mommypalooza™ ~ a daily dose of mommy mayhem.

{review + giveaway} | Microsoft Store #GoMicrosoft

{Disclosure:  The following is a sponsored post in collaboration with The Motherhood & Microsoft Stores.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.  No one is the boss of me!}

If you're a tech-junkie like I am, you have GOT to take a little field trip to one of the 30+ Microsoft retail stores featuring tons of fun gadgets that the whole family will enjoy taking a peek at!

Tech Tips for Using Your Samsung Ultrabook™ Camera

Have you discovered the webcam and software suite on your Samsung Ultrabook yet?  I use mine almost daily from everything like recording video directly onto my computer to editing still photos captured.

Recently I was asked to give a few handy tips for using your Samsung Ultrabook™ Camera over on My Life Scoop.  There are many advantages to using the built-in software suite that go with the webcam and I've outlined such features on the article.

The Samsung Series 9 Ultrabook™ presents great opportunities to utilize the webcam feature.  It boasts feature-rich capabilities ideal for any video capturing situation.

Being able to launch the webcam directly from the keyboard makes it user-friendly.  Another great feature is that you can edit and publish your video directly in the webcam software and upload to YouTube or other photo/video sharing websites.

To read more or share your thoughts on how you use your webcam for business / personal use, head on over and give my article a looksie. 

Disney's Phineas and Ferb: Agent P vs. The Puzzle-Inator app on iTunes

My kids are big time Phineas and Ferb fans.  Over the holidays they received a few App Store gift cards for Christmas and I'm sure will be adding this new Phineas and Ferb & The Puzzle-Inator game app to their iPods and our iPad.  For $1.99 it seems like quite the value in fun.

Disney Family Deals is now part of Spoonful.com

    

One of my favorite sources for crafts, fun recipes, and seasonal fun stuff -- Spoonful.com -- will now feature great deals from Diney Family Deals!

If you haven't already checked out Spoonful, you should!  It's Disney's newest site for families looking for activities, crafts, recipes, party ideas, and more.  My 3 year-old loves the coloring sheets offered there, especially this Jake and the Neverland Pirates coloring sheet.

Welcome, 2013!

Happy New Year!  As I get ready to kick off a brand new 2013 with all of you, little has made me more excited and getting to break open my brand new 2013 calendar / planner. {Nerdy, I know.}  There's just something about the fresh new pages of a paper planner that get my excitement at all-time high levels!

{review}: Disney's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two PS3 video game

Disney's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two arrived on our doorstep just a week or so ago and the world as I know it has NOT been the same!  With three boys in the house {four, if you count the hubs}, the excitement level has climbed the equivalent height of Expedition Everest!

Right out of the gate what my kids were excited about was quite frankly, to see their old pal Mickey on the screen.

What I love about this game is that we can play in co-op mode which is great for siblings, mom & son, dad & son, etc.  Not many games that are family-friendly are this fun to play together!

Yep, that's me and my 3 year-old, Jacob, sitting down for a game.  I just LOVE the sweet look he's got on his face - so proud that he can play video games like his big brothers, too. Now, I'm not a super gamer or anything, but even I know a fun and wholesome game when I see one. 

And my 6 year-old, William, can even enjoy the game playing with his younger brother.  I should also mention that my 9 year-old, Nathan {not pictured here}, has been pretty stoked about playing Epic Mickey, too.  In fact, when I asked him how he'd describe the game's most interesting feature, he told me that he likes the "different worlds" that Mickey and Oswald get to explore together. William, on the other hand, loves that the there are different "tools" - like lightning - that Mickey can use throughout the game to make things happen. 

Epic Mickey 2 brings together the worlds of imaginative play and strategy in a way that provides for a fun and non-violent gaming experience that the whole family can enjoy.  I can think of a few boys and girls who'd love to receive it under the tree this holiday season!  Wouldn't yours?

{Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two the video game. All opinions expressed are my own.  No one is the boss of me!}

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Our new family time passion: XBOX 360 Kinect from Best Buy + a Giveaway! #MiCultura

A while back I shared some info with you about my family's recent visit to Best Buy to pick out our new XBOX 360 Kinect video game system.  Well, I'm happy to report that we've ALL had fun playing with it and incorporating the new device into our fun Friday family nights! 

