Honea Express

Posts Tagged ‘kids’

Across the calendar a line of Xs stand upon the dates that we have kissed goodbye. Each line an ending, a memory, and one step closer to hugging someone at the last possible minute.

The year goes out with a bang, just as it arrived. It spends its last week sleeping off holiday treats and shopping fatigue. As the end draws near it makes a reservation, shaves what’s hairy, and puts on something that pops. It’s a party after all, and the year deserves it.

In the wings waits the next one. It is young and naive, full of hope and promises. It watches the current year and notes what it will do differently. It watches and it waits, one eye always on the hourglass. It too will dress in something smart, but not nearly as outdated.

People pull out resolutions and change the date accordingly. The one becomes an awkward two and everyone is the wiser. They are losing weight and quitting vices. They are eating healthier and trying harder. They have waited a year to repeat themselves. The first week is the hardest, and often the only.

The children want to stay up until midnight because everyone is doing it and the reviews are fantastic. They laugh every time someone makes a joke about seeing them next year. They are alive with apple juice and Chex mix.  They are why the new year rings.

The year will fall, another will rise to take its place, and the world will carry on regardless. There may be song and a spot or two of dancing. Laughter is strongly encouraged.

Happy New Year. You deserve it.

Everybody loves a good sequel. Here’s the one Ipromised Upromise. See what I did there?

Don’t worry, I wouldn’t have agreed to write this if I didn’t believe in it. Also, they’re paying me. But mostly because they’re paying me. I mean, mostly because I believe in it. And I believe in you. Most of you.

Here’s the thing about Upromise — it promises to save you money, and guess what? It is a promise kept. How? Glad you asked.

If you put your credit card on file with Upromise you can receive one cent back per gallon of gas at Exxon/Mobile stations. That adds up.

They also let you get cash back from grocery shopping, restaurant gift certificates (purchased at restaurant.com), and the buying or selling of a home. Seriously. They’re like the lizard king, they can do anything. Where anything equals saving you money in an array of ways.

And here’s how they’ll save you money on your holiday shopping: The Upromise Holiday Savings Hotspot. Sign up for a free Upromise account and then shop through their website at over 900 stores for increased holiday rewards and savings. Many of the Upromise partner sites are offering double their regular savings.

Who are the Upromise partner sites? Sur la Table, Godiva, Disney, Gap, Toy “r” Us, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, Target… and about 890 more. You like those places. You like saving money.

Am I right? Of course I am. Ipromise.

I did it again.

Disclosure: This winter I was given a rare opportunity to be a Upromise Ambassador, which means, yes, this is a paid post (the second of two). I hope that doesn’t offend you. The reason that I agreed to this relationship is twofold, a) I’m buying what Upromise is selling, and b) I would not have been able to purchase my children a single Christmas gift if this opportunity hadn’t come about. That’s right, people, you’re reading a Christmas miracle. Believe.

We’re a touchscreen family. My wife and I have smartphones, the oldest boy has an iPod Touch, and the youngest has… okay, three out of four isn’t bad. Unless you’re the fourth.

Luckily for our fourth, VTech came to the rescue with their new InnoTab. Now we’re four for four. Touchscreens for all the family!

Q: What’s an InnoTab?

A: The InnoTab Learning App Tablet by VTech is a cutting-edge educational toy that combines the technology of grown-up touchpad devices with the fun learning that kids love.

It’s a multi-media tablet with interactive reading, learning games and creative activities with a 5″ color touch screen and tilt-sensor. That means kids can tap, flick, drag, and curse at their touchpads just like Mom and Dad (not the cursing part, just making sure you’re paying attention). The InnoTab comes with on-board applications such as an MP3 Player, Video Player, Art Studio, Friends List, Calculator, and this thing which tells time.  Additional cartridges with kids’ favorite licensed characters are sold separately and teach essential skills in reading, logic, and creativity. Additional content such as e-books and learning games can easily be uploaded to the InnoTab through VTech’s Learning Lodge Navigator where parents can also see their child’s progress on a variety of educational milestones and lessons.

It includes four different media players: E-Book reader, MP3 music player, photo viewer and video player, 64MB onboard memory and a SD card slot for memory expansion.

Basically, it’s everything a kid needs in a touchpad without all of the worry and hassle of the internet.

The folks at VTech sent my family an InnoTab Learning App Tablet to review, and it immediately fell into the hands of the 5-year-old (it’s for ages 4-9). That’s not to say the 8-year-old doesn’t enjoy it, rather the younger one won’t let him play with it. This has also been a lesson in karma for the older brother.

If you’re looking for a last minute Christmas gift for that awesome kid in your life you can’t go wrong with the InnoTab Learning Tablet. It’s so much better than having them beg to play on your smartphone.

We give it a thumbs up!

Disclosure: As stated above, I received one InnoTab Learning Tablet from VTech for the purpose of this review. The opinions are my own. For more information on my review policy please see the appropriate page from the tabs above.

You are probably wondering what I could possibly know about saving money. That’s fair. My coffers are bare and even Old Mother Hubbard has more bones in her cupboard than I do.  It’s been months since my job situation took a dive, and while we’re still far from looking up, we have leveled to a reasonable cruising level. Reasonable meaning the captain has turned on the fasten seatbelts sign due to large pockets of turbulence. Large, empty pockets. But enough with the metaphors.

There are lots of ways to save a dollar these days, the easiest being don’t spend it. The second easiest is to shop wisely. Wait, is that an oxymoron?

By shopping wisely I mean look for the right deals on the products you want, rather than buying on impulse. This is the best time of year to find great prices — and lots of them, hence my standing outside the mall at 11 p.m. last night full of turkey and too much wine.

Online shopping is great, too. For instance, on Cyber Monday you’re going to find some of the biggest sales of the season, and there’s a way to stretch those savings even further: Upromise. Shop at Upromise.com’s 900+ merchants to get the deals you like, plus cash back. You read me right, cash back. Money in your pocket, people.

And that’s my favorite way of saving money while shopping, getting it back. Try it, you’ll like it.

Disclosure: This winter I was given a rare opportunity to be a Upromise Ambassador, which means, yes, this is a paid post. I hope that doesn’t offend you. The reason that I agreed to this relationship is twofold, a) I’m buying what Upromise is selling, and b) I would not have been able to purchase my children a single Christmas gift if this opportunity hadn’t come about. That’s right, people, you’re reading a Christmas miracle. Believe.

The day left brown oak leaves littered across the orange brickwork like a dried and forgotten fire. Their shadows twisted and turned as they flirted with the lamplight and teased my tongue with longings of pumpkin, nutmeg, and the slightest hint of cinnamon. Then the rain fell and they curled up to reach it, the last grasp of an autumn laid dying. For that is fall, life going out in a blaze of glory through coffee steam and a lightly-frosted window.

My children are warm, and their bellies full. That is more than many may claim, but more often than naught it does not seem enough. We are spoiled by billboards and jingles. We want in waves, and going without turns desire as barren as winter. The tide swallows our footprints and we spend our lives walking in sand-washed circles.

Spring is a song I heard today. I danced despite myself and even hummed a few bars when only a memory lingered. It had a good beat and was as catchy as a firefly. I keep it in a jar in the back of my mind.

I know a man that lives his life in nothing but happiness. He has had one wife, eleven children, and a guitar shaped like the midday sun that twangs in echoes from every direction. He shines like summer on a postcard.

A sentiment of seasons rolls through me for but a moment, and then dreams become distorted by so much reality. The threat is this, all would blur into constant motion if not for the things we hitch ourselves to. For instance, when I tuck my children into their beds my kisses are many and each a soft anchor. They may float like parade balloons in the night, but they are safe from wind and fears. I am tethered tightly upon the curves of their smile, and I have no intention of ever letting go.