I normally never jump right into a review. I usually like to tell everyone how a certain thing fits into my life before talking about how good it is or how not good. Though usually, it's good. I didn't intend to just start in on this review either. I intended to let you all know how I never drink water and how sluggish I feel and how this new water bottle is my new attempt at changing that and so forth. Of course it's all true and I really did want to try drinking more water and I hoped this bottle would be my new go-to drink source. But I read something in my research while preparing for this review that completely changed how I feel about the product. So I have to start with the review. Because now I have been thrown off-track and I don't know where else to start. So here goes...
This is a Fruit Infusion Bottle by Trim Evolution, also called a fruit infuser water bottle. Same thing. It's essentially a water bottle with an insert cage that holds fruit so that the taste of the fruit and it's healthy qualities seep into the water. I thought that's as far as it went. I was wrong.
First of all, I think I'm terrible at creating infusion mixes. I was sent an e-mail with recipes, but I haven't gone shopping yet and only had a couple fruits on hand, no mint. So I wasn't really "feeling" the water. I've had fruit-infused water before with mediocre feelings toward it. I did like the mint and the watermelon too, it left me feeling fresh, but wasn't big on the blander flavors.
That aside, I did drink my fruit infused drinks for a few days to test out the bottle, planning to mainly use it as a water bottle for the most part after that. So there I was researching what I wanted everyone to know about fruit infused water when I saw this:
Infused water does more than just taste good Many
fruits, vegetables and herbs have natural diuretic, cleansing
attributes. In addition to keeping your body hydrated, these types of
infusion recipes will stimulate your body to flush harmful toxins from
your body. Your body begins working more efficiently, weight loss
accelerates, and you begin to feel good all over.
It didn't hit me until then, that's why I feel so freaking good! The past couple days, I have felt like I've lost 20 lbs! I have energy and feel lighter on my feet, like it's just easier to get up. I don't drag myself off the bed in the morning, I get up on all fours and hop off with a kick in my step. I had no idea it was the water!
I always drink just coffee. The past few months I have been slipping iced tea and green tea in almost as much as coffee in an attempt to be better hydrated. But I didn't feel the energy and "lightness" until these past few days. And the only difference was the water that I had been drinking.
Now, maybe it's just the water, because I never drink any. Maybe it's the "cleansing attributes". I can't say for sure. But I. Feel. Great. Like, really great. And just an hour ago, I still planned to use it mostly for water alone... but not now. Cause now I know that it COULD be the fruit infusion. I don't know if water alone will keep me feeling this way. But I DO know that the fruit-infused water has done well for me so far, so I'll stick with it.
Now, as far as the actual product. It claims to be shatter-resistant. I can attest to that. My daughter was in charge of carrying it back from the beach to the van and she dropped it twice, once on hard tar. The only thing that happened was that the infuser "cage" got stuck inside the bottle and I had to pry it out. So I guess that was a tiny con in the scheme of things.
It claims to be leak-proof. I agree with that claim, it hasn't leaked on me at all. It has a rubber stopper in the top that doesn't leak. To be honest, I'm not sure why it's even there unless it's to aid in being leak-proof. But it hasn't dripped at all, so I'm happy. It also claims that fruit-infusion makes water interesting again. Well, that's true. For those who haven't tried it, let me explain the best I can. It tastes like water. But it leaves an aftertaste that makes you feel like you have just eaten that particular fruit. Or with mint, even though the water tastes like water, it leaves a feeling in your mouth like you chewed on gum recently. It's very interesting indeed.
So, I know it was scattered. That happens when I am excited, I apologize. But those are my thoughts on the fruit-infuser bottle and the water it creates. Have you ever tried fruit-infused water? What did you think? To learn more, check out Trim Evolution on their website.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
I'm on anxiety medication. You likely didn't know that about me until just now. Why am I on it? I think part of it is that I'm just not able to stand up for myself and I take on more stress than I can handle because of it. I think part of it is the amount of stress I get from the kids and all that comes with that. I think also that a lot of it is just who I am. I always worry about how I make others feel, if I've offended them, or made them angry. I worry about if I've made myself look foolish by things I have said or things I have done... Was that joke even funny? Do my clothes look stupid on me? How noticeable is my acne? I worry too much about silly things. Truth be told, I am so un-confrontational and "nice" that if anyone is angered by me, it's really their problem and not mine. But I get anxious anyway.
Recently I read that coloring can relieve anxiety. The idea seemed like a good one. When you delve deeply into something and your concentration is so entwined in a project, it's hard to stress about much else. So I figured it was worth a shot.
The cool thing is that I'm already a pretty big fan of the author. Her name is Tali Carmi and she's a pretty great children's author and is responsible for the Terry Treetop series and the Abigail series. But this coloring book is for adults and it's called Amazing Birds. It's got incredible line art of some pretty great birds and scenery. But what's neat about the book is all the fun facts that come with it. Under each bird is a little information about that bird.
I noticed with the artwork that she uses relatable objects and designs in the birds and in their surroundings. For example, in the duck, which is a water bird, she used water wheels and paddle wheels in her design. For the vulture, she uses wagon wheels, cacti, and bones, symbolizing the hot desert. I just love the creativity in the pages.
To be honest, and I didn't notice until I started coloring, but there were a few spots in each design that felt open ended. I wished I had a fine tip black marker so that I could add a line here or there to finish it off. Spots like between the grass blades on the duck page. Just small things.
Overall, I really do like the book. I think it does help me unwind and get my mind off stupid things that make me anxious. When I was having a rough time with Streaker, I was able to calm down and really get my head into something besides the stress that she was causing me. I've decided to keep a few pages in the van in case I need some redirection while we're out. I'm gonna keep some on hand at home as well. What kinds of things do you do to de-stress? Any good tips? To learn more, check out Tali Carmi's Facebook, Twitter, and website. Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
For the first time ever my family is going camping. My husband thinks I am crazy for wanting to go on a 3 day weekend with the kids, but I think it's awesomeness in a suitcase... or five. Check out what The Big One is bringing.
Yes, that is an old-school suitcase. I love it. I'd be able to lock it if I had a key. Anyways, the list: Notebook and pen/pencil for writing and drawing, Chapter book for a rainy day, tablet for geocaching and such with headphones, sparklers, goggles, toiletries, sweatshirt, sneakers for hiking, 2 spare outfits, bathing suit, pillow, sleeping bag, and a card game. Yup, everything she could possibly need including blanket, pillow, and entertainment, all in one tiny suitcase.
What I love best is that even though she is bringing things to help her zone out and ignore the family, she's also bringing an educational and cooperative game that the whole family can enjoy. It honestly warms my heart a little. What is this game?
It's called Wise Alec Nature Nuts. It comes in a nice magnet closure box that fits just about anywhere that you would want it to. It comes with four categories of cards and a die. You play it this way: You roll the die and whatever the color is decides what you do next. Either you answer a question on a certain color card, answer a question on your choice of card, answer a question on someone else's choice of card, or do a random action/question on a Wise Alec Card. Each question card has two options, three points, or seven points. Obviously the seven pointers are more tough.
We tried out this game with The Big One, Baby Bee, Streaker, and Myself. We realized pretty quickly that some of the seven pointers are pretty hard, and not suited for the younger age group. Truth be told, even I didn't know some of them. But a child currently in school with these things fresh in their mind could definitely know them. For instance, do you know the four main parts of a flower? They are calyx, corolla, stamens, and pistils. I knew two of those, but Caxyl and Corolla? I never knew!
The kids had a lot of fun playing, and especially with watching me make a fool out of myself by doing yoga poses and acting like a monkey. Not sure why I'm the only one who got action cards... pretty sure it was rigged *wink* I'll definitely be looking forward to playing it again when we go camping. And in case you're interested, Streaker won. It was a close game.
The game that Baby Bee is taking camping is Wise Alec Junior. It's for the younger age set. It comes with four types of cards and four ways that you can play. The games that you can play are Memory, Matching, Charades, and Storytelling. Memory is pretty self explanatory. It;s the game where you flip over two cards and see if they match, if they do, you keep them and go again, if you don't, the next player takes their turn until the cards are all gone. My grandfather called this game Spit in the Ocean. It was a favorite back then with us kids. Matching is like another game I know, Slap Jack... you place all the number cards down so they can all be seen and reached and then flip over the green character cards slowly, one by one. The first person who can count the characters and slap the correct number card keeps both cards and the winner has the most cards at the end.
The next game you can play is Charades. It's pretty simple and definitely meant for young kids. It used cards with words like "Push up" and "sit" that kids have to act out and guess. We created teams. We learned that Baby Bee can wink with both eyes REALLY well. I'm super jealous. Streaker's favorite game was Storytelling. She actually loved it so much that she asked me to print out her own story board and set of story cards. You take all the cards that you have collected while playing the other games, and you use them, along with the reversible story board, to create a story. Baby Bee's story was about a basketball that went AWOL and ended up causing havoc in a chef's kitchen. The firefighters had to come help, then later celebrated at a job well done. She had help from The Big One for that. We will definitely have a lot of fun with these when we go camping. What do you take camping with you? Any fun games? Let me know! To learn more, check out Griddly Games on Facebook, Twitter, and their website. Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
Do you know what's super embarrassing? When you pull up to a place, like church or soccer practice, and your kids open the van door only to have a whole cascade or water bottles, beach toys, and spare shoes fall out of the doorway and onto the ground. I've had enough embarrassment of that type to last a lifetime... or two. My kids are now getting into the habit of opening the door only a foot or so. It's enough to squeeze through, but not enough for everyone to see the foot-tall hoarderesque mess that is my van floor.
