Randy is pretty surprised because he noticed immediately upon viewing through it, that you do not turn the teleidoscope, but rather you move your body to create a variegated scene. It makes every view candy for the eye.

We took a few videos to show the difference.

Here’s the background used for each:

Here’s the view through one of our kaleidoscopes:

Here’s the view through the Kaleidoscopes To You Teleidoscope:

Isn’t it beautiful?

Randy’s father was a shaper maker for the the auto industry for years.  He could make anything out of inlaid wood.  In fact I have a bracelet he made that has forty different pieces wood, all precisely put together.  This teleidoscope could have been made by him.

The wood work is beautiful and precise.  You can tell upon viewing it that it was handcrafted with care.

Randy and I counted 41 prices of wood shaped into a 5 3/4 “highly polished, laminated  teleidoscope.   Rather than just rectangular shape, it has smooth dips and ridges. It came with a a wooden stand to display, also well crafted and a bag for when it is put away.  I don’t think that will ever happen here.  It is too beautiful not to be shown off!

If you are looking for that unique gift for someone for Valentine’s Day, you could not go wrong with the teleidoscope.  Kaleidoscopes To You also carries a line of jewelry and art glass.  Don’t tell Randy, I’m going to check out the marbles for him, since he has a real infatuation with them.

Product was provided. No compensation received. The honest opinions are my own and those of my family.

It only took a few minutes and the software was downloaded and installed. Kora and Logan were excited to start creating. The Flip Boom Doodle software has lots of options. You can draw from scratch as Kora and Logan demonstrate here.

You can select clip art pieces from the drawing library. There are many choices including background scenes, borders, words, animals, people, aliens and more.

With Valentine’s Day coming up I decided to create an animated Valentine’s day card. I used some of freehand drawing as well as some items from the drawings library. Here’s my creation!

Isn’t it cute? It only took me a few minutes to do and even though I don’t consider myself artistic at all, I thought it turned out pretty well.

I’m excited to share it with you because not only is it an early Valentine’s day wish for our 2 Wired 2 Tired readers, but it’s also an opportunity to tell you about Toon Boom’s exciting Facebook contest for the most creative Valentine’s day heart. The winner will receive an iPad!

You can visit the Toon Boom Facebook Contest Page to download your free version of the Flip Boom Doodle software you see Kora, Logan, and I using above.  After you install the software and create your heart animation, return to the contest page and upload the video.

A couple of important notes:

• To enter the contest, when you upload the video the privacy settings for the video must be set to “public.”
• You can also use the “Upload to YouTube” option, but you must have a registered YouTube account first.
• Be sure to read all of the contest rules.
• The contest ends February 10th, 2012 and the entries will be submitted for public vote from Feb. 10th – 14th. The winner will be announced February 14th.

We love playing with Toon Boom’s Flip Boom Doodle software and recommend it to anyone who likes to doodle and draw especially on the computer. The software is very kid friendly and fun for the whole family. Kora & Logan loved watching their drawings come to life and were excited we could share them online with relatives or print them out as well.

Good luck in the contest and Happy Early Valentine’s Day!

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Toon Boom Animation and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to post.

Zebra Striped Hot Pink Cookies

Cherry Chocolate Kisses

Source: thecurvycarrot.com

Valentine’s Spiral Cookies

Oreo Cakesters Hearts

Strawberry Valentines Sandwich Cookies

Valentine’s Day Macaroons

Neapolitan Heart Cookies

What do you think? Which Valentine’s cookies would you make?

As soon as we arrived they immediately headed to the air hockey table and played there for quite a while. It was definitely a favorite!

Then it was on to the jungle gym where they spent lots of time crawling through tunnels, peeking out windows, and waving at us!

While they played, we ordered food. We were very impressed with the veggie tray.

We had a chance to try their new crispier, cheesier pizza made with fresh dough.

It was delicious and didn’t last long. The kids would play, run over to the table eat a slice, and head back out to play.

Kora and Logan were all smiles as they played skeeball and a number of other fun games. They loved that each game was only 1 token and that they won tickets for playing.

Then it was time for gifts!

And cupcakes!

After a great party with delicious food, wonderful gifts, and plenty of games, Kora and Logan had one more big surprise. Adorable Chuck E.Cheese’ balloons!

They thought these balloons were so neat and they’ve been so excited that the balloons have stayed inflated for almost 2 weeks. I have to admit, the balloons are cute and make me smile every time I walk by them.

Once we got home I asked Kora and Logan what they thought of their Chuck E. Cheese’s Birthday Party:

As you can see from the video, Kora and Logan had a fantastic birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese’s and we were so happy to get the chance to spend it with family at such a fun place. Even the adults were jumping in playing the games! We recommend Chuck E. Cheese’s to anyone planning an upcoming birthday party. They often have a number of great deals running and if you sign up for their email newsletter they send you discounts as well.

Gift cards were provided. No compensation was received. The honest opinions are my own and those of my family.

I was so thrilled to hear that a reader of 2 Wired 2 Tired was the big winner of that sweepstakes, that I just had to share information about the Hormel Foods Go Big For The Game Sweepstakes taking place now. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if one of you won again?!

Head over to the Hormel Foods Go Big For The Game Sweepstakes Facebook Page. Fill out the simple form and be entered to win a $500 gift card!

But hurry because the sweepstakes ends Friday, February 3rd at 12 pm CST!

Good luck and if you win, leave a comment and letting us all know!

I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger Program. While Hormel Foods provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiments on 2 Wired 2 Tired are my own.

She’s now taking an art class after school and has been so excited about it. Last week was her first class and she came home tired but it happy. I asked her how class went and what they did. She said they didn’t do anything. Surprised by this, I tried to find out a little more about her class, she was in a pretty good mood for not doing anything. I finally got out of her that they made fancy name tags and read a book about primary colors.

I asked her if it was an interesting book. She said, “No, I knew it all already.”

I was a little bummed that it didn’t seem like the art class went very well, but I figured it was the first day and things would get better each class. She didn’t seem upset by it in any way, so I thought it best to leave it until next week and see how that class went.

Then I opened her book bag to take out her school papers and found this!

I know that as her mother I’m biased but I can’t believe she drew this at only 6 years old. It’s a picture of herself drawing a picture of herself drawing a picture (very Inception-like). See her hand on the right holding the paper and the paint brush on the left? And that’s her at the table drawing with her teacher beside her.

I was bowled over that she grasped the concept to do this. I asked her when she did it and after much confusion, because she’s still working on telling time, I learned that she drew it while waiting for art class to start. I asked her if they gave her the idea or if she thought of it on her own. She said they told them to draw about why you love art, so she drew herself drawing and her teacher watching.

So cute and so good!

Anyway, so I just had to share how proud I am of Kora and how amazed I am at her every day.

At the Xperience Days site you can find thousands of creative gift ideas ranging from NASCAR Driving Experiences to Hot Air Balloon Rides and everything in between.
The best thing about Xperience Days is not only do they offer extreme adventures like Air Combat Dogfights or Skydiving, they also offer more tame, but equally as fun, unique gift ideas too including Private Cooking Classes, Sightseeing Tours, Art Classes and more.

With such a wonderful selection of unique gifts to choose from, there’s something for every man in our lives. That’s why I’m excited to offer the giveaway below!

WIN IT!

One reader of 2 Wired 2 Tired will win a $100 Xperience Days Gift Certificate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gift certificate provided for giveaway. No compensation received. The honest opinions are my own.

That’s why I’m excited to be a co-host for today’s Avocados From Mexico #iloveavocados Twitter Party from 3 – 4 pm EST! I’d love for you to join us as we talk food, football, parties, and avocados!

The Details

What:  Avocados from Mexico #iloveavocados Twitter Party
When:  Tuesday, January 31, 2012 from 3:00-4:00PM EST
Hashtag: #iloveavocados
Moderator: @MomCentral 
Special Guest: @guacgrl
Assistant Moderators: @DadCentral, @MomCentralChat & @StacyDeBroff
Prizes: Six people will win a $50 Amazon gift code & an Avocados from Mexico prize pack during the hour-long party. We’ll also be giving away two $50 Amazon gift codes & a prize pack for tweeting before the party.

For more information on the Avocados from Mexico #iloveavocados Twitter Party today from 3:00-4:00PM EST please visit: http://bit.ly/x3ZctW

“Like” Avocados From Mexico on Facebook featuring special widgets to share the avocado love with all your friends and family:

Pre-tweet to Win!
Anyone who tweets this from now until the Avocados from Mexico #iloveavocados Twitter Party will be eligible to win one of two $50 Amazon gift codes and an Avocados from Mexico prize pack before the party starts.

A gift card was provided. No compensation was received. The honest opinions are my own.

We were excited when we came across the Snow Joe Ultra SJ621 Snow Thrower.

It’s a wonderful machine with a simple push button start, a 180 degree adjustable chute, a scraper that clears the pavement,  and a 13.5 amp motor that moves 650 lbs of snow per minute. That’s impressive!

This machine is called a snow thrower because it really does throw the snow. Using a 4 steel blade rotor the Snow Joe Utra throws the snow up to 20 feet!

It will also cut a path 18″ wide and 10″ deep in one pass and it comes with a full two year warranty.

Dave and I have been eagerly waiting for a big snowful in anticipation of using the Snow Joe  Ultra. Of course, you know the rule. Once you get a snow blower, you don’t get any snow. So we take full credit for our unseasonably warm winter here in Cleveland that has also been lacking any snow!

The good news is my parents live in Michigan where they did get a snow storm recently. They are in the the market to buy a new snow blower, so we took our Snow Joe Ultra along with us and let them give it a try.

My parents have owned a snow blower for years and their old gas powered one had puttered out. It was large, bulky, and difficult to start.

That’s why they were very excited to see how compact the Snow Joe Ultra is as well as how easy it is to start and use. My mom took it out to clear her driveway.

Can you believe how high and far it throws the snow?!

You can see that they have a 2 car driveway that is very wide. Their old snow blower used to shoot the snow out but it wouldn’t go very far and instead it would land back in their driveway where they’d have to come back through and snow blow it again. This wasn’t a problem with the Snow Joe Ultra. It threw the snow so far that it made it off the driveway on both sides which made the job much quicker and less exhausting.

Here’s a short video of my mom using the Snow Joe Ultra SJ621:

My mom raved about how easy it is to start and what a great job it does. She also said that the fact that it is electric is nice too because you never have to worry about running out of gas half-way through or even before you start. This offers great peace of mind during an unexpected storm.

My parents were very impressed with the Snow Joe Ultra, so much so that they think they may be purchasing one for themselves!

While Dave and I were glad my parents enjoyed using the Snow Joe Ultra so much, we both agree that we are actually looking forward to our first big snowfall so can use it on our own driveway!

That’s why I’m excited to offer the giveaway below!

To learn more about Snow Joe “Like” them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

WIN IT!

One reader of 2 Wired 2 Tired will win a Snow Joe Ultra SJ621 Snow Thrower valued at $269!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Products were provided. No compensation was received. The honest opinions are my own and those of my family.

That’s why when I came across KidsExclusive.com, I was excited about the mom-friendly deal site. It offers high-end premium brands for kids ages 0-9 at 30% – 90% off the original price. One feature I really like about KidsExclusive.com is that you don’t have to be a member to enjoy the deals.

On top of that, the site is fun shopping experience because you can shop from a number of different brands all for one low shipping price and within 24 hours of placing the order, the items leave their facility. That’s fast!

I also like that KidsExclusive.com sale events last 72 hours, which means every couple of days it’s like shopping at a new store.

Kora has really been into skirts and leggings lately so I browsed KidsExclusive.com to see what I could find.

I found this Lipstick Tulle Skirt from Wheat:

Kora loves this skirt so much it was hard to get her to stand still for the picture. She kept dancing and saying it reminded her of a hula skirt!
I also got her this Tulle Skirt  from One Kid:

 You can see she had a hard time standing still in this one too!

As well as this Yellow Skirt from Hopscotch Designs that I thought would be perfect this summer:

Kora and I both love the bright colors of this skirt.

While browsing I also came across these adorable Flower Velcro Low Top from Lilli Kelly that I knew she’d love.

I’m very pleased with the quality of the skirts and shoes. They are all beautiful and are made to last. Kora’s excited about her new skirts and shoes as well. She’s been wearing them every chance she gets!

I’m so happy with our experience at KidsExclusive.com that I can’t wait to shop again. I recommend the site to anyone shopping for children’s clothing. The low prices, low shipping fee, and wide variety of brands makes it a fun site to shop.

That’s why I’m excited to offer the giveaway below.

WIN IT!

One reader of 2 Wired 2 Tired will win a $25 Gift Code to KidsExclusive.com.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Products were provided. No compensation was received. The honest opinions are my own and those of my family.