I'm a big fan of the cool "tasting" or "sampler" box subscriptions that have popped up recently. What better way to try new products and learn about companies with which I'm not yet familiar? I'm especially impressed when these services focus on small businesses and eco-conscious ventures.

I was thrilled to learn about Conscious Box, a monthly taste (or feel) for pure, sustainable products from planet-friendly businesses. This isn't a greenwashed situation; Conscious Box states that it actively seeks out organizations that provide fair wages and ethical business practices as well as a quality product. They strive to be zero-waste, creating their encouraged-to-be-upcycled boxes from recycled materials and soy-based inks.

I was fortunate enough to receive a November box from them. Included in this month's shipment are: a full-sized Kind bar (one of my favorites!), Honest Kids' Appley-Ever-After juice, Mary's Gone Crackers double-chocolate wheat-free gluen-free vegan cookies, Funky Monkey pink pineapple freeze-dried fruit, CocoaWell "true energy" capsules, tiny packs of Glee gum (both mint and lemon-lime,) samples of two products from Pharmacopia (verbena body lotion and body wash,) samples of two 100% Pure products (vanilla bean body cream and green apple body cream,) and a small pack of Living Nutz vegan bodacious banana bread walnuts. What a stash!

It used to be tricky to find all-natural food or cosmetics without artificial chemical additives. I am thankful for companies like Conscious Box who are finding such products to introduce to people like me. Although I can browse the aisles of my local grocery store to buy things without requiring the postage to my doorstep, I like knowing that someone has done the research to know whether an "all-natural" product truly is "natural" or if a company behind an excellent-looking product isn't actually as wonderful behind-the-scenes. I'm glad Conscious Box is on the lookout for the real deal.

Thank you Conscious Box for sending me the November box to test. I'm definitely enthusiastic about your service and look forward to learning more about the trusted products and companies.

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Conscious Box sent me their November box for free. I will receive no other compensation. The words and opinions above are my own.

UPDATE: The Conscious Box folks were kind enough to send me their December Conscious Box, too!

I just finished attending a several-days long Halloween party, but I didn't have to worry about laundering my costume or providing a hostess gift.

In fact, for the past month I've been changing my hair color and style on a regular basis, plus picking up plenty of boutique-quality clothing, all from the comfort of my computer. I've put on fashion shows, gone jelly-fishing, gotten some pretty nice items from a wizard, and raised 24 (and counting!) pets. I've thrown a bunch of parties, including messy pinatas, but haven't had to lift a finger to clean up afterwards.

My boys and I have been checking out Fantage. While its name references a Fantastic Age, I like to think of the title as "fantasy" as well, which is pretty darn fabulous. (After all, how else could a 30-something-year old woman get her teenage body back?)

I had the opportunity to meet one of Fantage's founders last month to hear about the thought that went behind this thriving online community for kids.

Safe Socializing

Safe interaction online is a big deal, and Fantage is one of those sites out there that creates community without risk. From chat algorithms that prevent reveal of personal information to plenty of reporting (and suspension) features to avoid bullying, these online friendships are of the supportive nature rather than the hurtful.

Frankly, I'm less of the "chat 'em up" personality, and more of just the "people-watcher" type, which is exactly the main customer profile, as according to the Fantage founder I spoke with. Fantage is more about playing games and checking out the "items" that others have accumulated and less about the chit-chat, although socializing is definitely available. My youngest son is extremely social, so has become friends with tons of buddies with whom he chats on a daily basis. My oldest son is like me, so we spend our time on Fantage doing games to earn "gems" and "stars" that can be used to purchase special items (super powers, hoverboards, clothing, hairstyles, costumes, pets, and even new eye colors.)

Engaging Games: For Fun or for Smarts

I like the "mind teaser" games ("brick breaker," "candy swap," and "staries" - all that involve pattern-solving) but became pretty enamored with the "fashion show" game as well, where I must select virtual clothing based on a theme, then perfect my runway posing. (I've won many times even though in real life my solid, short statue would hardly earn me the title of Supermodel.) My sons love racing their pets, especially when tied to their mathematical ability. Yes, that is right, these games are educational too. "Off the Hook," for example, combines an olden-day talent competition's "hook" with straight-up quiz-style knowledge: you better know your stuff, or you'll be pulled off stage. The Fantage School also has dedicated classrooms for educational games. Teachers/homeschoolers can create private classrooms if they like.

