Rave & Review

Travel must-have: The Scrubba Wash Bag

As people who travel a lot, we have learned that it pays to pack light.  No one ever brags about how much luggage they had to haul around on vacation, but ending up with no clothes to wear halfway through vacation is no one’s dream, either. 

At this point, we’ve gotten our packing down to a science and we bring only the essentials.  A big portion of this is planning on washing and rewearing clothing on long vacations so you don’t need a full new outfit each day.  While this might sound like the perfect plan, problems arise when you can’t find a good place to wash those clothing items {we’re talking about you, European showers and backwoods hiking trips} or you find yourself going through clothing faster than you expected.

Add in unpredictable and messy children to the equation and you can basically bet on running out of clothing before you can get somewhere to wash them.  As parents of two young children that love to go through multiple outfits in one day and have a history of creating their greatest laundry accidents while on the road, we’ve been looking for a solution that made laundry on the go easy.  And, hopefully one that didn’t involve spending hours of precious vacation time at Laundromats or spending time cleaning sinks and showers before you will even consider putting dirty clothing inside. 

The solution was the Scrubba Wash Bag, an Australian on-the-go laundry kit that is perfect for our adventures.  Hubby first heard about the Scrubba bag and immediately emailed me with one succinct sentence, “We NEED this.”  One look and I was in complete agreement, dreaming of if we had brought this on our European trips that we ended up utilizing ice buckets, large plastic bags, and good old paper cups to do our laundry. 

So, what IS The Scrubba?  Basically, a washboard in a bag.  More specifically, it’s a roll-top dry bag with a grippy surface and raised "washing nobules" inside that you can use to really wash your clothing, and it also includes a clear panel so you can see inside. 

All you need to clean your clothing is just a little water, some soap {laundry detergent is recommended, but in a pinch you can use hand soap, shampoo, camp soap, etc} and a place to hang the clothes when you’re done washing and you can skip the laundromat entirely. 

You start by filling the Scrubba with soiled items.  Even if you don't plan on doing laundry right away, the Scrubba bag still acts as a great wet/dirty bag.  Because who wants these muddy jeans rolling around with their dresses and trousers?

The Scrubba can hold quite a bit of clothing just for storage, but during cleaning you should only wash roughly 2 days worth of summer clothing or 1 day of cooler weather clothing to give it enough room to really scrub up well.  When you decide to wash your clothing, you start by adding a little bit of water and soap.

We always travel with a little bottle of Woolite and a plastic bag for “toxic clothes” as we call them.  So, with the Scrubba folding down to almost pocket size, it literally takes up no extra space in our luggage since we basically just replaced the disposable bag {which can leak and tear} with this heavy duty wet bag that is dual purpose and allows us to clean our clothing right inside. 

Once your water and soap are added, you simply roll the bag down a few times and clip it together.  Then you let the air out slowly so you can really feel the clothing through the bag. 

Now you're ready to scrub, which is really the fun part.  Clothing gets cleaner than traditional hand washing because of the internal washboard, and all the mess is contained in the Scrubba bag so you don't need a basin or bucket.  And, the best part is that you can actually watch the clothing get clean through the little see-through panel on the Scrubba bag.

Once your items are good and clean you simply rinse with fresh water until the soap is all removed {it only takes 30 seconds of scrubbing for a basic clean or 3 minutes for a washing machine quality wash, and you can even use the Scrubba to soak if necessary}.  In total, it took about 5 minutes to completely clean these jeans with the caked on dirt and grime from start to finish.  It really is that easy!

We’ve taken the Scrubba with us on two vacations now and I think we love it more every time we use it.  I mean, no one loves laundry, but this might be as close as it gets.  In particular, we really love the satisfyingly tactile feel and sound of the Scrubba that makes it a fun sensory project for kids.  Yeah, that’s right; I make my kids do laundry on vacation.  It’s only fair that the two making the most laundry do the most laundry, right? 

Really, I only have one suggestion for the Scrubba that would make it absolutely perfect: to screenprint the directions somewhere on the bag for easy reference.  While the instructions are easy enough to remember, it would be really nice to have the instructions right on the Scrubba bag somewhere so there was no second guessing yourself.

With many different road trips, camping and hiking adventures, and vacations planned this spring and summer, I know that the Scrubba will get a ton of use.  And, when we’re able to salvage a clothing catastrophe on the road, it’s going to be worth its weight in gold {and then some – it is pretty light}.  But, the Scrubba isn’t just for long trips and those with small children, it’s also great for swimsuits, beach gear and more.  Since it’s a great wetbag in its own right, it’s extremely practical for a variety of applications, with laundry just being one of them.   

The Scrubba retails for $59.95 right from TheScrubba.com.  Want a full laundry on-the-road kit?  Check out the Scrubba Traveler Kit for $99.95 that comes with a carry bag, a super absorbent towel and a portable clothes line!

Be sure and follow The Scrubba on Twitter, like The Scrubba on Facebook and check out their YouTube channel to see the Scrubba in action.

A big thank you to The Scrubba for sending a wash bag to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

Kids Bowl FREE all summer long

With summer on the horizon, I know many of you are thinking about programs you can enroll your kids in during the break to avoid break boredom.  I’ve heard everything thrown out amongst friends from Chinese classes to playdates at the park, but I’ve got something more exciting up my sleeve: bowling.

