Dad of Divas' Reviews: October 2014

Friday, October 31, 2014

Silicon Power's Jewel J80 Offers a Unique and Awarding Design with USB 3.0

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

About the Flash Drive
SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface Jewel J80 USB flash drive employs the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface that enables the blazing-fast data transferring ability to meet the demands for high speed and real efficiency. Jewel J80 also accomplishes a much easier mobile tech-life with great capacities up to 64GB, with which users can take large files including HD videos, high-resolution photos and great numbers of documents with them.

Modern Style & Metallic Casing
Jewel J80 stands out by its artistic expression of post-modern concept with the ring-shaped unibody exterior, glamorous zinc alloy casing and elegant color of titanium. Furthermore, Jewel J80 features the sandblasting treatment that can deliver the delicate touch and also provide superior resistance to scratches and fingerprints from daily usage.

Ergonomic circular shape design
The ergonomic circular shape design on the end of the drive allows an easier and more comfortable way to use and grasp; additionally, it can be perfectly fitted on a keychain that fixes the problem of storing a drive.

COB (Chip On Board) technology
Jewel J80 offers complete data protections against water, dust and vibration by applying the COB (Chip On Board) technology, which is able to keep the golden finger away from damages caused by outer forces.



My Take on the Flash Drive
This flash drive as such a unique design. I loved the fact that it is made to last and durable and is safer than iters when it comes to water damage that can occur. The product itself is designed for portability as well as for easy insertion into any computer. The circular end allows for easy removal too and seems to make it so that you will not get as much of a problem with torquing the flash drive and potentially cracking some of the housing making the flash drive inoperable. That being said I have had a lot of very great comments on this thus far. I also have found that the drive is fast and reliable and that I have had nothing but positive results in using this to date. I am very impressed with how well this works, it's style and functionality and think you will be too!


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Thursday, October 30, 2014

DVD Review - Cartoon Network Holiday Collection

Cartoon Network Holiday Collection

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

About the DVD
Start making your list and checking it twice, because whether you were naughty or nice, you will definitely want to make sure that Cartoon Network Holiday Collection is what you get for the holidays this year! This must-own, soon to be classic will feature 5 hit Cartoon Network series on one low priced DVD! You’ll be dashing through the shows with Adventure Time's "Holly Jolly Secrets Parts 1 & 2," The "Christmas" episode from The Amazing World of Gumball, and "The Christmas Special" from Regular Show. And as an added holiday gift, Cartoon Network Holiday Collection DVD will also feature bonus episodes from up and coming shows Clarence and Steven Universe, both on DVD for the first time ever. Talk about a Holly Jolly Christmas! Cartoon Network Holiday Collection will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.98


My Take on the DVD
This is a great collection of fun episodes. What I loved was that it was a mix of many episodes of different series' that will get you in the mood for the holidays! As you will see this a well done DVD that brings together some great episodes. My kids and I enjoyed watching them and you will too!


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

DVD Review - A Belle for Christmas

A Belle for Christmas
 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

About the Movie
Just in time for the holidays, Anchor Bay Entertainment brings home A Belle for Christmas, an uplifting comedy about family, friendship and a four-legged holiday miracle. The film, starring Dean Cain (The Dog Who Saved the Holidays, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”), Kristy Swanson (Big Daddy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Jet Jurgensmeyer (The Little Rascals Save the Day), and Haylie Duff (Material Girls,), will be making it's national retail debut on November 4, 2014. A Belle for Christmas is priced to own at $19.98 SRP.


My Take on the Movie
I enjoyed watching this family friendly movie. It was funny , heartwarming, and there was some adventure in it for the children who were trying to locate their missing dog. Kristy Swanson plays her part well as the gold-digging girlfriend of widower Dean Cain's character. He seems to be the only one not to see her behind the scenes antics, but the children do. The children use their wits and intelligence to save their dog and get rid of their dad's sly girlfriend.

