Thank you Echo Connect for sending us a prototype review sample.

Echo Connect has launched an Indiegogo campaign for their revolutionary dual connector charge key.  It's an Apple licensed and micro-USB charging device.  Because of its small size it can be worn on a lanyard or key chain.  

We were sent  an early prototype that unfortunately broke for us within hours of use.  Our review sample only had a micro-USB connector that came out completely.  The final version of the product will have both connectors attached to each other in a Y shape that should prevent that from happening again.  Another modification from the prototype sent to us is that the USB connector will have metal housing around it.  One change I hope they make in the final product is that they flip (or give the option to) the micro-USB connector around.  My Samsung Galaxy 4 phone had to be upside down when I connected it to my laptop to charge.  It won't matter for portable charging devices though.  Since this is a small device there's not much clearance for tablets and I had to remove my 8" LG tablet's cover to charge it.

Because we do not own an iOS device and our review sample did not have an Apple connector, we cannot comment on that aspect of the Echo Connect.  As I'm writing this post their campaign is fully funded and all of their $9 early bird sales are gone.  The $15 tier is limited and the $19 tier is unlimited.  For $25 you can get a personalized key.  The writing on the prototype was rubbing off within hours of receiving it. I hope the quality is better for the final product.      

Digital gaming on PC is taking off with services like Steam, GOG, GamersGate, Green Man Gaming, Origin, and Uplay.  Electronic versions of games are often cheaper than their physical counterparts.  Consoles also offer games in digital formats in their electronic stores like Nintendo's eShop, Play Station's store and Xbox's marketplace.  Many console games are only available digitally so checking out the shops every now and then is highly recommended.     Instead of comparing prices on several sites to get the best deal, CheapDigitalDownload.com does all of the price comparison shopping for you!  They also anonymously test their suppliers to ensure the confidence of their customers.

CheapDigitalDownload features prices for the latest games on many platforms including PC, Play Station, Nintendo, and Xbox.   Besides games, CheapDigitalDownload also offers competitive prices on gift cards and subscription plans.   While the Nintendo prices are well above retail, there are plenty of deals to be had in the Xbox, PS4 and PC section.  Some games can be yours for less than a dollar!

When I was in the market for an Xbox Gold subscription I purchased my two year code through them.  Instead of receiving a physical code, I was e-mailed a clear photograph of the back of a card and it worked flawlessly.  Why pay fifty dollars on Amazon for a one year membership when I can get a two year subscription for the same price on CheapDigitialDownload.com?  

There are plenty of ways to get free games through CheapDigitalDownload if you have social media accounts.  If you connect your Facebook account with their website you can earn points by registering, visiting, and commenting on the site.   There are also daily and weekly raffles to enter in as well using e-mail, Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Disclosure: I was financially compensated for this post. The opinions are completely my own based on my experience

Thank you Kelly and Hall Book Publicity for sending us a copy of this book!

Kristiane Cates was living the dream with a successful, handsome, and doting husband.  After three years of marriage they were having some difficulty getting pregnant and prayed to have children to which the Lord provided them with a boy, and later on a girl.  Things continued to go well for them - in fact too well as they had a feeling that they were soon going to weather a difficult time in their lives.  While their premonition was correct, looking back on it all, Kristiane recollects how the Lord was with them every step of the way.  It's amazing how He dropped several hints of His presence in the most trying of times.  

Just because we're Christians, we're not entitled to an easy life.  After losing her son in a car accident in which she was the driver, Kristiane struggled to cope with the grieving process and hold her family and marriage together.  It was a long and difficult journey that doesn't have a fairy tale ending.   While the book ending seems a little rushed, it was cool seeing how the Lord turned her into a powerful prayer warrior.  

There are many lessons to be learned from The Golden Thread.  Just because somebody looks like they have it all together on the outside doesn't mean that is the case.  If you're blessed with a wonderful family, do not take them for granted and thank God for them DAILY.  As a happily married mother of three, this book made me give thanks for my many blessings and it made me cry on several occasions.  While there were moments where I didn't want to put it down, other times I was afraid to pick it up in fear of it making me cry again.

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD set to review.

Transformers Beast Hunters takes place after the Beast Wars series.  In this universe the part organic part robotic Maximals are descendants of the autobots and are led by Optimus Primal who has a gorilla like appearance.  The Decepticons are now known as Predacons with Megatron as their leader.  The scenery on Cyberton has changed as the planet is lifeless and mostly empty with the exception of deadly Vehicon drones patrolling it. Since Cybertron is filled with Enregon, both factions are fighting to save or control it.  Can the Maximals master their beast like forms and stop Megatron from taking over? 

