Last Sunday was my son's end-of-year soccer party. I was the "team photographer" and had lovingly created Blurb books of each player. I really wanted to see the families' reactions to my books, as well as to enjoy a slide show of the team. Plus, I welcomed a chance to socialize instead of just scurrying away post-game to another commitment.
But Jill Asher told me that the Silicon Valley Moms Holiday Party - sponsored by Chevy - was a not-to-miss event. Fellow SV Moms told me it would be worth it to skip the soccer party.
And oh yes, it was worth it.
Now, I'd like to think I'm not a completely greedy person, but let's just say my calm approach to the event turned into a surprised excitement along with that ooooh, I wonder if I can get me some of that.
And there was a lot of that to be had:
First off, there were some new Chevys awaiting our perusal, including a Camaro. Chevy was the major sponsor of our event, plus provided us with carabiners (what a great idea!) and a Tiffany keychain (with "GM" monogrammed on it, natch!)
I admit I've never owned a Chevy - but I thank them for their generosity in sponsoring the gathering. The car I drove to the event was a Prius. One of the merchants at the party laughed, saying, "You drive a Prius - so you have to love our product!" Indeed, I love his product. It is actually the brainchild of his wife -- Olive Smart Sacks, reusable grocery sacks that hold a lot, but are compact when not in use. I won't take a picture of my trunk because it is embarrassing, but there are a bazillion of those stiff reusable bags all over the place. Olive Smart Sacks include six big bags stuffed into one small sack. That one sack is compact enough to just sit in a cupholder or in a purse until needed at the grocery store. Now until December 15th, enter code SVMOM at checkout and all shipping charges will be eliminated. They suggest giving Olive Smart Sacks as gifts -- but I can see them being used as the gift wrapper too.
The company also has the "Olive Smart Fundraising Program," an affiliate program for schools and non-profits. Olive Smart will contribute 20% of all sales that your organization sends to their website. Wow, that is smart. (To learn more, email info@olivesmart.com with the subject line "affiliate program.")
After I spoke to the Olive Smart folks, I noticed the Wicked display. To say I was excited was an understatement. It is my favorite musical (I read all of Gregory McGuire's books including Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West before even seeing the musical -- then read the sequel Son of a Witch. Of course I also own The Grimmerie, a Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Hit Broadway Musical.) So yeah, I was just a tad tickled to see a representative from Wicked there, and beyond thrilled to find out that each attendee would receive two tickets to see the musical. Then to top it off, I won entry to Behind the Emerald Curtain, an opportunity to see the costumes up close and ask questions of the two hosting cast members. WOOOOooooooo!
Other tables thrilled me with their coolness-factor as well:
The Cinemin Swivel is a pocket-sized device that projects movies anywhere using the same DLP® technology commonly found in high-definition TVs. How many times have you wished you could watch a movie on your ceiling? Seriously, I'm into that concept. You can pick up a Cinemin Swivel at Amazon, or enter the Cinemin Twitter Giveaway and perhaps win one. I will be receiving a Cinemin Swivel - SO EXCITED! - and will report back once I have had an opportunity to test it out.
Bosch was at the party with a Tassimo. I had never heard of Tassimo before, but was intrigued when I saw the demonstration. It is a hot-beverage maker that has little individualized pouches of coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. The machine can even make single-served lattes. The machine reads the barcode on the little packet to determine the amount of water, temperature of water, and brewing-time length -- amazing!
I tested out the hot chocolate, and indeed it was delicious. No joke - I went to the Tassimo website the day after the party to do some research on it. I figure it would make a fabulous holiday present for my husband. See, he gets in these "gotta have coffee!" moods and purchases a lot of coffee. But then he ends up too busy to brew a pot, and the grounds go stale. With Tassimo this wouldn't be a problem, because the little packets are sealed until use. He can go crazy with coffee for a week, but then not return for a month and all will be well. The one-touch operation of the machine means there isn't a whole procedure for making that pot of coffee. Bonus - there is very little to clean up afterward. So - I look forward to having a Tassimo in our house. As luck would have it, I've been granted the opportunity to review one. I'll definitely report back.
No tech-happy party would be a party without HP. A representative from Hewlett-Packard showed us a new wireless combo scanner-copier-printer - the Photosmart Premium All-in-One. I am all in favor of getting rid of wires, and definitely love the ability to print directly from the web without the computer. I'd love to have a scanner that I didn't have to continually plug into my computer. When I saw the Photosmart Premium All-in-One at the party, I assumed it was out of my price range. After all, it looks high-end -- well made, sophisticated, and hosts plenty of functions. Surprise! It is only $149.99.
Another cool-thing that I saw demonstrated at the SV Moms Party was the Astak Mole Wireless IP Camera. For those who have businesses they wish to watch after-hours, or who are away from their homes (or vacation homes) and wish to have a high-tech security system, the Mole provides monitoring (available on one's computer and also on one's cellphone) with the option of motion detection alerts. It seems like an amazing system.
And then there is Jabra. It would take a book to explain the ups and downs I've had regarding wireless earpieces. Since California has a hands-free law, I have resorted to using speakerphone if I end up getting a call while driving. Fortunately, one of the goodies in our party swag bag was a Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth Wireless Speakerphone. Unlike the little speakerphone in my mobile, the Jabra is designed to minimize background noise while enhancing voice. I haven't yet set it up, but am eager to do so.
And then there were the vendors who had the high cuteness level:
Wati Clothing for Girls has been an SV Moms Favorite for awhile now. A dress I received from Wati two years and gifted to my cousin turned out to be her official "back to school" outfit for the second grade - That is quite an honor! I have boys, so Wati Grossman provided me a beautiful velvet vest that worked perfectly as I dressed my reluctant Pilgrim for his in-class Thanksgiving Feast. (My younger son will probably wear it on Christmas, but it fit the older's agenda for today.) Wati dresses really are worth a look if you have girls - they are unique and beautiful.
