Brooke Hall

Brooke and Mason Hall are a mother-son team. She’s a freelance writer with a journalism background. He’s a teenager who loves all things electronic, which he often buys secondhand to fiddle with and dissect.

Detergent sheets bring minimalism to your laundry room

Breezeo LaundryStrips 1

ARTICLE – Do you ever have a problem with laundry pods not fully dissolving? Or liquid detergent leaving behind marks, stains, or discoloration on your clothes?  I did. And I thought I was the only one, figuring it was a user error on my part. But then I read in one of my online parenting […]

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RICOMAX metal detector review

REVIEW – RM RICOMAX Professional Metal Detector GC-1037 is very lightweight (2 pounds) and accurate, featuring an assortment of settings and controls. What is it?  A lightweight metal detector that comes with lots of extra goodies including over-the-ear headphones, a folding pickaxe/shovel with carrying case, plus a large case for the entire metal detector so

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Creative Stage V2 speaker system review – Small but packs a punch

Creative Speaker 2

REVIEW – The Creative Stage V2 speaker system packs a powerful punch in a sleek, two-piece design with several connectivity options. What is it? The Creative Stage V2 is a speaker system with a soundbar, subwoofer, and remote control. It has an impressive sound quality and attractive design for the $110 price tag. What’s in

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Gadgeteer team’s work from home (WFH) setups – Brooke Miller Hall

HallFamily PandemicSetup 2

ARTICLE – When my family started our work-from-home/school-from-home adventure, our set-up was loosey-goosey. My husband started in the already-established basement office but quickly found it too dark and depressing. So he moved to the sunroom. However, lounging on the couch with his laptop was awkward and uncomfortable. My boys mostly hid in their rooms. And

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Outward Hound dog toy isn’t “invincible” but it’s pretty good

InvincibleHound DuckToy 1

NEWS – Every other month, I get a rather unusual item in my Amazon Subscribe and Save bundle: A fuzzy, squeaky duck. This dog toy for $3.75 is sold by Outward Hound under the brand name “Invincibles.” And that’s a bit of an overstatement. My two pups have proved over and over that these toys

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CNN10 gives to-the-point, daily news overview

CNN10 1

ARTICLE – When my kids’ school moved online last year, like many parents and families, I was overwhelmed. And seeking information. And craving a schedule. One simple thing we did in my house was to start watching CNN10 together every morning. It’s a 10-minute news summary that replaced the longstanding CNN Student News. That way,

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Child struggling with pencil grip or handwriting? Try a wishbone

WishbonePen 1

ARTICLE – When my son was in kindergarten and first grade, he struggled mightily with pencil grip. The spongy nubs his school district provided to help with this problem just never seemed to do the trick for him. After consulting with his teachers and doing my own research, we ordered wishbone-shaped writing utensils that forced

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Slow feeder keeps dogs quiet and occupied…at least, for a while

TESLUCK DogLickPad 2 1

NEWS – As we continue to work from home, there’s been one consistent challenge: Our dogs. They might be sweet and silent for hours, but as soon as that conference call starts, they suddenly need to bark at every squirrel, bird or leaf that passes by the window. Or they absolutely must chase each other

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Want to play Jackbox with a younger crowd? Get Party Pack 2.

NEWS – I wrote about the Jackbox Party Pack on Feb. 5. And again on April 16. Because I’m a big fan of these quirky, online party games. But more importantly, because they’ve been a lifeline during quarantine and social distancing, as we’ve hosted virtual games nights with far-flung family members, old friends from all

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