{Closed} Crocs Store Grand Opening and Giveaway

Have you checked out Crocs™ lately? They have so much more than the Crocs™ Classic clog we've all come to know and love. I have a pair of Berryessa boots on the way and I can't wait for them to arrive! 
This weekend Crocs™ will celebrate the grand opening of three newly designed stores located at  Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota; Barton Creek in Austin, Texas and Streets at Southpoint in Durham, North Carolina. I'll be attending the opening of the Durham store and sharing  all of the fun and fanfare on Twitter and Facebook.

Saturday morning will start at 9am with a "Stash and Dash". Five randomly selected people will be given two minutes to grab free Crocs™ gear!
All weekend long you'll also have the chance to win free shoes and discounts of up to 50% off. Everyone's a winner with the 20% off coupon here.
Can't make it to the grand opening (or even if you can!) and want a chance to win a pair of Crocs™ for yourself? One of my readers will receive the pair of their choice, up to $100 in value. Just leave a comment below telling me what pair of Crocs™ you would choose if you won. Then complete the easy Rafflecopter entry. I hope to see you at the Durham store opening!
This post and giveaway are sponsored by Crocs. 

Wordless Wednesday

The casualties of Christmas...

Deck The Halls with #KmartHoliday

It's after Thanksgiving, so I can officially say it's Christmastime! (OK, it's not like I really waited to talk about Christmas, but still...now no one can actually complain about it!)

Of course Christmas means decorating, so it's time to deck the halls. There's only one problem. I don't actually have any decking for my halls. I have ornaments and lights, and even little trees that for the bedroom. But that's not enough- I want it to feel like Christmas as soon as you step in the front door!

I headed to Kmart with $100 to spend on my Christmas decor. Now I normally shop with a plan, but I headed to Kmart with an open mind, waiting for inspiration to hit. I was immediately drawn to the ornaments in the colors I love. There's just one problem. I don't need ornaments. Then I remembered my sister's wreath of ornaments. I gave her a call and asked how many I would need. She directed me to the tutorial on Eddie Ross' website. When I saw that the wreath would take about 80 ornaments I was afraid that my entire budget would go there. Luckily all of the ornaments were on sale!

For less than $35 I was able to make the wreath for my living room mirror. It's also in the pinks, blues and greens of my Christmas tree. ( I have a little tree full of the ornaments with sentimental value, but the large living room tree is always done in my favorite colors!)

Next I decided to move on to my hallway. (I am trying to deck the halls, after all. Can't forget the hallway!) Remember how I said I wasn't sure what I was going to do? Well, that was certainly true for the hallway. I was completely clueless about what direction to take. Luckily inspiration struck yet again. I was drawn to the Midnight Clear collection and ended up shopping almost exclusively from those items. I purchased garland and picks without knowing how I would use them. When I got home I realized they would be perfect for the vase on my entry table. A perfect winter touch for less than $20. The ice covered pieces were going to make their way through my entire hallway.
The  icy clear wreath was love at first sight and I decided it would be great on my laundry room door. (You can see my laundry room door as soon as you step in the house!) I picked up the last wreath at my store and it looks to be sold out online, so apparently a lot of others fell in love with this wreath just like I did! (If you see it and you love it, too...buy it!)

The stairs were the next logical place to decorate. I really liked the icy pinecone garland. I discovered the secret to hanging garland with ease-thin gauge wire. I was able to manipulate things to the position where I wanted them and the wire didn't show. (Wish I had known this trick at the start!) I also wove beaded ribbon through the garland and added handmade bows.
I couldn't be happier with the way that everything turned out, and I love that everything looks and feels like Christmas as soon as you walk in the front door. All of this was done for a grand total of $97.48. (That's including taxes and a $1 donation to St. Jude's!) I hope you're inspired to find your own holiday style this year at Kmart. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All photos and opinions are my own. 

You can see my entire shopping trip and decorating tips by clicking the picture below.

