Moomettes Magnificents» review

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review

Moomettes — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:13:39 +0000

Monster Jam was at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday February 11 through Sunday, February 12, 2012 and featured the return of Grave Digger driven by Randy Brown, Turtle, Stone Crusher, Mopar Magic, Crushstation, Instigator and Thrasher driven by Connecticut’s own Pat Summa! The show included Quad Wars and many exciting motorcycle stunts.

There’s an old adage that “the only difference between men and boys is the cost and size of their toys” !

All my grandson Slugger who’s 3 talks about is “big trucks” – which to him, means only one thing – Monster Trucks!

Monster Jam Trucks

Both my husband and I attended the Hartford show at the XL Center on Saturday. My charming son-in-law’s parents were visiting from Vermont for his dad’s birthday, so we met them there along with the grandchildren and made it a family event. We all enjoyed the thrill of watching these beasts careen around specially built tracks, twist, turn, flip over and gyrate at the command of skilled drivers! Slugger, however will have to wait until he’s 18 before he can become an official Monster Truck driver. For now, he’s content to be entertained while watching the Monster Jam videos on my iPhone and sliding all over the floor wearing out the knees of his pants while he pretends he’s a Monster Truck driver while playing with his favorite Monster Truck, Grave Digger.

What is a Monster Truck?

Approximately 12 feet tall and about 12 feet wide, Monster Trucks are custom-designed machines that sit atop 66-inch-tall tires and weigh a minimum of 10,000 pounds. Built for short, high-powered bursts of speed, Monster Trucks generate 1,500 to 2,000 horsepower and are capable of speeds of up to 100 miles per hour. Monster Trucks can fly up to 125 to 130 feet (a distance greater than 14 cars side by side) and up to 35 feet in the air!

On the day before the show, the Monster Trucks were on display at several area Advance Auto Parts stores in the Hartford area. My husband and youngest daughter checked out Crushstation, from Maine. They had a chance to talk to the driver and ask questions. They found out that the body is made from fiberglass by a boat builder, and costs approximately $65,000 just for the body!

Before the show started, we all went down to the Pits to check out the Monster Trucks up close, check out the dirt track, and got to talk to the drivers. The lines were long and all the kids and grandchildren were patiently waiting to get autographs and a photo-opp! The Pits were open for 1-1/2 hours before showtime.

The audience was entertained with a pre-show exhibit of quad race wars before the actual start of the show. It was fun to watch and the kids were pumped up for the actual show to begin! The show itself lasted approximately 2-1/2 hours.

We all brought ear plugs because it’s quite noisy when the trucks start up and rev their engines. As this is truly an entertaining sport family event, there were many, many young children there. Earplugs and ear and hearing protection devices were available for purchase in the lobby, so we bought the grandchildren, ages 3 and 5 each a set. The kids enjoyed wearing them because they looked like they were wearing Monster Truck tires on their ears!

Tickets Monster Jam Discount:

I’m excited to be able to offer my local New England readers in Connecticut a super Promo Discount Code so you can take the family, kids and grandchildren to this Connecticut family event to enjoy and see these colossal behemoths in action with your very own eyes!

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There’s still time to pick up a discount ticket for the Sunday show!

Save $5 Per Ticket
Valid on Saturday, Feb. 11th at 7:30PM
Sunday, Feb. 12th at 2:00PM
Valid on $35.50 and $24.50 Tickets
**All Kid’s Tickets are $13 (Ages 2-12. Not valid on Premium Seating.)
**Additional Fees May Apply

Promo Code: 1RADIO

Valid at XL Center Ticket Office, Ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster

For More Information: Monster Jam

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Bodum French Press Coffee Maker Review | How to Use a French Press | Brazil French Press

Moomettes — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:13:06 +0000

If you crave a cup of coffee brewing in order to hit the ground running in the morning, treat yourself to a latte style with foam made with a Bodum French Press coffee brewer.

At home I used a single cup coffee brewer with pod cups. Recently I changed jobs. At my former office we had a lunch room and a coffee club. We could buy a cup of coffee from the single cup coffee brewer that uses pods or cups, and had a selection of cups with assorted coffee flavors.

At my new job, if I wanted a cup of coffee I had to go out to the lunch truck on the street, as there wasn’t a shared coffee club. It takes a Committee to organize a club, with requisitioning supplies and doing the accounting. Most offices do, however, have a microwave. But I did notice that my co-workers were making coffee with a French Press right in their office cubicles.

