If you have never been married, then you don't know that feeling when everything is done and you are officially a Mrs. But what if you weren't? This book, by Beth Kendrick, is about exactly that. For three couples, they learn that they aren't really married. The book has so many laugh out loud moments that it is worth it to read it just for the humor. The struggles that the three main characters go through though are interesting, real and deserving of consideration for every woman. I absolutely loved this book. The charaters are great - well developed, likeable, humble - and the setting is mine. I like right here where the story takes place. When it talks about the characters heading up the highway to the mall (I-90 and Crossgates), that is the highway I take every week and the mall I went to often. I there was ever a book to recommend to nearlyweds, newlyweds, and the rest of us who just love a good, funny book that makes you think, not too hard but just enough, it would be this one. I highly recommend it.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Nearlyweds
If you have never been married, then you don't know that feeling when everything is done and you are officially a Mrs. But what if you weren't? This book, by Beth Kendrick, is about exactly that. For three couples, they learn that they aren't really married. The book has so many laugh out loud moments that it is worth it to read it just for the humor. The struggles that the three main characters go through though are interesting, real and deserving of consideration for every woman. I absolutely loved this book. The charaters are great - well developed, likeable, humble - and the setting is mine. I like right here where the story takes place. When it talks about the characters heading up the highway to the mall (I-90 and Crossgates), that is the highway I take every week and the mall I went to often. I there was ever a book to recommend to nearlyweds, newlyweds, and the rest of us who just love a good, funny book that makes you think, not too hard but just enough, it would be this one. I highly recommend it.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Planet Zak Coffee Mug
I don't know about you but I love taking my coffee with me. Don't get me wrong, I love to sit and quietly enjoy my coffee, book in hand or with my husband during a quiet moment at home. But we have two kids under two, a dog, chickens, three cats and we are currently pet sitting an accidentally adopted racing pigeon. So those quiet, uninterrupted moments are... rare. Usually mornings consist of nursing L1, my husband getting L1 up, then we all go downstairs, get breakfast, make lunch and coffee, nurse some more, get L1 ready for a nap and bam it is 10 am and my coffee is cold on the counter. (It is important to note that we use an espresso machine - one of the best purchases we have EVER splurged on - so there is no warming up of the coffee. Once it is cold, it is cold.)
For my husband's birthday this past summer, we got him a travel coffee mug. It is ok. Over the years we have been trying to find a good one that is 1. keeps the coffee hot 2. is leak proof and spill proof 3. isn't plastic (They tend to absorb smells, good and bad.) We got him one that was rated well but it wasn't very good. It was plastic on the inside and even though he would wash it, it would sit in his car all day , so started to smell funny. In the past, we have had a pretty good Starbucks one but again, it was plastic, the top wasn't easily washable and it only fit a small coffee. I also had a specialty one from Mr. Toad's Coffeehouse from down in NC but it wasn't spill proof or leak proof. The best one I have found was a cup from when I worked at Borders and they gave us each one. But it is plastic and every now and then I need to do a good baking soda soak. No tea though because they always taste a bit like coffee.
Every month I get Good Housekeeping. I usually trust their product reviews, with guarentees, so when they reviewed Planet Zak's Stainless Steel Thermal Water Bottle - 16 oz Tatau with Pop Lid as keeping coffee hot and being able to be dropped without denting, I was sold. At $27.99 on the Planet Zak website though, I did some comparison shopping. I found it for $20.99 at The Green Cupboards. I ordered a couple of other things to get the free shipping.
The result: I LOVE IT! It is solid. It is stainless steel so no smells. I used it for the first 2 weeks without a single spill. I finally had to order a second one as my husband kept wanting to take it to work. The part of the story that says it all? I took it to Boston with me and at 2 p.m., I got a Starbucks latte. Then with the kids, I forgot about it. At 6:27 p.m. I popped the top and the coffee was still hot. Not warm, hot. Awesome. Of course it only keeps it as warm as the liquid that goes in.
Recently it started to leak and I have been extremely upset. Today, after spilling coffee down my shirt while driving, I called the company. Turns out there is a line inside that you shouldn't fill the cup past otherwise it will leak like mine did. Hmmm, perhaps I should have read the instructions? Maybe this is a good lesson for me. Either way, the woman I spoke to - yes I was put right through to a person, no automated system. Another point in the company's favor - explained about the line and then said that should it still leak (which was very doubtful) she would ship me out a replacement top immediately. Talk about service! Of course, I dumped some out into a mug and found the line and MAGIC! no more leak.
If I had read the instructions, it never would have leaked... Anyway, I love this cup and am thinking about getting ordering a few more so that when my mom friends come over we can use them - no chance of spills and their coffee will be hot for the entire time they are here.
For my husband's birthday this past summer, we got him a travel coffee mug. It is ok. Over the years we have been trying to find a good one that is 1. keeps the coffee hot 2. is leak proof and spill proof 3. isn't plastic (They tend to absorb smells, good and bad.) We got him one that was rated well but it wasn't very good. It was plastic on the inside and even though he would wash it, it would sit in his car all day , so started to smell funny. In the past, we have had a pretty good Starbucks one but again, it was plastic, the top wasn't easily washable and it only fit a small coffee. I also had a specialty one from Mr. Toad's Coffeehouse from down in NC but it wasn't spill proof or leak proof. The best one I have found was a cup from when I worked at Borders and they gave us each one. But it is plastic and every now and then I need to do a good baking soda soak. No tea though because they always taste a bit like coffee.
