LeapFrog Tag Reader and Book Giveaway

Last year I reviewed the awesome LeapFrog Tag reader. This handheld device is still a big hit my daughter, and we have continued to add books to her collection.

LeapFrog has launched 1 Million Reading Hours in conjunction with the NEA’s National Reading Month, to bring attention to literacy and to encourage families to make time to read together.  By pledging to set aside at least 10 minutes a day, parents can contribute to the national goal of 1 million reading hours committed. More important, they can reinforce the importance of shared reading time in their own family. All participants will receive special rewards and offers.

For one contest bytes reader, LeapFrog is giving away one Tag reader plus 5 books for personal use, as well as an expanded-memory LeapFrog School Tag reader + 10 books to donate to their local library.



To enter, visit the 1 Million Reading Pledge page and enter your reading pledge.  Post a comment here stating how much time you pledged. Contest ends March 31 at 11pm and is open to residents of US and Canada.

Brave Girl Gift Pack Giveaway

Ask any woman about her junior high school experience and she's bound to tell you it was a tough experience. Unfortunately for many girls, this time in life can be a breeding ground for cliques and back-stabbing as kids try to build their "adult" identity.

Ariel Fox knew all too well what this was like. After her eighth grade year or as she puts it, "the worst year of her life," she decided to do something to help girls feel better about themselves. She started Sticker Sisters, a company devoted to making stickers, t-shirts, buttons, shoelaces and other goodies with fun and inspiring messages for girls.

Twelve years later, Fox is still in the positive message business reaching girls and women of all ages with her gear that is proudly emblazoned with sayings such as "Girls Rock" and "Girls Can Do Anything". She is still spreading positive, empowering messages on over 50 products.

The Brave Girl Gift Pack is made up of a pair of "Girl Power" shoelaces, a "Girls Can Do Anything" button, 5 stickers and a box of Brave Girl Aids. The Brave Girl Aids are perfect for the skinned knees, scraped elbows and other boo boos that brave girls are bound to get. The reusable box contains 15 band-aids with an image of a brave girl hanging upside down from a tree. The gift pack sells for $16.95 and is available exclusively at Sticker Sisters.

To win your own Brave Girl Gift Pack, visit Sticker Sisters and leave a comment with your favorite Brave Girl item. Winner will be selected at random on March 20 at 11 pm. Open to US addresses. You can also receive 10% off your order by using the coupon code mommybytes10.

Flip Mino HD contest

Ryan McLean from Smarter Wealth is giving away a brand new Flip Mino HD to one lucky reader. This will be the easiest Flip Mino HD to win because barely anyone is going to enter meaning more chances that you can win.

The Flip Mino HD is the coolest gadget around. You can shoot one hour of video in HD (so you can play it on your plasma) and you can even edit your footage right on your device. This device is so small that it will fit in your pocket so you will never miss capturing a moment ever again.

To enter all you have to do is sign up for Ryan’s newsletter and post about the competition.

Check out all the details of how you can enter the Win a Flip Mino HD competition now.

Gold Canyon Candle Giveaway and Sweepstakes

In Gold Canyon’s Fresh Start Sweepstakes, you can enter for a chance to win $10,000! Just for signing up to win, Gold Canyon will send each entrant a FREE tealight candle plus the option to receive exclusive discounts and savings.

We are also pleased to sponsor a giveaway for a full size Gold Canyon candle of your choice from Aroma Gold®, Baking Line, or Inspirations.  Just visit Gold Canyon and leave a comment with your favorite candle from these lines.  Three winners will be randomly chosen on February 7th at 11pm.  Open to US and Canada.

Don't forget to enter Gold Canyon's $10,000 Fresh Start Sweepstakes, and get your free tealight candle while supplies last.

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).