Trader Joe's has done it again. This adorable little plastic bear holds a children's chewable multi-vitamin. Yes, they are for kids. However they are just fine for adults too. One dose is two vitamins. They taste kind of chalky-fruity, like you expect from a chewable vitamin, although they don't have that overwhelming orange Vitamin C taste you sometimes find. They are in the shape of little bears, and they are in various pastel colors. I like these because sometimes you just don't want to swallow one of those gia...
The Kenmore refrigerator in the house where I grew up lasted 20 years. That's why when I was buying a refrigerator for my own first home, I headed to Sears to pick up a Kenmore. Things have changed. The refrigerator we bought was a side-by-side model in white with a freezer on the left and a fridge on the right. The warranty lasted a year. We hoped we'd have this fridge much, much longer than that. It kept things cold, it's true, although I quickly discovered that the side-by-side models are no...
I am painting my porch this weekend. My dad told me that Behr paint is the best. I don't usually go to Home Depot, and I wouldn't normally buy a more expensive brand of paint. (My thinking would be paint is paint). I'm glad I listened to my dad! I got two colors. One is Swan Wing (W-F-400). It's a bright but creamy white color. It's very pretty, reminds me of cake icing. The other color is Forest Ridge (420F-7) which is a rich, dark forest green. They are absolutely enchanting together! We did all ...
Target's new brand, Up & Up, has been coming out with some terrific products. Among them are a new brand of baby wipes that are soft to the skin and come in several varieties. My daughter has sensitive skin, and other products can contribute to diaper rash or make her break out. I always try to stay away from any products with fragrance added. Sometimes even then they are too harsh for my daughter. I really love these sensitive skin wipes from Target. They work, they are gentle and they are inexpensive. I don't have a...
My poor baby has had a terrible time with teething. She's just one of those kids that has a hard time cutting teeth. I have known children who cut teeth with no problem at all, and I have known children who just fuss and drool a little. My daughter actually screams in pain the night before a tooth pops out. It's so sad. She's on molars now, and it's just been awful. One thing that seems to help her is baby ibuprofen, so I keep it handy. The name brand stuff can be quite expensive, but the Target brand is just...
There have been thousands of pictures taken of my daughter in her short life. More than a few of those were professional portraits. I have tried the expensive places that claim to be so fabulous. They are okay. But nothing beats good old JC Penney Portrait Studio at the mall. There is where I've learned to turn to again and again for beautiful portraits of my daughter. The studio near our house will even take dogs! The trick to getting the most out of Penney's Portraits is to find yourself a coupon. You have to get the on...
I glue bows to my daughter's head. She's bald, and unless she's in pink from head to toe people seem to think she's a boy! Those who needs hairbows the most are those who have no hair to put the bows in. She does wear the headbands but sometimes I just want a little touch of feminine style on the top of her head. So bought some Stick-on Baby Bows! I'm told that people used to use scotch tape, syrup and other things to stick bows on bald baby girls. Apparently this didn't work so wel...
Sometimes, especially in the summer months, I just don't feel like dealing with my hair. This is a product I tend to turn to on those days. I put some in my hair and do some scrunching, and it finds those hidden curls in my normally straight hair. I have rather thin hair that responds well to curlers and other styling aids. It is mostly straight, but gets some natural curl to it when the humidity is high. This product works for my type hair. I get some cute curls, and I can put them up into a ponytail or just let ...
Have you ever looked out your window and seen a short, round woman in her 30s whooshing down the sidewalk in roller blades? Hey, that could have been me!I am not all that athletic, but roller blading is something I love to do. I started with a cheaper paid of skates but I knew almost immediately that I would need an upgrade. In in-line skating you really need to spend some money to get the best skates. My cheaper ones did not secure my ankles very well, and my feet would hurt after I went skating. I upgraded to these ...
Target has recently changed its store brand name to Up & Up. We shop at Target several times a week, and we use the Target brand all the time. Their baby wipes are cheaper than brand name wipes, but they are exactly the same thing. They also come in sensitive varieties as well as in a couple of different scents. I don't know why anyone would buy expensive baby wipes. I've never had a problem at all with these wipes, and my daughter certainly doesn't know the difference! I like to buy a large packet of the "refills&q...
