Category Archives: product review

>Treasuring Simple Pleasures & Everyday Joy

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MomCentral calls this blog tour in honor of Mother’s Day “Treasuring Everyday Joy.” I added Simple Pleasures to the title because the everyday happy moments are often simple.

My little darlings are entering adulthood; Amigo is 19 and La Petite is 24. Chuck and I are gradually getting tastes of what the home will be like as an Empty Nest.
Since my children are not home every day, I treasure the days and nights that they’re here – mostly. I’m sure we’ll reach the point where we love it when they arrive, and we like it when they leave. We’re not there yet. I still get a tug on my heartstrings when my young adults leave for school and work in other cities.
Simple pleasures include eating supper together at the table, watching Jeopardy as a group, and exchanging stories of our time apart. Simple pleasures might be shopping with La Petite; we’re both bargain hunters. Amigo is a fan of Public Radio, and listening to Old Time Radio Drama is his favorite Saturday night routine. When I join him, I might listen, or I might just relax with my laptop and work while we enjoy each other’s presence.
Simple pleasures are different when the “kids” are gone. La Petite and I email, text, and chat online when she’s not busy. Amigo emails me or calls me with news. He called last weekend as his bus left the site of their forensics meet; he’d earned a first place medal! Thanks to cell phones, we were able to share the celebration right away.
Yes, my babies are gone. They haven’t been babies for a long, long time. If I need to fulfill the urge to snuggle a small one, our bunnies are usually willing to step up. Hop up. Okay, I pick them up.

In honor of Mother’s Day and babies everywhere, Johnson’s is contributing $1 to the March of Dimes for each “promise” (like) on their Facebook page. They are also hosting a series of photo contests on Facebook; check out the page for details.
This was not a typical product review blog tour. I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour sponsored by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Johnson’s. I will receive Johnson’s Baby products and a promotional item as a thank you for my participation.

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>Spring, Summer, and good health

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Late spring and early summer are sometimes the hardest seasons for eating fresh and local. My freezer is emptying of last summer’s bounty, the Farmers’ Market hasn’t opened yet, it’s too early and too wet to plant, much less harvest, and we’re in the midst of time-consuming events that signal the end of the school year.
We’re hoping and planning to put up more of our own garden produce and local goodies from the Farmers’ Market as soon as local food comes into season. I’m preparing in several ways.
  • I picked up a food saver to replace my hand pump. I liked using the zipper bags for vegetables, but pumping the air out of each bag got tiring. Pushing a button and “zip!” sucking the air out will make it easier.
  • I’ve set aside good containers for freezing fresh fruits and fresh peppers. It’s so nice to reach into the freezer and pull out a jalapeno pepper from last fall’s garden instead of buying one from the store, a pepper probably imported over a great distance.
  • The tomato and pepper sections of our garden will be bigger and more varied. The family requested more salsa this year; last year’s stock only lasted until December. More salsa means more pulp tomatoes and more peppers.
  • We’ll continue to plant spinach; adding spinach to soups and stews and salads and omelets, to name a few, can increase or maintain a decent amount of iron in my diet.
  • Herbs! Seasoning with fresh herbs is tasty and helps us resist adding too much salt to our food. The chives are right outside the dining room door, making them easily accessible.
In the meantime, I can stock the kitchen with good foods made from scratch. I keep baking bread, adding flaxseed or local honey or other healthy additions to the recipe. The slow cookers (yes, plural, I have several) provide another method for easily cooking from scratch. It’s easier to keep meals low salt and low calorie when I have control over the ingredients.
When I don’t have time or energy to cook from scratch, it’s time to pull out something simple, yet healthy. Weight Watchers Smart Ones is making it easier to stay on track with a healthy meal plan without spending time on prep work beforehand. Their products provide a variety of delicious, convenient and portion controlled meals and snacks that contain lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. And now they are offering two new breakfast items – like the new Egg, Sausage & Cheese Wrap and the French Toast with Turkey Sausage. If you’re keeping track, the packaging tells you the Weight Watchers PointsPlus values in each serving, allowing you to conveniently plan for the day. Visit www.eatyourbest.com for more information.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Weight Watchers Smart Ones and received a promotional item and coupons to facilitate my review.

