Merchandise Monday: It’s Finally Fall!

Fall starts today – at 10:29 p.m. Eastern, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac – and while many of us (including this blogger) couldn’t wait for summer to start, others have had visions of pumpkin spice dancing in their heads since early August! So how about a little reading material while you sip that long-awaited latte? Hinda’s gearing up for the change of seasons and, as always, this is just a small sample of the abundance of fall-related (and otherwise) items in our ever-growing assortment!

ACU-RITE® Digital Weather Station

Plan the day with confidence with this weather predictor – pinpoint accuracy right from your own backyard. Patented Self-Calibrating Technology provides your personal forecast of 12- to 24-hour weather conditions generated from weather data measured by a sensor in your yard, giving you the most accurate forecast available.

Buck® Small Lock Back Folding Knife

The MiniBuck is so lightweight you won't even realize it is in your pocket. Made of durable materials and sized for convenience, it’s perfect for hunting, fishing, camping or just for everyday carry. Made of 420HC blade steel and features a drop point, razor edge and Valox handle. Blade length: 1.9", closed length: 2.9" and weighs 1-ounce.

Chilly Dog Handmade Wool Cable Knit Dog Sweater

Chilly Dog sweaters are extremely warm, thick and 100 percent plant-dyed wool. They are handmade by Inca Artisans in South America using fair trade guidelines, therefore they may vary slightly in color and style. Available for every dog from a tea cup to a Great Dane!

Diane Katzman Designs Metallic Rose or Tan Sparkle Scarf

These beautiful scarves by Diane Katzman feature fashionable pink or neutral tan lightweight fabric consisting of 80 percent cotton and 20 percent viscose. A lovely, delicate metallic pattern adds just the right amount of sparkle! The scarf measures 29.5" W x 75" L.  Each sold separately.

Dreambean Candles Recycled Wine Bottle Soy Candle

A recycled green or blue wine bottle is handsomely transformed into a 12-ounce eco-friendly soy candle.  Available scents include Vanilla Honey, Pacific Redwood, Aloe Lily, Lemon Tea, Yuzu Coconut and Lavender Milk.  Proceeds support a job-development training program for homeless and at-risk young mothers.

Family Night Fun!

School is back in session, extracurricular activities are starting up and the Monday through Friday grind is hectic with trying to accommodate everyone’s schedules. Now that evenings are getting shorter and homework is back on the agenda, it’s a great time to plan some fun family nights to kick back and relax with the people you love. Hinda is here to help with just a few items from our wide assortment of products for family night!

Disney® The Jungle Book - Diamond Edition DVD

This timeless masterpiece celebrates the true meaning of friendship. Join Mowgli as he journeys deep into the jungle and learns "The Bare Necessities" of life from happy-go-lucky Baloo the bear. Meet Bagheera, the wise old panther and crazy King Louie, the orangutan. But watch out for the cunning tiger Shere Khan and Kaa, the sssssneakiest snake in the jungle!

Kalorik® Fun! Electric S'mores Maker

Now the enjoyment of roasting marshmallows over an open campfire can be brought to the comfort of kitchens everywhere!  The Kalorik® s‘mores maker has a charming appeal and is ideal to use inside the house. Just add graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate squares to make a delicious s'mores treat. S'mores are great conversation starters and fun desserts for parties and special occasions!

Melissa & Doug® Suspend Family Game

A family game of tricky hangs and steady hands! Try this hanging balance game and you'll be hooked! Suspend comes with 24 notched, rubber-tipped wire pieces to hang from a tabletop stand. Sound easy? Try adding another piece! Each time a bar is added, the balance shifts, the difficulty changes and the incredible midair sculpture transforms. Can you add all your game pieces without making it fall?

Smart Planet Movie Theater Popcorn Maker

This hot air popcorn popper's design is reminiscent of the old-time movie theater style poppers. Enjoy the fun of making your own great-tasting healthier alternative to buttered popcorn. It makes a fun addition to your rec or movie room and adds something special to nights in with your friends and family. Makes 2-3 quarts in minutes.

SodaStream® Jet Home Soda Maker Kit

The SodaStream® soda maker has everything you need to turn tap water into sparkling water in 30 seconds. With no batteries or electricity, you can use your soda maker in your kitchen, outdoors on your patio or deck or on your boat or RV. In addition to making fizzy water, SodaStream also offers more than 25 regular, diet, energy and caffeine-free flavors of syrup (sold separately).

