Catching up by taking a break

I have been so behind on reviews and mommy duties lately that I haven't spent any time to make a post for myself. I am still behind on about 5 reviews, but I have to share a mommy secret I have found recently that, I believe, may save my sanity.

Whenever I am overwhelmed and overrun by my life--the dishes are overflowing in my kitchen that is only equipped with a dishwasher labeled "mama" <<freeze here while I remember that I have not refilled my daughter's 8th cup of chocolate milk like she asked me before her brother pooped>>

OK where was I?
All over the place?
Sounds like me.

Anyway, I was talking about how overwhelming life can be! I have two small children (almost one and almost 4--love the birthday season in our house almost as much as I despise it) and a husband who works a lot to provide for our family so I can be home with our tiny blessings.

Let's not forget about the two dogs, the crazy cat and any other family relationships I have to foster. With all of that, I spend a lot of my days helping or caring for others. Do you know what though? I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Please read that accurately: I wouldn't have it any other way.
Meaning: I love my life, I love my kids, I love my husband.
I do not love the limited number of hours in a day.
I do not love all the things I have to cram into those few hours.
I do not love cleaning up animal or even human excrement <<yes, we potty training -- and excuse me while I refill aforementioned chocolate milk and find a new shows for my daughter and quickly act out the previous episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates>>

Resuming with... ummmm .... what I do to distress on days when I feel like the list of things I have to get done are deafening me? Well, I tried a lot of things:

I tried to organize myself better for maximize time efficiency -- but I ended up spending way too much time organizing and getting stressed out when things didn't go as planned.

Let's face it, you can't plan meltdowns or potty accidents or what times your baby is going to need his mommy to hold him every second of the day.

You just can't account for those things, which is why I am always late to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. Seriously, I am late to the grocery store. How? Talent. Natural talent.

Insert very important tip here: ctrl+z is a mommy blogger lifesaver --and so is my husband who I just called in a panic because I was unsure how to fix my mistake over typing over THIS WHOLE POST! Thank you for bailing me out calmly, love! <<hitting SAVE now>>

OK OK So what is my secret if not any of those things they normally suggest?

I do nothing. Nothing at all.

<<I just had to stop my son from eating the toilet paper so my daughter could use it to wipe while on the toilet. Does any mother think this is what their life will be like?>>

Nothing, you ask? That seems ...  highly unproductive? Don't worry, you are right, it is. Doing nothing gets nothing accomplished. 

And some days, that is what you need more than a clean house -- trust me

Instead of cleaning or stressing or organizing or making phone calls or setting up appointments or balancing our account, I spend time with my kids just enjoying their childhood.

And it is beautiful.

My son whistles, yes whistles, while he plays and I don't know the last time I found something so thoroughly entertaining. 

My daughter has mastered the art of reenacting scenes from her favorite shows, she dances almost all the time and she talks just. like. me. I am both terrified and thrilled at this new development.

My children found the time and ability to play together with minimal catastrophes, while I was busy stressing over the Fruit Loops on the high chair and the water in the bathroom floor.

This morning I took a time out with my daughter while my son napped and my husband was out for his morning run. We put together a puzzle and I was shocked at how smart she is and how I could let my control freak-ness rest while she took her time to figure out where the pieces go.

This is true beauty.
These minutes were so much more productive than cleaning that crazy thing called a kitchen behind her.
Life is made up of moments like this and I am going to soak them all in.

So that's my lesson: take your time figuring out where the pieces go and love every minute of it.

iArrow Sports Armband for iPhone

My latest product we have tried in our house was the iArrow Sports Armband for iPhone 5 series found here.

I was very excited to see that armband came with a screen protector and a black hard case to use with the armband itself. 

Installation

My husband and I have iPhone 5c's and despite us both trying a couple times, we could not get our phones to fit and stay in the provided black hard case. I think the iPhone 5/5S would fit more easily because it does not have the rounded design of the 5c, but I don't have access to a phone like that try. 

Despite not fitting in the included case, the screen protector fit on iPhone 5c nicely and was easy to apply. I personally think a screen protector is a must-have for all iPhones so it was nice that this was included with the armband.

The holder for the phone (not the case I mentioned above) and the actual armband are two separate pieces. I wish they had sent assembly instructions, simply because I put them together backwards the first time. Once I realized how the armband strap had to adhere to itself, the way to thread it through the holder was pretty obvious and easy to do. 

