New scanner features one-touch scanning and fast transfer for immediate enjoyment

I’m excited to hear Pandigital announce today that it has expanded its line of innovative photo scanners with a new model – the Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner/ Converter – that can scan print photos up to 8 ½ x 11-inches large.

While the Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner/Converter can accommodate photos up to 8 ½ x 11-inches large, it can also scan in photos as small as wallet-sized or any size in-between.

“Consumers everywhere have photos that they want to preserve for future generations,” said Dean Finnegan, CEO and founder, Pandigital. “The new Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner/Converter lets families easily archive precious moments and milestones such as weddings, yearly school photos, and sporting events are often captured as large 8 x 10-inch prints.”

Pandigital’s award-winning line of scanners have been acclaimed for their ease-of-use and excellent performance. The local urgent care medical facility even uses Pandigital scanners to save digital copies of insurance information, which is much more environmentally friendly than photo copies.

The scanner does not require any expensive or confusing software. Further optimizing the quality, images are scanned at up to 600 optical dpi for resulting scans that are crisp and clear. In addition to being able to scan images onto the included SD memory card, it can be connected directly to either a Mac or PC computer via its mini-USB port.

Weighing in at less than a pound and measuring only 10 inches long, the Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner/Converter is incredibly portable and can be taken nearly anywhere, like grandma’s house, to quickly and simply preserve images.

Coming in 2 colors, white, red, and blue, this is a stylish addition to a mom’s office (or purse!). The Pandigital Personal Photo Scanner/Converter is available now for a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $149.99.

today’s gift guide is all about ultra-affordable gifts- everything in this roundup will be $25 and under! so, i hope you’ll find something that might be good for someone in your life.

[image above, clockwise from bottom left: Moroccan Tea Glasses $20 set, mermaid bottle opener $15, 3 wishbones $12, eyelet bowl $24,  Pair of Vintage Soy Candles $20, mirrored monogram coasters $18, Beeswax rock candles (set of 3) $19, Hidden Bibile Flask $24, culinary herb garden kit $25, The Game of Life  - Family Guy Collector's Edition $21, Mustache Pencils $14, preening pen $20, grobal self-watering plant $25, Lace Pedestal Jewelry Stand $18  ]

For myself: What don’t I want? A signed edition of Atlas Shrugged, The full penguin classics collection, a secretary desk, two wing back chairs, a new laptop, a crown muffin tin from Williams-Sonoma, Buffy the vampire Slayer box set (so I never have to leave my house again), a new car, half a side of beef and a chest freezer, have Joss Whedon over for dinner, money (and lots of it), a mortgage, 70 degree weather with a light breeze (year round), to lose 40 pounds, good health, and above all else, new skates and Baz Lehrman’s red curtain trilogy.

For my husband: What do you get the man that has everything? More Everyman Jack? He needs it, but I don’t want to get him a present that says “Go take a bath – you smell”.  I know he’d love alternative energy producers like a solartube skylight, residential wind turbine, or a solar panel, but realistically, I doubt anyone will donate one for review, and I can’t afford it as a Christmas present. I’ll just get him season tickets for a local sports team and renew his Family Handyman subscription.

For my pumpkin (3 yr old daughter): She doesn’t need any more toys, clothes, movies, books or art supplies. She wants more time with her friends and family.  She wants to ride in an airplane. Yeah, my daughter is super cool; I know. The best gift for her is a family vacation to visit relatives. The best way I can provide that is with Smarty Pig, a savings tool that helps other people, like grandparents, contribute to a goal, like an airline ticket. I’m sure she’d also want the Bugsby Reading System by VTech, if she knew it existed.

For my cupcake (1 yr old daughter): She’s really into baby dolls, shoes, and learning to walk. With girls so close in age, toys and clothes end up being handed down.  I think she’d love a zoo membership. I’d say the children’s museum, because we could visit year round (the zoo isn’t much fun in the winter), but the museums around here are focused more on older children.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, writer, wife, and mother of two girls. She is a supermom and loves it.

Instead of being a seat on top of a chair, the KABOOST lifts the chair from the bottom. Using its adjustable spring system, KABOOST easily adjusts to fit 4-legged chairs and snaps-on to the chair in seconds. The instructions look like something you’d find from IKEA, but it’s hassle free.

There is a choice of 2 elevating height positions (4.5” and 3.75”), so your child can use KABOOST for years to come. Just flip KABOOST over to its other side in order to use the other height position.

KABOOST can easily hold up to 300 lbs. A certain momma author uses the one KABOOST sent her because she’s too short to type comfortably at her counter island. This is a great option for the whole family.

