Reviews by Friends of kayacee

mindyvol says "A great toy for children learning to spell" about LeapFrog Word Whammer Fridge Phonics set

mindyvol — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 17:41:35 GMT

The Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder by LeapFrog is the perfect educational toy for children who are ready to move up from the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set.

The recommended age range is from ages 3-6, which my children fall into, however my six-year old son prefers to write his letters on paper and only plays with this when he is helping his younger sister. My daughter, age four, is the one who uses this the most and she really enjoys it.

The Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder can build over 325 words (a printable list is available on the LeapFrog website), comes with 29 lowercase magnetic letters, and also includes batteries (woo hoo!). The extra magnetic letters are included so that your child can spell such words as mom and dad, which require two of the same letters. The vowels are color-coded red so that you can also teach your child vowel sounds.

There are three modes of play including Load a Letter, Word Building, and Word Play. My daughter prefers...

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mindyvol says "A terrific learning toy that grows with your child" about LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set

mindyvol — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:13:39 GMT

I purchased the LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set when my son was just a toddler. He is now six years old and technically would still be using this toy if we hadn't upgraded to the LeapFrog Fridge Words Magnetic Word Builder. Both my son and my daughter (age four) grew up with the Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set and I attribute much of their knowledge of the alphabet to this product.

The Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set is a must-have for any household with young children and is fast becoming (or may have already become) a classic toy. Just about every parent that I know has one of these and it's a rarity when we visit a house that does not.

Like most moms, much of my day is spent in the kitchen, which is why having this toy on the refrigerator is a perfect spot for both mother and child. I could tend to my kitchen duties while my children played with it.

The LeapFrog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set truly is a product that will grow along with your child. ...

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mindyvol says "Glenn Beck - anything but COMMON but he does make SENSE" about common sense

mindyvol — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 06:11:00 GMT

Glenn Beck's Common Sense: The Case Against an Out-of-Control Government, Inspired by Thomas Paine

It seems that most people who are familiar with Glenn Beck either love him or hate him. I fall into the former category and a little embarrassingly admit that I even have a bit of a mom crush on him. I was first introduced to Mr. Beck when I read his book, An Inconvenient Truth, which I really enjoyed.

I wouldn't call myself a political junkie but I have found myself pursuing a higher level of knowledge in politics in the past few years. I was too busy daydreaming about boys to pay much attention to politics in high school, but now that I'm a married mom to two young children, I have a vested interest in the future of my beloved country.

When my harried life slows down on occasion and I remember to tune in, I watch Glenn Beck's program on cable news television, and aside from hawking his books, I feel like he really does care about our country. Hence my decision to read one...

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mindyvol says "Lego City Police Headquarters is fun for both kids and adults!" about LEGO City Police Headquarters

mindyvol — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 04:08:38 GMT

My son, who recently turned six years old, started playing with Legos this past year. He began small and built things like a Racer car or a Star Wars vehicle. I was fortunate to find a huge container of various Legos at a garage sale that kept my son busy for hours each day (and still does months later).

Now that my son is getting older, he is able to follow the basic Lego instructions on his own and has requested the larger (i.e. more expensive) Lego sets. While he hasn't received any of the large sets yet, his older cousin just got the Lego City Police Headquarters (#7744) set and WOW, is it ever neat!

The Lego City Police Headquarters is for ages 6-12 and contains a whopping 953 pieces! The set consists of different sections which can be re-arranged (there are three pictures on the box) for several modes of play. The headquarters is divided into sub-models including two jail cells, a watch tower, a booking area, office, coffee break room, and a two car garage with doors...

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TheBard says "Logitech Deleivers Again!" about Logitech (920-000914) Keyboard

TheBard — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:04:55 GMT

Bottom-Line: Logitech delivers again with this sleekly designed illuminated keyboard.

The Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is a full sized ultrathin keyboard that is relatively simple in design and function; i.e. there is no USB hub, no scroll pad or dials, or separate specialized multimedia keys. What the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard does offer is quite a minimalist keyboard with softly illuminated, but bright keys that are easy to see day or night.

As the name implies, the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is designed with embedded microlens reflectors under each individual key that produce an adjustable soft-white backlit effect under every key, except the function keys, where in the illumination is orange. The intensity of the light can be adjusted via a key in the upper right hand corner of the keyboard and there are three predetermined settings including off; I prefer it on at all times.

Underneath the keyboard, you will find two small plastic feet that extend down from the base, which...

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TheBard says "Like Titanic, This Movie should be seen over and over again!" about Avatar (2009)

TheBard — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:04:34 GMT

Bottom-Line: Avatar is a visual and emotional feast that should be experienced as often as you dare.