Ease of use 

My husband took his phone out on a 2 mile run using this armband and his iPhone in just the holder (since the case did not fit) and said he had no issues. It didn't fall out, though it does not clip in firmly like it would if you had the case on it so it would likely dislodge and/damage your phone in a fall. 

His music did not skip or do anything unusual. His headphones stayed connected easily and his MapMyRun app preformed in the usual way.

*

Design/quality

I like the sleek matte black design of the iArrow armband. It is comfortable and lightweight but seems to be able to take some damage instead of your phone in case of a fall. 

The armband itself is a nice material that would not collect sweat and moisture so we haven't had any issues with it smelling or needing any more washing than usual (we haven't washed it in the week we have been using it). 

Adjustment is super easy--my 3 year old likes to wear it and can adjust the strap herself. But it's made of very stout Velcro that holds together well. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Mega Mesh Premium Magnetic Screen Door Review

I was sent the Mega Mesh Screen Door by Easy Install (found here). I have been wanting one of these since I first heard of them last summer, but I have not been willing to shell out out the money for fear that it wouldn't fit my doorway at my old house.

I decided to install it on the outside of my kitchen door that leads to my garage since my family uses that door to go into our backyard so it is the main source of my pets coming and going and the main cause of the bugs in my house--which I can't stand!

Installation

READ THE FULL INSTRUCTION PAGE BEFORE STARTING! All products tell you to do this, but this is one that you really need to know what to do ahead of time. The mistake I made was I did not originally hang the top middle about 5mm higher than the sides. If you don't hang the middle higher, the magnetic in the center strips will not meet the right way and the screen will not close effortless when you walk through it.

I started the installation using just the adhesive tape on the back of the velcro strips for installation. It seems to stick to my clean doorway well-at first. But within 20 minutes it had fallen in more than one place twice. It could have been because of the heat of summer in my garage so it may be enough for installation inside the home where the temperature is more controlled.

Thankfully, the manufacturer's thought of this possible issue and included tacks for more durable and permanent installation. I kind of thought they would be push tacks, but I need to use as hammer to get them into my door frame, but they are still small and discrete so I didn't mind putting them in.

Once I had the tacks in place, I have had not issues with it falling or coming out of place in the three weeks since I installed it.

What I think

I like how easy it is to walk through the screen and how effortless it closes behind you. It even closes just fine when my toddler walks through it. An added bonus? My dogs think it is a door so they have not tried to walk through it without someone holding it open for them. I like that feature because then they are not inside when they are not wanted inside.

The downside? The first weekend I had this installed I noticed this hole/rip in the screen. It is most likely due to something my dogs did, but being a product that is advertised for easy pet use, I am pretty sad that it so easily tore. This whole is plenty big enough for bugs to get into my house so it does directly change the effectiveness of the screen. I have not contacted the company about this yet and I will update after I have heard back from them regarding this.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Crave Slant Tip Tweezers Review

Crave sent me their new Precisio professional tweezers and I was a little apprehensive, because I despise pucking my eyebrows. However, due to recent budget cuts in my family, I have had to stop paying for eyebrow waxing on a regular basis so I am left with two choices: be a hairy, crazy mess or tweezer my eyebrows on my own!

So I started out my tweezing sessions with Crave slant tip tweezers and these eyebrows (yikes!!):

Let me just say that I have never been good at doing my own eyebrows. They always end up uneven, messed up and red and painful feeling. But, finally, my results were different!

I was able to pluck several hairs at once or just one single hair when I wished. The design made it very easy to trace my eyebrows to see which hairs should stay and which should go. The plucking was pretty painless and easy. With many cheap tweezers I have, on man occasions, accidentally pinched my skin while trying to get a single hair or a very fine hair. This was not an issue with these tweezers. I don't think I will ever be able to go back to standard cheap tweezers again thanks to Crave!

Some tips from Crave

You should store your tweezers in the plastic protective vial that it shipped in to protect it from damage that could warp or misalign the sides. 

Avoid dropping the tweezers as that could also misalign the blades. 

Contact the company with any issues, they have amazing customer service and they want you to be able to use their products the maximine capabilities. 

Stainless Steel Garlic Press Reviews

I had two different companies send me their garlic presses for review: Orblue and bru joy. I have combined their reviews into one post because of the similarities of the reviews and products. 

