Category Archives: Compensated

Ebay Holiday Shopping & Wishing

November 30, 2012 NerdMom Leave a comment

It isn’t even actually December yet and I am already overwhelmed with shopping!!!

Not so much the money side (I am pretty good about watching my pennies) but about figuring out what to get everyone!!! And when I start looking at present material I need to either write lists or save bookmarks. I love surf and find those quirky, specific gifts but if I don’t bookmark them I will never remember exactly what is what (to many thoughts in my head;). Ugh!

Well, eBay seems to have made a solution. They have created a Facebook list making app!!! You can make lists (hidden from those they are from) and get gift recommendations too. You need to go make a list too because they are doing a daily giveaway for people who make a wish list!!!

I hit the eBay Holiday Gift Guide and found 10 great gifts that might make it to someone on my list this year (and no, I am not telling you who;).

I found these great ColorMeUp Pandas that are so fun!
I love this Lumbar Support cushion for an office chair.
The Tony Stark and Natasha Romanov Marvel Minimates are going to be a huge hit.
And of course a Rocket Kit will be a big hit to anyone in a NerdFamily;).
AstroJax seems like it is a gift that will give you hours of fun!
This Medieval journal is great for the introspective in my life.
I have a puzzle fiend in my life that will love this puzzle ball. I think it would look cool as a decoration when it is done too!
I had never seen a Scrabble Apple! But I bet it is a ton of fun on the go.
These wedges by Toms are awesome for a fashionista in my life!
And lastly, an awesome wood wrist watch! Useful, unique and gorgeous!!

So many great gifts. Hopefully, one of this have inspired you. And remember that eBay also has a mobile app so you can access your list and shop while you are out and about too!!! So what are you still doing here? Go make a wish list!!!

(Disclosure: I want to thank Splash Creative Media for paying me to write this post on behalf of eBay)

Apps, Compensated, Educational, Entertainment, Geeky Stuff, Graphic Novels, history, kids, Kids Books, Reviews, tech

Who?Comics App

January 29, 2012 NerdMom Leave a comment

Thank you to who?Comics for sponsoring this post and encouraging my child to read biographies in comic book form! Please click here to learn more about the app. And follow who? Comics on Twitter for updates

As you all know, I am a big fan of reading and an even bigger fan of learning! So you can just imagine how excited I was to receive the opportunity to use the who?Comics app on my iPad with my kids!

Who?Comics is a free app and it comes with 2 books. There are 27 other books available for purchase. Some are sold individually but there are also packs available. Which of course, are a better deal;). So I got the Scientists pack (surprise, surprise;). Right off we checked out Marie Curie and Thomas Edison!

Here is a little detail you should know going in. These comics are not the super quick, over view type comics. There are 150 pages of details about the subject’s personal life. Which means it isn’t a quick read! I was very familiar with Marie Curie and I learned so much! NerdPie and I even cried at 2 different spots.

So what is my overall feel? Well, I love the idea of having these on the iPad for easy access! The art is clear and the story line moves at a good clip. This isn’t going to be a situation where you can read the whole thing in the doctor’s waiting room and that can be a good thing. This app was developed over seas and so there are a few translation issues. Due to that and the fact that these really deal with real life situations, I would make sure you child is near you when they read them. I had to explain about certain illnesses and certain historical events that were mentioned in the books we read. There was an assumption that the kids understood everything but mine had quite gotten there yet. (For example, why and how Poland was being occupied By Russia and how they weren’t supposed to speak Polish.)

My kids thoroughly enjoyed these comics! My kids are even asking for books from the library so they can learn even more! Both about the people in the stories and the science they discovered!

Thank you again to who? Comics for sponsoring my post. Please click here to learn more about the app. Visit who? Comics for updates. I was selected for this opportunity by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own. #CleverWhoComics #spon

Compensated, giveaway, video games

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 5

December 30, 2011 NerdDad 16 Comments

Thank you to Ubisoft for providing me with a copy of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2012 and sponsoring this fitness diary series. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own.

I didn’ t workout Christmas morning, the only day I’ve missed since I started exercising five weeks ago. I’m really suprised that I’ve been able to be so consistant. Before this, I don’t think I’ve exercised on a regular basis for nearly twenty years.