Zooni had a display of adorable handmade hats, mittens, and animal socks. I received a confetti mop-top hat made with green, aqua and cobalt blue. It is fleece-lined and oh-so-soft. I kept coming back to the Zooni table to stroke the products - they really are super-soft and absolutely gorgeous. I wish they came in adult sizes. No joke.
Giddy Giddy gave me an adorable aqua and cobalt blue handmade hairclip. (Oh, how I wish I had girls!) Other products from Giddy Giddy include hair elastics and pouches - with cute designs like flowers, cupcakes, ladybugs, and birds. Back in my day we just had those fake tortoise-shell plastic barrettes. A lot has changed since then!
When I looked into my gift bag I was stunned to see a beautiful brown and pink piece from Lucky Jade. At first glance it looked like a sweater, but it turned out to be a cashmere cotton coverall. Alas, it is too small for my boys, but I donated it to my local Girl Scout troop's latest project - they are collecting items for a women's shelter and particularly need baby clothes. I can imagine how thrilled the new owner of the coverall will be - it is super-soft and absolutely gorgeous. Although it feels like it would be too delicate to wash, it is in fact machine-washable. Lucky Jade also has a bamboo + cotton collection that is machine washable -- easy and eco-friendly, I love it!
Also a bit too small for my kids, but exceptionally useful to the Girl Scouts' drive was a pair of sunglasses from Teeny Tiny Optics. All too often, people neglect the young 'uns when considering sun protection. Although the pair I received at the party was too small, Teeny Tiny Optics has boutique-style 100% UV-protection sunglasses all the way up through teen sizes, so is worth a look no matter your kids' ages.
In addition to the beautiful Lucky Jade coverall and Teeny Tiny Optics sunglasses, I also gave the Girl Scouts a diaper cake from Sweetpea Cakes, a company that SV Moms introduced me to a couple years ago.
Speaking of charity, CoffeeMate is donating $50,000 to Dress for Success - and will up their donation with your participation. Simply visit CoffeeMate to send an encouraging note to a Dress for Success client, and they will make an additional donation of 50 cents. Not only will you personalize the Dress for Success experience for one of their clients, but you'll help CoffeeMate increase their donation level.
Not surprisingly, many products at the SV Moms party were for moms. (But HUGE KUDOS to all the folks who brought tech-stuff and gadgets - showing us you know that we can be interested in more than just "baby stuff.") But, if you are done having kids, check out the Essure Permanent Birth Control Procedure. I'm one of those gals who is super-sensitive to hormones, so don't like the Pill (which isn't permanent anyway) but also wouldn't want something more permanent that included hormones. Essure does not involve hormones. Many permanent birth control solutions are invasive - but the Essure procedure does not involve cutting or risks associated with tubal ligation. It can be performed in a physician's office under local anesthesia in about 10 minutes. Essure cannot be reversed.
And no SV Moms Party is complete without a presence from Nintendo. They profiled both Wii Fit Plus (which I own and love!) and Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box for DS, which was a game I had been eying. I am sure my kids will solve Professor Layton's puzzles much more readily than I will, but we'll see...
Also included in the swag bag I received were first aid products from Tender Corp - wonderful to have at home and in the car, but of course we hope we never have to use survival kits. (Thank you for reminding us to be prepared!) I also received a couple kids' DVDs - Curious George's A Very Monkey Christmas and Intro to Andyland from performer Andy Z. I am sure my kids will enjoy watching both of these. Curious George's holiday special premieres Wednesday November 25th on PBS Kids - check your local listings.
I also got a chance to see the Litl webbook, which is an internet computer that doubles as a digital picture frame. For people who just want web-based content (think your aging parents who don't want to fool with "extras") this is a great solution. And I also got to see some of the new things that tiny*prints has been cooking up. I mentioned tiny*prints two years ago -- although I'll be reviewing Minted this year, I think I might end up ordering some tiny*prints cards as well - it could be a fun comparison - stay tuned.
All in all, the SV Moms Holiday Party was more fantastic than my wildest dreams. I picked up some very useful products and information. Rest assured the ripples from this experience will continue, be it future reviews with these companies, or the knowledge that a Dress for Success client received personal notes from you readers - and that a baby at my local women's shelter has a new Lucky Jade cashmere cotton coverall and Teeny Tiny Optics sunglasses.
Thank you to all the sponsors and representatives who attended the party. I appreciate the attention you gave us, and am flattered by your generosity. Thank you to Jill, Linsey, Tekla, and the other SV Moms who made the party possible with their hard work. It is fantastic to be part of such an amazing group.
For more information about the sponsors present at the party, please visit the SV Moms Group Holiday Coupon and Product Guide.
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Disclaimer: As noted above, I received a lot of excellent products at the party. These were given to me FREE. Although there was a hope that I would blog about the products, there was no obligation to do so. In many cases, I'll mention these products again -- after all, some I just received, so haven't had the opportunity to really "try out." For example, the Cinemin sounds cool, but since I haven't tried it yet, I can't say for sure if it is as excellent a product as I think it is. Ditto on the Jabra In-Car Speakerphone. And while I tried a cup of hot chocolate made from Tassimo, actually using the machine on a regular basis will give me a better idea of the product's usefulness and quality. And so, for those products I'll report back a bit later. I should also note that in cases where I've linked to an Amazon product I have used my affiliate code, which means I'd get a couple cents if you - my dear reader - were to purchase products on the Amazon website.
