Today’s instant gratification world demands competitive, cutting edge, hi-tech gadgets – and the Kindle Fire definitely deserves a front running place in the race.

I love to read.  My main attraction often falls into metaphysical, spiritual, or quantum physics categories, though I do enjoy a great fiction read, often finding my way to the hottest books only after movie talks are being made.  I love Amazon.com because I love books – but they offer so much more, including competitive pricing, customer reviews, easy navigation, and affiliate programs, among other features.  So, my love of reading coupled with my love of Amazon, leads to quite a spark for the Kindle Fire.

I was lucky enough to get one for my birthday (thank you Mommy!).  In the few short weeks that I’ve had it, I have thoroughly enjoyed it, from it’s one click purchase option, to free Kindle book options, to its instant download and access, to streaming in YouTube videos on demand.  The battery seems to hold a charge for lengthy periods, as I have not yet ran into a low battery situation, and I have listened to music, watched videos, and read books.  It has been easy to use and navigate, which is always a bonus in the world of techy gadgets.  There are so many android features and apps, that I honestly have not truly explored its full potential.  Based on what I’ve experienced thus far, I give it a “smoking hot” rating!

Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi

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I have a real love of running. I may not be a professional runner at this point, but I run daily, both indoors and outdoors and easily log 10-15 miles per week. I understand quality and comfort. I have, and absolutely LOVE my Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 training shoes, which I run in daily. I found this shoe by completing Mizuno’s Precision Fit online, which takes several factors into consideration including weight, pace, foot arch, rotation and strike – then suggests the shoe that best fits your “running DNA”. Visit My Precision Fit to find your perfect shoe.

This review is about the Mizuno Wave Musha 4 – A light weight stability running flat with minimal support, offering a great cushioned ride and increased rebound, achieved through AP+ midsole construction and blown rubber in the forefoot.

Inspired by nature, MIZUNO WAVE TECHNOLOGY®, is the industry’s most effective midsole technology. Wave’s unique shape dissipates impact forces away from the foot for a smoother, more cushioned feel on every step.

Mizuno’s SMOOTHRIDE ENGINEERING™ is a unique approach to the sole of the shoe designed to create a smooth, rocking-chair-like transition from heel to toe on every step and minimize transitional impact.

Of course the flat also features Mizuno’s AIRMESH to maintain a high standard of breathability, and X10 carbon rubber for durability, longer wear, and traction.

Right out of the box, they command attention and respect with their sweet visual appeal, boasting bright colors of lime green with purple violet accents. The shoes are very lightweight with a snug fit. I experienced great cushioning, traction, and breathability.

When running in my Musha 4s, the words that come to mind immediately are:   “Comfort”, “Lightweight”, “Bounce” – just enough bounce. I look forward to pounding the pavement in comfort and style.

In stores January 2012!

Thanks to Mizuno for providing the Musha 4s for review! While the Mizuno Wave Musha 4s were provided to me in exchange for review, I have provided my review and honest opinion.

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With my New Year’s Resolution to take off the 10 lbs which has long worn out its welcome, I have the tool necessary to burn calories and fat efficiently with my Bowflex TreadClimber TC20.  While I still have a true love of running, I also need a lower impact option which will burn fat and calories as efficiently.  Following up on my initial post about the TreadClimber TC20, I intend to post progress updates as I move along toward reaching my goals.

The unique TreadClimber packs the actions of 3 workouts in 1, providing elliptical action, treadmill action, and stair climber action.  Working out on an incline can burn exponentially more calories than flat-plane walking.  The TreadClimber TC20 offers personalized profiles for 5 individuals, as well as their G.O. Coach for 2 individuals – it’s like having a personal trainer on site (or stuck in the console haha)!  Additionally,  it comes with a Polar heart rate monitor with chest strap, so you can stay in your target fat-burning zone.  It also offers 9 challenge landmark workouts – a fun feature to keep you motivated.

The Bowflex TreadClimber TC20 is designed to help you burn maximum calories and fat in a low impact workout with a lesser perceived rate of exertion.  And it does a great job!

And Thanks to Nautilus for providing the Bowflex TreadClimber TC20 for these reviews!

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As many of you know, we have the joy of four furry family members among us! That’s right, my four dogs. And one of those dogs is a growing Bullmastiff, so as you can imagine we go through a good amount of dog food. I feed my dogs premium dog food, and select the brand of dog food carefully, to make sure they are getting all the nutrition they need to be healthy without breaking the bank. I have put in my time in researching quality dog food! Because we purchase large bags of premium dog food, it requires a separate trip to the premium pet store, where I lug the big bags to my car.