It is a story that maybe your family can identify with in many aspects. The actors do a nice job of portraying their characters and the brother and sister actually like each other in the movie and work as a team which is nice to see.

A new Christmas movie , just in time for holiday viewing.


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Book Review - Clean Eating Freezer Meals

Clean Eating Freezer Meals

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg


About the Book
The busier life is, the harder it is to eat healthy. Using your freezer-and a little creative planning-you can eat well and save time. Clean eating is eating foods without any added chemicals or applied processes. These easy-to-assemble dishes help you and your family reap the benefits of naturally healthy foods. Entrees, soups, snacks, desserts, and more are perfect for sit-down meals, quick bites, or on-the-go meals. Included are freezing techniques, shopping and budget tips, and detailed nutritional information.




My Take on the Book
The introduction explains very well the history of the term clean eating It was something our grandparents took for granted and that is how they lived. With our convenience foods , packaged foods, and fast foods that has all changed. Now we have terms like "fat free", "low fat", "gluten free", "dairy free", etc . in our grocery stores.

So Tiffany's book has recipes that assist the reader to make healthy foods that can be frozen and once they are thawed will remain delicious. She has included sections on breakfast, casseroles, skillet and grill, slow cooker meals, soups, stews , and chilis, and desserts and sauces.

I read through all the recipes and there were many delicious choices. Most used ingredients that are easily located in your grocery stores.

I decided to prepare the EASY ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP which is a favorite of mine to prepare.
Each recipe has a photograph of the finished product and there is a short introduction by the author to the recipe. You will find the ingredients and step by step directions that are written well for the reader. On the side are nutrition facts like calories, fat, cholesterol , carbohydrates, sugar, fiber , and protein. 

The soup was very easy to make and came together quickly. I ate the soup for lunch on the day I made it and it was truly delicious. Now I will freeze the rest to enjoy in the near future.
I plan to try several more recipes. 

I am sure you will find this cookbook written well and the selections will give any family or individual many delicious choices. Buon Appetito!

----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

The Jewel J06 is the smallest Flash drive I have Ever Seen!

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg
About the Flash Drive

Impressively Tiny, Incredibly easy

Along with super-tiny drive body and eye-catching color choices, SP Jewel J06 greatly minimize the dimensions and weights of the body to make themselves an extremely tiny drive for easy daily carrying.


Meticulously Crafted and Smooth Touch

Ergonomic shape is especially designed for better and simpler using and holding. Jewel J06 is the perfect storage items for extraordinary taste and style. And the use of high-density plastic housing offers complete waterproof, vibration-proof and dustproof protections.



Enlarged Groove Design


Jewel J06 is equipped with delicate curved shape and enlarged groove design, which can fully realize the needs for simple operation and easy carrying.

My Take on the Flash Drive
This has to be one of the smallest flash drives that I have ever seen, and definitely the smallest that I have ever used. This is the type of flash drive that you could easily leave in a laptop and forget about it, using it for external memory that can easily be taken with you no matter where you go. I also found in using this that the flash drive transfers data at a very high speed too, which is important when you are on the go as much as I am. That being said, having a flash drive that is out-of-sight out-of-mind has its' advantages and this is definitely one that for the price just makes sense!

----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Book Review - The Princess in Black

The Princess in Black
 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

About the Book
Who says princesses don’t wear black? When trouble raises its blue monster head, Princess Magnolia ditches her flouncy dresses and becomes the Princess in Black!

Princess Magnolia is having hot chocolate and scones with Duchess Wigtower when . . . Brring! Brring! The monster alarm! A big blue monster is threatening the goats! Stopping monsters is no job for dainty Princess Magnolia. But luckily Princess Magnolia has a secret —she’s also the Princess in Black, and stopping monsters is the perfect job for her! Can the princess sneak away, transform into her alter ego, and defeat the monster before the nosy duchess discovers her secret? From award-winning writing team of Shannon and Dean Hale and illustrator LeUyen Pham, here is the first in a humorous and action-packed chapter book series for young readers who like their princesses not only prim and perfect, but also dressed in black.



My Take on the Book
The time has come for a new princess to surface on the scene. This princess has a dual identity and many secrets. Her name is Princess Magnolia but when trouble arrives she becomes the Princess in Black.

This is the first book in a series of THE PRINCESS IN BLACK. It was entertaining and the chapters were short. The story was well told . It was interesting how the authors took her from a princess dressed in pink to the princess dressed in black with super fighting powers.

Le Uyen Pham's illustrations added to the fun in the story. Seeing the characters reactions to the events helped to bring the story alive. The monster(s) that were created were very cute!

I think your little princess will enjoy this story.


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

One Step Ahead's Week #3 of "5 Weeks of Holiday Sweeps" Going On Now


I am so excited that Week #3 of the "5 Weeks of Holiday Sweeps" is under way! ENTER NOW to win this week's prize set of either a "Let's Get Creative" or "Fab Family Game Room" prize pack (entry deadline Friday, October 31!)! Winner picks the prize set of their choice!

A new Facebook sweeps with fantastic prizes will go live each week, ending with a grand prize the week of 11/10/14. Enter each week for your chance to win!

ENTER NOW: http://shout.lt/qKpc

Follow them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onestepahead
Follow them on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/OneStepAhead/


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Book Review - Elephantastic

Elephantastic

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg


About the Book
You never know when a best friend will be delivered to your doorstep. And that's just what happens to Andrew when a mysterious box arrives with a talking stuffed elephant inside! The two new friends set off on an adventure, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, crawling through sun-filled savannahs, and exploring a deep, dark jungle. They're having an elephantastic afternoon together -- until Andrew's mommy interrupts. It turns out the box was delivered to the wrong address! It was actually meant for Louise, the neighbor upstairs . . .

Michael Engler's charming tale, matched with glowing images by Joelle Tourlonias, make Elephantastic! a story young readers will want to experience again and again.




My Take on the Book
I loved this story. Take a boy with a wonderful imagination and a stuffed elephant and just imagine the adventures they could experience. There were many parts of this book I loved but one was not actually in the book so you could read it. The part was seeing a child, not watching TV, using a telephone or I-Pad or computer, but instead using pencils, paper, crayons, cardboard boxes. etc. to produce the imaginative adventures that Andrew and Timbo were enveloped in, inside the house.
The ending was precious as Andrew realized that Timbo belonged to the little girl upstairs. Once again the author came through with a delightful solution: Louise, Andrew and Timbo would go on adventures together. 

Joelle Tourlonias' illustrations match perfectly this wonderful text. 

I know you and your child will enjoy this story together. Think about the adventures you could create together.

----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Book Review - Frites: Over 30 Gourmet Recipes

Frites: Over 30 Gourmet Recipes

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg


About the Book
Fries! Everybody love fries, chips, patatas, or pommes fritex – no matter what you call them the French fry is one of the most celebrated staples in modern culture and never fails to bring pleasure to our plates.

The new book FRITES [Jacqui Small LLP, September 2014, $29.99 US / $32.99 CAN] by author Anne de la Forest, explores the different sizes, shapes, and flavors of the French Fry and embraces many different cooking styles and permutations of ingredients, from polenta and asparagus to the classic French frites Pont-Neufs or US-style skinny fries. Inside information on:

  • Grating, peeling, cutting, and cooking;
  • Traditional fries and trendy fries;
  • Creative fries such as turnip, parsnip, or beetroot fries
  • Sweet fries banana, apple, and pear fries
  • Sauces including BernÃ¥ise, curry, barbecue, and tangy tomato

Large or small, fat or thin, peeled or with skins on, French, Belgian, British or American, fries come in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. In FRITES readers will be find them all and everything they need to know to make frites on their own delighting friends and family!




My Take on the Book
Frites are popular in many countries throughout the world.

The author has written a book that covers 36 delicious and sometimes nontraditional frites. Some of the recipes are traditional, some trendy, some very creative , and even some are sweet.

