Tag: gifts

Home, Mother's Day, Reviews

VIDBOX Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite Review

Erin Sluka
Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite

This is so exciting and what a great Mother’s Day gift! This is the VIDBOX Video Conversion and Audio Conversion Suite. This little box takes your old VCR (VHS, Betamax, S-VHS), camcorder (8mm, DV, mini DV, HDV, AVCHD) home movies and converts them to digital files.

I grew up in the 80’s and my younger siblings were into the 90’s so all of our home movies are on VHS and a few on 8mm. Do you even know what I had to go through to find someone who still has a VCR? That’s how long it has been since we saw our tapes and without owning a VCR we don’t get to sit and organize them or share.

The first 4 VHS tapes I played were taped TV shows, which was comical, such as ER, Will and Grace and even some old Fit TV episodes which I assume are my sisters recordings. I could just ignore those and not record.

Then I got to a stash of my youngest sister. Katie’s ballet show from 1996, her Middle School and High School choir and talent shows. Some Christmas family video and even one with my brother’s beloved dog he lost in a car accident (Shaft was in a Christmas video-such tears)! The memories are so fun!

Converting was so easy! You simply use the USB to plug in the VIDBOX to your PC or laptop (mine is the Mac version). Second, you use either RCA (composite) and/or S-Video outputs to connect VIDBOX to your VCR or video player/console. Then you will get a screen asking you length of the video you will record and then you get the actual record screen.

Here is the record screen (a bit blurry but that was my camera taking a moving photo on auto and not a reflection of VIDBOX quality). You simply get the video to the spot to record and hit RECORD. Then hit STOP and the NEXT arrow. At that point you can choose where to download to such as iTunes folder, file on computer, iMovie to edit and more.

The blur was my camera taking a moving video-VIDBOX conversions quality is great!

It’s that easy! TIP*** I recommend as converting these VHS tapes is a hefty file size that you record in 10-20 minute increments. That worked best for me in all formats of converting.

Buy VIDBOX Conversion Suite
2019 Valentine's, College Bound

3 Adult Games to Play with Friends and Family

Erin Sluka
3 Adult Games to Play with Friends and Family

3 Adult Games to Play with Friends and Family

The Holidays are over, a new semester is beginning at school, spring will be here soon and we will have Easter baskets to fill, school, gifts and kids! Sometimes we need adult time. Whether you invite friends over or get a sitter and meet at a friends home for some adult socializing, games always add an extra element of fun. Card games, especially, create laughs and weirdness that is so refreshing.

There are several adult games to play by Goliath Games from GAMES ADULTS PLAY (the name is catchy)! I have 3 of them and we first brought these out on Super Bowl Sunday as we had food prepped and were waiting for the game to start.

True Colors

My 10 year old really wanted to play with us and True Colors was the most appropriate so we played this one with him. In True colors you have cards each player reads at their turn. Everyone is voting on who (besides themselves) most relate to that question or comment.

While you are voting for others in the ballot box, you are then trying to guess how many votes were cast for you. Scoring is a tad tricky at first, but once you can focus on a round of two it’s easier. You get scored based on if you were correct about getting any votes or not and then if you actually got the most votes. For 3 to 6 players and the more the better the game!

Friend or Faux

Friend or Faux is strictly adult fun because these questions get personal and intimate at times. I would save this game for friends you know well and are not worried about creating awkward conversations with. It is my duty to give you that bit of a warning.

However, it is a blast! It is very easy to play and you simply are sharing your cards question with a friend to answer. There are Bull Shit cards in play and you can use it at anytime if you think the player is bluffing and want to create an argument you may or may not win. At your turn you start at Pile 1 for round one and read the card. You wait to answer because everyone else is guessing what you might say. Will they be right or wrong? If they were wrong? What was it they thought you’d say? This is why it is so fun.

If you cannot avoid young ears being around, just stick to the lower numbered piles. The higher numbered pile the worse the questions. Pile 1 is kid-friendly with questions like favorite movie, etc..

Shit Happens

This game is a blast! Again, NOT kid-friendly. Each player starts with 3 cards and lays them down in order of less severe to most severe in circumstances. Such as…

Being Stung by a Swarm of Bees and Finding a Dead Hooker in your Bed (like I said, not kid-friendly so I wanted to make that clear).

Every card has a number professionally dictated as its place on pleasant to worst scenario. The player next to you draws a card and reds it to you, without showing you the number place assigned to that scenario. You must decide where it falls in your stack of cards. If you guess right you keep the card. The first to collect 10 cards wins.

Find more games like this at Games Adults Play.

2019 Valentine's, Education, Gift Guides, School, School Gifts, Tips and Tricks

5 DIY Valentine’s Gifts for the Classroom

Erin Sluka

Our youngest is 10 and even in 5th grade the kids still love the holiday gifts that arrive for celebrations. I showed up to the classroom on the last day before the Christmas holiday with donuts from the grocery bakery and you would have thought I brought a movie star with me!

“Whoa! Do we all get 1 whole donut?”

“Thank you so much!! The donuts are our favorite”

They were so excited I kind of felt guilty. Other kids brought in so many great sweets and treats and the kids were drooling over these donuts like it was all they needed. Then as they got their donut and the rest of the kids handed out there items, there was another popular treat.

The only handmade item (the rest were typical store bought cookies and cupcakes) was a boys homemade cookie treats and the kids began admiring those. They weren’t store bought and they were unique so the kids were intrigued. Even at grade 5, the kids still appreciate the effort and uniqueness of DIY class gifts.

So, I have not totally made up my mind of what to send with Anthony for Valentine’s Day but here are my favorite DIY Valentine’s Gifts for the Classroom right now I have saved into my bookmarked pages.

1. Fruit Snacks Valenties

I found these on Domestic Executive Online and in her Free Valentine’s Printable post she has this fun idea for fruit snacks. Cheap and easy!

2. Goldfish “Hooked On You” Valentines

This is so fun and also very inexpensive. All you need is some goldfish crackers, baggies and the instructions from Frugal Coupon Living’s post for these fun free Valentine’s printables!

3. Capri Sun with Cupid’s Arrow Messages

Like I mentioned above, I attended my son’s 5th grade class holiday party and with 30 kids who brought treats, no one brought drinks and us adults were running for water for very sugar-high thirsty kids! This is a fun idea I found from Joy’s Life for this fun drink Valentines printable.

4. Crayon DIY Printable

Boxes of crayons are a great non-food gift for the kids of all ages. I found this free crayon printable for this Color My World Valentine from Dreaming in DIY.

5. Peel the Love Valentine

Want to bring the healthier treat? This is a fun free Valentine’s printable from Happy Money Saver for cuties oranges

2018 Holiday Gifts

Grandbox is the Gifts for Grandparents That Keep Giving

Erin Sluka

Have you heard about the GrandBox subscription box for Grandparents? I always try to make the Grandparent gifts personal. The boys would make crafts at school and wrap them. But the boys are 10, 21 and 26 so no crafting is done here like that.  This season we created a Grandbox and gave it to my Dad recently for his birthday. It is such a great gift idea for Grandparents any time of the year. And you can order one anytime so that a box arrives a few times a year for a gift that keeps giving.

Inside was a variety of products that was intriguing for my Dad. However, the most special were photos of my son. GrandBox printed then as actual photographs and included them in the box.

“Every month, the GrandBox team creates a new theme to build each box around. Every theme and product is meant to bring joy to your loved one. From Route 66 to Back-to-School to A Day at the Spa, we make sure that each box will be a delightful surprise.“

 Visit MyGrandBox to get started. remember GrandBox as you search for a gifts for Grandparents.