The Domestic Diva » 3G iPhone (white 16GB)

Entertain the Kids with HappiTaps

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 17:27:10 +0000

With the holidays comes lots of traveling. Long car trips can wear on anyone’s nerves. One thing that we like to do on long car trips is find fun ways to entertain the kids. Whether it be to play a game with road signs, listen to books on CD, or simply color we are always on the lookout for new, creative ways to have fun when we are in the car.

When I heard about HappiTaps I knew my kids would love it. As soon as the HappiTaps arrived in the mail (provided by the company) the kidlets were begging to find out what it was. First though I had to download the free app that went along with it. After all was set up it was time for the kidlets to meet the “bear” of HappiTaps.

HappiTaps is essentially a plush like cover for an iPhone or iPod Touch. This cover while cute also helps protect and offers a plush covering for one’s mobile device while in use by the kids. I think it’s a great idea! With the app installed the bear-like cover comes to life with the face of the bear. My favorite feature of the app is the option to turn off app purchases so little one’s don’t accidentally buy additional features when using HappiTaps. One thing that I didn’t like about the HappiTaps is that my phone would get rather hot inside of the case so we have to limit our playtime with it.

I think HappiTaps are a fun way for kids to play with Mom’s iPhone.

Do your kids like to play with your smart phone?

What apps do they like to play the most?

Disclosure: I was provided a product sample of HappiTaps to help write my own experience in this post. As always opinions are my own. My experience may differ from yours.

Last Minute Christmas Gift Idea: Games by EA

The Domestic Diva — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:59:33 +0000

It’s down to the wire. Can you believe Christmas Eve is already here? I hope everyone has all of their shopping complete. And I hope all of you have a great holiday weekend filled with safe travels and laughs with family and friends.

Really quickly though, I thought I would share some last minute gift ideas. Over the past month or so, you all know how obsessed I’ve become with a game called the Sims 3 & the Sims 3 Pets. I’ve also become equally obsessed with the online version of the game on Facebook called My Sims Social (which is free to play). Playing the Sims with friends is SO much fun!

Along with the Sims, EA also sent some games for the kidlets to play and they were just the sort of games they love to play. Monopoly Collection, Trivial Pursuit, and Family Game Night 4 are our kind of board games because instead of playing them in the traditional sense one can play them on the Wii adding animation and an additional dose of fun. My kidlets are still relatively little so trying to keep all of the game pieces together with a board game is a very difficult task but with Wii games I don’t have to worry about missing pieces. These new games by EA would also be a great way to have fun with family and friends over the holidays.

But one may not be able to make it out to the stores before they close today for the holiday weekend so instead a great last minute gift would be an iTunes giftcard (or whatever the recipients mobile app store would be). EA has also released some new mobile games as well like the Moogies, Rope Rescue, Roll in the Hole, Draw Race 2, Contre Jour, Tetris, Fantasy Safari, Theme Park, Road Trippin, and Bop It!. I like mobile games because they go with you wherever you go so I can pass the time while I’m riding in a car or waiting somewhere.

Have a GREAT Holiday everyone!

Disclosure: My friends at EA surprised me with a package that contained various games mentioned in this post as well as an iTunes giftcard in order to try out their mobile games. Although product was received, opinions are still my own.

Sims 3: My New Gaming Obsession

The Domestic Diva — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:43:11 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I was sent an unrequested package from my friends at EA. I think they must have been reading my mind or something because in the package was the PC game the Sims 3 and the new Sims 3 Pets Expansion Pack. I’ve heard a lot about the Sims 3 over the last several years and wanted to try it out. I even at one point downloaded the Sims 3 on my iPhone but couldn’t figure out what I was doing because I had never played “the original” game before.

As soon as the package arrived, I ran to my computer to install the Sims 3. I couldn’t wait to see it in action. Getting everything set up (installing; creating accounts; creating a character; picking a city, a house, a job; and going through the tutorial) was a bit time consuming but I realize these are all musts in order to play the game properly. After getting everything set up, I was ready to play on my own. For those of you that do not know what the Sims are, basically it is a life simulation game where you create people and towns. It really is a lot of fun.

After getting the hang of the Sims 3, I then installed the Pets expansion pack. Expansion packs add to the original Sims 3 game giving you more features. Expansion packs include: World Adventures, Ambitions, Late Night, Generations, and the latest Pets.

I currently have two games going, one I created with just one character that I’ve turned into a blogger (I wonder why that is) and another game where I have our family (husband, kids, and even our two dogs). The two games are completely different. Whether I want to play as a single character or control a whole family, I am finding the Sims 3 to be a lot of fun.

The Sims 3 is available for PC, Mac, PS3, XBOX 360, Wii, DS, and 3DS. There are also lighter versions of the game available for mobile like the Sims 3, the Sims Medieval, the Sims Ambitions, and the Sims World Adventures.

The fun of the Sims is also available in the Sims Social which is a Facebook app.

In sum, the Sims 3 is a bit addicting and the hours literally fly by when playing. A feature I would love to see added to the Sims would be the ability to play online with friends (currently you can only post updates about your game online to Facebook). When installing the hard copy or disc (CD) version of the game, the disc is required to run when playing even after installed. This is a bit sadening only because I would like to be able to play this game on a smaller laptop that doesn’t have a CD drive but because the game requires to have the CD in the CD-drive while playing I am currently unable to do this.

Have you played the Sims 3?

If so, what expansion packs are your favorite?

What is your favorite part about the Sims 3?

Disclosure: My friends at EA surprised me with a package that contained the Sims 3 and the Sims 3 Pets expansion pack as well as an iTunes giftcard in order to try out their mobile games. Although product was received, opinions are still my own.

Organizing a Homeschool Schedule

The Domestic Diva — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:08:11 +0000

Eeep! Our first day of school is TOMORROW!!! We are more than excited to get started (me probably more than the kidlets). Over the weekend I’ve been busy marking off all of our last minute tasks that needed to be done before our first day. After all we want to have a fresh start for our new school year, right? One of the tasks I needed to do was schedule some homeschool field trips & meetups with friends for playdates.

What would I do without my Google Calendar? I love it. I use Google Calendar to schedule everything from blogging to homeschool events and everything in between. The best part about Google Calendar for me is that because it is online this means that I can pull it up on the go via my smartphone or on another computer. Pen and paper just doesn’t work for me when it comes to planning a calendar. So many events change that my paper calendar would look a horrible mess.

My favorite iPhone app to access my Google Calendar on the go is GooCal. I’ve tried tons of gCal apps with no luck (on my phone) even the sync feature for the built-in calendar on the iPhone never works properly which is why I turned to GooCal and haven’t looked back. I just like it and it’s what works the best for me when I’m on the go.

Looking for homeschooler’s in your area? Another app that I enjoy to schedule homeschool field trips and playdates with locals in my area is from the popular website Meetup.com. Their app is actually a lot easier to use than the actual website with notifications on new meetups when they are posted. Another place to find local homeschool groups is via Facebook Groups.

How do you keep track of events for your homeschooler?

Where do you find field trip ideas for homeschool?

Disclosure: this is NOT a sponsored post, just my own personal story figuring out what works for us as a homeschool family. What works for me might not necessarily work for you.

Pinterest iPhone app

The Domestic Diva — Tue, 10 May 2011 18:15:20 +0000

Yesterday I was so excited to hear the news that Pinterest finally has an iPhone app out and available in the Apple iTunes store. For those that have not heard or seen what Pinterest is, I urge you to check it out. Basically, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that one can share with others. A great place to store ideas and things you like all in one spot.

Yes, the iPhone app is new. Yes, it has only been out since yesterday. And yes, it does have some bugs that I’ve already found using my iPhone 3g. Others may not have problems, but as with everything new there will be an adjustment period and I’m sure Pinterest is probably already working on bug fixes. It is a lot of fun to pin on my mobile now, I will say that.

Last night when Pinterest went down for maintenance, I could really tell how much I enjoy using the site. One doesn’t realize how much they like something until it is no longer available. But no worries, I had my pinterest fix early this morning :)

Holiday Reading with Kung Fu Panda

The Domestic Diva — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 03:19:18 +0000

The kidlets and I try to read at least one book a day which in turn makes for very frequent trips to the library. In fact, reading independently or rather with Mom or Dad is one of our requirements in our homeschool. What is the rule: 20 minutes a day?

I was approached by iStoryTime to give their new Kung Fu Panda Holiday Storybook app for the iPhone a try. I surprised the boys, one afternoon, with this “book” as our daily read. They were super excited to read on Mommy’s iPhone. I was equally excited because the book reads itself. We all got to take a break that day. Huddle on the couch, gathered around the light of my iPhone screen we listened as the Kung Fu Panda Holiday story was read aloud to us. It was like going to storytime at the Library but without the driving….LOL. My favorite part is how they have “real voices” mixed into the story so that it sounds like the real characters.

The kidlets and I both LOVED the istorytime app. The added bonus of hunting for the lanterns on every page kept us entertained and guessing. We loved the iStoryTime Kung Fu Panda Holiday Storybook so much that we opted to purchase the Megamind Storybook as well to “add to our collection” (and yes the boys loved this one as well). With so many wonderful books, I wonder I’ll ever get my iPhone back from the kids?

Where to get it?

iStoryTime is the maker of these wonderful storybook apps. Click the iStoryTime link to find out what titles are available. Prices on the Storybook apps range from $.99 being the cheapest and $6.99 the highest.

Kung Fu Panda Holiday Storybook is available for both the iPhone and iPad (man, I wish I had one of those).

Do you have any kid-friendly iPhone app suggestions?

Disclosure: iStoryTime provided me with a download code so that I could experience Kung Fu Panda Holiday Storybook for myself and share my thoughts via this blog mention. I have not been paid nor told what to say. All opinions are my own.

3 Things Im Currently Loving in Tech

The Domestic Diva — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 04:55:49 +0000

I haven’t written a Technically Thursday post in a while. I’ve been collecting tidbits in tech that I’ve been enjoying lately and thought I would combine them all into one post. My husband calls me a geek because I get excited when I find something new in technology. Here is a list of things I’ve been enjoying lately in my geek filled life:

1. Intense Debate: even though it has only been a few days since I made the “announcement” that I switched over my comment system to Intense Debate, I must say that I’m really loving it. I personally haven’t had any problems with it (I hope it stays that way *knocks on wood*) and it seems to make keeping up with comments a little bit easier for me not only on my own personal blog but on other blogs that also use Intense Debate as well. I would love to know your own thoughts on this comment system, good or bad.

2. I rediscovered my love for Tumblr. I set up a Tumblr account what seems like ages ago and then sort of neglected it. Tumblr to me makes organizing things a bit easier, like keeping links to articles online all in one place or taming my social media obsession all down to one single feed. Tumblr also integrates nicely into my blog & has an iPhone app for easy updating on the go. Some new things I’ve done with Tumblr is create a page for Brd 2.0 (this is a link to his tumblr page) as well as a place to make an online recipebox for all of my recipes (well they will be there once I get them all linked and stuff). Playing around with Tumblr again is kind of like rekindling an old flame. I forgot how much I love this stuff.

3. A Technical Thursday post is never complete without some squeals over a new iPhone app. I recenlty stumbled upon Camera+ in the App Store recently which has rekindled my love of taking photos with my iPhone. Taking photos with my phone used to bug me because they wouldn’t come out too great but adding the “flare” of Camera+ & its easy sharing capabilities has made me fall in love all over again. Camera+ has made it easier on the 365 challenge because I can quickly snap a photo with my iPhone or open one from my library, edit it in the app, and upload it to flickr all in like 5 mins. It’s the easiest thing and great for those days I don’t feel like dealing with my bulky DSLR and all the uploading and editing process that goes along with it. Check out my camera tag on my flickr page for photos I’ve taken with this app.
I was NOT paid to write this, I just like the app. That is all.

I don’t want to bore you with all of my technical geek speak so I’ll keep today’s list down to 3 things I’m currently loving in tech.

Got anything in tech that your currently digging? Let us know in the comments.

iBend: Portable iPhone Stand

The Domestic Diva — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:00:33 +0000

A few weeks ago I was asked to try out the iBend. I had no idea what it was nor had I ever heard of it before, but I was interested to find out. So with the sample product that they sent me, I began to test it out.

