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Outdoor Fun
Water Play
Travel
Toys
Summer Books & Journals
Keep Cool - Frozen
Treats Travel Gifts
 Dual-Screen
Mobile DVD System (Disney)
Okay moms, dads, grandparents - if any of
you have spent any time in the car lately with your kids you know that
without a DVD player your going to go nuts. I remember the endless
hours of car games and fighting as a kid, but why put yourself through
that when you can play car games for a while and then enjoy some of the
journey in peace! Thanks to Disney,
they've come up with a Dual-Screen Mobile DVD System. The new
system comes with several faceplate inserts including Pirates
of the Caribbean and Tinker Bell so kids can customize their
own; both screens feature a 7-inch LCD display that easily straps on the
back of each headrest in a car so kids can watch the same video image on
two screens. It comes with built-in speakers, two headphones, a car
power adapter, two mounting straps and a full function remote control.
The displays snap together with a handle for easy portability. It
supports DVD videos and audio CDs, plus picture CDs, DVD+R and DVD+RW.
A TV guardian option is available by subscription, which automatically
filters offensive language from the programs you watch. Available at
retailers nationwide. Included in the package is a Disney DVD disc
sampler featuring a compilation of Disney Channel’s hottest
entertainment from Hannah Montana and The Cheetah Girls,
to High School Musical, Jump In and Cory In The House.
We tested this on several long car rides, first the resolution is great,
they are extremely portable and are perfect for siblings, once you get
them to agree who picks the first movie. The only thing we wish is
that the main unit had a battery back up so that we could take it
into our hotel room or restaurant during long waits for a table!
Other than that, this is a perfect gift for peaceful travel! ($179.99)
  Kid-Tough
Digital Camera (Boys/Girls)
(Fisher Price) Ages 3+,
$54.99
Our mom-tester reports, "I have to admit, I don't know who is more crazy
about this camera: me or my kindergartener! He received it
as a gift from his grandparents and we both loved it so much that we
bought one for our friend's little girl whose mom just had a baby.
I've been told that she brings the camera to school almost every day to
show updated pictures of her baby sister to all her classmates. My
son loves the camera because he is an explorer and loves to take
pictures of all the bugs & animals he comes across in his explorations.
We also take it to the zoo, when we go to T-Ball, and for any trips so
that he can take pictures for his memory book. It is SO easy to
use! You just turn it on, point and shoot! It doesn't get
any easier than that. It is also easy to delete pictures with the
touch of a button and automatically turns off after a certain amount of
time so you don't waste the battery. Plus, the printed photos have
great quality! This is a fantastic gift for children 5+ and will
last for years."
 Cranium
Turbo Rocket Pak Ages 4+, $14.99
"My four year old is crazy about this rocket pak and has been running
around saying "5...4...3...2...1...Blast off!" for days now and never
gets tired of it!" reports our mother-of-two tester. "The pak has
this very cool little feature where you pull a string and two "wings"
pop out of the side and kids can soar around pretending to fly (very
similar to Buzz Lightyear) and with the touch of another button, the
wings slide right back inside to be ready for his next space
mission. The only precaution is that there are six little pieces that
small children might put into their mouth (luckily my son is past that
stage) but it also comes with fun 3-d glasses, a whistle and a rubber
space ball that all aid in my son's imagination of being an astronaut.
Another terrific product from Cranium."
 Disney
Digital Mix Sticks MP3 Player (Disney)
This is a great travel gift for a kids aged 7 and up. I'm not sure
what the actual age is, but my daughter received one to test and she
loves it! We've loaded it up with her favorite music from Show
Tunes to Hillary Duff. It's a great travel gift and very parent
friendly. It's so nice not to hear kids music all the time!
The digital music players come in a couple designs from chrome to That's
So Raven and are very easy to operate. Each plays MP3 and WMA audio
formats and offers 128MB of built-in memory, expandable up to 1GB via
SD/MMC slot. Features built-in, rechargeable battery for up to 10 hours
of playback time. Disney Music samples, an audio-jack, lanyard and
ear-bud headphones, USB port, and rechargeable batteries are all
included. Also plays Disney Mix Clips, which are $14.99 and sold
separately. Average battery life 8-10 hours.
 OnGuard
Kids Safety System Watch, $24.99, Ages 8+
Looking to keep your grandkids safe this summer? Well, check out
this cool product from OnGuard Kids. Our 8-year-old tester thought
it was very cool that it was a watch - with safety features! These
watches come with three interchangeable faceplates (so they look cool)
but also have built in a personal emergency alert that features a very
loud 110 decibel emergency alarm. It also includes a high
intensity SOS light signal, a "Safe & Secure" watch band, parental alarm
controls and a child ID label on the back of the watch. Although
it's not something that you like to think about, horrible things happen
and here's a great way to protect your grandchild. Hopefully
they'll never need it and just think of it as a watch with cool gadgets!
 Playaway
Digitial $39.99 We were lucky enough to review this
title on a Playaway Digital Audio Book. The book "The Kite Runner"
follows the story of Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, and Hassan,
the son of Amir's father's servant. The story begins with the
differences, yet strong bond that the two boys share. As children in the
relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are
inseparable. They spend their days running kites and telling stories
until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship
forever. It's an amazing story that won't soon be forgotten. It's a must
read - or in this case a must listen! This book is read beautifully by
the author.
Playaway Digial is a great new product and perfect for Travel!
It's your favorite book in a lightweight player that has eight simple
buttons. You can use the enclosed lanyard and wear it around your neck
or stick it in your pocket. I listened to this book during daily walks
with my dog. The Playaway comes already loaded with is packaged with
earphones, a lanyard, and a standard AAA battery to allow for immediate
listening. Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is perfect for
people who enjoy hearing books come to life. Jogging, biking, laying by
the pool, gardening or commuting to work. They also
include this awesome idea for what to do when you are done with it --
they encourage you to "Share it" and they provide some great ideas.
They suggest leaving it with your tip, placing it on the luggage
carousel for a weary traveller, or donating it to your library or
school. I think it's a great idea - of course I have neighbors
waiting in line to borrow my copy of The Kite Flier already!
They have lots of great
titles including "The Da Vinci Code", "The 5th Horseman", "1776" for
adults and titles like "Around the World in 80 Days", and "Alice in
Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass" for kids. Prices vary.
 Ready
Bed (Marshmallow
World, Spin
Master) These make great gifts for a traveling grandchild. If
your grandchild is going to a sleep over, coming to your house, or just
wants to "camp out" in his or her room. These beds are
great. A variety of testers have been given these beds and both
kids and parents agree - they are great. The inflate very quickly
with the included pump and make a nice comfortable bed on the
floor. The bedding is a soft fleece that's machine washable and
comes in all the cool characters from princesses, to Spiderman. They
pack into a compact bag and At $34.99 you can't go wrong!
 Sammies
(Samsonite
$74.99) Traveling this summer with your grandchild? Let them
travel in style with their own suitcase by Samsonite. These
suitcases are functional and stylish. Another great feature is
that you'll always know which suitcase is your grandchild's in that sea
of black suitcases on the luggage carrousel! They are great for
overnights to grandma's house and can hold up to a weeks worth of kids
clothes and a pair of shoes. They very well made and with their
own handle you'll never have to carry additional bags again! They come
in a Turtle Style or the Ladybug that we've featured.
 Tummy
Ticklers - This is a great new
product for busy moms and grandparents. First it's 100% juice, 100%
vitamin-c fortified. Secondly the bottle is truly leak-proof, and
refillable 8 oz plastic bottles Each line of TummyTickler characters
contains 100% real fruit juice with all natural ingredients and no added
natural or artificial color, flavor, or preservatives. That means it
won't stain! It's a great way to get your grandchild to drink during the
hot summer months while not constantly throwing out juice boxes or
pouches!
Would you like to send me your summer travel tips? If so, click
here.
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