Story-Line

Written and directed by James Cameron one hardly knows where to begin to tell the tale of Avatar, but I'll give it a go. It's the 22nd century and the human race has depleted the Earth. Green, as in trees, grass, plants, and forests, are gone and man is looking for a new place exploit. They have found the Earth-like moon of Pandora some five months space travel from the Terraforma.

An unnamed private corporation is mining an invaluable mineral known as "unobtanium," on the planetoid that fetches a tidy sum on the open market back home. Pandora is a beautiful lush planetoid populated with diverse wildlife and a race of 10 feet tall forest dwelling blue humanoid creatures called Na'vi. They are a primitive race of people, by human standards, but very in touch with every living creature on their moon.

My Viewpoint

As the credits rolled on Avatar there was...

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Meri says "Beautiful Depiction of Good vs. Evil" about Avatar (2009)

Meri — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 02:52:14 GMT

My husband and I went to the mall a couple hours before the movie was to play on the IMAX screen in 3D only to find out it was already sold out. We chose to see it in REAL 3D on the regular screen rather than to wait for another showing. We really had no idea what to expect from the movie, Avatar but it wouldn't have mattered because it surpassed even the highest of any expectations that could have been held.

Avatar stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez. The casting was excellent. They each play their parts perfectly. From Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Rodriguez with their tough gal attitudes to Zoe Saldana's exotic air the girls add depth and emotion to the script. Stephen Lang is the perfect G.I. Joe type. Sam Worthington, who was considered for the part of James Bond over Daniel Craig makes the ideal hero. Sweet and enduring he stole my heart with his youthful no-fear factor.

The movie was directed by James Cameron. Directing some...

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TheBard says "Epiphany skips the Sophomore Blues in style" about Epiphany by Chrisette Michele

TheBard — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:26:34 GMT

Bottom-Line: No matter what your favorite track turns out to be, Epiphany contains a little for everyone.

Ms. Michele is back with a brand new CD, entitled Epiphany, released in the spring of 2009. Epiphany debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell 83,000 copies in its opening week. To date the CD has sold some 363,000 + copies and has hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard R&B charts and spawned the singles Epiphany (track No.1), track No.3 What You Do (featuring Ne-Yo), Blame it On Me (track No. 4), and track No. 9 a remixed Fragile (featuring rapper Wale).

Superbly engineered and produced, Epiphany pulls together the best of the genre and entertains without insult; the music is evocative and at times moving and reflective. Throughout this CD Ms. Michelle seems to be telling a lover goodbye; track after track she proclaims her strength and independence (and fragility) through superbly performs songs.

Epiphany is a CD that I-and my wife-can and do listen...

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TheBard says "An (African American) Story well worth a look" about Cadillac Records

TheBard — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 13:25:17 GMT

Story-Line

Written and directed by (Black American) Darnell Martin Cadillac Records chronicles-insofar as Hollywood possible-the birth and rise of Chess Records (Cadillac) and it recording artists including Blues guitar legend-and Father of Chicago Blues-Muddy Waters (Jeffery Wright), harmonica myth Little Walter Jacobs (Columbus Short), vocalist Howlin' Wolf (Eamonn Walker); one of the fathers of Rock-n-Roll, Chuck Berry (Mos Def ~ Something the Lord Made, 16 Blocks, Lackawanna Blues) and the incomparable Etta James (Beyonce Knowles).

Leonard Chess (Adrien Brody) an immigrant from Poland started Chess Records on the south side of Chicago in 1950. Cedric the Entertainer portrays double-bassist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer Willie Dixon, who narrates the story. Muddy's girlfriend Geneva Wade (Gabrielle Union), and Leonard Chess' wife Revetta Chess (Emmanuelle Chiriquí) round out the cast.

My Viewpoint

I thoroughly enjoyed Cadillac Records. The music, the...

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TheBard says "Just Plain Fun to Watch" about Mamma Mia! (2008 movie)

TheBard — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:07:56 GMT

Bottom-Line: In my estimation Mamma Mia! deserved all of the hype surrounding its release...

I am usually not one for musicals, but I did enjoy the music of the Swedish Pop group ABBA like everyone seemed to in '70's and '80's; there I admitted that I liked ABBA! So a musical-Mamma Mia! (2008)-set to the bubblegum pop music of ABBA needed to be seen, especially one staring the timeless Meryl Streep was not to be missed. So I watched and...

My Viewpoints

Bubblegum music or no, the music of ABBA is infectious and still fun to listen to. And watching Mamma Mia!, however silly the premise was just great fun. Is the movie Oscar material? No, but I seriously don't think it was meant to be. Can Pierce Brosnan sing? No, but I over looked that because at least he tried! Did Meryl Streep look at tad out of place? Well, yes, if you take in her enormous body of work and juxtapose it against Mamma Mia!, but at least it looked as though the woman had fun making this campy...

