Favorite Products of 2010

2010 was a terrific year for me, in every way possible. In addition to all the great adventures my family shared, I had a terrific time with my blog- especially because I attended BlogHer this year for the first time ever, and worked with some wonderful companies that I truly enjoy and think well of. I had the change to also review some great products to share with my readers, and since 2011 is here, I wanted to give my favorite products a final encore before starting my new blog adventures.

In no particular order, the products I loved most this year (in various price ranges, and for quite varied reasons) are:

* Flip SlideHD Camcorder– it’s compact, it tapes for four hours, all the software is inside, it connects directly to my computer without an extra wires, and it uploads all the videos automatically onto my computer, where I can edit and save to my heart’s content. It also features a slide show of video on it’s little screen, takes video in high definition, and is the reason I was able to capture little man’s most important firsts. I love the Flip SlideHD!

* Exergen Temporal Scanner Thermometer– I can’t say enough times how much I truly love this non-invasive, accurate thermometer. I can take little man’s temperature even while he’s sleeping. To me, this thermometer is a parent necessity.

* All-Clad slowcooker– I think I may use this at least 3-4 times a week, and it’s fabulous. I think slowcookers in general are genius, save time and money, make a woman’s life easier, and All-Clad makes beautiful, high-quality slow-cookers that make delicious family dinners.

* Tassimo T20 Brewbot– I am constantly inviting people over now- which is awesome since one of my New Year’s resolutions is to be more social. I offer my guests specialty drinks on this nifty little beverage maker; my house is better than Starbucks!

* Rite-Aid Personalized Photo Products– Maybe it’s because seeing our son’s face on dad’s coffee mug is such a great way to start the day, or maybe it’s because I love my husband more when he wears his tie with our son’s face patterned all over it, but I really got a kick out of all the fun products Rite-Aid’s photo center can create (see, things don’t have to be expensive to be appreciated).

* Spin N’ Go Mop– because I hate cleaning. And with this mop, I didn’t have to spend a second more than necessary doing it.

* Naturepedics No Compromise Organic Crib mattress- because my son deserves the best, and I really believe this mattress is the best a baby can have- 252 coils, totally organic and non-toxic materials, firm…*I* wanted to sleep on it.

* Maclaren’s Twin Techno Double Stroller– our Stroller Strides group has run through enough strollers, single and double, that when we had the opportunity to try this one out, there was a general sigh of relief. There’s a reason this double stroller is so popular- it’s affordable, easy to use, easy to store, and babies are happy in it.

* Waterpik Ecoflow Showerhead– it massages my back, helped me when I was dealing with mastitis, and can be set to cost-savings or regular (full blast) mode. I love the different settings, and it sure beat my old, beautifully stylish but pretty weak showerhead.

* Nickelodeon DVD’s- This year I started to work with Nickelodeon, which I never had any interest in before I had my son. I’m not a fan of all their shows, but my husband and I now love SpongeBob (I’m not ashamed to admit it), especially SpongeBob’s Happiest Moments, and our musical son, who can’t hear a jingle without stopping what he’s doing to sway, loves Laurie Berkner (which I never would have heard of if I hadn’t reviewed her DVD), so yeah, we kind of love some of Nickelodeon’s programming.

* Parazul Designer Handbag– because a woman’s gotta have pretty things. I used it as a diaper bag, and really, does a diaper bag get prettier than this? I preferred it to my Coach diaper bag looks-wise, even though both have lots of storage space, pockets and room- Parazul bags are just the prettiest there are.