I have to admit that at first I thought it was something that just the kids would dig.  Um, yeah, I was slightly mistaken about that.  These days, we can hardly peel my hubs away from it!

Case in point:

The hubs is moving so fast, I couldn't catch an in-focus shot!

We actually have had some fun checking out some of the games available through our local library so we can try them out before deciding which ones to purchase.  I love that the local library offers video game rentals!  And, don't kid yourself -- my kids have been having their fair share with the new toy, too!

Spending good, quality family time with my kids and husband is something that has been engrained in my heart over the years.  It's something that is at the very heart of the Hispanic culture and I love that I can connect with my kids using something as simple and fun as a video game system.  The XBOX 360 Kinect is something I think even my grandmother {mi abuelita} could appreciate and enjoy if she were still here on earth.

What we love about the Kinect system is that quite literally, YOU are the game controller!  No handheld game controller needed!  Check out this video of my 6 year-old having testing out the new Carnival game.  This is a short video of him doing a punching bag game.  You'll hear my hubs in the background trying to coach him along but my little boxer is quite convinced he knows what he's doing.

 

And now, it's time for YOU to share how Best Buy can help you celebrate your cultura -- your culture - and be entered to win a $100 Best Buy Gift Card! {Giveaway open to U.S. entries only, ages 18 and up}.

Here's all you need to do to enter:

Visit the Best Buy page then come back and comment on this post with your FAVORITE Best Buy product and how it would help YOU celebrate your culture.

How simple is that?!

For additional entries, complete one or more of the following and then leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.

• Follow Mi Best Buy on Twitter: @MiBestBuy & @XBOX and Tweet about how @MiBestBuy helps you celebrate your culture with the #MiCultura hashtag.
• Follow me {@mommypalooza} on Twitter.
• "Like" the Mommypalooza page on Facebook.
• Follow Mi Best Buy on Facebook.

And for even MORE winning fun, Join Latina Mom Bloggers and Best Buy for a Twitter Party to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month on October 15^th from 9-10:30pm ET! The prizes will be amazing!! Check 'em out:

• SiriusXM Edge (includes $50 SiriusXM Prepaid Card, SiriusXM Portable Speaker Dock, Hardwire Modulator FMDA & Pro Installation up to $79.99)
• Xbox 360 with Kinect plus 50% off Xbox Live gold
• HP OJPro 8600 Printer
• Panasonic TC-L55ET5 55" HD LED TV (RV $1,499.99)

Rules: For the official rules, please click HERE.

RSVP: To be eligible to win prizes, you must RSVP at Latina Mom Bloggers and follow @MiBestBuy. Click HERE to RSVP.

{Disclosure: This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Best Buy. However, all opinions expressed are my own.}

Best Buy + #MiCultura = a meaningful shopping experience

For years, Best Buy has been our go-to store for everything in our home from TVs, washer & dryer, refrigerator, right down to the very Samsung Ultrabook I am typing this out on.  Now, with its new emphasis on being more accomodating to the Spanish-speaking customer, I am convinced they are a company who just "gets it".  I think it's important, especially for those of us who are part of the Latino culture, to feel comfortable with patronizing the businesses we do.  I know I tend to be more loyal to a brand or store when I am made to feel comfortable and treated valuably.

The “Mi Best Buy, Mi Cultura” initiative is a joint effort between Best Buy and some of its key vendor partners to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month which runs through October 15, 2012.  They are making the effort to recognize the important dates and holidays in the lives of their Latino customers.  It's exciting for me both as a long-time customer of Best Buy and as a Latina, to be part of spreading awareness about this new initiative and all the positive ways it impacts us.

Recently I headed out with mi familia to our local Best Buy store to pick up our new XBOX 360 Kinect.  Can you TELL how excited my two older boys are?? Look at those gigantic steps they're taking toward the store!  Once we were inside, it was like letting dogs loose in a park.

One of the main things I noticed while looking around the store and corralling kids from demo to demo, is that Best Buy truly is making strides to becoming a one-stop-shop for tech diversity. And not simply in the array of products they carry and offer, but in the way they service their customers. 

