I’ve been a wreck for weeks. I’ve come to many conclusions regarding how I spend my time. So many thoughts about the reviews, the giveaways, the time, the headache, the Mommy Daddy Blog before all of that stuff, the regular readers who disappeared. Changes are coming. I’m anticipating Spring and Summer and I am determined to enjoy the warm weather outdoors with Boogie.

I’ve been up for over 24hrs and I will be heading to the airport in about 5. My main source of anxiety now is wondering if Boogie does well without me, well, my boobs. I won’t go in to detail, maybe when I return…

I’m excited to finally meet my fellow Elevenmoms, but I am nervous at the same time. Then, there’s the networking and the bunches of people. I’m going to need some Calms Forte!

Before I go, let me introduce you to my travel companion, HP Mini XP 1001. Isn’t she a hawt mama?

Right now she’s getting her beauty rest in my bag.

Her Specs:

The perfect companion PC with the flexibility of Windows XP. Reliable and efficient so you can stay connected without missing a beat.

* Integrated wireless technology helps you get online easily

* Websites and photos are easy to view on both the 8.9″ or 10.1″ displays

* Travel light with the ultra-mobile design – only 1″ thin, starting at just 2.3 lbs.

* Ideal for email, IM, and chatting face-to-face with built-in HP Mini Webcam*

Now I need to lay down for a few hours so I can get some type of rest as well. Shout outs to my sponsors who made it possible and easier for my attendance at SxSW!

Follow hashtag #sxsw09mdb for all of my SxSW tweets!

Vehicle Car Title

Vehicle Car Title

The car title (also known as a vehicle title or pink slip; or pinks in the plural) is a legal form, establishing a person or business as the legal owner of a vehicle. Vehicle titles in the U.S. are commonly issued by the state DMV.

While not standardized from state to state, the certificate of title normally specifies:

• Identifying information about the vehicle, normally at minimum its vehicle identification number, make, and year of manufacture.
• The license plate number.
• Technical information about the vehicle to define its taxation regime, e.g., its gross vehicle weight, motive power, and purchase price when new.
• The name and address of the purchaser or “registered owner” who would normally possess and use it.
• If money is owed on the vehicle, the name of the lineholder or “legal owner” to whom this money is owed.

When a vehicle is financed, the certificate of title is normally held by the lender, who must release it to the purchaser once the balance is paid off. In some states, the transferred title is sent directly to that individual, but the name of the lender or lienholder appears on the title as well. In order to release the lien upon full payment, the lender sends a notarized release or other complementary document to the individual.

When a car is sold from one owner to another, the title must be transferred to the new owner. This is achieved by requesting approval by the state DMV.

Source

For those of you who don’t know, I am one of Walmart’s Elevenmoms. I mentioned it, but I have yet to write an official post because I am still taking it all in! I’m just not the type of person to run with info as soon as I get it. I have to let it marinate first.

In preparation of Valentine’s Day, Walmart has launched a Valentine’s Day page! There are some great money saving tips to help make Valentine’s Day even sweeter. Be sure to also check out the Blow a kiss iPhone app, personalized M&M E-cards, and the Elevenmoms top 10 love songs!

As one of Walmart’s Elevenmoms, I with the help of Greg, am excited to offer a sweeeet giveaway to you guys; a shiny new 2nd Gen 8GB iPod Touch MP3 player and a $10 iTunes gift card to purchase the Elevenmoms top 10 love songs!

How To Enter

There are a total of 5 ways you can enter this giveaway. You can enter using as many methods listed below as you’d like. Here is how you can enter:

1. Send us an M&M ecard (worth 25 entries into this giveaway). To help promote Walmart’s Valentine’s Day page, we’re giving 25 entries into this giveaway to anyone who creates an M&M ecard through the Walmart Valentine’s Day page and sends it to us! Here’s instructions on how to create an M&M ecard:

• Visit Walmart’s Valentine’s Day page and click “Create Your Card”.
• Click “Upload” and you’ll be prompted to select a picture to upload from your computer.
• Click “Browse”, find the picture you’d like to use, select it, and click “Upload”.
• After your picture is finished uploading, you can crop it how you’d like.
• Once finished cropping, click “Submit”, and bingo – your picture will be transformed into an M&M mosaic!
• Click “Continue” and you’ll be prompted to enter your name and e-mail address, as well a recipients name and e-mail address.
• Enter your name and e-mail address, and for the recipient’s name and e-mail address enter “Greg and Sheena” and “itouch@mommydaddyblog.com”.
• Click “Send”.

