Kids in Sports is a great local sports education program for your kids!

Kids in Sports in Walpole, MA is a local franchised sports education program that teaches children the fundamentals of sports. We had the opportunity to try this program for our little guy and he had so much fun participating in it with two of his friends from school along with around 10 other kids.

We enrolled him in the juniors program which is a one-hour drop-off class for four and five year olds. Every week or few weeks the kids are exposed to a new sport and how to play the game including baseball, basketball, floor hockey, football, soccer, and volleyball. Kids participate in both individual and group instruction while emphasizing the basic rules as well as movements.

The owner, Coach Mike, energetically teaches the kids about each sport and is sure to give the kids frequent water breaks. In our class there are three instructors, with the ratio being around 1 instructor for every 4 kids. The focus is for the kids to try their hardest and to be a good sport.

During the time of this pandemic, everyone is masked (except when the kids are drinking water) and the kids don't seem to mind. Even though the class is a drop-off class most of the parents seem to wait in the lobby (myself included) all wearing masks and watching the kids play and have fun.

The kids are so excited throughout the class and by the end of it, they are energized but also a little worn out from expending so much energy.

NOTE: We were provided with an enrollment in the class for our little guy in exchange for this review and another one later on in the season. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are our own.

Looking for a gift for a man in your life for the holidays? The Perfect Package from manscaped is great!

Looking for a gift for a man in your life for the holidays? The Perfect Package 4.0 from Manscaped is great! It comes with an updated version of the Lawn Mower (4.0), the Weed Whacker (ear and nose hair trimmer), Crop Preserver (anti-chafing deodorant), Crop Reviver (spray toner), Magic Mat disposable shaving mats, a travel bag and anti-chafing boxers.

You can see our review of the Lawn Mower from last year and the new version is updated with a bunch of new as well as proven features:

• SkinSafe® technology reduces the risk of nicks, snags and tugs
• Powerful 7,000 RPM motor with QuietStroke™ technology
• Rechargeable 600mA li-ion battery
• Waterproof for convenient wet or dry operation

New Features

• Wireless charging system that uses electromagnetic induction
• 4000k LED spotlight with diffuser, so you can see where you’re trimming
• Cutting-edge ceramic blade to help reduce grooming accidents
• Adjustable trimming guard sizes 1 to 4, with 3, 6, 10, or 13mm settings
• Modern two-toned black finish

Weed Whacker 
Ear & Nose Hair Trimmer

We had the chance to use the Weed Whacker ear and nose hair trimmer and it was very smooth. You could also tell that it was made of a high quality and standard to ensure you weren't putting something inside your nose or ear to trim hair that would be problematic. it is a lot better than sticking a pair of scissors carefully inside your nose so you only cut the nose hair and nothing else. The Weed whacker is easy to use and has a comfortable grip.

You can SAVE 20% Automatically - Go to https://www.manscaped.com/gifting and automatically receive 20% off all orders

NOTE: We received a Perfect Package 4.0 to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided. As always all opinions are our own.

Raising a spoon to fight cancer with the Scooper Bowl-in-a-box kit at your house! #partner @danafarber @scooperbowl

A sample Scooper Bowl in a box kit. Image courtesy of 

This year, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is taking the Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl® to your house! Enjoy all the sweet scoops of Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl with your own Scooper Bowl in a box kit! Pick up a kit from one of four convenient locations between August 19-22 and receive plenty to share, with nearly 200 ounces of ice cream, toppings, and all the fun that comes with it!

There are two types of kits, a standard kit for $50 and a premium kit for $75. Each kit has plenty of ice cream and frozen desserts for 4-6 people, plus treats from sponsors. If you upgrade to the premium kit, you get a Scooper Bowl hat and sunglasses, plus extra ice cream from Brigham’s, special hot fudge, and a guaranteed prize!

You can also sponsor a kit for a health care hero at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute! Purchase a standard kit for $50 to share some sprinkles, smiles, and thanks with a Dana-Farber first responder.

NOTE: We were provided with some fun Jimmy Fun hats and sprinkles along with a few coupons to share this joy with you!

Check your vision at home with the EyeQue Personal Vision Tracker

During the pandemic, we had the chance to test out a few at-home vision checkers from a company called EyeQue. They make products called the Personal Vision Tracker Plus ($45 at the time of this writing), Insight ($89) and VisionCheck ($69) which work together with your smartphone to help you check your eyesight over time. The Insight and VisionCheck are pretty neat - the Insight will test your visual acuity (20/20 vision), color and contrast sensitivity, while the VisionCheck tests for refraction errors automatically via Bluetooth and the Personal Vision Tracker checking for refraction errors manually.

It was very easy to try the different products using both my iPhone 12 as well as an older iPhone that we had kicking around and it was great for try it out. it was definitely easier to use the automatic VisionCheck since we didn't have to rotate the dial like the Personal Vision Tracker Plus, but it was very easy to use both products.