Bring in your own coffee, creamer, sugar or Splenda – add some microwaved water or filtered water and presto – instant coffee!

If you crave a latte, I’ve discovered that the Bodum Brazil is the best way to make coffee, whether you’re on the job in an office, work at home, or just want to relax at home! I can use my favorite flavored ground roast coffee beans and all that frothy foam at the top makes my coffee taste so rich!

Bodum Brazil French Press Coffee Maker

Brew an excellent cup of coffee in a green way: just hot water and ground coffee is all that’s needed. And that’s all that coffee lovers are left with, too no waste, just taste.

BODUM is a family owned company, founded in 1944 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Peter Bodum and continues to broaden its collection of beautifully designed everyday life products.

I tried out the 3 cup (12 oz.) BRAZIL French Press coffee maker using a course ground coffee, filtered water and a timer.

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How To French Press Instructions

Here’s some tips on how to brew a good cup of coffee:

Features:

Dishwasher Safe, Available in Black, Red and Lime Green

BODUM also offers tea brewers, travel presses and tumblers, expresso machines, coffee grinders, milk frothers, coffee beans and carafes.

Do you know someone who’s a coffee fanatic? This would make an excellent gift for mom, dad, grandmom, sister or your favorite cubicle dweller!

For More Information Visit: Bodum

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Autumn Birthday Party Ideas – Riverview Farms – Hay Rides In Connecticut

Moomettes — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 12:00:54 +0000

Connecticut Grown

Riverview Farms in South Glastonbury, CT holds an annual Fall Festival running from September through October 21. The Autumn Festival celebrated it’s 19th year in providing a fun, family event that was loaded with adventures for all ages.

Fall Birthday Party Ideas and Autumn Pumpkin Festivals

I can’t believe I’ve been a Grandmom for 5 years already! Where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday I was running around like a chicken without my head, planning a baby shower for my first-born grandchild!

My granddaughter was born in late October so the decision to celebrate her 5th Birthday by having her Birthday Party conoincide with the Riverview Farms Fall Festival was an excellent opportunity to not only celebrate with her kindergarten school friends, but to enjoy all the Fall activities and experiences that the autumn pumpkin festival had to offer.

Hosting a Birthday Party during Fall Foliage season was so simple. My daughter made reservations for a Saturday, and provided cupcakes and goodie bags for the children to take home after the party. ‘Lil Moomette’s party was at in mid-afternoon, but an earlier time would allow moms and dads to bring in their own lunch items, such as a pizza party.

Riverview Farms Birthday Party celebrations packages includes a hayride with a sugar pumpkin; a petting zoo with food for all the animals; a covered area with picnic tables and options for their 30-foot Giant Pumpkin Bounce House, fresh Apples, Apple Cider and Robb’s delicious Ice Cream, made right on the premises!

And they did all the clean up! Yes!

Corn Mazes

As the children were 5 years old and younger, we opted not to enjoy the 2-acre Corn Maze this time around. The corn maze is made from 8-foot tall cornstalks that shade the paths and block views of the farm surroundings. There are few landmarks and only the clouds and trees to navigate as the paths zigzag. The goal is to find the platform.

Hayrides and Pumpkin Festivals

Our granddaughter and her cousins and friends enjoyed the hayride as it ambled through the roads and Connecticut hills down to the pumpkin patch where we stopped to allow the kids to pick your own pumpkins to take home. There was a big John Deere tractor that pulled as along the fields where we got to enjoy sights of a tee pee, free-range goats and the hand-built stone walls that New England is famous for.

Petting Zoo

The Birthday Girl and her friends were able to come “face to snout,” “eye to eye” and “hoof to hoof” with the animal world at Riverview Farms. They had the friendliest goats for the children to feed and pet. There were at least 10 different animals in their petting zoo, including furry newborn baby chickens that the kids could hold!

Our Party Attendant had ample buckets of pellets on hand to pass out for the children to feed the animals. The farm only uses edible and biodegradable ice cream cones to hold the food.

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Food – Fresh Apple Fritters Cider and Ice Cream

In New England, besides the wonderful changing colors of the trees, we also enjoy fresh natural Apple available either as cold or hot cider; homemade Apple Fritters made fresh and deliciously hot, as well as offering Range Free Brown Eggs.