This DVD series has 4 DVDs which include both seasons and all twenty-six episodes.  There are 690 minutes of nonstop action with 3D rendered computer animation.  The voice acting and character development is pretty good if you can look past their animal appearances.  Many episodes teach about the value of friendship, teamwork, restoration, and forgiveness.   While those are good attributes, there are some flaws worth mentioning as well.  There's some adult humor and a few phrases may go over younger kid's heads.   For younger kids/preschoolers  I recommend the Rescue Bot series since the action in Beast Machines may be a bit intense for them.    

For grade school age boys this is a DVD set worth looking into.  The price is a reasonable $22, especially for nearly 700 minutes of entertainment!

Thank you Cartoon Network for sending us this DVD!

The Finn the Human DVD has sixteen episodes from various seasons and will entertain people of all ages for 176 minutes.  Here's a breakdown of the episodes:

1. The New Frontier - Finn dreams of Jake's demise; can he save him from his fate?

2. The Lich - The world is in danger and it's up to Finn and Jake to save it.

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this movie to review!

My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks takes place after the Equestria Girls movie that was released in 2013.  While I recommend seeing Equestria Girls first, it's not required since there are a couple of flashbacks to fill in the story gaps.  Most of the seventy-minute movie takes place in the parallel human world where each pony personality resides in humanoid form.  

Canterlot Highschool has gotten three new students that seem to be mesmerizing everyone they come in contact with.  Instead of a peaceful musical showcase, these newcomers convince the school to host a Battle of the Bands.  Will the newcomer's band, The Dazzlings take the crown, or will The Rainbooms (with the help of Princess Twilight) win the contest?

The music from both bands is catchy and fun to listen to. My kids liked the music, visuals and character personalities.  Even my son enjoyed the movie.  There are some good messages taught including the power of forgiveness and friendship.  Any fan of My Little Pony or Equestria Girls should consider adding this movie to their library.  The blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy sells for $17.99.    

Thank you NIV 2011 Bible Properties LLC for sending us a review sample!

NIV Live - A Bible Experience is a cinematic performance of the Bible that brings Genesis through Revelation to life.  It's more than someone reading the text here; the Bible is being acted out and even sung in some cases.  This rendition features Oscar winning actors, background music and sound effects to make it an immersive experience.   My kids, who normally ask to play music instead of talk radio while driving, did not mind listening to the book of Acts.  They enjoyed hearing the story of Paul being shipwrecked while trying to seek an audience with Caesar.  There was the sound of ocean waves, seagulls in the air,  the ship's crew in the background along with the narrator and Paul, Felix, and Agrippa being voiced by different voice actors.    The audio quality is really good and has 3D theatrical sound. It includes deep bass that you can hear through a subwoofer.

The gospels are all extremely well done and the voices for the apostles, God, Jesus, Roman soldiers, and Pharisees are all top notch.   I enjoyed listening to Isaiah, Proverbs, and Psalms as well.  Some of the Old Testament sections like Jesus' lineage and the temple specifications are still a little yawn worthy, but are well voice acted regardless.  :)  

There are three ways to enjoy this audio Bible experience.  For $19.99 you can gain access to the app on a single (Apple, Android, or Amazon) device.  This includes both text and audio versions.  You can create custom playlists and synchronize them.  The app is really easy to use and sounded great on my Samsung Galaxy S4.  

For $49.99 you can have up to six devices using the mobile app.  You'll also have access to the online web Bible and mp3 downloads.  Make sure you download and backup the mp3's right away since you only gain access to them for thirty days after registration.  

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD to review!

The Transformer Rescue Bots series is a great show targeted for school age boys.  The characters carry over from the previous shows, but watching them is not required to appreciate these episodes.  This Mystery Rescue has five suspenseful episodes lasting 110 minutes.

• Countdown - Some weird bugs are teleporting people all over town into an abandoned cavern.  Will the Rescue Bots find everyone in time before they run out of air?
• The Haunting of Griffin Rock - There are reports of ghost sightings all over Griffin Rock.  Do ghosts exist or is there some other explanation?  Perhaps Doc Greene's Spectral Vapor Filter will help solve this mystery.  
• Spellbound - The rescue team is vacationing in Blossom Vale when people start acting unusually.  Cell phones are to blame as they are somehow hypnotizing people.  Cody must get to the source and save everyone before it's too late.  
• Blame the Gremlins - Many people blame technical problems on gremlins.  What if they're real and are attacking the electronic devices in Griffin Rock?
• Feed The Beast - Cody has an encounter with a bigfoot like creature called the Maine Ridge Monster.  Despite photographic evidence, nobody believes him.  Where does this monster stay and how did it come to be?  The town will soon find out!  

