It’s a stylus and a paint brush and the reviews are incredible for it.   Nomad’s Compose RED dual-tip says “Happy Valentine’s Day” on it and can be purchased on NomadBrush.com for $39.

They also have iPad paintbrushes for kids!  Check out Nomad Play for $18.

The movie is based on a true story from the late 80s – a family of three whales trapped by ice in Alaska and the media blitz and huge rescue that ensues to save the family from death.  Sounds interesting but not like it would be floor-stopping, right?  It was incredible.  Drew Barrymore and Jon Krasinski star.

You can check out more about Big Miracle on the official website but seriously, if you have kids of an appropriate age, it’s a must see.  It comes out February 3rd.

(Regarding age – personally I’d say at least 5+ should be the age for this movie and that’s even if you have a 5 year old who finds nature interesting. It’s rated PG and there is some mild swearing.)

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 continue to use Qwiki, which I reviewed within the first few days of getting an iPad earlier in the year.  This app and website is like a Wikipedia for your iPad.  You can query just about anything and it’ll bring back beautiful pictures and an audio tour of whatever you are looking for information about.

Use it online if you don’t have an iPad or download the Qwiki app from the iTunes store for free.

And the best part, it’s free!  Get Temple Run on the iTunes.com store.

iPhone case for the textile lover – designed by Sandy Chilewich, this iPhone 4 case combines a durable impact-resistant polycarbonate inner shell with a modern woven vinyl textile. Turn heads while keeping your tele safe.

Media for the backseat – your car might not have a built-in DVD, but with the CinemaSeat 2, your iPad can easily and safely attach to any headrest and provide hours of backseat entertainment. If you’re willing to share your iPad that is.

Release your inner pilot – With Griffin’s HELO TC Touch-Controlled Helicopter, your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch becomes a control panel for this twin-rotor remote-controlled helicopter. I got a chance to check this one out in person and you’re in for some fun. Download the corresponding app on your iOS device and use either the virtual joystick or “tilt-to-steer” option to move the chopper around the room. There’s a short learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, the HELO TC is fairly easy to maneuver. Plus it has helpful features like Auto Land for the less than coordinated. Now the only question is whose turn is it to play!

Wireless control for all your media devices – The holidays always mean lots of tech gifts which can also mean lots of new wires all over your living room. Pick up Griffin’s Beacon and you can use your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android device to control everything in your home entertainment system. No wires. No networking. No mountain of remotes.

Visit Griffin Technology for these and other fun gift ideas.

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Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Griffin provided a sample of the HELO TC for review.

And it keeps getting better. Current Wii consoles are shipping with the brand new Wii Plus remote with built-in MotionPlus technology (it used to be a separate, add-on accessory). This new hyper-sensitive remote controls your Wii games with the natural, fluid movement of your hand, without having to think about pressing a button. You get better control with less work. A win-win.

There are also a bunch of recently-released Wii games that will make a perfect pair with a Wii console.

Barbie: Jet, Set & Style: Budding style mavens will jump at the chance to perfect their hair, makeup, nail and fashion skills. Travel around the world with Barbie picking up style tips from Paris and London to Tokoyo and Moscow. Hone your glamor skills to win the ultimate prize – styling Barbie herself for an international fashion show! Rated E (THQ)

Mystery Case Files: The Malgrave Incident: New to Wii for the first time is the exciting hidden object puzzle play of the Mystery Case File series. Scour the island, locate hidden objects and use clues to solve inventive puzzles throughout the game. My kids love the I Spy-style of this game, and while it was too hard for them to play alone, it was a great family game using our collective detective skills and eyesight. Rated E (Nintendo)

Family Game Night 4: Your kids may think that board games are soooo old school, but now you can introduce your kids to your favorites – with a twist! With Family Game Night 4, you’ll be off the couch and laughing as you choose between CONNECT 4 Basketball, YATZHEE! Bowling, SCRABBLE Flash, BOP-IT Boptagon, and SORRY! Sliders. My kids were hooked on YATZHEE! Bowling having just learned how to do both parts separately in the last few months. This was a great game to enjoy as a the whole family! Rated E (EA)

Monster High Ghoul Spirit: If your daughter loves the Monster High dolls, they’ll be of fan of Ghoul Spirit where they can work to become the coolest ghoul in school by making friends, building a reputation, doing all sorts of “creeptastic” activities and more. Select your hair, skin, and outfit to create your own creepy character and do you best to win the ultimate prize – winning the title of Scream Queen. Rated E (THQ)

Wii Play Motion: If you already have a Wii, this is a great introduction to the Wii Plus remote which comes bundled with the game that highlights all of the new remote’s hyper-sensitive capabilities. With 12 mini games to choose from like Jump Park, Skip Skimmer and Treasure Twirl, the games are easy enough for younger kids to play while still offering enough challenge for adults. Rated E 10+ (Nintendo)

Rayman Origins: From the creator of Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil and the Raving Rabbids, comes Rayman Origins. Choose from over 100 characters while you adventure through 12 beautifully drawn worlds and over 60 levels attempting to save their home, the Glade of Dreams, from trouble. Pick up important skills like swimming, diving, slapping and of course the “HairlyCopter” in an attempt save the Glade and defeat the enemy. A fun game for older kids and adults alike. Rated E 10+ (Ubisoft)