Just like archery, sports, and musical talents, my husband would also like our kiddos to be amazing bowlers.  For this reason, my announcement that we would be participating in the Kids Bowl Free program this summer was a very welcome announcement to him and the kids. 

Have you heard of the Kids Bowl Free program?  It’s actually quite simple; you just need to visit KidsBowlFree.com and sign up your kids aged 15 and under.  Then, throughout the summer months, your kids can bowl two free games every day between the specified times {our alley is from 8am-5pm}.  And, with a huge number of bowling alleys participating all across North America, you are sure to find a location near you!

Want to join your kids in all the fun?  Purchase a family pass for a one-time payment of $24.95 that includes passes for up to 4 adults so babysitters or grandma can take the kids.  Really, you’d pay that much for just a few games of bowling, so it would easily pay for itself after a visit or two.  While the cost of shoe rentals are not included with either the free pass or the family pass, you can rent those cheap enough through the bowling alley, or you can bring your own if you have them. 

With over 1.6 million kids that participated last year and even more expected to participate this year, we might have to show up early to our bowling alley when we want to use our coupons, but I’m okay with that.  Just to get out of the house and do something active and fun for everyone is completely worth waiting a bit.  Just thinking about all the family memories we will be making this summer as we bowl makes me happy, and knowing we are saving money while doing it makes me ever happier.   

Here's the run down on how to sign your family up:

1. Register at the Kids Bowl Free website. Simply select your state and choose a bowling alley closest to you.
2. Note the times available for KBF coupon use.  These times may vary by bowling alley, so make sure you note which times are available at your bowling alley for free bowling under the program.
3. Watch your email.  Every week you will be sent an email that contains your free bowling passes for the week that you need to print and bring with you.

For more information visit kidsbowlfree.com.  Have more questions about how this FREE program works?  Check out the Kids Bowl Free FAQ page for more info!

Fitness goals made easy with AT&T {Fitbit Zip Giveaway}

It’s that time of year again when you shed your sweaters and jackets and get all ready for warmer weather and summer clothes… and then you realize that the dreaded swimsuit season is on the horizon again.  But, this year I’m going to be ready for it, thanks to a very welcome present from AT&T.

What does AT&T have to do with my fitness, you ask?  A whole lot, now that AT&T carries a range of smart fitness products that can communicate with your smartphone and help you track your fitness goals.

Why do you need a fitness product, you ask, isn’t that what diet and exercise are for?  It’s true that we all know that to lose weight you merely need to expend more energy than you consume, but the problem with that is that we habitually over-estimate our activity levels and underestimate our food intake.  It certainly makes it hard to figure out how many calories need to be cut to lose weight in a safe and effective way if you have no idea what fuel your body actually needs. 

New activity trackers from Fitbit help you figure out how many calories you’ve really burnt during the course of your day {and night} by tracking steps, miles traveled, flights of stairs conquered, and overall activity levels.  The data the Fitbit device collects automatically communicates with your computer when you have the USB pairing device plugged into your USB {I keep mine plugged in 99% of the time} so you can literally see your progress in real time on your computer.

Paired with the Fitbit dashboard where you can enter the foods you’ve consumed and activities you’ve done, you can get a better idea of if you have a calorie deficit or surplus right there in black and white {okay, it’s actually COLOR, but you get the point}.  

Ate too much lunch?  Better plan a long walk before dinner, or alternatively, go easy on the dinner to compensate.   Had a long morning running a marathon?  Maybe you need extra calories the rest of the day to refuel your body.

This is all great, but what if you’re not by a computer all day long to track your foods and fitness levels?  Well, that’s where AT&T comes in.  The Fitbit is intelligent enough to connect with your smartphone via app so you can see your dashboard and food diary with you wherever you go.  Just like with the dashboard on your computer, you can track your fitness goals, weight loss or gain, and see hour by hour how you are looking for the day and how you can best stay on track.

We’ve been using our Fitbit trackers {I have the Fitbit One, hubby has the Fitbit Ultra} for a few months now and we absolutely love them.  Straight out of the package you can use it like a smart pedometer, but once you connect it to your computer or smartphone you can add what you’ve eaten and add any physical activities {it can tell when you’ve been walking, going upstairs, or your general fitness level, but it’s not going to be able to detect if you’re carrying heavy items or pushing or pulling something} to help get an even better picture of your activity levels. 

We love our Fitbit wireless activity trackers so much that we were thrilled to find out that AT&T carries other fitness accessories that pair with our devices and smartphones, like the new Fitbit Aria WiFi Smart Scale. 

We’ve been trying out the scale for the last two weeks using both of our trackers and would definitely recommend adding it if you are already using the Fitbit.  Just like the Fitbit itself, it pairs directly with your smartphone or desktop to track your weight automatically, which is one less step you need to remember.

Really, the hardest part is remembering to weigh myself a few times a week, which I'm habitually bad at.  But, now that I've got the Aria Smart Scale to keep me motivated and on track, even that is getting to be less and less of a problem these days.  There's just something fun about seeing pounds disappear from a scale while watching your fitness levels rise. 

For me, one of the best parts about the system is that I've learned a lot about how I gain weight and how to lose it.  And, as it turns out, healthy competition is the way to go.  Since hubby and I are connected to each other on the Fitbit dashboard we are literally competing every day for the highest activity levels.  I love that we're not going pound-to-pound in a weight loss competition but rather the goal is to just beat the other person's step total to win. 

