So, this summer, my 13 & 16-year-old and I are heading to Philly to the Digital Family Summit and speaking on a panel. I am so excited about speaking with my kids about vlogging as a family.

My kids are very involved in my blogging and vlogging. They are either in front of the camera or behind it. My 16-year-old wants to be a film producer and he has worked on several films already. He has created youtube videos since he was 9.

My 13-year-old loves to use video to impress her teachers when creating school projects. With her iPhone always in hand, we get to see her life through the video she creates.

Since this is the first Digital Family Summit, you may have a few questions.

What is the Digital Family Summit?

The Digital Family Summit is an interactive, hands-on conference for teen and tween digital media creators and their families.

Who is attending?

If you or your kid is interested in blogging, entrepreneurship, creating videos, games or animations this conference will help build skills and make connections that will take him or her to the next level.

Who is speaking?

Speakers are from the Food Network, Columbia University, Entertainment Weekly, Parsons School of Design and a host of tween and teen bloggers and entrepreneurs (and many others including me and my 13 & 16-year-old.)

And now the fun….

Digital Family Summit Giveaway

As a media sponsor of the Digital Family Summit, I have one (1) family pack ticket (up to five people) to giveaway. This is the registration to the summit ONLY. All other expenses and fees are NOT included. Approximate value is $879.

To Enter:

I want to know why your family wants to attend the Digital Family Summit. Make this a thorough response. For example, responding with “to learn more,” is not a very thorough answer. You response should include what you want to get out of the summit, why your children want to go, what do you hope to get out of the summit and include some ways that your family is already a digital family.

MUST choose one of the following:

1. Write a blog post on your blog answering the questions outlined above. and leave a comment below with a link to your post.

2. Create a video with your family answering the questions outlined above. Upload wherever you typically upload a video and leave a comment below with the link to your video.

3. You may do both 1 & 2 and it will count as 2 entries.

Extra Entries (optional):

Once you have done 1 of the above, you may tweet one of the following tweets, once each day for an extra chance to win. Your tweets only count as extra entries if you have written a blog post or video first. You MUST leave a link to your tweet in the comments below for it to count.

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Digital Family Summit; I’m Speaking With My Teen & Tween (+Giveaway) originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Seriously? You didn’t wash the chocolate off your face and you are still wearing the same shirt you’ve had on since Sunday?

That is something I would never say *wink* as we were rushing from soccer practice to dance and eating fast food for the 3rd time in a week.

How many times, before you were a parent, did you swear that you would NEVER let your kids leave the house with hair all knotted & frizzy, a dirty face and filthy clothes? Now that you have kids, you are happy if they are wearing clothes when you leave the house. My kids may be unkempt, but the one thing I NEVER leave my house without is my smartphone.

LG Viper 4G LTE Smartphone

For the last few days I have been testing the LG Viper 4G LTE smart phone. Having this smart phone with me all the time gives me access to:

• My email where I’ll find all the information about soccer and dance practice.
• My calendar where I’ll find the schedule of all 6 family members.
• My address book where I’ll find the address of my kid’s friends, the soccer field and everyone/thing else we know/go to.
• My cloud storage which holds all the important documents I may need while at soccer, grocery store, doctor or my kid’s school.
• My Google Wallet so that when I forget my purse (I told you…I don’t leave home without my phone…quite often I forget the purse) I can still pay.
• My Life’s Good Fairytales app which occupies my children for hours when we are sitting in the doctor’s office waiting room
• ….and a ton of other apps…

From the moment I wake up when I look at my LG Viper to see what the weather will be like today, through out my day and when I go to bed to set my alarm for the next morning, my LG Viper has been the assistant every parent needs.

Google Wallet

Google Wallet is the coolest paying app I have ever seen and it comes preloaded on the LG Viper. I used to tell my kids that we couldn’t buy that new Lego set because I forgot my wallet. Um…not anymore. Because, as I said, my LG Viper smart phone is always with me, so, Google Wallet is also always with me.

How does Google Wallet work? Google Wallet app comes preloaded on your LG Viper. The best part?  You don’t even have to open the app to pay using your phone. Just tap your phone on the reader and your phone sends payment to the store using your default form of payment (unless you direct otherwise.) You can check where Google Wallet works before you hit the mall. Be sure to look for these symbols so you know that store accepts Google Wallet.

Use Google Wallet online by looking for these symbols:

Then, log into your account and you are done. It could not be any simpler to make a purchase either online or offline. And many merchants offer extra discounts when you use Google Wallet. You can find those right in the Google Wallet app.

Life’s Good Fairytales App

Do you remember skipping words or even pages in books when you read to your kids at bedtime when they were little? When they learned to read I couldn’t do that anymore.

I have a really fun solution for fun and short bedtime stories, Life’s Good Fairytales. The full Android app is available for free on Google Play through May 25, 2012. Full details at the LG Viper page.