Vivitar® "The Voice" High End CD+G Karaoke Machine

Inspired by the hit NBC show, “The Voice” High End Karaoke has all you need for a great party! Features include enhanced vocal effects, echo and balance control for pro sound, a large dynamic speaker, dual pro-style microphone jacks (includes one mic) and an integrated MP3/smartphone and tablet cradle that lets you tap into your digital music library or play karaoke tunes from your devices.

Wonder Forge Disney™ Doc McStuffins All Better! Role Play Game

Make the boo-boos go away like Doc McStuffins! Each slap bracelet bandage is a different mystery ouchie. Take turns trying to figure out which doctor tool will make things all better. It’s a fun game of pretending and playful problem-solving. Game includes six slap bracelet bandages, six foam tools, eight scoring tiles, one spinner, one storage bag and instructions.

Wonder Forge Disney Pictopia™ Family Trivia Game

Families team up in this collaborative yet competitive trivia game with 1,000 questions ranging from basic trivia to voting, testing how well you know your fellow players. During the game, everyone gets a chance to show off their World of Disney knowledge – from Disney Junior and Disney XD to Disney Parks and classic Disney films. It’s the perfect answer for together-time fun!  

Wonder Forge Marvel Avengers Assemble™ Slide Strike ™ Game

Go head-to-head in an exciting game of concealed identities and cunning strategy. Slide your team across the battlefield for a surprise attack. Reveal which hero or villain you’re attacking with, then find out who they’re up against. Every character combo yields a different outcome. Outlast your opponent to win! Includes 35 tiles, 12 characters, 12 character cards, target tokens, battle platform and one die.

Your Monthly Check-Up: Did you do the Ice Bucket Challenge?

By now everyone has seen at least one person on Facebook or other social media sites dumping a bucket of ice cold water on his or her head. Perhaps you’ve done it yourself (several Hinda staffers have!). The Ice Bucket Challenge is soaking the nation all in the name of raising awareness about ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease after the famous New York Yankee first baseman who died of complications from ALS in 1941. While the origins of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge are unclear, the goal of raising awareness – and donations – aligns with other cold water challenges and polar plunges made popular by various charitable organizations.

According to the ALS Association, ALS is

a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. (www.alsa.org)

While this disease isn’t completely understood, one thing is for sure – the Ice Bucket Challenge is working. According to Wikipedia,

After the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral on social media, public awareness and charitable donations to ALS charities soared. The New York Times reported that the ALS Association had received $41.8 million in donations from July 29 until August 21. More than 739,000 new donors have given money to the association, which is more than double the $19.4 million in total contributions the association received during the year that ended January 31, 2013. Similarly, the ALS Therapy Development Institute reported a ten-fold increase in donations relative to the same period in 2014, with over 2,000 donations made in a single day on August 20, 2014, while Project ALS reported a 50-fold increase.

The ALS Association, which raised $64 million in all of 2013, raised more than $10 million on Thursday, August 21, 2014, alone. 

ALS mainly affects people between the ages of 40 and 70, however there are cases of people in their 20s and 30s who have been diagnosed. The ALS Association says that, according to the ALS CARE Database, 60 percent of people with ALS are men and 93 percent of patients are Caucasian (figures taken from ALS patients represented in the Database). It is estimated that as many as 30,000 Americans have the disease at any given time. More work is being done to determine possible risk factors, but one known risk is that military veterans, particularly vets of the Gulf War, are twice as likely to develop ALS.

While symptoms at the onset of ALS are easily overlooked, some signs during the disease’s progression include:

• muscle weakness in the hands, arms, legs and/or the muscles of speech, swallowing or breathing
• twitching (fasciculation) and cramping of muscles, especially in the hands and feet
• impairment in the use of the arms and legs
• "thick speech" and difficulty projecting the voice
• shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing and swallowing (in more advanced stages)

The symptoms of ALS and rate at which it progresses can vary widely from person to person, and not all sufferers experience the same symptoms. However, progressive muscle weakness and paralysis are present in all cases. Although the mean prognosis is three to five years, many people live five or ten years or more. One example of this is Stephen Hawking, who was diagnosed with a form of ALS when he was 21 and is currently in his early 70s.

Since ALS attacks only motor neurons, the five senses are not affected. For many people, muscles of the eyes and bladder are generally not affected.

To learn more about ALS, visit www.alsa.org.