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>Bausch and Lomb Bio-True

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The prefix bio- means life or living. Biography. Biology. Biodiversity. Bioluminescence. I hear you: bio what? Look it up. Bioluminescence. It’s cool. Bausch and Lomb set some pretty high standards for their new contact solution BioTrue.

BioTrue gets its name from the research involved in creating the product. By studying how the eye itself works, how it naturally cleans and hydrates and keeps itself healthy, researchers created BioTrue contact lens solution. Like my previous contact solution, BioTrue can clean and store my contacts. I only need to bring one bottle along if I’m traveling. Unlike my previous solution, BioTrue is exactly the pH of human tears and contains a lubricant that already exists naturally in human eyes.
I once asked an eye doctor about the importance of the brand name on contact solution. He told me, “For a lot of people, it matters very little. For a few people, it matters a lot.” My experience with store-brand contact lens products led me to believe that I’m one of the latter category; quality of solution makes a big difference to me and my contacts. I found BioTrue to be an excellent storage solution for my contact lenses and to clean them as well. It really does keep my lenses, and by association my eyes, wetter, er, better hydrated. This is a product I can buy again, even with my sensitive eyes.
I wrote this review while participating in a Mom Central Consulting blog tour on behalf of Bausch + Lomb Biotrue. I received a Biotrue sample and a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate. They sent a collapsible shopping bag, too; it’s already in my purse and ready for use.

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>In with the good air, out with the bad air

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Last fall MomCentral sent me a Filtrete water pitcher to test and review. We’re still using it. I filter water for my coffee, to make juices from concentrate, and Chuck used some last weekend to mix up a delicious rum punch with fresh nutmeg grated on top. Oops, I’m getting off the subject.
The Filtrete water pitcher is good quality. I replaced the filter on top and kept using it; it’s really working out well for us, providing filtered water for many uses and reducing the amount of bottled water we purchase.
Home air filters should be replaced regularly, too, and Filtrete (a 3M company) makes a high performance filter called the Elite Allergen Reduction Filter. Clean air is just one healthy home tip found on Filtrete’s Clear Advantages site. If you’re like me, you’ll visit a site like this once, gather tips, and then forget to go back. Filtrete makes it easy, though; just subscribe to their eNewsletter. It’s seasonal, so it won’t clutter your inbox. The eNewsletter offers seasonal tips for air quality and even a reminder to change air filters regularly.
I did not get an air filter to test for this review. However, I did have a good introduction to the brand from my water filter experience. The Filtrete web page is full of good information and opportunities to buy their products if you can’t find them locally. I found a Special Offers page, too, offering mail-in rebates and more. Filtrete is also on Twitter as (you guessed it) @Filtrete.
Thinking about allergens is making me sneezy. Just staring at my friendly pet rabbit, that loving and shedding little source of animal dander, and remembering the mold season coming soon (begone, snow!)…. it’s probably time to change the air filter at my house.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. Now I’m thinking about the allergens to come as the temperatures rise and the snow melts; I’d better put down the computer and get the air filter changed.

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>Fiber Choice

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>Long ago, Chuck’s doctor tried unsuccessfully to convince him that a fiber regimen would help ease his, er, um, stomach discomfort. I tried, too, as shown in a post one Saturday morning. The dialogue went something like this.

“Here, dear, I found a jar of Metamucil for you.”
“I’m not ready.”
“Not ready?”
“I like my Saturn. I don’t want to drive a Buick yet.”
“I took it years ago when I was pregnant with Amigo.”
“And look what you drive now!”

My minivan — he’d dissed my minivan! The minivan that took us on more than a few vacations, moved La Petite to and from college, brings big batches of yard waste to the brush dump every summer, took my carpool to graduate classes for two years, and more!