I grew up on non-pasteurized cider, and the taste is magnificent, compared to pasteurized cider that you find in your local grocery stores. Here ‘s made from their Press at Riverview Farms, and you can see it being made right on side. Although they have a new press room has windows on 2 sides so you can see the pressing process, the process is still the same as many years ago! You can bring it home in gallons and half gallons.

There are also over 30 flavors of ice cream to try that the Robb, the owner, and his wife have been perfecting for over 6 years. Specials include Dirty Barn Shoes (interesting!), Goat Tracks and Grand Slam. My charming son-in-law’s Dad who’s from Vermont and lives on Ben & Jerry’s, couldn’t wait to try it out!

There’s also a delightful gift shop full of special New England decorations and trinkets for you to take home!

If You Go:
Riverview Farms
91 Wassuc Road
South Glastonbury, CT 06073
www.RiverviewFarmsCT.Com

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Connecticut’s Largest Agricultural Fair – Family Fun At The Durham Fair

Moomettes — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:30:24 +0000

You can certainly tell that it’s Autmn in New England now! Besides the wonderful scent of apple pies baking, smoke rising from the woodburning stoves and the changing of the leaves, leaf peeping season brings local and county agricultural fairs! Today we took the grandchildren and went to the Durham Fair!

Fairs In September

For the last several weekends in a row, my family has visited quite a few local fairs. We’ve been to the Farm Day Festival, Haddam Neck Fair and The Big E in Massachusetts, (Eastern States Exposition.)

Owned and operated by the Durham Agricultural Fair Association, Inc., the Durham Fair is the largest fair in North America managed entirely by unpaid volunteers.

My Hubby and I have been going to the Durham Fair since even before my own kids were born, and now it’s an annual event with the whole family, especially the grandchildren!

It was an extremely hot day today, especially humid for this time of year in Connecticut. You would think it was Mud Season in Vermont because it had been raining for the last several days, and many of the fields that normally allow parking just ripe for muddin’ !

Despite the heat, we enjoyed the live entertainment, rides and games on the Carnival Midway. There were first-class animal competitions and discovery events on the Corn Stalk Stage, along with my favorites, the crafts, exhibits, shopping and fun food. Yummy! We always try to eat at civic organization booths, and ate at the Lions Club booth. We sat under a tent for shade with plenty of picnic tables, and a live guitarist playing Folk Music. The cheeseburgers were huge and tasty, along with the foot-long hotdogs, and fresh apple cider from Lyman Orchards. We decided that next year, we’re going to try one of the chicken barbeque dinners that several of the church groups put on.

We walked through the permanent buildings housing the displays of award-winning baked goods, gingerbread houses, canned vegetables, jams and jellies. There were also floral arrangements, and vintage agricultural antique farm machinery.

Slugger and his sister enjoyed climbing on the John Deere tractors!

If you choose to leave the fairgrounds early, you can return by getting your hand stamped as the live entertainment on the main stage for the weekend included KC and the Sunshine Band; Blues Traveler and Steel Magnolia.

The first fair in 1916 was held entirely on the Durham Town Green but now is spread over 45 adjacent acres of farmland, and there are many permanent structures. What was once a local event now has turned into the largest of its kind in Connecticut.

For the kids who live in the Durham area, Opening Day is like a major holiday, and they get a half-day off from school! The first fair drew about 2,000 people mainly from Durham and the surrounding towns but now, if the weather is good the fair may draw over 200,000 people from all over Connecticut and surrounding states.

The Durham Fair remains 100% volunteer run and a true agricultural fair, contributing academic scholarships and charitable donations totaling over $50,000 through the work of the Durham Fair Foundation.

Scenes from the Durham Fair

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Put the Durham Fair on your list of things to do in Connecticut if you’re looking for good old-fashioned family fun!

For More Information visit: www.durhamfair.com

Do you have a family and kid-friendly attraction, lodging, restaurant or event that you would like me to visit, write about and feature? To forward information and passes please Contact me.

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Labor Day Family Fun at Connecticut Local Fairs – 100th Anniversary Haddam Neck Fair

Moomettes — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 02:15:39 +0000

The long Labor Day Weekend in Connecticut traditionally is when many agricultural fairs are held. We spent another enjoyable day with the entire family and grandchildren at the 100th Anniversary of the Haddam Neck Fair.

Fairs and Festivals in Connecticut

On Saturday the hubster and I took the grandkids to Farm Day for the Lutz Children’s Museum, but at the Haddam Neck Fair the kids got to go on the kiddie rides on the carnival midway.

