Can't Figure Out How Your Children Grew Up So Quickly? . . . Relive Those Precious Moments Through Photos

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.

This photo was taken on Mother's Day 2010!  Our twins were just 3 years old then and their big brother only 6.  Can you believe how much they have changed over the past 3 years?  It is actually extremely easy for me to remember what our children were like when they were first born.  It's everything between then and now that's a bit of a blur.  When people warned my husband and I that time flies by too quickly when you have children and that they would be grown up before we knew it, they were right.  Luckily, I take lots of photos.  By "lots", I mean boatloads.  In fact, I take so many photos that some people think I'm crazy.  Well, I have many more precious photos, like the one I've shared with you today, to help me remember all those blurry moments.  I'll never regret taking the extra time to capture as many of the big and small moments in our children's lives as possible.

If you take as many photos as I do, then you understand where I'm coming from.  If you don't . . . well, it's never too late to start!

No matter how old your children are, there are still new memories made daily.  There will be to come many more Mother's Days and Father's Days, proms nights, graduation days, wedding days, and everything wonderful that happens in between.  This Spring, Best Buy can help you get on the right track to capturing as many special moments as possible.  As much as I love the camera on my Nokia Lumia 920, I still bring out my D-SLR camera when I'm taking photos at home and during special occasions . . . basically whenever I want my photos to be outstanding and not just very good.  Best Buy has a vast selection of D-SLRs, compact cameras with long zoom, Wi-fi cameras, point-and-shoot cameras, and camcorders with the latest technology to fit all budgets.  They also carry digital photo frames ranging from 7" to 10" LCD screens.

7 reasons to shop Best Buy and BestBuy.com for your digital imaging needs this Spring . . . 

• There is currently Free Shipping on all cameras at BestBuy.com.
• Best Buy has a low price guarantee.
• You can bring in your old camera to Best Buy and trade it in for a Best Buy gift card.
• Save an additional 25% off select digital photo frames through June 22nd with promo code.
• You can get a free 8x8 Shutterfly Photo Book with a purchase of a qualifying camera or camcorder.
• Select point-and-shoot cameras come with a free camera bag or a free camera bag plus memory card.
• If you need something quickly, you can purchase online and pickup in-stock items at your local store.

As always, if you shop, be sure to come back and tell me all about what you purchased!

Nerf Infrared Night Vision Goggles and Camcorder (Review and Video)

Most kids, mine included, love night vision goggles, so the Nerf Infrared Night Vision Goggles and Camcorder is right up their alley. These super cool Nerf Goggles work both in the dark and light and let you see up to 10 feet in front of you, even when others can’t see. They also take video so you can capture your adventures on camera. Because they are goggles, they are even hands free so you can spy easily.


These goggles really do work very well. They are fun and not like anything my kids have ever owned before. They absolutely love stalking around in the dark and seeing things that regular eyes can’t. The camera takes good videos as well, which they think is fun. I was pleasantly surprised by them, I have to admit. I figured they would work, just not well, but they far exceeded my expectations. Like all Nerf products, they are made for kids and will hold up well over time, which is always a plus. I don’t think there’s any kid that I know who wouldn’t love these goggles.

(Click any photo to enlarge)

You can purchase the Nerf Infrared Night Vision Goggles on Amazon.com for $72.99 with free shipping.


Thank you to Nerf for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon.  All opinions are my own.

BlogHer 2010: Holy Bostonian Accent Batman!

Here I am on the first day of BlogHer 2010 making an impromptu video after taking a tour of the newest JVC HD Camcorders. I think we can all agree that Katie Couric has nothing to worry about. Seriously, could I have been anymore nervous? And is my Bostonian accent really that strong?

Thank you to JVC for sharing this video with me and my readers.

Review: RCA Small Wonder EZ209HD Camcorder

Since I have been increasingly including videos in my product reviews, it has become quite important to have a reliable portable camcorder. I was also having a problem with the record button sticking on my Flip Ultra, which caused me to constantly have extra footage to edit out, so I welcomed the chance to experience the RCA Small Wonder EZ209HD camcorder. I was extremely curious to try it since I had heard that RCA had made some improvements upon the previous model.

What I thought about the Small Wonder EZ209HD Camcorder:

1) When I first picked up this camcorder, I could not believe how lightweight and thin it was. It is easily half as thick as the Flip Ultra and significantly lighter. It is attractive, sleek, and compact enough to fit comfortably into your back pocket.

2) This camcorder is very user-friendly and you do not need to be tech-savvy to use it. Just press the red button to start recording and then again to stop.

3) I love that this camcorder is rechargeable so we can avoid the cost of constantly replacing batteries.

4) The Small Wonder has a high quality screen. I am very pleased with the resolution and brightness.

5) The microphone picks up and records sound nicely, even if the subject is several feet away.

6) With the Small Wonder you can still capture bright footage even under slightly low light conditions.

7) The ability to take still photos as well as video is a convenient feature, although I still like to have my SLR camera with me when I can.

8) I also like that I have 3 options for resolution settings. Since most of my videos are being viewed on the web, I don't need to use the HD setting sometimes, which in turn allows the camcorder's 256MB of memory to hold plenty of footage.

9) I am happy to report that I have not experienced any problems with the buttons sticking. I find the buttons are very accessible, but my husband who has much larger hands said that the bottom of the rim around the screen keeps him from pressing the "up" button with the pad of his thumb. Instead he has to use the very tip of his thumb.

10) The built-in software is organized into 3 sections . . . managing, editing, and uploading your videos. The management section is very user-friendly and the fact that you can upload your video directly to sites like YouTube without opening a new window is extremely efficient.

11) Because I had more than one video-editing software on my laptop, we used my husband's laptop to test out the software to avoid any potential conflict. Both my husband, who has not had much experience editing video, and I, who have used several different types of photo-editing software, did not care for the built-in Small Wonder editing software. It is very basic and not as user-friendly as it could be. Luckily, the software is not why a consumer would choose (or not choose) to purchase a particular camcorder.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with the RCA Small Wonder EZ209HD Camcorder. If on the next model, RCA can figure out how to accommodate larger hands and revamp the editing portion of the software, I think they will have a near-perfect product.

To read more about this camcorder's features and specifications, visit the RCA Audio/Video site.


Thank you to RCA for providing us with a review product free of charge.