Well, now that we’re both 50, fiber isn’t such a taboo topic. Whether Chuck knows it or not, I sneak wheat germ or flaxseed into a lot of the food I serve. Both of us eat vegetables regularly, but I’m the only one that nibbles on fruit. MomCentral offered a chance to try Fiber Choice, I decided to participate, whether Chuck does or not.
Here are a few basic facts about Fiber Choice products.
  • Fiber Choice supplements are prebiotics, which nourish the probiotics, or “good bacteria” that live naturally in the digestive system.
  • Probiotics help maintain the balance between the good bacteria and the bad, keeping the body systems functioning well.
  • Fiber Choice comes in packages of 10, 90, and 220 with prices ranging from $2.49 to $19.99.
  • Available flavors include orange, pomegranate, assorted berries, and a sugar free assorted fruit mix. Chuck likes pomegranate: maybe he’ll try it.
  • I like the assorted berries flavor.
  • Fiber Choice is available at local pharmacies and many times in the health aisles of the grocery stores.
  • You can follow @FiberChoice on Twitter.
Fiber Choice is an easy and even tasty way to work more fiber into a diet. And that minivan? It’s still in the garage, still my main vehicle. So there.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of FiberChoice and received a coupon to facilitate my review and a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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>May all your holiday photos be lovely – Adobe Photoshop Elements can help

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I’m fortunate to live with an aspiring professional photographer. She does more than take pictures; she makes pictures. She uses her artist’s eye, knowledge, and experience to set up the photo and edits it, crops it, makes it work. I learn from watching her, even though I know I’ll never be at her level.

I do take pictures for my blog(s) and for the school slide show. If I ever give in and open a Facebook page, I’m sure I’ll post pictures there, too. But anyway, back to the topic at hand: here’s my list of five tips for making a good digital photograph.
1. Set up the photo before taking it. Look at the background and the lighting. A clean photo setting in the first place is easier than editing out clutter later.
2. Know your camera and its settings. I’m still learning mine. When I think it through and set it up thoughtfully, the pictures turn out much better.
3. Know your editing software. I’m looking into Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 for myself. I do not need the professional level Photoshop software, but I do want my end result to look good. La Petite uses a professional version of Photoshop, and she does wonderful work.
4. Keep the camera charged. I know, that’s a “Doh!” piece of advice. I turned up at the Homecoming parade ready to take pictures only to find I had enough charge for one. One picture of my students in their school colors. I haven’t made that mistake again.
5. Organize. My photos are in file folders by date and by topic. I delete those I no longer need, such as photos intended for the blog but never used. I also save them in compre
ssed size for blog use; if a photo might be needed in its full resolution, I save it twice: once compressed, once not.
One summer evening, Amigo and I were sitting outside reading in the backyard swing. La Petite hovered with her camera, making pictures of Amigo’s graceful hands reading Braille. She eventually left us alone with our Harry Potter and went inside to download and edit her work. The final result was a contest winner titled “Touching Words.” The photo is lovely, but my favorite part is the back story. Amigo had a spot of marinara sauce on his hand from the lasagna we’d had for supper. She had to edit out the sauce with Photoshop before printing and displaying the picture.
Was it worth it? I think so, but I’ll let you be the judge. Here it is: La Petite’s photo of her brother, titled “Touching Words.”
For more information on Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, click on the Photoshop Home Page, follow AdobeElements on Twitter, or follow Photoshop Elements on Facebook.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Adobe blogging program, making me eligible to receive a $50 gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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>Lulu.com Custom Photo Books

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>Making gifts personal is a special and important part of Christmas. When Lulu asked me to try out their site by making a photo book, I thought of Christmas gifts right away. With La Petite’s photos and editing assistance, I put together a lovely book of her work.

