YOU by crocs

The YOU by crocs line of shoes isn't your average crocs. They are high quality footwear that are stylish and built to last. The "nightcap suede" model I tried above were as beautiful as you see here.  They even look good on my 5-year-old daughter.  They were a bit narrow for me, as my feet are a little wider than average, so if your feet are slightly wide, go for the wide sizes.  If you're wondering if the soles are like the soles on the crocs clogs, don't worry.  They are made with heavier, yet flexible material. 

Even the care card that came with the shoes was a piece of art:


Check out the entire line of YOU by crocs.  Fall and winter styles are 25%-75% off and spring and summer styles are 50% off.

Goodyear GY135 GPS Navigation System

Image from Engadget.

Goodyear introduced a new line of GPS systems last year.  The are manufactured by The NCC (National Christmas Company) and come in a range of models.  I tried the Goodyear GY135 model which features a 3.5" screen and text-to-speech navigation. 

The 3=D graphics were clear and the software was easy to navigate.  The zoom options were helpful and the text-to-speech function worked well.  I put the color option to automatically detect day and night, but it did not transition well during the test session. 

In terms of navigation, it promptly recalculated the route when the course was deviated from.  Once, it asked me to take a eastbound exit instead of a westbound exit and prompted me to take an illegal left turn.  That's par for the course on most GPS systems, but still an inconvenience.

The unit itself is rugged and comes with a nice rubberized case.  The suction cup mount arm was a bit long.  I tried mounting it in my preferred position at the top of the window, but it interfered with the visor.  It also vibrated too much in that position.  It worked fine at the lower part of the window supported by the dash. 

Overall the system functioned well and is competitively priced at $189.99.

Believe!

Whenever I see the word "Believe" around the holidays, I think of Josh Groban singing that song in Polar Express. And if you've seen the movie, even the Scroogiest of you will Believe.

Do your kids write letters to Santa? Macy's is collecting letters to Santa in a special letterboxes at all Macy's stores. For each letter received, Macy’s will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This Believe Meter will measure America’s belief, based on the amount of letters received and other events that reflect the season's generosity.

Check out the letter and story that started it all at Macy's Believe - Yes, Virginia. And try your hand at being Santa (click the link to see me).

Holly and Hal Moose from Build-A-Bear, $25 Gift Certificate

Holly & Hal Moose™ are the latest addition to the Build-A-Bear Workshop, just in time for the holidays. They are dressed for the season and come with a companion book, Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure. There is no question that they will be a hit with kids, as my kids were immediately and absolutely taken with them. You can see their happy faces here. The lights on Hal's antlers light up when you press his paw, and both Holly and Hal come in super soft and cuddly Build-A-Bear fur. My kids immediately loved taking their shoes on and off and my daughter especially loved the Holly's red satin underwear with the opening for her tail.

If you'd like $25 gift certificate to Build-A-Bear Workshop, please leave a comment by November 30, 2008 at 11 pm EST. Giveaway open to all.

Need a nap? Can't Sleep? Let Pzizz help you

Pzizz is a program that creates a mixture of words, music and sound effects to effectively help you "power nap" or get a good night's sleep. It uses an algorithm to create new combinations so that it is unique every time you use it. The Energizer Module helps users take power naps during the day and the Sleep Module helps users get a good night's sleep. I tried both and they were quite effective. You can listen to the audio right on your computer, or download it to an MP3 player.

The Pzizz software is available for purchase on the PC or Mac and a 15-minute free demo is available.

LeapFrog Crammer - Study Tool, Games, MP3 player

The new LeapFrog Crammer is a grade school kid's and parent's dream machine. It has flash cards, quizzes, an MP3 player and games. It is targeted for 8- to 14- year olds, but my son had no trouble using it at 7. He immediately went for the on-board game when he first received it, but ever since I connected it to the computer and downloaded some MP3 files, he loves to use it to listen to music now.  This is his first MP3 player.

The Crammer has 1 GB of memory and you can download and store age appropriate flash cards and quizzes in math, science, social studies and language. It is easy to use with the four edges of the screen being navigation buttons.  I ran into a little trouble loading the PC software at first. It is supposed to "automagically" load the software when you connect it through the USB cable.  I had to navigate to the new mass storage drive and manually launch the setup file.  After that, the software was easy and intuitive to use.  Since we have three LeapFrog devices now (Tag Reading System, Crammer and Leapster2), they all appear under the same LeapFrog Connect software.

So what kind of music does my son listen to?  All the songs he knows from Rayman Rabbids, Guitar Hero and Rock Band.  I guess you can take the boy away from the video games, but you can't get the video games out of the boy.

Skin MD Natural - A Shielding Lotion

Fall is upon us and the dry skin months are here.  Skin MD Natural is much more than just a moisturizing lotion, it is a shielding lotion.  It will provide a barrier where the skin's natural moisture can be retained, and also protect the skin against irritants or allergens.  If you're thinking that this would probably feel like wearing a glove over your body, here's where it will surprise you.  It is extremely light and is absorbed very quickly.  It doesn't feel like anything at all, yet you can tell that it is still working at the end of the day.  Doctors even recommend it to treat eczema.  I am extremely sensitive to fragrance and this lotion has a very light, pleasing scent.  I am also wary of clogged pores and although other skin products may say they are non-comedogenic, my face will tell you otherwise.  I am very happy to report that Skin MD Natural is truly non-comedogenic.  They now have an SPF formula as well.

You can find Skin MD Natural using their store locator or order it on-line.  If you're a blogger, check out their free samples for review.