There’s quite a variety of activities and workouts in the program. Even at this point, I think I’ve only gone through 25% of the content and there’s also a lot of variety within the activities. I’m still not ready for the more strenuous activities. But knowing the progress I’ve made in the last few weeks, I can see that if I continue to work out every day, it won’t be but a few months before I’m able to do them all, including the push-ups.

Looking over my first diary entry from a month ago, I think that some of my problems have been solved. The waiting between exercises is much more bearable when your still catching your breath or resting from the last one. And my stamina has increased to the point that I rarely give up before the end. I’ve also started wearing my older clothes that were too tight before I started working out, which was one my main reasons for starting this project. I really do think that I have made the first steps toward a long-term change in my life.

This is the last week of my YSFE diary. Here’s week 1 and last week. And now how would you like to your own copy? Ubisoft is going to give a copy to one lucky reader!

Mandatory Entry: You much comment on 1 of the 5 diary posts.

Extra Entry: As always we are making it even easier to win! Just leave a comment for each extra action!

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This giveaway will close on 1/7 so enter!!!

Compensated, Endorsed, Reviews, video games

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 4

December 23, 2011 NerdDad 4 Comments

I met my objective, 360 minutes of activity in four weeks! I had a slow start since during the first week I wasn’t up for doing the medium activity exercises that qualified to be counted toward my objective.

One of the activity sets is a set created in a partnership with Humana, Inc.
It has three workout programs: Strengthen Your Heart, focused on high blood pressure; Active Kids, targeted at preventing childhood obesity; and Aging With Grace, designed to help elder mobility and agility. These were a little tougher for me than I thought they would be. However, I did notice one of the benefits of using the Your Shape program. Several times I had decided to give up or slow down but when the next exercise in the routine came on the screen, I’d try it and get back into the swing of it.

My weight is still edging up, which means I’m still building muscle (I hope). I definitely have more energy and more stamina. I’m able to many of the 15+ minute routines without too much trouble. I’m still not doing too much jumping around, but I can tell there’s been a big improvement when doing exercises where I need to kick or bring up my knees.

I’ll be posting one more diary update next week. Here’s week 1 and last week. After that, we’ll be giving away a free copy of YFSE to a random commenter chosen from the comments on one of the five diary posts, including this one.

PS I still haven’t missed a day since I started the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

YFSE Calendar — Every day, rain or shine!

Compensated, Endorsed, Reviews, Uncategorized, video games

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 3

December 16, 2011 NerdDad 3 Comments

Well, I weighed myself this week. I’m kind of glad that I didn’t do that at the start of my exercising because I would have put the focus on my weight instead of my overall fitness, which is definitely improving. I got out a couple of my old shirts, which seem to fit better than they did when I put them away. But at this point, I don’t have a lot of outward improvement. What I do have is increased flexibility, more energy (which I’ve mostly been wasting by staying up too late) and more stamina for the workouts. I’ll track my weight again in a few weeks, but I plan on building more muscle before I lose much fat.

Last Saturday, the team I’ve been coaching went to our first Lego robotics competition. It was a long day of standing and walking around, but I seemed to do better than I normally do in this type of situation. What I was dreading was how I would feel Sunday and Monday, which is when I usually pay for an unusual day of activity. But when I woke up, I was feeling mostly fine, which is my new normal. (I’m a little achy every day. Not much, but I can feel my muscles all the time now. I think this will wear off in time, but even now it’s not that bad.)

I’ve been trying out more of the activities this week. My wife got me to try a Bollywood workout when we first got the program. I’ve been doing it most mornings. It’s low impact and not too fast, and I find it easier than even the Zen activities. (At my size, slowly posing and stretching requires a lot of energy.) Under an activity category, like Bollywood, there are multiple selections, each listing a level of difficulty (Easy, Medium, or Hard) and the number of minutes you’ll be working out. After going through the two short and easy “training” sessions over a few days, I started doing a Medium, 15-minute routine that I’ve been doing most mornings this week. Each routine is broken up into several different moves or exercises, and you do several sets of each exercise throughout the routine. Each exercise has multiple parts and the program tells you for each part if you’ve done it correctly by marking it with a green dot (and a small chime). At the end of each set, it tells you what percent you did correctly and then there is an overall percentage at the end of the routine. This morning I got 90% correct, which I guess means I’m a grade A exerciser.

Several of the others seem to follow the same pattern. I’ve done Hip Hop a couple times, but don’t have the hang of it yet, and Cardio Boxing, which is fun but definitely leaves me winded.

