Find or Fail

Bounce dryer bar - for the laziest of lazy laundry doers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 17:31:00 +0000

I hate laundry. It takes forever to do - especially with our rhino piss water clogging the pipes. We are unable to wear whites in our house without extreme chemical intervention. It sucks all around.

I try anything that promises to make laundry be less torturous.

Although I thought it sounded gimmicky - I bought the Bounce Dryer Bar.

Why?

Because I use dryer sheets A LOT - but hate the disposal process. Sometimes the sheets stay in the dryer, other times they are wadded up in shirts or sheets or towels. They end up everywhere but the trash.

It's a trivial, but annoying issue.

That is why the Bounce Dryer Bar piqued my interest.

The bar itself feels like a bar of soap. With each pass, contact is made with the clothes. I've seen no negatives related to residue or chipping off. I was leery of both when I installed the bar.

With the dryer bar, you can literally forget a step when it comes to laundry! Clothes come out fresh and static-free (and with the winters in the Midwest, we need all the static-freeness we can get!).

It is a fantastic product that performs up to its promise. The bar we have has lasted much longer than expected - somewhere around 5 months! (But we do laundry for two adults and a baby - I'm sure a house full of sports playing teenagers would see a significant difference in the longevity of their bar).

All in all, it is a good product. I recommend picking one up and doing away with the sheets.

Now, I just need something that gets rid of the dryer lint for me, and I'll be all set!

Shiny coat - no waiting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:05:00 +0000

I have had my boxer-mix for eight years. I love her. She's been through everything with me. When I first got her, I was concerned about having a large dog and protecting her hips from going out on her. She's a couch potato, and the ups and downs were likely to wear on her joints.

The first food I bought for her was Purina One Large Breed Puppy food. Her skin was/is very sensitive. I noticed that her skin got flaky if I fed her (non-Purina) food at a friend's house.

When we'd get home, she'd load up on her regular food, and her standard sheen would return. Flakes gone.

After her first year, we continued with Purina either Large Breed or Lamb and Rice formulas (whichever we could find in the largest bag possible). We now have two large dogs, and if you don't get the monster bag - you'll be back for more all too soon.

On several occasions, I've skimped (I was in college...and times got tough) and bought the next cheaper bag of food. FAIL! Within a day, her fur would dull and skin would flake.

I am Purina loyal, and if you have a dog whose fur is dull - I suggest trying this brand.

Keep your dog in her place

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 08:04:00 +0000

I love my dogs.

I don't know what I would do without them.

We have a large property that we use for hunting and need the dogs to not sully the woods with dog funk. We're also not blocking our view of the woods with a fence.

Any of you that know me, know how much I HATE when people let their dogs just run free (especially on the road).

Our solution - which has changed our lives and freed our dogs from cables and chains and leashes - is the PetSafe wireless pet containment system.

That's right, folks! No wire to bury!!

Just plug in the system, strap the collars onto your beloved fur kids, and go! (Well, it would be nice if you explain the system to them first!)

This is not a buzz-happy system, and has your pet's well-being in mind. A warning beep sounds prior to the zap. This is the sound the dogs will react to after they've tested their boundaries.

You can adjust the level of zap or choose to just have the warning beep with no zap.

The radius of the boundary is adjustable - as small as the area of your kitchen to as large as approximately 1/2 acre. You can even use multiple bases to expand that radius to a larger area!

My favorite feature: friends and family with the same system can bring their dogs with collars and they will be contained as well.

My least favorite feature: sometimes when the power flickers, the dogs get an unnecessary zap. We've just made a habit of taking the batteries out of their collars when it storms (I can practically do this in my sleep).

In all, it has given our pups the freedom to roam, play, and exercise without having to build a fence or bury a wire.

Also, the deer have figured out the boundary and will stand munching on greens mere inches from the dogs' boundary!

A little dab will do ya - Berber Trader Pure Mediterranean Skin Balm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:33:00 +0000

Berber Trader contacted me recently to review their Pure Mediterranean Skin Balm.

They provided the product free of charge ($15 retail value) for my use.

Super excited by the prospect of writing a solicited review, I cracked the tin sitting in my car beside my mailbox.

Eager beaver.

The first impression was strong - the aroma of the skin balm is unique. Being unfamiliar with argan oil and black seed oil, I'm not sure which is the scent that carries this product.

In all honesty, the smell reminds me of my Macedonian neighbor's house from my childhood. Not necessarily bad, not necessarily good, just different.

