Dinner Kits make cooking authentic international dishes fun and easy. Each Kit includes premeasured amounts of hard to find spices, sauces and dried ingredients, preparation instructions, a shopping list for fresh ingredients (easily found at your local grocery store), table setting suggestions and fun facts and trivia about the destination you are “traveling” to. Kits range in price from $25 – $30 and feed between 4 and 10 adults depending on the kit.

Right now they have some kit ideas for the holidays:

NEW FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Gift Sets and Dinner Party Kits featuring:
Hand Carved Lotus Cocktail Plates
Palm Leaf Dinnerware by VerTerra
Bamboo Cooking and Serving Tools of all sorts!

The Kits are great for all ages, since younger children can help pour the premeasured ingredients. The kits can also make for an interesting date night, for someone who wants to “set the mood” with their spouse or date. Or use one when the inlaws are coming over for a dinner that is sure to impress!

You can check out all the dinner options at http://www.destinationdinners.com.

Win-Win-Win

One Buzz Reader will win a Dinner of Choice.

MANDATORY, FIRST ENTRY: Visit Destination Dinners and tell me what meal you want to make.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Add the Mom Buzz to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per day is allowed)
• Tweet me (@theMomBuzz) your favorite dinner from Destination Dinners! Be sure to include the link to the dinner! And leave your tweet link here.
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor (http://www.destinationdinners.com/)
• Become a Fan of the Mom Buzz on Facebook! Leave a comment with your favorite Destination Dinner!
• Add the Mom Buzz button to your site or add the Mom Buzz to your Blogroll (feed url: http://www.themombuzz.com/feed/)
• Leave a comment on any other post from theMomBuzz.com
• Leave a comment on my review of Destination Dinners: New Orleans
• Help my friend become the next Mamavation Mom so she can get fit this year! Visit Mamavation and vote for @LisaSamples in the Right-Hand Sidebar

Contest ends 1/19/10. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall. Hoover is providing the prize for this contest. The Mom Buzz received Kaitlin, an 18? doll, for review.

This thing is tiny in my hands, but the perfect for a little 5 year old. It has a great 1.5″ preview screen, a built-in microphone, can take digital photos and includes video editing software. This video editing software (Video Genie) lets your child add music, personalize and stylize videos, credits and special effects to their home movies. The CD has five activity centers. These include the photo editing software (Color Genie), story maker, puppet show, photo frames and jigsaw puzzles. The camcorder comes with a USB cord so you can upload all of the video files to your computer.You can also connect the camera to your tv to watch videos.

To fully enjoy the Crayola Camcorder, you will need:

Win 2000/XP, Win VISTA or MAC OS X Ver. 10.2.6 or later. The camcorder takes 3 AA Batteries, which are not included. You also need a super, small phillips screwdriver to insert the batteries. The Crayola Digital Camcorder is designed for children 5 and up. For this review I let my 3.5 year old play with it, though, and he did AWESOME. He is quite tech savvy, so this was perfect for him. You will also want to get a SD Memory Card to fully enjoy the capabilities of this Camcorder. The SD Memory Card is not included with the package.

Overall, I find the camera to be lightweight, easy to use and loads of fun. I’ve seen it with both green and purple accents. You can purchase it on Amazon or Toys R Us. The price range that I’ve seen goes from $55 to $69.00 dollars. Definitely check out Amazon for a good deal! It’s made by SAKAR International.

SAKAR also has designed a digital camera with rubberized grips that includes many of the great activities that the Camcorder has, including the Color Genie photo editing software with five activity centers: photo editing center, story maker, puppet show, photo frames, and jigsaw puzzles.

To view video quality, see the clip below. Warning, it was taped by an almost 4 year old. It has a Blair Witch feel to it.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received the Crayola Camcorder for review.

NASCAR Zipbots come two cars in a set. The set my boys received had #88 (Dale Ernhardt Jr) and #14 (Tony Stewart). THe cars about an inch long and they run on bristles as opposed to wheels. They run on button cell batteries and they come with batteries installed, plus 2 extra batteries. You are going to need a super, small screw driver to open their battery case to change batteries. There is a tiny switch on the bottom of the car that you can use to turn the car on. Then the bristles vibrate and cause the car to run along the track.