I took the tests using the different products and brought the results to my eye doctor to ask why they seemed so different than the prescription I had. The eye doctor had said that these systems are good for getting general numbers and trends but for eyeglass prescriptions they like to use their technology-aided instruments to get a ballpark idea, and then use their training and skill to get the numbers closer and perfected.

The VisionCheck and Vision Tracker Plus measures the lens power needed to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. At the end of the test, you will receive a set of EyeGlass Numbers that can be used to order glasses online - single vision, bifocals and progressives. They use either a manual or powered automated lens rotation to capture each meridian of the eye. The benefit of the VisionCheck is that it provides improved optics for faster, simpler test taking and has powered, automatic lens rotation using Bluetooth technology.

Thankfully, the folks at EyeQue have given us a few of the Vision Tracker Plus products to give away to our readers! You can enter the giveaway by filling out the rafflecopter below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE: We were provided with samples of the product to facilitate this review and host the giveaway. No other compensation was provided, and as always, all opinions are our own.

Flows audio glasses make the perfect Father’s Day gift

If you’re looking for a sleek new gift for the tech-loving dad in your life, I have the perfect gift idea.

Flows just launched two Bluetooth audio sunglasses called Bruno’s and Taylor’s which offer high quality built-in bone conduction speakers and microphone pairs up via Bluetooth with your device to operate like any normal Bluetooth headset. 

I had the chance to try a pair of these glasses and they were pretty great. It was very easy to pair them with my iPhone and when I tried calling friends and family everyone said it was easy to hear me and I could hear them. The bone conduction technology is pretty cool and I enjoyed not having anything in my ears but still being able to hear everything around me as well as the conversation on the phone.

It did get a little interesting if I was wearing the glasses and then my little guy borrowed my phone to play a game - I would hear the sound of the game in the glasses even though I wasn’t playing the game! It was an easy fix - just turned off the power to the glasses.

The battery life lasts up to 5 hours and only 1-2 hours to fully recharge, you’ll always be prepared. These glasses are designed to eliminate the issues of wearing normal headphones / headsets when driving, cycling, walking and exercising outdoors, namely, the danger of not hearing traffic or other sounds when outdoors.

One thing I would caution you would be if you’re changing the lenses, you need to be mindful of the way which you pop the lenses out - I don’t usually do that, but if you get the additional lens pack then you can swap the lenses. If you do be sure to pop them from the front/outside in towards what would be your face, which may seem a little counter-intuitive but you wouldn’t want to break the brand new pair of glasses you just bought!

We are giving away a new pair of Flows to one of our readers - so enter the giveaway now and you just might win them for your dad!

Enter the giveaway here

Here’s some additional information about the glasses:

• Fully polarized and tinted Lenses: Easily pop in and out
• mini speakers technology
• Prescription ready
• Frames: TR-90 nylon with IPX2 water-resistant rating
• Lenses: Impact- and scratch-resistant premium flexible plastic
• Built-in multidirectional microphone
• Bluetooth range: 50 ft (15 m)
• Open ear Audio engineering
• Bluetooth version: 5.1
• Battery life: Up to 5 hours
• Battery charging time: Up to 1 hour
• Battery charge method: Proprietary 4-pin charging cable
• No apps needed.  Seamlessly connect to your devices Bluetooth connection
• Navigation Ready

NOTE: We were provided with a complimentary pair of Flows glasses in Bruno style to facilitate this review as well as a pair to give away. No other compensation was provided and all opinions are our own.

Parents - sign your kids up for the WooSox WooCrew presented by Shaws!

Are you looking for a fun way to stay engaged with the new Worcester Red Sox, the AAA affiliate of the Boston Red Sox? Sign your kids up to be part of the WooCrew presented by Shaws, it's the official youth fan club of the Worcester Red Sox. The WooCrew has two tiers, a free (Rookie) and paid (MVP) membership. 

The Rookie membership is free, and includes a member card and lanyard along with access to a special portal where you can earn points and redeem for prizes and experiences. The MVP membership has a fee of $50 and gives you the same benefits of rookie membership along with additional items: a baseball cap, t-shirt, and clear bag, as well as access to an ice cream social with WooSox mascot, Smiley Ball, and access to take batting practice at Polar Park during a mutually agreed upon game date.

NOTE: We are providing this information as a partner with the Worcester Red Sox. As Red Sox fans, we want to give you information we think would be helpful as well!  From time to time we are provided tickets to attend the games, however, no compensation was provided in exchange for this post and all opinions are our own.

Haven't heard from me in a while? A bunch of stuff is coming up!

It's been a while since you've heard from me and that's because I've been helping to move offices for the nonprofit I work for, so I have had less time to collect my thoughts for the blog. I have been testing a few things in preparation for some great father's day gift ideas if you're still looking for them and will be posting those soon. Stay tuned!