In the video, there are 3 Walmart associates. I was the first person who had gone in to try the disc to digital so it was a learning curve for all of us.  While I cut the video down to less than 2 minutes, it only took 7 minutes for the entire process and that’s with them not being 100% sure on how to do it. I think they did awesome!

Find the dvd/blu-ray movies you have in your house. Sign up for a VUDU account ahead of time. This will simplify the process.  Search your movies and add to your list.  Not all your movies will be available but many are.  They will be adding more movie studios that will allow this so be patient.  What I love is that if you own a DVD but want it in HD, you can simply upgrade for the $5 vs the $2.  Once your list is created, print it and take it to Walmart to be digitized.  It’s very easy, cost efficient, and fast.

That’s it! They are in your account and ready to watch.  Have you tried it yet? What movies can you absolutely not live without?

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our experiences and ideas! Walmart has provided me with compensation and gift card in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

When setting up a player, one of the things that happens, is the kinect recognizes the body type and asks the player to get in a certain position and hold it.   While this is easy for most, it was a little hard for Truett to stay completely still for those very few seconds.  It took him 2 times.  After that, you can pick your general avatar and customize changes.  One of my favorite parts of the whole setup was the speech recognition and being able to say ‘skip’ or ‘no’, etc…

Once the game begins, they are thrown into this story-like park where they can walk around to get to all the major places of play.  They can wander around the park and meet other kids that will give you their take of the park. Very cool!   Of course, Truett was dying to find the Cars entrance.  He LOVED driving and being one of the Cars characters.

It took him just a minute to figure out just how sensitive his “steering wheel” but once he got it, it was on!  He thought it was cool how he could just push his arms forward to go faster. He tried his best to pass Mater!  He also played the robot character in Toy Story.  He thought the coolest thing was climbing the walls and jumping.   At first, he couldn’t understand that all he had to do was act like he was actually walking around, turning his shoulders to go that direction, etc but after a few minutes of play, he was like a pro!  We were cracking up watching him jump, climb, and move those arms FAST to run.

Overall, the game was a hit.  Truett had a blast playing and even got his older brother up to play who also had fun.  The characters were awesome, it felt SOOO real, and the way it mimics every single move you make is just amazing.  Man, we have come so far haven’t we?  All we can suggest?  Hurry up and come out with MORE CHARACTERS!! These were so fun that we’d totally buy future releases!  Two thumbs up, 5 stars, and AMEN from us!
I’ll definitely try to add some video so that you can get a real feel for it but I definitely recommend it. It’s about $50 bucks and well worth the entertainment and fun for the whole family.

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our experiences and ideas! Walmart has provided me with compensation and gift card in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

If you’re lucky like me, you’ll be able to walk in the hardware store, hand your list over to an employee, and shop while you wait for them to gather your materials!  Thank you Ray!!  Our Higganbotham (Ace Hardware) here in Sweetwater, has one of the best fellas working for them.  He knows his stuff and will make it happen!   If you aren’t this lucky, then you’ll have to measure and cut your own pvc pipe.

You simply place the lights on the side, up close to the fabric so that it shines through the “box”. I forgot to take a photo but they look like this…

And here’s the photo I took immediately after I made it!  Not bad, especially considering that my room was completely dark and my camera was on P, using no flash!  There’s still some tweaks to make with my camera settings, and position of lights but this allows me to use various backdrops and not have to rely on the front door being open! OH, and iron your fabric if you plan to use it as the backdrop. lol  I sure hope this helps someone out and wasn’t too confusing!

These Kidz Gear headphones are built just for kids and specifically made for Apple products like the iPod and iPhone.  BUT, there is an adapter just in case you have a different device!!! Some features include:

• They feature unique KidzControl Volume Limiting Technology for a safe listening experience while helping to protect children’s hearing
•  an Inline Microphone
• a Remote with controls for Track Up, Track Down
• Microphone Records Audio
• Answers Phone
•  Issues Voice Commands to SIRI
• TheRemote controls volume up and down, as well as lets the user play, pause, skip a track, return to a previous track or even hear the playlist that is currently active.

KidzControl Volume Limiting Technology

Maximum volume levels are limited to between 80dB and 90dB levels and is ‘always on’.  They are ergonomically designed with soft padded child-sized ear-cups.  The Kidz Gear Headphones cost $29.95 and I’d say that’s a small price to pay to keep your kiddos ears safe.