Since it began in 1909, the Haddam Neck Fair has been an entirely volunteer operation, operating on its own without support from either government or sponsoring organizations.

Rated by the State of Connecticut as a Major Agricultural Fair, we are proud of the fact that we are able to maintain the small, country atmosphere for which we are known in spite of rising commercialism and the complications of modern life.

Everyone was wide-eyed and enjoyed the various 4H events which included a goat show, horse pull, horse show, cattle show and oxen and working steers. There were also exhibitions of poultry, rabbits and a petting zoo.

My grandson slugger enjoyed the lawn tractor racing, antique tractor pull, farm and modified tractor pull, while my granddaughter ‘Lil Moomette won her first-every trophy for the tractor pedal pull!

Ever the domestic goddess, I enjoyed the barn that had all the arts and crafts hobbies, as well as display of winners of the baking contest, canned goods, fancy work and quilts, flowers, horticulture and photography.

The day turned out to be another major eating event (there goes my diet!) There were plenty of food booths with hot dogs, fried dough, fresh squeezed lemonade, BBQ Chicken, and 10-inch grinders. We like to support the local church and civic organizations that sponsor food booths.

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Despite Hurricane Irene, the fair was held as planned without any changes and fireworks were held on Sunday evening. Attendees were entertained by music at the bandstand.

Kids under 12 and parking were free.

Put the Haddam Neck Fair on your calendar for next year!

For More Information: www.haddamneckfair.com

Do you have a family and kid-friendly attraction, lodging, restaurant or event that you would like me to visit, write about and feature? To forward information and passes please Contact me.

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum – Fun and Educational Things To Do In New York With Kids – Review

Moomettes — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 02:47:15 +0000

If you’re looking for fun things to do in New York City with the kids or grandkids over Labor Day Weekend before they go back to school, make sure you visit Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Not only will mom and dad or grandmom and granddad wax nostalgic over retro historical persona and celebrities, tweens and teens will be able to have their photos taken with their favorite American idol, including Justin Bieber!

When I was a teenager in 1969 I had visited the original Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in London, England. Of course, the figures on display in London were quite different from the ones I saw in New York City this past summer.

What I found astonishing, was how realistic the figures appeared, even viewed up close! You could stare into their eyes, and really think they were real! That’s how far and developed technology has come from the 1960’s!

On display are political leaders; historical figures; pop stars; cultural figures; TV stars; sports stars and world leaders.

Even if you can’t get to NYC, there are many other opportunities to visit the Madam Tussauds Museum with your family, as there are locations in Amsterdam, Bankok, Berlin, Blackpool; Hollywood, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Shanghai, Washington, DC and Wien.

Madame Tussauds In New York

It was exciting to have the opportunity to visit and review the Madame Tussaud Wax Museum. On a hot summer day, it was refreshing to spend several hours in a “cool” museum. Our visit started with an elevator to the top floor of the museum, opening into a Hollywood Red Carpet atmosphere!

Several of my favorite wax displays were:

Princess Diana

I never realized that Di was so tall!

Judy Garland

Judy had such a tiny waist!

Janis Joplin

Janis’ music is unforgettable! Such a tragedy she died so young at the age of 27. I was mesmerized looking at this figure up close, as it was so detailed – Janis looked so old, way beyond her 27 years, because of the hard life that she lived.

Madame Tussaud

MADAME TUSSAUDS WAX FIGURES FACTS

Things You Didn’t Know

Each strand of hair is inserted individually, taking approximately five weeks to complete each head.
Two maintenance teams inspect and primp each figure daily before the attraction opens.
To add authenticity to the figures at Madame Tussauds New York, many artifacts have been donated from the celebrity or purchased from auctions. Joan Rivers & Ivana Trump even donated their personal nail polish.
All figures have their hair washed and make-up retouched regularly.
From the first private sitting with a celebrity to completion, it takes approximately four months to create a figure.
More than 250 precise measurements and photographs of a subject are taken to accurately create a wax figure. If the subject is unavailable for these measurements and photographs, Madame Tussauds studio artists study hundreds of photos and watch hours of video to create the figure.
All celebrities’ vital statistics are kept confidential – despite repeated requests from the public and media.
Because wax shrinks, wax figures are made two percent larger than the real life subjects they portray.
Red silk thread is used to create the veins on each eyeball.
Knotted rope is used to create the look of veins on the bodies.
Each figure costs approximately $125,000 to make.
More than 500 million people worldwide have visited a Madame Tussauds – that’s more than the population of North America and Australia combined.