Deck The Halls with #KmartHoliday

A Comfy Cozy Holiday #clevercomforts

This post is sponsored by Tempur-Pedic, the brand millions of owners trust to deliver their best night’s sleep every night. Enjoy our Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer now and give the gift of custom comfort to someone you love.

Girls in white dresses in blue satin sashes...snow flakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes...
Well, those aren't a few of my favorite things, but Christmastime is full of plenty of other things that make the season merry and bright for me.
At the end of each year I get to enjoy a few weeks off from work. I love having that extra time to sleep in, to go shopping and to just sit back and enjoy time with family and friends. There's not much better than cuddling up on the sofa in front of some Rankin and Bass Christmas specials in a cozy pair of pajamas.

I also enjoy the other sights and sounds of the season. The smell of Christmas trees and the twinkle of tiny lights never fail to make me smile. I decorate a decent amount myself, but those people who cover their houses top to bottom in lights are what I really love. There's no room for less is more at Christmas!
Hot chocolate and mulled apple cider are two of my favorite ways to warm up the season. Bonus points for both if they come in a red cup. Just the smell of either one and I'm instantly happy. Of course I also love the other tastes of the season. Peppermint bark is another fun treat that never fails to make me smile.
When everything is said and done, though, there's nothing more comforting than going to my grandma's on Christmas eve. It's something that I've done every single year of my life and something I can't imagine not doing. Even though new traditions begin here and there it's still my favorite night of the year.
What are your favorite comforts during the holiday season? Do you enjoy hot chocolate, lights, Christmas specials and grandma's house like me or is it something different? Whatever it is you love I'm wishing you a comfy, cozy holiday!

Comfort is the perfect gift for everyone on your holiday gift list, so be sure to take advantage of Tempur-Pedic's Buy 2, get 1 free pillow offer! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

Lessons From The Front Line On Black Friday

You know that I love Black Friday. I go shopping every year on Black Friday. And even though some people like to rain on my parade and tell me the better deals are coming later I still do it. Every.Single.Year.
I was excited about the earlier hours this year. I know people were complaining, but I was thinking, "Great! I can shop all I want and make it to bed by 2am!" That sounded much better than my usual "try unsuccessfully to sleep a few hours and then get up at 2am and stay out until the early morning" routine.  Well...having done the Black Thursday/midnight Black Friday experience this year I am not a fan. Far too many people. The earlier hours made it too easy. Or at least it seemed too easy. Lots of kids in the stores, too, which was a concern of mine. With all of the crowds I wondered about how safe it might be for the littler ones.

I actually started my shopping Thursday afternoon at Kmart. This was a totally spontaneous decision on my way home from Thanksgiving lunch. I'm very glad I stopped. In the coming week I'll be writing a post about holiday shopping at Kmart and I found some great deals. The store was  not crowded and the employees were so nice. There were no lines at the registers so check out was a breeze. I picked up everything I needed for my upcoming post. All in all a very happy stop. (And keep an eye out for my Kmart post-it will be a fun one!)
Later on Thursday night I started the real Black Friday adventure. I went to Michael's first to pick up wrapping paper for 50% off. There was a coupon for an additional 30% off everything including sale items. That deal was too great to pass up. Michael's did have plenty of shoppers, but nothing too crazy. (I mean, it is a craft store. Crafters are civilized!)