The rubberized grips to keep the chair attached stay in place even when picking up and shaking the chair. Unfortunately, the grips also work to keep the chair from sliding around on the floor, which poses a problem for kids that can’t pick up the chair to move it.

Another issue arises upon frequent removal and replacement, as the plastic piece that keep the spring covered is a bit flimsy and breaks easily. This doesn’t pose too great a safety hazard as long as you keep an eye on your kids.  Overall, a good replacement for booster seat and a product that’ll be useful for years to come.

Weighing just 3.5 lbs., KABOOST is compact and lightweight, easy to fold and carry to grandparents’ and friends’ homes or to restaurants and events, if you can convince Mom to shut off the computer and get off of the chair.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, writer, wife, and mother of two girls. She is a supermom and loves it.

The Demy was created to meet the demands of a busy kitchen. Its splash-resistant design and sturdy plastic exterior make it easy to clean. Spills and smudges easily wipe off the sealed touchscreen with a damp cloth. The Demy has been tested to withstand splashes, but should never be submerged or placed under running water.

One of the best features is the ’short list’. Making a brunch or a complex holiday meal? Simply find each recipe you want and add it to your Short List. They’ll be waiting for you on a short list that you can easily flip through as you cook. You add and remove on the about page for each recipe.

Some Key features:

• Two different viewing angles of a 7″ screen. The screen flips automagically. See Photos.
• You can organize your recipes into cookbooks (like sleepover favorites or quick dinners) or view all alphabetically.
• Three different font sizes that you change from the bottom navigation, on the fly
• High contrast and Bright screen
• Three built-in timers! No need to juggle cooking times. The Demy timers will notify you with flashes and tones as each cooking time expires.
• A conversion tool and a list of ingredient substitutions.
• You plug it in to charge and it’ll run on batteries, which makes it so convenient.
• Auto shut off for energy efficiency after an amount of time you set in the options panel.

Preloaded with a bunch of unique recipes, including some gluten-free, the Demy is ready to use out of the box. If you want to add up to 2500 of your own recipes, it’s simple. First, you install the synch software from the easy to use Demy website. Then, you sign up for a free account at Key Ingredient. Once you have an account, you can use recipes from the Key Ingredient site or use your own recipes by typing them in or by sending your hard copy recipes to be transcribed for you using Scan My Recipes. Then, simply plug the Demy USB cable into your Mac or PC, start the synch
software and the Demy automatically syncs your recipe collection.

The Key Ingredient site is easy to navigate with suggestions for uses of in season vegetables right on the front page. As well as adding in your time tested favorites, you can collect hundreds of recipes to try and later delete if they don’t work out. A great feature of the site is that you can choose to preserve your grandmothers’ secret recipes as a completely private collection or you can select some or all of your recipes to be shared with a just a few selected
friends or even to the public.

The Every Man Jack Signature Mint Shave Kit has a nice pleasant scent that doesn’t overpower your whole day. Nothing bums me out more than smelling like my shaving cream all day. I start everyday by cleansing my face with the EMJ Face Wash. I particularly like this product over other face washes because it doesn’t feel oily or greasy, but also doesn’t dry my face out.

When my face is nice and clean, I reach for the EMJ shave cream. It took me a couple of days to really get used to a shaving cream like this, especially since I had been using a gel. I did notice on the very first day how much smoother of a shave it gave me. I wasn’t using a fresh razor head, either. In fact, I’ve gone about twice as long on the same razor as I had been with my shave gel.

The shaving cream rinses off nice and clean, leaving my face ready for some EMJ face lotion. Just a dab of this and you’ll feel like a new man. The secret to this line of products is their natural cleansers derived from coconut and shea butter, which are a lot better than the chemicals on the labels of my old facial products.

Guys, does your current soap dry you out? Does it leave residue on your body? Does it smell like a field of wild flowers in the spring time near the ocean on a breezy day? I have just the product for you. Seriously, I recommend the Every Man Jack Hair and Body Kit.

I can only describe the citrus-y scent as orange PEZ candy, and it leaves me refreshed and ready to tackle the world in the morning. The 2-in-1 shampoo is doing wonders for my hair and scalp (which I’ve had dryness issues with for pretty much my whole pubescent life). The wheat bran bar of soap is half the size of a shoebox, and will easily last me 4-6 months. The soap lathers well and has little granules in it to exfoliate. The EMJ body wash seems a little redundant after using the bar soap, but if you prefer body wash to soap, then you will be pleasantly surprised. The EMJ body wash cleans very well, and leaves no greasy feeling behind.