My son enjoyed this DVD and is a fan of the show.  There are some supernatural and mysterious themes in these episodes, but most of the phenomenon  get explained through science.  The humor, animation, and voice acting is well done.  All in all this is a pretty good DVD for $13.

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Thank you Pure Publicity for sending us this DVD to review!

After the death of his father and losing everything, Jake and his mom move in with her estranged father.  Neither of them realize that Jake's grandfather is a legendary surfer and known by all of the locals.  Instead of surfing the internet, Jake is encouraged by his grandfather and love interest to surf the ocean instead.    

Learning to surf isn't easy and to make matters worse, Jake isn't the only guy attracted to Kayla.  He is both physically and verbally attacked by the town bully whom she isn't even remotely interested in.  The town's surf shop owner Cody (American Idol's Jason Castro) is one of the only friends Jake has.  

The only other actor I recognized in The Perfect Summer was the mother's boss played by Louis Mandlylor from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.   The acting was decent but the sound quality was really poor.  Even with the 5.1 sound selected, we only had stereo sound and the voices were noticeably switching channels often.     The story was decent and had some Christian themes woven throughout.  The take away message is to try your best and not give up.

Thank you Education.com for sending us a one-month trial code!

Kids are getting tech savvy younger and younger these days.  Why not use their computer skills to help them increase their math and reading proficiency?  Brainzy offers over three-hundred games and activities to keep them entertained and sitting still. Their format, which uses catchy music and colorful animations, is similar to Sesame Street.

Brainzy follows the Common Core guidelines and offers both family and classroom versions of their programs.  Families can pay as little as $3.99 a month if billed annually, or in monthly installments of $6.99.  There’s a seven-day trial available to see if your children are compatible with the browser-based program.  ;)  Each family account can support up to three players.

At this time Brainzy has curriculums for Pre-K through First Grade.  My son, who is in first grade, enjoyed using Brainzy while my older daughters watched and chimed in as well.  They wished there were higher level courses available.

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us these DVD's to review!

I used to love watching Pee-wee's Playhouse as a kid.  Now that most people have forgotten about Mr. Reubens' indiscretions, what better time to introduce him to the next generation!    Each show begins with Pee-wee getting a secret word from Conky, his robot friend.  Every time somebody says that word in the show, everyone is encouraged to scream.  (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!)   So from here on out, the secret word will be DVD.  Everybody knows what to do right? 

There are many regulars on the show including Cowboy Curtis played by Morpheus.. I mean Laurence Fishburne, and the late Phil Hartman who played as Captain Carl.    This DVD (AHHHHHHHHHHHH!) set contains twenty-three episodes, divided into four discs.  In addition to the shows, there are brand-new interviews from the cast and crew.  There's over nine hours of silliness to be had in this collection.

This show is pretty clean and often teaches good morals and manners.  There are lots of cartoons and clay animated shorts that are fun to watch.   The visuals are pretty good, with exception to the old school cartoons that showed their age twenty-five years ago.  (Yes it's been that long and I feel old now.)  Everything else is bright and colorful.     

Thank you Cartoon Network for sending us this Blu-ray to review!

Like many shows, Adventure Time season 4 resumes from a cliff hanger and ends with a new one.  Season 4 starts with Finn trying to make a relationship work with the Flame Princess after giving up on Princess Bubblegum.   There are a couple of problems with their relationship though.  For starters, she burns Finn when coming in contact with him and the other problem is that she’s emotionally unstable.  If she gets upset, she can get out of control and destroy towns in the Candy kingdom.  Princess Bubblegum wants Finn to be aware of the dangers and to break off the relationship, but he brushes her off thinking she’s just jealous.  

Love is in the air for another episode titled Dream of Love.  In this episode Tree Trunks falls in love with a pig and their open display of affection is upsetting the townsfolk.  They are told to keep their love private, but everywhere they go to make out, they get discovered.   There is one scene where you can see them kissing in the shadows and you see some tongue action going on.  When told to move in together, Tree Trunks declines saying that it would not be proper since they are not married.  Unfortunately, Jake doesn’t follow the same guidelines as Rainicorn announces at the end of one of the episodes that she is pregnant.   

The Ice King is desperate for a wife and makes himself one from body parts he steals from princesses across the kingdom in the episode Princess Monster Wife.  Needless to say, she’s not much of a looker, but her heart is in the right place.  