The one drawback with the games is that there is no way to "pause" them. Many are live-action that involve other people, so of course there can be no break. But most of these games are not very long, so it is okay. But some other individual-style games have the potential to go on for a looooong time. For many of the brain-teaser-style games, to pause the game during a level would be cheating; however, being able to pause in between levels would be nice! (A mid-level pause might block out the screen to prevent cheating. Otherwise, how can I answer the telephone without forfeiting?)

Fantasy

Being able to "reinvent" oneself virtually can be a ton of fun. My sons and I have enjoyed "buying" new outfits, hoverboards, and a variety of other objects, both for our outward appearance and to increase our inventory for the fashion show game.

The "pets" your Fantage character can acquire are not of the dog and cat variety, either. From fiesty firepuffs to friendly rainbows or ribbons, these beat a goldfish any day.

One concern that I discussed with the Fantage co-founder is the automatic sorting of "boy" and "girl" items. I'd love to be able to purchase some traditionally "masculine" items for my character, or wear short spiky hair one day, and I know my son would love to purchase pink shirts for his character. In Fantage, you must select a gender to receive either a male body with spread out legs fixed in a confident stance or a female body with demure crossed legs. Luckily some of the costume items can make the girls look pretty "fierce" or I'd be concerned that these body positions have some sort of greater meaning. Still, I wish there was just a standard body that all items and hair could be applied upon.

Although Fantage tops sites like Club Penguin in many areas, I'm afraid that in terms of awareness of self, I prefer the ability to just be a penguin, whether pink one day or blue the next, with no assumed gender roles.

That said, I've embraced my cute little female body, and have enjoyed dressing it up online. I've also enjoyed purchasing and decorating a home that doesn't come with a mortgage. I selected a Rubik's cube for my home, and am definitely reliving my 80's-based teenagerhood.

My boys and I were given premium memberships to test out Fantage, along with some eCoins, so we had the advantage of being able to purchase items a bit more quickly in this online world. Basic membership is free, so any character can play games to earn "stars" that can be used to purchase basic items, but there are "luxury" items that are only available to premium members, and some items that are discounted if paid for with purchased-with-real-money "eCoins" rather than the earned-virtually "stars." Non-premium members (those with a monthly, quarterly, or yearly account) can purchase and use eCoins, but you receive more eCoins for the same price if you are already a premium member. There are a variety of different ways to be a member and to have eCoins, so peruse the options to discover what is right for you!

Not surprisingly, premium membership (and/or purchasing eCoins) definitely has its benefits, so - like in the real world - those with more (real) cash will get ahead faster. But, also like the real world, currency can come with hard work and patience, too. For example, although I had the eCoins necessary to purchase "magic codes" to instantly hatch my pets, I decided to go the traditional route and wait for them to arrive.

My kids and I have had a lot of fun playing both together and independently on Fantage. We definitely had a blast during the Halloween event, where I happily added vampire teeth and bat's wings to my clothing inventory, and trick-or-treated the shops in the Fantage world to earn coins, gems, and other items. I'm definitely eager to see how Fantage transforms itself for the winter holidays, although the basic world is impressive on its own!

Check out Fantage, and perhaps purchase a membership for your favorite kid. (Gift subscriptions are available!)

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Thanks to Fantage for giving me and my boys premium memberships to try out the various features of their online community. The words and opinions expressed above are my own.

Last year I wrote about how my Jabra cruiser was instrumental in communication last autumn when my dad underwent open-heart surgery. And yesterday as I learned that a friend has early-onset Parkinson's, I found myself recommending that she look into Jabra's products to help her remain productive. Typing is difficult for her, but her mind is sharp. Voice-activated, hands-free apps are crucial to keep her communication at the same rapid-pace as her brain. My friend happens to be a runner, too, and I bet she'd adore the new Jabra SPORT bluetooth headset.

