Great #Family #Movie Night -Playing with Fire #ad #Review

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned below have been provided for the purposes of this review. No other form of compensation was received. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure, TOS, and privacy policy. Please take the time to enter my other giveaways while you're here.

Well...if you know me, I am a huge WWE fan. I'm also a huge movie buff. Yes, I adore family friendly movies. Ask my husband, he makes fun of me for my loves for a living -at least from my perspective. Cena also happens to be one of my favorite wrestlers. Plus, Keegan-Michael Key is HILARIOUS. A fantastic combination to begin with already, you can only imagine the rest.

A First-time Mom's Top 10 Practical #Baby Gifts #ad #Tips #giftideas

Disclaimer: The National Geographic product/s mentioned below have been provided for the purposes of this review. No other form of compensation was received. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure, TOS, and privacy policy. Please take the time to enter my other giveaways while you're here.

As you might have guessed, we have a new baby! Time flies by in the blink of an eye. Our precious baby boy was born late January and well, I have had delusions about what I would have accomplished during my maternity leave. I have to say I will sorely miss him when I start my day job again shortly. If there is anything I've learned...being a first-time mother is rough, even when you think you know it all already. There is so much to learn and do that there is really little to no time for yourself to recuperate after the birthing process and the 9 months of pregnancy. This is why I have put together A First-Time Mom's Top Practical Baby Gift Tips. Yes, people are generally happy for you and have generously gifted you with something for the baby. Is it callous that I'm making a list of the best gifts? I don't think so, I appreciate the kindness, but really, this is just a simplification of baby registries. We didn't do a baby registry because we felt like it meant we expected gifts from our friends and family. However, we still received lots of goodies and though we appreciate it all, yes, there are some things that are more appreciated than others. So here goes...the top 10 Practical Gifts that a First-Time Mommy wants...but may not tell you at risk of sounding unappreciative.

Po kicks it in Kung Fu Panda Holiday #holidaygiftguide

Po, everyone's favorite panda, is back! In time for the holidays, he's hosting the year’s biggest event, the Winter Feast. It's the best time of the year to celebrate family, tradition and Kung Fu! Is Po and the Furious Five up for the challenge? Together, they have throw a perfect party and find the true meaning of the Winter Feast.

#DaySpring May (In)spired by Family #Deals #GoodThings Teacup and Tote #Review #indeals

It's May and we already know why it is special. Mother's Day, of course, and for me, my mother's birthday. I wasn't able to share the precious day with her as she was literally in a time zone 12 hours away, travelling with my dad but at the same time, I hadn't been home in a year now. However, I had found her the perfect gift this birthday and couldn't wait to share it with her. It is the Good Things Tote and Teacup set.

Want some #Sprinkles #Free #Cupcakes? Courtesy of #PeopleLikeUs, #Disney, & #Dreamworks

Disney and Dreamworks have a new movie, "People Like Us",that will be associated with these awesome nommy events at 10 Sprinkles Cupcakes stores around the US. This promotion will run from May 2-June 29, 2012 and celebrates family. If you notice, these dates encompass 5 family-themed holidays: Brothers and Sisters Day (May 2), Mother’s Day (May13), Visit Your Relatives Day (May 18), Father’s day (June 17) and National Forgiveness Day (June 26). Um...I didn't even know some of those existed. I think I could use June 26. We all could. LOL. Anyhow, onto the free cupcakes! Mmm...I'm only writing the post and it's making me crave them!

The Best of #Caillou: Caillou's Outdoor Adventure #Review #PBSKids

Another Saturday morning cartoon favorite, Caillou! Its imagination play at its best! Recently released on March 20th is Caillou's newest: THE BEST OF CAILLOU – CAILLOU’S OUTDOOR ADVENTURES.

Family #Travel #Vacation for up to 6 #Giveaway ($550+ value) 03/06 WORLDWIDE

OMG, would you like to win a 2 night stay in Estes Park, Colorado anytime during April 8-22, 2012 for a family of up to 6 people (a value over $550). This could be perfect for Spring Break vacays! Wait for it. That'll be coming up very soon! Want more juicy details on the giveaway? Read on.

Family #Travel #Vacation for up to 6 event ($550+ value) sign ups

OMG, would you like to win a 2 night stay in Estes Park, Colorado anytime during April 8-22, 2012 for a family of up to 6 people (a value over $550). This could be perfect for Spring Break vacays! Wait for it. That'll be coming up very soon! Want more juicy details on the giveaway? Read on.

#Winners of #TGIF and #CokeFamily Night Prize Pack #Giveaways

#Rafflecopter Round-Up: #CocaCola Board #Games Prize Pack ($100) #Giveaway US/CAN 09/25 #Cokefamilynight #coke

Yeehaw! Its here!! The Rafflecopter Giveaway Round-Up, hosted by Simply Stacie and Makobi Scribe with 125+ blogs all hosting giveaways using Rafflecopter! This makes for quick and easy entries. There will be a cumulative value of over $3200 in prizes between September 21-25.

#CocaCola: #Family Night #cokefamilynight #Games

Having troubles figuring out what fun stuff to do as a family? Coca-Cola wants to help you out with Coca-Cola Family Night through My Coke Rewards. Log on or sign up free to find out their newest snack recipes courtesy of Celebrity Chef G. Garvin, tips on at-home activities or the latest in gaming features from Sony! 

Yeehaw! #Rafflecopter #Giveaway Round-Up is coming!

Yeehaw! Another giveaway event is just around the corner, September 21-25 marks the start date of the Rafflecopter Giveaway Round-Up, hosted by Simply Stacie and Makobi Scribe. All of the 125+ blogs hosting giveaways are all using Rafflecopter! This makes for quick and easy entries. There will be a cumulative value of over $3200 in prizes.

KinKast Iphone App Review and Giveaway ($50 MRSP)

CLOSED

Living away from the majority of my family makes communication hard sometimes and I love sending them videos of where I live, my surroundings, little activities and videos of my puppy! However, with the program that I've always been using, I get frustrated because literally, any video over 10-11 seconds long and its too long for me to send. I don't feel comfortable uploading them onto public video sites either as I really only want my family to see it. So, I was really glad when I heard of the new Iphone app, KinKast. Its a free app to begin with and you can take videos either in their application or use videos that you've already taken previously on your iPhone or i. Its really simple to use and as soon as you take the video or select which one you use, you can share it by typing in someone's email address.  The great thing about this app is that, the recipient does not have to sign up for an account. They automatically get an email with a link to watch the videos. 


Check out this demo:


As I was playing around with the app, I noticed that you can select to send just one video or several at a time to someone. And, you don't have to worry going over your data plan because the app comes preset to upload in the background when you get connected to a wireless connection. Its also kind of smart because it uploads little bits at a time so that when your internet connection gets cut off, you don't have to reupload it again from the beginning.  If the video's not on your iphone, fine, go online to upload your video there and its the same thing! Easy enough for the most tech newbie out there... 

So, there are two plans:
1) FREE!! Your videos are saved for 30 days from the day of upload on the KinKast servers. Pretty sweet deal for connecting with your family!
2) Premium plan, which offers slightly more...All for less than 2 cups of coffee a month:  $4.99/month or $49.99/year. It gives you the following features: unlimited storage on KinKast servers, all videos always available online, videos are safely backed up online, and no ads. Best of all, your videos aren't deleted after 30 days so if you want to send the same video later on, it'll still be there!


Overall, I think KinKast is really convenient and I have been looking for an app that allows me to send my family videos of my everyday life. This works great for that and I don't have to worry about the hassle of making my family sign up for additional accounts! I would definitely recommend it to anyone; it makes communication that much easier between families and friends.