For those of you who like visuals better, we’ve created a video showing how to create an M&M ecard:

That’s it! Afterwards, be sure to leave a comment below letting us know that you have done this, and use the same e-mail address you entered when sending the ecard to us! We’ll receive an e-mail with your M&M mosaic and we’ll credit you with 25 entries into this giveaway! Don’t forget to send your M&M mosaics to your friends and family or upload them to the gallery where it will be featured with many other M&M mosaics!

2. Write a post on your blog about this giveaway (worth 1 entry into this giveaway). You can write about this giveaway in your own words or you can copy and paste the text provided by us below. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by leaving a direct link to your post.

3. Put the button below in your blog’s sidebar (worth 1 entry into this giveaway). Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this.

<a href="http://mommydaddyblog.com/2009/01/31/valentines-day-2009-giving-away-something-youd-love-touch/" title="iPod Touch Giveaway at Mommy Daddy Blog!" target="_blank"><img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/sheeniebabie/ipodtouchbutton.jpg" border="0" alt="iPod Touch Giveaway at Mommy Daddy Blog!"></a>

4. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter (worth 1 entry into this giveaway). Be sure to copy and paste the text provided by us below, and let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by including a direct link to your tweet (how to link directly to a tweet).

5. Subscribe to receive e-mail updates from us (worth 1 entry into this giveaway). Doing so will ensure that you’re updated on future happenings here at Mommy Daddy Blog. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe. Be sure to let us know that you’ve done this (or if you are already subscribed to receive e-mail updates from us) in the comments using the same e-mail address you subscribed with.

This giveaway will end on February 11th at 12PM 7PM CST and the winner will be announced on February 14th. Direct family members and residents outside of the U.S. and Canada are ineligible for this giveaway.

Many of the Elevenmoms are giving away this sweet combo too, so be sure to enter their giveaways as well! Special thanks to Nestle, Mars/M&M, Russell Stover, and Walmart for making this giveaway possible!

This giveaway is part of our Three Gs For The Holidays event. Visit the announcement post to get involved in other fun giveaways, get shopping ideas from our Gift Guide, and learn how you can help children in need this holiday season!

This is the last giveaway for Three Gs For The Holidays, and we thought there would be no better way to end them off than by celebrating the company that has made this all possible: HP! We have been HP fans for years simply because they make quality products. Of all the desktop computers, laptops, and printers we’ve owned or used, HP has been the one brand that never craps out on us. In fact, we own a total of five HP products, and use most of them on a daily basis. This includes a 3 1/2 year old laptop, nicknamed “Old Yeller”, that still works like the day it was born (and I think it’ll be a long time before we have to put this old fella down!); and the latest addition to our HP arsenal, a Pavilion A6460T nicknamed “The Gorilla”, that HP sent us simply because they are freakin’ awesome! Every picture and video uploaded, every blog post published, every single memory we share with you guys on this blog is done on our HP computers. Mommy Daddy Blog is powered by HP!

So when we were able to get our hands on the HP Photosmart A826 Photo Printer, we already knew it would meet our expectations. Since Sheena already wrote an extensive review on the A826 (and writing another one would just be repetitive), we’ve decided to create a video this time around to show this baby in action! In the video, we mention a really easy way for you to earn TEN extra entries into this giveaway, giving you a better chance at winning!

How To Enter

There are a total of 5 6 ways you can enter this giveaway, and everyone is eligible! You can enter using as many methods listed below as you’d like. Each method of entry is worth 1 entry. Here is how you can enter:

1. BONUS: To learn how you can earn TEN easy entries into this giveaway, watch the video above!

2. Take a look around HP.com and leave a comment below with the names of some of the items you would love to add to your home office!