The Bootcamp activity is a little crazy. It includes these attack moves like the Sumo Squat Attack and the Double Knee Kick Attack. It also has running and push-ups. Now I haven’t done a push-up in my adult life (and not many as a kid) so I’m looking forward to be able to complete this one, but I’m not there yet.

I’m still working out every day and don’t have any plans to stop. I’ve really been suprised how entrenched this has become as part of my daily routine.

I’ll be posting diary updates every week for two more weeks. Here’s week 1 and week 2. After that, we’ll be giving away a free copy of YFSE to a random commenter chosen from the comments on one of the five diary posts, including this one.

Compensated, Endorsed, giveaway, Reviews, video games

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 2

December 9, 2011 NerdDad 3 Comments

Week two and I haven’t missed a day yet!

This week, I’m definitely noticing that the workouts are getting easier and that I have more stamina.
I’m used to muscle aches being due to a one-time event, like helping someone move. After a couple days, they would go away and I’m back to “normal”. Now the aches I’m feeling mean I’m stretching myself and I’ll be better than “normal” when they go away.
I’m pro-rut. That is, I like to do get in a habit (some good, some bad). I so surprised that I’m now in the habit of exercising every morning. I’m actually wondering what it will feel like the first day that I don’t get up and work out.
I’m feeling it in my ankles. It’s a little weird, but I guess my ankles need strengthening also.
There are targeted exercise routines for different parts of the body, so you can focus on your arms or your abs, etc. Since I’m on the “shape up” program, I’ve been trying out a little of all of them (except the one listed as “sports preparation”, that one seems a little too intense for me.)
The loading times between exercises is easier to handle now that I’m not just doing the two-minute starter ones. I don’t mind a little break.

When I first started it had me select an objective, and I said I wanted to “shape up and slim down”. It then set a goal for 360 minutes of exercise (30 minutes a day, 3 days a week, for 4 weeks). But at the end of last week, I was only at 6% done. I figured out my problem. As part of its plan for me, it wants me to choose from a set of specific activities. Unfortunately for me, that set doesn’t include a lot of the very basic easy ones. Now that I’m ready to move from light to medium exercise, I’m doing more from the “shape up” set and am now up to 22% done meeting my objective. I’m planning on hitting 100% before the end of the year. It’s also showing me as burning almost 600 calories so far, but most of those were this week as well.

I’ll be posting diary updates every week for the next three weeks. Here’s week 1. After that, we’ll be giving away a free copy of YFSE to a random commenter chosen from the comments on one of the five diary posts, including this one.

Compensated, Endorsed, giveaway, Reviews, video games

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012 – Diary week 1

December 2, 2011 NerdDad 8 Comments

I’m not into fitness. I lead a fairly sedentary life and I like it that way. I like the weather to be 72 degrees and fluorescent. So it’s not shocking that I’m out of shape. I’m also software developer and my hobbies are programming, playing computer and board games, and watching TV. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012, or YSFE for short. My wife just picked up an Xbox 360 on a Black Friday sale and this way I get to work out and play video games at the same time!

I just saw a post on Lifehacker on giving your New Year’s resolution a 30-day trial, and I’m already doing that! YSFE recommends 3 workouts a week, but I’ve been doing it every morning this week. I left the house this morning at 5:30, but I still got up a little earlier that I would have so that I could work out. My biggest surprise was that I had more energy than I did before. I had been planning on going to bed earlier to offset the early mornings, but I didn’t and I still had more energy all day.

Some notes from Week 1:

There’s a several minute intro video that you have to watch once per person. I first watched it when my wife was signed in, then had to watch it again before my first workout.
The Kinect interface works very well. We have a Wii Fit Plus, which works well for specific activities, but the Kinect really tracks all of your movements pretty accurately for working out and for navigating through the menus.
Some of the warm-ups are really fun. My favorite is the Wall Breaker which is basically a punching and kicking game.
Waiting for each workout to load seems to take a long time, and it either shows you how to do the workout (for the simple warm-up ones) or it shows a health fact or tip. But there’s only a few tips and they repeat over and over.
The workouts are targeted at specific areas, like cardio or glutes, and do a good job demonstrating the exercises as well as monitoring you and telling you when you’re not doing them right. This is very helpful since I tend to cheat (that is score the points with the least amount of effort).
Also, I’m so out of shape that I often run out of steam during the longer routines. (I’m expecting this to change over the next few weeks.) Some of the workouts expect dumbells, but I wasn’t prepared.
There’s a wide variety of activities from running through Manhattan to performing a Bollywood dance number. It may take me a month to try them all.