Truett says their super comfortable but I’ll let him tell ya.

KIDZ GEAR HEADPHONES GIVEAWAY!!

One lucky winner will receive a pair of these awesome, safe Kidz Gear Headphones, along with a carry bag, and an adapter just in case you want to use them on a non-Apple device.

TO ENTER (required to enter)

Leave a comment telling me your kid’s favorite song!

Also, these won’t get you an entry but I’d love it if you considered them just because (and to share the love).

• Share via your favorite social network like twitter and facebook.
• Join the A Cowboy’s Wife’s Facebook Community
• Subscribe to my feed via email.

Giveaway ends on February 8th at about 4pm or so CST.

Disclosure: I was sent a pair of headphones to review. All opinions are my own, as always.

But if you’re smart, you’ll invest in a unit from  The Neat Company -  A NeatDesk.  I am in love with this document scanner.  It’s fast, it’s simple, and it’s smart!  I had seen a million times and was thrilled with the opportunity to review it for you guys.  While it does have a hefty price tag (under $400 for the desk unit), it’s money well spent in my opinion, especially for anyone who is self-employed!!!

SETUP

Setup is super easy.  It literally took all of 5 minutes to setup, however, I did have to update the software.  Our internet is slower than most but it wasn’t too bad.

SCANNING

The desk unit has 3 different slots; Documents, Receipts, and Cards (business).  Even if you scan in a document, you can easily change it to a receipt if that’s what it is.  I started scanning in gas receipts immediately and was wowed by it!  It pulls the info from the receipt and is smart enough to remember certain things about each receipt that may apply to a similar one.

Some other scanning ideas include:

• business cards
• receipts (for bookkeeping, taxes, expense tracking, etc.)
• documents (shot records, contracts, etc.)
• articles & resources you want/need to keep
• tax forms

You totally need receipts if:

• You have gazillions of business cards.
• You wad up receipts in your pocket, then toss them on the counter.
• You hate data entry and bookwork.  <—-blech
• You want to get rid of the waste, aka, paper.

Things I love about NeatDesk:

• SIMPLE! SIMPLE! SIMPLE!
• Create folders to categorize receipts, documents, etc.
• Drag and drop.
• Has tax categories for filing which makes tax time even easier!

NeatDesk gets 5 stars from me.  I absolutely love everything about it and as long as you sit down and take the time to scan in your receipts, you won’t be dreading your next tax year!  Here’s a quick video view of how it works.  I blacked out some of the numbers (like my credit card) on the receipt.

You can get the NeatDesk for PC or for Mac.  There is also a mobile version that is super handy for folks who travel a lot!

Disclosure: NeatDesk provided me with a unit in return for my honest opinions. 

I’ve talked about my love for Dyson numerous times, I’ve shared how awesome it is, and recently shared their new Digital Slim with you. Today I’m sharing a peek at some of the testing they do to insure a quality product is delivered to you.

I know that some of you mentioned the cost of the cordless vacuum and while I agree that the cost is higher than the average, I also believe that you get what you pay for and this is something you can count on lasting for a long time, especially since it will hold a charge over and over and over again.  In my next post, I’ll be demonstrating the Dyson Digital Slim for you and give you ideas on ways to use it! I’ll also give your more details on how long the charge lasts, etc later.

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms as we share our experiences and ideas! Walmart has provided me with compensation and product in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

Let’s say you’re buying her that oh so pretty white iPad.  What’s an iPad without apps though right?  What a great way to make a piece of cool technology special, you know?  Take the extra time to set it up for her and load it up with some apps.  As an avid foodie, I have a whole list of food apps you can choose from!  The list was made for the iPhone but you can easily find the same app for the iPad.    What are your favorite apps?

You might also consider a customized skin or pretty case to put it in.  There are so many available now. I actually really need one myself. Maybe I’ll be me one, reckon?!  I currently carry my iPad and MacBook Air in my handbag without a case.  I truly should do something…HINT HUSBAND IF YOU’RE READING THIS! teehee

As I type this and think about what else I’d like customized, I think about something I’ve never had, a Mother’s Ring.  I realize that’s something that has to be ordered but I have to admit, I’d love to have one………

Just a couple of ideas guys!

