Protect yourself from germs with Nozin!
Written by Elizabeth on July 2, 2007 – 11:52 am -WHAT IS IT?
Parent Bloggers Network sent me a travel pack of single-use Nozin nasal sanitizer swabs to try. I have been a long-time user of Zicam swabs, so I was familiar with the concept. Break the swab open, and rub the cotton-swab tip just inside each nostril. Nozin is different though, because it contains an antimocrobial formula that actually sanitizes the inside of your nose and keeps germs from multiplying. It kills germs that cause colds and the flu, and in trials, one application was effective for over eight hours!
HOW DO I USE IT?
I already had the basic idea of how to use the Nozin swabs, but just for fun, I watched the “how to use” flash movie. I like that it showed exactly how to flick the swab to mix the solution, and exactly how far into the nose to put the swab. Really! So I gave one a flick, snapped it open, and swabbed my nose. It has a pleasant orange smell, and didn’t drip.
HOW DID IT WORK?
I then proceeded to go on a long nature hike with my family, and because I am generally allergic to “nature”, that would normally have left me with a sniffly nose. I am happy to report that my nose did not get stuffed up at all! I have to assume that the Nozin kept the pollen from getting farther into my nose. I won’t be getting on an airplane until November, when I am hopefully attending the BlogWorld and PostieCon conferences in Las Vegas, but I’ll definitely take some in my purse to use before I get on the plane. God only knows what germs are in that recirculated air!
WOULD I BUY IT FOR MYSELF?
Yes, especially the next time one of my kids gets one of those constantly runny noses. I just do not have time to be sick, so I would use Nozin as a preventive measure. Great product!
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Health | 6 Comments »
Garage Sale America-it’s the American Way!
Written by Elizabeth on June 21, 2007 – 8:57 pm -When Parent Bloggers Network asked if anyone was interested in reviewing a book called Garage Sale America, I didn’t even have to hesitate. I didn’t have any idea what the book was about, but it had the words Garage Sale in the title, and that was good enough for me. I LOVE Garage Sales! Yard Sales! Rummage Sales! Whatever people call them, I love them. Here in Lansing, Michigan, a typical garage sale is clothes, toys, and household knickknacks. I had no idea what I was missing out on until I read author Bruce Littlefield’s Garage Sale America. There are unbelievable treasures to be found at garage sales, if you just know where to look.
I found out that I in fact own an American treasure, and I didn’t even know it! When my husband’s Grandma Gephart passed away, she left behind a kitchen packed with cookbooks, pots and pans, and kitchen gadgets. Most of it was pretty old and worn out, although now that I’ve read this book, I know that lots of people are looking for things that are old and worn out! While looking through a cupboard, I found a set of mixing bowls. I only owned a few plastic ones at the time, and these were heavy, and each one was a different color, and I fell in love with them. I had been told that I could take anything I wanted, so I carefully loaded up the mixing bowls.
The next week, I was taking the four nested bowls out of the cupboard so I could use one, and the bottom bowl slipped out of my grasp and smashed to the floor. I cried. A lot. I haven’t tried to replace it though, because I had no idea where it came from or even where to start to look.
So there I am, reading Garage Sale America all these years later, and on the eighth page in, a colorful set of mixing bowls in a photo catches my eye. I look closer, and I realize that those are MY mixing bowls! Not only that, but in the photo is a advertising brochure that identifies them as a set of “New! Pyrex Bowls in the colors of Spring Flowers…only $2.50 each”! Here’s the set, minus the big yellow bowl, that I can now look for on eBay since I know what it is!
Garage Sale America is a fascinating look at the phenomenon that is the American Garage Sale. It is written in such a casual and friendly style that you feel like you’ve spent the afternoon talking directly to Bruce Littlefield himself. He tells stories about how his grandmother got him addicted to the “thrill of the hunt”, he introduces us to serious sellers and buyers, gives tips such as “10 Steps to a Good Deal”, takes us to the World’s Largest Garage Sale in Warrensburg, NY (over 1,000 vendors in a town of 5,000 people), and to the World’s LONGEST Garage Sale, 450 miles of sales stretching across five states.