Thank You Millenium Entertainment for sending us this Blu-Ray to review.  

John Luther (James Remar) is a prominent evangelist who has friends in high places.  One of his friends, Senator Donald Harrison (Bruce Davison), turns against John when he refuses to back a bill for religious equality.  This bill promotes equal time to be allotted to all beliefs on religious networks, even primarily Christian ones.  After John Luther puts his foot down and stands firmly in his faith that Jesus is the ONLY way to heaven (John 14:6), he finds himself framed for the murder of an underage girl he had contact with.  

John is now a wanted criminal and must find out who his true friends are and prove his innocence.  Not only is John’s life in danger (Why didn't they just kill him instead of frame him?), his Catholic friends are targeted too.   

To make matters worse, John’s 20+ years younger wife is being hit on by the acting president of his religious organization.   Not only is this new president (Brad Stine) a scumbag, he’s greedy too and willing to compromise his morals for a bigger paycheck.  While Christians are shown in a mixed light, the government is portrayed as corrupt and incompetent in this movie.  
Even with the star studded cast, I recommend watching The Fugitive with Harrison Ford instead of Persecuted.  As a Christian I just couldn't connect with this film.  Yes, John Luther was being framed and that's not cool; however, I don't see this scenario happening any time soon.  When I think of persecution, I think of the Christians in the Middle East who are being killed or evicted from their homes for simply being Christian and not denouncing their faith.  Those are the truly persecuted people and their story needs to be told instead of rehashing another movie to put a Christian spin on it.

Thank you Disney for sending us this Blu-Ray to review!

When I think of Disney, their animated movies come to mind.  Disneynature was founded in 2008, and focuses on independent nature documentary films.    They have produced many successful films including Earth narrated by James Earl Jones and Chimpanzee which was narrated by Tim Allen.  Bears is skillfully narrated by John C. Reilly and tells the tale of a first time mother bear, Sky, raising her two cubs, Scout and Amber.  

Given the personality differences between the two cubs (Scout is a handful!) and the dangerous Alaskan wildlife, motherhood is no easy task. Sky has several close calls to losing her cubs to wolves and hungry bears.  She must keep them safe and teach them how to defend and feed themselves.  Her goal is to help them eat enough salmon to survive the upcoming winter hibernation.

Unfortunately, the rivers loaded with fish have non-friendly bears there and Sky and her family must find a more peaceful area to gorge themselves on 90+ pounds of fish a day.  There are many neat facts taught in this movie and it’s both entertaining and educational to watch.  I highly recommend Bears to any animal lover out there.  My kids were skeptical at first but enjoyed the movie, especially my daughter, Amber.  We look forward to watching more Disneynature films!

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD to review!

Thunder and the House of Magic starts off with a family moving away and deliberately leaving a kitten behind to fend for itself.  Confused and unsure of where to go, the kitten makes his way to an unusual mansion.  The owner is a magician and takes him in and bestows the name Thunder to him because of the rain storm that brought them together.  The magician's rabbit and mouse pets are not as welcoming and plot to evict Thunder from his new home.  Tragedy befalls the magician and it's up to Thunder and the magician's helpers to team up to save the magicians house from being sold or destroyed by his greedy nephew.

While the story is decent, I was appalled at the language used within this movie.  Thunder and the House of Magic is not rated and does cite cartoon violence.  I was surprised to hear the word d*mn used multiple times (by the nephew) in this movie geared for families.  It's a shame since everything else about the movie is great.  

The computer animated visuals are astounding and lend themselves to 3D very well.  I wish I had a 3D  Blu-Ray setup to see what it looks like!  The characters are very expressive and the cat animations/behaviors are spot on.  However, I have yet to see a cat not want to eat or kill a mouse.   I found it amusing that the cover of the DVD boasts about having music from Selena Gomez in it.  While this statement is true, her song is not until the end credits. 

Thank you Pure publicity for sending us this DVD to review!

Just as my Facebook stream has settled down from people dumping ice water on their head for ALS, I watched a movie that impacted me more than any celebrity getting soaked.  After seeing Season of a Lifetime I hope more than ever that a cure is found for this terrible disease.  I pray that the $113 Million raised from the ice bucket challenges is put to good use.

The tagline for Season of a Lifetime summarizes it quite well: “Faith, Family, Football”.  Since I am not into football, I had my doubts about this film, but rest assured, it’s more of a documentary than a sports film.   This movie is about a godly man, devoted husband and father who mentored Georgia's Greenville High School Patriots players and brought them from being laughed at to the state championships.  Many of the players come from rough backgrounds and coach Williams is like a father to them.  That’s doesn't mean he goes easy on them though!

