Blooming Blog iPad 2 Giveaway

How would you like to win one of the most sought after gadgets of the year?

Think of all the possibilities . . . blogging, checking your email, playing Words with Friends . . . all while on-the-go! Thanks to The Freebie Junkie, CheckPoints, and 49 other fabulous bloggers one lucky person will win an iPad 2 of their very own in the Blooming Blog iPad 2 Giveaway!

But what is CheckPoints? CheckPoints provided you an application that pays you back!  Simply download the CheckPoints app for your iPhone or Android mobile device. Then, fire up CheckPoints whenever you go shopping.  Check in your location and you’ll see nearby products that you can scan to earn points.   You even get points for simply checking-in and then redeem your earned points for a variety of rewards from gift certificates to your favorite stores and restaurants, to airline miles and must-have electronics.  Even give back to your choice of charitable causes.

FREEBIE ALERT

Here’s a special promo for my readers – when you register for an account with CheckPoints use the code: islandlife and you will automatically get enough CheckPoints for a free and instant $1 gift card or charitable donation.  What a great way to be rewarded for doing what we love – SHOPPING so sign up (iPhone) (Android) and don’t forget to use the islandlife code to grab your free CheckPoints!

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Energizer 10W USB Car Charger & Cable (Giveaway)

Ever find yourself driving along and realizing that you forgot to charge your iPhone before you left the house? It happens to me all the time. With everything else that I need to charge on a daily basis – iPods, iPads, Nintendo DS units, camera batteries, etc. – sometimes my iPhone gets forgotten. Well, with the Energizer 10W Car Charger & Cable I know I’ll also be accessible for those important calls.

Energizer Universal USB Chargers make charging your USB powered devices possible…wherever you go. Plug in an Energizer USB Charger and turn your car outlet into a charging station. Now you can charge devices from multiple manufacturers with one charger.

Thanks to Energizer, we had the opportunity to review their 10W USB Car Charger & Cable ($24.99). The box contained a 12v Car Charger and an Apple certified dock connector USB cable. You can also purchase an additional micro or mini USB cable to be used with other types of USB powered devices.

Using it is pretty self-explanatory. Just plug the car charger into your car’s lighter, attach the USB end of the cord into the charger and the other end into your Apple device. That’s it! When you turn your car on your device will start charging.

What I like about the Energizer 10W USB Car Charger is that it’s small and convenient. You can keep it in your car’s glove compartment for easy access. I also like that the car charger sits flush with the dashboard which makes it much more visually appealing than having it stick a couple of inches out. However, the best part is that it works! I’ve tried other non-Apple brand chargers with my devices before and even though the little icon said it was charging it really wasn’t.

Now I have peace of mind knowing that my phone – and other devices – will always be charged and ready to go. And since I depend so much on my iPhone this is great news! You just never know when you’ll have to make an important phone call or text a last minute message. The Energizer 10W USB Car Charger has you all set!

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Elmo’s World: Favorite Things!

La la la la. La la la la. Elmo’s World.

I bet almost every child (and parent) knows how that song goes. All I have to do is see a picture of Elmo and that tune immediately starts playing in my head. Elmo’s World debuted in 1998 and regularly plays during the last 15 minutes of each Sesame Street episode. Each segment follows a familiar pattern in which Elmo introduces his pet fish Dorothy and the topic of day. It’s then followed by a skit by Mr. Noodle, real life children giving their take on the topic, video of a child in a real life setting, Dorothy imagining Elmo playing out various roles relating to the subject, as well as “Computer” sending emails to Elmo and a counting segment. All of this is shown in a computer animated crayon-drawn room imagined by Elmo himself.

In Elmo’s World: Favorite Things! we’re entertained with 4 segments dealing with:

• Dinosaurs
• Building Things
• Birthdays
• School

Our favorite episode was Birthdays because we were able to celebrate Dorothy’s special day. The kids on the show explained how they wrapped gifts for her – like a new rock for her fish tank and fish food. They also presented her with a tiny cake for this special occasion. We also saw the hilarious Mr. Noodle try to wrap a tiny gift box with a huge piece of wrapping paper only to have him get tangled up in the tape. Kaila even tried to blow out the candles on the screen after counting them on the cake.

What we really like about Elmo’s World is that not only does it teach educational content like counting and enumeration but also social skills including self-confidence, friendship, and conflict resolution. In Elmo’s World: Favorite Things! the emotional development and cognitive reasoning curriculums are reinforced for preschoolers as they have fun discovering and exploring new and exciting activities.

Elmo’s World: Favorite Things! is a great addition to any family video library. In fact, we’ve watched it a few times already and even Kiana (6) still enjoys it. Elmo’s world is and always will be a classic.

Purchase your copy of Elmo Worlds: Favorite Things at Amazon.com for $11.99.

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Crayola Goes High Tech (Giveaway)

Remember when Crayola meant just crayons? Well, they’ve now gone high tech with their brand new Crayola Story Studio where your child becomes a part of the story. Imagine the look on your child’s face when they see their photo transformed into a cartoon character and placed right into the story with a Disney Princess, Spider-Man, or the gang from Cars 2($4.99 – $7.99).

It’s really easy to do! Just login to Crayola Story Studio, register for an account, input the unique code that comes with your packet, and upload a photo. That’s basically it! Once the photo is uploaded the program will scan and transform it into a cartoon character. However, you’ll also have the option to change different features to makes sure it looks exactly the way you want.

Next, select which story you’d like to print out. We did the Disney Princess kit and our choices were Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, or Rapunzel.

Kacie chose Tiana.

Kiana selected Cinderella.

Once we selected the princess the program showed us the 10-page coloring page story complete with their image on each page. There’s also a place on the bottom of each page where your child can write in their own story. I would have preferred to have the option of typing in the story and printing it out for a more finished look but the kids just loved coming up with their own fairy tales.

Each kit comes with 10 skinny markers, 3 wide markers, 2 tubes of glitter glue, 30 blank sheets for the coloring pages, 6 glossy sheets for the book’s cover, and 3 story binding strips to make your book look like the real thing.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD App for iPad is a set of coloring pages organized by theme. You’re able to select which type of drawing tool you’d like to use – paint brush, crayon, colored pencil, wide tip marker, or skinny marker – as well as the colors associated with each tool. You also have the option of changing the width of your tool’s tip, filling in an entire section with a specific color, or erase a mistake.

You can also design your very own coloring pages using various backgrounds, clip art, thought bubbles, animated weather scenes, and even sounds. Once your color page is done you can fill it in using the same tool bar described above. And if you’re the more creative type you can start with a blank page and draw a scene to be colored.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD App can be used with just your fingers but why not draw like a real artist with the Griffin iMarker Digital Stylus ($29.99)? This wide drawing tool is great for tiny hands and runs one 1 AA battery. It’s so much fun to use and makes coloring the pages a lot easier and authentic. The only thing is that sometimes my tool seemed to “run out” of color so I had to kind of “refill” it by pressing on the tool bar again. The iMarker has a soft rubber tip and cap which makes it look like an actual pen. Although, I kind of wished there was a way to attach the cap to the back of the pen so the kids couldn’t lose it. Other than that, we loved it!

Crayola has found a way to bring the classic crayon into the 21 century and spark creativity in a whole new way.

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