Buy It: Download the FREE version of KinKast on your iPhone in the App Store. If you want to upgrade, the Premium plan is $4.99/month or $49.99/year.


Win It: One very lucky Whirlwind of Surprises reader is going to win a KinKast Premium Membership for a year (MRSP $49.99).

To Enter (MANDATORY): This must be entered as ONE entry before the bonus entries count! I will check. PLEASE Leave a contact email in your entries if it is not found in your profile, if I can't contact you, you can't win.

1) Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Google Friends Connect

Bonus Entries -Please make sure you put 1 comment for each entry. e.g. If it says 2 entries, put 2 comments.

• Like Whirlwind of Surprises on facebook. Please leave your first name and last initial-1 entry
• Like KinKast on Facebook -1 entry
• Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post. Please leave your link. -2 entries.
• Grab my button and tell me where its at -2 entries
• Enter any of my other giveaways -1 entry
• Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Networked Blogs -1 entry
• Follow KinKast on Twitter
• Follow Whirlwind of Surprises on Twitter and ReTweet this: RT @cinnybbs @Kinkast #Win a Premier membership ($50) from #WOS #kinkast http://bit.ly/hbPdVG Worldwide Ends 03/27. #giveaway sharing video
• (can be Tweeted up to 3x daily for extra 2 entries each time. Each tweet must be 2 hours apart. Leave your tweet link)
• Subscribe to Whirlwind of Surprises via email. -2 entries

Giveaway ends 11:59 pm EST on March 27, 2011. Open worldwide!! Winner will be drawn by a random number generator, posted on this blog and emailed. Winner must respond within 48 hours or a new winner will be drawn.

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided free of charge from the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure.

Until next time,

Like what you see? Follow me on GFC and twitter (@CinnyBBS) to get the latest updates. Like us on facebook or join us through Network Blogs. Leave me a comment if you'd like me to follow back on any of these.

Billy Kelly -The Family Garden Children's CD Review

Billy Kelly is a singer/songwriter/performer/animator/illustrator/entertainer/guy from Pennsylvania...well, that was a mouthful! All you really need to know is that he has come out with numerous children's music CD's including "Thank you for Joining the Happy Club" (2009) and "Is this some kind of Joke" (2010) that have landed in the Best of 2009 lists and Top 10 albums of 2010 on the children's review music blog Zoogobble.

Set for release on April 5 is Billy's newest album "The Family Garden", a CD featuring 16 tracks with a runtime of 37 minutes recommended for children ages 2 and up. His band The Blahblahblahs (love the name, by the way), his children and him recorded this CD live in the music studio with minimal overdubs and would you take a listen at the fun and goofy songs that resulted?! It may be crazy, it may be confusing at times, but in the end, its just a lot of fun and craziness! I think my favorite song on the whole album was Scootdootdoodlydoo...hehe, even the song name is full of spunk!


Not to mention, I think I spent more time admiring all the artwork on the cover and insides of the album than the time needed to listen to the whole disc! Love the cartoons and reading all the little blurps and I think kids beginning to read may enjoy it just as much!


See Billy and The Blahblahblahs on tour:
February 19 – Symphony Space, NYC
February 20 – Café Nola, Frederick, MD
March 5 – Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
March 26 – Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA
May 14 – World Café Live, Philadelphia, PA
May 22 – 92YTribeca, NYC


Visit Billy.


Buy It: The Family Garden can be purchased for $12 from Amazon.com, CDbaby.com, and thebillykellyshow.com April 05, 2011.

Disclaimer: The product/s mentioned above have been provided free of charge from the manufacturer or PR firm for the purposes of this review. Opinions expressed belong to Whirlwind of Surprises and are NOT influenced in any way. Please view my full disclosure.

Until next time,

Like what you see? Follow me on GFC and twitter (@CinnyBBS) to get the latest updates. Like us on facebook or join us through Network Blogs. Leave me a comment if you'd like me to follow back on any of these.