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Spring Break Goodies Galore! – Review by Cara Potapshyn Meyers


It is almost that time of year when the Spring Holidays are upon us and travel to destinations near and far are only a scant few weeks away! Families across the country will soon turn their attention to Spring Break travel plans. We’ve lined up the best items to bring along for the ride or flight to keep every member of the family happy en route or once you get there! These terrific bunch of items will get you through Spring Break and well after!

 

Frecklebox Personalized Items 

Give them a personalized gift before hitting the road that will keep them busy throughout the trip! Frecklebox allows you to personalize tons of neat items for kids and always has a cure for boredom on hand with all types of activities! Click on the site plug-in, the kid in question’s age (baby to tween), gender and voila.. You’ve got PERSONALIZED ideas for under $20 bucks!  A few ideas that are great for take-along boredom busters are the Frecklebox personalized Coloring Books, Journals and Sketchbooks. 

For a recent vacation, I ended up giving my 5-year-old niece a really cool, retro lunch box to hold all of her crayons, colored pencils, markers, and the like, since she prefers to be entertained creatively. She LOVED it! It also happens to have a chalkboard as part of the inside lid to doodle there as well! Once she got home, her Mom washed it out and she is taking it to school as an actual lunchbox. With messages from Mom written in chalk inside the lid! 

Suggested Retail Price: $29.95

For my 3-year-old nephew, I gave a cool coin bank to keep at home. He likes to collect change on his trips, so this was ideal for him to put his “findings” in once he was back from his trip!

Suggested Retail Price: $16.95

Check out the whole super selection at www.frecklebox.com. Although I chose higher end items, there are a slew of products that will fit any budget, for any occasion, any time of year! I’ll be going back to take a peek to check out some things for my Tween son!

 

 

Tag Along Teddy Plush Doll Backpacks

Tag Along Teddy – A backpack that is both fun and functional that comes with a new best friend, too!  The Tag Along Teddy Plush Doll Backpacks are made with a removable stuffed animal.  So cute and cuddly, Kai the Koala, Mister Monkey, Diggity Dog and Timid Tiger are destined to become your child’s favorite take along for any excursion! Available in small for short family excursions and a large size that works well for the carry on bag that holds everything needed for a peaceful flight.  

My nephew always wants his own backpack when he sees his older sister with one. Since their family was able to get away for vacation recently, I had my nephew try out Tag Along Teddy. Well, “Teddy” not only had to go everywhere with my nephew, he is now my nephew’s new sleeping companion! While they were away, I was told that my nephew carried all of his “essentials,” including his favorite DVDs, inside the backpack! Too cute! My nephew and “Teddy” are now new BFFs!

Suggested Retail Price: $19.99

Look for Tag Along Teddy and friends at www.tagalongteddy.com, Sears, and K-Mart.

 

Celebrate With Clifford DVD

Age may just be a number, but everyone’s favorite BIG red pal is celebrating a BIG birthday!  After 50 years of good times, fun adventures and memories, Celebrate With Clifford has made it’s debut from Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Delight in 50 years of big fun and big friendships in seven party-packed Clifford tales. Celebrate With Clifford is the first DVD release in two years for this beloved series, one of the longest-running children’s programs on TV. The DVD includes seven themed episodes as well as a bonus disc: Happy Birthday Clifford.                        

One of the favorite DVDs my nephew trailed around with while away was the new Celebrate with Clifford! I remember watching “Clifford” DVDs with my son over and over just several years ago. We both loved watching the antics Clifford and his friends found themselves in. This DVD entertained my nephew for the plane ride, waiting on lines, and got him through a very long layover! Can you say…”priceless?”

Suggested Retail Price: $14.98              Language:    English                   Running time: 77 minutes

 

 

Are We There Yet?

Set the wheels of fun in motion with this engrossing travel game. Little red auto bags contain everything you need to play Eye-Spy while on the road. The player to sight the most items listed on their ‘Eye Spy’™ travel cards wins! 

My son and I will be traveling for Spring Break with friends so I’m sure that these fun cards will keep our boys entertained! They both love to outwit each other and both have “eagle eyes,” so this should be quite an interesting challenge for them!

Includes: Playing cards, instructions.

