FREE "Send A Call From Santa" is a fun, cute idea from Google Voice
UPDATE 12/22/2011 - Google now has included video in addition to audio. The video can be shared via email or Google+
Usually, I am not into the whole pre-recorded Santa phone call thing. It all is usually too canned for my taste. But I just had to tell everyone about a different kind of phone call from Santa that good little and big kids will get a kick out of.
The website is called Send A Call From Santa dot com ( http://www.sendacallfromsanta.com/ ) and it is sponsored by Google Voice. You get to really personalize your Santa call with your name, the receiver's name, favorite foods, favorite activities, pet names - you know, all the things that the Big Jolly Dude should know.
This is my son's last year "kinda" believing in Santa so I thought this message would be a good way to mark the end of an era. After I picked the options and listened to the message, I was shocked how great it sounded. After finishing the personalizing options, I had the choice to send the message to a phone, send it in an email, or post it on Facebook or Twitter. I choose to send the message to my son's cell phone and you should have seen his smile when he heard it - priceless!
Adults can have fun with these Santa phone calls also since some of the personalization options are very funny.
"Send A Call From Santa" is a fun, cute idea. The only drawback is that Google Voice does a little 10 second advertisement at the end of the call, but that is not bad since it is FREE.
The Road Rippers R/C Mobile Command Car is one Stylish, Tough Cookie!
Road Rippers has a new line of deluxe sports cars that are pretty cool. Each car is designed after a popular licensed sports car. The car that I was given for review is a model of the Dodge Challenger. The remote is shaped like a walkie-talkie and not only controls the car, but also plays music and makes real life vehicle sounds.
You will need wire cutters or good scissors to get the vehicle and the remote out of the sturdy packaging. One of the problems that I have had with toy cars in the past is getting the screw out of the door on the bottom of the car to insert batteries. I had no such problems with this car. The screw came out with a regular phillips screwdriver and I was able to insert the 4 AA batteries without any issues. The remote also takes 3 AA batteries that were already inserted.
The remote has buttons for forward, reverse, right, and left. You can press combinations on the remote like forward+right to make the car go in a circle. There are also buttons for a horn, music, and sayings such as "Hang On! Rough Roads Ahead", "Burn Rubber Baby" and the rebel yell.
When the car is going forward, the head lights turn on which is very cool. We tried out the vehicle on the flat tile of the kitchen and also shag carpet and nothing stops this car. This tough car survived the kids dropping it repeatably from about 3 feet in the air and also stepping on it! - I was very impressed!!!
The Road Rippers R/C Mobile Command Carcan be found at Amazon.com (affiliate link) and would make a great holiday gift. It retails for $35.00 and is recommended for ages 7+. Now, click on the play button below to see the car in action...
As I age, I try to deal with my hair as little as possible. Gone are the days of elaborate hairstyles and now I just like to keep my style clean and neat. I have to admit that I have not updated my hair styling brush and accessories in years. So when I was asked to review new products from Conair and scünci, I jumped at the chance to try out the latest brushes and hair adornments.
Tourmaline Ceramic Brush
New Hair Brushes from Conair
The key to a good blow-dry is a good brush and I was sent two by Conair to try-out. The Conair Gel Grips Cushion Brush has a soft gel handle that conforms to the shape of your hand so it is easy to hold on to and maneuver. It is great for detangling and styling thick hair and the flexible cushion base helps to prevent hair breakage.
The Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Small Porcupine Round Brush is a little technology wonder. It has finely crushed tourmaline in the nylon bristles and ceramic barrel. Tourmaline is a gemstone that naturally releases negative ions to tighten the hair cuticle layer and help seal in natural oils thus leaving hair more shiny and silky. And who does not want shiny hair?
New fun and elegant hair accessories from scünci
I was also sent two hair accessories from scünci. The first is the scünci Evolution Hair Bands pack. Now my hair is too short for me to evaluate this product, but the Evolution Hair Bands are part of the scünci No Slip Grip line that are suppose to stay in place until you take them out. The pack contains 14 bands that have a new "jelly" look and come in the fun colors of purple, green, red, orange, and yellow.
scunci Upzing Double Combs
The product that I was really looking forward to trying out was the scünci Upzing Double Combs. When I was a child, I would watch my mom style her hair into a french roll with dozens of bobby pins. Every once and a while, she would also style my hair into a french roll, but it was hard sitting through all the pinning. The scünci Upzing Double Combs can give you that elegant look without the elaborate pinning process. Just gather your hair into the desired style and insert the combs to hold the style in place. The combs are joined together by beauty stretch beads that give a sophisticated look to any hairdo. When I don't feel like curling my hair, I usually end up wearing a baseball cap when I leave the house, but I used the Scünci Upzing Double Combs to wear my hair in an up style and I loved it. It looked way better than putting on that baseball cap.
The Conair brushes and the scünci hair accessories are available nationwide at mass market and drug store retailers. You can also go over to the scünci Facebook page for a chance to win a weekly gift from Scünci and Conair in the Conair & scünci Holiday Hair Haul Sweepstakes.
GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a Conair Tourmaline Ceramic Small Porcupine Round Brush, a Conair Gel Grips Cushion Brush, the scünci Upzing Double Combs and a scünci Evolution Hair Bands pack. HOLLA to the FREE!
TO ENTER
-Fill out the information in the form below.
-One entry per person please.
- The contest ends on December 7, 2010 at 11:59am EST.
-The winner will be selected by random number generation.
- You can get 1 extra contest entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.
- You can get 1 extra contest entry for Tweeting the following message on Twitter "I just entered the @FREEISMYLIFE contest to win Holiday Hair Accessories from @Conair_hair & scünci http://t.co/bslITDK".
Good Luck! Disclosure: I was given hair products from Conair and scunci to try-out for the purpose of writing this review.
Back in June, I did a review and giveaway of the Softlips 100% Pure Natural Lip Care line of products. I loved those great Softlips products and so did a lot of FREEISMYLIFE readers.
Now Softlips has a product that is a perfect stocking stuffer for the holidays. The Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Pack is available exclusively in the new Softlips Online Store. For only $9.99 you get a 5-pack of lip conditioners in a reusable pouch that includes the lip smacking flavors of mint with a hint of vanilla, sugar & spice, sugar plum berry, sugar cookie & winter mint.
I was sent the Softlips Limited Edition Winters Flavors Gift Pack for review and loved all the different flavors. Each conditioner comes in a capped lipstick style tube so you can easily use every single bit of the product. My favorite flavor of the 5-pack was sugar cookie, but all the flavors are yummy.
Until December 12th, you can get the Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Pack in the new Softlips Online Store with FREE shipping so order yours today.
GIVEAWAY One FREEISMYLIFE reader will get a Softlips Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Park for FREE- HOLLA TO THE FREE!
TO ENTER
-Fill out the information in the form below.
-One entry per person please.
- The contest ends on December 6, 2010 at 11:59am EST.
-The winner will be selected by random number generation.
- You can get 1 extra contest entry for following Softlips on Facebook.
- You can get 1 extra contest entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.
- You can get 1 extra contest entry for Tweeting the following message on Twitter "I just entered the @FREEISMYLIFE contest to win a Softlips Winter Flavors Gift Pack http://t.co/iWI7FQh @ilovesoftlips".
Good Luck! Disclosure: I was given the Softlips® Limited Edition Winter Flavors Gift Pack to try-out for the purpose of writing this review.
I have known about singer Norah Jones for years, but I had only heard a hand full of her songs until I was asked to review her new CD called "...Featuring Norah Jones". The CD includes 18 songs that are collaborations and duets with such legends as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, and with 21st Century icons from OutKast to the Foo Fighters.
The songs were all recorded over the past decade and it is just a treasure chest of good music. I have always thought Norah sounds more country than bluesy and this CD contains a few country songs that really fit her voice. But the surprising songs for me were the Rap tunes where Norah provides the background beats.
Norah sings a duet with Willie Nelson - "Baby It's Cold Outside" that is just right for the upcoming holiday season. My favorite song is track 7 "The Best Part", which is hauntingly beautiful and she also sings jazz with Herbie Hancock covering the Joni Mitchell song "Court and Spark".
Jazz, Country, Rap - "... Featuring Norah Jones" has it all.
1. Love Me –The Little Willies 2. Virginia Moon –The Foo Fightersfeaturing Norah Jones 3. Turn Them –Sean Bonesfeaturing Norah Jones 4. Baby It's Cold Outside –Willie Nelsonfeaturing Norah Jones 5. Bull Rider – Norah Jones andSasha Dobson 6. Ruler Of My Heart –Dirty Dozen Brass Bandfeaturing Norah Jones 7. The Best Part –El Madmo 8. Take Off Your Cool –OutKastfeaturing Norah Jones 9. Life Is Better –Q-Tip featuring Norah Jones 10. Soon The New Day –Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones 11. Little Lou, Prophet Jack, Ugly John –Belle & Sebastianfeaturing Norah Jones 12. Here We Go Again –Ray Charlesfeaturing Norah Jones 13. Loretta – Norah Jones featuringGillian WelchandDavid Rawlings 14. Dear John –Ryan Adamsfeaturing Norah Jones 15. Creepin' In – Norah Jones featuringDolly Parton 16. Court & Spark –Herbie Hancockfeaturing Norah Jones 17. More Than This –Charlie Hunterfeaturing Norah Jones 18. Blue Bayou – Norah Jones featuringM. Ward
Enjoy... Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary copy of the CD "...Featuring Norah Jones" for the purpose of writing this review.
So Darn Cute with both a full length Sesame Street video and storage to spare
I have used many USB drives over the years that I have both purchased and been given. But I have to say that I have never seen a USB drive as cute as the new line by Sesame Street.
The Sesame Street Video USB drives are shaped like Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, Ernie, Abby Cadabby and the renowned Sesame Street Sign. Each USB drive offers a different full length home video as well as storage space for personal data. A simple, one screen, one touch process allows access to the video, memory space and even connects directly to the Sesame Street website! The USB drives are waterproof, dustproof and drop proof.
The drive that I was sent for review was "The Best of Elmo" Video USB. The drive contains the full lengh video "The Best of Elmo". The USB can easily be handled by the smallest of kids.
Just open the drive cap that is attached to the USB by the special connector strap and plug the drive into the USB port on your computer. The opening screen of the movie will appear and you just have to click "PLAY" to start the video. The video is protected so kids cannot accidentally erase it.
You can also store your personal data on the USB drive which has 2GB of total storage with the existing video using 297MB of storage.
If parents are looking for a safe way for kids to watch a video on the family computer, this USB drive is the way to go. At a suggested retail price of $24.99 each, you get both a video and a USB drive that the kids will find hard to destroy. But, I do wish the drive came with more than one video to give kids more viewing options for the price.
The product is so darn cute that I sure adults will also be using it as a personal USB drive to hold data, thus making it a good 2010 holiday gift for both kids and adults.
The Sesame Street Video USB Drives are available online at www.store.sesamestreet.org, www.atptogo.com, Amazon.com (affiliate link), www.costco.com, www.qvc.com , www.walmart.com, www.toysrus.com and select Toys "R" Us retail locations.
GIVEAWAY Sesame Street Video USB Holiday Giveaway Contest- Win a Complete Set of 7 Characters!
Want to win one of two complete sets of the multiple award winning seven character Sesame Street Video USB collection for the holiday season (each character retails for $24.99)?
Just tell ATP Electronics how you would use the Sesame Street Video USB collection during the holidays!
Two winners will be chosen and the entries will be based on creativity! Send an email telling how you would use the Sesame Street Video USB drives during the holidays to marketing@atpinc.com or you write it on ATP Electronics Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sesamestreet.videousb.
Contest ends December 17, 2010. The winners will be announced on December 20th and you will receive your complete set just before the holidays!
This contest is the sole responsibility of ATP Electronics only. All judging decisions will be made 100% by ATP Electronics. Watch the video below for more information on the contest.
Douglas J. Aveda Institute FREE service COUPON is BACK!!!!
Back in May, the Douglas J. Aveda Institute did a wonderful coupon promotion (read the post comments) offering FREE spa and hair services and many of the FREEISMYLIFE readers took advantage of this great offer.
But, some of you kicked yourselves because you thought it was too good to be true or you did not make your appointments in time. Well, if you missed it, IT'S BACK!!!!!!!
If you are not currently a Douglas J. Aveda Institute client, you can use this coupon to get your first spa or hair service for FREE. Voucher is valid Tuesday - Friday from 9am - 4:30pm and expires on December 23, 2010. So print a free pass coupon for yourself and tell your friends about it so they can get a FREE service too. This coupon is good at the Douglas J. Aveda Institute location in Royal Oak.
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So what will you get? A FREE manicure or a pedicure? Maybe the Vichy Shower or a facial? It's so hard to decide when they are all FREE!
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For more information on the Douglas J. Aveda Institute spa and hair services, click here. For a list of their hours, click here. To read the review of my first experience at Douglas J, click here.
You all really need to to start calling 248-336-5500 to make your appointment today!
Enjoy!
Disclosure: Existing customers get a service credit for each new customer referred
Since my son received his Wii system last Christmas, it has become his favorite source of entertainment second to none. He is a video game junkie who especially loves fighting games with sword play. So when I was offered the chance to demo a new video game billed as the ultimate sword fighting battle for the Wii, I knew my son would be all in for this review.
The game is called Swords for Wii™ and it enables players to travel through time and space to face-off against masters in battle. Using the Wii Remote, with Wii Motion Plus as the sword, players can experience the realism of 1:1 sword movement, real time blocking and advanced combos! My son loves gore and blood in his movies and games, but thank goodness, Swords for Wii™ is approved by parents since the game does not feature the blood and gore found in other action titles.
My son was so excited when the game arrived that he immediately tore off the plastic and headed straight for his Wii system. Players must make their way from the dojo to the Final Showdown, battling sword masters like Lancelot, night of the Round Table; Armin, the Viking chieftain;Princess Aisha and five additional opponents to be crowned the greatest swordsman of all time. Players must be quick to react as each rival has a distinct look and home arena that represents their fighting styles. You can play alone or challenge a friend and play together in a variety of training drills to increase skills and learn new combos in training challenges.
Developed by Panic Button,Swordsfor Wii™ is rated T and has a suggested retail price of $29.99 and is available at Amazon.com (affliate link). My son is loving every minute of this game, especially when he wins against the many sword masters. Swordsfor Wii™ is a definite hit at my house. Watch the video below to see my kid in action.
Enjoy! Disclosure: I received a complimentary Swords for Wii™ game for the purpose of writing this review.
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