My little ones had fun with it. They played on the track for a while and then I moved it to our train table, since the cars wouldn’t fall off that. You could even put them on the floor, but my dog was very intrigued by it, as it moved along like a bug driving a car. It was hilarious from my standpoint, and my husband’s too. After a day of hard play, the battery died in Dale Earnhardt Jr’s car. I guess that means Tony Stewart won!

When I first was going to play with these cars with my boys, I was nervous about how fast they would zip. But it’s not very quick – but just quick enough for a novelty item or a distraction at grandma’s. You can also get a set with #24 (Jeff Gordon) and #48 (Jimmie Johnson). It’s awesome that they come in a set, since you can race against friends and family members.

Here are the cars on their track. I liked them better on the train table, though.

Overall, this is a great gift for a NASCAR Enthusiast, as well as a stocking stuffers for car-lovers and little boys. A set only costs $9.99. You can get a single car for as low as $4.79 right now at Radio Shack!

I was worried that the white fur would get dirty, since my little one is so messy. But the White Tiger Cub still looks and sounds great. We’ve only had to change it’s batteries once. I love the range of sounds he makes and he “falls asleep” after a few minutes – he will even snore. To “wake him up”, you just push a button on his ear. Then by petting it’s head, rubbing its belly or cuddling him in your arms will allow him to make many realistic noises.

You can hear the mechanics in these realistic, animatronic animals, but it is soft. Overall, my toddler LOVED it and I always kept an eye out for them at the store, thinking it would make a great gift for my nephews and niece. And throughout that time I saw new animals pop up in the WowWee Animal Alive Collection. You can choose from a lion, seal, koala, leopard, orange tiger, husky, panda and polar bear. They cost approximately $49.99.

If you want something with the same “Wow” factor but a lower cost, you’ll want to check out the WowWee Alive Minis. These are smaller versions of the Animal Alive Cubs, with a few less features. They look like newborn animals, and sound like them too! They have the same smart technology that let’s them know when they are picked up, they fall asleep when you leave them alone and you can “bottle feed” these little furballs. He’ll even make feeding noises, as well as open and close his eyes.

I had the chance to see the Leopard Mini up close. It could fit in the palm of my husband’s hands. It reminded me of my puppy when I first got her, just small and always asleep. The small size makes it easy for any child to hold and cuddle. I loved his sounds, which were more like chirps than mews. And my boys love all of the noises it made! I like the tan color of the leopard, with the dark spots. I imagine it will be hard to tell if it gets a little dirty. And I expect that it will withstand to the same amount of play that our White Tiger Cub had in the past year. His eyes opened and closed and I could open his mouth to give him a bottle.

The mini leopard is meant for ages 3 and up, making it a great gift for a preschooler! They retail for approximately $19.99. It takes 2 AA batteries.You can purchase all WowWee Animals, both the full size and minis, at Toys R Us!

Their site and catalogs have SO MANY CHOICES. They even have more than 40 fragrances to choose from! So, I decided to narrow it down for you with some holiday favorites!

New Peppermint Delight Collection

Hand-painted porcelain collection features a tealight house in creamy white chocolate kissed with dark chocolate and peppermint sticks.  A giant frosted gingerbread cookie supports the Pillar Holder and Aroma Melts Warmer.   Try with new Peppermint Bark Fragrance, a refreshing peppermint kissed with chocolate, mint leaves and vanilla.

Peppermint Delight Aroma Melts Warmer $ 32.95

Peppermint Delight Pillar Holder                     $ 27.95

Peppermint Delight Tealight House                $ 39.95

Holiday Mini Barrel Jar Shade             $ 14.95 (jar candle sold separately)

Peppermint Bark Fragrance available in tealights ($9.50 per dozen), votives ($13.50 per dozen), Mini Barrel Jar ($12.00), 3” Ball ($17.95 a pair), Aroma Melts™ “Snap-able” ($9.95 4-pack), Present Jars ($23.95), Just Desserts™ 3-Wick Wax filled bowl ($24.95),  Single Serviings ($19.95 a pair)  and 3”x7” grooved pillar ($16.95).