And sometimes, I clean the van so that there is NOTHING out of place. It's beautiful and clean, I feel relieved and we actually go places that we sometimes don't normally go because the van is actually clean. Then BAM! Two days later, we are back to only opening the door so wide again. Maybe it's because we live in the van. Maybe it's because my kids don't know what a trash can is. Maybe it's because my kids feel like life couldn't go on if they couldn't bring x, y, z, and a, b, c along with them for the twenty minute ride to that place where they couldn't possibly use those things anyway.
Either way, I'm on a mission to change it. It started with this new car organizer called the HangPro Car Organizer by Jaco Superior. It ended with a full $28 floor makeover for my van. More on that to come, it's still in the works, but check out the preview pic above... coming along nicely, huh? But it wouldn't have come to be if I hadn't been inspired to finally get the family van under control. Check out the organizer that helped motivate me:
It has seven pockets. Two of them are bottle holders, Two are front mesh pockets for small objects, Two of them is actually a large divided pocket to hold medium objects, and one is a large book sized pocket for large items. The picture you see above was just us trying it out, so let me give you a list of what we actually keep in the organizer: Notebook, coloring book, reading books, alphabet workbook, tablet, color pencils, spray cleaner, sunscreen (two kinds), hair brush, multipurpose wipes, gum, car charger, ear buds, diapers and lip balm.
It's everything we could possibly need in a short trip. There is entertainment for multiple kids, supplies for the hot sun, and a few diaper changes. The possibility of leaving the house without kids bringing their own armful of things excited me. I started thinking MINIMALIST. Ooooooh :)
As you can see in the first photo, I sometimes use book bags to help store things. More recently I have switched to tote bags with the handles over the head rest. The problem with that is that it isn't as easy to get into, especially for kids on the go. One handle has to be lifted off the headrest, then you have to dig around for what you want, then you have to replace the handle back onto the headrest... it's a pain. But with this HangPro Car Organizer, everything is right there. No adjusting, no digging, no searching. Kids that can reach it can grab things at any time. If it's placed in front of an older child's seat, they can easily grab things for the younger kids... I love it!
It straps to the back of any headrest with an adjustable strap, so there is no headrest too fat or too small. And in case you were wondering, the strap isn't even noticeable to me when I am driving. I don't feel it at all. However, it can go on the passenger seat if it's an issue. I did end up moving mine there just so it's easy to reach if I need to. Overall, I think this is a really great and accessible organizer that seems very sturdy. The only thing about it that I was iffy on was that it tended to sag forward a bit when it's filled and I think the center could use a bit more support. It wasn't really an issue for my van because there is a handle behind my seat that lifts the organizer. So I put it a bit higher on the headrest and let the handle sit behind the very bottom of the organizer to help support it. But if you plan to fill it quite full and there is nothing to support it, this might be something that you should be aware of. I don't think it interferes with it's usefulness at all. It's definitely one of my new favorite van accessories. It's right up there with the cup holders! What do you think? What would you put in it?
To learn more, visit Jaco Superior on Facebook, Twitter, their website, or Amazon. Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
I've been spending my spare time writing kids books. It was always one of my dreams to be an author, but I'd never want to dig too deep into plot and character depth. I'm more about fun, Seussy stories with captivating and colorful pictures. A picture book! And when I read books like Tali Carmi's Abigail and the Tropical Island Adventure, it makes me want to get back to the drawing board and finish one of my own. Tell me you don't want Neda Fuchedzhieva's art skills! The book is so simple, yet attention grabbing and fun, the whole thing is very child friendly and exciting.
The book begins with a rainy day. Abigail wishes that she could be somewhere where the weather is always nice. So she goes to her trusty magical bicycle and the book that goes with it and says the magic words. Soon she is flying over tropical islands and landing on a hot and sandy beach. She soon meets a friend Lelei, who shows her around the island.
As always, Abigail learns all about her new environment while she is there. She learns why shells make a sound like the ocean, how pearls are found, and that start fish are not actually fish at all. And also, as usual, she found a way to be helpful. She used her inherited inventor skills to help save Lelei's birthday party.
At the end of the evening, when she goes home, her mother heard Abigail's account of where she had been and she chalked it up to an overactive imagination. But Abigail knows it was more than that.
I love that Tali Carmi always incorporates animals and helpfulness into every one of her books. She also puts learning into the books in such a way that you don't even realize that you ARE learning! For instance, in this book alone, I found nine learning opportunities. Some of them even I didn't know.
I also love that Abigail gets to experience a new culture with each book, and so do my kids. I think I said it before in my last post about Tali Carmi's books, but I'll say it again... This book would go great with a themed culture week at home. For instance, cook up some pineapple ham, sweet rice, and make some fruity drinks for supper and have everyone wear grass skirts and leis. Maybe decorate the table with some shells and sand from the beach and later watch a movie or documentary about island living or listen to some island music. I love island music. That song above is my favorite islandy song. But anyway... that's neither here nor there. See how excited the book gets me?
Tell me, have you ever been to a tropical island? What was your favorite part about it?