Best of all, he shows us how he decorated his country house with the most amazing vintage finds. His “house” is Edgewater Farm, a former bungalow community in the Catskills of New York. It was used as a summer getaway from the 1930s to the late 1950s by New Yorkers who wanted to escape the city and spend the weekend in their own little cottage, eating together in the farmhouse and putting on skits in the Rec Hall. Littlefield gives us the Grand Tour of the farmhouse, where every room is decorated with the coolest vintage pieces I’ve ever seen. This is a place I would love to hang out in for the weekend! With, you know, my husband and children too, of course 
Whether you love garage sales, vintage collectibles, or just gorgeous photographs, Garage Sale America is a fun and fascinating book to have around. You might even find that what you thought was just junk is actually a valuable collectible to someone, and get inspired to have your own garage sale. Personally, I’d rather shop at them, and you can bet that from now on, I’m keeping my eye out for the big yellow Pyrex bowl!
Tags: Books, Parent Bloggers
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Blog Blast-Tales from the School Cafeteria
Written by Elizabeth on June 6, 2007 – 10:43 am -From first grade to fifth grade, I took the same lunch every day-bologna and american cheese on white bread with mayo, some chips, and a small apple, plus I bought milk at school. I know there was a hot lunch program, but I have no idea what was on it. When I got to middle school in the sixth grade, I remember being blown away by the opportunity to buy a hot lunch with my allowance money. My favorites were hot ham and cheese on a bun, french fries, and a “Nutty Buddy” ice cream cone. Good thing I had that awesome kid metabolism to burn all of it off.
I am glad that my kids go to a school that pays a lot of attention to the quality of their school lunch. The entrees are usually low fat, and they can get a bowl of salad and fresh fruit every day. There’s a great new website that uses fun, interactive games and videos to teach kids the importance of good nutrition, and it’s called SchoolMenu.com. I’ve been having fun clicking around the site, watching a video of a guy on a dance team called the “Groovaloos” talk about the importance of breakfast, printing out coloring pages for Kaitlyn, and checking out the nutrition and fitness section.
Working in association with SchoolMenu.com is Family Everyday, a special web magazine designed especially for busy parents. Family Everyday has articles with practical and useful tips on how to make your everyday life a little easier! There are recipes, games, free downloads, and a discussion board. Sign up for the weekly email newsletter and have special tips sent right to your email inbox. These two sites have tons of great information and I know I’ll get a lot out of them. I hope you will too!
Check out School Menu and its parental counterpart Family Everyday, two sites that work together with School Food Services Directors to provide and promote healthy eating and physical fitness for kids and their parents.
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Uncategorized | 6 Comments »
Blog Blast-What makes me a Mother?
Written by Elizabeth on May 11, 2007 – 9:54 am -I am so proud to be writing for Parent Bloggers Network, a group of talented bloggers who all write product review blogs. Today, we are having a Blog Blast, which is like a blog carnival, except, as they explained in the email, “without the scary clowns”. Ha! We are taking today to write about What makes us a Mother.
These posts are all inspired by Kevin, Dad and Founder of Light Iris. To help him understand what his wife went through while pregnant, he has been wearing a pregnancy suit since April 13th, and he’s keeping it on until Mother’s Day! You should really click over to his blog and read his posts, I promise you have never seen ANYTHING like it.
So, I have three children, but that is not what makes me a Mother. As difficult as the labor, pregnancy and delivery can be, that isn’t the hardest part. The hardest part comes afterwards, when the nurse hands you the tiniest little human you have ever seen, and they become your responsibility for the rest of your life. I am a Mother because I have accepted that responsibility.
When I had my first son, it took me a long time to get used to saying “I have a son”. It just didn’t sound right, it wasn’t part of my identity yet. It was even weird to call and make appointments with the pediatrician, because I had to say I needed an appointment for my son. It was like I was talking about someone else.
It got a little less weird when I had Nathan, and now that I have Kaitlyn, calling myself their Mother is second nature. I am a Mother because I am going to do everything in my power to teach, protect, nurture and prepare my children as they grow up. I will teach them to walk, talk, feed themselves, use the toilet, dress themselves, bathe themselves, and hundreds of other little things that will get them to adulthood. But even when they are adults, I will always be their Mother. I will never stop caring, stop worrying, stop loving them, ever. How could I? I am their Mother.
Would you like to post on this topic, too? Post on Friday, May 11 (that’s today), link to Light Iris, and e-mail parentbloggers at gmail dot com.
Parentbloggers will be picking a winner from ALL the posts that are dated May 11, rounding them up on their site, and picking a random winner to get a $100 gift certificate to SPA FINDER to be announced on Mother’s Day.
This post has been brought to you by Light Iris and Parent Bloggers Network.
Tags: Parent Bloggers
Posted in Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