I've used the skin balm in several different instances, and am currently covered nearly head to toe as I type.

Upon my first application, I slathered my hands with it. Goo-ed it up!

My mistake! I seriously was repelling water from the layer of oil I had applied to my hands and arms!

Since that evening of waterproof skin, I've reeled back the amount I put on my skin. I also read the website's suggestion of applying to wet skin. Both actions have upped the product's yay-factor by 20 fold!

Being that my face is naturally oily, it's summer, and I fear applying fragrant products to my face - I was leery about using his product on the money maker (ha!). Like a trooper, I applied a LIGHT coat on my face.

The verdict??

My lips are jealous! My face is so smooth and soft right now that my lips feel especially crackly. My face, while sporting a sheen that I'll wash off if it remains in the morning, is spa soft!

I look forward to the opportunity to share this product's magic with friends suffering from poison ivy reactions (not promising that it will work, but who knows?). Also, I REALLY want to see how well it repels mosquitoes. Of course, in the week that I've had the product I've not seen a SINGLE mosquito on my property - which is known for the summer hum of those buggers.

I'm glad this product found me, as I will definitely be using it as winter approaches!!

Now, where's my lip balm??

P.S. I am totally accustomed to the smell of the skin balm now, and have come to find it warm and soothing (when used in small doses!).

I am not a plumber, don't want to look like one...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:50:00 +0000

I don't plan on doing much with clothes on here.

And by plan, I mean if I see something I like or hate, I'll still do it.

My issue (ok, one of my many issues) is that I can't get jeans to fit.

I've always had a bit of junk in the trunk - and post-baby hasn't improved that situation. My waist used to be fairly slender (not so much anymore), so my curves made it VERY difficult to find a decent pair of jeans.

Either I crammed my ass into jeans that fit my waist (and I didn't sit that day) or I fit my butt and had my crack out for everyone to see.

Back in the day, a little T-bar/ass hat tattoo was cute, but now the stretch marks just make the idea entirely too unappealing for me to attempt.

I spent the summer in cute-yet-elastic-waisted pants and shorts. This was a mistake.

I went up a jeans size without knowing it. (yikes!)

Commence shopping - but not the fun "woohoo, check out my ass in these jeans shopping" the "damn, really, do I need to buy that size jean" shopping.

It wasn't great, but I need a pair of jeans that don't make me look desperate or ones that maybe, just maybe, could lose a rivet and kill somebody.

I bought these:

Lee Midrise No-Gap Waist Bootcut jeans. They are the right size for both my ass and my waist. I can bend and crouch and do other wonky mirror moves without so much as a peek at my crack!

Yes, they are a size up from where I was (and 2 up from where I'd like to be), but they fit. I feel good and even a smidge hot in them. They aren't the electric blue that I used to associate with Lee, and I'm good with that too!

Thanks, Lee, for making my feel good about being me again! It's been a long time coming!

Grapefruits are not for face washing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:44:00 +0000

I like to wash my face.

The crisp, clean feel after washing my face is so refreshing.

Unless said face washing makes me smell like BO.

Unfortunately that has been my experience with my Neutrogena Oil-Free Acne Wash Foaming Scrub - in Pink Grapefruit flavor.

I was lured by an end-cap display. I bought it on a whim. I must have been in a pink mood or something.

I've had this stuff for about 2 weeks. Each day, I use it with the hopes that my experience the day before was an exaggeration.

Nope.

It smells like I'm having my hair washed by a corner-hooker-turned-hair-dresser.

Pit stench in the face.

Yes, it will wake you up - but not in any sort of a fun way.

FAIL.

(Fiber) One and Done

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:30:00 +0000

I am all about tricking myself into eating food that is good for me.

It is rare that I find a "good for me" food that is so genuinely good that I have to slam on the brakes before I do a "good for me" bit of damage.

This is the case with Fiber One's Oats & Chocolate bars. These bars are chewy, chocolaty, and substantial!

Of course, when I find something yummy - I want to eat as much as I possibly can!

NOT THE CASE WITH FIBER ONE!

I've learned through negative reinforcement that overdoing it with Fiber One is a big fat NO NO! Oh, the bloating and the intestinal strain... ohhhhhhh!

Although, I only tried my first Oats & Chocolate bar this morning (and looked longingly into the box of the others staring at me - begging me to gobble them up), but I've learned this lesson with other Fiber One products.