Age: 6+ 

No. of Players: 1+ 

Difficulty Level: NA

 

xPirate

Once you reach your travel destination, this is absolutely THE GAME to bring out to keep the older children occupied! Come set sail with xPirate – the world’s first-ever game that combines a traditional game board with the iPhone™, iPod Touch™ or iPad™!

Object of the Game:

Travel across dangerous waters on the hunt for 4 hidden treasures before sailing back home for victory!

  • Treasures – include gold, jewels, supplies & secret treasures.
  • Islands – while searching for treasure, you can trade on the island markets – buying and selling what you need to survive your journey.
  • Beware – you’ll encouter raging typhoons, dangerous krakens, deadly ship attacks, skeleton armies and even attacks from your fellow players!
  • Age Group – xPirate is targeted at ages 8 and up, 1-8 players.

 Technology:

  • Multiple Apps – are being developed for the same game board.
  • Unique Base – fully rotates around the board for easy game play.
  • Power – base allows for any mobile power cord to be connected.

This game may seem complicated, but let me tell you, it is far from it! I had my son set up the board based on the printed instructions while I downloaded the free App on my iPhone. The instructions on the App were a breeze (no pun intended)! The App walks you through what to do, step by step, although the printed guide is handy to refer to.

My son and I had the BEST TIME EVER playing a “board game!” What made this game so intriguing and entertaining was that the App controlled the outcome of the game! I could tell, as my son and I came neck and neck to winning, that the game became a notch more difficult. This made our play a bit more competitive but not at all unachievable nor frustrating! In the world of games, I give this one 5 stars and an A+!!

I wouldn’t hesitate one iota buying another game similar to this in the future!

Suggested Retail Price: $39.99

 

 

 

CableKeeps

 

And now for CableKeeps…

CableKeeps keeps it all together. These little, portable beauties give your dull white iPhone or iPad™ charger some added personality and utility. They secure your USB docking cable to Apple™ power adaptors so cable & charger stay together. The intuitive design will keep your cables tangle free when shoved in a bag, pocket, or purse when you are frazzled from traveling and can shorten and organize when plugged into the wall.

It’s beyond easy to get organized and not overwhelmed with cable overgrowth, especially on a trip. That’s where CableKeeps keeps it together. Each CableKeep is designed to look like a fish: Orange “Goldie” the goldfish not only holds the wrapped cable wire, it even holds your iPhone while it charges (see photo)! The iPad chargers are designed as

either blue or green whales and keep the iPad chargers neat and tidy as well! Since I had iPhone and iPad cables frustratingly intertwined next to my bed, I separated the cords and now have simple organization for my technology (green “Gulp” keeps my iPad cable contained)! When traveling, CableKeeps are a MUST when keeping track of these cables, and having to charge multiple devices. I give CableKeeps high honors for creating something eco-friendly (see their website), user friendly, and fun in our technologic world!

 Suggested Retail Price: $16.00

 Learn more about CableKeeps at: www.cablekeeps.com

 

 

GoSwype

Introducing GoSwype a brand new premium collection of microfiber device cleaning cloths that remove 98% of germs on contact. After a day of traveling and using multiple devices, these little powerhouses are perfect to clean and store for multiple use!

GoSwype reusable cloth wipes–made specifically for your devices–will keep your technology clean and you healthy and germ-free for up to 200 uses (about 2-3 weeks per cloth!) for only $1.99!

Here are some quick facts about GoSwype:

  • remove 98% of all bacteria, including e.coli and salmonella, with a simple wipe of the screen.
  • sheets are treated with a non-streaking formula, prove effective in trapping and removing bacteria, dust, dirt, oil and fingerprints. 
  • is made with advanced microfiber that traps germ particles, yet is completely reusable for 200 swipes.
  • works safely on any phone, tablet, reader or gaming device (anything with a touchscreen).
  • have endless designs to choose from (making this accessible to even the young tough-to-teach consumers).

Before you finish packing, check out Goswype.com for more information!

 

 

Safe and happy travels!

 

Note: Thanks to these wonderful companies for providing sample products.  Cara Potapshyn Meyers and MotherhoodLater.com assume no liability relative to products reviewed in this blog.

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