Cool watches from Ulysse Nardin
Written by Elizabeth on October 22, 2007 – 9:46 am -While we were out this weekend, I needed to know what time it was, and I realized that nowadays, everyone I know uses their cell phone instead of a watch. I haven’t worn a watch since I quit working, personally. There are clocks all over the place in my house, after all.
But, I think that watches are making a comeback. Sure, you can get the time from your phone, but a watch is a piece of jewelry. The style you choose says something about who you are, what your style is. And the fact that typing the word “watches” into Google brings back 251 MILLION search results tells me that people are, in fact, still buying them. These are just a few of the watches sold by Ulysse Nardin, for example:
Tags: House & Home
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Oxiclean, because kids are MESSY
Written by Elizabeth on October 19, 2007 – 10:23 am -I’ve been using Oxiclean since practically the first time I saw the commercial, with Billy Mays yelling about how it gets stains out and makes whites whiter. I was skeptical at first, because of a bad experience with “Brand Name Laundry Detergent” Plus Bleach, which left white bleach spots in some of our dark clothes. I thought Oxiclean was bleaching the whites to make them whiter, so I was afraid to add it to the dark clothes. I’ve been proved wrong.
The developers of Oxiclean Versatile Stain Remover have determined that it works to counteract fade-causing chemicals found in tap water, to significantly protect clothes from fading. Adding a scoop of Oxiclean to every load of wash actually helps keep colors from fading, keeping clothes looking brighter, longer. Genius! Parent Bloggers Network sent me a can of Oxiclean for this review, and it came with three fabric swatches, each were washed eight times. There’s a control swatch, one washed without Oxiclean, and one washed with it. I hope you can tell from this photo, the swatch washed without Oxiclean changed to a completely different shade of blue:
(the dark spot on the lower left swatch is a piece of fabric fuzz that I didn’t see until after I took, cropped, and uploaded the photo.)
Since receiving the can of Oxiclean from PBN, I’ve been adding a scoop to every wash load, not just the whites and the stained stuff. I’ve noticed that the clothes smell better when they come out of the dryer, and I’m wondering if that’s because the Oxiclean is really getting out all the dirt and sweat and other stinky stuff. I plan to keep adding Oxiclean to our wash, because I want our clothes to smell good and to look great for as long as they fit!
Tags: House & Home, Parent Bloggers
Posted in Products | 1 Comment »
Protect-A-Bed mattress protectors
Written by Elizabeth on October 18, 2007 – 9:41 am -I know I should use mattress protectors on our beds. Thankfully, the boys are no longer having night time accidents, but that’s not the only reason to use a mattress protector. You probably haven’t thought about this, because it’s kind of gross, but your body loses fluids while you sleep due to sweating and the moisture you expel when you breathe. Where do you think that fluid goes? Into your mattress! I’ll give you a minute to get over the ick factor, there.
While vinyl mattress protectors are good for the beds of young children who might have wetting accidents (or, in the case of my kids, throw up in their sleep, which, ewwww), most adults don’t want vinyl under their fitted sheet. Protect-A-Bed makes mattress protectors with a soft, terrycloth-like top, and mesh sides. We received one queen size and three twin sizes -one for the bed that Kaitlyn will be sleeping in eventually, although I wish I had known there was a crib-size protector when I replied to the review request. I washed and dried them per the package instructions, and then put them on the beds. I’m happy to report that they go on easily, and the best part is, they help the fitted sheet “stick” to the mattress. No more corners of the fitted sheet coming off in the middle of the night. They make the beds feel more soft, too. We haven’t had any nighttime accidents yet so I can’t report on the absorbency factor; I’m hoping that any stains will wash out easily.
I was thinking about going into the whole dust mite issue when I started this review, but you really, REALLY don’t want to see what a dust mite looks like, trust me. Your whole body will start itching, every time you lay down you’ll start imagining them living in the mattress, and then you won’t be able to sleep. It’s just not good, not good at all. Put a nice, cozy mattress protector on your mattress and get another layer of material between you and the dust mites, you’ll be glad you did.
Tags: House & Home
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Review of Snack and Play Travel Tray
Written by Elizabeth on October 14, 2007 – 7:30 pm -Family Travel Gear sent us a Snack and Play Travel Tray, and I am whole-heartedly recommending it to anyone who spends any amount of time in the car with a toddler!!!! Easily wipeable nylon with a soft foam core, two-inch high soft foam sides to keep toys from rolling off, and mesh pockets on the sides to hold coloring books and toys make this the ideal travel accessory. It looks like this: (not my child in the photo)
We haven’t been on any long road trips, but I’ve used it for our trips to pay our utility bills, which involves being in the car for about 90 minutes all together. Our car seat has arms on the sides that wrap around, so I can’t buckle it behind the seat, but I can run the buckle strap around the backside of the car seat and then pull it tight. Some paper, crayons, a few Hot Wheels, and her “babies” (small plastic Dora and Diego figures), and she is entertained for the WHOLE TIME.
Family Travel Gear is a great website you should check out. You can search by the age of the person going on the trip-Babies, Kids, Teens, Adults-and by what type of trip you are taking. If you are going on an airplane and plan to have your baby sit on your lap, I highly recommend the Baby B’air Flight Vest Travel Harness-what a GREAT idea. It fastens around your baby and then buckles to your seat belt, so your baby stays safe even through turbulence. They also carry a wide variety of magnetic games, activity books, portable blankets for the beach, document and toiletry organizers, and so much more. Check out Family Travel Gear’s site before your next trip, no matter how long it is!
Tags: House & Home
Posted in Family, Preschoolers, Websites | 8 Comments »
MomReviews-Dawn Simple Pleasures
Written by Elizabeth on October 11, 2007 – 4:16 pm -I buy a lot of store brands when I grocery shop, but one name brand item I will not substitute for is dish soap. We have never had a dishwasher, so either Chris or I do the dishes by hand every time we eat. We need a good dish soap that gets dishes really clean, so the only kind I buy is Dawn. I usually buy the Original blue liquid for us to use, but this past week, we’ve been trying a new kind-Simple Pleasures, which in addition to being the same tough Dawn soap, also has a built-in air freshener in the bottom. I received a free bottle of Dawn Simple Pleasures in exchange for this review.
At the bottom of the dish soap bottle is a chamber filled with air freshener crystals, and you control how strong the fragrance is by peeling off either just the front strip or the back strip as well. We got the Lemon & Tangerine scent, and for the first few days after I peeled off the strip, I got a definite whiff of the fragrance every time I went near my sink. As I was writing this review I realized I hadn’t smelled the air freshener in a few days, so I went and gave the bottle a good shake, maybe that will re-activate it. It’s definitely not a strong, in-your-face kind of air freshener, but that’s not a bad thing. I’d rather smell Lemon & Tangerine while doing my dishes than whatever food isn’t ground up in the garbage disposal yet-ick.
I would buy Dawn Simple Pleasures again, because I want to try the Water Lily & Jasmine fragrance. The bottles look pretty in the kitchen and they make the sink area smell nice, and that’s always a plus.
Tags: House & Home
Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