That is my hubs completing our transaction with the friendly associate, Jason.  But look above and you'll notice the prominent bilingual signage that can be found throughout the store.  I know having those simple translations there is something that even my late grandmother would have felt really pleasantly surprised about.

In my culture we are all about being with family, celebrating the everyday together.  With our new XBOX 360 Kinect I know that these upcoming long winter months will be filled with laughter and fun as we get to experience new games and playing along together.  That is certainly something that is good for my soul!

And, for the even better news -- stay tuned becausae I'll soon host a giveaway for a $100 Best Buy gift card! What's not to love about that?

{Disclosure:  This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Best Buy. However, all opinions expressed are my own.}

My Night out with Net10 Wireless

The other night we were treated to a night out for dinner and some family time, thanks to Net10 Wireless.  We took the kids out to Chili's for dinner which is a place we all love!  As per the usual, my boys were up to their funny antics of discovering funny looking tortilla chips {like my oldest is showing in the pic above} and just plain ol' goofing off. 

I love that I was able to use my Net10 Wireless LG Optimus to capture photos and tweet along the way.  And I also love that the phone came in handy when my youngest got a just a little impatient waiting for his food.  There's so many fun apps and games I have been able to put on this phone and its stunning display make it fun to play on.

Net10 Wireless is a no-brainer decision if you're looking for a company who offers the latest Android phones, with unlimited local and long-distance calling on America’s best GSM networks, text messaging and Internet access and WiFi connectivity.  What's even better is that they are a NO CONTRACTS wireless provider so you don't have to worry about the hassle of fees and limits.

If this sounds like something you want for yourself or friend or family member, visit the Net10 website and find out more info today!  You will love their simple, feature-packed calling plans and their great phone selection.

Thank you, Net10 for a fabulous night out with my family and for giving me the opportunity to share about all of the great things your service provides to make our everyday lives easier when it comes to technology!

{This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Net10 Wireless. However, all opinions expressed are my own. No one is the boss of me!}

Worth sharing: My new LG Optimus from Net10 Wireless experience! {review}

For the past few weeks I have been testing out a new Android pre-paid device, the LG Optimus from Net10 Wireless.  I am such a tech junky so I jumped at the opportunity to try out this phone and incorporate it into my busy blogging, social media, and family life.

Simply put, I'm sold!

The phone performs superbly and has all of the great features and apps that you've come to know and love with Android phones.  I'm able to utilize and access all of my social media accounts like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, HootSuite, and more all with this phone!  How is it different from the phone I currently have?  In a nutshell, with the exception of price, it's not!  Here's how service from Net10 can help make your life easier {and put extra dough in your pocketbook}!

 

• Net10 has NO contracts!
  
  
• Net10 offers coverage on the best networks such as Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc.
  
  
• Net10 offers pre-paid plans that are up to half the cost of those offered with contracts.
  
  
• Net 10 offers unlimited calls, text, and Internet to Mexico and other countries including cell phones.
  
  
• Net10 makes it easy since they are available in over 90,000 stores such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Walgreens, Radio Shack, and more.
  
  
• Net10 offers you the latest phone models including Androids. For their complete lineup you can visit their product page here.

I also love that you can get a complete tutorial on how to use your new LG Optimus phone right on the Net1o Wireless website:

Net10's service offers something for everyone.  A phone and service from Net10 Wireless would make a great back-to-school gift idea or is simply a great way for someone to migrate into the era of smartphones!  When I first opened the box to my new phone  and saw how simple the activation process was, I instantly thought about this phone being great for someone like my Dad.  He's not into all the apps of smartphones but does still want a decent phone with reliable service - and all for a good price!  He is a business owner so he needs to have unlimited talk for sure.  The texting is something we are slowly getting him into the habit of (though he says it's more of a pain to text rather than just call someone!), and I'd love for him to have a phone with a decent camera!  He'd be the perfect candidate for service with Net10 because there are no contracts, credit checks, activation charges or cancellation fees to worry about.  You simply buy a phone and purchase any one of several airtime or monthly plans.  And then you're free to talk, text, or surf to your heart's desire!

 

For more information about Net10 Wireless service and how it can simplify your life, visit them at www.levantateun10.com.

{This is part of a compensated campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Net10 Wireless. However, all opinions expressed are my own.}