My initial thought was that it is incredibly thin. I think it was thinner than an actual credit card. Because it is so thin, I can easily slip it into my wallet or (like their demo videos on their site) store it in my iPhone case.

The concept behind the iBend is simple. It is a thin “card” that you bend into a u-like shape to cradle your iPhone. My blinged out iPhone case has a lot of weight and bulk to it, so like most accessories for the iPhone the iBend works the best when I take off the cover.

In a pinch, the iBend does the job of holding the iPhone, so I don’t have to.

Reader Discount

The folks at iBend want to extend a discount to you, the readers of this blog. Enter the couponcode DOMDVA15 for 15% off!

Disclosure: a sample product of the iBend was given to me in order to blog about my experience.

Hands Free Talking with JawBone (Day 103)

The Domestic Diva — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:27:03 +0000

JawBone recently contacted me to try out their bluetooth device called the ICON. After looking through their products, I thought that “the ACE” was the one that appealed the most to me. I liked the metallic silver look that it had in the photo and thought that it would go the most with my iPhone cover and my everyday outfits. Once the JawBone arrived in the mail, I felt like a kid on Christmas. I couldn’t wait to tear through their ubber hip packaging and starting playing with my new geeky “toy”.

Out of the box, the Jawbone ICON (the ACE) is darker than it appeared in the photo but I still like the look. What I noticed next was that set up with my iPhone was super easy. It came pre-charged so I was able to test it out right away.

I have super small ears…no seriously, my ears are so small they look like they belong on a child. Finding anything ear related is a constant struggle for me. Earbuds and such are often too large for my tiny ears and are always falling out. I was surprised when I opened the JawBone packaging to see that they had a large selecting of ear pieces to help find that perfect fit. And of course, my choice was the smallest one. As much as I would love to nnot have to use the ear hook, due to small ears that is what worked best for me and helped the JawBone stay in place 90% of the time.

Adjusting to wearing a Bluetooth is a bit strange. I feel like someone has a finger stuck in my ear all the time. But the hands-free dream is totally worth it, in my opinion.

After all of the set up and stuff, I immediately started calling friends and family to see what the audio was like. On my end, I loved putting my phone in my pocket or laying it on the counter and walking about while I chatted. Answer the phone with a JawBone was fun too, because all you have to do is push the button in your ear and you are good to talk away. Audio was good. Oh and it tells you the number that is calling so you can choose to answer it or not.

I’m a first-time bluetooth user, so my experience with the JawBone is extra exciting. Why has it taken me so long to enter the bluetooth world?

On the receiving in, a couple of the people I talked to while using the JawBone said that at times they had a hard time hearing me, something about my call going in and out. I’m not too sure what they were talking about here, but when I wear the JawBone it doesn’t sit flush up against my cheek which might be a problem. When I pushed the JawBone to my cheek however it seemed to resolve this issue.

The JawBone holds a pretty decent charge time. Its easy to check how much talk time you have by pushing the button on the JawBone twice. Another cool feature is that you can customize your JawBone to have different types of voices or add different features by using the USB provided. Another aspect that I liked with using the JawBone with my iPhone is that it shows how much battery from my homescreen. And you can easily customize the volume, etc. from your device.

Another cool feature is noise reduction. I constantly have kidlets playing in the background, with all the chatter it can make it sometimes impossible for people to hear me on the phone. I believe that the Jawbone helps with that issue.

The real kicker with the JawBone was that my husband was instantly jealous. He definitely saw the “cool factor” and declared that he now wants one.

Overall, my experience with the JawBone ICON was a good one. Definitely a great first-time bluetooth experience.

Disclosure: Jawbone provided me with a sample of their product in order to write my opinion in this blog post. Although product was provided my opinions are 100% my own.

Easter: Driving with the Windows Down (Day 94)

The Domestic Diva — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:01:12 +0000

The best part of Spring? It’s driving with the windows down, of course!

What did the Easter bunny bring you? Yesterday, I was complaining on Twitter about how my house was a mess and how I was probably going to be doing a lot of cleaning today. Well the Easter fairies must have been listening because this morning I woke up to a clean kitchen. Awesome, right?

And since today is Easter and all, I decided to play with a fun little iPhone app called Hipstamatic (a gift to myself) for a little something different on today’s 365 photo.