3. Write a post on your blog about this giveaway. You can write whatever you’d like or you can copy and paste the text provided by us below. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by leaving a direct link to your post.

4. Put our Three Gs For The Holidays button in your blog’s sidebar. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this.

<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/sheeniebabie/mdbholidaygiftguidebutton.gif" border="0" alt="Three Gs For The Holidays At Mommy Daddy Blog!">

5. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter. You can write whatever you’d like or you can copy and paste the text provided by us below. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by including a direct link to your tweet (how to link directly to a tweet).

6. Subscribe to receive e-mail updates so we can keep you updated on future happenings here at Mommy Daddy Blog. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe. Be sure to let us know that you’ve done this (or if you are already subscribed to receive e-mail updates from us) in the comments using the same e-mail address you subscribed with.

This giveaway, along with all other Three Gs For The Holidays giveaways, will end on December 14th!

We’d like to help out those who are less fortunate this holiday season, so we’ll be donating some toys to Toys For Tots! But, since there’s only so much we can do, we encourage you to make a donation also. You can donate toys or cash to Toys For Tots, at your nearest Toys For Tots drop-off location. You can also donate a cash gift, online via credit/debit card by visiting the Toys For Tots Online Donation page, or by texting “TOY” to 90999 using your cell phone. With your help, there’s no limit to the amount of smiles we can put on childrens’ faces this year!

This giveaway is part of our Three Gs For The Holidays event. Visit the announcement post to get involved in other fun giveaways, get shopping ideas from our Gift Guide, and learn how you can help children in need this holiday season!

I have a couple of questions for those of you who are parents: Approximately how many pictures and/or videos of your children do you have saved on your computer?

Now, once you have come up with an answer for that question, answer this one: How many of those pictures or videos do you have duplicates of that are not on that same computer?

The reason I ask is because I think it’s so crazy how much technology has evolved and how computers are used for practically everything now. The other day I was thinking about how we haven’t even started on the baby books for Boogie yet, although he is now 7 months old. We have been keeping track of all of his milestones on our computers through picture files, video files, and text files. In this day and age, “virtual” baby books have become more popular than the traditional physical baby books. But one thing we have to keep in mind is that computers aren’t perfect. They can catch viruses. They can get damaged. They can get stolen. And before you have your doubts about using a computer to store all of your precious memories, the same applies for physical baby books also. They, too, can get lost, stolen, or damaged. Either way it goes, everything is gone. Everything.

So after thinking all of this through (which I actually should’ve done long ago), I decided that it was time to back up the hard drives on our computers so that in the event that something happens to one of our computers, we won’t lose everything that was on it. It’s better to be safe than sorry. So we got into contact with the generous folks over at Storage Appliance Corporation, who specialize in backup and storage devices, and they sent us a Clickfree Portable Backup 160GB External Hard Drive! And I have to say that I am in love with this thing!

After plugging in the Clickfree hard drive via USB cable, I found out exactly why it is called “Clickfree”; because you literally don’t have to click anything at all in order for it to do its job. As soon as you plug it in, it runs on its own. You don’t have to install any programs or anything. Once it starts running, it’ll begin to count down to let you know that it will start backing up all of your files. Once the backup progress begins, that’s it. Just let it do its job. The amount of time it takes to backup your files depends on how many files you have on your computer. You can just let it run in the background while you complete other tasks on the computer. And it won’t slow down your computer either. It only used 15MB of RAM while it was running for me.

Once the backup is complete, you can browse and search through the files that were backed up. And that’s it. You can unplug the hard drive until you’re ready to back up again. For each subsequent backup after the first, only new and modified files will be backed up. So unless you go on a file creating frenzy, or you don’t back up again for the next two years, the next backup should take only a few minutes. Whenever you want to access files that you have previously backed up, simply plug in the Clickfree hard drive, click on “Options”, then click on the “Restore” tab.