I have yet to meet a Fiber One product that I don't LOVE - but I know that I need to limit myself to one serving a day.

Moderation is key with these little goodies!!

Kiss me softly - Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:42:00 +0000

I am a lip balm addict.

I don't go for more than a few hours without reapplying. That's an issue - I know. Don't tell me I need to drink more water or cut it out for a few days so I don't need it as much.

It won't work, and I'm not quitting. I don't smoke, but apparently I have some oral fixation need that is met with the application of lip balm. Totally harmless...right?

I don't tend to watch or take Dr. Oz's recommendations too much to heart. (I would die of panic attacks just trying to employ a week's worth of his tips.)

One comment that hit home was when he said that women with breast cancer had twice the levels of hydrocarbons in their systems - which can be attributed to petroleum-based products - like standard lip balm.

I don't normally succumb to scare tactics after one mention, but between the exorbitant amount of lip balm I use - paired with my eerie premonition of breast issues in my future - I immediately pushed away from petroleum based lip balm (read: Chapstick).

While other beauty products also use petroleum jelly, I'm not putting it on my lips and inadvertently consuming it with my food like I do lip balm.

Enter Burt's Bees.

Much more accessible than just a couple of years ago, Burt's Bees lip balm is beeswax-based, and contains no petroleum jelly.

I tried it with hesitation at first - I had been a die-hard Chapstick user for as long as I can remember.

I was surprised and delighted with the change! My favorite is the replenishing lip balm with pomegranate oil.

I'm proud to say that I'm a convert -- and I'm not looking back!

Falling leaves, spiced apples, and a buzz

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 22:25:00 +0000

This summer has been brutal - hotter than hot and STICK-Y!!

But this last week has been a bit of a reprieve. The low temps have been down in the 60s, and the highs have not been quite so high.

Tulip poplars are shedding their first leaves of the season.

FALL IS AROUND THE CORNER.

My most recent trip to the liquor isle had me exploring my options. I wanted something different - something new.

Mike's hard spiced apple was calling my name.

I didn't get a chance to drink my new friend until the temperatures spiked again. This was unfortunate because the belly warming spices were not as appealing with sweat dripping down my face.

It was still very good, and I plan on giving it another shot when summer uncoils it's death-grip on the year.

The Mike's Hard website has some interesting recipes that I am certainly going to try as well.

What is better than spiked lemonade? Nothing.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 01:31:00 +0000

On a hot, hot summer day - there is nothing more refreshing than a glass of lemonade. Nothing - except when vodka is invited to the party.

Today, I was introduced to Burnett's Pink Lemonade Flavored Vodka.

What? YES! Pink Lemonade? YES! You've got to be kidding me! NO!

ZOMG!

How, exactly, did we meet? It was ice cold added to some pre-mixed pink lemonade, it was FANTASTIC!

Of course, I had to drive home, so I was forced into hanging up my Burnett's bottle long before I was ready.

I would expand further, but that would keep you from jumping from your seat and running to try it for yourself. Unless you live in Indiana where our archaic Sunday liquor law keeps us from such Pinky goodness for one day each week. Grrr.

Get yourself a bottle and stash it in the freezer, so it's ready to add zing to your next lemonade!!

Ready....GO!

(Picture coming soon - above mentioned liquor law is preventing my purchase and subsequent pictorial documentation of this lovely product!)

Sun Chips - when it's more than the chip that is crunchy

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:39:00 +0000

I love Sun Chips. They are mulit-grain alternative to potato chips.

(Yes, folks, I'm from Indiana and know that there is no "e" at the end of "potato")

Dan Quayle sucks.

My new favorite flavor (relegating Harvest Cheddar to a safe #2) is Garden Salsa. The sweet tomato (also, no "e," D.Q.) flavor keeps me coming back for more and more and more...

I can eat an entire bag of Sun Chips in a sitting.

What keeps me from doing it?

The bag.

The new Sun Chips bag is 100% vegetable-based and compostable.

This is good! Go green!

But why does it keep me from eating an entire bag late in the evening as I veg out on the couch???

The bag is TERRIBLY LOUD! Like, obscenely loud!

Think tissue paper on steriods.

If I so much as reach past a bag of Sun Chips while my baby is asleep in her room, she's shaken awake by the noise.

Pick a bag up the next time you're in the chip isle, and you'll see exactly what I mean (then put that baby in your cart!!).

