Hexbug Review and Giveaway

Posted on October 31, 2011 by admin

I don’t like bugs of any kind. Bugs and me, we are on the outs. In fact, just last week, I had the pest man come out and drop a proverbial napalm on the bugs that were trying to invade my home. It is like a cricket morgue on my front porch and I feel no sympathy for them.

It was during this week of death for real bugs that I happily open my home and played with a different species of bugs. HEXBUG nanos, Larva, and Zombie bugs. The Hexbug variety is my type of bug. They are micro robotic creatures that turn on and off with a flick of a switch and provide endless hours of entertainment for my kids.

MommyParties and Innovation First Labs sent me a box of bug goodies. We received Glow in the dark Hexbug Nano Galielo Collection, Hexbug Larva, Limited edition Hexbug Nano Zombie bugs, and Glow in the dark Nano Habitat Set and the Elevated Habitat Set. The moment the box was unpacked we went to work constructing the Habitats.

Hexbug Nano Habitat and Elevation Habitat set

The tracks you see above include two Nano habitat sets and one Elevated Habitat set. Photobucket Constructing the set was incredibly easy and the hexagon arenas allowed for many options for new pathways. The ramp was a huge hit in the creation process because everyone wanted to be able to have a clear view of “their” bug climbing to the top. It wasn’t long after the habitat was finished that all the bugs needed to test their skills.

My boys chose to open their bugs before their friends came over. They wanted to test drive the sets as well as the larva. I had never seen larva in person and I can still say, I don’t want to. These larva are really impressive and my kids LOVE them but there is something about them that just grosses me out.

In order for you to get a better idea of what the larva look like in action I made a video for you.

After a few days of trial runs and finding larva in the strangest of places, (My boys thought it would be hilarious to scare the crap out of me by putting their larva in my bed while they were ON) we finally had some friends come over to share in the wealth and the fun.

Cue pictures:

Hexbug Halloween Zombie Bug

Hexbug Nano Vials

Caution Hexbug excitement may cause bugged eyed children

Party Hexbug Nano style

I have always been a big fan of the Hexbugs and after experiencing them like this I now believe they are one of the best toys on the market. That is why I am going to extend the fun to you.

Here is the giveaway:
Hexbug Prizes 1 larva, 1 Limited Edition Zombie Hexbug, 1 Glow in the Dark Hexbug Nano, and a package of batteries to giveaway!

To win this awesome pack here are the rules

1. Follow Becoming Homegrown

2. Like Hexbug Nano on Facebook

3. Follow Hexbug on Twitter

4. Tweet about this giveaway with @BecomingHome and link back!

Four ways to win – Remember to leave a comment for each.

Ends: November 9, 8:00 PST

This is a truly great toy. Boys and girls will have fun with them and I do believe that they will make a great Christmas gift. I don’t think my children and their friends could have had a better time with these bugs and I take great pleasure in the fact that I don’t have to kill them at the end of the day.

**I received Hexbug party pack through MomSelect and Innovation First Labs, INC but all the opinions are my own**

Initials Inc Purse Review

Posted on September 17, 2011 by admin

I was given the opportunity to review a purse from Initials Inc. In order for me to give a review that would truly show how much I love this bag I had to create a Vlog review.

Initials Inc has a catalog full of things that have left me pining for weeks. The bag that I recieved to review was only the tip of the iceberg. After going through page after page of cute things I suddenly have the urge to entertain guests, organize my home, and take long trips just so I have an excuse to buy EVERYTHING.

I don’t think my husband would notice.

The experience with the Gift on the Go was surprisingly fast. The purse was ready to be shipped and the personalization took no added time and it is always free. Which made the wait time at my front door minimal and the fright of seeing a grown woman peeking out the window for the FedEx man was only slightly traumatic(for him).

I am going to encourage you to check out the link. Initials Inc through Kyra Barnes (an Independent Creative Partner with Initials Inc.) is now my first official sponsor so their lovely link is featured conviently on the right hand side. If you are looking for more proof about what a great company Initials Inc is go and check out the latest Women’s Day magazine or just click HERE. They have been featured!

Bottom line. Great Purse. Great Value. Go Shopping

Heelys; The Ultimate Shoe

Posted on September 3, 2011 by admin

Heelys have quite a reputation. Everyone seems to have an opinion about these shoes and most of them are negative. I used to be in the Heely hater group however after giving these shoes more than a passing glance or an evil eye my personal opinion has changed. Heelys are pretty cool.