You can also use the Clickfree Hard Drive to store files so that they don’t eat up the hard drive space on your computer. This is perfect for those who use laptops, and/or have massive music and video collections. You can keep the Clickfree Hard Drive plugged in the USB port and you’ll always have immediate access to those files. And since the Clickfree Hard Drive is so small and compact (only 4.52″ in length, 2.9″ in width, and 0.67″ in height), it won’t clutter up your desk space.

Enter promo code cfr3314 at Clickfree.com to receive free shipping AND $15 off any Portable Backup Hard Drive!

Note: Clickfree Hard Drives are NOT compatible with Mac computers!

Alright so who would like the pleasure of owning one of these bad boys? You? Great, because I have a Clickfree Portable Backup 160GB External Hard Drive to give away! Check out the details below to learn how you can win it!

How To Enter

There are a total of 5 ways you can enter this giveaway, and everyone is eligible! You can enter using as many methods listed below as you’d like. Each method of entry is worth 1 entry. Here is how you can enter:

1. Remember those two questions that I asked at the beginning of the post? Leave a comment with your answers.

2. Write a post on your blog about this giveaway. You can write whatever you’d like or you can copy and paste the text provided by us below. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by leaving a direct link to your post.

3. Put our Three Gs For The Holidays button in your blog’s sidebar. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this.

<img src="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y125/sheeniebabie/mdbholidaygiftguidebutton.gif" border="0" alt="Three Gs For The Holidays At Mommy Daddy Blog!">

4. Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter. You can write whatever you’d like or you can copy and paste the text provided by us below. Be sure to let us know in the comments that you’ve done this by including a direct link to your tweet (how to link directly to a tweet).

5. Subscribe to receive e-mail updates and announcements so we can keep you updated on future happenings here at Mommy Daddy Blog. All you have to do is enter your e-mail address below and click Subscribe. Be sure to let us know that you’ve done this (or if you are already subscribed to receive e-mail updates from us) in the comments using the same e-mail address you subscribed with.

This giveaway, along with all other Three Gs For The Holidays giveaways, will end on December 8th 14th!

We’d like to help out those who are less fortunate this holiday season, so we’ll be donating some toys to Toys For Tots! But, since there’s only so much we can do, we encourage you to make a donation also. You can donate toys or cash to Toys For Tots, at your nearest Toys For Tots drop-off location. You can also donate a cash gift, online via credit/debit card by visiting the Toys For Tots Online Donation page, or by texting “TOY” to 90999 using your cell phone. With your help, there’s no limit to the amount of smiles we can put on childrens’ faces this year!

Gadget Advisor is the place to discover product releases and tech news. It’s definitely a must visit for all of you techies out there!

Packed with over 200 borders, graphics, frames, and effects, the HP Photosmart A826 allows for endless photo editing. You can crop, adjust color settings, and remove small imperfections such as red-eye. There’s no need for constantly loading the paper tray or worrying about dust particles building up on your photos. The built-in paper tray stores and protects 100 4×6 or 5×7 sheets of photo paper. Any plans to throw a party? You and guests can connect to the HP Photosmart A826 and immediately hand out photos without worrying about smudging or smearing.

There are many ways to connect to the HP Photosmart A826. Connect directly from USB flash drives, your camera’s USB cord, and the following memory cards: Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo, xD-Picture Card. You can even print from your PC or Mac. A USB-to-computer cable must be purchased separate for this. The HP Photosmart A826 even supports wireless printing through Bluetooth technology!

What about paper and ink? HP’s “My Print Rewards” program offers exclusive discounts on HP ink, toner, and paper with free next-day shipping. To optimize your ink cartridge, I recommend adjusting the brightness of each photo to the second to the last setting, otherwise photos may come out darker than usual, plus it takes more ink to print a darker photo. The cheapest I’ve found the ink cartridge sold for are $15.49 at ANT Online, $16.88 at Sam’s Club, and $17.99 at Amazon. Photo paper price comparisons can be found on Froogle. Oh while I’m talking about deals, there are some HP Photosmart A826′s going for below retail on Ebay.

I designed Boogie’s photo birth announcements in Photoshop to match our Baby Shower set and then printed them out using the HP Photosmart A826. Family and friends loved them! The HP Photosmart A826 is a gadget that is definitely cherished in our home. I can’t wait until the Holidays roll around!