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Fore More Information Visit: Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

Do you have a family and kid-friendly attraction, lodging, restaurant or event that you would like me to visit, write about and feature? To forward information and passes please Contact me.

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

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Dora’s Garden Gazebo Mega Bloks Figurine Playset

Moomettes — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 03:35:52 +0000

Now that the sunny, warm weather has arrived many moms and grandmoms are getting their exercise in the garden and planting heirloom seeds, herbs and flowers so we can enjoy bursts of wonderful color from our decks, patios and balconies this summer. Your little girl can express her creativity and imagination while role-playing with Mega Bloks Dora’s Garden Gazebo!

Dora The Explorer Dolls

Mega Bloks has new Dora Buildable playsets that let children build and rebuild in many different ways. Each set also includes a Build & Dress Dora with fun accessories.

Features:

Dora’s Garden Gazebo comes with a gazebo, patio table and a beautiful blooming sunflower – so she can construct her very own garden.

The buildable playset includes fun garden accessories such as; a patio umbrella, planting pot and matching watering can which will help her garden grow. This playset also contains a blue bird and pine tree in order for Dora to experience a real outdoor garden!

Includes special pieces like a watering can, gazebo roof, flower pot, little tree and fully bloomed sunflower for limitless Dora decorative possibilities

Includes Baby Blue Bird and new Build & Dress Dora that can change outfits – includes 2 pretty skirts! Dora can instantly change her style from a blue skirt with pink pockets to a bright pin wrap skirt!

The open-ended nature of the playset encourages children to use their imaginations and develop their fine-motor skills.

Combine with other Dora The Explorer buildable playsets for hours of educational and creative play at your child’s fingertips.

Mega Bloks Family Club

Members receive:

A PRINTABLE COUPON for $5 off any $30 or more Mega Bloks purchase

Other exclusive OFFERS, CONTESTS, SWEEPSTAKES and PROMOTIONS on Mega Bloks toys

Information on NEW Mega Bloks toys for kids ages 1 to 6

An EDUCATIONAL and INFORMATIVE BLOG by a leading panel of mom bloggers with articles on the benefits of construction toys, product reviews, pictures and more

A FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER with great new building ideas, toys for kids ages 1 and up and other helpful information.

The Mega Bloks Dora Nickelodeon products also make a cute, thoughtful sibling gift remembrance when visiting and welcoming new babies for the first time! Whether as a young mom, or now as a grandmom, I always take along a small gift for baby’s older brother or sister!

19 pieces
Ages 3+ Up

Additional Dora the Explorer toys sold separately.

For More Information Visit: MegaBloks

Available on:Amazon

© 2011 Moomettes Magnificents

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Monster Jam Trucks | Monster Jam Hartford Connecticut XL Center | Show Review is a post from: Moomettes Magnificents

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Must Have WordPress Plugin: GrowMap Anti-SpamBot Plugin (G.A.S.P.) Review

Moomettes — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 03:19:23 +0000

One of the nice features about blogging on the WordPress platform is the ability to test and use various plugins. I’d like to alert you to a must-have WordPress plugin called GrowMap Anti-Spambot Plugin (G.A.S.P.) that I think will become the new industry standard to replace Akismet.

I’ve followed Gail from GrowMap for quite some time and have met her through various forums, including one that was run by Murray Newlands.

Whatever Gail says goes, in my humble opinion as she’s an authoritative expert blogger on internet and web topics including keyword linking, internet marketing and social media research. As a regular reader, I’ve learned that Gail has some definite opinions on Akismet, and thus took to collaborating and developing a more user-friendly and effective anti-spam plugin.

From the GrowMap website:

This plugin plus a trackback blocker and the blacklist function built into WordPress provides a complete anti-spam solution

The plugin blocks BOTS not human spammers.

The plugin is easy to install – download a zip file and upload through your dashboard. There are settings that you can edit should you choose. I’ve upgraded my blog to the latest WordPress version, and am running my theme on the Studiopress Lifestyle theme and Genesis framework. I haven’t had any plugin conflicts. Since I’ve installed it, spam has essentially been non-existent. It’s nice to open up my dashboard and not have to manually delete comments with hundreds of links.

