Make it a Minecraft Holiday with Best Buy

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free. This post contains affiliate links and the reviewer will receive a commission if you click on a link and make a purchase.

I have to admit, when my boys first got into Minecraft a few years ago, I just didn't get it. OK, fine, I still don't really get the appeal if I am honest, but all four of them love it as so I make the best of it. Minecraft is a game about placing blocks (or removing them) to build awesome world. Players can play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources to build whatever they want or play in Survivor mode where they have to fend off enemies. I think what my boys love the most is that they can play on their own or together, all though playing together some time causes arguments. And by arguments I mean they go into each others worlds and destroy things. Sigh. Now I still might not quite "get it", but I do love that it is a family friendly game that they all enjoy.

One of the most popular items I have seen this holiday shopping season is the Xbox One S Minecraft bundle. I first saw these pop up on Black Friday ads back in November and immediately new I had to get one for our family. (I bought mine fromBest Buy on Thanksgiving). What's so great about this bundle is not only that it comes with all the Minecraft games preloaded, but also that the new Xbox One S plays 4K Blu-ray™ movies. That feature alone sold me. This bundle is available right now at Best Buy for just $249.99. which is a $50 savings off the regular price.

 

Now if the Minecraft lover in your life already has all the games, there are plenty of Minecraft toys and collectibles that he or she would love. There are mini figures and playsets, card games and even drones, so there is something for everyone in every price range. Take a look at all of the Minecraft Gifts available at Best Buy.

What Minecraft gifts are you grabbing this holiday season?

LEGO Jurassic World Video Game #Giveaway #TeamJurassic

Prizing and sample product courtesy of Universal Pictures and Warner Home Video Games. This post contains affiliate links. I will receive a commission if you should make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.

Jurassic World (PG-13) opens everywhere in theaters, RealD 3D, and IMAX 3D today (June 12)! Buy your tickets now at unvrs.al/JWtix.

Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor's interest, which backfires horribly.

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Omar Sy, BD Wong and Irrfan Khan

Read more »

DIY Nintendo DS / 3DS Game Card Storage

Second only to LEGOS, Nintendo DS game cards are the bane of my existence. Each of my 4 boys has their own DS so in turn we have a lot of games. A lot. And those little suckers are so very easily misplaced. They fall between couch cushions, get pushed under furniture, etc. Since the kids all share their games, I wanted a central storage piece where we could neatly keep them all. However, we have over 40 games and and the most I have seen storage for is in the 20s. And the individual DS cases that hold the system plus a handful of games are just so overpriced. So I decided, I'm just going to make something myself.

Here are the materials I started with:

• Thin 3-ring binder from Wal-Mart - 97¢
• 3-ring pencil case from Wal-Mart - 97¢
• Avery Business Card Pages - $7.98

Now I already had the Avery Business Card Pages so this project only cost me $1.94. You can also substitute the Business Card Pages with the Trading Card Pages.

After snapping in 4 sheets and the pencil case, I had my storage binder all ready to go in less than a minute. Now they have one single place to store and share their games and I am no longer searching the house for misplaced ones.

Holiday Shopping for Kids at Target #MyKindOfHoliday #Giveaway

This post has been brought to you by Target. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

I have four young boys, which makes my holiday shopping absolutely insane. Between the amount of gifts I have to buy and all of my trips to the store, I am exhausted by the time Christmas finally rolls around. Target is one of my favorite stores to shop at year round but even more so at the holidays because they always have what I am looking for.

Earlier this Fall we got the Skylanders Swap Force game, but we are still in dire need of the swappable characters. Most of the other stores I looked at locally are sold out, so Target was my last hope. Luckily when I turned into the Skylanders/Infinity aisle, I saw it was still pretty packed.

Armed with my list of characters that Grammy already purchased I was able to find 4 of the new Swap Force swappable figures that we still needed. All 4 wound up in my cart.

Santa just happens to be bringing the boys the Disney Infinity for Xbox game this Christmas, so we are going to need a few of those characters too. Ya know, because the 50 Skylanders we already have isn't enough.  I'm not sure what Santa was thinking here. Target had a bunch of figures to choose from and thnakfully they had the only one I was looking for: Davy Jones.

Now as if the holidays alone weren't enough, 8 days before Christmas is also my youngest sons birthday. Which means even more shopping. I always find this a struggle because I start to run out of ideas for him. Since he is obsessed with Batman lately (he will be 4), I headed over to the DC Comics toys to see if I could find anything for him that didn't have 50 million little pieces.  And right there on the bottom shelf was a talking Batman doll - perfect! I can totally see him lying in bed with this while wearing his Batman pajamas, he's going to love it.