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Matt says "Last Man Standing is enjoyable but formulaic thriller" about David Baldacci - Last Man Standing

Matt — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:14:14 GMT

Last Man Standing is a formulaic thriller that was decidedly easy to read that and was enjoyable but it did not rise to the level of memorable or distinguished for what it was. That said, I am not a regular reader of this genre of fiction, but I was generally underwhelmed with the quality of writing in David Baldacci.

I found the plot to be both predictable and ridiculous which frankly is not such a good combination. On one hand I knew what was coming next, on the other hand the string of coincidences stretched the thin line of believability so much that the end of the book just felt like he was tying up a whole mess of loose ends.

Bottom line? A good very light vacation read but you can do better.

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TheBard says "And here I thought I was living the good live in the burbs!" about Revolutionary Road

TheBard — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:01:40 GMT

Bottom-Line: Though wonderfully acted and intelligently laid out, I find it hard to recommend Revolutionary Road because I just can't relate nor empathize with the characters.

Story-Line

Revolutionary Road is directed by Sam Mendes (Jarhead, Road to Perdition, American Beauty), and is based on the novel of the same name by Richard Yates. The setting is suburban Connecticut in the mid-1950's, not too far from New York City.

Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio ~ The Man in The Iron Mask, The Aviator, Blood Diamond) and his wife April (Kate Winslet ~ Quills, Little Children, The Reader) appear to be living the American Dream with a shining little white house in the burbs, a beautiful wife, and 2.5 children. Frank has a plumb marketing job in the same Manhattan company his father used to work at (Knox Business Machines, read: IBM), while April is aspiring-but mostly unsuccessful-actress.

They should be happy, but they are, unfulfilled; especially April she wants something...

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Meri says "Scents a Home in Minutes" about Rimports ScentSationals Ceramic Fragrance Wax Warmer

Meri — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 18:50:40 GMT

My daughter gave me a Scentsationals Ceramic Fragrance Wax Warmer along with four packages of Scentsationals scented wax cubes. [She had told me how wonderful the product was and how much she loved the fragranced wax cubes but I couldn't find them in the stores here.]

The ceramic warmer is electric and warms the fragrance cubes with the heat of a 25 watt lightbulb. Within five minutes the whole room begins to smell heavenly. Because the heat emitted is so small it is safe to leave the warmer plugged in 24/7. If you prefer to turn it off and on at will there is an on and off switch on the cord.

At night the warmer acts as a night light as the light shines through small openings on top and around the sides of the warmer.

Each package of fragranced wax comes with six cubes. Simply cut off one cube and place it in the warmer top. Plug in the unit and forget about it. Each cube lasts anywhere from 4-9 days.

There are several styles of warmers to choose from and scads of fragrances. My daughter...

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TheBard says "Hathaway truns is a fine performance; so long Princess " about Rachel Getting Married

TheBard — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 13:52:17 GMT

Bottom-Line: Life, like Rachel Getting Married just is and we deal the best we can.

Directed by Jonathan Demme, Rachel Getting Married open in the beautiful state of Connecticut just as Kym (Anne Hathaway ~ The Princess Diaries, Havoc, Get Smart) is released from rehab (not for the first time) just in time to attend her sister Rachel's (Rosemarie DeWitt) wedding to Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe).

As the movie unfolds we learn, almost as an FYI, that Kym was responsible for the dead of her younger brother when she was 16 and stoned. That knowledge and the accompanying guilt lead Kym to have a blowout with her mother Abby (Debra Winger) that culminates in a pretty ugly scene.

My Viewpoint

First of all the cast of Rachel Getting Married is a microcosm of America; the bride is Caucasian, and groom is Negro, and the wedding party is multi-cultural and multi-racial in every sense of the two words! Big kudos to the producers for offering up this slice of what America could and truly should...

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Jo says "New Green Acres RV Park, SC: A great overnight stay" about New Green Acres RV Park, Walterboro, South Carolina

Jo — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:59:27 GMT

We left Massachusetts several days ago heading south. The first campground in which we stayed one night was New Green Acres RV Park in Walterboro, SC.

Information you may want:

www.newgreenacres.com
396 Campground Road, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 538-3450
The longest and widest pull-thru sites east of the Missisippi. That is according to the website; however, the sites were very long and although we are used to backing, in most of the sites were pull-throughs so we went with that.
Electric hook-up (30 and 50 amp)
Water and sewer
Cable- but note: it is an additional $2.00.
Laundry
Swimming Pool
Children's Playground - Note: I wan't all that impressed with the playground. All in all I consider New Acres a great place to stay for a night of two but it is not a destination campground- especially since it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere!
Dog Playground
Wireless Internet Service though we didn't use it so it either wasn't available or it was to hard to use.
Restrooms...

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TheBard says "A Guilty Pleasure Three Season In" about Entourage - Season 3, Part 1

TheBard — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:23:35 GMT

Bottom-Line: Entourage: The Complete Third Season is not for those under the age of 17; this is strictly adult fair, pretty much like anything HBO produces; YES!