This is a bedtime story where you and your kids become characters in the story. Add your face to 1 of 6 stories and as you read the story, you will be a character in the story. You are also asked several questions and your answers become part of the stories. These are so much fun because it is never-ending stories.

Each time you add a different face and different answers, you change the story a bit. Great for bedtime stories and always works great when you are stuck somewhere and the kids get bored. Have them ask the questions to another person and treat it like Mad Libs and take pictures of each other with silly faces to add to the stories. So much fun!!

LG Viper Final Word

Overall, the LG Viper is the first Android phone that I have used that I really like. It is small and easy to slip in your pocket, but big enough to be able to see your email and photos. It has an awesome camera to take pictures of my kids. I love documenting the everyday moments of our lives and having a good camera on my phone is really important.

I definitely recommend the LG Viper 4G and be sure to download Life’s Good Fairytales and Google Wallet.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this post through Social Moms. All opinions are 100% my own. Affiliate links within post.

Let’s Talk About the LG Vipor, Parenting, Google Wallet or Life’s Good Fairytales!

How does having a smartphone, like the LG Viper help you be a “parent on the go?” Have you used Google Wallet?

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LG Viper & Google Wallet Fit My “Parent On The Go” Lifestyle Perfectly originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Horses 3DSwill let you live out your dream of owning a horse. I remember wanting a horse when I was a little girl. I even took horse-back riding lessons, but it was winter in Wisconsin, so the lessons were inside. That was when we discovered I was allergic to hay. Had to nix the lessons.

The summer after I graduated from college, I went on a family vacation and we all rode horses. My horse was spooked by something, bucked up and threw me off. I landed on my tailbone and right hand. Broke my tailbone and my wrist. So, horses and I haven’t had a great relationship.

Playing Horses 3DS

When I got the Ubisoft Horses 3DS game, I started playing the game thinking that I would play it for a bit and then work. Well 3 hours later, I was still playing Horses. The game is soooo much fun.

You are the Stable Manager so you need to be sure the horses have everything they need and train them to race in 4 different types of horse races. Honestly, I am not very good at the racing part.

I love going after the hoof marks down the paths and collecting stars. Sometimes you ride alone and sometimes a friend will go along. The rides will usually have a mission like, collect all the stars and ride faster than your friend.

Horses 3DS & My Girls

My 13-year-old was a bit hesitant to play it because she thought it would be a game for little girls. I asked her to please play it so I could get her opinion of the game for my review. She loved it. She makes sure no one plays her game because she loves it so much.

The 2 screens you see while playing Horses 3DS

My 8-year-old heard us discussing Horses and of course she wanted to play too. She is currently hiding somewhere with the 3DS because she doesn’t want anyone to take it from her.

So, the game is fun for an 8-year-old, 13-year-old and even a 44-year-old girl. My boys didn’t want to play it, so it is definitely for girls.

Let’s Talk About Ubisoft’s Horses 3DS!

Did you want a horse when you were a kid? Do you have a 3DS?

Thank you to Ubisoft for sponsoring this blog post. Please click here to learn more about Ubisoft. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are my own. #UbiChamps Affiliate links within post.

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Ubisoft’s Horses 3DS Lets You Live Out Childhood Dreams originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Here were my presents this morning. It’s hard to see the margarita glass, but it has flip flops and bling on it. I got the new 1080 HD Apple TV and orange flip flops. They hit all my favorites. Beach, margaritas, technology & orange.

So how did you spend your Mother’s Day?

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Happy Mother’s Day! originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

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Wordless Wednesday; Hip Hop Style originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

How Can You Help?

P&G needs you to go to their Olay Facebook Page and sign the declaration, “Beauty by Example.” Declare your Mom a Beauty by Example.

My Declaration of Beauty by Example

I declared my Mom a Beauty by Example by uploading this picture.

This is a picture of my Mom and my niece taken last summer when my niece came to visit us after she graduated from high school. The most important thing in the world to my Mom is her family and that is so clear in this picture.

When I was growing up, I always knew that no matter how much I screwed up or how often I screwed up, my parents would always love me. The rest of the world could come crashing down on me, but my Mom would be there to pick me up. She had a way of helping us work through everything that came our way. She never fixed our problems for us, but she was always there for advice and sometimes to just listen.

My Mom, My Inspiration

I never realized how important that was until I had kids of my own. I never realized that my Mom had been able to give us the tools to leave home and not rely on her for everything, yet at the same time, we always knew that when we did need her, she wouldn’t judge, she would just be there to listen. That has definitely inspired me to try to do the same with my own kids.