When you leave a comment on a blog that has the GASP plugin installed, a person has to mark a little check box to prove that they are in fact, human. This is much easier than many of the blogs that have a Captcha installed – where you have to read a series of letters or numbers and insert them before your comment is approved. Many Blogger Blogspot blogs have the Captcha installed when using a comment moderation system such as Discus or Intense Debate. Another good reason to swtich to WordPress!
The G.A.S.P. plugin was developed along with Andy, who’s best known for CommentLuv, and also Phil Hollows, of Feedblitz.

It’s Free!!

Check out the G.A.S.P. Anti-Spambot WordPress Plugin

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Tassimo Bosch T20 Single Cup Coffee Maker Review

Moomettes — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 06:45:53 +0000

Holiday Gift Guide
The TASSIMO T20 Bosch Home Brewing System Brewpot brews over 40 varieties of hot and cold beverages including coffee, chai latte, cappuccino, tea and more! This is one sleek, stylish machine and will look great on your counter-top. Cleanup is a breeze, just discard the T DISC!

During the busy holiday entertaining season, you’ll want to keep plenty of fresh, hot coffee available for your party guests as I do before they leave to go back over the river and through the woods to get home.

Coffee can do a lot more than merely help you get through the day of night! It goes without saying that simply relishing coffee as a beverage is a joy that will never be easily outmatched. The magnificent thing is that just about most folks have no idea of the diverse tastes and joys that this king of all drinks has to offer up.

TASSIMO Home Brewing System

Recently I had the opportunity to review the TASSIMO Bosch T20. This single cup coffe maker would be a perfect gift whether for yourself, mom and dad, grandmom or grandpa, or the adult kids who are just starting out in their own apartments, condos or as homeowners.

With the eagerness of kids on Christmas morning, we took the TASSIMO out of the box and set it up to try this baby out!

What I liked about the TASSIMO T20 is that it can brew the perfect beverage in under 60 seconds each and every time!

How does it do that? When you insert a T DISC, the brewer reads a unique bar code printed on the label. It then automatically calculates the amount of water needed, brewing time, and temperature to prepare the perfect beverage!

Along with the TASSIMO T20, I received their Gevalia Signature Blend Coffee and Starbucks Cappuccino Primo T-Disc to sample.

Tassimo Discs

There’s a brand and flavor for just about everyone – some of their other Tdisc Brands include: Seattle’s Best Coffee®; Carte Noire; Jacobs, Suchard; Twinnings, and the Maxwell House Café Collection.

If you register your brewer with Tassimo you can receive two FREE packages of T Discs!

Single Cup Coffee Maker Features Include:

Makes coffee, tea, cappuccino, latte, crema, espresso and hot cocoa

Makes drinks in about 1 minute

Includes an exclusive flow–through water heater for faster, quieter brewing

Space saving design ideal for apartments, dorm rooms and countertops

Smart bar code technology allows the brewer to adjust each beverage with the proper temperature pressure and amount of water

5.6 lbs.

Brewer dimensions: Width: 7.88″ ; Height: 11″ ; Depth: 11.75″

Imported

1.5 Liter water tank

My TASSIMO T20 Home Brewing System also arrived with a Color Accessory Brewer Kit in Strawberry Red which included a splash cover and cup stand, so it’ll look so festive this Holiday Season! There’s plenty of color choices to match any kitchen or home office décor!

One of the fastest growing tendencies of the past several years has to be the rising popularity of finding coffee through the internet. Never before has it been so effortless to try out such a vast smorgasbord of blends, tastes and aromas, and entirely at the click of a mouse. Make the effort to sample the numerous assorted varieties on hand and the delights of coffee will be sure to tantalize your senses, flirt with your tastebuds and enthral your family, friends and associates. Great gift for grandparents, grads or wedding gift!

Visit the website at: Tassimo

Available at fine retailers and on Amazon

On Facebook: Tassimo

Moomette’s Magnificents is hosting a Giveaway Contest! For a chance to win, there will be one (1) winner of a TASSIMO Bosch T20 Home Brewing System Coffee Maker!

Please include a way of contacting you. Should you be the contest winner, this information may be shared with the contest sponsor in order to send your prize.

Main Rule: (remember if this rule is not followed then no others will count)
a) Sign up for my free Newsletter Updates to my blog through my e-mail link and leave your name in a separate comment) AND

b) Visit Tassimo and leave a comment about another fact that wasn’t mentioned in this post and let me know which flavor of coffee or tea would be your favorite

~ One Extra Entry: Subscribe to my blog via RSS feed and leave your name in a separate comment

~ One Extra Entry: Become a Moomette’s Magnificents Facebook Fan and leave a comment on our wall with your thoughts on this giveaway.

