About iseeBell Video Doorbell

iseeBell offers homeowners a revolutionary new way to answer their doorbell and increase home security. With the cutting edge new smart Wifi video doorbell, you will never be left guessing about who is at your door again. It provides a complete, high definition view of the exterior of your home so you can see who is visiting. You can also communicate using the remote doorbell camera and this feature works no matter where you are located.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts on the iseeBell Video Doorbell

Ron installed the doorbell by following the instructions on the iseeBell app, it took him about 20 minutes to complete the process. We have been using the doorbell for over a week and it is working great. There is a receiver plugged into a socket in the living room that makes the ringtone in the house, there are several sounds to choose from. This receiver is also a very bright nightlight, too bright if you ask us, it drives Ron crazy!

If you want additional security for a fee of $2/month or $20/year you can get cloud storage of your iseeBell videos. This storage holds 7 days at a time. The cloud storage is not necessary.

The iseeBell video doorbell is available for $149.95 from Amazon.

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About the Carnival Hub App

The Carnival Hub app is available for free from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. I highly suggest you download the app before you leave for your cruise, the free wifi on board is often very slow, especially in the first few hours before the ship leaves port. The app also works as a countdown calendar before your vacation so that is a little added fun! At the time of this writing my app says my next cruise is 57 days away!

Once you board the ship, open the Carnival Hub app and click “I’m Onboard, Log Me In” at the bottom of the screen. This is when the app comes to life. You can view and interact with the digital Fun Times deciding what activities you want to attend. Click the star icon next to an activity and your app will alert your 15 minutes before that activity is about to begin. You can also view all of your dining and beverage options on the app. The most recent upgrade even added the menu for the Main Dining Room. The app has searchable deck plans so you can find your way around your floating home away from home. You can even purchase the CHEERS and Bottomless Bubbles drink programs from your app once you are onboard the ship. The latest upgrade also added a weather feature! All of the above features are free and run on the free Carnival wifi, just put your phone in airplane mode so that you don’t accidentally receive large charges if you lose wifi signal.

For the low price of $5.00 per device you can use the messaging feature of the Carnival Hub app. Find your friends and family who are onboard and add them to your messaging page. Ron and I did this on our last cruise and we found out that to use this properly you need to keep the app running all the time which, on some phones, could eat into battery life.

Mom Maven’s Thoughts

I loved having the free info on the Carnival Hub app in my pocket at all times. The additions of menus and weather will be great on my next cruise. The messaging worked ok but sometimes I closed my app, because I always close all my apps, and missed messages from my husband. I think this will just get better as we move forward and the technology evolves but what we have is a great start.

If you are thinking about booking a Carnival cruise, please Email Me my vacation planning services are FREE.

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Details for EasyAcc 3rd Anniversary Promotion:

1. Offers valid on purchases during the dates from 7/13 to 7./9
2. All available offers are the hottest items at the best price
3.  Limited number of giveaways and lightning sales only available on 7/16
4. Free shipping is available for Prime members (free trial) or on orders of $35+

Rules for an iPhone 7(6s) Giveaway

1. Take a picture of an EasyAcc product
2. Share the picture on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram till 31st, August;
3.  10 creative pictures (>100 participants) will be selected out by EasyAcc’s Design Team
4. Open voting for the last winner from 31st, August to 30, September
5. Announcement and prize delivery
6. All participants will get a 20% off code, available to all EasyAcc products
7. The 10 finalists will get any EasyAcc product free of charge
8. The last winner will get a free iPhone 7(6s)

I love my PowerBank and I may pick up some more products during this sale for Christmas gifts! Mark your calendars for the EasyAcc 3rd Anniversary sale July 13-19, 2015!

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Are you thinking of purchasing a new computer for a Graduation, Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift? The HP Envy Touchsmart may be just what you are looking for. If you are looking for a touch screen computer that is sleek, fast, looks and sounds great-stop looking, you have found it.

About the HP Envy TouchSmart Computer

I have done my best to translate the technical jargon into plain English

• 15.6″ touch screen for hands-on control (It has a good sized touch screen)
• AMD FX-7500 accelerated processor (It’s fast)
• 6GB system memory (It can multi-task without getting bogged down)
• 750GB hard drive for lots of file storage space (Big enough to hold photos,music and HD movies)
• AMD Radeon R7 graphics (Great quality for videos, streaming or gaming)
• Built-in dual speakers with subwoofer (Rich audio and deep bass)
• Weighs 6.1 lbs. and measures 1.2″ thin (Portable-**Note: This laptop does not include a built-in DVD/CD drive.)
• Dragon voice assistant capability (It obeys your commands)
• 2 USB 3.0 ports & 2 USB 2.0 ports (Maximize the latest high-speed devices, accessories and peripherals)
• HDMI output (Expands your viewing options-connect to TV etc)
• Wireless and wired network connectivity Connect to your home and work networks, hotspots and more)
• Windows 8.1 operating system
• Backlit keyboard (Easy typing in dim or dark locations)
• Island-style keyboard with chiclet keys (Built-in 10-key numeric keypad to quickly input numbers. HP ControlZone multitouch trackpad)
• Multimedia software package included
  

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  The HP Envy TouchSmart Computer is awesome! Get it @BestBuy #AMDFX
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This computer meets the needs of the gamer, graduate, blogger, student or business person. The Quick AMD FX series processor is great for daily tasks such as managing your personal life or streaming movies or videos and provides great video quality for gaming or catching up on your favorite YouTube videos. Anyone who needs a fast, multi-tasking computer would love getting the HP Envy TouchSmart from Best Buy. As always Best Buy offers Free Shipping on orders $35 and up OR Free Store Pickup! You can pick up your order in as little as 45 minutes.

Personally, I would love to own this computer and I feel it is a good value at $649.99. What features in this computer interest you the most? For me it is the speed and the multi-tasking with the backlit keyboard coming in a close third. Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts.

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Overview of the #LumiaSwitch

Before the campaign officially started there were problems. Phones didn’t arrive on time. The campaign was postponed until everyone could receive a working phone. My team leader never did get her phone troubles sorted out and she dropped out of the campaign before it officially started. Another team member stepped up to lead us and we moved forward. Somewhere in week 2 or 3 two of our other team members stopped responding to emails and using the team hashtag. That left us a team of two and I was fading fast. I limped across the six week finishing line and I barely touched the Lumia the last 2 weeks. I am proud to say that Team Captain #2 did win one of the individual prizes.

The Pros of the Nokia Lumia 830

• The Nokia Lumia 830 has a 10MP camera that takes great photos. The camera is better than my current phone.
• It also has battery life that matches my current phone.

The Cons of the Nokia Lumia 830 and the Windows Phone Platform

• It’s too big. The phone doesn’t fit in the small purse that I carry daily, nor does it fit comfortably in my pocket. This means I had to carry a larger purse for 6 weeks just for this phone.
• The interface is clunky at best.
• This phone is not at all intuitive or user-friendly. You have to read a lot of different information to learn to use even the most basic of features.
• Complicated apps. I can now say I have used all 4 of the major cell phone operating systems on the market and the Windows phone seems like it tries to make things difficult.
• Lack of apps I use daily and weekly. I cannot own a phone that does not have the following apps available: Planning Center Online, My Disney Experience, WordPress, Mailchimp, TheJoyFM, a timer…I know that Microsoft’s answer is that they want you to use these sites on the web browser. This doesn’t work because it doesn’t give me the notifications I need, especially via Planning Center Online.
• Sub par apps-The Instagram beta app is one example of a sub par app. It is very glitchy and, though I have tried for weeks, it won’t let me shut off the notification sounds of the app. See the picture below.

This is also the first time I have used the AT&T service. I had trouble a few times with texts not going through-and of course, they were the important texts! I did speak to one person, a businessman, who loves his Windows phone. He likes that he has access to all of his Microsoft and Adobe apps in the palm of his hand. If that is what you need than a Lumia might be the phone for you. It is not the phone for me. I am happily reunited full time with my personal phone. Have you tried a Windows phone? Were you part of the #LumiaSwitch? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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We received the black and white Snoopy Folio to review. Jordan unpacked the portfolio and slid his iPad in. It fit like a glove. The portfolio has multiple tilt positions while allow for optimum content viewing. The swivel allows you to use the iPad both horizontally and vertically. There is a light magnet that hold the portfolio closed for easy carrying. The case is designed so that all ports, headphone jack, volume control can all be accessed while in the portfolio.

Horizontal viewing

Vertical viewing

Back of portfolio

We love the look and feel of the iLuv iPad Snoopy Portfolio. Unfortunately, the only iPad in this house belongs to my 17yo so and he feels this portfolio isn’t manly enough for him (hee hee). So we decided the best thing to do is to share the love. So we are giving away our portfolio to a lucky reader of The Mom Maven. One tab on the box got ripped while we were opening it but the portfolio itself is like new. It has only been out of the box for the purpose of this review. The value of this giveaway is $59.99. The giveaway ends August 25, 2012 at 12:01am. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter. The winner’s entry will be validated and then I will email the winner. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received this iPad Portfolio for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% mine. I am giving away this portfolio by my choice. I was not asked to hold this giveaway.

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I have owned 4 bluetooth headsets over the years and while they have each been adequate and did the job the Q2 rises above the pack to offer superior sound quality and several features the others just don’t offer. I’ve been using the Q2 for a few months and I won’t drive without it…I even used it for an hour long conference call the other day.

Features:

• Pair, configure and control the device using your voice.
• Using text to speech technology the Q2 announces the name of the caller (if they are in your contacts) so that you don’t need to look at your phone.
• Just say “answer” or “ignore’ to all incoming phone calls-no buttons to push
• Download the Q2 Android app and then your device will read you any text messages you receive!
• The Q2 integrates with Bing-411 to provide voice access to a world of information.
• The Q2 features integrated A2DP streaming audio functionality, so you can listen to music or podcasts, and hear turn-by-turn direction information from a GPS application on your phone..
• Two phones can be paired to the Q2 at the same time.

The BlueAnt Q2 Smart Bluetooth Headset sells for $99.99 and can be purchased from BlueAnt online or at select retailers.

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from the  Teen Summit on Internet & Wireless Safety presented by Cox Communications

Want to improve the lines of communication with your children? These ten tips will help you get started immediately.

1. Listen

Listen to what your child is expressing and try to understand what’s going on with them internally. Don’t make assumptions.

2. Don’t Interrogate

Ask open-ended questions but avoid excessive questioning. Use general conversation starters like “How is it going?” or “What’s going on?” and then be silent. Most kids will tell you what you want to know if they don’t feel bombarded.

3. Be Honest

Practice honesty and respect. If a child asks something and you don’t know the answer, be honest. Say you don’t know and then find out. Conversely, if you do something inappropriate or make a mistake, be willing to apologize and admit it.

4. Keep Calm

Avoid yelling, making threats or using “labels” to describe your child or their friends.

5. Skip the Lecture

Don’t lecture your child or repeat the same thing constantly. Those tactics usually cause kids to tune you out.

6. Pay Attention

When your teen is talking, give them your complete focus. Stop whatever else you are doing and use eye contact.

7. Be Gentle

Avoid power struggles. You might hold the power, but you lose ultimately when you break your kid’s spirit.

8. No Judgements

Express your opinions without being judgmental. Remember to be concise so your comments don’t turn into a lecture.

9. Use Positive Reinforcement

Don’t dwell on your child’s mistakes. Focus on their accomplishments to demonstrate support and build self-esteem.

10. Take a Walk

Create situations that allow you to communicate with your kids. Whether it’s riding together in the car without playing the radio, running errands together or taking a walk after dinner, this one-on-one time will strengthen your relationship.

If you do not have a good relationship with your teens/tweens that is the place to start. The saying goes “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” is very true. Take some time over the next week to get to know your teen/tween, get on their level. At first don’t talk about the issues that divide you, focus on building them up. Talk about what they like, what they are good at. In my 20+ years of working with youth I see so many parents that don’t even know their kids, and it is sad.  Yes, it takes time, parenting takes time. The benefits of taking the time to get to know and build up your kids are huge.

Spend time with you teen this week. In the next few weeks we will talk about television and the media, cell phones-texting and sexting, social media and more.

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Thank goodness for Google! I searched Kindle and was whisked away to Amazon.com to read about what was becoming their signature product. I was amazed at the technology, and as an avid reader, I thought “I have to have that.” I didn’t put the Kindle on my Christmas list though. I already had an iPod Touch on my list, and I’ll admit that owning that piece of technology has helped assuage my iPhone envy for the time being. Today I got an e-mail from Amazon.com telling me the Kindle 2 has been released. I checked it out and decided that I needed to share this piece of amazing technology with you-just in case you, like me, have totally missed hearing about this tool.

The Kindle 2 is a wireless reading device. It uses 3G wireless technology to deliver books, blogs, newspapers and magazines to you in less than 60 seconds! You don’t even have to pay for the network connectivity-Amazon does. It only weighs 10.3 oz, which is less than a typical paperback book and it is only 1/3 of an inch thick which makes it much easier to hold than some big, bulky books or huge newspapers. The Kindle 2 has 6 font sizes so you can customize it to your reading preferences and the extended battery life will allow you to read for days between recharging. The Kindle 2 will hold over 1500 books at a time so you can carry your entire library with you where ever you go. The Kindle 2 to is available for $359 from Amazon.com.

The Kindle library has over 230,000 books, international newspapers, blogs and magazines for you to purchase and download. Your Kindle 2 even remembers where you left off reading so you won’t have to worry about losing your bookmark. With Kindle 2 you can make notes about a book passage, look up unknown words in the built in dictionary or learn more about the subject by accessing Wikipedia. Most books cost $9.99 to purchase through the Kindle library, that is a lot less than the bookstore price for a book, not to mention the trees you are saving. I don’t read a lot of mainstream books so I searched the Kindle library for my favorite authors: Karen Kingsbury, Beverly Lewis, Tracie Petersen and John Bevere were all available for Kindle. Magazines, newspapers and blogs are available by subscription and the prices vary but are all considerably less than the news stand or regular subscription price.

If you are an avid reader-or the loved one of an avid reader I suggest you check out the Kindle 2. They will be officially released on February 24, 2009 but you can order now and get in the virtual line to receive this amazing piece of technology. For more information on the Kindle 2 you can click on the Kindle banner on my left side bar or clicking here.

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