Unfortunately for me and my {mostly} sedentary job, I have to work extra hard to keep up, but had I not been tracking it, I would never have known the difference in activity levels.  Just knowing that I've been sitting while he is standing and walking makes me get up more and keep moving, which is a great thing for both my health and my bragging rights.  You decide which is the most important. 

The Fitbit Aria WiFi Smart Scale is available at AT&T stores as well as online for $129.99

Want to see the full range of fitness products from AT&T?  Check out their Health and Fitness accessories today or pop into a store near you!

How would you like to win a Fitbit Zip from AT&T? 

To Enter: comment on this post with why you think it's cool that AT&T carries fitness products like the Fitbit

And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Post on your Facebook wall about this awesome #ATTseattle Fitbit giveaway {bit.ly/12G6aVU} with extra credit if you tag Rave & Review

1 Extra Entry {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, follow on Pinterest, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Retweet this tweet making sure you are using the #ATTseattle hashtag

1 Extra Entry - Like @RaveAndReview and @ATT on Twitter

1 Extra Entry - Comment love on any post, just leave a comment here as well.

On June 9th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Open to US only, 18+ 

A big thank you to AT&T for providing the ARIA scale as well as a Fitbit giveaway for readers.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

 

Spy Tec Inventio HD 720P video recording sunglasses {Review}

by Tyler, editor and reviewer

Even from a young age, I was obsessed with spy technology.  I used to stay up at night thinking of how cool it would be if cameras could fit in the palm of your hand, if fingerprint scanners could lock your valuables or if Hollywood’s technology would ever be a reality.  Unfortunately, I was clearly born a few decades too soon, because it’s only now that technology is catching up with my imagination.

For instance these, which are the ultimate in spy high-tech gear.  Forget cameras that fit in your palm, the Spy Tec Inventio HD is a camera you wear on the bridge of your nose.  You can bet we were thrilled when we heard we would get to test these babies out this spring to see if my childhood dreams really had come true.

While I’m past the age of dreaming of espionage and covert operations, I still think these are pretty darn awesome for all sorts of applications.  From recording fast moving sports and action shots hands-free, to capturing your perspective on the world, the Spy Tec glasses offer an unobtrusive way to record just about anything.

While I could go on and on about how fun it would be to pop these on and go for a bike ride or hike, my favorite thing about the glasses has nothing to do with sports or spying – it has to do with kids.  We all know kids freeze up as soon as you pull out your camera and start filming, so I love that the Spy Tec glasses are so discreet that they have no idea when you’re filming and when you’re not.  This means you’re more likely to catch that amazing trick they do, the funny pronunciation, or simply them just being them. 

We also like to let our kids wear the glasses to film and let them record the world as they see it.  Instead of worrying about what buttons they will press or whether they will drop the video camera on its lens, we can put the Spy Tec glasses right on the kids {use the included sunglasses neck strap if you are worried they might fall off} and let them make art all by themselves. 

Sure, they are tiny and great for kids, but I bet you’re wondering what kind of quality a “spy camera” could possibly be.  The answer is that it’s better than what you might think.  While some fast-moving  shots may produce videos that shake the entire time or be completely unwatchable, normal movements like walking or turning your head produce nice clear shots just like a regular video camera.  

And, at 720P, the videos are a nice clear HD quality image, which makes it perfect for YouTube, watching on your TV, or making high quality videos.  While it’s not IMAX quality, or DSLR quality, it does better than most point-and-shoot video cams we’ve tried, and is far more portable and unobtrusive. 

This was a big issue for me as I’m constantly feeling very removed from the action when I’m behind my camera, and then am stuck holding it all day long, even when I’m done filming.  With the Spy Tec glasses I can simply wear them like normal sunglasses {which I always have with me} and hit record when something exciting happens.  Then, when the sun goes down and I don’t need sunglasses, I merely pop them into their included case.

The sound quality is also decent and does a good job of picking up voices and environment sounds.  Naturally, your voice will be the loudest sound if you speak at all, due to the proximity to the microphone, so you really don’t need to speak loud at all to be heard.

Of course, every technology has its drawbacks, and the fact that this video cam fits on your face means it doesn’t have many bells and whistles built into the camera itself.  No LCD screen, no menu, and no special effects, but none of these things would be worth sacrificing how small the glasses are, so I say it’s well worth it. 

Some things did take a little getting used to, like the fact that you have to take them off your face to see if they are recording, the way that the angle of the lens is a bit above where your eye is looking so you need to compensate a bit while filming up close, that you can’t really “compose” your image the way you can with a traditional video camera and the fact that you can’t see what you recorded until you connect it to your computer. 

You also need to take into account that some fast-moving  shots may produce videos that shake the entire time or be completely unwatchable, depending on camera movement.  Even walking or turning your head too fast can produce dizzying videos if you're not fully aware of your movements, so I have to remind myself to move more slowly while wearing them.

But, the biggest issue we found with not having an LCD screen or menu option is that you don’t know when you are out of memory or out of battery.  We had a whole day of thinking we were recording only to find that my daughter had used all the memory taking videos of what we can only imagine is the inside of her purse.  As for the battery, we found that thankfully it lasts about 2 hours of recording before needing to be charged, so we just charge it up when we’ve been filming a lot and we actually haven’t had it run down on us yet. 

