Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Save your memories! Hitachi Life Studio

If you are anything like me, you take tons of pictures of your loved ones. When my son was born we took so many photos and sadly, within 3 months of purchasing a new computer my hard drive died. And it took all of the photos of my son with it. Luckily I had some of the photos stored elsewhere but there are some photos that I lost completely. At that point, I recognized the importance of backing up my hard drive, no matter how expensive the computer you never know when a malfunction will occur! 


I have been previewing the Hitachi Life Studio mobile external hard drive and I love it. It has 100 GB of memory, can store 25,000 songs, 1.000 hours of video or 33,330 photos. More storage that I will ever need in this lifetime! It is also able to work with my online haunts like facebook and flickr! 


It has an unobtrusive design and it is so small that it is portable. But if you don't want to take it with you, you have the option of using a "flashdrive" love it! Although I don't use my Netbook much anymore, I certainly could utilize my external hard drive to access files that I otherwise wouldn't store on my low memory netbook. 


If you are looking for a last minute holiday gift for a friend, loved one or even yourself, you can't go wrong with the Hitachi Life Studio mobile External Harddrive! 

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Stocking Stuffers!


It is hard to believe that Christmas is only 9 days away! Although we are spending Christmas with my mom, there will be a few gifts for Mekhi when we return home. He has so much stuff that I usually give him one big gift and smaller "stocking stuffer" type things. Honestly, I could give my son a piece of ribbon and a box and he'd be content!

I was given a $25.00 gift card for Walmart to find things for his Christmas stocking. There were so many things to choose from! I hit the $5 aisle and was pleasantly surprised to find a number of toys for both boys and girls that were both practical and fun. Although there were many themed items, I decided to go for the Disney Toy Story 3 theme. For $5 I purchased a great smile kit that includes a cup and toothbrush holder with Buzz Lightyear and a toothbrush.  I also saw bath time fun and I had to get him the Soak and Slam Basketball bath set. It includes bubble bath, a hoop, mini basketballs and a sponge.  He is going to have a ball with his new bathroom supplies! This product was $10.00!

Finally I took a stroll to the DVD area where there were bins filled with $5 DVDs. I will probably bring the Veggie Tales Star Christmas with us to visit grandma and I also purchased Cats & Dogs. A total bargain! I didn't even explore the $1.00 items but with $25.00 you can make a total killing! There is something for everyone so if you are looking for stocking stuffers or last minute Christmas gifts I suggest you make a stop at your local Walmart!


Disclosure: I am a Walmart Mom and was sent a giftcard and compensated for my time to write this blog post. 

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Staples for Christmas!


I have to admit that Staples is not the first place that I turn to when I think about Christmas shopping. However, when my good friend Audrey of Mom Generations sent me a $200 giftcard to do some holiday shopping I decided to give it a whirl. Well, I have to say I was impressed! There were so many great gift ideas - from really cute camera cases to Flip cameras there was something for everyone!

I focused on things that I think people will only buy if they are not cash strapped. Things that aren't necessities but nice to have. My first pick was a transmitter for the iPod on the iPhone. In the past I've seen wired hookups to listen to music in the car but Griffin makes iTrip for iPhone or iPod and it wirelessly transmits the music to your radio. It works great - yes, I use it because on this trip the gifts were all for me! LOL


The next gift idea is the LogiTech cooling laptop desk. I always use my laptop and it has a tendency to get really hot after prolonged use. The fan is excellent because it plugs right into my USB port and it is comfortable to hold in my lap.



I also purchased a great case for my iPad made by Targus. It was the most expensive purchase but the leather case protects my iPad (from the hard wear and tear of a three year old) and it allows me to view the iPad in multiple positions. I love it!

The final purchase was really practical - ink for my printer. And the best part about buying the ink from Staples is that  you can join the rewards program and get a discount! And if you return your used cartridges you also get a discount! Love that, the gift that keeps on giving.

I've only touched the surface of what is available at Staples but check out their Holiday Center to see what other great things they have (if I didn't have an iPad the Kindle would be in this review)!

Disclosure: I received a $200 gift card from Staples to do some holiday shopping but all opinions as always are my own!