And - I bet you'd adore it too. No wire to get tripped up in pumping arms, plus an easy touch of the headset to answer/end calls, adjust volume, or skip tracks. The Jabra SPORT can connect to two devices at once, and is rain, dust, and shock-resistant.

The Jabra SPORT comes with a free download of Endomondo Sports Tracker, a fitness tracking application for smartphones that functions as a motivational tool for running, giving quick updates on speed, distance, and lap time. Endomondo allows users to visually see past running routes on their smartphone via a GPS tracking feature. The Endomondo Sports Tracker app is designed to work with iPhone®, Android or BlackBerry® handsets.

Through November 7th, visit Jabra's Facebook page and enter to win a Jabra SPORT along with a carrying case, armband, and download of the aforementioned Endomondo Sport Tracker.

Hope you win!

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I received no compensation for posting about Jabra's sweepstakes; I did so to spread the word and because I'm grateful for Jabra to the samples they sent me last year! I'm always on the lookout from new products from Jabra and was glad to hear of the Jabra SPORT.

Let's face it, the rest of 2011 is going to be one huge landslide from turkey talk to opening presents. Although I started my holiday shopping early, I'm realizing that my headstart wasn't as great as I thought it was now that the calendar says it is mid-November. It is definitely exciting to see what some of my favorite manufacturers are rolling out in time for December.

I've been a Wonder Forge fan for awhile (check out my Family Game Night post for a few older kids' games or Chugginton's Traintastic Cargo Game for the younger set.) Well, it is no surprise that they are back this autumn with some new offerings that no doubt will end up in Santa's Sleigh.

Last week I had the pleasure of attending not one, but two luncheons surrounding holiday greetings. Admittedly, I get nervous when I learn about "competing" products because I end up loving them all, and don't want to choose one over the other.

Well, I'm in luck because although I got to check out the latest offerings from one of my long-term favorites - tiny prints - the other luncheon I attended dealt with a very different product, so I won't feel guilty for profiling them both, here. (So stay tuned...)

So... tiny prints and I go waaaaay back. Seriously.

I learned about them way back in 2008. Family and friends gushed about my holiday photo cards that year, and so in 2009 I noticed many of the holiday cards we received had "tiny prints" on the back. Of course, in 2010 I kept up the trend, and posted about them after a tour of their digs. Last year I sent the naughty/nice flip card, and the recipients absolutely raved about it.

That makes this year's card a challenge, since I think last year's was The Best Ever. But... here are some designs that I've saved in my "favorites" at tiny prints:

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of being introduced to a beta version of Savvy, a shopping app that will rock your world. The updated iPhone app launches today! (Android users, hold on because December 2nd will be your lucky day.)

Have you experienced either of these situations?

Scenario One: You see something you absolutely loooove, but the price is just a tad out of your budget. You promise yourself you'll keep checking to see if it goes on sale, but you forget, or don't have time to obsessively monitor it, so end up buying something later that isn't as fabulous as that first find.

Scenario Two: You buy something you adore, but then mere days later you see it for half-off, or your best friend gushes that she got the same item for way less than what you paid.

With Savvy in your pocket, you won't lose. Here's how:

Ever since August, my sons have been excited about Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. I knew this would be a special game, and it certainly is! We received the game shortly after its October release, and have been playing it frequently.

The most notable aspect of this game is that the individual characters are physical figurines that come alive using the "Portal of Power." Instead of selecting a character on-screen, the player plunks a physical character down on the Portal to join in the game. Each character has its own levels and items which travel with the figurine. My son can play at our house on the Wii, but then take his character to his friend's house to play on the Playstation or Xbox, or to a P.C., or to his D.S., and his character will still have on the same hat it did while playing on the Wii. The character's attributes and power are the same no matter the platform used.

I am in love with both Grimm and Once Upon a Time, so it is no surprise that I'm eagerly anticipating Mirror, Mirror's March 16th, 2012 release: