.

http://cmp.ly/3/b2pw13

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Review, Shopping