Skylanders – Spyro’s Adventure Starter Pack: This unique game comes with three creature action-figures called Skylanders and a “Portal of Power” that syncs with the console and “teleports” the creature into the game. Each Skylander has a different ability or power and remembers its place in the game – even if you use it on a different console. Use your Skylander’s special power to battle Kaos, an evil tyrant, and protect your homeland.  A multiple player function allows you to join forces with a friend or battle head-to-head. Plus you can expand the game by purchasing separate Adventure Packs. And the Skylanders are perfect entertainment on their own. Rated E10+. (Activision)

Add on the new uDraw Tablet from THQ and you can try out these new games.

Pictionary – Ultimate Edition: You know the game, but not like this! Pictionary Ultimate takes drawing to a whole new level. Play regular Pictionary with over 3,000 drawing clues (junior and adult levels) or try out Pictionary Mania with crazy drawing modes like tool confusion, eraser only and rotation frustration where the screen rotates while you’re trying to draw! Plus when you’re done playing, the free draw mode is perfect to hone your skills. Rated E (THQ)

Spongebob Squigglepants: Join Spongebob, his friends and the president of the Spongebob fan club, Patchy the Pirate, in this dizzying adventure of more than 100 fast-paced mini-games and challenges. The games are easy enough for younger kids, but the time limits add an element of challenge for older kids too. You can also draw, paint and color tons of never-before-seen images of Spongebob from the Nickelodeon vaults. A must-have for Spongebob aficionados. Rated E. (THQ)

Disney Princess – Enchanting Storybooks: Budding artists can bring color and life to scenes from their favorite Disney princess movies staring Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Cinderella, Rapunzel and Tiana. With over 100 coloring pages, activities, sticker pages and stories, your little princess will have fun recreating her favorite scenes from her favorites stories. Sadly this one was lost on my boys, but I admit I had fun reliving some of my own Disney memories. Rated E. (THQ)

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Note: MWS was not paid for this review. Samples were provided for the review.

Released just earlier in November and a great Wii pick for the family this holiday season is Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.  This game follows the original release of Mario & Sonic at the Olympics.  Obviously this one plays on the upcoming London games and what fun it is!

The add on here is that the city is your playground!  London landmarks mark the background of all of the fun Olympic games.  All of your favorite characters are there like Bowser, Luigi and more.

It’s 4-player optional and I would recommend this as a great party game. $45.99 on Amazon for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games with free shipping.

(Hit the arrow on the bottom right to play it once you are in there!)

Free slideshow design created with Smilebox

Neat, right? You can make scrapbook pages, holiday cards, invites and more. Print them, post them to Facebook, email them to a friend. As you can see, there are lots of options!

Smilebox also has an iPhone app – snap photos on your phone and edit them from there!

Giveaway:  One lucky Mommies with Style reader can win a year subscription to the desktop service!  To enter to win, simply comment below.  One winner will be selected at random after Sunday, October 23rd.

Disclaimer:  I was compensated for testing out Smilebox but all opinions and thoughts in this post are my own.

When you’re shopping for a baby monitor, you’re more likely to end up at Babies R’ Us than at Best Buy, but here’s why you might want to consider this wireless network camera for your nursery.

Multi-purpose. Yes, it can work as a baby video monitor, but it can also function as a nanny cam, a homework time checker, a cat-better-stay-off-the-couch watcher, a who-really-is-eating-cookies-at-night viewer, a grandparents-in-Florida-can-watch-Junior’s-birthday-party device and a security camera. Plus with the built-in microphone, you can see and hear everything that’s going on.

Plug and play. D-Link makes set-up simple with their plug-n-play technology which only requires 3 easy steps to set the camera up. No configuring routers, no complicated wires. Simple, easy and done in minutes.

View from anywhere with internet access. Your living room, your neighbor’s house, across the ocean or on your smart phone (yes, there’s an app for that). Anywhere you can access the internet, you can log on to mydlink.com, enter your username and password and view the camera’s contents. This means you can check in on your baby while doing email in the living room, watch your house while you’re on vacation, or allow faraway relatives to get a glimpse of daily life or a special event.

Wireless. No need for wires draped across the room. The camera connects wirelessly to your network so the power cord is the only one you’ll have to deal with. (It can be plugged in too if your house isn’t wired for WiFi.)

Camera Management Software. While the camera is simple and easy to use, advanced users can access some of the product’s fancier features with the included D-ViewCam management software. With this software, users can set up trigger motion detection, record directly from the camera to a local hard drive, create recording schedules or e-mail alert notifications, and add additional cameras. (Software for for Windows PCs only.)

The mydlink-enabled Wireless N Network Camera ($79) definitely costs more than a basic audio baby monitor, but it’s comparable to some of the more expensive video and audio baby monitors on the market. And it can do a whole lot more.

Visit D-Link to learn more and find an online or local retailer.

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Note: D-Link sent a sample of this product for review.