New Sweets and Treats Gift Set

A Jolly Santa candle snuffer sits on a base that doubles as a tealight holder.  This set includes 12 red and white tealights in the new Peppermint Bark holiday scent.  $19.95

Just Desserts™ and New Single Servings™

What’s more inviting than walking into a kitchen with the country-fresh fragrance of delicious just-baked treats? Just Desserts^TM and Single Servings™ candles layer one scrumptious scent over another in a beautiful reusable glass jar. Yum!  Try it in them in Peppermint Magic™, Peppermint Bark kissed with chocolate, mint leaves and vanilla and topped with creamy Coconut Milk Chocolate^TM, Caramel Vanilla Pear Brulee^TM, Ginger Pumpkin a la Mode^TM, Mulberry Vanilla Delight™.

Just Desserts 3-Wick Wax Filled Bowl – 30-40 hours burn time; $24.95 each

Single Servings by PartyLite – 20-30 hours burn time; $19.95 pair

New Arabella™ Tealight Holder

Graceful and lithe, Arabella will make a beautiful gift for your dancer.  For your little ballerina, it can hold a special piece of jewelry instead of a tealight.  $39.95.

S-Pod™ Travel Unit with Refill Set

For all those smelly cars, backpacks, lockers, teenager rooms and offices out there, this new fragrance system is sure to be a hit. It contains a sleek, portable scent pod designed to refresh your personal space.  It comes in four fragrances (Mulberry, French Vanilla, Strawberry Fields, Calm Waters) and comes with a refill that lasts for 45 days. $19.95 set / $9.95 2-pack refill

I received the S-Pod for review. I loved how small and compact it was, making it inconspicuous. It’s black with little vents on the front that you can adjust to let out the right amount of fragrance for you. It’s perfect for the car, just clip it to a visor. Or I could also have it free standing in my work space, so that I get the fresh scent I want. To get it started, you open the small compartment and place a gel insert inside. I received Strawberry Fields, which smelled like I had a Strawberry Shortcake Doll working with me. I think I also would love the French Vanilla scent, although Calm Waters and Mulberry are also options.

When you make your purchase from PartyLite, don’t forget to pick up a pack of TeaLights! They are useful to have, can set a mood in when placed in a tealight holder and makes any room more inviting when used with a melts warmer. Be sure to check out the collection of ready-to-go gift items and a luxurious line of home spa products for yourself, friends and family.  All are available through www.partylite.com or by calling 1-888-999-5706.

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

One Buzz Reader will win an S-Pod from PartyLite.com

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit www.partylite.com. Look Around. Tell me what item you would by and who would you want it for?

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Add ErinTales to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per day is allowed)
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor (www.partylite.com)

• Send a Free E-Card from Kraft – 10 Meals will be donated to Feeding America! (Let me know for an extra entry!)
• Fan PartyLite on Facebook – tell them themombuzz sent you!

• Enter to win Personalized Art! (Dont forget to leave a comment here as your extra entry)
• Enter a contest at the Hoo-Hoo-Holiday Guide from As They Grow Up.

Contest ends 12/31/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received an S-Pod to review with refills and was surprised by some tealights. This does not effect her opinion.

Aroma Home’s Screen Wipes have bodies that are easy to grasp, they will not scratch your screens, and you can use them over and over again! Plus, they are a cute addition on any desk, and calming too as they you get a whiff of lemon zest and chamois emitting from their tummies! The plush screen wipes are available in six fun animal designs – duck, elephant, pig, gorilla, tiger and giraffe.

I had a chance to see the pig and gorilla up close. At home my laptop screen gets quite dirty and dusty, courtesy of a toddler and preschooler. The pig did get the dust collecting on the keyboard and screen off without any harm to my laptop. Plus, I used it on my tv screen which had a lot more dust than I could have imagined. *whoops* And it came off in a few swipes. Then I just shook off the pig and put it on top of the tv. You can also sponge clean your screen wipe. The pig has fluffy hair everywhere except her pink tummy, there it is more smooth. The gorilla has smooth hair everywhere.

There are some instructions that you do want to read ahead of time. Unlike some other Aroma Home products, there is no need to heat up your plush screen wipe. And since it is not a toy, you want to keep it in your office or home-office. Also, there is no need to use your plush screen wipe with other cleaning agents. Just wipe any screen and reduce the static and remove the dust.

Overall, I think this is a cute, affordable gift ($10). And it’s a great add-on when you are shopping for other awesome gift ideas at AromaHome.com!

Save 10 Percent of all Aroma Home Orders! Just use discount code HOLIDAYTEN! This code is good until 12.31.09!

From its hoofs to it’s head, it is 25 inches tall. From left hoof to right hoof, it is 20 inches wide. From front to rear, it is 26 inches long. When you get it out of the box, some assembly is required. Both my husband and I had to work on it to get the pieces in the right place, but we did it within 15 minutes. I suggest doing it ahead of time if Santa is delivering it. Or, if you are a grandparent, parent or other relative, feel free to assemble it, stick a bow on it and give the parent the box and receipt on the side … just in case. And remember to have 3 AA batteries ready to install!

Anyways, so you can tell the toy is large. That means it must have value. OH.MY.GOD. First off, my kids have been playing with this multiple times a day for 2 weeks. I only wish that I had two, because the fights it causes are really the worst part. It is made for ages 18 to 36 months, and both my 2 year old and 3 year old LOVE IT. As your child peddles, they learn about animals, letters and counting. And not only does it encourage movement through peddling and bouncing (the seat bounces), my oldest will get it to play music then jump off and dance.

Both my boys are really into letters right now, so this toy is complementing their “at-home” education. Plus, they love the flashiness and sounds. Is the flashing and music too much for this mom? Nah. When the boys are happy and learning, I am happy too.

Here is a video of the boys playing with the Jungle Gym: Ride and Learn Giraffe

The seat is adjustable to grow with the kids. And the base is wide enough so that they don’t fall over… too often. (They are boys, they find all sorts of ways to fall off for a good laugh!) The Ride & Learn Giraffe retails for $49.99, but during this time of year you can find it for as low as $30.

Will I be letting go of this toy anytime soon? NOPE! This is one that is sure to last here at the Mom Buzz house! Thank you VTECH Kids for another wonderful, educational product!

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received the Jungle Gym: Ride & Learn Giraffe for review.

You see, Aroma Home produces a line of toys called HOT HUGS. You can heat their tummy pack in a microwave and it releases a calming lavender and camomile scent. Your child can have their choice of 10 Hot Hugs ($30 ea.), including a Giraffe, Cow, Dog, Elephant, Duck, Monkey, Pig, Sheep, Lion and Cat. I received the Giraffe to try out. One night my oldest was a little “off” and there was a chill in the air, so I asked if he wanted the Giraffe. Boy was he excited at the prospect of having this roly-poly guy next to him. I heated up the giraffe’s belly pack for a minute. I had to let it cool down a little, since it was too warm. Once it cooled down, I stuck it inside the giraffe. Boy was there warmth and a wonderful scent eminating from our new friend.  He then kept my son warm and cozy on the coach. The giraffe is supposed to release a calming lavender and camomile scent, but I detected some lemon, as well?

When heating the tummy cushion of a Hot Hug, you want to be sure you follow the directions on the base of the box. They were hard for me to find at first. They suggest heating it for only 30 seconds at first and then increasing by 10 second increments. They do not want you to go over 1 minute of heating time in the microwave, that’s why I had to cool mine down. Plus make sure you put 1/2 cup of clean water inside the microwave while heating the cushion.

Hot Hugs are perfect for ages 3 and up. They are oh-so-soft and very round. Their eyes, nose and mouth are embroidered on, no loose parts. He has a cute tail on his behind. The pocket that hold the aroma cushion is velcro.

Overall, I think it’s a great, warm friend for those chilly nights. Perfect for kids from ages 3 to 9, would be my opinion. Heck, I can definitely see the appeal as a 31 year old mom! However there are a whole range of products to keep adults cozy! Keep the Hot Hugs for the kids and check  out the Hot Range of products (scarves, hand warmers, feet warmers, neck warmers and body warmers) from Aroma Home for adults!

SAVE: 10 PERCENT OF ALL ORDERS WITH DISCOUNT CODE HOLIDAYTEN! Code good until 12.31.09!

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received the HOT HUG GIRAFFE from aroma home for review.

