Smart Gloves For Your Smart Phone

I never thought I was going to become an iPhone junkie, but now that I've had it for over a year, I often wonder how I lived without it. That phone is my lifeline when I'm out of the house - anyone I could ever need to reach, in just about any method, is available to me at the touch of a finger.

Of course, winter in Ohio can make my love for my smart phone a little difficult. Anyone in cold weather has likely faced the dilemma of using their phone versus risking cold fingers. More than once last winter I was seen furiously trying to answer my phone with my gloves on, only to remember that the gloves block the ability for the phone to sense touch and so I had to quickly tear off my glove to answer the phone.

And don't get me started on those fingerless gloves for smart phone users. Of all parts of my hand, my fingers are precisely the parts most prone to cold and therefore what I want to keep warm the most!

I was recently made aware of a new product called Agloves, however, and it's like my blue-fingernail prayers have been answered.

Agloves make it possible to keep your gloves on and use a touch screen phone at the same time. These stretchy, knit gloves are made with silver-coated nylon thread throughout (hence the name - Ag is the elemental symbol for silver) to provide the connectivity needed to operate any touch screen.

I always thought that touch-sensitive screens were based on body heat, but actually they're made to react with the bioelectricity in your skin. Put a barrier between your skin and the phone, and those little ions can't flow the way they're supposed to. Agloves, however, allow those ions to flow freely thanks to the highly conductive silver thread.

Now, I know what you might be thinking: metal coated thread? Sounds uncomfortable, right? I can tell you that when I received a pair of these for review, the first thing I noticed was how soft they are. They feel just as soft as any knit gloves, and they are just as warm, too.

I'm really impressed with these gloves. I can use my iPhone without taking my gloves off, and the phone responds to my gloved finger just as well as it does when it's skin to glass. The gloves can get wet, are also washable, and the silver will not wash off or wear off. They're available in three sizes, with a sizing chart to help you pick the right fit.

Unlike other tech gloves on the market, these keep all of your fingers covered and warm while still providing full, 10-finger conductivity with your smart phone. (Some only provide conductivity with your index finger and thumb.) The black is stylish and looks great with winter sports wear as well as a formal wool coat. Cost-wise, these are extremely well-priced gloves, at $17.99 a pair.

And if you needed one more reason to love Agloves, consider that they were created by a "mom-preneur" looking for a solution for a common problem. Support your fellow mom-run small businesses!

Win a pair!

Agloves has graciously provided me with one pair of gloves to give to one lucky reader! The winner can choose which size works best for them.

To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite outdoor winter activity. (Mandatory entry.) Be sure to leave a valid e-mail address so I can contact you if you're selected as the winner.

For additional entries:

2. Follow me on Twitter @mommystory and tweet this contest leaving me a link here in the comments. (one entry)
3. Follow @TheAgloves on Twitter. (1 entry - leave a comment here with you link)
4. "Like" Agloves on Facebook. (1 entry - leave a comment here with your Facebook username)

One of each entry per person, US residents only.

Giveaway will close on Sunday, November 28 at 11:59pm ET. One winner will be selected by random drawing to win the pair of Agloves. Winner has three days after being contacted by e-mail to respond or another winner will be chosen in his or her place.

Get FREE SHIPPING on Agloves!

If you can't wait and want to get some of your holiday shopping done, Agloves has also provided readers of Mommy's Must Haves with a great promo code for free shipping on any order from Agloves. Simply enter the code mommusthave in the coupon code box to get free shipping on your order through December 15, 2010!

Full disclosure: I received a pair of Agloves to facilitate my review, and no further compensation was received. A positive review was not guaranteed - all thoughts are my honest opinions. You can bet I'll be taking advantage of that discount code, though - I've got a lot of holiday shopping left to do.

Plant A Seed To Bring New Life To Old Fields

When I was a kid, I played in our county's youth soccer program. There were several teams by age, and we all played on a couple of fields around town. If you didn't play in the field behind the church, surrounded on three sides by corn (and hope the ball didn't go into the corn), you played on the front lawn of a manufacturing plant, right next to a busy county road.

At the time, there were no other places to play soccer. Our local park had a baseball diamond, but it was often filled with adult softball leagues. There was no way the football players would let us use one of the school football fields either. So we had two poor excuses for sports fields to use, and no other choice. It took years before the community came together to create dedicated soccer fields for the kids to use.

However, many sports fields across the country are falling into disrepair, due to city budget cuts or lack of community involvement. In Columbus alone, numerous rec centers and pools are closing soon to save the city money. Who knows if the city fields will be kept up when outdoor sports begin in the spring?

To combat this national problem, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Earn Your Stripes program has initiated a call-to-action for a national field renovation program that kicks off this coming Super Bowl Sunday with a commercial entitled "Plant a Seed."

The ad will focus on the role we all play in building stronger communities and making a difference in kids' lives. Because the Earn Your Stripes program is about inspiring kids to be their very best, "Plant a Seed" shows that before anyone can earn a single stripe, someone has to plant a seed and help give kids places to realize their promise and potential.