Don't get me wrong - I need food that screams (literally) DON'T EAT ME LATE AT NIGHT!!

I have plenty of other times during the day to stuff my face. For now, I will stare longingly at the bag perched safely on the top shelf of my pantry.

Boob diapers (aka Breast Pads)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:50:00 +0000

An unfortunate to breastfeeding is that there are times when the breasts are ready when the baby is not.

I chose disposable boob diapers, er, nursing pads because I suck at getting laundry done in a timely manner. The idea of sour milk laden pads in the hamper is not pretty.

SO.

I chose disposable.

My favorite - bar none - were Lansinoh nursing pads.

Granted, Lansinoh failed me when it came to nipple cream, but I tried several brands of breast pad - and Lansinoh beat the competition.

I was given half-used boxes of several brands to try.

Lansinoh pads were the largest, least lumpy, flattest laying, most absorbent, pads that actually stayed put.

These are the only pads I went to the store and bought.

Nipple Butter (heh) Nipple Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Sweet heavens! Pregnancy (and now motherhood) is an endless investigation of what's the best product for every need EVER.

I had ONE product recommended to me to purchase BY NAME to have before I had my baby.

ONE.

Now, I'll share it with you.

Earth Mama Angel Baby Natural Nipple Butter

nipplebutternipplebutternipplebutternipplebutternipplebutter!

It's so fun to say! I would post things on Facebook like "Purchased nipple butter today...never thought I'd say that."

The men with whom I graduated high school were intrigued and deeply disappointed (and cringed) when I told them it was to prevent my nipples from cracking when I breastfeed.

This stuff is fantastic.

It exceeds - by leaps and bounds - the Lansinoh product the hospital had given me (and probably charged me an arm and a leg to bring home to never use). I didn't appreciate the water that would bead up on my boobs when I showered. The water-repulsion just didn't seem right. PLUS, applying the thick, gluey stuff was painful on tender, newly commissioned boobs.

Rather than being sticky and thick (and made from lanolin), nipple butter is smooth, cocoa-scented, lanolin-free, and water-based. I was SO happy to come home to use the nipple butter I had purchased during pregnancy (and forgotten to pack in my hospital bag).

The nipple butter was great. Soft, easily applied. No need to wash it off before nursing.

I recommend purchasing a single 2 oz jar. It is kind of pricey for the size jar you'll receive - but I only used half of my one jar for 10 months of breastfeeding.

Buy it. Love it. Recommend it.

Mustela newborn shampoo - for cradle cap

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:47:00 +0000

Last October, I brought home the cutest, sweetest, cooiest baby in the world of babydom. She was perfect in all ways tangible and intangible.

Except her bellybutton.

I wanted to badly to WANT to kiss her belly...but *double gag* the belly *gag* button was too much.

Anyway, perfection.

About a month into our love affair, her head started to get this peely, crusty ick on it.

Cradle cap.

I'd never even heard the term, and my baby's barely-there blonde hair was mired in scales!

Gaaahh!!

Commence internet search.

I read review after review. I wanted to not use something oily or greasy OR have to chip and scrape at her poor, tender scalp.

Ok, her fontanel creeped me out, and I thought by innocently chipping away scalp flakes - I might accidentally touch/swipe/puncture her head and give her brain damage.

I purchased the positively reviewed Mustela Foam Shampoo for Newborns.

The fragrance of this shampoo was a tad overwhelming (for momma and baby) the first few times we used it.

But it worked. It worked WELL.

It took a few applications, but the cradle cap subsided.

I would use it about once a week to keep the scales at bay.

Now, I long for the smell I associate with my little newborn. I must admit, although the cradle cap is long gone, I still use the shampoo every now and then just to give her that fresh new-baby smell.

She doesn't like me sniffing her head repeatedly. I have to bribe her with a bottle or a snack, so she'll cuddle in my lap to grab a whiff of babiness.

Fruit Chillers - the BEST alternative to frozen colored sugar water

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:32:00 +0000

In the endless quest to find healthy food to feed my 11 month old daughter, I was spending quite a bit of time in the canned fruit isle. I love to buy the fruit cups - light syrup, NOT sugar-free Splenda - to dump on her high chair tray as I fix dinner. It's quick and easy.

While perusing my citrusy options, I noticed that quietly sitting beside the mandarin oranges and diced peaches were boxes of freezer pops.

Del Monte Fruit Chiller Tubes, to be exact. (These come in cups as well, but I have not tried them.)
I grab a box.

