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My Overthinking

Philly Area mom, Life forever changed by adoption

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Do you Duo?

1.12.12

Okay, so I overthought the iPad itself. I’m an apple junkie. But, an iPad? it’s just an expensive toy, right?
 But, it was a gift. So…well…gifts make overthinking a little less over-the-top since it’s a gift and all.
And, now, I confess, if my cases reviews weren’t convincing enough, I’m diggin’ this thing. 
And, when we’re not digging out dirt to get water to Swampy (which every single one of us feels compelled to do), we’re watching shows, singing karaoke, and duo-ing. 
Yes, duo-ing. And, it’s so fun.
My favorite add-on gadget – the duo plink – this fancy little gadget that works quite simply. You put your token on the top to indicate your answer to whatever the question is in the app, hit reveal answer, and a flashing light under the thingy mabob signals the thing to turn dropping your token in the container if you are right or leaving it on top if you aren’t. 
Simple and brilliant fun. $30 and 3 free fun apps (and one app you can get for $1.99). I bet they’ll be coming up with more apps to keep this gadget hot on the market too.

Our fave? Yoomi. 
Two people play. You take turns choosing which of two things you prefer. And, the other person guesses which you chose. 

And, for the record, I’d prefer being 10 feet tall over being 1 foot tall.

And, I’m flattered that Evan couldn’t decide if I’d rather change the color of my eyes or change the color of my hair. Apparently, he has no idea what I’m doing when I go out in the evening once every 6 weeks by myself.

But, he did guess correctly that I’d rather cuddle a porcupine than wrestle an octopus. So, he still won.
After which, I was promptly booted out so the big kids could move onto another fun iPad gadget from the same company – the duo pop. Think game show. Funny how holding a hand buzzer adds just enough more pressure to make a simple game of hidden pictures a lot more fun. Highlights has never gotten me so riled up. 

Ahh…nothing like seeing the glowing light of technology on your children’s faces.

So clever. The little hand things are detected by that box you see on the table which then makes a sound that we can’t hear but the nifty iPad can (of course, it can) which works with the app then. 

*Note* these work right out of the box…if you actually set them up right. It took us a while and two units to get rolling with the Duo Plink — once we changed the settings for autobrightness to be off and the maximum brightness on, we had no problems at all. That flashing light to get the Plinky deal to turn has to be bright. And, make sure you put the Duo Pop box thingy next to the iPad microphone, not your home button. If you put them near the home button, you will be super frustrated and think you got a dud. Once we learned (thanks to Discovery Bay Games’ handy dandy quality assurance man) how the thing worked with sound, I had my little aha moment and realized I was putting it on the wrong side of my iPad. (smile)

Hmmm…what iPad thing can I review for ya’ll next? I’m on a roll.

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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: Reviews

Overthinking iPad 2 Cases

12.31.11

{Ya’ll, I received products to review for this post. The opinions I share about using these products are my own. I use affiliate links in this post. So, if you decide to make a purchase through my links, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn’t cost you anything additional.}

It’s official.

I’m a bona fide overthinker.

One week into iPad ownership and 7 cases later, my overthinking has reached an all new level.

And, to save you from your own overthinking, I’m going to share mine with you–in video form no less.

Make fun of my anal retentiveness or take advantage of my research so that you only have to bring one case into your home. Your choice.

The Addycase – good iPad 2 case for families with really young kids who find the home button irresistible. It’s pretty heavy though.

The Trident Kraken case – well known company with a well known iPad 2 case marketed towards families. But, not my fave.

The Ekto 2 from Uzibull – good case for older kids who need a protective case but don’t want one that shouts “My mom made me get this big ole case to protect my iPad.” Not my fave though.

The iGuy stand-up case from Speck – pretty much a gimmick, but I may just have to keep him around because he’s so darn cute.

The Big Grips case and stand – The case isn’t my favorite because of the entire back exposed and difficulty getting to the ports. The stand is helpful though.

M-Edge Super Shell case in Atomic Green – good case at a great price but I honestly miss seeing more of the back of the iPad (I’m an apple junkie who likes the back…I know…weird). And, it’s hard–my kids could use this thing as a weapon if they wanted to (and weapons are popular here).

iLatch – Classy white leather case with clip-on dealies that are fantastic when you need them (think side of pack ‘n play when you need your little one to nap at Grandma’s or the stroller handlebar when you are trying some new duds on in the dressing room).

Gripcase – handles on all 4 sides that are perfect for both little and big grippers alike. Love the lightweight EVA foam which is safe even for kids who tend to chew stuff. Also love that the screen truly doesn’t need any protection because it sits low enough in the case to never touch any surface. My kids could bowl with the Gripcase and the iPad will be totally safe. (I know, they’ve tried.) *My fave*

 

Here’s to a new year of lots of productive and stress-free overthinking…for me at least.

UPDATE as of April 2013

We have officially fallen for the Gripcase—and it’s Gripbase stand (so much so that I’m doing some marketing work for them now). LOVE being able to stand it up on the counter while charging, stand it up for viewing, rest my phone or stylus in the back. It’s the best on the market for schools and families—and that’s why I’m helping them spread the word.

 

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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: Reviews

Purposeful Giveaways

10.29.11

You know what has me thinking?

Americans spend $450 billion a year every Christmas. $450 billion.


That’s a lot of money to spend on gifts that are most often forgettable.

And, I’m really not hoping for a forgettable Christmas this year. Are you?

Here’s what I’ve got in the works — from 10/31 through Christmas, I’ve got a bundle of giveaways planned for you. Yes, they are fun. Yes, you are going to oooo and ahhh at the really neat things you could win simply by leaving a comment.

But, it’s not just about fun things for you.

Yes, I’m tricking you a little bit here. Hang with me.

Every offer, every little store, every big store, every creative person behind each giveaway is offering people a way to do Christmas a little differently this year. They are offering a way to help you make Christmas gift giving mean something.

You are not going to want to miss this.




1 – Dawn Baron

2 – Leslie

3 – Lefft

4 – Hannah James

4 – Gwyn and Ava Quilted

5 – Tawnya M. Designs

6 – Chesapeake Ribbons

7 – Be A Voice

8 – Ribbons for Grace

9 – Better For Kids

10 – Arton Collection

11 – Hepzibah House

12 – Sonya’s Art for Adoption

13 – Jiayin Designs

14 – God Made You Beautiful

15 – Hair Candy for Maggie

16 – Delicate Fortress

17 – Hermias Wishes

18 – The Nest from The Sparrow Fund

19 – Dandelion Dream

20 – Stitched With Heart

21 – Agape Love Boutique

22 – Ru K’ux Na’oj

23 – Angela Braniff Photography

24 – High Strung Designs

25 – Gneiss Spice

26 – Olive Handmade

27 – Resurrection Knits

28 – Powercapes

29 – Apliiq


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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: giveaways, Purposeful giveaways, Reviews

Winner {The Jade Rabbit}

10.29.11

The hope of sitting with Shannon over a latte and chatting for hours about parenting and adoption and serving God is far fetched, I know. This mama and her husband Doug live in Washington state, only about 2,400 miles away. One day, maybe, one day. Shannon is mama to three kiddos–Ravenna (from China), Parker (homegrown), and Georgia Mei (from China’s special needs program, born with a heart condition). And, this mama serves like crazy. You gotta go check out her blog. And, visit Ravenna’s very own blog here. This family so rocks.

Congratulations on the win, Shannon. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the book!

Everybody else, stay tuned. 


Not kidding. Really. Stick around.

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Posted by Kelly the Overthinker
Filed Under: giveaways, Reviews

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