With that, I headed over to checkout with what was hopefully the last of my Christmas shopping. I felt rather satisfied after this shopping trip because I got everything I walked in the doors for. And luckily I had my husband with me to distract said youngest child so he didn't notice everything I was buying. In the end I purchased the 4 Swap Force figures, 1 Disney Infinity figure, talking Batman doll, 2 Minecraft dolls, DC themed Hotwheels cars, kid's toothpaste and a snack of Goldfish for my little monkey.

The second best part of this trip was being able to pay with my eGiftCard using the Target app on my iPhone. While I love shopping online, especially during the holidays when the stores are crowded, there are times I just prefer to shop in person. So it is pretty cool that now if I get an eGiftCard for Target, I can use it to shop in either place.And if you are struggling with those last few people on your holiday shopping list, you can't go wrong with a gift card.

Have you done any shopping for your children at Target this holiday season?

Check out the great deals on Kid's toys only @Target!

Giveaway
One (1) winner will receive a $25 Target eGiftCard. Giveaway is open to US residents only and will end on December 18, 2013 at 12:00 AM EST. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

VTech InnoTab 3 Review & #Giveaway

So I am a bit of a gadget enthusiast, to put it mildly. And as a result, my boys are turning into little gadget lovers themselves. I don't mind them playing handheld video games or with my iPhone as long as it is done with moderation. Plus, sometimes mom needs a little help getting some peace and quiet! Last year we got the chance to review the VTech InnoTab 2 tablet and they instantly loved it. Now Vtech has the InnoTab 3 and we were anxious to get our hands on it to give it a test run.

Product Details

• The InnoTab 3 combines educational games, creative activities and reading skills in a child-friendly, multi-function, touch screen tablet to make learning fun.
• Compact and lightweight design with 4.3” color touch screen, new directional pad and tilt sensor
• 2.0 megapixel, 180° rotating camera with more than 55 photo features and special effects
• Your child can even embark on fun, educational adventures with their favorite characters such as Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First and Jake & the Never Land Pirates. 
• Interactive eReader
• 4 game styles: touch screen, motion, D-pad and sound-activated.
• Kids can import their own music to create MP3 playlists.
• The Art Studio allows kids to color, draw, paint and decorate with stickers, stemps and more.
• In the My Magic Beanstalk interactive game, kids take care of their beanstalk by watering it to make it grow. They'll also harvest and collect beans, learn parts of plants and collect trophies along the way.
• The InnoTab 3 makes learning fun for children, while giving them a cool electronic device made just for them!

The InnoTab 3 comes with the tablet, 2 stylus pens, 1 stylus cord, 1 game cartridge, 1 USB cable, 1 Learning Lodge Installation CD-ROM and 4 AA batteries. Do you know what it is like when a new kids toy or technological device arrives in my house and 4 kids want to play with it at the same time? Well I'll tell you: utter and complete chaos! Which is just a testament to  how much the enjoy playing with it.

One of the great things about VTech products is the Learning Lodge Software. It allows you to connect your devices to track and monitor your child's progress and also gives you a plethera of download to purchase. The Learning Lodge features more than 350 educational games, e-books, music and videos developed specifically for each child’s unique stage of development and includes a broad library of subjects like reading, math, social studies, science, creativity, problem solving and so much more! Once you install Learning Lodge onto your computer and register your new device, you are given one free download. Your free download allows you to choose from a specific list of apps or eBooks. Apparently, I still had some free downloads left over from the last few VTech items I registered, so we were able to download a couple of educational apps onto our new InnoTab 3.

What Mom Liked

• The stylus cord is a life saver. I cannot tell you how many times we misplaced both InnoTab 2 stylus. One end of the cord attaches to the stylus while the other attached to the tablet. Now that little pen will never fall between my couch cushions again!
• The smaller design, compared to the InnoTab 2, makes it easier for tiny hands to hold. This means my 3 year old can get a good grip on it as he rips it out of the hands of one of his older brothers.
• There is really a great selection of apps to choose from. I was able to look for titles in specific categories (u.e. math, problem solving, etc.) to make sure I had a little bit of everything covered. In addition, there are also character themed games and eBooks that kids will love. 
• I love that all of the games and apps are educational so you don't have to feel bad about them having a little screen time with their InnoTab.
• Great color on the screen.
• The 4 AA batteries that were included in the package were a nice touch and let you get stared right away.