I was recently chosen to be a bridesmaid in my college friend's wedding. To be honest, I was hoping not to be asked. Being a bridesmaid can be such a time-consuming, expensive, thankless job. It's something I really only want to do for my closest friends. Usually you end up spending hundreds of dollars on an ugly dress you will never wear again. So imagine my joy and surprise when my friend told me her plan for the bridesmaids' dresses. She showed us the David's Bridal website and introduced to the concept of...
I have to admit that I am new to the world of power washing. This spring, though, I looked around outside my house and realized that there were lots of things that could use some cleaning. I went to my local home improvement store to see what I could find to do the job. What did I see? Power Washers! I have discovered something fantastic! I feel light a firefighter when I spray my deck, house and fence with my power washer. It just smacks all that dirt right off. It's actually rather addictive. LIke I said, I don&...
I purchased this loveseat for our outdoor patio and grill area. I wanted something similar to a sofa where guests could relax and feel comfortable. This collection is made of teak and a fiber that looks like wicker. It's really beautiful, and you could easily use it indoors as well as outside. The collection also offers chairs and a table, and I am definitely going to purchase more of these so that I can have a complete set. The only problem I have is with the cushions. They are supposed to be weather resistant but I have fou...
My husband and I like to rent snowmobiles sometimes in the winter for some cold weather fun. I used to just use the helmets provided, but when I saw this pink one I was hooked. I like the idea of having my own helmet for a number of reasons. For one thing it makes me feel like a much more experienced snow bunny than I actually am. Also I like that I'm not wearing a helmet that hundreds of people have worn before me. I know that mine has never been in an accident and is safe. I know, being taken in by a helmet's color isn&...
When I was a little girl, I had a friend whose grandmother bought her one of these beautiful pieces every year. I remember how much I used to admire them and I remember thinking to myself that one day when I had a daughter I was going to get her these delicate, sweet pieces. Now I do have a little girl, and I have started a collection of these for her. They are just as precious as I remember them.These are a collection of little figurines of girls. They go from a baby to age 16. Each year's girl gets a little tall...
I love Aquaphor. It is absolutely hands-down the best product to treat diaper rash that was ever invented. My daughter came home from the hospital with terrible diaper rash. Everyone recommended a couple of other brands, but they didn't work! Her pediatrician said to use Baby Aquaphor as well as to wipe her bottom with a wet tissue instead of a wipe which can irritate a newborn's tender skin. It worked like a charm. I have been using Baby Aquaphor ever since! I don't use the tissues anymore unless she gets a very bad case of diap...
If you have a tv, you've probably seen Sham Wow advertised in an infomercial. I'm no sham expert, but I do know quite a bit about wet dogs. I have a large dog, and when it's raining towels are not enough. Even when I put the towel down in front of the back door to catch the muddy footprints before they make it to the carpet, he manages to avoid it. I was intrigued when I saw a package of Sham Wows at Petsmart. I hadn't really throught of it in terms of dogs. The package I bought came with four lar...
We took a one week vacation to the Caribbean on Seranade of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean ship. We visited San Juan, St Lucia, St Martaan, Antigua, St Thomas, and Barbados. It was warm, and the weather was beautiful. We did have a very nice time. However, cruising was very much praised to us by friends and family before our trip. We were told that the staff is unbelieveably helpful and friendly and would go out of their way to do anything you asked. This was not our experience. The staff was nice enough, but most were not interested in going t...
I've been doing water aerobics for several years, and I've used a variety of shoes. I started out with regular water shoes that you'd wear to the beach. While these protected my feet from the rough floor of the pool, they did nothing for my workout. If you are going to be serious about water aerobics, you are going to need some good shoes. Speedo water aerobics shoes look and feel like sneakers. They are sturdy and solid. They take a low impact exercise program and make it nearly zero impact! They have made my workout...
I was taken in by the Home Shopping Network. When I first saw the Tan Towels demonstrated on HSN I thought to myself - yeah, right. But that's what happens with HSN. At first you think the product is useless, but you watch those happy big-haired women for awhile and they get you! This has happened to me more times than I would like to admit. The thing that got me was the leg test. You know, when they tan one leg and don't tan the other? I am a sucker for that stuff. Tan Towels come in a metallic ba...