Now here is where the fun starts! I left Michael's and headed straight to Walmart. Walmart was already open but had some sales starting at 10pm and some starting at midnight. I wanted to Xbox and Kinect bundle. I should have printed the store map online before I came! The employees had maps but I didn't see any available for customers. After asking a few people and standing in the wrong line briefly I found out the Kinect line was over in the paint section. So I stood in line and waited. And waited. It's OK. It's part of the deal. And it was nice to wait inside instead of in the cold. After I got my system I went to look around for other deals. It was madness! The aisles were packed, the shelves were wrecked. I decided to make my way to the front of the store and check out.
After I went home and dropped of my Xbox I went back out. This time to Target. At Target we stood in line outside and it was cold. I was missing the warm comfort of Walmart as I waited. And waited. Target employees were handing out store maps to everyone in line. I checked out the map and the main item I was shopping for-an iPod touch-wasn't listed. The maps also had a QR code for surprise doorbusters, but the website the code linked to never did come up on my smart phone. When I got in the store I headed to electronics-where I found out the iPods were located in jewelry. (Wish they had that on the map!) I made a quick look through the game section while I was there, picked up a few games, then headed to jewelry. Kudos to Target for having all of the games unlocked. It might have been a little crazy, but definitely a time saver. I stood in a brief line to get my iPod, but at check out is where things went downhill. I am a huge fan of shopping apps. So much so that I had loaded all of my Target gift cards on mine. (I had a ton!) Well, My Target was crashed and I couldn't pull it up in the store. I had to pay with my credit card and go back later to re-buy everything with my gift cards. An extra step I would have liked to avoid, but in the end it all worked out so I'm not complaining. But next year I won't rely solely on technology and will have my plastic cards as back up.
After Target I decided to head to my other Walmart. I have several Walmarts near my house. Two are pretty much the same distance away, just in opposite directions. I had opted for the large Walmart thinking they would have more items. When I arrived at the second Walmart-the smaller one-I realized I had made a mistake! Another lesson for next year-always choose the smaller store! Everyone obviously goes to the larger store because things that were immediately sold out there were still in stock at the smaller store. (I did see the last mini chopper there end up in the hands of someone else when I was two feet away!)
I went home after the second Walmart because no other stores were opening for a few hours and I was starving. And I needed a little break. While I was eating a quick snack I decided to go online. It was there that I found the washer and dryer I wanted from Lowes was available. At the same price. And with free delivery. And I could go through Ebates and get 6%  cash back! I was actually much better off staying put and ordering my washer and dryer from home! That's when I learned another lesson. Always check online for deals. 
With my washer and dryer ordered and my Xbox/Kinect and iPod Touch safely at home (along with a few other things!) I could finally get to sleep. And be done with shopping for a while. Well...until today. It is Small Business Saturday, after all!

Dinner in Two Minutes? It's Possible With Mini Chicken Sandwiches From #TysonGoodness

If there's one downside to the holidays it's being so busy. Tomorrow morning I'll be traveling to visit family and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner. That meant today was spent running around completing tons of errands and cooking multiple dishes to bring with me.
Just because I'm glued to the kitchen cooking for tomorrow doesn't mean that tonight's dinner doesn't need to happen, too!

Thanks to Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches dinner was the easiest part of my day! You can find Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches in the freezer section at select Walmart stores. You can find out which Walmart stores carry the sandwiches at Tysongoodness.com. 

While my cranberries were on the stove I just popped one of the packages in the microwave. Less than two minutes later they were ready. Since I purchased the mini chicken sandwiches with cheddar cheese  I decided to add a little kick with some salsa. I added a spoon of salsa to each and served them with tortilla chips...and a little more salsa on the side.

I really enjoyed the bun on the sandwiches-it didn't taste like something that was from the microwave. It was soft and slightly sweet-similar to a Parker House style roll. It was the perfect quick and easy dinner on a night when I didn't feel like cooking. Well...didn't feel like cooking even more than I was already doing. (And I highly recommend adding the salsa to the sandwich-it was yummy!) 

If you want to try the Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches for yourself there's a great offer available. Buy two packages and you can submit your receipt for a $5 Walmart gift card. That's almost like getting one box for free! Just click here for all of the details. 

The cranberry sauce is now chilling in the fridge.  I still can't figure out why it's impossible for me to make a pretty cake pop. (At least they're yummy-how awesome does a peppermint bark cake pop sound anyway?) And the sweet potatoes are mashed but they sure aren't going to bake and  marshmallow themselves. That means I need to get back to work in the kitchen.Thank goodness for Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches. At least now I won't be cooking hungry!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions and photographs are my own. #CBias

Click the photo to view pictures from my shopping trip!

Update: Tyson Mini Chicken Sandwiches are perfect for after Black Friday shopping, too! I had about two minutes before I fell dead asleep, and my sandwiches made sure I didn't wake up starving!

In Defense of Rushing Christmas

Every year I hear it. Complaints about the rushing of the holidays. You can't shop for Halloween without seeing Christmas creeping into the stores. And I LOVE IT!
Now I know it bugs some people. I've heard the arguments...other holidays, especially Thanksgiving, are getting short changed. I don't think that has to be the case.
I try to live my life being thankful on a daily basis. (If you don't, give it a try!)  When you are constantly thankful, Thanksgiving is every day. It's just that there's one particular day a year when you get together with your family to celebrate that fact.

I love seeing Christmas decorations. I love it when the lights come out. If I could successfully start a campaign to get everyone to leave Christmas lights on year round I would consider it. Well...maybe not. If it was every day it wouldn't bet that special, I guess.
Still, I love the holidays. They make me happy. So I'm going to have to ask you to forgive me when I get a little excited when I see Christmas working it's way into the stores. And I'll try to keep my radio down in the office when I'm playing Christmas music on November 1st. I'm just really excited for Christmas. But don't worry...I'm still thankful, too!

And Some Days You Just Need To Quote The Princess Bride...

I love The Princess Bride. Definitely in my top five movies of all time. It's one of those movies that some people just don't get. But if you get it, you get it-and it's more than likely in your top five movies of all time, too.

I dare say The Princess Bride is the most quotable movie of all time. And anyone who can quote lines back and forth with me instantly becomes one of my favorite people. Last week when I asked the receptionist at work for the gate key she said, "I have no gate key...Oh, you mean this gate key." By the way, what I actually needed was the key to the cabinet where the LCD projector was stored. See...when you get it, you get it. 

For bonus funsies, if you're on Twitter and you tweet the word, "Inconceivable!" you'll get a reply from an Inigo Montoya  bot saying, "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." Despite the fact that I know it's coming and my general hatred of bots, it makes me smile every time.
Now, I won't challenge you to a battle of wits, especially if you're Sicilian...but if you ever want to have a Princess Bride quote off, I'm in. Guaranteed fun that can snap you out of the pit of despair anytime!

Join The Tiny Prints Talent Search!

My friends over at Tiny Prints are holding their 3rd annual Talent Search.

The Tiny Prints Talent Search Contest is looking for the cutest photos in the following categories:

·         Cutest Baby (From ages of 0-24 months)

·         Cutest Kid (From ages of 25 months - 10 years old)

·         Cutest Family

·         Cutest Couple

·         Cutest Pet & Owner

You'll want to upload your photo soon-the entry period ends on November 21st! The grand prize winner will receive $1000 cash and a $500 Tiny Prints gift card. You can read the offical rules here.

I have written this post as part of the TinyPrints Blogger Program. 

Embracing Your Inner Pollyanna

Anyone who knows me well knows there has been a lot of not good stuff going on around me. Some of my friends and coworkers have had some really bad things happen. I lost a pet. Things...to put it simply, have been a pretty big bummer.
And I'm not trying to say I haven't been sad. I've been sad a lot lately. I have been very worried about some people I really care about. I have cried far too much. But when it's all said and done I  don't choose to dwell. I choose to move on. I choose to look at the bright side. This isn't about not feeling pain and pushing it aside...it's about walking right through the pain, and feeling it while you're in it because you know that there is something on the other side.

I have some friends who call me a Pollyanna and it's a title that I embrace. I want to be someone who looks on the bright side of things. I want to look for light instead of dark. Sometimes that is easier than others. Sometimes it's almost impossible. But there is always a bright side. There's always a silver lining. Occasionally we need a friend to point it out to us. Sometimes we are the friend who points it out to someone else. But it's important to me to try to remember this. Even when things are not so great. 
I'm going to play the Glad Game. "When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will." I choose to look for the good. And I'm surely going to find it. 

#sendCheer To Our Military With Cheerios

Last week I told you about the sendCheer program from Cheerios. Today was the day Operation sendCheer went into action!

Step one required a trip to Walmart and finding specially marked boxes of Cheerios. Each box contains a postcard that you can fill out and send in to thank the military for their service. The USO will distribute the cards and Cheerios will donate $1 for each card that is received to the USO-up to total of $250,000!
I picked up a few boxes, but sending the post cards is only a part of my plan...

For step two I gathered my Cheerios along with some marshmallows and butter. I'm going to make Cheerio Marshmallow Treats!

To make the treat just add 4 cups of mini marshmallows and 3 Tbs of butter to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until marshmallows are melted, stirring every minute. Add six cups of Cheerios, one or two cups at a time, to the marshmallow butter mixture. Once everything is fully mixed just press into a buttered pan and then cup into squares. (It helps to coat a spatula in butter for the pressing to keep everything from sticking.)

And there you have it! Just wrap each treat in plastic wrap and you'll have yummy Cheerio Marshmallow Treat Squares, ready to send to a military family who needs a little cheer. 

Now it's time to send the postcards. Just cut the postcard out of the box, write your personal message, stamp and mail. It couldn't be easier. So what are you waiting for? Specially marked boxes of Cheerios are waiting for you at Walmart to help you sendCheer to our military. It's an easy way to say thanks to the men and women who do so much for us every day. And if you decide to make some Cheerio Marshmallow treats just remember to buy an extra box or two. They're really delicious and you might want to try a few yourself. 

Thank you, Cheerios, for helping to make it easy to sendCheer to our military!

#sendCheer To Our Military With Cheerios

This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are mine. 

Packing Tips For Your Next Trip-Guest Post on Cheap Gas Blog

I've written another guest post on the Cheap Gas Blog. This time it's on packing tips when you travel. I hope you'll check it out!

I also completely forgot to let you know about a guest post I wrote for my friend Mimi over at Woven By Words. Sorry, Mimi! (Good thing I know she's not keeping score!) 

As The Bunny Hops' 2011 Holiday Toy Guide: Kids' Technology Edition

Moms and Dads everywhere are desperate to get their iPads back from their children's Angry Birds and Cut The Rope playing hands. What's a parent to do?

LeapFrog's answer is the $99.99 LeapPad. At a price point that is making many parents groan, it is an impressive machine with a camera and access to 100s of apps and cartridges. It's recommended for ages 4-9 and promises to be a hot seller this season.

VTech's InnoTab will save you $30, as suggested retail is only $79.99. One primary difference between the InnoTab and the LeapPad is the absence of a camera. The InnoTab also comes in a pink version. It's also recommended for ages 4-9.

A third option-and one not being marketed for children-is Amazon's Kindle Fire. At the loss-leader price of $199.00 you can give them a full tablet that has more options and appeal than the others. As a bonus, Amazon Prime members get free ebooks, movies and television shows from Amazon's extensive library. Although the price point here might put it out of many family's budgets, this is one "toy" parents might enjoy just as much as their kids!

Thank You, Veterans! #sendCheer

As a lifelong resident of North Carolina, Veteran's Day is a time that is near and dear to my heart. As a child I grew up literally a mile away from a Marine Corps Air Station and was frequently lulled to sleep by the sound of Harrier Jets. As a teenager during the start of Desert Storm I had my first experience with having friends deployed to a war zone. Now as an adult I have friends and coworkers with husbands currently stationed in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
It's important on both Veteran's Day-and every day-to remember the sacrifices these families have made for us and to show our support. I still remember fondly when my team at work came together to send a huge care package to our coworker's husband during his last deployment. I knew that it would mean a lot to him to get something from home, but what I didn't know was how much it would mean to her. I can still remember her face when we were putting it together and she saw just how many people had come together to support her husband. That's when I realized that supporting our military means something to more than just the men and women who are enlisted. It means something to their family and their community, too.