HP teamed up with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) and Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to launch a first-of-its-kind national digital video service program that allows families to access and purchase age-appropriate digital content in a safe and secure online environment. The digital video service program also supports PTA’s mission, which is to help children reach their full potential by providing tools for parents to get involved and manage their children’s health, education and safety. A wide array of kid-friendly DVD and TV titles, such as Alvin & The Chipmunks, Bee Movie, Enchanted, Nancy Drew and National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets are available at ptavideostore.com and bgcavideostore.com. The PTA and Boys & Girls Clubs of America worked hard to make both sites a great venue for busy moms to conveniently and securely buy entertainment without having to worry whether it will be safe for their kids to watch.

How would you like to win a $25 gift card redeemable at ptavideostore.com and bgcavideostore.com? Visit either store and come back here to post a comment letting me know how you’d spend your gift card! You may do either or all of the following for 1 extra entry each: blog about this giveaway, place our button on your sidebar, or subscribe to our feed (to be notified of future giveaways). Let me know what you’ve done in the comments. This giveaway will end August 17th 20th at 7PM CST! This giveaway is open to U.S residents only!

Starting at 24-28 weeks into pregnancy, the kickTrak kick counter enables moms-to-be to document her baby’s kicks, turns, twists, swishes, jabs and rolls in daily sessions by inputing each movement as she feels them. Each session records ten movements. After the tenth movement is recorded, the kickTrak kick counter plays Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Healthy babies generally move ten times in less than two hours, with most completing ten movements in less than 30 minutes. Should mom-to-be notice any significant changes in her baby’s movements, she can alert her healthcare provider. I think every mom-to-be should have her very own kickTrak to support the well being of her baby. The device is affordable and very simple to use. I was fortunate enough to have a very active baby, so I completed my kickTrak sessions with ease!

To learn more about stillbirth prevention, visit BabyKick Alliance founded by Dr. Nguyen as well!

So, of course, over the past couple of weeks since Christmas, I did what basically anyone else who has just gotten a new camcorder would do; shoot hundreds of thousands of random, pointless videos! This thing comes with a 30GB hard drive and up to 37 hours of recording, so I’m taking full advantage baby! I’m not really too fond of the quality of the videos it creates in dark settings though. It comes with a light that you can easily switch on, but that only helps a little. Maybe if I play around with the settings a little bit, I can figure something out. So far, I’ve just been running it on auto (where all settings self-adjust themselves when appropriate while recording), and I have yet to run it on manual. The videos play pretty well on my computer, except in Windows Media Player. For some reason, the videos kept coming out extremely choppy for me in WMP. So I downloaded Media Player Classic and the videos came out perfect. I’ve read that a lot of people have problems playing the videos on their computer due to the fact that the videos are .MOD files when they are transferred onto a computer from the camcorder’s hard drive. This can easily be fixed by just renaming the .MOD extension to .MPG. I haven’t had this problem though. My video files already have the .MPG extension when I transfer them from the camcorder. The Everio GZ-MG155 is also capable of taking pictures, although I haven’t too much experimented with that part yet. We have about a gajillion digital cameras in the house, so another one really isn’t a big deal to me.

As for physical traits, the JVC Everio GZ-MG155 is extremely small and extremely lightweight. It fits in the palm of my hand and weighs about that of a can of pop.

All of the buttons and toggles and switches are located in easy to reach places (as if it were even possible to put one in a hard to reach place as small as the camcorder is).

Did I also mention how sexy it is? Yep, if this camcorder was human, it would be right up there with Halle Berry. (Mommy is gonna kill me for saying that.)

So overall, it’s a pretty damn decent camcorder! I’d recommend it to the Moms and Dads out there who want to capture those very special moments of your children’s lives. As for my current plans for it, I couldn’t have gotten this thing at a better time! Boogie is due in four months and that’s when the camcorder will definitely be used to its full potential. I also would like to start incorporating videos into my posts here at Mommy Daddy Blog, so be sure to look out for those!

So, what’s the one gift you received this past Christmas that you are just totally in love with? I’d love to know!