So of course, I was thrilled when given the opportunity to review Mr. Chewy, a website dedicated to cats and dogs needs, especially premium foods. Immediately upon visiting their website the first time, I was surprised to see they offer 70 different brands of dog food, including top quality favorites like Orijen and Taste of the Wild.

I was also thrilled to see the prices were comparable to store pricing, and actually less on some of the foods, and with FREE SHIPPING on order over $49, delivered to my door, so that’s an easy sale for me!  So, it’s as simple as saving me a special trip to the store, lugging the big bags of dog food to the car, and into the house – and no extra cost since the shipping is free over $49.  Gotta love that!  In fact, they offer the option of setting up a shipping schedule if you wish.  Talk about set it and forget it and never running out of dog food again!  Dogs’ll love ya for it (or cats)!

As if that’s not enough, they are offering 15% off storewide, applied at checkout!

This SupermomWannabe was pleased with Mr. Chewy.  If you have cats and/ or dogs, check ‘em out!

(I was provided a discount at Mr. Chewy, for my review)

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It’s been 17 months (almost) since my youngest son was born.  Those of you who know me or follow my blog, know that I exercise regularly and have a love of running.  After I gave birth to my youngest son, I got back into the exercise routine quickly.  Unfortunately, after 17 months, I still have a nagging 10 lbs hanging around in all the wrong places (well I don’t know that there is a “right” place for extra weight, and if there is, that’s never where it goes anyway).  My routine is usually on a treadmill, running for about 2.5-3.5 miles about 4 times per week.  And while I absolutely love running, there is no denying that it can leave me sore.  There are days that I really want to run, but know I need to give my body rest instead.

So I was thrilled about the opportunity to use and review a Bowflex® TreadClimber® TC20.  The Bowflex® TreadClimber® unleashes the power of 3 workouts in 1!  It’s a great alternative to alleviate strain that can come with other workouts, but still deliver intensity and major calorie burnage! (I already know, burnage is not a word)

Action #1: Treadmill Moving belts let you WALK FORWARD like a treadmill.
Action #2: Stairclimber Unlike a treadmill, there are two indepependent “Dual-Treadles,” so you also STEP UP like a stairclimber
Action #3: Elliptical Combine these two actions and you get an extremely intense workout with the smooth, LOW-IMPACT motion of an elliptical.

The Bowflex® TreadClimber® TC20 works with two separate “treadles” or decks, rather than a long single track like a typical treadmill.  The treadles can be used flat, in a stair-step motion, or in an elliptical motion.

Today was my first day using this amazing machine, and I intend to take you all with my on my journey!

As a runner, I believe I have pretty good endurance.  One way that I measure the effectiveness of my workout is by how much I sweat.  That’s right – I want to sweat.  If I don’t, I just don’t feel like I got a good workout in.  When I run, I usually begin that sweating process around 11-12 minutes in.  So, I was surprised when I began sweating on the Bowflex® TreadClimber® around 4-5 minutes in (yes four-to-five minutes, not forty-five).  I didn’t feel like I was straining, but the sweating was a real good indication that it was doing a good job!

According to personal trainers, training on a 40% incline doubles the rate of fat burn. Incline training lets walkers get fast fitness results like runners, but without putting as much stress on their joints.

Apparently this machine offers a lot of features, which I have not begun to explore.  The TC20 is great for households with more than one user as it offers five standard workouts and 3 landmark workouts to really get the heart rate up while minimizing impact on joints.

My goal is to increase my heart rate and blood flow, while burning fat most efficiently – and to do so with the least damage or impact to my body.  Today, my workout was intense, got me sweating real good, but didn’t feel strenuous.

Since I just got this machine, I have yet to really look into all it can do but I will be exploring that in coming weeks and months, and sharing with you.  It is my hopes and intentions that one of the many things it can do, is melt my fat away though that is not one of the key features actually listed on the packaging  So, stay tuned as I climb the space needle in, moving forward and upward, in coming weeks and months!

Thanks to Nautilus for providing the opportunity to review the Bowflex® TreadClimber® TC20!

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As some of you know, I have four dogs. With dogs, comes certain challenges and one of them, for me, is barking. Two of my dogs in particular love to bark, Mr. Pug Charlie, and ol’ hound dog Leo. So, we were very excited when Good Life Company agreed to send their Dog Silencer Pro for our household to review.

The Dog Silencer Pro is an ultrasonic training device to help teach dogs to stop barking. It works by responding to the dog’s bark by emitting an ultrasonic frequency not heard by people, but annoying to dogs, and this discourages them from barking. I like that this approach is safe, humane, and proven effective.
Some key features of this device are:
- Indoor and Outdoor use
- Manual Remote which can be used to manually trigger the device (although it does run in automated mode, detecting the dog’s bark on its own)
- Detects barking up to 75 feet away (which is 3x farther than the competition)
- Emits frequencies which travel up to 300 feet
- 1 year manufacturer warranty

We set up the device, adjusting the sensitivity wheel so that the device is triggered by our dogs’ barking. Leo immediately ceased barking constantly. It was obvious that he immediately learned his bark triggered the annoying sound.