Speaking of recording all day long, I love that the Inventio-HD automagically separates long videos into 1.2GB {which is approximately 15 minutes} increments for you.  Having smaller chunks of footage makes it much easier to find specific moments you've shot later as well as for editing purposes if you're making compilations.  While making our video I was very grateful to have smaller clips to work with instead of 1-2 hours videos to wade through. 

The Spy Tec Inventio HD sunglasses come with nice polarized lenses straight out of the package, but I love that you can also buy replacement lenses, mirrored lenses or even clear lenses for $12 apiece.  Depending on what you are filming or what activities you have in store, having different lens options is a big plus to me, especially since changing out the lenses makes it possible to film indoors as well. 

Here's the rundown on the Spy Tec Inventio HD video recording sunglasses:

• 720P HD video and audio recording 
• 16-bit digital audio recording 
• Cables included to connect to computer or TV
• Battery life of 2 hours
• 8GB of Class 10 internal memory
• Compatible with PC and Mac computers
• Includes 1 year warranty
• Bonus carrying case, cleaning cloth, and neck strap included

If you’re looking for an easy way to record everything from a helicopter ride to a walk through your favorite spot, from action shots to catching your grandma sweetly singing a lullaby while rocking your baby, the Spy Tec glasses are a great purchase.  They retail for $129.95 and can be purchased at SpyTecInc.com

Want to see the Spy Tec Inventio HD sunglasses in action?  Check out our video showing our favorite uses. 

A big thank you to Spy Tec for providing the Inventio HD sunglasses to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions remain 100% ours.

Memory making season is here – get ready with Best Buy

Five years and two kids ago, I took about half the photos I do now.  Granted, as someone with a photography degree under her belt I still took a ton of pictures, but there are really only so many photos you need of yourself and your husband or the sunset from your deck.  But, once I had kids it was if I was seeing the world all over again and there were a million reasons to bring out the camera each day.

Like this gem from Easter a million years 3 years ago.  I know everyone says it, but they just grow up so fast.

But, in addition to million reasons to pull out the camera, there were also a million reasons to get a new camera altogether.  Although I had awesome film SLR cameras and a so-so point and shoot, my kids also came along during the digital revolution when film processing labs were harder to find than swimsuits in December {Trust me, I know.  I’ve been the poor schlep looking for both…at the same time}.  Add in the fact that my cameras were awful in low light and flash and fast movement seemed to ruin all my pictures, and it won’t come as any surprise that the first thing I asked for was a new digital SLR to celebrate becoming a mom.

I know I’m not alone in this, because one of the first thing friends and family ask as soon as they become parents is for advice on getting a new camera.  So, what do I tell them?  I tell them not to risk all those precious firsts of a new baby, graduation memories, or that family vacation to a smartphone.  While incredibly convenient at times, they certainly aren’t the quality you can get from a dedicated camera and with memories that valuable you don’t want to compromise.

So, with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduations and weddings on the horizon, now is the time to upgrade your camera and get one that is worthy of all those memories.  Thank goodness Best Buy is here to help.  With a low price guarantee and a huge selection of cameras you can try right in the store {that last one is important if you’re picky like I am}, you can make sure you’re getting your perfect camera at the perfect price and even get free shipping to your home.  From DSLR camera to point and shoots, camcorders, and cameras with zoom lenses, low light capabilities, and even wi-fi, there’s a camera for everyone.   

AND, to make their low price guarantee even better, they also have an amazing trade-in program that buys back old cameras and pays in gift cards just like their cell phone buy-back program I was raving about a few months ago.  So, collect all the cameras that you aren’t using or have outgrown and bring them in for instant store credit on the camera you really want.  Isn’t that awesome? 

Then, once you have your amazing camera and files and files of gorgeous pictures of the cutest kids/pets/husband/etc, you can spring for a digital photo frame from Best Buy that can display them all in one place for a whole lot cheaper than printing them all and framing them.  And, now you can get that frame at 25% off, which makes it even more economical in the long run, and something that would make a great present for mom {hint, hint}, dad, or the newest grad.

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

Mother's Day Gift Idea - LG Optimus G Pro from AT&T {Giveaway}

Just like so one will forget when they first heard the term “smartphone”, no one will ever be able to forget the first time they heard the term “phablet” {you know, a phone and tablet in one}.  My first time was in reference to my NOKIA 920 Windows Phone from AT&T, which I was assured was a “phablet” based on size alone. 

Well, it turns out that my phone is not a phablet, but it is actually a real thing, and I think that’s really awesome.  I really love having a phone on the bigger side as I do a lot of picture viewing and video watching on my phone, so to me, bigger is better and I’d love to get a phablet some day.  I don’t want to carry around a full-size tablet with me each day in addition to my phone, so a phablet is a compromise that offers a bigger screen and all the bells a whistles of a tablet and only one gadget to pay for on your cell phone plan.  


Just in time for Mother’s Day, AT&T is set to release the new LG Optimus G Pro that would be the perfect phablet for mom.  Whether she’s the sentimental type who will swoon over the grandkids picture on the big screen, the adventurous type who will make good use of the dual recording feature, or the snap-happy traveler that needs a phone that takes stellar pictures, the LG Optimus G Pro is the perfect solution.

