Month: December 2010

Our family loves movie night – there’s nothing better than snuggling up and watching a great movie or show (and eating treats, of course!). Over the past few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to check some new ones out, and I wanted to share them with you!

Kate and I enjoyed watching “Harriet the Spy, Blog Wars” together. Kate knows Jennifer Stone from “Wizards of Waverly Place,” so she was excited to see this movie. It’s about two girls (Harriet and Marion) who are competing to be their official class blogger, which I thought was awesome because I only wish there was an official class blogger when I was in school! It’s a cute story with a good lesson, and is entertaining for the whole family. Perfect for family movie night!

A movie with a familiar character, “Marmaduke” is a cute movie about a family who moves into a new neighborhood with their giant dog. Needless to say, the dog gets himself into all sorts of situations, which makes for a pretty funny movie.

I must admit that I did not watch “Glee” during its first season. All I knew about it was that it was about a high school glee club… and that every time it was on, it was all people could talk about on Facebook and Twitter. And now that season one is out on dvd, I can see why. I was hooked at the first episode! The band geek in me could really relate to those kids, and everyone loves a show you can sing along to!

Modern Family is without a doubt my favorite show on television. My husband and I look forward to it every week, and we absolutely crack up at every episode. The show depicts a family that is not, uh, traditional, and it is both hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. If you don’t watch it, you MUST get season one on DVD and then start watching season two on television IMMEDIATELY. If not sooner. You can thank me later.

I’m always on the lookout for great movies and shows – what are your current favorites?

I was first introduced to Ceiva digital frames last spring at the Mom’s Night Out party that Jenny and Tricia hosted, and they have been in the back of my mind since then.

Ceiva frames look like any regular digital frame, but there is one difference – you can email the pictures right to the frame from your computer or phone!

I don’t know about you, but I am terrible about getting picture prints made, and both my grandma’s are always asking me for pictures of my kids. I’ve often thought that a digital frame would be nice for them, but the odds of me actually uploading new ones to their frames in a timely manner is slim to none! So, the Ceiva frame fixes both of those problems.

Needless to say, I jumped at the chance to try out my very own Ceiva frame, and I absolutely love it.

Here are some of my favorite features:
— The display is very clear and the pictures are bright.
— I can send the email address to any friends and family I choose, so they can send pictures to the frame as well (*ahem*gotogetherandbuyoneforthegrandparents*ahem*)
— It does not require a computer or an internet connection. This is key, in my opinion. You can connect by ethernet or wi-fi if you’d like to, but you can also hook up through a regular phone line.
— I can upload pictures from Facebook.
— I can send greeting cards to the frame. Which is great, because believe it or not I am terrible at sending cards!

I will admit, though, that the set-up process wasn’t quite as easy as I would have liked. It could be me – the reviews online say set up is a breeze! It’s not that it’s complicated, it just took me a while. I was glad I wasn’t trying to do it on Christmas day. So if you buy one as a gift, set it up ahead of time. I didn’t need to call the customer service line, but they do have one and even have extended holiday hours (even on Christmas day)!

That said, I really think this is the best grandparent gift I have heard of in a very long time. I am planning to get one for both my grandmas and Andy’s grandpa as well. Frames start at $99.95 (which includes a year of service – after that it’s $6.95/month), which is probably more than you’ve got budgeted for the grandparents (although that is pretty reasonable if it can cover Grandma AND Grandpa’s gift) so consider going in on it with family members. It is really the gift that keeps on giving!

Want to learn more? Find Ceiva on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!

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Ceiva sent me a frame to try out, but the views and opinions are all my own.