Uploading the pictures was easy, although it took time. La Petite uses a professional quality camera, so her photos were quite high resolution. The time was worthwhile to make sure the book was good quality in the end.
Placing the photos in the book was a mixed success. The drop and drag function was simple, but many of the layouts were odd sizes that required cropping of the original photos. I would have appreciated the option to resize the space on the page rather than resizing the photos themselves.
I recommend choosing a theme right away. I made the mistake of placing photos in the book and then choosing a theme with the end result of changing photo dimensions. Had I chosen the theme first, I might have avoided some of the problem mentioned above. Themes are varied and can compliment any photo set from any occasion.
When the demo book arrives, we’re going to consider ordering more for gifts. Some people are hard to buy for; personal photo books are a great way to handle the gift dilemma.
Lulu.com will offer one reader a free photo book: a 8.5 X 8.5 in. 20 page hardcover book. If you’re interested, leave a comment and make sure I can contact you by email! I’ll put all the comments in a hat and pick one winner. Contest will close Friday, December 3, to give the winner a fighting chance and completing the book and getting it by Christmas.
Full disclosure: Lulu.com gave me one free photo book so I could experience the service and write a candid review. We’re considering buying a second copy if we’re pleased with the end result. There was no other compensation. Frankly, making the book was fun; it was enough compensation in itself!

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>Money Management and Teens

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My “kids” are growing up and handling their own money, when they have it. The recession and its credit bust, especially the sub-prime mortgage crisis, made me think again about the importance of growing up money-smart.

La Petite had to manage her budget as soon as she moved into a college apartment. We paid the rent, she split the utilities with her roommate, and she and her roommate handled the daily expenses such as food, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies. Oh, yes, I almost forgot – and bunny food and litter box refills.

La Petite had a summer job when she was in high school, babysitting a young girl during the parents’ workday. She worked at a big box store’s garden center when she was home from college. These jobs provided a chance to develop a work ethic and a chance to handle a bank account. Her checking account is held jointly with me – mainly so I could handle deposits and withdrawals while she was gone to college in a different city.

Amigo’s situation is a little different. Teens on the autism spectrum sometimes have a hard time understanding the value of money. He has a bank account (again, jointly held with me, the mom-type person), and uses his own money for a few things. He doesn’t have rent or food expenses because he lives in a dorm weekdays, so we parents have to give serious thought to finding ways to help him learn to handle money.

Money management practice needs to be authentic. Playing games, holding discussions, and teaching him scripted money lessons are not very useful. He needs to plan the shopping trip, load his wallet, and go. Last weekend he took his girlfriend to McDonald’s. Simple, yes, but a perfect way to find out how much a fast food meal costs and decide if it’s a worthwhile use of his dollars.

Debit cards and especially credit cards can strike fear into the hearts of parents of teens. American Express PASS program can help. A PASS card is a reloadable prepaid card that parents can obtain for their teens. It looks like a credit or debit card, so teens won’t stick out socially by having a “different” card in their wallet. Since it’s prepaid, there is no danger of overspending. The Amex PASS card is accepted anywhere that takes American Express. Parents have control over loading funds, monitoring spending, and even disabling/ enabling the use of ATMs if necessary. Gradually weaning teens from the parental control, letting them make small but correctable mistakes, can be part of the learning process.

My teen is 18 going on 19, older than the target age, but this kind of card would be a useful tool for him. He could learn to keep track of his money online, a more accessible option than a print statement (he’s blind). He couldn’t overspend, so we’d need to talk over budgets and priorities before hitting the stores. Timing is good right now, too; Amigo loves Christmas and everything involved, including gift shopping.

American Express PASS card has made me think. And when it comes to teaching money management, thinking is an important first step.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of American Express and received a gift code to thank me for taking the time to participate. I did not receive an American Express PASS card as part of the review process; they provided the information and the link to their web site. Check out the site; it’s easy to navigate and full of useful information.

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>Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee

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Me and my big mouth. I mentioned the latest product review for my blog and the lovely package (pictured below) that had just arrived in the mail.

Minutes later, I was surrounded by fellow coffee-loving teachers suggesting that I really needed to expand the pool of taste-testers. They offered the art teacher’s coffeepot.