There are so many ways to show your support of our military, but thanks to Cheerios there is one especially easy thing you can do. Purchase specially marked Cheerios cereal boxes in your grocery store. Cut out the postcard found on the front of the box and write your message of encouragement or thanks and add postage. Then just drop the post card in the mail. How easy is that? And if that wasn't enough, for every postcard received as part of the Cheerios sendCheer campaign Cheerios will donate $1 to the USO to help support programs for military families. $150,000 has already been donated, and Cheerios will donate up to an additional $100,000 based on the number of postcards received by November 30, 2012. Isn't that wonderful?

You can also join us TONIGHT at the #sendCheer Twitter Party. Just go here to RSVP and tweet with us tonight at 9pm ET.
I'll be sending Cheer, and I hope you choose to do the same. You can look for the specially marked packages on display at Walmart now. Enjoy some Cheerios and sendCheer to our military!

This post has been compensated as part of a sponsored charitable opportunity for Collective Bias. All thoughts and opinions, as always, are mine. 

Wordless Wednesday

On Tuesday morning we lost Zack-the sweetest dog I have ever known-to an aggressive lymphoma that seemed to come out of nowhere. I'm going to miss you, buddy!

{CLOSED} Win Your Holiday Cards From Tiny Prints! #Giveaway

I am a huge fan of Tiny Prints. I have ordered business cards, labels, thank you notes and more and I've never been disappointed. In addition to great products, Tiny Prints also has amazing customer service. When you place an order you are updated every step along the way until your custom purchase arrives on your doorstep.

You have a chance to experience the awesomeness that is Tiny Prints yourself with a one day special offer. On November 9, 2011 visit the Tiny Prints Facebook Page. There you'll be able to pick out a FREE card to your child from Santa. Chose between Checking It Twice or Santa’s Scroll. But dont' forget to hurry-the offer ends that night at 11:59pm PT. 
As if free cards from Santa weren't enough, one of you lucky readers also has a chance to win big! Someone will be get their choice of 50 Christmas or holiday cards from Tiny Prints. All you have to do it go here and take a look at Tiny Prints' huge selection. Leave a comment letting me know which card is your favorite and complete the Rafflecopter entry. How easy is that? I know you're going to love Tiny Prints just as much as I do. So what are you waiting for? Go there now and pick out your favorite cards then come back and enter! 

Happy Half Birthday, Social Fabric! #cbias

Some of the campaigns I've participated in thanks to Social Fabric

On 11/11/11 Social Fabric will turn 2 1/2. What is Social Fabric? It's the online community owned by Collective Bias. Unlike any other place I know, Collective Bias and the Social Fabric community work with brands to create amazing social media experiences. As a blogger I've had the chance to work on what the community referrers to as  “shoppertunities”. I've been honored to participate in campaigns for Elmer's, Hillshire Farm, M&M Mars and Kmart, just to name a few.
What I love most about Social Fabric is the people. I have met so many amazing friends in the community. I can't imagine a more dedicated and passionate group of individuals. Everyone is always there to share your posts on social media, leave comments and pretty much help in any way they can. 
The knowledge I have gained as a member of Social Fabric has changed me in so many ways. It's changed the way I interact on social media. It's changed the way I write. It's changed the way I shop. I am forever grateful to the amazing team at Collective Bias for allowing me to be a part of Social Fabric. Happy 2 1/2 years-here's to many more! 

Black Friday Survival Guide

Do you do Black Friday? I can't remember how long I've been shopping on Black Friday but it's one of my favorite days of the year. There's something quite exhilarating about the hunt and finishing up your Christmas shopping in one day. Now I know there are plenty of people who think Black Friday'ers are crazy. But they're wrong! The stories of chaos make the news because they're rare. Almost every year I meet extraordinarily nice people while waiting in lines and I have a ton of fun. (And no injuries yet!)

Do I Get A Tablet For Christmas? I've Been Very Good This Year... #MotoCalyp

I want a tablet. I want a tablet badly. But I can't quite convince myself it's a need. (If you have any thoughts on this, please share. If I can make it a need I'm golden!) And like most wants it's been sitting there unfulfilled while needs take priority.
Thankfully some dear friends have come to my rescue. They've been gently pushing and prodding me to treat myself. I promised them I would buy myself a tablet on Black Friday. (Am I really going to do this? Spending that much money on myself makes me feel kind of sick to my stomach...)
Well, if I'm going to buy a tablet I need to figure out which one I'm going to buy.

My smartphone is from Verizon so I thought I would take a look at their website. I live in an area with 4G LTE which makes it worthwhile to consider getting a tablet with wireless service. Do I need service or just WiFi? The questions keep coming...
I did a comparison between the Motorola Xoom and the other tablets Verizon carries. I'm really interested in the Xoom but I want to know more.

I decided to head to the Motorola site, where I discovered I could get free two day shipping. I almost never pay for shipping, so that is a major plus in my book. I can buy the Xoom for $499.99 with a service plan or for $669.99 without. I still don't know for sure. My phone just has 3G, so is 4G LTE worth it?

I headed to my Verizon store to find out. (Plus while I was there I could play with all of the tablets and make sure I was headed in the right direction.) At my local store they had two Xoom tablets on display, including one with a leather keyboard case. I'll definitely want a case and a keyboard whatever I decide, but the leather case they had out wasn't really my style. (I am trying to stay on track, pick out my tablet first, then worry about accessories later!)
The staff at the Verizon store were very helpful, but when I told them I just wanted to play they said, "Have fun!" and let me go. I am blown away by the speed of the 4G LTE. It's every bit as quick as my cable internet at home. I'm definitely going to have to think about how much I'll be using my tablet away from home or other sources of WiFi. I can see several situations where the 4G LTE service would be really handy to have.

One thing I know I would use my tablet for is reading. I definitely wanted to see what it was like to read a book on the Xoom. Over 3 million books are available as Google eBooks. It was really fun to flip the pages and even with the back lit display it felt like reading a real book. Another feature I loved were the front and rear facing cameras on the Xoom. 5MP for the rear camera and 2MP for the webcam means you'll be able to use your tablet to take some great pictures and video chat.
The Motorola Xoom runs on the Android 3.1 Honeycomb platform. That means access to the Android marketplace with tons of available apps. And of course the basics: web browsing, email, movies and music are all available through the tablet, too.
I really like the Motorola Xoom and hope I don't back out of my plan to buy one for myself on Black Friday. If I could change one thing I do wish it came in white. (But that's totally minor, and the Xoom is a sharp looking machine. It's definitely not a deal breaker.)

If you're interested in purchasing a Xoom of your own, don't forget you can get free 2 day shipping! And feel free to twist my arm if you see me starting to talk myself out of buying one! You can see my entire tablet shopping journey here.

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias. All opinions, photos and screenshots are my own.

As The Bunny Hops' 2011 Holiday Toy Guide: Girly Fun Edition

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing some of my favorite toys for the holiday season. This week I'm sharing some of my favorite girly toys. (Although I sort of hate calling things girl toys and boy toys. I think kids should play with whatever types of toys they love as long as they're safe and age appropriate!)

Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Doll

The Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls (this one is Jewel Sparkle) have hair that you can bend twist and curl. They even come with a pet who's tail you can style. There's something strangely addictive about playing with their hair and creating all sorts of fun shapes. Recommended for ages 4 and up, the list price is $34.99. (Available many places for $29.99 and less.)

Bizu Gift Sets

When you mix a bracelet with an animal toy you get Bizu. Bizu beads come in a variety of sets (including Hello Kitty!) to allow you to make a variety of beaded bracelets. Then with a few twists your bracelet turns into a cute animal toy. Recommended for ages 6-11, kits start at just $5.99. 

Lite Sprites

I kind of fell in love with Lite Sprites the first time I saw them. Cute little sprites that magically change color? What's not to love? With a variety of accessories you can find something something for every budget. My favorite is the wand, which captures color from whatever it touches and then transfers that color to the sprite. The tree is already reported to be in short supply. From $6.99-$39.99, Lite Sprites and accessories are recommended for ages 4 and up.

Wordless Wednesday

And with the arrival of November, there ends another Halloween season. Packed away, ready for next year. See you in 11 months, Mummy!