What My Kids Liked

• The MP3 player. We love listening and singing along to the radio in the car and my boys love being able to have their favorite tunes accessible to them anytime. I must admit that I am staring to get a little tired of Justin Timberlake though. (OK, not really.)
• The camera. They love taking silly pictures of themselves and each other, and occasionally sneaking one of me, and then editing them
• The games, of course! Their favorite game happens to be the Switch & Go Dino one that I was able to download for free. They are definitely playing this the most.

What We Didn't Like

• While the smaller design is nice, I was disappointed to see that the screen also got smaller too. I would have rather they kept the overall size of the tablet larger to keep the screen the same.
• The battery life is short, especially when being used by multiple children. The InnoTab 3 takes 4 AA batteries and I find myself having to replace them pretty much every other day. If you are going to invest in this product, I also suggest you get the Rechargeable Power Pack which will save you a ton on batteries in the long run.

Overall, we are once again pleased with the latest VTech InnoTab learning tablet. I only wish I had more of them so I didn't have to listen to the constant bickering of who's turn it is to play.

Connect with VTech
www.vtechkids.com
@VTechToys
facebook.com/vtechtoys

Buy
The InnoTab 3 may be purchased at VTechKids.com or at various national retailers like Target, Walmart and Amazon. ARV is $69.99 and it is suitable for children ages 3 to 9.

Giveaway
One (1) lucky winner will receive a VTech InnoTab 3. Open to US residents only, giveaway will end on September 26, 2013. Please use the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

I received a complimentary product in exchange for my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The InnoTab 3, information, and additional gift pack have been provided by VTech.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fun Facts You Didn't Know About Skylanders Infographic

It is no surprise to this mom that Skylanders is the top action figure line in North America. Why am I not surprised? Because right now I am staring at 42 of them sprawled out in front of my television. My boys definitely love Skylanders, even the three year old. If you are not familiar with either of the video games, be sure to check out my reviews of Skylanders Spyro's Adventure and Skylanders Giants.

Enjoy Family Game Night with Wheel of Fortune & Jeopardy! Video Games

I often am looking for things that my family and I can do for fun while staying home. We have family game nights with board games and movie nights with new rentals. My husband and I will have an occasional at home date night where we will rent a movie to watch once the kids are all in bed. Sometimes after a long day, the two of us enjoy a little gaming to help us unwind and relax. Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! provide the perfect opportunity for us to do that.

A few of the game features:

Challenging new game content
• More than 2,400 new puzzles on Wheel of Fortune and over 3,300 new clues on Jeopardy!

Authentic voice-overs from your favorite hosts 
• Pat Sajak, Vanna White and Jim Thornton for Wheel of Fortune
• Alex Trebek and Johnny Gilbert for Jeopardy!

Unique and entertaining mini-games
• Play commercial break mini-games to unlock new, trendy outfits and other rewards

Not only did I get a kick out of the real voice-overs, but also the fact that they really made the video game hosts look like the actual hosts. Both video games are very true to the actual game shows. Wheel of Fortune is my favorite game show so I really enjoyed playing this and I am pretty good at it, if I do say so myself. There are even Mystery Rounds, Prize Puzzles and everything else that you see on the actual show.

One thing I learned is that I kind of stink at Jeopardy! It never was my strong suit, especially history based clues. I do fairly good with science and pop culture ones though so I guess that kind of makes my husband and I even. Or it would if he wasn't such a history buff. It is fun to play though and thankfully if you ring in for an answer, they give you multiple choices to choose from. So that can really help narrow down the correct response for you, especially if you are not 100% sure.

Both of these games were a lot of fun for us. While our kids are not yet old enough for them, we enjoyed having the Xbox to ourselves for a little while. If you have older kids who can play Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! with you, these would be perfect for a family game night. Or if you are like us, they are great for  mom and dad date night.

Buy
Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! are available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo DS.

Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. I received free product to review.

Skylanders Giants is the Hot Video Game this Holiday

Last year around this time, we received Skylanders Spyro's Adventure for our Wii to review. It was an instant huge hit with our boys and I admit even I enjoy playing it with them. We immediately became a Skylanders obsessed home. We have over 20 figures and a year later the boys still love playing this game. When I saw that ActiVision was releasing Skylanders Giants this fall, I just knew it was going to be another winner.

Skylanders Giants builds upon the breakthrough fundamentals of Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure — merging the physical and virtual realms with an innovative line of cross-platform toys with "brains," which players everywhere can magically bring to life in the world of Skylands. Using the mystical Portal of Power, players once again lead a team of heroic Skylanders in an all new adventure to save their world. Portal Masters will journey through new areas of Skylands, encountering new enemies, solving fun puzzles, overcoming different hazards and obstacles, and finding a variety of collectable rewards and treasure.

So obviously there is a new game, but what else is different about Skylanders Giants? Well first of all there are eight new Giant Skylanders characters. These figures are more than twice the size of regular Skylanders and they use their size to their advantage during the game. Giants can throw huge boulders out of their path, jump down from high ledges and more. Tree Rex is the Giant that comes with the game packs. We love the way the light shines through him. There are also new LightCore Skylanders characters that do the same.

Additionally, the game features new Hero Challenges, more Battle Mode gameplay, and advanced integration across console, handheld, mobile and Skylanders Universe. Gameplay is a lot of fun and this time around there are different levels of difficulty you can play. I recommend the easy level for younger children but for older kids and adults, give yourself the extra challenge of playing on the more difficult levels.

Skylanders Giants is hand down the gift to give this holiday. And I don't just mean the game and figures but all of the accessories too. I walked into Toys R Us yesterday morning to finish up my Christmas shopping and the amount of Skylanders stuff I saw was insane. Of course my kids are getting lots of it including Giants characters, storage cases, battle arena and more. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a child who enjoys video games, you cannot go wrong with Skylanders Giants.

Buy
Skylanders Giants is available in a Starter Pack for $74.99 on the Wii, Wii U, Xbox360, PS3 and 3DS Platforms. For those who already have Spyro's Adventure and a Portal of Power, there is a Portal Owners Pack avilable for $59.99 on the Wii, Xbox360 and PS3 platforms. And don't forget to check out the FREE Skylanders iOS mobile apps: Cloud Patrol and Lost Islands. Even my three year old loves playing those on my iPhone.

Connect with Skylanders
Twitter: @SkylandersGame
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SkylandersGame
YouTube: www.youtube.com/skylandersgame
Google +: plus.google.com/+skylanders


Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product and/or company. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. I received free product to review. This post contains affiliate links.

Amazing World Virtual Game Review & Giveaway

Now that our oldest son is seven, he is becoming more interested in the computer. He has played a few basic games on some children’s websites before, but nothing more than that. To be honest, I have a hard time sharing my computer time! But I do want him to be able to enjoy the computer and online games while also keeping it all safe. The Amazing World online virtual game from Ganz intrigued me since kids can play for free in a controlled environment. This is important for me because it means he can’t accidentally delete my programs and files or click on a non-kid website. Needless to say he and were both very eager to give it a try!

The great thing about Amazing World is that the game is free-to-play and kids can register with a generic “Zing” at AmazingWorld.com. You do not even have to purchase a toy. However, integrating the virtual play with an actual toy makes it all the more special. When you purchase your own Zing figure, it comes with a special code that you use to register your Zing online. This code unlocks your virtual Zing, which looks identical to your toy, and it comes with one special item to place in your virtual house or yard.

Once you download and install the free software, which took me about 25 minutes on DSL, then you can register your Zing and start having some fun. In order to progress through the levels, your Zing will have to complete special quests. Some of these quests might be planting seeds or meeting other characters within the game. One quest my son really enjoyed was exploring and jumping around a building to catch butterflies. By completing quests, you earn experience points, relationship points and coins and sometimes even a special item to place in your home. The coins can be used to purchase items in the virtual store likes clothing and furniture.

My son not only loves the fun of working on the missions but he is also proud of himself when he completes one. It gives him quite a sense of accomplishment. And as the parent, I like that the quests are just challenging enough for him to enjoy and have to work a little at, but not too difficult that he becomes frustrated with the game. He also really enjoys decorating his space. As your Zing continues to move up the levels, you can even build rooms onto your house to make it bigger. Kids can spend hours having fun decorating and customizing everything in their own Amazing World.

Your free-to-play account on Amazing World will cap off on level 20. If you want full access to all 50 levels, access to all items in the store, unique quest prizes and more than you can become an Amazing World subscriber. Subscriptions may be purchased on a three month, six month or one year basis. Whether you choose to play for free or purchase a subscription one thing can be sure – your child will have a lot of fun!

Twitter Giveaway!
Now here is your chance to “Tell The World About Amazing World”! You will be entered to Win Two Amazing World toys. Here is how you enter:

1. Copy and paste the phrase below into a tweet or use this tweet button:
   

Tweet

Come discover & explore #AmazingWorldGame, a free‐to‐play 3D virtual world full of challenges & fun! http://bit.ly/AmazingWorldGame @GreenMamasPad

2. Tweet anytime between 9/11 and 9/23 at 11:59 pm EST. 
3. Each tweet will earn you one entry into the contest! 
4. Winner will be notified via Twitter.