I gave in.
The vanilla nut flavor made a home in the school office with our incredibly more-than-competent secretarial staff. They’re wonderful people, and they’ve helped me out so much this year that there’s not enough coffee in the world to say thanks. After I made a couple of pots of vanilla nut at home (I had to try it out myself, of course, or where’s the integrity?) I delivered the rest of this delicious blend to the divine Ms. M and superior Ms. K.
The mocha mint flavor tastes like Christmas. The first time I made it, I kept looking outside and expecting snow, not leaves awaiting my rake. I felt like wrapping presents and decorating the tree. I shared about half of the package with my teacher friends, but I’m setting the rest aside for December. They had a similar reaction, invoking statements like “I think I’ll go home and find my Christmas music!”
Pumpkin Spice is perfect for November. Harvest-style flavor, just sweet enough, and an aroma that brings Thanksgiving into my home – what more could I want? Well, someone to clean up after the turkey is carved, maybe, but I’ll settle for Pumpkin Spice Coffee for now. The P.E. teacher was especially excited to try this flavor because she had seen it in the grocery store, but didn’t want to buy a full bag until she knew it was good. Well, now she knows.
My professional colleagues understand the role of a good cup of coffee in maintaining teacher sanity. I predict more of these lovely blends will find their way into our school building’s coffeepots.
I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smuckers and received necessary products to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All that and a chance to share with my friends, too – now that’s the holiday spirit. Thanks, Dunkin. Thanks, MomCentral. I hope your holidays are delicious and enjoyable.

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>Making Choices about Health

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I’m lucky. I have good health insurance coverage through my job. I’m also lucky that my insurer is focused not just on illness, but on wellness. The organization’s leaders remind us that while we cannot control medical costs, but we can control our own healthy choices.
I’ve had some major health issues lately, most recently gout. In addition to treating the gout (thanks, Doctor! The medicines are working well!), I make sure I rest and put my feet up each night, and I’m looking into diet changes that can help prevent further problems. Staying hydrated, minimizing certain foods and alcohol, gradually building strength in the weakened joint, are all choices under my control. With two disabled family members (my hearing loss and Amigo’s blindness & autism), I have to choose our open enrollment options carefully. When I’m due for new hearing aids, I set aside money in a pre-tax medical sub account so that this major purchase doesn’t hurt the family finances.
Aetna asked bloggers to take time to review this article and share five tips based on what we read. Here’s my tip list:
Daisy’s Tip #1: Determine your priorities. Prescriptions? Glasses/ contacts? Hearing aids? Face these priorities honestly, and then figure out the best plan for coverage.
Daisy’s Tip #2: Ask questions. My favorite way to do this is to bring a list to medical appointments. Should I get a flu shot? If so, can I get it today? If the doctor says “surgery,” ask for details. If the doctor says, “medication,” ask how that medicine will react with others that you take regularly.
Daisy’s Tip #3: Keep track of spending. Some of the costs not covered by insurance can be tax deductible. Keep receipts; the dollar amounts are important, as are the receipts that prove it. Tracking dollar amounts can also determine the amount you’ll deposit in a medical sub-account. Remember my hearing aid example? Exactly like that.
Daisy’s Tip #4: Plan ahead. This is my personal goal. I plan a physical every August, but I need to schedule dental cleanings, mammogram, and hearing aid maintenance — all around my teaching schedule. Getting these on the calendar keeps me on top of my own basic health care.
Daisy’s Tip #5: Take care. Really. Remember my opening – wellness opportunities? This is one area that’s under my control. I can read the monthly wellness newsletter and take its advice. I can cook from scratch, controlling the ingredients and preservatives in my family’s diet. I can exercise – when my ankle finally heals. I can get off the computer (as soon as I’m done with this post!) and spend time outside putting the garden to bed for the winter. Informal exercise with a shovel and a pile of dirt: it feels good.
These common sense tips and more are in this article from Aetna, but the tips are not limited to one insurance carrier. Taking control of health care is a personal challenge, and not an easy one. Making changes in coverage, sub-accounts, and wellness are long term investments in your health, your life, and your family’s future.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Aetna blogging program, making me eligible to get a $30 Target gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

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