All in all, I have had a hard time finding anything but good things to say about this line of products. My only beef with Every Man Jack is the snap-close tops on the tubes which seem to slowly leak if left standing on my counter. For the affordable price and overall great experience I’ve had with these kits, I will certainly be buying more for myself (and maybe some for my dad, my father in law, my brothers, and anyone I think could benefit from a clean shower).

The two new kits include the Signature Shave Kit and Citrus Hair + Body Kit.  Both are retailing at Target and www.EveryManJack.com for just $9.99, a perfect price point considering the current state of the economy.

Every Man Jack is currently holding a contest to find a ‘real guy’ to be featured in their Men’s Health ad campaign. go check it out at www.EveryManJack.com. The prizes are out of this world, and all entrants get one free EMJ product at Target.

Meet the Dad:
Alexander Suzzi is a great smelling young man that caught the nose of Momma Amanda 4 years ago. funny, right? No? Seriously, Alex is the best father, friend, and confidant a wife could dream of. He’s handy with tools, helps wash dishes and fold laundry, and has killer abs. Alex has dreams of owning a big garage with a little house attached to house his collection of rat rods, but Momma Amanda has other ideas in mind.

There are three different varieties currently available – Spyglass noodles, Spaghetti, and Chili Mac. All of them are super easy to prepare – cut open the pouch, heat for a minute, and serve.

The Spyglass noodles are penne with ground chicken in the sauce. Unlike other rice pasta, this isn’t gummy or sticky. The soft, delicate noodles are delicious and you can really taste the spices (but there’s little to no hot spices).

The spaghetti noodles are a little al dente (which means I didn’t cook it long enough in my excitement to try) and the sauce is a little thin. The flavor is full bodied and peppery, which more than makes up for it not being a chunky sauce.

As for the chili mac, it’s elbow pasta with chicken chili sauce and pinto beans. A very mild chili flavor with hints of tex-mex origins makes this a great dish for adults and children.

Mommas Review has an additional set of Spyglass noodles, Spaghetti, and Chili Mac for one lucky winner.

Here’s how you can enter to win:

1. Tell me what food allergies you or your kids have.  This is mandatory, if not done all other entries will be null and void.
2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
3. For a third entry you can tweet the following on twitter: “Win Allergaroo Allergen Free Pasta dishes at http://www.mommasreview.com” – be sure to post a comment here telling us you’ve done so.
4. For a fourth entry you post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with the URL of your post.
5. For a fifth entry subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a link here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.

This giveaway is open to US readers only (sorry to our international readers)!

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Monday June 22nd.

From padding the corners of furniture to toilet seat locks, early childhood safety is the most important priority of parents. Babies spend up to 70% of their early life sleeping and playing on a crib mattress, so being concerned about their sleeping environment makes sense.  Visibly, there is little difference between this and a ‘regular’ crib mattress; what is really important is the stuff inside.

Baby and children’s mattresses typically use materials such as vinyl/PVC and polyurethane foam which release questionable chemicals over time. These materials and chemicals have been eliminated in the No-Compromise Organic Cotton Mattress.

The NO-COMPROMISE™ DUAL FIRMNESS ULTRA Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress features a luxurious organic cotton fabric with an easy-to-clean polyethylene waterproof coating (like the really nice take out food containers). Waterproof edges and heat sealed waterproof seams prevent moisture penetration for a more hygienic design. No seepage of fluids or entry points for dust mites.

A crib mattress made with organic cotton promotes a healthy and more chemical-free sleeping environment. Cotton is an ideal filling material that is both natural and renewable. Organic Cotton is unbleached, undyed, and grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. Cotton does not burst into flames or release deadly fumes when ignited (as compared  with polyurethane foam). It meets and exceeds all Federal and State flammability standards without the use of potentially harmful chemicals.

With Square corners for a snug fit,  the mattress features a slightly firmer infant side and a slightly softer toddler side that will grow with your child for many years. Heavy-duty orthopedic innerspring and firm flat surface provide ideal support in accordance with pediatrician and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) firmness recommendations.

Naturepedic backs up its product development with scientific data. In particular, Naturepedic products are regularly tested and are certified by GREENGUARD®, the strictest independent third party testing laboratory for eliminating toxic chemical off-gassing.

The No-Compromise™ Dual Firmness Ultra is simply the cleanest and healthiest crib mattress available. It is waterproof, firm and eliminates potentially harmful chemicals from your child’s crib. It will provide your child with a more natural, healthy and comfortable sleep environment.

To round out the One Week – One Room Bedroom Week we are giving away a Naturepedic NO-COMPROMISE™ DUAL FIRMNESS ULTRA Baby Crib & Toddler Mattress to one lucky winner. Here’s how to enter:

1. Tell us what you call your baby. For example, mine are cupcake and pumpkin. This is mandatory, if not done all other entries are null and void.
2. For an extra entry, you can follow us on Twitter. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
3. For a third entry you can tweet about this giveaway or post about it on your blog and leave a comment here with either the URL of your post or your twitter profile. “Win the cleanest and healthiest crib mattress available @ http://www.mommasreview.com”
4. For a fourth subscribe to our RSS feed, leaving a comment here to tell us you’ve done so. We’ll be posting more giveaways on Momma’s Review soon so subscribing will be a great way for you to stay informed about all the great things you can win in the days and weeks to come.
5. For a final entry visit http://eightymphmom.blogspot.com and enter into any ONE of her ongoing giveaways. Come back and tell me what you entered.

This giveaway is open to US readers!

The contest will close at 12:00 p.m. EST on Saturday June 11th.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, writer, wife, and mother of two girls. She is a supermom and loves it.

As a second time mom with large breasts prior to giving birth, I could never find a button up shirt that fit correctly. Instead, I constantly struggled with pulling down shirts, showing my bra straps (or side boob gap), and settling for stretch jersey to give me the dreaded uniboob. After having 2 children, my breasts grew to an unmanageable size, and I had to donate all but 2 of my shirts. When all hope was lost, Carissa sent me a sample of her line.

Carissa Rose’s button up style shirt allows me to be put together for business and even make other mom’s jealous at the playground. From the darting to the unique closure system, this shirt was made for busty women like me.

The darts at the bust area are perfectly placed to give women a slimming shape. For me, the seaming on the breast area created an unflattering point reminisce of Madonna. I think the dart problem could be related to the bras I wear and will be fixed simply by changing the dart to a princess seam. Carissa writes about finding a great bra for a full bust in her styling tips (hint: there’s more to lace than just being pretty).

Being short, I did find the sleeve length to be long. I’m nit picky and don’t like sleeves anyways, so hitting the tips of my fingers didn’t make me happy. I see myself turning this into a 3/4 sleeve shirt, as I tend to turn the cuffs up that much anyways.

The fabric is a great stretchy woven material that looks durable and feels smooth on the skin. The fabric is light enough that I can layer the shirt under a blazer, but thick enough that it’s not see through.

Breastfeeding with this shirt is just as easy as finding a private corner. The closure system is hook and eye, which means no more unsightly gap between buttons, or worse, popping buttons when breathing deep. I thought the closure would be hard to manuever, but I’ve mastered the technique one handed with a wriggling baby in the other arm.

The bottom of the shirt flairs out slightly, which has a slimming effect. Leaving this shirt untucked is the only option for me, and having the bottom flair means I can hide the mommy pouch that hasn’t been beaten into submission yet.

This shirt, the company, the story of the mom and mom’s mother behind the company, and the website all get a big smile and thumbs up from this Momma.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, wife, and mother of two girls. She loves to tailor clothes to oddly proportioned people.

For those of us who love fine food, cooking is an art, and a quality knife is the artist’s brush. Raw fish is probably the most difficult thing there is to cut cleanly. That’s why over centuries the Japanese have developed a special knife just for this purpose. Though cooking of large roasts in Japan is rare, the sashimi will cut a roast beef or ham like no knife you have ever seen.

The knife has such a unique swirling grain pattern on the metal that it inspired hours of research into Damascus steel. The only knowledge retained – it’s a complex process that takes a lot of time but makes a durable blade.

The knife is well balanced and fits nicely in your hand, regardless of hand size. The grip is solid, and you’ll never have a problem of the blade separating from the handle like you get with cheap knives.

The handle of  the knife is waterproof, and resistant to stains, chemicals, bacteria and molds. Not only does it’s non-porous quality make it the most durable handle material on the market, it also gives it an attractive, seamless appearance.

Used everyday, this expensive knife is worth its price. Mommas that like exceptional quality will be surprised when New West KnifeWorks Sashimi Knife exceeds your expectations.

A little about the company: New West KnifeWorks was founded by Corey Milligan and Michael Merriman as a partnership to design, develop, and produce knives for fine art and craft shows. From its inception, the goal has been not only to produce the finest quality knives in the world, but also to design these tools to be works of art that inspire excellence in food preparation and beautify the kitchen. The team has had much success in this mission. Michael retired from the company in 2005 to pursue a different muse. Corey has three children under five and is taking a year or two off from traveling to Art Shows, but is still developing new and exciting cutlery.

About the Momma:

Amanda @ funkEpunkEmonkE.com

Amanda is a homemaker, roller derby vixen, freelance web architect, indie crafter, writer, wife, and mother of two girls. She would have been a professional chef if she listened to her parents.