"Made from 1lb of Fruit" "Rich source of Vitamin C. No Artificial Flavors. No corn syrup." Huh.

Flip. box. over.

FACT: 1 Tube is 55 Calories and 0g Fat. 10mg Sodium. 13g carbs. 11g of sugar.

(Granted, the no-name sugar-water pops in my freezer now have only 5 calories more per serving and 13g of sugar. BUT this is made from real fruit - so I'm convinced that the sugars in this are fairy dust sugars that your body recognizes as ones from fruit -- and they just tickle your tummy and are burned off by the resulting giggles)

ANYWAY - they're not a substitute for REAL fruit, but they're a yummy, satisfying treat on a hot summer day.

You throw the box in the freezer, and they come out about the texture of a frozen margarita.

They come in grape and strawberry flavors. My lips are a luscious purpley shade right now because I needed the box to give you facts.

FACT: These things are fantastic!

(P.S. Del Monte - if you could drop a few bits of tequila in these and market them for adults only - you'd make a killing. Just sayin'.)

If you have to pad - use Always Infinity

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:20:00 +0000

Let me start off by saying -- I HATE PADS.

I'm a tampon girl - 175%.

Unfortunately, due to a certain explode-a-birth I gave nearly a year ago, tampon usage is still a no-go. Yes, I'm shocked too. It blows.

Anyway, I'm relegated to pads. Bunchy, crunchy, sticky, wet pads.

GA-ROSSSS.

Because I have literally HATED every pad I have ever used in the history of time - when I realized that I was going to HAVE to use some, I decided to try a new kind.

Why the hell not.

I chose Always Infinity.
I had not seen (nor believe I have since seen) a commercial for these - but HOLY FREAKIN' HELL they are fantastic!

No bunching, twisting, sliding, schmearing.

NO DIAPERY SOUNDS. NO MATTRESS FEEL.

They work.

It's all still a gross, gaggy process, but it does what it is supposed to do without fail.

I'm sold (still disappointed about the tampon thing), but I'm sold.

Gillette Venus - Forever Yours

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 19:47:00 +0000

Shaving has always been a dance on the dangerous side for me. Between (once) bony knees and ankles, thick leg hair (thanks 80s for your tight roll making me need to shave daily when I'm in fifth grade) and lack of time EVER to do a nice slow job - I was the perpetual nicker.

I have a stand-only shower - which prevents the sexy leg-up-on-the-side-of-the-tub action and forces more of the hike-your-leg-up-and-brace-it-against-the-shower-wall-but-please-don't-let-me-slip action. It was especially seductive when I was 8 months pregnant.

I'll pause so you can really imagine that...

Oh, and the cute, scenty, alcohol-based body sprays and lotions used to alert me of the nicks that weren't a threat for me to bleed out.

That is, until I met Gillette. Gillette has ruined me for razors for all time, namely their Venus 3-blade razor.

Quick shaves - no foam, no bubbles, no soap, no cream - just rip-roarin' shaving. With Venus, I still have NO NICKS.

The Venus lets me shave while thinking about things other than toilet paper and tourniquets. And I love that. I can use it WELL beyond the time when the green stripe turns white. Each head works seemingly FOREVER!

Have I strayed from Gillette?

Unfortunately, Yes.

I was intrigued by the commercials touting the razor with the trimmer on the end. You know, the one that as women walk by the unkempt topiaries, they trim up all nice and neat into circles and triangles and rectangles (oh my!).

I was perfectly happy with my razor, but the ad got me. I was curious. So, I was wondering the isles at the store and stumbled upon the Schick Quatro.

As I picked dropped it in my cart - I said to myself "you're buying a gimmick, you're buying a gimmick." Shut up, Self!

I went home, in need of a trim...

Now, if you see an advertisement for a razor that implies trimming shrubs - you wouldn't be too far off in assuming that you would be able to trim your, uh, bush.

Apparently, YES, because it bogged down and stopped. The bastard got locked up - AND IT WASN'T EVEN WINTER. Suck it, Schick!

I have also used disposables during my travels when I've made the fatal mistake of leaving my Venus at home. Any time I use a disposable -- even one that looks like a good, happy disposable (Read: Personna Solara) I get CUT TO PIECES!!

In short, my Venus has new replacement heads in it's cute little shower caddy. It forgave me for straying and for forgetting it when I went on vacation.

Lessons learned.