A few months ago I was given the opportunity to choose a pair of Heelys for either myself or someone in my family. Already being the proud owner of hot pink Converse, I felt that my maturity may be questioned if I choose Pink Heelys for myself so I decided it best that my six year old be the test subject. As I scanned through the pages of skate shoes I had visions of my son being one of those kids skating through the grocery store staring at his DS (even though he doesn’t have one) and being the cause of evil glares from every other shopper. I was nervous but he was already in love and I was curious.

It was a happy day when the black and red box arrived. My son audibly held his breath as he pulled the new Black and Green skate shoes from the box. He was in love. They were everything he was wishing for in new shoes and they had skates?! How could a six year old resist?! He couldn’t….

Heely Shoes

Heely shoes with wheels After prying them away, I was able to check out the shoes for myself. I was really impressed. They are extremely nice shoes that look like regular skate shoes but these are ACTUALLY skate shoes. One feature that I really like was the fact the wheels are removable and come with a hard plastic piece to seal the hole when the wheel is not in place. This is great if you are going to the store and don’t want to be killed with the death rays shooting from other peoples eyes as they watch your kid roll along.

I am a safety nut so I made my son learn to walk and skate in these shoes at home with a helmet. He has never had skates on and I knew throwing them on and pushing him out the door would prove disastrous. They are a little difficult to get a handle on but he is getting the hang of it and after about 10 falls in a row I went to Heelys online for more instructions. There are videos. No kidding! We took notes.

Heely Shoes inside

Heely shoes inside with help Practice Heely Shoes

He is smiling in the picture because he successfully made it back to me without a tumble! His ultimate goal is to be this guy…The Ultimate Heely Skater

A few weeks ago I did a quick survey on my Facebook page to find out what my followers opinions towards Heelys. Most of the responses were negative and I will admit I was leaning towards the hate side myself. The only experience I had ever had with the shoes were through other peoples obnoxious children. Now that I actually have them in my house I am a convert. These shoes are great fun for the kiddos! They look cool and they are fairly versatile. I also love the fact that Heelys does not recommend wearing these shoes in highly populated areas and I can still hate the parents that allow their kids to wear them in the store.

My son adores they shoes and frankly so do I. I will definitely be getting another pair for my younger son as soon as he grows into their sizing. They encourage kiddos to get outside to play and in our home they have convinced my son that he too can be the Ultimate Heely Skater.

Check them out on Facebook, Twitter, and their Homepage. They also have sale going on right now in addition to Free Shipping if you put in the coupon code HeelysLovesBloggers. The code lasts 12am on Friday September 2 – 11:59 Monday September 5

I am a great slogan writer

Posted on March 7, 2011 by admin

I am not big into review posts about a product. I don’t like reading them and usually I don’t like doing them. In fact, I have turned down a few product review offers because as a blog reader I hate them. However, there is an exception to every rule. I recently became a Purex Insider and I was given the opportunity to review their new Crystals Fabric Softeners. I didn’t turn down the opportunity because I am a fabric softener junkie.

I LOVE fabric softener. I literally will spend 20 minutes in the laundry aisle at the grocery store smelling all the different aromas. I will stand there and compare and contrast. I have some favorites and others that I can’t stand….*cough* Tide Bar *cough*… So when Purex offered me a chance to try out a new fabric softener I jumped, no, I leapt at the chance.

I present Purex Complete Crystals.

(This is my sample bottle.)

I love this stuff!! It smells so good! When I opened the bottle I sat there smelling it for far too long and my husband started to make fun of me. I actually did a load of laundry right then so I could take the Crystals on a test drive.

They are worked marvelously. The clothes came out soft and they smelled so good that I jokingly told my husband that I no longer needed perfume because my shirt smelled so great….Then I started fantasizing that Purex heard my little slogan about no perfume and I suddenly was handed a large check for my creativity. He squashed that little dream pretty fast but I survived and moved on.

The moral of this review post is that Purex Complete Crystalsare not only new and fun but they work great and I enjoyed the smell far more than others. I will be using this product on a regular basis and if you click one of the links that are littered through out this post you will be lead to a coupon so that you can try it out yourself.

Have fun trying it out!