FyrFlyz Review and Giveaway

Sometimes the simplest things bring the greatest pleasure.  We were fortunate enough to participate in another product review this last week and I have to say, I am really, really amazed at the awesomeness that is FyrFlyz.

The whole toy consists of this small plastic piece with LED lights on each end that is attached to strings with handholds.  The fun comes when you start to twist and spin and pull the strings using the handholds.  All that motion causes the plastic part with the lights to start moving around to create scenes like this one that took place when the boys had some friends sleep over:

Sorry for the speedy replay on the video, I'm still trying to get a good video converter/editor to work with. 

ANYWAAAYYY...how cool are these things!?!  Here are some things we loved about FyrFlyz:

• Fun for all ages
• Encourages coordination development
• Encourages creative play as kids try to learn new tricks to create different light patterns
• Easy to operate, no setup time
• Addictive!!  We sat for at least an hour trying to create new patterns!

Things we did not like:

• Improper placement of fingers while using FyrFlyz will lead to a very sharp whack to your thumbnail or knuckle.  It freaking hurts! (Remember old school Clackers?!  Same kind of pain.)

I have to state though, that if you follow instructions, place your fingers properly on the holds and don't get too crazy with the speed and maneuvering, you can avoid the whacked finger issue.  The issue really is a result of operator error, but it is something that moms with small kids should be aware of.  Other than a throbbing thumbnail, we found everything about FyrFlyz to be entertaining and fun.  After our own experimenting, we went to the FyrFlyz website and learned more about how to achieve different light patterns.  My boys are still working on some of them and are looking forward to amazing their friends with the new tricks. 

FyrFlyz come in 4 different colors and are being sold in the Phoenix area right now for under $10.  They'll be released for purchase nationwide sometime in September.  We are planning to use them as part of our 4th of July celebration...should be an intersting and colorful night!!

Wanna Win One?  Do any or all of these things:

• Leave a comment on my blog
• Refer a friend to follow my blog
• Tweet about the contest
• Post this contest to your Facebook page
• Like FyrFlyz on Facebook

The more of these things you do, the more opportunities you will have to win!  The FyrFlyz contest will end on May 29th, 2011 @ 12 midnight. 

***Disclosure:  MomSelect and FyrFlyz provided me with product in order to facilitate this review.  I was not compensated monetarily for my opinions, which are my own. ***

DaGeDar Review

Remember the good folks at Cepia?  They're the company that did Zhu-Zhu Pets...the robotic hamster things?  Well, they've come up with a new toy that we got to try out last weekend called DaGeDar (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR).  Here's some background on DaGeDar:

"DaGeDar™ (pronounced DAH-geh-DAAR) collectible supercharged battle balls have a special feel and weight that almost demand to be raced! Each DaGeDar™ battle ball boasts a graphic design that reflects the true energy contained within. More than 240 different DaGeDar™ ball graphics are planned for release this year, with varying degrees of rarity. Each ball carries a special code number that when registered on the DaGeDar™ website (www.dagedar.com) will reveal the true spirit contained within the DaGeDar™ ball, as well as its hidden powers, which can assist in racing strategy and let kids unleash the power within!

Racing DaGeDar™ balls requires skill, practice, agility and finesse. Players must control the speed and velocity of DaGeDar™ balls in order to propel them through thrilling loops and turns without forcing the balls off the tracks. Exciting tricks and stunts can be refined by whirling DaGeDar™ balls in Spinners or loading several balls into Battle Launchers to unleash them with supercharged battle play."

They seem a little simplistic at first, I mean really they are nothing but steel bearings encased in foam rubber stuff with some really cool looking designs on them.  But...put them in the hands of little boys and add some tracks to race them on, suddenly they are amazing to watch and play with!
  

I could not believe how much they enjoyed these things!  I heard nothing but constant laughter and strategizing for 2 solid hours!  It took the boys some time to figure out different ways to spin and launch their DaGeDar balls to get them to stay on the track and to make them go faster, but  after some practice they got much better results on the track.  I love that the balls encourage creative and analytical thinking, as well as some agility and coordination.  The boys love the collectible feature and since last week have spent almost every day comparing and trading their DaGeDar balls with friends and neighbors who recieved some of their own at our DaGeDar launch party.  The track comes out almost daily during playtime now, it is quick to set up and break down, and the boys haul it around the neighborhood to various friends' houses to race.

DaGeDar was just launched this month in the Phoenix area, so look for them in select Phoenix area Wal-Mart and Toys R Us stores. The price ranges from $4.99 for a DaGeDar ball to $19.99 for various racing and launching components and sets.  Don't forget to check out the DaGeDar website for some AWESOME videos and really interesting facts! 

I Am Still Here...Albeit A Little Worse for Wear These Days

It's been so long since I posted about myself and my family that I have almost forgotten how to blog!  Don't get me wrong, I love doing the product reveiws and giveaways, but lately I'm feeling like I need to get back to basics with my posts and really focus on chronicling the adventures of Boymom and family.  That's because I have completely lost control of my life.  I feel like I am careening through the days at 1000 miles an hour and everything around me is just a giant blur that I see out of the corner of my eye.  My only goal these days is to keep myself from crashing into oncoming issues!   How did I get to this place? 

Well, work is one of the contributing factors.  As a former stay-at-home mom, I had forgotten what a time suck a job can be.  How the heck do women do this?  Work and raise a family, I mean?  I have always admired and stood in awe of single parents and the way they juggle work life with the demands of raising a family.   I have help at home (well...in theory) and still can't seem to manage the hectic schedules of 2 boys and 2 adults and a job!  I so get the whole "do what you love and then it doesn't feel like work" thing now.  Suddenly being at home with my family doesn't feel like work anymore.  Now I just have to figure out how to make my job not feel like work anymore.   

I have many other theories as to why I am so lost these days.  One of them relates to age and being an "older parent." As a person who didn't start my family until I was in my mid thirties, I now find myself in the over 45 category of moms who are still raising pre-teens.  It's kind of exhausting.  From an energy standpoint, it is so much smarter to have kids when you're in your early twenties.  There's still an abundance of excess fuel to burn at that age!  I use to think I had a lot more wisdom and patience than younger parents.  Now I know that no matter how much you think you know?  Raising kids will prove you know nothing and that your resevoir of patience is FAR from endless.  Those realizations have left me wandering around these days wondering how the heck any of us are going to survive until the boys get out on their own.

Then there's the inability to concentrate that seems to plague me lately.  Is there such a thing as Adult Onset ADD?  Oh, that's right...it's called perimenopause.  And I hate it.  I'm not one of those women that embraces all of my womanly-ness when it comes to this hormonal crap.  I'm ready to be done with this so I can get back to being a normal, functional human being that can multi-task and remember something for longer than a minute.

Kids, work, getting older and the state of the world in general have left me feeling a bit discombobulated and disconnected.  Am I the only one who feels like we are in some kind of weird "speed-life" relay race or something?  Cause honestly?  If it is a race?  I really don't care about getting to the finish line first anymore.  I just want to finish the thing somewhat intact and coherent, with a few good memories to take home as a consulation prize.

Giveaway Winners

Wow, the time flies around here!  Life has been crazy hectic lately with sick kids, work and a gall bladder issue that has really slowed me down.  Sorry for the delay in getting to the winners of the giveaways...

Clean and Green giveaway winner is:  Cherl F - The Lucky Ladybug! 

And Random.org says the winner of the Silk giveaway is:

Miss Hope Wins the SIlk Milk!

Congrats to both winners and as always, thanks to my die hard readers who keep stopping by even when I haven't posted for awhile!