Disclosure: I am an official Walmart Mom. Follow me and my fellow Walmart Moms. Walmart has provided me with compensation in return for my time & efforts to create this post. My participation in this program is voluntary and my opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.

WHAT’S INSIDE?

Photo Nuts and Shots is perfect for you if:

• look at others’ images and wonder “Why don’t my photos look like that?”
• want to take gorgeous shots, every single time
• know your camera, but want to learn the craft of photography
• long to take more emotive, expressive photos
• want to take photos that truly connect with viewers.

You’ll learn:

Packed with all-new, practical advice from professional photographer Neil Creek, Photo Nuts and Shots has been developed specifically for DPS readers.

• Learn to harness light to convey emotion.
• Understand the rules of composition … and know when to break them.
• Take the sharpest possible photo every time.
• Learn to adapt the camera’s exposure to produce the shot you want.
• Master the concepts of shot perception, planning, and execution — in any setting.
• Tap into your unique creativity to take evocative photographs that reach out to viewers.

WHAT DO I THINK?

I’ve had the chance to look the ebook over and while there are some tips that are very basic for a first-timer, there was also a ton of tips and helpful information that I didn’t even know.   I loved how it teaches you about histogram, exif, and other features that I sorta thought I knew but didn’t really.  It gives you an appreciation for that type of stuff.  It teaches you how to be creative and appreciate the moments.  You learn composition techniques, rule of the thirds, framing, and SOOO much more!  Exposures, lighting, and vivid photography!  Over 100 pages that is totally worth the buy!

I plan to apply some of the techniques into my future photos.  I highly recommend.  Nuff said!

Because it’s the launch, you can get Photos Nuts and Shots at a 25% discount so act now y’all!  I loved my other ebook from them and I LOVE this one.

Buy Photo Nuts and Shots 25% off for two weeks so instead of $19.97, it’s $14.97.

I thought it made a pretty picture. I could have taken photos of the all the ugly sweaters I suppose but the house and fire was too beautiful to go unnoticed.

As someone who has a camera attached to her hip,  I often take the time to reflect on the photos I’ve taken.  They tell much more of a story than I could ever tell but it just gives me a chance to go back to that moment and remember how it affected me, my family, or my friends.  As I decided to do this, I quickly realized that it was sort of a pain to thumb back through my blog, my flickr account and through files to find my favorite photo moments. I needed a way to create a book of memories; something I could hold and look through by myself, with my family, or with my friends.  A photo book is the solution.

I’ve made a photo book before but not to recap the year.  I think this is such a great way to preserve memories. I know that with today’s technology, we often overlook the thought of having something physical in our hands to flip through but I also know that my boys absolutely love going through our photo albums that I created years back and you just don’t get that same feeling gathered around the computer, or at least I don’t.

Kodak approached me the other day and asked if I knew about their SMARTFIT technology photo books.  I didn’t.  She told me about it and asked if I wanted to try it out and give you the chance to try it and of course, I was happy to.  It was perfect timing after all.  FYI, the SMARTFIT technology is well, smart of course. It’s pretty dang easy to use and has tons of quality options to make your photo book look fantastic.  I love when things are easy.  I’m a little bit more experienced with computers and such compared to the casual user at home so I always try to look at it through my mom’s eyes. Will she be able to use it and understand the options, instructions, and extra features.  I’m confident that she’d be able to with the Kodak photo books.    To give you an idea of how it works, here’s a quick video.

Here are a couple of my 2010 photo memories that I’ll be adding to my photo book.

Since I know we all have photos that we’d like compiled in a photo book, I want to give you the chance to make your own photo book from Kodak!!  There will be THREE winners who will receive a gift code in the amount of $55 per winner to use to create your own photo book.

HOW TO ENTER

Mandatory entry - Leave a comment on this post telling me what kind of photo book you’d create.  Would it be themed? If so, what type of theme?  Would it be random photos, only of kids and event that happened like a baby shower or wedding??  Let me know!

Additional, optional entry methods, leaving each one in a separate comment to count please.

• Share the giveaway on twitter or facebook.  Please do not Stumble the giveaway using stumbleupon. That is against TOS.
• Visit the Kodak Gallery website and tell me what else they offer that you’d like to do with photos.

This giveaway ends on December 27th, on or about 10pm CST.  Good luck!

You can follow Kodak Gallery on Twitter and on Facebook