The field renovation initiative is currently accepting nominations for fields that need help. From this list, semifinalists will be chosen and then everyone can vote on which 30 will make the final cut. Through this program, fields will once again become central and vibrant places of activity and community in cities and towns across the country.

If there's a sports field in your city that could use some TLC, don't wait to nominate your local field for the Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Plant a Seed makeover. Your action could be the seed that revitalizes an entire neighborhood.

Get Ready For Winter With Lands' End

With this week's arctic blast chilling me to the bone, I've been forced to dig out all of my sweaters, long-sleeve shirts and thick socks. As I pulled out my winter coat, I realized that I no longer have an "everyday" winter coat. My only coat is a long black wool coat - somewhat formal for playing in the snow or taking a walk. So when Lands' End offered to let me try their women's Weatherly Jacket, I quickly agreed.

Cordy has worn a Lands' End winter jacket for the past two years, and I love that it keeps her warm in the coldest of conditions. The Weatherly jacket also promises to keep you warm in temperatures as low as -10 degrees F when worn over layers.

The first thing I noticed is how lightweight this jacket is. Using PolarThin insulation, the jacket isn't puffy like others, and feels very smooth when putting it on. You can adjust the waist tabs in the back to create the perfect fit, and the cuffs have adjustable velcro straps to keep the cold from rushing in your sleeves. A pull cord at the bottom adjusts the hem.

What I love: First, I love all of the pockets on this jacket. There are two storage pockets on the front, with two smaller, fleece-lined pockets that serve as hand-warmers. Inside, there is another pocket plus a smaller pocket to hold your mp3 player. I also love the tall sherpa fleece collar. The outer fabric of the jacket has a coating that allows water to bead up and roll off - very useful during last Friday's downpour.

I have very few complaints about this jacket. I would prefer to see it slightly longer for those of us who are long-waisted. A hood might be nice, too, although this does give me the chance to show off some fun winter hats.

Overall, I'm a big fan of the Weatherly jacket. It's warm, it's lightweight, and I don't feel like the kid in A Christmas Story who can't put his arms down in his bulky snowgear. It comes in a rainbow of colors, too - I chose garnet red, since I do live in Buckeye-country. Pair it with the Lands' End women's Chalet shoes and you'll look stylish at the sledding hill this year!

Who Needs a Beach? We Have Sand & Water Right Here!

Summer didn't wait for it's official start here in Columbus. Last week it was hot - unbearably hot. And of course I had two children who wanted to go outside every day.

The problem, of course, is that any amount of time spent outdoors will melt the lot of us faster than a bucket of water on the wicked witch. Wait - water! Add water to a hot day, and suddenly it's not so bad anymore, right?

So last week we introduced the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart to our backyard, and the girls were very excited to try it. It required a little bit of construction, so I told the girls to be patient. (Never an easy task.) Thankfully, the pieces fit together easily, and the screws were easy to put in. I'm not good with building things, but this took only 10 minutes and very little effort with the well-written instructions.

The cart is very compact, yet still offers plenty of room for several kids to gather around and play. Wheels and a handle on the front make it easy to move around the backyard (we moved it to the shade), and a cute umbrella provides shade if the cart is out in the sun.

Cordy saw the water wheel toy on the cart and decided that no sand was needed. I was ordered to fill both sides with water, even though one side is designed for sand and I had a bag of it sitting nearby. Both girls immediately started splashing, pushing the boats around, and Cordy poured water into the water tower to watch the wheel spin. I splashed around with them for a little while (we had boat races by blowing on the plastic sails) and then I pulled up a chair nearby and relaxed in the shade for a bit.


An hour later, I had to drag them in from the backyard and deal with the wails that dinner wasn't important, because there was water to play with! Clean up was a snap: there's a spout on the bottom to drain out the water, and the toys can be stored inside or on the lower level of the cart. The cover fits tightly with bungee cords to secure it, keeping bugs and water from getting into your sand.

I really appreciate how portable this toy is. We don't have a deck or patio, so we have to move all of their toys to mow the lawn. Wheeling this cart out of the way is a breeze. And the cart can be used in several ways: sand and water, sand alone, or water alone. We added the sand this week, and they love digging in the sand to find things Cordy has buried. (And I get to practice my observation skills, as Mira tries to eat the sand every now and then.)


It's also a toy that both girls can use together. The one year old enjoys it as much as the nearly-four year old does. Mira enjoys the sensations of feeling the water and sand, while Cordy learns how water can make a wheel move and a boat float, and practices hiding and digging up toys in the sand.

I can see this cart will give us years of use, and I highly recommend the Step 2 Sand & Water Cart. Having this toy around has resulted in more time spent in the backyard and less around the TV. But I think we need to build a patio now just so I can relax at a table (with my computer, of course) during these extended outdoor play sessions!