Every month I get Good Housekeeping. I usually trust their product reviews, with guarentees, so when they reviewed Planet Zak's Stainless Steel Thermal Water Bottle - 16 oz Tatau with Pop Lid as keeping coffee hot and being able to be dropped without denting, I was sold. At $27.99 on the Planet Zak website though, I did some comparison shopping. I found it for $20.99 at The Green Cupboards. I ordered a couple of other things to get the free shipping.
Recently it started to leak and I have been extremely upset. Today, after spilling coffee down my shirt while driving, I called the company. Turns out there is a line inside that you shouldn't fill the cup past otherwise it will leak like mine did. Hmmm, perhaps I should have read the instructions? Maybe this is a good lesson for me. Either way, the woman I spoke to - yes I was put right through to a person, no automated system. Another point in the company's favor - explained about the line and then said that should it still leak (which was very doubtful) she would ship me out a replacement top immediately. Talk about service! Of course, I dumped some out into a mug and found the line and MAGIC! no more leak.
If I had read the instructions, it never would have leaked... Anyway, I love this cup and am thinking about getting ordering a few more so that when my mom friends come over we can use them - no chance of spills and their coffee will be hot for the entire time they are here.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Kitty Baby Love Crayons
What smells remind you of childhood? For me, the smell of crayons take me back. I love the way they smell. Last year, as L1 passed the one year mark, I began to think about crayons. A lot of crayons are made with not so healthy chemicals such as paraffin wax, petroleum, perfumes, etc. Yuck!
The best solution is to use non-toxic crayons made from beeswax or soy wax. Although I cannot prove it, in my personal research, I came across 2 common opinions: beeswax crayons last longer and feel nicer but are harder to clean up i.e. off furniture. The soy crayons fell and draw similar to "regular" i.e. mainstream crayons and easy to clean up/off.
I passed getting L1 any for Christmas. In March though, I was browsing Kickstarter.com (such a fun site!) and came across Kitty Baby Love crayons. They were exactly what I was looking for! I ordered a full set for Easter. The crayons were huge and fit snugly in his hand with no small sections that might break. Even the ears were solid! The egg carton packaging was perfect for his basket. They were nestled in paper grass with a yellow ribbon. Of course the carton lasted all of two months. We now carry them in another basket. What do you think:
We have had them for six months. Five flew to Chicago with us. And for the most part, they get daily use but are still going strong. (The white in the picture is a regular sized egg.) Ears and eyes are still visible.
While they are pricey ($30 for the set), I will happily pay it for my kids, especially since they last. How much would I have spent on regular ones that would have broken and gotten lost by now? There are also smaller sets. I loved them so much, we might give them out as small Christmas gifts. I emailed with the owner about possibly doing a crayon with multiple colors. She can do two colors in one crayon without ruining the color quality. She was also super nice and very helpful.
Now imagine opening the September issue of Kiwi and seeing them listed! I was ridiculously excited and shouted to my husband "Look! It's our crayons!" I think he thought I was a little crazy. It isn't like I made them or anything. The thing is though, I love finding great products that suit not only our needs but our lifestyle. It can be so hard to find products that support a healthy, organic, eco-friendly, fun and stylist life. Mums today are not the hippie moms of the 70s. Doing right by our families and by the environment is not only for a few of us, it is becoming regular and mainstream. While big companies such as Seventh Generation are wonderful at addressing our every day needs, these little mom and pop stores are fulfilling our wants. It is them I love to support. With great products such as these crayons, I know they will also succeed.
The best solution is to use non-toxic crayons made from beeswax or soy wax. Although I cannot prove it, in my personal research, I came across 2 common opinions: beeswax crayons last longer and feel nicer but are harder to clean up i.e. off furniture. The soy crayons fell and draw similar to "regular" i.e. mainstream crayons and easy to clean up/off.
I passed getting L1 any for Christmas. In March though, I was browsing Kickstarter.com (such a fun site!) and came across Kitty Baby Love crayons. They were exactly what I was looking for! I ordered a full set for Easter. The crayons were huge and fit snugly in his hand with no small sections that might break. Even the ears were solid! The egg carton packaging was perfect for his basket. They were nestled in paper grass with a yellow ribbon. Of course the carton lasted all of two months. We now carry them in another basket. What do you think:
We have had them for six months. Five flew to Chicago with us. And for the most part, they get daily use but are still going strong. (The white in the picture is a regular sized egg.) Ears and eyes are still visible.
While they are pricey ($30 for the set), I will happily pay it for my kids, especially since they last. How much would I have spent on regular ones that would have broken and gotten lost by now? There are also smaller sets. I loved them so much, we might give them out as small Christmas gifts. I emailed with the owner about possibly doing a crayon with multiple colors. She can do two colors in one crayon without ruining the color quality. She was also super nice and very helpful.
Now imagine opening the September issue of Kiwi and seeing them listed! I was ridiculously excited and shouted to my husband "Look! It's our crayons!" I think he thought I was a little crazy. It isn't like I made them or anything. The thing is though, I love finding great products that suit not only our needs but our lifestyle. It can be so hard to find products that support a healthy, organic, eco-friendly, fun and stylist life. Mums today are not the hippie moms of the 70s. Doing right by our families and by the environment is not only for a few of us, it is becoming regular and mainstream. While big companies such as Seventh Generation are wonderful at addressing our every day needs, these little mom and pop stores are fulfilling our wants. It is them I love to support. With great products such as these crayons, I know they will also succeed.
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