THANK YOU TOP DROPPERS!

I'd like to give a big thank you to all of my January top droppers. You guy are the BEST! Thank you!

The Frugal Housewife

Make Money, Save Money While Raising A Family

Crazy Mom

Mumsy

Sweet Nothings

Work at Home Mom Revolution

Pancakes to Pearls

The Frugal Angel-Guided Psychic

Justine's Grocery Bags

My Crazy Life With a Toddler

I Love My Flip Mino!

For my birthday I received a Flip Mino Camcorder!!! I love it! And isn't it beautiful?

What is a Flip Mino? Well, it's a pocket sized (yes you can fit it right in your pocket!) 2gb, 60 min camcorder. It's called "Flip" because it has a flip-out USB arm that plugs into your USB ports.

So why do I love my new Flip Mino?

Well, it's small so I can take it anywhere with me (and I do). I just throw it in my purse with the rest of my junk and I'm on my way.

It's really easy to use. There are only 7 (touch sensitive) buttons. Trash, Play, Record, Fast Forward, Rewind. My 3 year uses it!

The playback and sound looks awesome on the tiny lcd screen. My daughter loves to watch herself! Everyone I have showed it to loves it!

It doesn't take batteries. It charges while it is plugged into your USB port. (Also a con, see below.) You can purchase the Flip Ultra if you would rather run it off of batteries. This is one of the main reasons why I purchased the Mino over the Ultra. I HATE having to purchase batteries. And I knew if the Ultra was like any digital camera, then the batteries would last no time. Especially with my daughter "watching" herself all the time.

It came with a TV connector cable so you watch the videos right on the TV. They look great!

It comes with built-in FlipShare software. I was excited about this feature before I got the Mino but so far I haven't been really impressed. I haven't really used it that much so I can't go into great detail. I guess the software is a bit neutral, not really a pro or con.

It will attach to a tripod. I haven't use a tripod with it yet but I'm sure I will.


Now, it's not all good. (Although the good outweighs the bad.) There are improvements that could be made.

For example, the only way to charge the Mino is by plugging it into the USB port of your computer. I wish there was a way to plug it into an outlet. If I ever go on a trip, I'd have to take my laptop along with me just to charge it.

Another con is that the memory is not expandable. This makes no sense to me. Why not have a slot for an SD card? Since they keep upgrading the Flip, I'm sure one day this feature will be available. So if I run out of memory I have to move the files to my computer. Again, I'd have to have my laptop with me if I went away and knew that I would need to unload my files.


Those are really the only two things that bother me about the Flip Mino. Otherwise, I absolutely love it! I don't go anywhere without it! I really can't wait to play around with the software a bit more and see what I can come up with. If you're looking for a cheap camcorder, buy this! You will not be disappointed.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It's not often that there is more than good movie out at a time. I've been having a hard time picking which movie I want to see lately. This time I settled on Benjamin Button starring Brad Pitt.

I've come to expect great things from Mr. Brad Pitt and I must say, he did not disappoint me. I wouldn't say he is the greatest actor in the world, but he sure does know how to pick them.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a very touching story about a man who ages backwards. He is born an old man and lives his life growing young. You could imagine the effect this would have on a person.

The movie was directed by David Fincher. Fincher also directed Fight Club, starring Brad Pitt, which is one of my all time favorite movies.

This is a great movie to see unless you are pressed for time. This movie is 166 minutes long! Although, it doesn't seem like it. If you have the time, see this movie!

Gran Torino

Well, I watched Gran Torino this week. This is greatly because my husband wanted to see it. Generally, it's not the type of movie I would go and see. I've never been a Clint Eastwood fan. He is a great actor, I'm just not into Eastwood flicks. I have yet to unwrap the Million Dollar Baby DVD that I have owned for a year. (One day I'll get around to watching it.)

Well, the movie started out slow (not boring, just slow) and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. However, it didn't take long to grab my interest. Some of it was predictable but it kept me interested. The ending was a bit of a surprise and in the end I was glad that I had watched it.

Clint Eastwood was surely a star in this film. He gives you that "one person can make a difference" feeling. Not a movie I could watch over and over but absolutely a must see. The movie has already made top 250 on IMDB.com.