Monday, January 31, 2011

It Works! Review

I was so excited to try the body wrap from Jessica! :) It was packaged nicely, had lots of great information, and pretty clear instructions. I measured myself, then cleansed my skin and placed the wrap on my stomach. I covered myself in saran wrap to secure it, and waited patiently for 45 minutes. :)


Tick tock, tick tock...


I spent a few moments looking at all of the awesome before and after pictures! Talk about motivating. At this point, I was excited!! 





About 50 minutes later (got side-tracked by Ellen), I removed the wrap and measured myself. Not even 1/4 of an inch difference. :( Disappointing, to say the least. Guess I can't skip zumba for the day.


While the website boasts that you WILL lose inches, I wasn't that lucky I guess. My before and after pics are the same, so no need to post them. :) It is possible that after 72 hours I will notice a difference. If I happen to lose any inches, I will update this review right away!


PROS: The wrap smells great, Jessica shipped it very quickly, lots of information included in the packet.


CONS: Expensive, didn't work for me.


Overall: 1 out of 5 stars. Very disappointed and thankful I did not have to pay $89 for 4 wraps as stated in the brochure.


You can find Jessica's website by clicking here, or above on her Facebook link. :) Leave comments if you have tried this product, I'd love to hear from someone that it actually worked on!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Review: PLAY DOUGH RECIPES (and a question for readers)

I just have a quick question for those of you that are reading our blog. How would you feel about us reviewing recipes? Specifically, healthy recipes? I have been on my weight loss journey for only 2 short weeks but have already made lots of great dishes. Unfortunately when I search for low calorie meals, I usually find 600 calorie dishes. To me, that's not low calorie! I like my 3 meals and 3 snacks, so 600 calories would blow my calorie count for the day. So, opinions would be great! :)


Today I'm reviewing two different play dough recipes. I tried a kool-aid play dough recipe for the first time and am going to compare it to the recipe I always use. :) 


Kool-Aid Play Dough


Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup salt
3 TBS oil
1 package of Koolaid (use the color of your choice)
Directions:
  • Mix all ingredients together and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until dough forms the consistency you want. Remove from heat and cool. Keep in airtight container, refrigerate until used.



Regular Play Dough Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp oil
food coloring
Directions:
  • Cook all ingredients together over low heat for 3 minutes, stirring well. Remove from heat and cool. Store in airtight container or sealed plastic bag.


The kool-aid recipe cooked in about 2 minutes, while the other took about 8 minutes. While cooking, the regular recipe was very soupy compared to the kool-aid one. The yield on both was similar, the regular stuff had just a little more. Also the regular play dough had a better consistency. The kool-aid type is a little bit 'gritty' in comparison, but if you only make the kool-aid type you probably won't notice.




The kool-aid color evened out after the kids played with it a bit but it still wasn't as bright as the other. Maybe try two packets of kool-aid. :)

Overall, I think both recipes were great. The kool-aid one is simpler, and faster. The regular one is smoother and brighter. They both worked well in our little play dough 'pasta' machine, and this stuff is a lot cheaper than the store-bought play-dough. If you have your own recipes, feel free to share!




Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Quick update and a small giveaway!!

We have 3 new guest bloggers that are going to help accomplish our goal of posting every day! I am really excited about an upcoming review of a SLIMMING product... :) I also am working on a review for a razor I've tried recently. It has lasted a lot longer than expected so the review is not complete yet. There are some giveaways coming up, and the BIG Valentine giveaway is going to be ON Valentine's Day! It will start in the morning and end in the evening!! So it's a quick one. Be on your toes. :) If you have any suggestions for us, let us know! Our readers are what keep us motivated! 


And just because I love you guys, I'm offering a small giveaway!! Comment on this post to be entered. It is a MYSTERY giveaway... the product will come from nelliebugs.com :)

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Ediblegiftbasketsonline.com WINNER!!!!!!

Winner of the Edible Gift Baskets giveaway is.......



cvilledoula said...

So awesome!! I'm practically drooling lol!

Renee
cvilledoula@gmail.com
January 1, 2011 1:05 PM
Ediblegiftbasketsonlie.com will contact you within 48 hours! Thanks for commenting!!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Guest Review by Elizabeth: Combi Double Stroller


Combi Twin Sport Stroller (Side by Side)
Pros: lightweight, fits in trunks, fits through most doorways, storage pockets
Cons:  small baskets, no parent tray, small canopy
Grade: A -




When I became pregnant with my second child, my one and only son was turning 2 years old.   Many of my friends had already transitioned their 2 year olds out of the stroller, but I felt like the stroller was my best friend.  I could strap him in, and off we would go.  Trips to the mall were easy because I knew where he was at all times.  I was not worried about him running through the store, so upon news of the pregnancy I began a diligent research of double strollers.
My first question was: do I want a side by side stroller or tandem stroller?  I had concerns about both.  Would the side by side get through all doorways?  Would the tandem stroller be easy to steer?  But my biggest concern was: could it fit in the trunk of my small Toyota Corolla car?  If it did not fit, there was no point in even considering it.
With tape measure in hand, I scoured the stroller section at many, many, many  baby stores.  While at one I came across the Combi Twin Sport Stroller.  I was immediately attracted to its great color combinations.  All moms love our baby gadgets that also have style.  Being almost 7 months pregnant, I went to get the stroller off of the display (about a foot off the ground) and was immediately surprised at how light it was.  It was much lighter than my single Graco stroller.  I could easily lift it up while being big and pregnant.
The seats are a little small so I put my now 2 year old in a seat to see if he would fit.  If you have a very tall child, then the stroller would not work for you, but my son is of average height so he fit perfectly.  I did not have a Combi infant car seat, so I worried about clicking the car seat in to hold my infant until I spoke to my mom.  We have been spoiled in our great gadgets that sometimes we forget about the old fashioned way of doing things.  She told me to just lay the seat all the way down and I could lay the infant in there.  Great idea mom!!  And it includes an infant safety boot so that the baby has a safe little cocoon.  Only drawback was that it seemed as though the straps did not tighten enough for my infant.  I did feel as though she was safe though.
Another drawback of this stroller is the canopy.   Each side has its own canopy so that is a plus, but they are way too small and do not allow you to move them around at all.  To make up for this, we purchased separate sunshades that can go over the canopies and be stretched to whatever angle you need.  



The stroller does not have a parent tray which was a huge disappointment, but we purchased an attachable parent cup holder to make up for this and some hooks to hang bags on.  The stroller does have two pockets on the back of the seats to store stuff though.  It does include cup holders for the kids though.  The baskets under the seats are small compared to the ones found on a single stroller, but that is the same for all double strollers.
The stroller is very easy to manage and is great indoors.  Its wheels are small so it was not made for a lot outdoor use.  We purchased a double jogging stroller for this.  It does work fine on paved concrete though.  As another indoor positive: it fits through almost all doors.  Many side by side strollers are difficult to get in and out of stores, but I have never had any problems getting this stroller out my front door, in store doors, in bathroom doors, and any other door we have had to travel through.
Now for the absolute BEST part about the stroller:  it fit into the trunk of my small car!  It actually takes up less space than my single stroller did.  The seats fold up and then the entire thing folds in half.  It is amazing and so lightweight.  I don’t mind having to get it out to use since it is so easy.  Even with all of the drawbacks, I love this fact.  No matter how great a stroller is will not matter if you cannot take it with you to use.  I now have a Nissan Pathfinder and it easily fits in the back with the third row seats up.  My single stroller won’t even fit back there.  This advantage was my selling point and I absolutely LOVE this stroller.



Pictures from Combi USA website  (http://www.combi-intl.com/)

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Easy Bake Oven: Ashley's Review

My daughter received this as a Christmas present and I was immediately excited to try it! I remember having one as a kid and enjoyed every minute of playtime I got with it.

Once the dust settled from the holiday chaos, my daughter and I headed to the kitchen and went to to work. It was very easy to ''set up'' (just unscrew the back and put in  a bulb) and the instructions were very easy to read. However, I am slightly disappointed that it didn't come with more mix packets. Just one for chocolate frosting, one for yellow cake and one for sugar cookies. The cake packet made one pan, so you don't even get a regular two-layer cake from it. However the instruction booklet does imply you can use regular cake mixes, so I was still excited to get started.

We set out to mix up the cake batter. The oven had been pre-heating and I followed the instructions as written. What's neat is it comes with a little measuring spoon 'X' shaped thing that you use to add water. It uses symbols instead of numbers, so it's fun and kid-friendly. The batter was poured into the prepared pan nd put into the oven. Fun and easy!

Unfortunately though, when i removed the cake from the oven i was disappointed to see a mushed up mess in the pan. It's likely this was due to the little candies my daughter insisted on placing in the batter and if so, let this be  lesson: no add ins! Still, it was cake either way so I wasn't too saddened....until i tried to get it out of the pan. The pans re a sort of shiny aluminum, I believe, and the instructions say to prepare the pans by spraying them with non-stick spray. I did this. It stuck. I pouted. My disappointment mounting, I slap on the chocolate frosting and hand it over with a fork for my daughter to enjoy. In the pan. She ran off, giddy and un-phased, to devour her first Easy Bake creation.

Pros: Cute design. Sort of retro in it's appearance, with a nice pale blue faux door. Very easy to use. You can use your own mixes, with no alterations, and they should turn out fine.Otherwise, they sell mixes online.

Cons: I wish it came with other pans. It only comes with two round cake pans and tow ''warming cups'' for heating up sauces. There is, however, a non-stick bakware set here as well as some other adorable accessories like this Baking Set and a Measure & Pour Set.

All in all I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 stars. It's fairly affordable, although there are all those cute accessories you won't be able to resist, and it seems to work well for something that cooks with the heat of a light bulb. It's safer than a real oven, making it ideal for young bakers in training.

Next, I'm going to review the microwave version that was also gifted this holiday season :)