This awesome game is Tony Hawk: RIDE, which is available for Xbox. That completely rocks. I feel let out so often, with all these games that are only on Wii! But, you can also play it on PS 3 and Wii. It is for ages 10 and up and looks like even something I would enjoy. What makes it wicked-cool is that it features an innovative skateboard controller that offers a fully dynamic hands-free gaming experience.

For the first time, players will have the ability to physically play the game using a unique motion sensing skateboard controller. Designed in conjunction with the game, the wireless controller allows for unprecedented freedom and movement and will let players experience skateboarding like never before. Kids will love Tony Hawk: RIDE because it focuses on innovation and fun, bringing the #1 best-selling action-sports franchise to the forefront with cutting-edge technology for the hardcore fans and accessibility for the mass audience.

Tony Hawk: RIDE features a diverse set of trick, vert, and speed challenges that allow players to take on their friends and family as they compete with each other via “Hot Seat” game play. With robust multiplayer, online and create-a-skater modes, players can jump into a personalized and extremely social gaming experience.

Plus, the game features different modes tailored to skill and preference. So anyone can really play, from hardcore fans to players with no prior skateboarding experience (uhm, me). Without complex button combinations or analog sticks, anyone can literally step on the board to play.

WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN WIN

One Buzz Reader will win a Tony Hawk: Ride for their Game System.

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit the Official Tony Hawk Ride Site. Look Around. Tell me where (what store) you would buy the game from.

EXTRA ENTRIES:
To receive these extra opportunities for entries, you must fulfill the first REQUIRED entry. But for extra entries, you can do the following – leave a comment for each:

• Add ErinTales to your Twitter and Tweet the contest. Leave your Tweet Link. (1 tweet per day is allowed)
• Blog about the contest – add a link to the Mom Buzz and the Sponsor

• Send a Free E-Card from Kraft – 10 Meals will be donated to Feeding America! (Let me know for an extra entry!)
• Embed the YouTube Video above on your site or share it via Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. One entry for each way you share.

• Become a Fan of the Game on Facebook
• Follow Tony Hawk: Ride on Twitter - Tell them @themombuzz sent you!
• Check out the Sync Up Review. Leave a valid comment.

Contest ends 12/17/09. Please refer to complete contest rules. The entries listed above are the ONLY entries for this contest. Winners will be notified by e-mail (if supplied in the entry or on profile page), as well as on the Winner’s Wall.

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz was not compensated for this uber-cool buzz.

This game is a cool way of connecting with players. It makes it a great game for family reunions or a mom’s night “in”, to really get to connect and work with other players.

The more players there are, the more confusing it can get, so there is a turn tracker with erasable marker to keep everything in order. The board game is small, square and simple. Your playing piece is moving in a spiral to get to the center home. Some of the spots have a special instruction to close your eyes as you “sync up”.

There are different categories in the box. There are four questions per category. Partners will play all four questions. I chose a random card from the pile so that you and I can sync up! LOL! Okay here we go! Category is WEDDING.

A person who works at a wedding reception – A BARTENDER!

A store where couples register for gifts – TARGET

A typical number of bridesmaids – FIVE

A decoration at a wedding – FLOWERS

Would you have answered the same as me? Well, everytime we do, we get to move two spaces. So for that round we could have moved anywhere between 0 (no sync ups) to 8 places!

There are also MAKE A BET cards. The players who are not partnered to sync up can make bets on how many answers the partnership might get right. If they guessed correctly, the betters can move ahead one space. Some cards have an “Out of Sync” clause. If the players on that turn answer 0 answers the same, they have to move back a step.

The game sounds fun and crazy! Like I said, great for social gatherings. And I can totally see making a baby shower or wedding shower game out of this concept! I actually have a friend who I am throwing a shower for in March …. I bet I can make this work for her shower! Thanks for the inspiration, Sync Up!

Sync Up is just one of MANY great games from USAopoly! Check out their site for must-have games, twists on old favorites and plenty of new card and board games for family game night!

BUZZWORTHY: Enter for a chance to win a USAopoly game – Monopoly: The Nightmare Before Christmas. This give-away ends 12.5.09

This is solely the opinion of the Mom Buzz. Other people may have different experiences with the product. And don’t forget to enter my other hot contests so you can win and try buzzworthy products! The Mom Buzz received Sync Up! from USAOPOLY for review.