Mike Donnelly Promoted to President of Hinda

Hinda is excited to announce the promotion of Mike Donnelly to the position of President.  Formerly Executive Vice President/General Manager of Hinda, Donnelly’s promotion provides expanded leadership responsibilities covering all aspects of the business, including sales, marketing, product development, strategic direction, quality, operations, technology and program administration along with leading the efforts in helping Hinda’s partners and clients to achieve their goals with well developed and managed programs.

“I am incredibly proud to be leading the Hinda Incentives team, and I am excited about our future. We have an aggressive and value-based model that will continue to position us not only as a leader in the incentive/loyalty/engagement industry, but will ensure that we continue to realize joint success with our partners,” said Donnelly.

Donnelly joined Hinda Incentives in March 2014 after serving as a consultant for the company.  His career includes over 30 years in the marketing services and incentive and loyalty business. Prior roles include executive management and leadership positions with Donnelly Creative Partners, Maritz Rewards’ Motivation & Loyalty business units, and with InteliSpend, formerly American Express Incentive Services.

Merchandise Monday: Back to School!

It’s that time again. The days are getting a little shorter and a little cooler. Your favorite fall TV is about to start back up. The kids are lining up their best new outfits for that all-important first week. It’s back-to-school season!

It’s a bittersweet time of year, but lucky for you, Hinda is fully prepared to make the transition from carefree days to busy school season a smooth one. Below is just a sampling of the latest back-to-school items we’ve added to our assortment.  

AcuRite® Atomic Clock with Dual Alarm, USB Charger & Temperature

Never be late for class again! This alarm clock features an illuminated color display with outdoor and indoor temperature, atomic clock and calendar, two alarms and USB charging for compatible smartphones. The atomic clock is radio-controlled to synchronize to the correct time broadcast by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) radio station, WWVB, for split-second precision accuracy.

cinda b Medium Cosmetic in Verde Bonita

Technically this is a cosmetic bag, but there’s no reason it can’t be used for pens and pencils, art supplies or anything else your school day entails! This medium-size pouch is made from durable poly/nylon fabrics, is water resistant and machine washable. The flat bottom keeps it standing upright. It features a lovely green and blue Verde Bonita pattern and, like all cinda b products, is proudly made in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Comfort Products Coublo Writing Style Desk

With a unique yet contemporary style, this desk will be sure to grab attention. With a desktop area wrapped in a strong and durable PU covering, the desk is perfect for surfing the web using a laptop, taking care of homework or handling the monthly bills. The drawer is the perfect size for storing a notepad, stapler, pens or other items needed to handle life's tasks. The bottom shelf is great for displaying pictures or storing books.

Dell® 15.6-inch Inspiron Laptop

This non-touch laptop features an LED display with Truelife and HD resolution (1366x768), fourth-gen Intel® Core™ i5 processor, Windows® 8.1, Intel HD Graphics 4400, HDMI, 1TB 5400 RMP SATA hard drive, media card reader (card not included), Intel Centrino® Wireless-AC 3160 plus Bluetooth®4.0, Waves MaxxAudio and a backlit keyboard. Make homework fun with this handy laptop!

HP 15.6-inch Notebook

Get the features you need and the reliability you expect. Enjoy rich, smooth web chats with the stunning HD display and easily take it on the road with a thin design combined with security features. The HP Notebook features an Intel® Pentium® 2.16GHz 64-bit quad-core processor, 4GB memory, 500 GB hard drive, DVD, Intel HD Graphics, Windows® 8.1, Touchpad, webcam and is Energy Star® compliant.

Konik Super Mini Optical USB Mouse – Black

The three-dimensional super mini optical USB mouse features a retractable cord and is perfect for laptop use and compact for travel. Get all your homework done, conduct online research for your big paper and treat yourself to an educational game all more quickly and easily with the Konik super mini USB mouse! Measures 3” L x 1.4” W and comes in black only.

Naxa® Projection Alarm Clock with AM/FM Radio & Snooze

No more oversleeping! The Naxa® Projection Alarm Clock with AM/FM Radio and Snooze features a .6” display, AM/FM radio tuner, 180-degree projection, wake to radio or alarm, snooze and battery back-up with 9V battery (not included). The clock measures 7” L x 3.2” W x 5.2” H and weighs 1.2-pounds. Time to find a new excuse for why you’re late!

Your Monthly Check-Up: Soothing the Sting of Summer

By the time summer rolls around, most of us are so sick of winter that we want to burn our wardrobes and the thought of snow puts us over the edge. But the warmer months don’t come without their share of drawbacks. Mosquito and other bug bites as well as sunburn can put a damper on any outdoor activity. Here are some tips, courtesy of “EXPERIENCE L!FE” magazine, to help avoid bug bites and sunburn or sooth them if you’ve been outsmarted.

The best way to ward off mosquito bites is to remove any standing water from your surroundings, burn citronella candles and avoid wearing perfume. If you’re unlucky enough to get a bite or two (or a hundred), try witch hazel, a natural astringent, to reduce swelling and sooth the angry bites.

Calendula cream, which is made from marigolds, can also help bring relief in the event of a mosquito bite or bee sting. The essential oils in calendula are anti-inflammatory as well as antimicrobial – and it’s helpful for sunburn, too! If you’re allergic to ragweed, be sure to test a patch of skin first so you don’t get an allergic reaction. The last thing you want when treating your bug bites is to make them worse!

Let’s talk sunburn. Everyone knows that excessive sun exposure is dangerous, but trying to block out rays using sunscreens full of chemicals is bad for you, too. Plus, the sun is how we get our vitamin D, so we don’t want to completely block it out. Try mineral-based formulas with UVA/UVB protection and steer clear of sunscreens containing retinyl palmitate (vitamin A), retinol, octinoxate and oxybenzone.

Stayed out there a little too long? Lavender and tea tree oil are both antiseptics and can help you with your agony. Besides having a very calming aroma, lavender can help cool the pain of mild burns and prevent scarring. Tea tree oil also helps relieve burns and prevent infection. Too much of either, however, can dry out the skin, so use sparingly.

Aloe vera is also a good sunburn remedy as it sooths and cools the skin and calms the irritation of the sunburn. As the pain subsides, the polysaccharides help the body create more antibodies to speed up the healing process. The best source of aloe vera is straight from the plant. Keep one handy and clip from the oldest, bottom-most leaves. For store-bought varieties, look for ones with aloe vera high on the ingredients list and without the neon green dyes.

Get more great natural remedies here and important sun information here!

Merchandise Monday: Summer Break Fun!

The kids have been out of school for over a month and, unless they have an unlimited supply of toys and entertainment options, chances are they’re going to get bored. Stave off this dreaded day with fun new toys for kids from our assortment. Some of these items are great for rainy days while others are definitely enjoyed best outside. Everybody wins.

                                    LeapFrog® LeapPad2™ Custom Edition Green

Customize the best-selling, kid-tough learning tablet with sticker skins and digital wallpapers—100-plus ways to make it unique! Choose from 10 fun sticker skins, including ones your child can color. Mix and match them with 11 wallpapers. Removable sticker skins come off easily, so your child can swap styles without any mess.

LeapFrog® Scribble & Write

Light up early writing skills! The LeapFrog® Scribble & Write provides stroke-by-stroke guidance and features a new mode that provides instant accuracy feedback. Children trace the lights to get practice writing uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.

LEGO® Friends Heartlake Pet Salon

Celebrate the grand opening of the Heartlake Pet Salon – everyone's excited to check it out! Help Emma to shampoo her friend Joanna's pretty white poodle in the bubble bath, then trim and clip her on the rotating grooming table. Use the blow dryer and brushes to make her perfect!

LEGO® The LEGO Movie Cloud Cuckoo Palace

Revel with Unikitty in Cloud Cuckoo Land, the happiest, most positive and creative place in the universe! Join Emmet, Wyldstyle and all the master builders in this multi-colored playful paradise where the sun is always shining and a cute snail glides between the bright flowers.

nabi® DreamTab™ 8-inch Kids Tablet

The DreamTab™ 8” Kids Tablet features nabi® OS 3.0 Blue Morpho™ which starts with Android™ Kit Kat and adds over 400 kid-focused, parent-approved features. Dream Pro Studio™ is a powerful suite of creative tools that teach your children how to draw, animate, author their own books and edit movies like a pro.

Swimline CoolJam™ Floating Basketball

This great pool game puts all the rules of basketball into the water for extra fun! The frame and rim are constructed from PVC that will insure longevity. Featuring a full-color, blow molded, hard body backboard for extra support, every cannonball will turn into a slam dunk.  

Swimline Remote Control Submarine

Fun for the pool, lake or bathtub, the Remote Control Submarine climbs and dives below water surface, turns left and right and comes complete with a search light and long range transmitters – 27 MHz frequency.