This past week one of my own kids dealt with a difficult situation and I was so glad to see that he felt he could come and talk to me and while I didn’t make any decisions for him, we were able to work through the problem and everything turned out pretty good. I watched my son take the lessons I had taught him and work through a very difficult situation. Afterwards, when I was talking it through with my Mom, she said,

These are the moments where I feel like I have done a good job with my kids. It’s not he A’s on the report card or the awards. It’s when you see your children grow up, make decisions and work through difficult moments.

Being An Inspiration To My Kids

And of course, my goal is to inspire my kids to be able to become adult, leave my home and not need me, but I do hope that they choose to come to me because no matter what they do….I will always be here.

Mother’s Day Olay Giveaway

ENDED!!  Olay sent me a prize pack filled with lots of Olay and P&G products and are also giving away one (1) prize pack to one (1) of my readers. The prize pack includes everything you see in this picture:

Olay Mother's Day Prize Pack Giveaway

The giveaway ends at 1:00 pm ET on Thursday, May 10, 2012. At that time I will choose one winner using “And The Winner Is” WordPress plugin. The winner will have 24 hours to respond or I will choose another winner.

To enter, leave me a comment below telling me how your mother has inspired you or how you would like to inspire your own kids.

For extra entries, tweet this post using the hashtag #PGBeauty and leave a comment below with a link to the tweet.

Disclosure: I received the prize pack from P&G and was compensated by TheMotherhood for this campaign. All opinions are 100% my own.

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How Has Your Mom Inspired? Win Olay Beauty Gifts #PGBeauty originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

The “M” is for Michele, not mom because I am definitely not SuperMom! The really cool thing about PowerCapes is that you can create any cape you want with the colors and letter that fits you best. I obviously created mine using orange, pink, purple and sparkle.

The colors of the cape looked even better than I imagined them and the sparkles are really pretty. The cape is a satin orange and feels exactly like I expected it to feel.

PowerCapes To The Rescue

PowerCapes offers both custom made capes and they have a huge selection of ready-made capes available for both kids and adults. Even Tori Spelling and her kids have PowerCapes.

I’m SuperMichele because I try to be the best me I can be. Although if I could have any super power, it would be to fly. I would love to go anywhere I wanted at any time.

Let’s Talk About SuperHeroes!

What super power would you have if you could pick one?

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Celebrate SuperHero Day With Your Own PowerCape originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters

Planning a Monster Party

My kids set up most of the Moshi Monsters town before the party because they wanted to be sure that they knew how it worked. They set up the town, opened up a few of the Moshi Monsters and of course they decided which ones they wanted first and I picked out my orange, Moshi Meggie as I call her.

Moshi Meggie

My son suggested veggie stick chips and Sprite for the food. I told the kids this party was theirs to plan because they were really excited about it. So we went to the store to buy veggie stick chips (Moshi Sticks we called them) and Sprite (or Moshi Monster Juice.)

We set up my Moshi Monster up online before the party also. Moshi Meggie has a room and likes to play games. We haven’t had a lot of time to explore the full online site, but so far we have had fun. You can visit my room on Moshi Monsters if you’d like.

Moshi Monsters Party

Each child had a few friends over they took turns playing with the Moshi Monsters (boys first, then the girls.) The boys raced the Moshi Monsters all over the town and had fun setting up obstacles to try to block each other from making to the next place. They decided that trying Moshi Monsters with the HEXBUGS would be a lot of fun, but we decided to try that another day.

The girls played with the Moshi Monsters in a more calm way. They discussed why each Monster was going into each store making up stories. Each Moshi Monster had a spouse and at least one kid by the end of their game.

Moshi Monsters Gross-ery Store

Later on, when only a few were left, I took this video and had them show me how the Moshi Monsters work and we realized we had not set up the last store, the Grossery.

Moshi Monsters Final Verdict

My kids enjoyed playing with the Moshi Monsters, but all agreed that it would be really cool to play the Moshi Monsters with the HEXBUG sets. They loved the online game and naming their own Monster. My daughter plays with the online game quite often.

Follow Moshi Monsters on YouTube, Facebook & Twitter.

Disclosure: I received the Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters sets from Mommy Party in exchange for this post. All opinions are 100% my own (and my kids.)

Let’s Talk About Moshi Monsters!

Have you heard of Moshi Monsters? Do your kids like to play with toys that have both online and offline fun?

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Bobble Bots Moshi Monsters Are Loads of Fun Online & Offline originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Alison Sweeney Fan

I have always been an Alison Sweeney fan because I felt a connection to her. She always seemed very down to earth and real and the fact that you could see her weight fluctuate throughout her life was something I definitely could relate to. I love watching her take control of her own health because it gives me hope for myself.