Entourage chronicles the life of one Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), an up and coming A-list movie actor, and his posse of two friends and one brother from Queens New York as they party their way through the jungle that is Hollywood California. Purportedly Entourage is loosely based on the experiences of Executive Producer Wahlberg and his gang when he first appeared on the Hollywood scene.

Ari Gold, played to hilarious over-the-top perfection by Jeremy Piven, is Vincent's high-powered always on the edge agent, while Mrs. Piven (Perrey Reeves - The Lyon's Den) and Shauna (Debi Mazar) round out the regular cast membership.

Entourage: The Complete Third Season DVD drops us into the four childhood friends lives just after Vinnie become an A-list star, and the "Entourage" is living large. ...

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TheBard says "Is This Supposed to be Christmas Music?" about Brand New Year by SHeDAISY

TheBard — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:16:24 GMT

Bottom-Line: When all is said and sung, Brand New World is a worthy effort, but for a traditionalist like me the CD just doesn't work.

I have been a fan of Kristyn, Kelsi and Kassidy Osborn, better known as the Pop-Country group, SheDaisy, since 1999 when I saw the video for the single Little Good-byes from their debut album The Whole SHeBANG (1999). To this day Little Good-byes typifies what SheDaisy's music is all about; the song is fun, whimsical, full of energy and highlights the trio's harmonizing acumen.

In between The Whole SHeBANG and Knock on The Sky the trio released the obligatory Christmas CD, entitled Brand New World in the fall of 2000. However, the CD was less than I expected. Now I like my Yuletide music traditional, thank you very much and with one, okay two, exceptions, Brand New World fails to deliver.

Yes, the trio put their own new-age country-contemporary spin on wintery seasonal favorites like Deck The Halls (track No.1), Jingle Bells (track No.4), and

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TheBard says "A Submarine Movie This Bubblehead Can Enjoy" about Crimson Tide

TheBard — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:03:59 GMT

Bottom-Line: Crimson Tide is now one of my favorite must see once-a-year movies.

Directed by action junkie Tony Scott (Top Gun, Man on Fire, Spy Game), Crimson Tide revives and old enemy (Russia) for some tomfoolery and high intrigue in the middle of the Pacific Ocean onboard the nuclear-powered ballistic submarine U.S.S. Alabama. The "Bama" has been sent to counter possible first strike moves by a rouge Russian rebel leader who has managed to seize a Russian nuclear base on Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in the Northwestern Pacific. The U.S.S. Alabama is led by a no nonsense, by-the-book skipper, one Captain Frank Ramsey (Gene Hackman ~ A Bridge Too Far, Superman, Mississippi Burning).

The acting executive officer is one Lt. Commander Ron Hunter (Denzel Washington ~ Glory, Malcolm X, American Gangster) and almost immediately the two men butt heads. One man is doer, an old-school sub driver, while the other is a thinker a graduate of Annapolis.

The differing leadership...

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LisaCarey says "Definitely not on the customer's side" about Nationwide Insurance

LisaCarey — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:38:26 GMT

We used to have Nationwide Insurance for our homeowners insurance. We purchased it when we relocated to Houston from Knoxville. Over the three years we had it they had bad customer service, shoddy business practices and changes or increases without contacting policy holder to tell them.

Let me give you a few examples:

My dishwasher broke and flooded my downstairs kitchen area which is an open floor. When calling to find out my deductible I received three different answers - all of them equaling that it is a percentage of the value of my home. I said ok, well the taxed value is this, no it's according to Nationwide standards. if they say your house is worth x dollars then it is. They increased the level of the value of my home by $50,000 causing my deductible to be almost 1000.00 more.

Constant disagreements between the contractor and claims adjuster. It took over 4 months to make the repairs and get my new dishwasher. The payment schedule was hit or miss and to this day I still...

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LisaCarey says "Dusts, protects, moisturizes and smells great too!" about Old English Lemon Oil

LisaCarey — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:27:14 GMT

A new dining room table reminded me that I need to start buying Old English Lemon Oil. I probably should have been using it before, but with a new table, chairs and china cabinet it is absolutely necessary now (and a good excuse to have it in the house.

What I like about Old English Lemon Oil

cleans woods
conditions, protects and moisturizes
smells great
easy to use
polishes - makes even old wood look new again
versatile

What I don't like about Old English Lemon Oil

can't use it on everything so it's one more cleaning product to carry around the house
it is oily - but if it wasn't it wouldn't work so well would it
have to go over the wood twice - once to use Old English and once to buff it

Some of this is a pain, but it is SO worth the work because my table and other furniture looks great and I love the way my house smells when I am done cleaning. I like the shine on the wood and the fact that Old English Lemon Oil takes good care of my woods so that they can last...

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