Orblue stainless steel propressor

I was sent this garlic press from Orblue to try and review. On Amazon they have the following benefits listed:

1. ENJOY THE IRONCLAD 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE - I am so confident you're going to love your Propresser Garlic Press I'm offering it with an ironclad guarantee. If you have ANY problems with your Propresser Garlic Press FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE PRODUCT simply let me know and I will refund every penny of your purchase plus ship you another brand new kitchen gadget FREE of charge.

2. QUALITY YOU CAN COUNT ON - Unlike many of the garlic pressers on the market that are made from cheap zinc alloy, your Propresser Garlic Press is fashioned from 100% stainless steel. It won't rust, won't weaken at the joint, and won't break. We've meticulously designed this cooking gadget to serve you for years and decades to come. 

3. DESIGNED WITH EASE OF USE IN MIND - Hold the Propresser Garlic Press in your hand. Note the thickness of the handles and how comfortably your fingers wrap around them. With a clove of garlic nestled in the basket the handles are the ideal distance apart to maximize leverage. Gently squeeze the handles together. You'll be delighted at how easily, how effortlessly your Propresser Garlic Press produces perfectly minced garlic. 

4. CLEANUP IS A BREEZE - Now you can enjoy the flavor and health benefits of garlic instantly without the hassle of messy cleanup. Simply flip up the Propresser Garlic Press's basket, rinse it under your faucet, and you're done! 

5. A BEAUTIFUL ADDITION TO YOUR KITCHEN - When you first remove the Propresser Garlic Press from its box marvel at the way light dances over the stainless steel handles and glides over the curves of its ergonomic design. This is no mere cooking utensil - this is a handsome complement to your kitchen's décor.

What I think
The garlic press is very well made with stainless steel, smooth lines and easy to hold handle. The place for the fresh garlic to go is the right size for most cloves of garlic and pressure to mince the garlic evenly.

I like their promise to refund AND replace the garlic press for the life of the product. I have not had to test that guarantee yet, thankfully, but my communication with the company has already been easy, pleasant and convenient.

Bru Joy stainless steel garlic press

Link is the garlic press I was sent from bru joy. 

Bru joy's amazon listing has the following benefits under the description section:

1. Saves you money. Made of unbreakable, heavy duty stainless steel from head to toe, Bru Joy garlic press is the last garlic press you ever need to buy!
2. Saves you time: Producing juicy garlic mince in seconds. Bru Joy Garlic Press is extremely simple to use.
3. Easy to clean Not only dishwasher-safe, best part is that the mince head flicks open for easy skins-removal.
4. No more smelly hands - you don't need to peel garlic anymore!
5. The end of bland cooking. Add hassle free fresh garlic to your meals everyday!

What I think

I have to be honest, I can't tell a difference between this and the Orblue propressor--aside from the name branding. These products are the same size, weight, color, shape, design, everything. So like I said for the previous garlic press, it works great! I liked how evenly it presses the garlic and the minimal amount of effort it requires. 

The one thing that made this bru joy product stand out from the Orblue one would be the fact that it came with a cleaning brush. Which has been VERY useful in cleaning and I would say for that fact alone, bru joy wins :)

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Where Is My Home? eBook Review

Layout
The first thing I will note about this book is that it is not formatted to read/view on an iPad in the horizontal way, like this:

But in the vertical position, the book looks great:

Note: When I turned my iPad back to horizontal after it had been vertical, the page layout was easier to read, but still not as aesthetically pleasing as it is in the vertical orientation.

My thoughts on the storyline

Very cute story about a little boy who accidentally gets away from his home while chasing a butterfly. This book kind of reminded me of "Are You My Mother?" and had a really adorable progression from one adventure to the next.

My thoughts on the writing
I am unsure exactly who this book is made for so I have a couple opinions on this.

If the book is written for parents who are reading to their kids who are not yet of reading age, then the book is well written to get as many words on each page so there is a photo to go with each page.

My concern becomes if this book is designed for early readers to read aloud with their parents or teachers, then there are several improvements to be made. Firstly, the book includes many large blocks of text without line breaks. These can be very hard to follow and for little readers to not lose their place while reading to themselves or out loud. Any time the speaker changes, a new line should start. I would not suggest any more than one or two sentences per "paragraph" (I say this as a mom to a four-year-old).

Secondly for little readers, the language may be a little bit too advanced in some places. I think the author got a little caught up in writing correctly, but forgot the rule of simplicity with it comes to children's books.

My last complaint would be the typos throughout the book. Most of them are punctuation errors, but they are distracting for me as a parent.

Overall, very cute story and my daughter enjoyed listening to me read it aloud to her. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.