Good Luck! Now head to Amazing World and register your Zing now! It is free-to-play! I will see you there!

VTech InnoTab 2 Tablet for Kids Review

With the start of September also came the start of soccer for my boys. Saturday mornings have gone from laid back to absolutely crazy. To give a quick rundown, we leave the house around 8:15am to drop the 2.5 year old off at Grammy's house; head on over to the school soccer fields for 9:00am; spend over two hours on the field; drive back to pick up toddler; and then finally head home for noon. With all of the driving back and forth and the downtime out on the field, I need to keep the kids busy. The VTech InnoTab 2 tablet for kids has been a great help for us.

"This sleek and durable toy comes equipped with tilt sensor, photo viewer, video player, MP3 music player, e-reader, art studio, microphone and more all for the price of $79.99. You also receive built-in value with your InnoTab 2 purchase including one tilt sensor game, one augmented reality game, one e-book, art studio app, notes app, friends list, calendar and calculator to get started."

When we received our InnoTab 2 I immediately became jealous of my children because they have their own tablet now while mommy does not. And I have to say, this kids' tablet is pretty cool.

Setup of the InnoTab 2 was fairly easy, which is a huge plus for any busy parent. It comes with a USB cable and an installation CD which takes less than five minutes to setup. Once the Learning Lodge Navigator software is installed, you hook up the tablet, register and then you can start downloading apps and ebooks. You also will get two free downloads just for registering your product.

The InnoTab 2 has an easy to use touch screen and comes with two stylus pens, just in case the kids lose one. When your child is ready to get started, they set up their own profile with an avatar. You can store up to four profiles on here which is awesome, and works perfectly for my four boys. I really love this feature as it removes any fighting of whose name gets to be on the device, which is something we experienced with the VTech MobiGo 2. I hope that VTech adds this feature to that in the future.

I have to say the boys immediately fell in love with this tablet. One of their favorite features has been the video recorder and they have spent quite a bit of time recording conversation between each other and playing them back. the swivel camera is also great and makes it easy to take a photo or video of pretty much anything. The seven year old also loved the MP3 Player since I put his current favorite son (Fun.'s We Are Young) on there for him to listen to. Of course there are also games, an art studio app and the e-reader app which they are enjoying as well.

The portability of the VTech InnoTab 2 makes this product a real winner for us. When on the soccer field on Saturday mornings, the seven year old plays with it while he waits the hour for his younger brothers' game to end and his to begin. And once the twins are resting from their game with an hour to kill, they love playing with it as well. Of course they tend to fight over whose turn it is. The InnoTab 2 has been a life saver for mommy during those two very long hours at soccer and I definitely recommend it as something to add to yuor gift lists this holiday season!


I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for VTech. I received product samples to facilitate my review.

Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game Obstacle Course & Giveaway

Yes, we love video games in our house. And yes, we have multiple gaming systems and I am even contemplating getting another. (I'm crazy, I know it). To go along with Disney Pixar's hit movie, which opened in theaters in June, now you can play as Merida in the new Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game. My boys and I love all Disney Pixar movies and games and so we cannot wait for this to arrive and give it a whirl. Especially on our brand new Star Wars Xbox Kinect system!

"In DisneyPixar Brave: The Video Game, challenge destiny and change your fate!   Play as Merida, a Will o the Wisp and other popular characters from the new DisneyPixar film, as you run, jump and battle your way through the rugged landscape of mythical Scotland.  With your wits and bravery, face off against fierce enemies to end a magical curse and save the kingdom!"

To further engage gamers and fans of the movie, Disney Pixar has put together an obstacle course and has challenged several popular YouTubers (including Tobuscus, Olga Kay, DaneBoe and Katers17) to see who truly is Brave. The course is comprised of obstacles made to mirror events in the game and movie (i.e. dunking the suitor, finding the wisp), and at the end of the first video, fans can choose which famous YouTuber they want to see take on the obstacle course.

Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game is rated 10+ and is available for Xbox 360 Kinect, Sony PlayStation 3 Move, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Mac and PC.

Giveaway
One (1) grand prize winner will receive a copy of Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game for Xbox 360. Two (2) runner up winners will receive a copy of Brave Temple Run game for iPhone and iPad. Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends July 13, 2012 at 12:01am EST. Please use the Rafflecopter form below.

I am receiving a free copy of the game. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway