Love it.  Get it with free shipping on Amazon for $227.

Kids learn about state capitols, state geography and so much more.  (Which state houses which National Park and so forth.)

Nate (8) played this pretty much all day yesterday as he was in bed with a bad cold.  You play to “earn” states and he’s earned 45 of his 50 states and I can’t tell you guys how much he’s learned in just one day.  He can identify almost all of the states by shape alone, knows many of the capitals now and knows which states border one another.

Oh and you have to “stack” your states which can get pretty precarious!  If your stack topples over you are starting over, so it’s not only educational but fun. (Because that’s the best type, right?  The ones where my kids learn and they don’t even realize they are doing it…)

You can get a Lite (Free) version too but we only tried the paid version – get Stack the States for $.99 for the iPhone and $1.99 for the iPad on the iTunes store.

I noticed the reviews ae kind of mixed on these because of the rubber tip but I have the rubber tipped pen and it works great for me.

Get the 3-pack of Universal Touch Screen Stylus Pen (Red, Silver & Black) for $1.99 with free shipping on Amazon.

And for years I’ve watched as my friends Zareen and Julie do weekly meal plans.  I always thought it was uber organized of them and something I’d probably never find the time to do.

But this year I was determined to try it out.  With the help of E-Mealz.com, I am now three weeks into successfully meal planning!  I’ve been making amazing meals, saving money on my grocery bill and impressing my family with  a variety of dinners.  Typing this, I feel like I sound like an infomercial but it’s genuine, people.   Meals at the Wingerd house have been taken to a whole new level and I’m loving it.

See, E-Mealz.com makes it easy.  As much as I like to say I’m creative, I’m not.  Each week E-Mealz.com tells me what to make.  I love it.  They include the recipe and a grocery list, sectioned off by aisle in your grocery store.  It could not be easier.

What’s nice too is that we never really need 7 full nights of meals in a week.  We do leftovers some nights, others (like on weekends), we’re out.  So you also can pick the best meals out of the weekly bunch.  I’ve been averaging doing 4-5 of the E-Mealz.com on any given week.

Also awesome, you can pick the meal plan that works for you.  Sample meal plans are available to help you make your decision.  (At first I started with the “Portion Control Meal Plan” but recently switched to the “Low Fat” option.  You are allowed to change your meal plan only once so be sure when you pick!)

E-Mealz.com has offered Mommies with Style readers a coupon code!  Use coupon code MOMMIESSTYLE for 10% off your meal plan order through 2/29/12.

Giveaway: Lastly, E-Mealz.com is giving away a 3-month subscription to one lucky Mommies with Style reader!  Interested?  Comment below!  One lucky winner will be chosen at random after January 25th.

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a 3-month meal plan with @emealz on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and Peaceable Kingdom on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

I received these great tips from PBS Kids in honor of CES this week – it’s a helpful tip sheet on what to do when you get a new device and want to give the old one to your kids.   While the end of the tips include some links to some PBS KIDS apps, I can’t agree more with these points including the one about apps that are marked “free,” for kids.

I’m finding it’s definitely worth it to spend a few bucks on an app you know is from a trusted educational organization (like PBS KIDS) rather than an app that may be free and will end up asking for money any time you want to do anything in the app.

Via PBS Kids:
Many states are banning electronics from landfills, requiring people to recycle them properly or encouraging them to pass it down to a child.

But parents should take some precautions before handing down the gadget, parents should prepare devices with the following tips from PBS KIDS:

1.Sweep it: All devices should be cleaned of any content including personal files, credit card information, etc. before handing down to kids. Parents should swipe all their browser cookiesť and perform an application sweep.

2.Secure it: There are parental controls on most tech devices that can turn certain features on and off. Settings on the iPhone, for example, that can be restricted include explicit song titles, Internet browser, YouTube, iTunes and the camera.

3. Set limits: As with any new toy, parents should set expectations and limitations with their kids when the device is handed down, and should encourage other forms of learning and play beyond the screen.

4. Find the right apps for your child: A good app is the perfect combination of education and entertainment, and should be appropriate for your child’s age and stage of development.

5. Avoid apps that try to sell: Apps labeled liteť or freeť often attempt to make money by trying to sell virtual items while a child is playing a game, or link to another related app that requires payment to download. Select apps from trusted, reliable sources, and make sure that they are not trying to market to your child.

Once the device is cleaned, parents will likely want to load it up with age-appropriate apps.  With more than a thousand apps in the iTunes store, choosing these apps can be tricky, but PBS KIDS has a suite of educational apps that are perfect stocking stuffers. Here are some of PBS KIDS recent top apps for mobile devices which can be found on pbskids.org/mobile:

• FETCH Lunch Rush for iPhone/iPod Touch, Free (PBS KIDS First augmented reality app)
• SUPER WHY Alpha Boost for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99
• SID Science Fair for iPhone/iPod Touch, $2.99
• LITTLE PIM French and Spanish for iPad, $2.99

I really can’t stand it.  But enter a solution:  NeatDesk.  It’s a scanner and software program.  You scan and store any reciept, business card or document.  How great is that?  A couple seconds of your day and you’re done with all the headaches involved with random papers flying around.

It’s pricey – I won’t lie.  NeatDesk costs $399.95 on Amazon but it’s well worth it to reduce the paper trail in your house.  We’re talking about saving closets full of papers.  Seems like a no brainer to me!

Extra notes: the removable input tray can scan both sides of up to 10 receipts, 10 business cards, and 10 documents at a time–or even a single, 50-page document.

Giveaway: We have one NeatDesk to giveaway to one lucky Mommies with Style winner!

Enter to win by commenting below.  What’s the first thing you would scan if you won the NeatDesk?

Note – You can enter up to 4 times (the only required entry is the first one to leave a comment!  All the others are additional entries):

1) Leave a comment on this post.  (Note: Scroll to the bottom of this post and click “Post Comment”. You must be on my site – you can’t do this through a reader.)

2) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & follow me on Twitter @WhitneyMWS:

Enter to win a NeatDesk from @NeatCompany on Mommies with Style via @WhitneyMWS http://bit.ly/aatNRf

3) “Like” Mommies with Style and the Neat Company on Facebook (if you already do, promote this contest on your page)

4) Subscribe to my feed or email newsletter and stay on top of all of my daily posts! If you already subscribe, please leave a separate comment letting me know that you are currently a subscriber (thank you!).

**This giveaway will end January 16th, 2012.  One winner will be selected at random and notified after that time.**

Neato Robotics Vacuum: It’s not science fiction anymore. There are robots among us and some of them like to vacuum. I fell in love with this product even before I opened the box. “Our goal is to free everyone from the drudgery of household cleaning. Why? Because we all have better things to do with our time.” Amen. With three boys and a dog, I could easily justify vacuuming my house every day, yet surprisingly, I don’t actually enjoy vacuuming this often. Neato does. I’ve used other robot vacuums in the past and Neato has them beat in a few areas:

(1) It’s simple to use. Simple to set up, simple to schedule, simple to empty.

(2) It’s quiet(ish). It is a vacuum, but earplugs are not required.

(3) It’s (almost) as good as I am. I’m not going to sell myself short here – I’m a pretty awesome vacuumer. Dust bunnies? No problem. Cheerios? I won’t break a sweat. But I have eyes that can actually see these things. Neato only has a sensor. But it’s a darn good one that surveys the room via laser and then navigates around your furniture to hit all the nooks and crannies.

(4) It’s effortless. Every morning at 9:15am, my bedroom floor gets vacuumed. I however, am likely enjoying a cup of coffee.

Dyson DC41 Animal: If you’re not familiar with the brand, Dyson is to vacuums what Tiffany’s is to diamonds. (Note: Guys – do not attempt to propose with a Dyson.) The DC41 Animal is one of the newest additions to the Dyson family and it is a beast. This Animal sucked things out of my carpet I didn’t even know existed. Looking at the canister is a little bit like a freak-show. You’re grossed out that all that was in your carpet and on your floors and yet you Can’t. Look. Away. Some of my favorite features of the DC41 Animal:

- Strongest suction at cleaner head: 235 constant Air Watts of suction if you want to get specific. One of my favorite games is to position the vacuum at the base of the couch and see what that powerful suction pulls out from underneath. So far, it’s been Legos, goldfish and dust bunnies. Keeping my fingers crossed it finds an iPad.

- Washable filters: Buying filters takes time, money and brain space to remember that you need them. With Dyson’s washable filters, I get a clean start (for free!) as often as I like.

- The Ball: The design of the Ball makes turning a breeze and keeps all the nuts and bolts confined to a small area, leaving the rest for dust-sucking capacity.

- 35 foot cord: I know this feature may not win over some, but at 35 feet, I can vacuum my whole living room, dining room and kitchen – without unplugging. Win!

- “No Touch” canister emptying: No touching the vacuumed-up gunk at least. One button releases the canister from the vacuum. Pressing the button again, opens the bottom to release the contents into the trash. House clean. Hands clean. Done.

Seeing a cleaning device under the tree would likely earn raised eyebrows instead of roaring applause. But if it was a Dyson or Neato? Well, you just might be in luck.

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Kate Bayless is a freelance writer and editor with bylines in Parents, American Baby, Parenting, Babble and Momtrends. She is slightly embarrassed to admit that her holiday wish list included this item, but still would have rolled her eyes had her husband purchased it for her. Visit her at www.katebayless.com

MWS was not paid for this review. Samples were provided.

It’s free and as you can see in the pict on the right you can catch a small photo and snippet of each story before clicking over.  Great for time management.

Get the Pulse News app for iPad on the iTunes store.

As you can probably guess from the title (if you don’t already know the website), TripAdvisor is a helpful app for when you are traveling.  It includes reviews and ratings from other users on hotels, restaurants, things to do and so much more.  I use it regularly when we’re somewhere just to see what’s nearby.  The best part about it is the “Near Me Now” feature which uses technology to locate where you are and then show you on map what’s within relative vicinity of where you are standing and holding your iPad. (or iPhone, as it’s also available on iPhone, iPods.)

And the review aspect is invaluable.  There are over 50 million reviews from other TripAdvisor users!  I used this app every night on my 10 year anniversary trip with hubby last fall.  We went to restaurants solely based on TripAdvisor reviews and we were really happy with the end result.

Get TripAdvisor for the iPad and iPhone for free on iTunes.

This iPad app, Tower Town, reminds me of SimTower, although it’s not just one Tower you’re building but many in your own city.  Like so many other of the simulation games and apps, you have to wait to earn energy, money and supplies to build various parts of your towers.  Another mindless but addicting one. (Are you sensing a theme here?)  The kids and I have been chipping away at building our own mini Town.

It’s free to download the app on your iPad although this is one of those where you can get sucked into buying additional money and coins but it’s perfectly fun without any additional purchases.

Find TowerTown in the iTunes store.