Seriously, just look at all these features:

- Powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor with 2 GB RAM
- Expansive 5.5" 1080p Full HD IPS Screen (400 ppi resolution)
- Long-Lasting 3,140 mAh Battery
- Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
- Advanced 13 MP Full HD Camera with Dual Recording
- 2.1 MP Full HD Front-Facing Camera for Dual Recording and Video Conferencing
- Visually and Audibly Collaborate in Real Time with VuTalk
- QSlide 2.0 for Advanced and Convenient Multitasking
- Audio Zoom for amplifying sound while using Live Zooming
- QuickRemote for Universal Remote Control
- Pocketable Ergonomic Design with Narrow Bezel
- Internal Storage: 32 GB total, support for up to 64 GB of expandable memory
- Bluetooth® Version 4.0

About the AT&T network: The LG Optimus G Pro runs on AT&T 4G LTE, currently covers nearly 200 million people; with plans to expand to cover 300 million people by the end of 2014.  In a report by independent testing organization RootMetrics, AT&T's 4G LTE network was called “blazing fast."  The report found AT&T’s 4G LTE network delivered the fastest pure LTE speeds in markets where AT&T provided 4G LTE.


Although the Optimus G Pro from AT&T doesn’t come out until the 10th, you can pre-order the device beginning May 3 at www.att.com/optimusgpro for $199 {or, even cheaper if you have a new-ish phone you can trade in}.  And, to sweeten the deal even more, anyone who pre-orders will receive a free Quick Cover black folio case while supplies last.  How awesome is that? 

Be sure and make your mom a personalized e-card by clicking on the image below.  My daughter adores all the "it's not complicated" commericals with the kids, so I'm going to have her make me a card tonight {with a little help from daddy-o}.

And, want to make Mom extra super-duper happy this Mother’s Day?  Sign the pledge to not text and drive at #itcanwait.  Have you signed it?

How would you like to win a LG Optimus G Pro smartphone from AT&T? 

To Enter: comment on this post with why you {or your mom} would love this phone

And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Post on your Facebook wall about this awesome #ATTseattle smartphone giveaway {bit.ly/ZDjB6N } with extra credit if you tag Rave & Review

1 Extra Entry {per method} - Follow Rave & Review! Subscribe by RSS feed, Subscribe by email, follow on Pinterest, become a fan of R&R on Facebook or add R&R to your blogroll or sidebar.

1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Retweet this tweet using the #ATTseattle hashtag letting me know why you love the LG Optimus G Pro for yourself - or your mom

1 Extra Entry - Like @RaveAndReview and @ATT on Twitter

1 Extra Entry - Comment love on any post, just leave a comment here as well.

On May 12th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Open to US  only, 18+ 

This giveaway is now closed.  Thank you to all who entered and congratulations to:

80 JD Northwest said...Facebook posted and tagged. https://www.facebook.com/john.carroz/posts/10201142672679569

A big thank you to AT&T for providing a giveaway for readers.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

Our Week of Adventure {KIA Sportage Review}

by Tyler, editor and reviewer

After having so much fun trying out the KIA Optima last fall, we jumped at the chance to try out the KIA Sportage CUV {compact utility vehicle} earlier this month through STI - The Drive Experience Company.  Since we don’t have an SUV or CUV in our family, we were all very excited to try out something new and exciting and see what we’ve been missing out on.  And, as it turns out, what we’ve been missing is adventure. 

There’s something about a fancy new car that makes you look for reasons to drive, and we found plenty of places to drive our loaner Sportage.  From short road trips to all-day adventures, the KIA Sportage was the perfect solution for hauling all of us – and our gear – while still having enough pep to make driving fun. 

Since the Sportage is the smaller of the two SUVs that KIA offers {hence the CUV title}, we were originally concerned that space would be an issue with all our gear, carseats, and strollers we need to haul around.  But, we were very surprised of the roomy-ness of the interior, especially the back seat.  While the back storage wasn’t huge, it still fit everything that we normally have in our trunk and more, while still having the option of packing the back seat, if necessary. 

While I’m not anti-SUV by any means, I have been driving compact cars almost exclusively for 8 years now and I was initially worried that driving an SUV – even if it was on the smaller side – would be a tradeoff in terms of power and handling.  But, what I found was that although the Sportage has a raised drive height, it still has a very car-like handling that I love.

Something that really surprised me about the driving experience was how much you can fine tune the feel and performance of the Sportage.  By turning the Eco-Mode on or off and either using the automatic or manual settings on the transmission the Sportage really felt like different cars at different times, making it perfect for whatever terrain we were on.

Here’s what we learned from our week of adventure:

Daddy-O Likes

• Leg room – Being a tall guy, I dread having to sit in back seats, but the Sportage passes my personal “can I sit behind myself?” test with flying colors.  Which means not only am I comfortable in any seat, I don’t have to feel bad for anyone behind me, either.
• Room for both car seats – Not only do our two car seats fit in the back seat, but we could also drop down the center armrest between them which gave the kids access to the two cup holders within {a treat they both agree has become a necessity.}  
• The quick turbo engine – Our Sportage came with the 2.0 liter turbocharged engine which has 260HP and 269 ft. lbs. of torque.  Put the transmission into manual mode and this thing felt like a little race car, able to carve corners and merge onto the freeway with ease.  
• Eco-Mode – Switching to Eco-Mode garnered an indicated 4-5mpg gain during some of our longer freeway jaunts while at the same time making the Sportage feel like a comfy Sunday cruiser as it seemed to take the edge off of the throttle inputs.  This was the perfect attitude for cruising the back roads, enjoying the scenery while sipping fuel.
• Cooling seats – I have a tendency to hop in the car with my jacket still on while everyone else has only a T-shirt.  The option to pump cool air through my seat with the heat on for everyone else may be the single most meaningful advance in family harmony ever.  I can only imagine how great it feels once it really gets hot out.
• Steering wheel controls – The ability to control your phone, radio volume and station, and cruise control is very helpful when you jump into a new car.  And apparently something you get used to quickly, as I found myself searching for those same non-existent buttons in my own car a week later. 
• Super-bright lights – That pretty much sums it up, but for those of you looking for more description, we are talking about curb to curb daylight leading the way ahead of you all night long.  These things are awesome. 
• Back up camera – This is another feature that I could really get used to.  Since I prefer to back into parking spots whenever possible, it was nice knowing I wasn’t going to crash someone else’s car into someone else’s car {AKA the pinnacle of automotive embarrassment}.  This was especially handy when we stuffed the back luggage area to the roof, blocking out the rear window completely, and I still felt confident with just my side mirrors and the backup cam. 
• Smart lane change blinker – No driving like grandpa because your blinker automatically turns off after 3 blinks when changing lanes.  That’s right, simply tap the blinker lever gently, in either direction, and you get three blinks from your lights instead of one. 
• Bluetooth integration – An amazingly simple pairing process gets you phone calls and audio streaming directly from your phone, whether it is in your pocket or on the center console.  On top off that, the audio quality on the other end is so good that when my wife called me from the car I honestly had no idea I was on the car’s speakerphone until the kiddos chimed in from the back seat {which of course they loved as well.}

Mama Likes

• Heated and cooled seats – Heated seats are great for colder weather because they warm you up quick without the stuffy heat you sometimes get from blasting the car’s heater, but they are also good for lower back pain I sometimes get while driving, and for cruising around at night with the sunroof open.  But, since the warmer weather is approaching, I also love that they added cooling seats as well, which would be amazing through the summer months. 
• Dual climate control – He’s hot, I’m cold.  But, we both can ride together without bundling or burning up with dual climate control.
• Keyless entry and ignition – Hands down, the coolest new car feature, ever.  As long as you have the Sportage key on you {in your pocket, purse, jacket, etc} the car interior lights turn on as soon as you get close to the car, and then you can unlock the doors just by pushing the small buttons on the exterior door handles.  Once inside the car, simply put your foot on the brake, push the start button and you’re off, never having to dig for your keywhile wrangling your kids and all the various stuff that comes along with them.  I literally never took it out of my purse while I was test driving, which is pretty awesome. 
• Dashboard control screen – As much as I love having buttons and knobs for certain things, I also really like a good sized touch screen that can add even more functionality to your journey, especially when you’re out exploring and you *may* need a little assistance with directions, finding coffee, or good tunes along the way.   
• Drives small – Coming from a compact sedan, the worry was that it would take an initial adjustment period, for me especially, but what I found was that it didn’t feel like we were driving a huge vehicle at all, just a taller version of what we are used to.  
• Trunk under tray storage – While the main area of the trunk is pretty good sized, it does taper in at the top to allow for the sporty proportions of the Sportage, which means you are a bit limited on space.  A smart way they added storage is a nice divided compartment underneath the floor of the trunk above the spare tire.  For us, this was a great place to store our first aid and roadside emergency supplies, change of clothes or other small items we carry but don’t get at frequently.  Plus, it’s a great place to hide valuables when you’re parking the car for any amount of time.

Kiddos Like

• Panoramic sun roof – Can’t beat a sunroof for the parents AND one for the kiddos.  Whether it was sunny or sprinkling, having almost your entire roof letting in light makes it feel so open and roomy that they don’t even mind that their sunroof doesn’t open.
• Good visibility – What fun is driving around if you can’t see anything?  Both kiddos loved that being up higher afforded them a much better advantage point for sight-seeing along our journeys.
• Cup holders for them  – Whether they were holding sippy cups, toys or treats, the cup holders are always the first thing the kiddos take ownership of when test driving, and the thing they miss the most when we return to the reality of our compact sedan.   
• Folding mirrors – While very practical and useful feature when parking in cramped spots, this also is apparently the coolest feature ever to a 4 year old.

As you can imagine, the whole family was a little upset to hand back the keys to the KIA Sportage and say goodbye to the red CUV we had all grown to love.  It’s now become the standard by which SUVs are evaluated, and has made our car a far less appealing road trip mobile.  While we save up money for our own Sportage someday, we have our week of adventure to remember forever.

Interested in driving experiences?  Check out the STI Facebook page to keep up on all their events near you.

A big thank you to STI The Drive Experience Company for letting us borrow the KIA Sportage for the week to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions remain 100% ours.

Cast Iron Roadster Mechanical Bank from Wind & Weather {Review & Giveaway}

I’m a saver, not a spender.  Sure, I have things I like to splurge on, but I also love the feeling of saving and building a financial safety net.  While my kids know that we always buy with coupons and shop sales, they don’t get the concept of saving up for something and I wanted to change that.