Jeremy Williams is no stranger to football and is the current record holder for the most tackles as a defensive back.  Although he was undersized, he still managed to tackle over fifty players in one season.  After college, he didn't let his football know-how go to waste, and began coaching. Success didn't come right away though; it took a couple of years for the team to work and play well together.  Coach Williams prayed for adversity to bring the team closer together.  It was soon after that he was diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.  

Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD to review!

Halloween is fast approaching and what better way to celebrate it than with the friendliest ponies around?  There’s over two hours of laughs and valuable lessons to be learned in this cartoon collection.  As an added bonus, there’s a sing-along for the song Bats.  In total there are six episodes including:

• Boast Busters – Twilight Sparkle is good at magic, but modest about her talent.  That is until a boastful newcomer arrives and challenges her to a magic duel.  Will the arrogant Trixie be humbled in this match?
• Stare Master – A babysitting job goes wrong when the young ponies venture out into the Everfree forest.  Can Fluttershy’s stare intimidate a cockatrice and save the young fillies from danger?
• Luna Eclipsed – Princess Luna is in town for Nightmare Night, but is given the cold shoulder no matter how much she tries adjusting her attitude.  Will the ponies accept her present form and forget about her evil past?
• Sleepless in Ponyville – The ponies are on a camping trip and some of the ghost stories start becoming more and more real.  Scootaloo must learn to face her fears.  
• Castle Mane-ia – Applejack and Rainbow Dash are competing to see which pony is the bravest.  Their competition takes place is a creepy castle.  Who will be the victor?
• Bats! – Vampire bats have invaded Sweet Apple Acres on Apple Bucking Day.  Applejack and Fluttershy can’t agree on how to solve this dilemma.  To make matters worse, Fluttershy is accidently turned into a bat-pony from one of Twilight’s spells.  

All of my kids, son included enjoyed this DVD collection.  The girls liked and hung up the bundled poster as well.  My Little Pony: Spooktacular Pony Tales retails for $15 but can be found for closer to ten dollars on Amazon.  This is a great deal and I highly recommend it for fans of the My Little Pony series.

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Thank you Shout Factory for sending us this DVD to review!

Slugterra: Return of the Elementals picks up after the movie Slugterra: Ghoul From Beyond.  If you haven't seen it, there's a quick recap about slugs with the power of mind control and how Eli Shang and his friends defeated them. Those who are not familiar with the series at all should know that Eli and his (mostly human) friends keep their world safe by shooting living slugs as bullets (with elemental capabilities) at those who wish harm upon them.   This animated film begins as Eli awakens from a dream with his father telling him to gather the five elemental slugs together.   This time it's not just the humans being impacted, slugs under the same corrupted element are turning into ghouls.  Eli Shang and his gang must gather the uncorrupted elemental slugs before it's too late and heal the ghoulish ones.   

The adventure won't be easy, but there is just as much hilarity as fighting in Slugterra.  Fans of the show will enjoy the same funny humor and silly personalities of the slugs and crew in Eli Shang's gang.  This movie can be enjoyed by people of all ages.   There's plenty of action to keep a child's attention in the 70 minute DVD and the asking price is a reasonable $15.

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Thank you Affirm Films for sending us this movie to watch!

I have seen many Christian movies ranging from dramas, to documentaries and comedies.  The Remaining is very unique as it's the first Christian themed survival/horror movie I've seen.  It doesn't pull any punches and shows both believers and non-believers getting torn apart by prophesied abominations.  Because of the gore, this movie received a PG-13 rating.  I was surprised it didn't get an R.  The Remaining makes Left Behind look like a Disney film, and is bound to give young kids nightmares.  

The movie begins with a picture perfect wedding and the groom's friend is documenting it with his camcorder.  His footage gets really interesting at the reception when many of the guests suddenly collapse and die.  They are the lucky ones as the people left behind must deal with fire and hail raining from the sky, looting, mayhem, and demonic attacks.  

The wedding party must flee for safety, collect their wits and process what's happening to them.  Is this an alien attack or Biblical prophecy coming true?  Many characters realize that they have missed the rapture and solidify their faith in God.  It's not an easy decision as it comes with consequences as demons are attracted to and attack new believers.  Is the quick death worth the risk?  Is it the right choice?

Not everyone embraces faith though.  People on both side of the fence die in this film.  I was surprised to see how some characters were given the option to die despite Revelation 9:6 stating that death would not come to those wounded.