Charlie took a bit longer to “learn” that his barking triggered the sound. Dogs are all individual and Charlie just had a little more of a learning curve, which we anticipated. In fact, we were very impressed that Leo stopped barking so immediately. Overall, we are very happy with the results.

Whether you have barking dogs, or you have neighbors with barking dogs; whether indoors or outdoors, the Dog Silencer Pro may be an effective, safe, and humane solution to barking.

Thanks to Good Life Company for sending the Dog Silencer Pro for this review.

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You know I love my birds!

Kiwi is my talking African Grey Parrot and is a real character! She is super outgoing and curious, and likes to keep busy.

Lucky is our Citron Crested Cockatoo. She is a bit more cautious, but loves attention. Her idea of staying busy is chewing, chewing!

Having busy bird companions means making sure my birds are happy. That includes providing them with fun activities when they are in their cages. A busy bird is a happy bird. Affordable, durable, and safe bird toys are often difficult to find. My cockatoo, especially, will make work of one expensive toy in one afternoon! So, I was pleased to have the opportunity to review MightyBirdToys.com bird toys, which are safe, hand made, durable, and affordable!

MightyBirdToys.com sent me four toys to review with my birds:

“Balsa Block”, which is a Balsa wood block with 12 acrylic beads. Balsa wood makes a great shredding toy for small & large birds. Soft & chewy comes off in little strips easy for your birds to handle in their beak or feet. Because birds love to work at loosening things, it’s genius to embed the beads into the block…will keep them busy!

“Mighty Roll”, Sea grass filled with raffia,palm leaf & crinkle paper. Roll is 10″ long (overall length 18″) & 4″ in diameter. Overall height with chain 12″. The roll results in many many crooks and crevices for the bird to work her beak into. After a couple of days in the cage, my African Grey has managed to only shred the outermost edges, so it’s safe to say this toy will last her awhile!

“Knotty Bagel”, which is chocked full of bagels and knots! Many hours of enjoyment for your medium to large parrot. My citron crested cockatoo has had this toy in her cage for 3 days and while she has peel off most of the color on the outskirts of the cardboard rings, she still has full rings left to pick apart. This is saying A LOT considering Lucky tends to strip a toy down to it’s rope in one day!

“Macaw Bagel w/ Paper”, durable cardboard ring with full roll of 5″ replaceable paper in the center.

MightyBirdToys.com specializes in safe bird toys and parts at low prices without compromising quality. Overall I am impressed with the quality and durability of the toys, as well as the use of safe materials in the making of the toys. My birds and I thank MightyBirdToys.com for sending the toys for this review!

Video Review of MightyBirdToys.com bird, parrot, cockatoo, and macaw bird toys:

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What does it take to make a runner happy?  I think we all agree that comfort comes first because if there is any discomfort, well, it just messes up the joy of running.  So, how do we hold on to the joy in running?  I am pleased to share a beautifully engineered shoe that has helped me joyously run in comfort.  The Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 for women are due to hit stores December 5th so keep them in mind for yourself or for a runner you love for the holidays!

I have been thrilled with these shoes for the last two weeks.  Comfort, support, light, rebound – all come to mind.  In addition, they have helped center my foot, keeping my foot strike under control.  Thanks to Mizuno for providing the shoes for review.  For a more detailed review, see Can a shoe make you want to run?

I would like to present you with my video review of Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 shoes for women….(drum roll please…)

* I was provided the Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 shoes in exchange for my reviews. I have provided my honest opinion of the shoe (and I do love them!)

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That is the question I asked when I first slipped my feet into my new Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 shoes (hitting stores December 5th).

Before the shoes were shipped to me for this review, I went to Mizuno’s Precision Fit Online assessment, which helped me self assess 8 critical factors related to my running stride, so I could find the shoe that best matches my “running DNA”, so I can get the most out of every run. The Precision Fit measured the following: weight, pace, foot rotation, foot strike, static leg axis, flexibility, and dynamic leg axis.

When the shoes arrived, I was impressed by how lightweight they felt, as well as their visual appeal.   I love the purple and black, along with the silver accents to further make ‘em “pop”.  When I put them on, I immediately noticed how supported my feet felt, like a big “hug” around my feet, which was surprising considering how light the shoe is. I noticed a new “spring” in my step, which was the rebound action of the shoe. Yes, I wanted to run.