So, how do you make saving up for something – whether it’s big or small, in the immediate or in the far off future – fun for a 2 year old and a 4 year old?  Well, for one, you start with a good piggy bank.  Really, the cooler the bank, the more it will get used, so I say get one that is brag-worthy.

And, I don’t believe there is any bank more brag-worthy than this:

At first glance, I was immediately in love with the Cast Iron Roadster Mechanical Bank from Wind and Weather and knew it would be perfect for my son’s room décor.  With a “vintage traveler” room for him to grow into, he has many antiques and interesting pieces of art from all over the world displayed.  I’m very picky about what makes the cut to get displayed but even after a quick glance I knew this 20's style car and driver would be perfect for the room and for collecting his hard earned pennies.  

But, once I found out the Roadster on the bank moved to push the money into the bank below, I was sold.  It's a car! That races! That holds money!  

When I first opened the package, I was even more in love.  The bank is beautifully painted and detailed with a vintage flair, so that it looks like something that could have been passed down from generation to generation.  It's made entirely of cast iron, so it's really {really} heavy even without money in it, which means it could easily be used as a bookend so it can be multipurpose as well.

To use the bank, you simply pull the cast iron car back to the start position, place the coin on the front bumper, and press the lever to release and the car races to the finish line, pushing the coin into the bank below.  In addition to being super cool for kids {or adults *ahem*} of all ages, I really like the satisfying thud the roadster makes when it reaches the finish and the coin disappears below.   

While my son hasn’t fully mastered pulling the car back to set it up after each coin, it’s so fun watching his eyes light up each time the car pushes the money to the bank below that I don’t mind doing it over and over and over again for him.  It’s just so fun to see him digging for spare change or asking for our coins when we’re out so he can take them home and stash them away in his bank, that I feel we’re already on the way to teaching him about savings. 

Of course, he’s too young now to teach the Save, Spend, and Give that I’m working on with my four year old, but I’m doing what I can to reinforce savings even though he’s young.  I plan on helping him take a little bit out of his bank to pay for the toy car he’s been circling in his toy catalog so he gets the idea that we save for special things but we always leave money in the bank – for rainy days and for long-term goals.    

The Cast Iron Roadster Mechanical Bank measures 8-1/2"L x 3"W x 4-1/2"H and is available direct from Wind & Weather {and is currently on sale for $63.99}.  While you're there, you should definitely do some shopping around - they carry all sorts of home decor, outdoor solutions, and fun accessories for indoors and out that you just won't find anywhere else!

How would you like to win one of these awesome mechanical banks from Wind & Weather?

To Enter: visit Wind & Weather and comment below with another product you love {mandatory}

And, as always, there are extra entries available! {Please leave a separate comment for each completed}

2 Extra Entries - Post on your Facebook wall about this awesome Wind & Weather giveaway {bit.ly/1555aze} with extra credit if you tag Wind & Weather and Rave & Review

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1 Extra Entry {daily} - Twitter.  Retweet this tweet

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2 Extra Entries - Blogger Bonus. Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and leave an address where I can find your writeup

1 Extra Entry - Comment love on any post, just leave a comment here as well.

On May 7th at 11:59pm PST a winner will be drawn, announced here and notified via email. Winner will have 24 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Winner must be 18 years or older, limited to the United States only.

A big thank you to Wind & Weather for sending the Roadster Mechanical Bank for review and for offering one to our fabulous readers.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.  

Enjoying the sun and making smart Steps with Walgreens #BalanceRewards

This is a sponsored post.

One thing we are adamant about with our kids is that they grow up in an active family.  We try and go biking, hiking, and exploring whenever possible, but when we’re not able to do that, we simply walk everywhere.  With spring weather slowly arriving in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve been loving all the sun and taking every opportunity to get outside and be active. 

With weather predicted to be in the 70s over Easter weekend, we saw it as the perfect opportunity to head out of the city and explore Chuckanut Drive and Bellingham as a family… and maybe even sneak in a quick hike.  Of course, that means snacks for the trail and for the trip up north so while my daughter was in school, little man and I decided to enjoy some sunshine and walk over to our local Walgreens to do a little shopping for the weekend.

In addition to snacks for the trail/road, I was also interested in learning more about the new Steps campaign at Walgreens through their Balance Rewards program that encourages their members to record their fitness achievement and awards points for each task.  Since hubby and I already wear smart pedometers daily, I was excited to see how we could use the data we’re already collecting and earn points for stuff we’re already buying.  But, in addition to earning points, I saw it as a great way to teach the kiddos about the importance of daily activity and was hoping to get a pedometer for our daughter as well.

We had planned on asking about the Steps program as soon as we got to Walgreens, but we got distracted as soon as we walked in the door and started our shopping instead.  We headed around the store and picked up nuts and seeds, granola bites, bars, dried fruits, beef jerky, and more, and then we headed over to check out their selection of pedometers, activity trackers, heart monitors and fitness gadgets to see if there was something we could use.

I was really surprised by the selection of fitness and wellness gadgets and spent quite a bit of time perusing the shelves.  I was seeing everything from basic fitness tools to electronics you can wear on your wrist, as well as some things I had never seen before that I was curious about, like the LifeStrength ionic bracelet touted as “the vitamin you wear”. 

