I had been hearing how great the Keurig brewers were for ages. I really didn’t see how one coffee maker could be better than the next.  It wasn’t until I got my own Keurig B30 Mini Brewer that I realized just how AWESOME a Keurig really was.

I chose the Keurig Mini Brewer because while my kitchen isn’t tiny, I don’t like a lot of big appliances taking up space. I also drink only 1 cup of coffee per day and just needed a small unit that made great tasting coffee.

My Keurig Mini has exceeded my expectations with the quality of it’s coffee in it’s pint little size.

The Keurig Mini couldn’t be easier to use. Just pop in a K-Cup, add a cup full of water and press the button. Voila! A delicious cup of coffee in just a few minutes. I love the easy cleanup because there is none! Just throw away the used K-Cup and replace with a new one when you want your next cup.

The K-Cups are fabulous! There are  over 200 K-cup varieties of gourmet coffee, tea and hot cocoa from your favorite brands (Green Mountain, Tully’s etc) to choose from. There really is something for everyone even if you are not a coffee drinker. My 5 year old daughter loved the hot chocolate, and my mom loved the tea.

Product Features

- Single-serve brewing system for gourmet coffee or tea

- Uses patented K-Cups; no messy grinding or clean up

- Brews an 8-ounce cup at a time; ready in less than 3 minutes

- 1-touch technology; variety pack of 10 K-Cups included

- Measures 11-1/2 by 10 by 13-1/4 inches

- Take it with you anywhere–Office, Vacation Home, College Dorm

- Available in Black, White & Red

Ages – Adult use only (perfect gift for mom or dad)

Price – Retails for $89.95

Buy – Buy the Keurig B30 Mini Brewer

Rating: It gets 5 extra starts because it’s that good!

“I was provided  a Keurig Mini Brewer from MS&L to review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

Do you love coffee (or any other hot beverage) but hate having to wait for your drink to cool to the perfect temperature?

The Brugo Travel Mug is just what you need. The Brugo Mug is unique in the fact that it takes any hot beverage and cools it to the perfect temperature from the first sip.

“Fresh coffee is brewed at 205 degrees, but its vibrant flavors are most distinguishable and pleasing at around 150 to 170 degrees. By using a simple “tip and sip” motion, BRUGO™ users transfer sip-sized amounts (one fluid ounce) of their hot beverage to the temperature control chamber, where it immediately reaches this Perfect Temperature Zone. Only the liquid in the chamber is cooled and only this liquid exits the sip opening. This inventive system eliminates the need for coffee drinkers to blow on their beverage, add ice to it, or wait for it to cool.

The BRUGO™ lid has three options: LOCK, TIP & COOL, and SIP. The LOCK setting seals the mug and is perfect for transporting the beverage without spilling. TIP & COOL gives the consumer the full benefits of the temperature control chamber. Once the beverage in the mug has cooled to a palatable temperature, users simply turn the dial to SIP and drink the beverage directly.“

I received a Brugo Mug to try for myself. When I took it out of the package for the first time I noticed the size. This is a serious mug. Visually the Brugo is very appealing. It comes in a wide variety of colors with the same basic style. There are grooves on the outside to ensure a nice fit in your hand and to prevent slipping. The lid to the Brugo has 3 settings that you can dial based on your needs.

I tested out the Brugo right away with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee from my Keurig. When I used the Sip feature it was too hot, so I dialed it over to Tip & Cool which was noticeably cooler. I took me a little while to figure out the Tip & Cool feature as you must tip it a certain way to get the hot liquid in the chamber. A little practice will make perfect. The lock feature is also nice if you are traveling to prevent spills.

Ages – Adult use only (perfect gift for mom or dad)

Price – Retails for $19.95

Buy – Buy the Brugo Travel Mug

Rating:

PartyLite has been known for selling quality candles and accessories for over 35 years. While most people know that PartyLite is a direct sales company, many do now know that you don’t have to be a representative or attend a party to purchase PartyLite’s unique candles and accessories.

I was sent a PartyLite pillar and candle holder from the seasonal Peppermint Delight collection to review.

When I opened the box I was blown away by the detail and cuteness of the gingerbread candle holder. The snow is glittery and every detail of the gingerbread family is perfect. The red and white striped pillar is scented in peppermint bark! This candle has a burn time of 85-90 hours. The set is absolutely adorable and I now have it prominently displayed on own living room end table.

I also received a set of 2, 3″ ball candles in white (also scented in peppermint bark) to switched in and out of the candle holder as desired. I love how the candles can be mixed and matched with the accessories.

How cute is this?

PartyLite has a wide variety of candles and accessories to help illuminate your home. There are pieces for every day, and every season. Each piece it of the highest quality and the candles smell delicious! You will be proud to display PartyLite candles in your home.

PartyLite makes a great gift for mom and you don’t need to attend a party to purchase their candles or accessories.

Simply visit partylite.com and click on “Shop Online”. You will need to enter your zip code to find a representative in your area. The whole process can be done online and there are no parties to attend.

Of course if you are interested in hosting a party or becoming a consultant that is there too!

Ages – Adult use only (perfect gift for mom)

Price – Gifts from $10

Buy – Buy PartyLite Candles & Accessories

Rating:

“The 2nd edition of the LITTLEST PET SHOP video game brings the party to you with a new quirky pets and their best friends. Venture on quests, deliver invitations, serve up ice cream, and style your pets as you get ready for the biggest LITTLEST PET SHOP party of the year.”

My 5 year old daughter is a Littlest Pet Shop fanatic, she has over 100 pets! So it was no surprise that she would want the new Littlest Pet Shop Friends game for Wii (also available for DS).
She was pretty ecstatic when she found out I had a copy to review. We both had a blast testing out the game and playing with our favorite Littlest Pet Shop Friends. The Peacock is our favorite!

LPS Friends game for Wii can be played with 1 or 2 players.

Game Features:

It’s All about the PETS! Collect all-new pets packed full of personality! Meet the Great Dane, the Peacock, the Collie, the Ladybug, and many more of your favorite pets.

Best Friends! Now each pet has a best friend that helps them prepare for the party! Plus full co-op gameplay lets you and your real-life best friend enjoy the fun together.

Mini-Games! An all-new story guides you along your journey as you play mini-games and accomplish tasks to get closer to the celebration.

Style out Your Pets! For the first time, you can design your own accessories and style out your pets in your own unique way.

Surprises! What’s a party without surprises? An all-new mystery pet is coming to town … and you’ll just have to play to see what else pops up!

I love how Littlest Pet Shop Friends is age appropriate and suitable for little girls. I often feel that there are not as many fun game options for little ones and this one is definitely a winner.

Ages – 5 and up (Perfect gift for girls)

Price – Retails for $39.99

Buy – Buy Littlest Pet Shop Friends for Wii

Rating:

“I was provided with a copy of Littlest Pet Shop Friends to review. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

Sheer Cover Mineral Makeup is a must have product for moms.

Every mom wants to look good, but most of the time we just don’t have the time to get all made up. I know I want a 5 minute application. We also don’t like the hassle of constantly reapplying or doing touch ups.

I have been using other brands of mineral makeup for years, but this was my first time trying Sheer Cover, and I was very impressed.

Sheer Cover is like most mineral makeups in the fact that it looks like a powder and is mineral based. I think Sheer Cover is a finer milled powder than the other leading brand. At first it may seem like the sheerness of the makeup will not cover, but after a full application you will definitely notice the difference. I also noticed a dewy appearance to my skin which I liked.

I sampled the light kit which came with 3 shades: Frost, Nude and Bisque

The Frost seemed most compatible with my skin tone, but after applying I noticed it was a bit light, so I blended in some nude which complimented my skin tone perfectly.

I love the blendability of the Sheer Cover foundations, especially since it still felt so light on my skin after a few applications.