~ One Extra Entry: Click the “Like” button on this post (top or bottom) and leave and leave your name in a separate comment

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This contest will run until December 29, 2010 at 11:00 pm. EST

For Additional Entries, check out my Contest Entry Rules.

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Review of Literati WiFi eBook Reader by The Sharper Image: Enhance Your Life by Reading More

Moomettes — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 17:09:14 +0000

Holiday Gift Guide

I’d like to introduce you to the
Literati by The Sharper Image that I recently had the chance to review. The Literati by The Sharper Image is a sleek, affordable, color eReader that also boasts a built-in connection to Kobo, one of the world’s biggest global e-book retailers. Each Literati comes with a case and 25 pre-loaded treasured classics.

Literati Wireless Reader By The Sharper Image

The winter solstice will be arriving not too soon enough, signifying the official beginning of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. To me, that means lazy days in front of the hearth where I get to delve into the latest book on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Can you remember the last time you relaxed and picked up a magazine or book? Was it in school? You may not realize it, but our brains are craving new information.

I’m one of these people who love to read and also have turned into a news junkie. You either like to read or you don’t. As a child I often spent time among the stacks of the library, and one could always find me reading the latest Nancy Drew series. If you’re not into reading, perhaps the reading material is the problem. Some material is more boring than others and we all have our favorite magazines and genres. My favorite genre is Utopian Womens Mysteries. At one point in time wanted to get my Masters in Library Science.

Whenever you read a good book, it’s like entering a new world of sound and sight – seize the opportunity to find out what types of reading material sparks your senses. As real as memory, characters play out their parts and our imagination will conjure up the scenes.

Benefits of Reading

Once in your lifetime, at least one book should give you the experience of reading a book that stays in your mind. Through books, you’ll be able to travel vicariously to new lands and learn interesting tidbits and factoids. You can bet that game contestants who are prize winners on television shows such as Jeopardy are huge readers! Trivial information tidbits, in some way, can enhance and positively accentuate your life.

Try scanning the table of contents when you pick up a magazine and then see what you can learn by reading it. Start a book list and try to add something new every day to read – whether reading a book by a favorite author or article in a magazine newspaper or blog.

Besides being entertaining, reading helps to increase our vocabulary. My English professor spoke of “writing for your reader.” Newspapers and magazines are traditionally written with an 8th grade reading comprehension level. People will stop reading or stop reading articles if the words are too hard, which is their loss. If you’ve ever typed on the computer using Microsoft Word, you can easily check your own writing level and style via a tool to see what grade-level you write at.

Sharper Image WiFi eBook Reader

I received the Literati Reader by Sharper Image to review, and I can’t describe how excited I am since using this nifty gadget upon it’s arrived on my doorstep! I’ve always been tempted to try an ereader. Before I started blogging I maintained a book list and read several each week. However, I’ve gotten away from getting to every book on my list as being a blogger takes up a tremendous amount of time between researching and developing content, posting, social media networking and of course, administration and putting out technical issue fires! The Literati is portable, and will enable me to make better use of my “free” time!

The Literati is one of the few color eReaders and has a 7” color LCD screen (480 x 800 resolution)

QWERTY Keypad

Has a built in connection to Kobo, a global eReading service platform with access to nearly 2 million titles of books and magazines and (1.8 million of them free)

SD card slot allows users to add storage (up to 8GB).

Ongoing updates and new features will regularly be added.

Sneak peek: In the November-December time frame, a number of reading enhancements will be available, including: Night-reading mode, custom bookshelves and bookmarks and “dog ears” (a way to mark your favorite pages).

There is a storm of color content coming – everything from children’s books and cookbooks to textbooks, magazines and newspapers.

The Literati brings great flexibility to the reading experience. Not only can the Literati store hundreds of titles, it also lets users enjoy those titles on their laptop, smart phone and desktop computer.

Product Features:

1. Page turning is as easy as using the capacitive paging buttons on
either side of the screen or the right and left buttons on the D-Pad. The page turning speed is quick with no lag.
2. While reading, users also can select a specific chapter by using the Menu button to go to the table of contents, next chapter and previous
chapter
3. Users also can change the typeface and font size to their liking through the Display button
4. The screen can be dimmed or brightened to the user’s preference.
5. The Literati always bookmarks the page you last read. When
users open the book again, they will return to the same place where
they left off reading. For example, if you stop reading on your Literati
at page 54 of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and then sync your library, you can open the same book on your mobile app or laptop and it will automatically pick up exactly where you left off – the Literati will save your place for you.
This is just one more way the Literati makes reading easier.