As the spokesperson for Yoplait Light, Alison is offering some of her healthy tips

Healthy Eating & Living

• Make exercise a regular part of your schedule and try something new all the time.
• Eat at home as often as you can. Home-cooked meals are good for the soul, and the body!
• Take time every day for yourself. Even if it’s just a couple pages of a novel before you go to bed.
• Find happiness in small parts of your day — even at snack time. You can enjoy eating what you love, by just making a healthier choice. I like a Red Velvet Cake Yoplait Light because it tastes great and saves me a bunch of calories vs. a real slice.
• Get plenty of rest! (this is something I am terrible at) getting a good night sleep always helps you stay healthy and feel better the next
• Enjoy the journey! We all set such high goals and standards for ourselves, sometimes we forget that it’s the process of getting there that supposed to be fun. if we wait until the end to celebrate we’re missing out!

Yoplait Light is offering coupons on their site and you can find more recipes & tips on the Yoplait Facebook Page.

The Mommy Diet

Alison Sweeney also wrote a book, The Mommy Diet and I love it. She offers many more tips for staying active and being healthy while raising a family and working full-time. Her advice comes from her experience of living it. The tips are things that I know I can start in my life. It’s not always easy, but if you make it a priority, you can do it too.

Disclosure: I received nothing in exchange for this post. I have been a fan of Alison Sweeney and I thought I would pass on her healthy tips to you.

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Alison Sweeney’s Healthly Eating and Living Tips originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.

Every time I see the Toyota commercial, I think back on my life. There were so many memories that I have that involved a Toyota. I have pictures of some of the Toyota cars from my past, but not all. Some of them are from way back in the olden days when we didn’t have digital cameras.

So, here is my life remembered in Toyota cars…

1980

I remember my parents buying 2 brand new Toyota cars. It was the first cars that I really remember well in my life. They bought a Toyota Tercel and a Toyota station wagon (I think it was a Corolla, but I’m not positive.)

My sister and the back of our Toyota station wagon.

1983

I learned to drive in our Toyota station wagon.

1984

I learned to drive stick shift in our Toyota Tercel.

1985

I graduated from High School and by this time the Toyota Tercel had become my car (or at least the car I drove, until my sister learned to drive, then I had to share.)

1986 – 1987

I drove the Tercel to and from college.

1989

I bought my very first car (well, I leased my very own car.) It was a red Toyota Tercel. My Dad went with me so we were sure I would get a good deal (and I did.) I remember buying it from Jack Safro Toyota in Brookfield, WI.

My blue Toyota!

1991

I totaled my first Toyota. Sad….sad…day! Because it was a lease (and this was before gap insurance) we did a transfer of collateral. I now had a blue 1989 Toyota Tercel. I remember trying to drive that car with a broken wrist (right wrist and it was a stick shift car.)

1993

My Dad and I went in together and bought a small Toyota truck. I drove it most of the time, but he drove it if he needed it to haul stuff around.

My black Toyota truck.

 1993

I met my husband on AOL and one of the things we had in common was that we both drove Toyota trucks (match made in heaven). Mine was black and his was blue.

1994

My husband and I bought our first car together. It was a red Toyota Corolla and it’s the car we had when we got married.

Just married in a Toyota. That is me in the wedding dress!

 1996

We had a baby and now the Corolla wasn’t big enough anymore. We needed a Camry.

Nathan asleep in our Camry. He slept often in a Toyota.

1997

Washing the blue Toyota Camry with Daddy.

Jason washing his Toyota!

1998

We moved to Wisconsin and bought a second car, a blue Toyota Corolla.

A Toyota Corolla and Camry in our garage.

1998

My sister moved in with us and she needed a car. We helped her buy a 1998 Toyota Corolla and she still owns that car today and it is still running.

1999

We had a second baby and clearly needed a mini-van. We bought a Toyota Sienna.

Here is a scrapbook page I created showing my husband washing the cars. He was always washing the Toyota cars.

2001

We traded in the blue Camry for a silver Camry. The kids loved helping Jason wash it.

2004

We traded in the silver Camry for a beautiful red Camry.

2007

My husband informed me that I left out one car and it probably was because it was also a red Toyota Camry, so I didn’t realize it was different than the one above when I was searching through thousands of pictures.  There was a 2007 Toyota Camry SE also.

2012

This leads us to our most recent purchase. Another red Toyota Camry….

Cars and Memories

Our latest Camry has so much technology in it and is quite different than that first Toyota back in 1980. But one thing is clear…our cars are more than just cars. They are memories! Every time we bought a new car, we got it all cleaned up and took pictures of it in the sun when it looks the most beautiful.

My son is now 15 and he is learning to drive in a red Toyota Camry. So often as we think back on our memories, we always relate them to which house we were in and which car we had. Toyota has been there through much of my life!

Disclosure: This post is written as part of my involvement in TWIN and the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions are 100% my own. #ToyotaWomen

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My Life Remembered In Toyota Cars; #ToyotaWomen originally posted at Scraps of My Geek Life.