A little background:  I often experience pain in my toes on my left foot while running. I am unaware of a particular injury that started it. It could be damaged nerves or tissue, but it seems to stem from the exact place my foot strikes when I run.   Sometimes, I literally change my natural stride just to avoid the pain in my toes.  The pain is not debilitating though, so I just run through it.   I would not consider giving up running for a few painful toes, but have had to regrettably miss some running days due to the pain caused from previous days.  Over the years I have tried many different running shoes, in an effort to find a shoe that lessens or alleviates this annoyance, a shoe that may provide the cushion needed, or somehow help center my foot better.  It seems that I’ve found them!
I am absolutely thrilled with how these shoes perform. They seem to center my foot, while providing support and stability, and my foot is no longer striking this little pain center in my toes. I literally ran a little longer, a little harder, and a little faster.  And the trend continued on the next run, and the one after that.  These are awesome!  I friggin’ love these shoes!

I could feel the ventilation in the shoes, keeping my feet drier and cooler.

I decided to do a little research to learn more about the materials and construction of the shoes. What I learned made perfect sense.  Here’s a quick breakdown:

Mizuno Wave®
The leading footwear technology that combines cushioning and stability, two distinctly different elements that are both inherently necessary in great running shoes.
Dynamotion Fit
Dynamotion Fit utilizes two-way stretch mesh in the forefoot, causing the shoe to contract in concert with the foot, creating the optimal fit. Manages lateral stretching, keeping the foot centered on the midsole.
AP+ midsole
Offers increased rebound and “bouncier” feeling, which extends the cushion durability, while maintaining the light weight performance.
Mizuno Intercool™
Full-length midsole ventilation system reduces heat and humidity build-up inside the shoe.
X10™
The most durable carbon rubber that allows for longer wear in high impact areas and supplements traction at heel strike.
Gender Engineering
The latest engineering philosophy to maximize performance by tailoring footwear to the separate needs of men and women.
SmoothRide™
Engineering approach to minimize the rapid acceleration and deceleration of the foot during transition, creating the smoothest ride possible.
VS-1™
Shock-absorbing cushioning compound found in the heel and forefoot.
AIRmesh™
Provides the utmost in breathability and comfort of the upper.

Stay tuned for my video review on these Mizuno Wave Inspire 8 shoes (which will be uploaded to my youtube channel – Subscribe Now so you know when it’s posted), and for a review on the upcoming Mizuno Wave Musha 4!

* Thanks to Mizuno for making such a fantastic shoe, and providing the shoes for this review.  I am one HAPPY runner!

[cincopa AQFA3xaPUej2]

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…reviewing Naked Winery’s Vixen Syrah.

Many of the so-called “sinful” indulgences – such as red wine, dark chocolate, coffee, and some fats – have now been shown to have some health related benefits by some studies, when consumed in moderation by a healthy person, with red wine being linked to heart health, increased immunity, regulated blood sugar, and more.

Sometimes us Supermoms need a little break, and those of us who enjoy a glass of wine can put our feet up, relax, light a candle, read a book…and sip a tasty glass of syrah.  While I don’t call myself a wine connoisseur, as that may lead you to believe I have some sort of real professional expertise in this area, I can get away with wine “Lover” – and the term “lover” fits in nicely with this particular review anyway.

I knew Naked Winery was “fun” judging by their name, Naked Winery and Orgasmic Wine Company.  Made me feel like I might be in for…a treat.  Here’s a sampling of names for their wines:  Booty Call Blush, Tease Riesling, Foreplay Chardonnay.   So, I think we can see that this must be a fun company.

Naked Winery is family owned, and produces both Oregon and Washington wines, Washington trailing only California in wine production.  Naked Winery’s Washington vineyards are located in the Columbia Valley, a dry region east of the Cascade Range on the Wahluke Slope and in Horse Heaven Hills, a range of rolling hills in Klickitat and Benton counties whose grapes benefit from strong winds that arrive from the west via the Columbia Gorge, and temperatures among the highest in the state.  Soils are characterized by their uniformity over large areas, excessively well drained character, and coarse.  All the fruit used to produce Naked Winery’s wines are Orgasmically grown (again, such a fun play on words!)

Their Vixen Syrah is bold and deep as I would expect any good Syrah to be, as well as dark in color.  Spice and pepper stand out, and I found this wonderfully delightful with aged white cheddar.  Very cheese-friendly!  Thumbs up, recommended buy!  If  you cannot find Naked Winery wines at your local store, you can order at their website www.NakedWinery.com

Stop by and check out my video review: SupermomWannabe Gets Naked on my YouTube channel.

(Thanks to Naked Winery for providing the Vixen Syrah wine for this review!)

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