My goal when I started YSFE was to slim down so that I could fit more comfortably in some of my older clothes (I think they shrink over time). I can’t tell if that’s happening but I can certainly say that my energy level is way up and I think I’m going to try to stick to my every day schedule. If I can make it to New Year’s Eve, I might actually have enough energy to stay up until midnight this year!

I’ll be posting diary updates every week for the next four weeks. After that, we’ll be giving away a free copy of YFSE to a random commenter chosen from the comments on one of the five diary posts, including this one.

Compensated, Entertainment, TV

Boss is Premiering!

October 20, 2011 NerdMom Leave a comment

I had been hearing for a while the Kelsey Grammer had a new drama! I have always been a big fan, not just for his Fraiser character but because of his acting chops! So I was excited to hear about not only about a drama but a political drama at that!

This looks at the underbelly of Chicago politics. With corrupt family empires, a do anything mentality and a man in charge who does what he thinks is best even if the law wouldn’t agree. To go with the show Starz has created a Scandalous Dirt site that is tracking tweets and stories online.

The 1 thing I am nervous about? It is on Starz so I have no idea just how racy the show will actually be. Keeping that in mind, if you have Starz tune into the premiere Friday, Oct 21st at 10pm est/pst!

This promotional sponsored post was made possible by Mom Spark Media. I was compensated for my time and work on this campaign. Any opinions shared are my own.

Compensated, gift worthy, giveaway

What’s Your Spring Celebration Announcement? (With a Giveaway!)

April 20, 2011 NerdMom 16 Comments

Ok, it can’t just be me. But I can not believe that it is already spring! It means that it is time for Spring holidays, events, gifts, and announcements!

It seems like spring is one of those seasons that you always have something to celebrate or announce not matter what your stage in life is. Our first baby step into the grown up world is sending out your graduation announcements! Then you blink and you starting to plan your wedding! You can start with save the date cards and then you are sending out wedding invitations and announcements.

Then come baby showers and birth announcements! Then traditionally (I know we did), you move and move until you find a house that is made for your family. Then be responsible! Send out cards saying that you have moved!!! This is one of the least celebrated but most practical announcements;).

Then we start over with graduation announcements, save the date cards and the like for our children. Through it all we still have gifts to buy and memories to organize. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming up it is a perfect time for photo books! With 3 sets of grandparents who don’t live around us, well needless to say there is a high demand for pictures! So they make the perfect gifts. Speaking of photo books….

Giveaway Time!!! So how would you like to win a code for a free 8 x8 photo book from Shutterfly?

Mandatory Entry: Just tell me what your favorite announcement to send or receive is!

Extra Entries: This is such an awesome giveaway that I am sure you would like more ways to enter. Make sure you leave an extra comment for each entry.

Like my Facebook page and share this post with your friends! Make sure you share the post!!!
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Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway! You can tweet once a day!
Post about this giveaway and leave the link in your comment!

This giveaway closes on 4/30/11 and the winner will have 24 hours to respond.

Are you a blogger, too? Click here to register for a chance at 50 free announcements!

This post is part of a series sponsored by Shutterfly. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

baby stuff, Clothing, Compensated, gift worthy, giveaway, Holidays, kids

Baby Halloween Costume Giveaway!!!

April 20, 2011 NerdMom 15 Comments

I know that it is Easter week but it isn’t to early to start thinking about Halloween! And just in case you all don’t know let me share a little something with you. Halloween costumes are great shower gifts!!!!!

I am stoked that I was approached to do a baby costume giveaway by Halloween Costumes!!!

About HalloweenCostumes.com:

HalloweenCostumes.com has a vast selection of costumes for babies . Whether your little one is interested in sailing the seven seas as a pirate or fighting crime as Spiderman or Batman, we have what they need. Our baby costumes are both comfortable and well ventilated. No matter the time of the year, we are sure that you’ll find a costume that fits your needs.

Giveaway Time!!! So how would you like to win a Baby Halloween Costume worth up to $50?

Mandatory Entry: Now you must do this in order to be entered at all! Just tell me a baby costume you liked! (Don’t worry you won’t be locked in. If you win you will have a chance to choose another costume.)