The Greer 5 » Hot Holiday Buys

Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Surprise Review

Brittany — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:00:03 +0000

If there is anything most little girls love – it’s the perfect doll. The one they can carry around and love on forever. Don’t you remember your Cabbage Patch doll or special “baby” you just had to carry around like a little Mommy when you were a little girl? My Tristan is no different. She is a lover of all things baby doll. She has beds, carriers, diapers and more. With Christmas right around the corner the commercials with dolls are calling Tristan’s name and in turn, the list of things are getting longer and longer.

Thanks to Hasbro – I had the awesome opportunity to review some hot Christmas items that if you haven’t picked up you should do so before it’s too late!

Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Surprise Doll

Product Description & Information:

/!\ WARNING:CHOKING HAZARD – Small Parts. Not For Children Under 3 Years.

She may be tiny, but Strawberry Shortcake has a huge heart! Her friends love to gather at her Berry Café, where they can always count on her for a helping hand and some berry delicious treats – no wonder she’s everyone’s best friend in Berry Bitty City.

Help this pretty little redhead look even prettier with a “berry” special makeover! First brush this sweet-smelling Strawberry Shortcake doll’s lustrous hair and then snap in hair extensions for a little extra glam! Next, use the “magic” pen to reveal her eye shadow, lip color and berry beauty mark! And last, but definitely not least, top off her look with adorable stickers to accessorize all over!

Scented doll comes with dress, 2 barrettes with Shimmer Shine hair extensions, color-change pen, brush and 4 hair clips accessories and 2 sticker sheets and instructions.

Tristan’s Thoughts:

First I must show you the pictures of Tristan the minute this toy got out of the shipping box.

As you can already tell, she has more than approved of the Strawberry Shortcake. She saw it and said “Mom, oh my goodness, I saw this on TV and I’ve wanted this all my life!” We tore into the doll like it was already Christmas morning. There are some small parts so I advise a parent to stick around in the beginning. Plus her makeup wand needs to be filled with water and froze. So be prepared to give them the patience talk! But when it was all ready – Tristan dove in to decorating Strawberry Shortcake with stickers, giving her a necklace, earrings, a bracelet, brushing and decorating her hair and more. She has yet to put this doll down. Strawberry Shortcake has already had a shower, been undressed, gone to the store, gone to take the kids to school and slept so peacefully with Tristan last night. Normally Tristan will play with a doll and set her aside, but Strawberry Shortcake has kept her attention and love now for 24 hours – HUGE! This doll needs to stay on the top of every little girls Christmas wish list this year!

BUY IT:

Hasbro
Strawberry Shortcake Doll - @Kohl’s

Product Sample Received.

Icee Instant Slushy Maker Review

Brittany — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:00:49 +0000

Who doesn’t love an Icee? Shoot, who doesn’t love having the option to make any of your favorite treats (ice cream, pizza, soda etc) at home?

Let me introduce you to Think Wow Toys and their line of EZ-2 Make!

EZ2Make – Fun Food in minutes! is a fun and innovative line of real food-making products that lets kids interact with their parents in the kitchen and make fun and delicious treats in a matter of minutes! EZ2Make! features the most recognizable fun food brands such as ICEE^®, Chuck E. Cheese’s^®, Mrs. Fields^®, Jolly Rancher^®, Cold Stone Creamery^®, Jamba Juice^® and more!

We got to test out a couple of the products from the EZ-2 Make product line! First up:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION & INFORMATION:

EZ-2-Make! Make delicious ICEE Slushies in under 5 minutes with our ICEE Mini Slushie Maker…Simply prepare, mix, shake, and enjoy! The ICEE Mini Slushie Maker set includes ICEE® slushy flavorings of Watermelon, Cherry, and Orange. Just add water and mix for a mouthwatering treat!

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Makes delicious ICEE® Slushies in under 5 minutes!
Sturdy cup shaker with aluminum canister
Three ICEE® slushy flavoring mix included ( watermelon, cherry and orange)
Easy to clean
Food ingredients made in the USA
Easy to follow instructions included

1 serving per packet/3 packets included
Prepare! Mix! Shake! Enjoy!
Includes ICEE flavored powders

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

The directions are so simple to read – so it was easy to make. All you need is ice, salt and water. Simple we always have those things laying around. The container that holds the icee though is small. I would say about a 1/2 cup. So if you are making them for three kids, they need to be patient and understand they aren’t getting a full cup of slushy. The container also is metal (the part the icee is in) so do not use a metal spoon to get the contents out. It’ll scratch it and I’m not sure what the consequences of that would be! If you don’t shake the mixer long enough also – it can be quite an ooey gooey mess. So please read directions carefully. As far as flavor – it was right on the dot of the taste of Icee’s! This is a fun gift though and the kids love it! I’m pretty sure we will be having Icee’s for dessert every night now!

