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Today's post is all about some of the great products you can find at Best Buy plus two coupons for up to an additional 15% off already discounted tech "toys."
I have to tell you that I've already been shopping this year. A few weeks ago, I headed to Best Buy with a gift card in one hand and a very specific list in the other. (I like to do my research ahead of time, and go through the stores once without buying to see what products they carry and get prices. I had already done this, so I knew exactly what I wanted when I entered the store. In fact, I had even discussed with my children what were some of the gifts they really wanted this year, and we looked them over at several stores.)
So when I entered the store, I went straight to the tech toys section shown above. My kids and I had gone back and forth for a long time over whether or not it was time to "graduate" from the old Leapster handheld gaming system, to the newer LeapsterGS or LeapPad or something altogether different like the Nabi 2 or Ninetendo's 3DS. I rejected the 3DS immediately because very few of the games are actually educational (Boo!), so no deal for me. I really liked the Nabi 2 because of all the parental controls I read about and the educational content, but ultimately the kids said no because they really wanted the LeapFrog toys. I'll talk more about these in a later post.
Right. So here is what I bought...
Both the LeapsterGS and the LeapPad2. I decided not to go with the LeapPad Ultra because I wasn't ready for them to have that WiFi connection just quite yet. They can get on their computer in our library at home where we do school and I'm better able to monitor their activities online. My daughter chose the Super Animal Genius Explorer game shown at the bottom, and my son chose Disney's Brave Explorer game.
I also bought a ton of batteries to run these and more. It seems like we go through a LOT of batteries at my house and the price just keeps going up and up! What's with that?
I mentioned that their school computer has Internet access, but actually, their receiver had broken, so I also picked up a new WiFi USB Adapter for their school computer. My kids have a hand-me-down computer from a friend, who had gotten a new one. Their computer is a Dell and really like new and probably even better than this one I'm typing on, but it needs an adapter to pick up the WiFi signal. So I'm pretty happy with this purchase, too, as it gives them protected online access. (I'm the protection.)
And I got the kids the movie Epic simply because we loved it so much when we saw it this summer. You know my kids are nature lovers and this movie sparked their imagination and inspired them to dream up stories just like it in our own backyard.
But I admit, I didn't just shop for the kids...
I cheated and bought myself an early Christmas present. Already this Hamilton Beach - Set & Forget 6-Quart Slow Cooker is saving my sanity. I bought it because the my old crockpot was overheating and burning the food. I had to cook everything on low and it still ran too hot. But I didn't realize how bad things had gotten until I set this new one up and made a perfectly cooked roast last week. Seriously, I thought I would cry it was so beautiful! This week we ran out of propane gas and have decided to change gas companies. But they can't deliver until Monday or Tuesday. So guess what? I have three nights in a row of slow cooker meals planned. :) Do you use a slow cooker like this one? I've never had a programmable one and am SO loving it! (Really, I know it's pathetic to get so worked up over a crockpot, but anything that makes my schedule easier is a blessing.)
But I may be most excited about my new Dyson Digital Slim. It's supposed to be the most powerful cordless vacuum. Seriously. TWENTY minutes of constant high suction. No more tripping over cords. And no more cobwebs on the ceiling! AND I can take it to church to clean (do you have any idea how hard it is to vacuum between pews and the pew seats themselves?). It's craziness. Again, it makes my life a little less insane and therefore I ♥ it!
At any rate, there were tons of other products that I could have purchased, and many are still on my watch list, such as these from Fisher-Price that are oh-so awesome, but a little too young for my kids:
The Coupons
But good news! If your children are the right age for these great toys, here's a coupon for you that's good online or in the store. It's good for 15% off Health & Fitness and Fisher Price & Mattel Toys. (Psst! It's also good for the Shine Elegant Wearable Tracker that I talked about here.)
And if you have older children, here's another coupon for 10% off Headphones and Portable Speakers.