My Sheer Cover kit also can with a brush and duo tone concealer…which is awesome! The concealer was a perfect match to my skin and was not cake-y like most concealers. A winner.

Sheer Cover stayed on my face all day and only took a few minutes to apply. No touch ups needed throughout the day! For a busy mom on the go, this is a must.

Sheer Cover makes a great gift for mom this holiday season.  The Sheer Cover kits come in Light, Medium, Tan or Dark.

Ages – Teen and up (Perfect gift for Moms or Teen Girls)

Price – $29.99 with free shipping for starter kit

Buy – Buy Sheer Cover Mineral Makeup

Rating:

“I was provided with a sample kit of Sheer Cover by Guthy-Renker. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

Looking for a unique gift with a lot of personality?  Whoops Bunny may be just what you need!

“Once upon a time a little bunny had a ‘whoops’. The bunny was jumping across the fingers on a hand and whoops…almost slipped off. The bunny and the whoops were captured forever in this rhyme and with a hop, skip and a whoops, Whoops Bunny was born.

Like that bunny, anyone, at any age, anywhere in the world, can experience a whoops! It’s a part of what makes life…life! And with whoops-a-plenty under our belts, the bunnies here at Whoops Bunny HQ strive to develop products to deal with any whoops life throws at you.

When it comes to style and quality though, a whoops just won’t do. To pass the ‘whoops test’, our products must be hip & contemporary with a sprinkling of high jinks…but always functional!”

Whoops Bunny has something for every little bunny on your list.

From adorable chef aprons-

to hair & makeup (natural products)

and even organizational paper products for moms-

We recently tested out the Chow Time Hoppin’ Bunny Melamine Set

which was the perfect size for small hands and durable enough that even with a “whoops” these dishes won’t break!

My daughter loved the colorful bunnies and I loved the fact that this set was dishwasher safe. Packaging was exceptional.

Ages – Most products ages 2 and up (Perfect gift for little girls & Moms)

Price – $29.99 for dish set shown, products  start at $6.99

Buy – Buy Whoops Bunny Gifts & Accessories

Rating:

“I was provided with a dish set from Whoops Bunny. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

If you are looking for a holiday sweet treat to send to your friends and family this holiday season, look no further than Byrd Cookie Company.

Based out of Savannah, Georgia,  Byrd Cookie Company has been making gourmet confections since 1924!

We sampled Byrd Cookie Company’s Decorate Your Own Cookie Party! and were impressed with both the presentation and taste of the cookies.

The Decorate Your Own Cookie Party! comes packaged in an adorable peppermint candy box-

Inside comes 12 Iced Gingerbread Holiday cookies and 4 confectionery ink markers-

I let my daughter be the artist and she decorated the cookies to her hearts content. She had a blast making these little gingerbread people-

And how was the taste of the cookie? They were delicious! The gingerbread was crisp and the icing was perfect. There is no additional taste to the edible marker in case you were wondering.

This was such a fun activity, and with 12 cookies to decorate, multiple children can participate.

My first thought was this would be an awesome gift for a child the night before Christmas to decorate cookies for Santa.

Byrd Cookie Company has a whole selection of holiday gifts, as well as their traditional Byrd Cookie Favorites.

Ages – all ages (Perfect gift for both kids and adults)

Price – $21.95 for cookies shown, cookies start at $6.95

Buy – Buy Byrd Cookie Company Cookies

Rating:

Wen by Chaz Dean is a unique shampoo and conditioner for your hair that is unlike anything else on the market.

What makes Wen so unique is that is does not contain sulfates or detergents that normally strip the hair. Wen is a non lathering shampoo and conditioner in one. The formula is similar to a lotion that is used to coat your hair and then is rinsed away.

I tried the Wen Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner for myself and I was shocked at the results after 1 use. My hair felt clean, and was silky soft. It is hard to describe, but I saw a noticeable difference in my hair texture and even color. Wen does not change your hair color, but its like it turned to its natural color. Again hard to explain, but the results spoke for themselves.

I also used this on my daughter’s hair and she had similar results.

I  LOVE the scent of the Wen Sweet Almond Mint and kind of felt like the whole experience was spa-like, vs. just simply washing and conditioning my hair like a chore.

Wen recently won and award for best Shampoo and Conditioner and I can see why. It is awesome! A perfect gift for mom (or even dad) this holiday season.

Ages – all ages (Perfect gift for mom)

Price – $29.95 for a 30 day supply, includes 4 products and shower comb

Buy – Buy Wen Cleansing Conditioner

Rating:

“I was provided with a sample bottle of Wen Cleansing Conditioner by Guthy-Renker. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

“Your child will love creating all of his favorite Sesame Street friends! The colorful chunky parts make it easy for small hands to snap, stack and plug together. These fun sets also include educational activities for you to share with your child.”

K’NEX is back with a new Sesame Street Collection that your 2-5 year old is going to love. The new Sesame Street Neighborhood Collection Building Sets combine the fun building of K’NEX blocks with your child’s favorite Sesame Street Characters.

Join Elmo, Ernie and Cookie Monster and recreate the Sesame Street Neighborhood.

There are 4 neighborhood sets to collect and connect, including:

- Neighborhood collection 123 Brownstone

- Neighborhood Collection Ice Cream Truck

- Neighborhood Collection Police Station

- Neighborhood Collection Police Car

Team Mom sent us Neighborhood Collection 123 Brownstone to review and enjoy. This set is loaded with 40 parts to build the famous 1-2-3 Brownstone, complete with tiny stoop, Elmo, Cookie Monster, trees and a fire hydrant. Pairs perfectly with the Neighborhood Collection Ice Cream Truck for hours of building fun and after building play.

My daughter, who is 5, felt that this play set was a bit young for her and decided to pass this toy along to a 2 year old friend of the family who loved it! I think this toy is great for the 2-3 age group who enjoy watching Sesame Street and can identify the characters. The blocks are a nice size for little hands and are easy to connect and take apart. Each set also comes with a “play & learn” activity sheet that gives your child a set of ideas on how to put the blocks together to make new designs.

Ages – 2-5 years old (Perfect gift both boys and girls)

Price – Retails for $10.99-$20.99

Buy – Buy K’NEX Sesame Street Neighborhood Collection

Rating:

“I was given a K’NEX Sesame Street 123 Brownstone Play set from Team Mom. I was allowed to keep the product, but the opinion I am sharing remains my own.”

VeggieTales Saint Nicholas is a Story of Joyful Giving! Find out as the Veggies discover the true joy of giving to others — at Christmas time and throughout the year!Laura Carrot’s Christmas stocking might be empty this year because her dad is in danger of losing his job. While Larry thinks a letter to the North Pole should fix the problem, Bob knows what will really help … and tells the story of a little boy named Nicholas who made a discovery in Bethlehem that changed Christmas forever. But what did Nick learn and how can it possibly help Laura and her family?!

While I did not watch this movie, my 5 year old daughter did, and loved it!

Here is her review:

“I learned about God and how he loves us back. We are happy the same way we are. I liked the movie so much and I like to watch it for Christmas time, or anytime. My favorite character is Larry because he is funny.”

I usually preview all my daughter’s video, but since this was a VeggieTales movie I was confident that it was wholesome and contained a message I would approve of.

We love holiday movies in our house as it puts us in the Christmas spirit. VeggieTales Saint Nicholas would make a great pre-Christmas present, or a movie your kids can enjoy Christmas Eve. Of course it can also be watched year-round to get in the holiday spirit.

Ages – All ages (Perfect gift both boys and girls)

Price – Retails for $14.99

Buy – Buy VeggieTales Saint Nicholas

Rating:

*The Family Review Network and VeggiesTales sent us a free copy of VeggieTales Saint Nicholas in exchange for sharing our honest opinion of the product”