BUY IT:

Think Wow Toys

Amazon – $27.99

I received the product mentioned above in junction with this post.

Sodastream Review

Brittany — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:00:29 +0000

In the house of The Greer, we punish our bodies with caffeine non-stop. Brent is the biggest coke drinker in the house. Literally we can go through a 12 pack in two days when he is home. Let’s real quick do the cost of what we would spend monthly on cokes in The Greer 5 home.

At Fry’s Food they normally run about 2 12 Packs for $9.00. Say we go through 14, 12 packs a week. This is a rough estimate with Brent being home and me over drinking cokes. That’s roughly what — $63.00 a week. Monthly that is — $252.00. Doing the math now makes me panic. That is a lot of money thrown away on cokes. A lot.

Let me introduce you to the alternative.

ABOUT:

Making carbonated water and soft drinks is so simple. Turn tap water into sparkling water in 3 seconds! Enjoy the convenience of home soda and protect the environment. No heavy bottles to carry, store at home or throw away. Fizz to your taste with our delicious syrups. Add the flavor of your choice and make your favorite drink. Simple to clean and reuse. With the latest designs it will also look great in your kitchen. So… do you still do bottles?

We got to test the Jet and over 10 assorted soda flavors and water flavors.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

The Jet soda maker comes in a range of bi-colored machines specially created to the colored pallet of any modern kitchen. Among the Jet features are: automatic access gas release mechanism, fits extra large carbonators – optional 100 liter aluminum cylinder, minimal space usage, customized carbonation level and easy to clean drip tray.

PRODUCT INFORMATION:

Making your favorite soda, flavored sparkling water or energy drink is simple, with SodaStream’s wide variety of over 30 sodamix syrups including dozens of regular, diet and caffeine-free options. Flavors include classics like cola, lemon-lime, and root beer…Exotic fruit flavors like orange mango and diet pink grapefruit…Energy drink, sparkling iced teas and cocktail mixers. Each bottle of sodamix makes about 12 liters of soda (about 33 cans!) for around 25 cents per 12-ounce can.

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

When I first opened it I was so excited that I had to slow down and read the directions. But if you aren’t overly excited you won’t have a problem setting up the machine and in seconds you’ll be ready to make your own soda. I’ve tried every single flavor they sent and I’m hooked. Honestly, I don’t see much of a difference in the taste of my home made coke compared to a coke bought in the store. And it’s obviously $252 cheaper a month this way. HUGE plus. I worried about the cleanliness of it but we’ve let the bottles sit in look warm water overnight, rinsed again the next day and voila back to making soda. This has got to be on EVERYONE’S list this Holiday Season!!!

We received the products mentioned above in junction with this post.

Glodoodle Review

Brittany — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:00:33 +0000

Looking for another gift idea for your kids before Christmas? It’s slowly creeping up! Check this hot item buy from Spin Master:

Glodoodle:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Glodoodle is the fun new way to create with light; it even has a see-through screen that lets you trace anything
3 bright colors to choose between, you can create your pictures in red, yellow or green
Then, with a simple push of a button, it instantly disappears
Glodoodle is mess-free drawing; no ink, no chemicals, no paper, no markers… no mess
Manufacturer’s Suggested Age: 4 Years and Up
Number of Players: 1 Player
Number of Pieces: 3
Travel Size: Yes

WHAT THE KIDS THOUGHT:

The kids obviously loved them. Extremely fun and way to get super creative for all three of them. They sent each other secret messages, drew their hands, drew one another faces and much more. We’ve had batteries in them for over a week and the kids have left them on overnight and longer and still batteries are a poppin. So they are not a huge drain to batteries and you won’t have to run to the store or keep batteries in stuck. A plus. But, you need to remind your kids not to be too rough with these. The screens can crack or as my kids call it, get splattery. (The parts on the inside of the screen can break up easily causing it to not be a clean screen). All around though a great and fun toy this Christmas!!!!

BUY IT:

Spin Master Store Links

Target – $19.99 – BestSelling Toys at Target.com

I received the product mentioned above in junction with this post.

Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 Review

Brittany — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 08:00:51 +0000

With Christmas looming, I am hoping you will find some great gift ideas here at The Greer 5. This particular idea is something for him and her. It’s one of those gifts that keep on giving and inspiring us all. I don’t travel a lot and I invested a big chunk of change into my Desktop PC for a variety of different reasons. But there is time that I am stuck in my office area working on the blog or doing other things and I cannot see everything that is going on inside my house. Or there are nights when I want to talk to Brent on the messenger, but NOT sitting up right at my desk. I want to relax on my couch or bed. Brent on the other hand travels all the time and is lugging around a hundred different pieces of technology equipment — laptop, BlackBerry, PSP, etc. It’s a hassle. He’s cut down to just his laptop and BlackBerry now, but still it’s a pain pulling out his laptop going through security etc. He uses his laptop strictly for surfing the net and talking to me at work. He has a work computer so he’s not necessarily looking for function. Then we were introduced to Netbooks.

I got the ultimate honor of reviewing the Lenovo Ideapad S10-2 Series. In pink nonetheless!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION & INFORMATION:

Laptops for your lifestyle
For home, home office, school and everywhere in between. Quality-built and nicely equipped with the latest technology and cool features. Find laptops for basic computing, homework, photos, gaming, videos and more.

Sleek, ultraportable and stylish
Notebooks, netbooks/mini and desktop replacement laptops
Easy anytime, anywhere wireless connectivity
Hi-def features and options
Basic to powerhouse computing
Antivirus and data recovery tools

Need help to find out what is right for you? Go here to view which each, Laptop, Notebook, Netbook and Mobile Computers have to offer.

PRODUCT SPECS:

Great little PC
Pre-built with recommended components and features for everything you need for email, Web, music, video messaging and basic computing.

Computer Features: Standard Keyboard
Processor Type: Intel Atom N270
Processor Speed: Up to 667.0 Mhz
Hard Drive Capacity: 160GB Hard Drive Capacity
Hard Drive Speed: 5400 RPM
System Bus Speed: 533 Mhz
System RAM: 1 GB
Memory RAM Type: DDR2
RAM Maximum Expandable To: 1 GB
Cache Memory Installed Capacity: 512KB L2 Cache
Operating System: Windows XP Home
Electronic Display Features: WSVGA
Maximum Resolution: 1024 x 576
Input Type: RJ-45
DVI-D Inputs: 0
DVI-D with HDCP Inputs: 0
IEEE 1394 (Firewire) Ports: 0
USB 2.0 Ports: 3
VGA Inputs: 0
Built-In Webcam Features: Built-In Webcam
Wired Standard: 10/100 Ethernet LAN
Audio Features: Built-In Speakers
Includes: AC Power Adapter
Software Included: Adobe Acrobat Reader
Warranty Description: 1 Year Limited Manufacturer Warranty

WHAT I THOUGHT:

My Lenovo Ideapad came installed with Windows XP. I am a fan of Windows XP so I had no problem with that – just relearning how to use it again as I am adjusted to Vista. The more I tinker around with the Ideapad the more I have come to love it. You cannot put DVD’s or CD’s in it, but I was not interested in it for this reason. I wanted all the basic computing options and that is what I got. I am able to download, upload, store, create etc on this Ideapad no differently than what I am able to do with my desktop. One of the first things Brent asked me when I was telling him about it was, “is it fast?”. You know that sometimes laptops of all varieties can get laggy. You try to pull up the start menu and you could do a load of laundry waiting for it. I’ve downloaded, updated and a few things to it and still – just as quick as a brand new one. I plugged in my BlackBerry to the usb port to charge it and it was automatically found with no problems. I plugged in my headphones and microphone – no problem there either. I talked to Brent on the Windows Live Messenger, turned on webcam and it’s 100 times better than the webcam I have on my desktop. I inserted my memory card and it automatically found that to and up popped the screen to give me the option to import etc. I am truly, extremely impressed with the capability of this thing. It’s small, lightweight and user friendly. The one thing I did not like was the mouse mad area is quite touchy (as normal) and you can’t turn off the mouse buttons when you plug in an actual mouse. So you have to be careful with that. Honestly, including the battery life – the only issues that has arisen is the mouse pad area. This ideapad comes with so many things I think it would take more than one post just to tell you all about them. Brent thought he had his mind made up when getting his netbook but since I’ve talked up this one – that is what he is wanting now! This Lenovo Ideapad should be on the top of everyone’s Christmas List this year!

BUY IT:

Lenovo – Starting at $349.00

Available Electronics Category – Target – $349.00

I was provided the product mentioned above in junction with this post.