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:

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.”

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”

Kids will love the variety of colors in this three-tier telescoping tower of 150 crayons. It’s won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award–their highest honor!

The Crayola 15–Count Telescoping Crayon Tower is the largest configuration of crayons sold by Crayola. Crayons are stored in a unique case with telescoping design that expands into a 3 tier tower display.  The tower contains 118 regular crayons, 16 metallic FX crayons and 16 glitter crayons for a total of 150 Crayola crayons…enough for hours and hours of coloring entertainment.

While little artists enjoy the endless choice of colored crayons and the easy access to them, adults will enjoy the ready-made storage, that will make for easy cleanup. The tower includes a built-in sharpener to ensure that a fresh crayon tip is only a twist away. Nontoxic.

Ages – 5 & up (girls & boys)

Price – Retails for $14.99

Buy – Buy Crayola 150-Count Telescoping Crayon Tower

Rating:

I think one of the coolest things about having a daughter is getting to share the same love for movies and toys that I grew up with. A perfect example is My Little Pony.

As a young girl I remember sitting on my bedroom floor and playing with my ponies. It is the sweetest sight to see my little girl doing the same thing 20 years later.

Recently released on DVD is the new My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure.

In this new animated adventure, Pinkie Pie and her pony friends await the arrival of the Winter Wishes festival where the Wishing Star grants each pony one special wish. When the Wishing Star disappears, they go on a journey to find it. During their adventure, they learn what it means for wishes to really come true! But will they make it back in time for the festival? Join Pinkie Pie and all her pony friends on their journey as they discover that friendship can make wishes come true.

This DVD also comes with extra Bonus Features, Included:

Six Sing-Alongs:

* My Little Pony Theme song

* The Thing-A-Ma-Do Song

* Dreams Do Come True

* Somewhere Super New

* Thats What Makes A Friend

* A Wonderful Winter Song

Waiting For The Winter Wishes Festival – A prequel

Elefun and Friends - A new animated short

Four Downloadable Activities:

* Coloring Sheet

* Pony Note to Santa

* How to Make a Snowman

* Cut out Pony Ornaments

My daughter has been watching this movie non stop since it has arrived. I think what I love Most about My Little Pony and this DVD is that it is wholesome family fun. There is nothing inappropriate about My Little Pony and it just allows little girls to be little girls.

Even though My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure is a holiday themed DVD, it is not overly Christmas-y and can be played year round. This DVD will make a great gift before or after the holidays.

Ages – Suitable for all ages

Price – Retails for $14.99

Buy – Buy My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure

Rating:

**We received My Little Pony: Twinkle Wish Adventure for free in exchange for sharing our honest review**

I got a sneak peek of the hottest toy for 2009, the Zhu Zhu Pets, before they were on shelves this Fall.

I knew they would be an instant hit when my 5 year old daughter went nuts over these little moving hamsters.

The concept behind Zhu Zhu Pets is great for moms. Have the look and mobility of a real hamster, without all the mess!

The Zhu Zhu Pet hamsters each have their own personality and make unique little sounds. There are optional pieces you can buy to make a whole hamster city, similar to a real hamster habitat.

The Pros:

-Kids love these hamsters! My daughter and her friends had a field day with these things. The entertainment value is high and they are fun to watch run around. Extra fun if you have a cat, they seem to love these hamsters too.

-The hamsters themselves are inexpensive, retail for $7.99 each

- Really cute, new idea that both boys and girls can play with together.

- No mess and additional expense of a real hamster.

The Cons:

- The additional habitat add-ons are made of plastic, while this is fine, the plastic is not as sturdy as I would like and I had a difficult time keeping the connecting pieces connected.

- The habitat pieces where more difficult to put together than expected…not playable right out of the box (the hamster is though).

- The little wheels the hamsters run on rotate fast! Be careful not to let the wheels get near hair or strings as it will eat them up. This is based on experience.

Overall we really enjoyed playing with the Zhu Zhu Pets. Our favorite habitat add-on was the car. It is so cute watching the little hamster run across the floor in the car. When the habitat is put together correctly the Zhu Zhu Pets really do run around in it like a real hamster. They have some sort of sensor or something on their nose that keeps the pets from running into each other.

Since Zhu Zhu Pets are becoming more and more of a hot Christmas item, be sure to pick up a few in the stores for Christmas before they sell out!

Ages – 4 Years and Up

Price – Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster retail for $9.99, additional pieces vary from $10-$25

Buy – Walmart, Target, Toys R Us

Rating:

*Mom Select sent us 11 Pets and a full habitat to try out and share with our friends in exchange for sharing our honest review of this product**