Curiosity got the best of me and I took one up to the register to check the price while I purchased all our other treats.  Up at the register, a quick chat with the manager gave us everything we were looking for about the Steps program as well as an awesome Walgreens branded pedometer and bag that they had for promotional use that would be perfect for our hike.  And, then in the end, I surprised myself by adding the LifeStrength band to my order as well so we could check it out on our busy weekend ahead and see if we noticed a difference.

When we got home, I packed our bag for our journey, filled up some water bottles to chill in the fridge, and hopped on the computer to start earning Balance Rewards points for all the upcoming activities. It was mere minutes and I had successfully joined the Steps program and then I explored the site a little bit to see all that it offered.  I was really happy when I realized that you can actually sync smart activity trackers like the FitBits that hubby and I both wear right to your Steps account so you don’t have to remember to log each mile manually. 

You can also earn rewards for making fitness goals for yourself, weighing yourself, buying fitness related items at Walgreens, participating in local walk/runs/triathalons and more.  If you haven’t already, I urge you to start a Steps account through the Balance Rewards program.  It’s free to join, simple to sign up for, and it’s a great way to motivate yourself and your family. 

While the jury is still out on whether the LifeStrength I bought makes a noticeable difference in how I feel, getting outside in the sunshine with my favorite people certainly makes a difference in my outlook. Even though I woke up to a rather gloomy Monday, I still feel better knowing how active we were over the weekend and am excited to get out again as a family.

And, although my daughter is young and our focus isn’t on weight loss, I found that giving her the pedometer for the weekend was a great move on our part.  The energy and excitement she had about tracking her steps was contagious and we all pushed ourselves a bit more than we would have otherwise.  And, the best part is that instead of asking to be carried or saying she was tired only part of the way through our day, she was really excited to get as many steps as she could and was running circles around us the whole time.  

The bonus was getting home and logging on to the Steps Balance Rewards site to see that I earned 540 points just having fun with the family.  If you haven't signed up for Walgreens Balance Rewards program you will need to do that before you can sign up for the Steps program, but both programs are free and completely painless to sign up for.  Why not get rewarded to shop, stay fit, and meet your wellness goals?

Read more about our shopping trip, Steps program signup process and our day hiking as a family in our Google+ album.  You can also see more about Aisle Share FUN page.

Find out more at Walgreens.com and follow Walgreens on Twitter and Facebook.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Walgreens #cbias #SocialFabric.  As always, all opinions are 100% ours.

DIY Easter Terrarium with ProFlowers {Review & Coupon Code}

I got hooked on terrariums when I was given a small present from Twig at BlogHer in 2011.  Since then I have been dying to learn how to make one on my own but didn’t even know where to start.  It turns out I didn’t have to look far, because ProFlowers has their own DIY terrarium kit that comes with everything you need to get started.  Awesome, right?

As soon as I saw the Going for a Ride Moss Terrarium on the ProFlowers site, I knew I had to have it.  The picket fence, the bike, the reindeer moss – I loved it all!  But, as much as I simply adored the items included in the kit, I had even greater plans for the terrarium and began to collect fun spring-themed goodies to make myself a scene that would be perfect as an Easter centerpiece. 

Thank goodness the DIY terrarium kit shipped super fast and I only had to wait 1 day before it was delivered right to my door.  I was so excited to dig right in {literally}, that I had the whole kit together within 20 minutes of receiving the package – and that’s including the time it took to photograph each step!

Thankfully, the included step by step instructions made creating a little terrarium world seem as easy as cooking from a box.  Each step was clearly written out and easy to understand, and everything coordinated with the clearly labeled individual bags of supplies, making it simple to put together quickly and easily. 

For those of you worried about mess, you will be happy to note that the kit is actually really well packed and easy to dump directly into the glass container without much spilling or requiring a bunch of extra supplies {other than a small dish with water}.  This made it easy to whip out during naptime without worrying about little hands spreading charcoal and mossy layers throughout the house. 

But, because I knew they would adore putting the kit together as well, I saved the fun part for them to help with – the decorating.  Once they were awake, we placed the red bicycle on the grassy knoll I created using the different types of moss and added some special rocks they had collected, including a special one that said "LOVE" and then sat back and admired our creation. 

But, then we decided it wasn’t spring-y enough for our tastes, so we added some Easter ornaments we already had, complete with flowers in the bike baskets and hearts and glitter.   My plan is to add some mini Easter eggs on the day of, as well as a special little bunny right by the love rock for a real Easter feel. 

After having the terrarium displayed for the past few weeks, I love it more and more every time I see it.  I love the Easter accessories we added in the glass container, but I’m also really looking forward to decorating it for each season. 

I’m thinking of getting some mini train people and making my own small kites they can fly, maybe some fake balloons for my daughter’s birthday, and then adding some fake autumn leaves in the fall, white moss for winter, etc.  I will love looking at the lush green moss even when all my houseplants shrivel up, and it will be nice to have around during the freezing temps as a little bit of summer right on my tabletop.   

If you are looking at creating your own DIY terrarium you can decorate and enjoy, you should definitely check out ProFlowers and get started without going from garden store to garden store gathering supplies.  Making our little Easter world was incredibly easy, mostly mess free, and most of all, a fun activity to remind us spring is on the way. 

And, now you can get this awesome terrarium and many other Easter decorations at 20%-50% off, with free shipping, or as a BOGO50% using these ProFlowers coupon codes. 

A big thank you to ProFlowers for sending the DIY terrarium kit to facilitate this review. As always, all opinions are 100% ours.