Anne de la Forest begins her frites cookbook by giving the reader many pages of excellent information. There is information about choosing potatoes, correct way to store them, and kinds of potatoes. She gives information about other fruits and vegetables and how to either deep fry or oven fry them too. Her recipes call for different kinds of oils and she explains their function. I was amazed by the wealth of information before the reader began to read the actual recipes.

So many recipes and sauces were in this book and all sounded delicious but I opted to make the sweet potatoes and cane sugar frites. The recipes have accompanying photographs, the ingredients are listed, and the directions are well written and were easy to follow. The end result for my sweet potatoes with cane sugar was slightly sweet and a little crunchy. It was a perfect after school snack on the day I made them.


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Book Review - Noah Children's Picture Book #Giveaway #dadchat

Noah

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg


About the Book
A hundred years before the Great Flood, a man named Noah came home talking crazy. God wanted him to build the biggest ship the world had ever seen. The future of humanity depended on it. How would his wife respond? What would the neighbors think? Was it even feasible?

This lavish reimagining of one of the greatest stories of all time will fascinate children and adults alike. Nuanced and playful, yet meticulous in following the biblical narrative, Mark Ludy’s world-class art digs deeper than the Sunday-school tale of cuddly animals, exploring noah’s relationship with his family, the natural world, God - and a formidable engineering challenge.

Immerse yourself in this stunning wordless epic. Whatever your age, you’ll never read this story in the same way again.

Bonus: Find Squeakers the mouse on every page!

About the author:


Mark Ludy has written or illustrated eight children’s books including The Farmer, The Flower Man, The Grump, When I Was a Boy I Dreamed, When I Was a Girl I Dreamed, and Jujo the Youngest Tribesman. When he’s not immersed in his sketchbooks, you’ll find him in schools promoting art and literacy. He lives in Colorado with his wife, daughter, and two sons.


Mark’s website: http://www.markludy.com
Official NOAH website: http://www.plough.com/en/ebooks/n/noah



My Take on the Book
As I looked through this beautifully illustrated book that retold the story of Noah and the arc he built, I had to look through it again to notice all the details that Mark Lundy drew on each page. The expressions on the characters' faces definitely assisted in telling the story and helped the reader to understand the joy, confusion, fear, etc. that Noah and his family were experiencing. 

The book tells the story so well. I think it might be helpful when using this book with children to actually read the story to the children before using the wordless picture book because then they can retell the story to the adult. Any way you decide to share this book, you will find it a joy and an amazing work of art too.

Giveaway
How would you like to win this for yourself or for your family? All you need to do is fill out the below form to be entered. The contest will run for one week and will end on November 4, 2014.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Winner must be a resident of the U.S.

Winners are chosen at random, if you want all your chances counted, make sure you leave individual comments, not all of them in one!

Winner has 48 hours to contact me or another name will be chosen.

Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Game Review - Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - Nintendo 3DS #dadchat

Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - Nintendo 3DS
 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg
Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - Nintendo 3DS

About the Game
Saving the world is serious business and should never be taken lightly... It is only for the brave of heart. Guren, Ceylan, Chooki, and Toxsa were not planning on being heroes when they accidentally stumbled into an inter-dimensional portal. Ripped through space and time, they reemerged on the world of Quarton as Brave wolf, Tributon, Lydendor, and Valorn... the legendary and powerfully robotic Tenkai Knights! Oh, by the way, Quarton is definitely a world like no other. Powered by a special Tenkai energy everything in this world can transform, combine and shape shift. Now our four heroes hold the fate of two worlds in their powerful robotic hands and must master amazing powers in order to stop the evil Vilius and his army of shape shifting robots from destroying two worlds...

Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - Nintendo 3DS

Product Features
  • The Animated Series in Motion - Harness the incredible power of Tenkai Energy to become one of the legendary Tenkai Knights.
  • Shape shift and Transform - Modify your Tenkai Knight with over 100+ parts. Customize your build to exploit your opponents' weaknesses.
  • Multiplayer Mayhem
  • Story Mode: Co-op with a friend to complete missions based on the animated series
  • VS Mode: Battle with up to 3 other players to crown the most powerful hero!
Tenkai Knights: Brave Battle - Nintendo 3DS




My Take on the Game
While I have not spent a lot of time watching this series, I can say that this game has some great graphics and game play that does connect in well with the parts of the television series that I have seen. One of the things that was fun about this game was the ability you have to customize your knight. There are a ton of options available for the player and you get to make your character stronger and thus make the game easier too in the end. My daughter and I liked the versus mode as we like to get a bit competitive against each other and this satisfied our need for this, at least a bit. All-in-all though this was a fun game that will bring you up-to-speed on the series and story (in story mode) or simply allow you to modify and play a fun game altogether for hours of fun!


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Elite UHS-1: Memory card: an SDHC card with great speed for HD files

Elite UHS-1: Memory card
 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

About the SD Card
 
Fully upgrade to Ultra High Speed Class 1 specification (UHS-1)

The Elite series present a tremendous improvement in terms of transmission performance in reading and writing. By offering a whole new photographic experience in high-speed photo shooting and video capturing, the Elite UHS-1 series is the ideal equipment for DSLR, camcorders(SDHC/SDXC UHS-1), smartphones and tablets users(microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-1).


Uninterrupted video capturing & High-speed consecutive picture taking

The Elite UHS-1 series are available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB. With the combination of the large capacity up to 64GB and the remarkable transmission rate reaching at 50MB per second in reading, the Elite UHS-1 series are the ideal gadget for high-speed consecutive picture taking, extended length of Full-HD videos and images, as well as massive storage for all your cherish memories.

Full range of product line & Lifetime warranty

The Elite UHS-1 series have a complete product roadmap ranging from SDHC, SDXC to microSDHC and microSDXC, building for all types of devices such as DSLR, camcorders(SDHC/SDXC UHS-1), Smartphones and tablets(microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-1). SP's Elite UHS-1 series are green products and are in compliance with strict European RoHS directives. SP flash cards all come with a Lifetime warranty



My Take on the SD Card
I just started working with a new High Resolution camera recently and with this comes not only large image files, but even larger video files. With that in mind I am looking for a memory card that can perform very well, quickly. This SDHC Card did the trick. I was very impressed with how well it worked, but even more, I loved the price! Also, I found that the card itself had a very large capacity for the files that I was taking on the new camera which was perfect as I did not want to have to continuously change out memory cards based on the number of pictures or videos that I was shooting. This game me the ability to take all of the pictures or videos that I wanted and still know that I had room to spare, and I had peace of mind that the images would be safe for use at a later time.


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com

Game Review - Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS

Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS

 photo disclaimer2_zps8af35ac1.jpg

Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS

Game Features
  • Defeat enemies with intense, hard-hitting martial arts action
  • Engage in epic, super-sized Zord battles
  • 30 playable characters featuring an all-star lineup from the hit live-action television series
  • Scan POWER RANGERS SUPER MEGAFORCE Ranger Keys to unlock power-ups and play as legendary Red Rangers from the past
  • Play as ALL of the Legendary Mighty Morphin Power Rangers!
Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS

Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS

Power Rangers Super MegaForce - Nintendo 3DS



My Take on the Game
This game was definitely aligned with the television series as it allows you to be in control of some of the characters that you have come to love. The game graphics remind me a bit of some of my favorite street fighter games form the past (though with better game control and graphics). That being said though the game was a ton of fun and I loved being able to get into the game and simply have a blast. My eldest daughter and I played this together, with each of us taking a turn and we were a great team! We loved being able to play the different characters and the game play itself was challenging at times, but not too difficult and in the end the game was simply enjoyable, which is what we are looking for in a game!


----------------------------------------
New to the Divadom or to Dad of Divas Reviews?
Please Subscribe to my RSS Feed! Subscribe in a reader
Questions? Drop me a line at dadofdivas@gmail.com