Purchasing A Book

Purchasing a book is done in approximately a minute. Users connect to the bookstore via WiFi. Once connected, users can browse, purchase and download books.

My User Experience:

The Literati packaging is quite innovative in that it’s designed to actually look like a book!

There’s a Quick-Start Guide, as well as a more detailed 27 page Instruction Manual. I recommend downloading the online user PDF guide and saving to your home computer.

After unpacking, one has to charge the battery for several hours before first use.

The Literati also allows one to connect to your wireless network. Recently I purchased a Netbook and was somewhat familiar with the process. Just make certain you know your router’s key code and password.

I liked how the Literati Instruction Manual also showed how users will manage their library, including adding and removing titles from their Literati, changing the sort order, viewing, etc. The graphics in the printed user guide as well as the online PDF guide, however are not too clear, and can definitely stand improvement.

Once your Literati is powered on, using the Literati is as easy as taking
a book off the shelf (“Books” Tab), moving to the “I’m Reading” Tab to view everything you are reading, loading PDFs (“Docs” Tab) or buying a book from the built-in bookstore (“Store Tab”).

Upcoming Highlights:

A feature that I’m definitely impressed by is the “DOCS” tab, which is where PDFs will be loaded (through USB or the SD Card slot. The review product that I received has this function enabled, including loading content through USB or SD card) although it has not yet been fully tested. Magazines and periodicals will be available for purchase and download very shortly.

I tested several different methods for transferring and loading books to the Literati:

Add Books By Dragging and Dropping Onto the Literati

I have quite a collection of almost 100 PDF ebooks that I collect on various topics such as internet marketing, SEO and also blogging resource tips and techniques, and was able to transfer all of them via USB from my home computer to the Literati. Now I’ll be able to read them at my leisure without being tethered to my computer!

Adding Books Wirelessly

I logged on to the Kobo Store directly from the Literati. As I’m a fan of Oprah’s Book Club, I chose two titles -Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen; and also Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Once an account is opened at Kobo, you can search by category, author or title. I supplied a charge card, and the purchase and download took place in less than one minute!

Add Books Using the Kobo Desktop Application

I did download the desktop application which installed effortlessly. I did not, however, purchase using the desktop application. Had I done so, the purchase would have downloaded to my desktop, and I could then transfer by USB connection to the Literati.

Add Books Using an SD Card

I don’t have an SD card (yet) for the Literati, but just might very well purchase one.

As a Librarian wannabe, a favorite past-time of mine is to pick up books from tag, garage, yard and library sales. Antique or used book stores fascinate me and I could spend hours on end browsing around. Such antique stores are usually high on my must-see list when I’m traveling or out for a day trip!

Here’s a product comparison chart to show you how the Literati Wireless Reader will enhance your reading experience:

Product Comparison – Book v. Literati

Recommendations:

I found the battery life to be approximately 4-6 hours, and have searched to see if there’s a car adapter for it, which would make it nice to take on long car trips.

Although it does come with a hard protective case, I’m also thinking of getting a 10-inch netbook-type carrying case so that I can also transport the e-reader, charger and USB cord together easily when I travel.

Additionally, I’m adding my own screen protector film to it to avoid scratches to the viewing screen, as one isn’t supplied.

The Literati WiFi eBook Reader will make it easier for you to read your favorite magazines and books while waiting for your appointments at a business meeting, doctor’s office, spa, or the kids’ hockey or dance practice!

Reading might even increase longevity by keeping your mind sharp and cobwebs from appearing from lack of regular stimulation.

If you have been maintaining a book list and adding recommendations that you’ve been meaning to read, turn off the TV and try winding down your day before you drift off to sleep by reading a book on the e-reader. Expand your horizon via new ways of thinking.

The list price is currently set at $159 (which will likely drop as the holiday season and Black Friday approaches ) making it a great holiday item for the teens heading off to college or frequent travelers on your holiday shopping list.

Available at Bed Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, JC Penney,
Kohl’sand Macy’s and other fine retailers.

For More Information Visit: Literati Reader and Sharper Image

Photo Credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/logu

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of The Sharper Image and received a Literati eReader to facilitate my review.

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