Yummi Pouch
| 26 April, 2013 | Baby, Kids, Kids products |
“If someone made reusable squeezie yogurt containers, they’d be rich.” I told Aaron one day. Seriously. Every time we go to the shops, my kids want squeezie yogurt. They won’t eat yogurt at all unless it’s out of a squeezie pack. Unfortunately, the squeezie packs are more expensive, and contain more sugar than I’d like… more
Reverse Charades
| 21 January, 2013 | games |
I love board games. I’m not exactly sure how many Aaron and I have, but it’s over 100. Maybe 150. Point is, it’s a lot. We don’t often get time to play them these days, with a rambunctious little toddler who thinks game pieces look mighty tasty and their boards look like a dance floor, and a… more
Wonder Winnie
| 11 January, 2013 | Beauty, Drinks |
I was excited to try the new Wonder Winnie thirst quenching drinks. I am all for food/drink products that don’t contain bucket loads of sugar, and aren’t sweetened with carcinogenic artificial sweeteners. I am also a fan of stevia, which has been used as a natural sweetener for decades in Japan, and centuries in other countries, according to… more
It Works
| 20 December, 2012 | Beauty |
I had to try one of these wraps. I saw lots of posts on Facebook about them by Brooke (we went to high school together, just FYI…), but hadn’t heard of them before that. She sent me one ages ago, but you’re not supposed to use them when breastfeeding, so it just sat there, waiting. Sigh.… more
Halftee
| 17 October, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under Clothes |
I love summer. Well, I love those days that aren’t a stinking hot 45 degrees (113f). I love wearing skirts and summer dresses and tank tops and sunglasses.
Unfortunately most of my summer dresses so low cut that if I’m not extremely careful, my nipple will hang out. Now I’m sorry, but that’s a bit too low cut for my liking. And any sort of bending over allows the entire world to peer down my top and see both of my boobs. Nipple and all. Sigh.
I used to wear a bikini top under my summer dresses, because believe it or not, those tiny bikini tops cover more of my boobs than the dresses do. Ridiculous, I know. But bikini tops look a bit silly when you’re over an hour away from the beach. I used to live a lot closer to the beach, so it wasn’t that weird.
Bikini top under dress. Still doesn’t leave much to the imagination, but at least my nipples were covered. Of course this was back when I actually had boobs (before 2 babies breastfed for a year each, sucking the life out of my poor chest) and was much younger and could get away with wearing such things.
Last year I bought these bandeau top things to wear over my bra and under dresses and low shirts to cover my cleavage. Seemed like a good idea. And it was. For about 5 minutes. Then the bandeau top starts to slide down and my cleavage shows anyway. Sigh.
Lucky for me, I was asked if I wanted to review a halftee. A halftee? What is that?
Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Half of a t-shirt. The top half. Not a baggy horrible one, a nice fitted one.
basic halftee
They also come in tank top style, 3/4 sleeves, just above the elbow sleeves, and in different colours. Brilliant.
The Halftee under a very low cut top. I would rather the world not see my boobs (lack there of)….
I thought maybe the bottom would ride up and start going over my bra, but it didn’t. It stays put. It’s super comfortable, and you can wear it backwards if you want it to come even higher on your chest. How clever is that? Apart from doing it’s job exactly as described, my absolute favourite part about the halftee is that there is no horrible, itchy tag, just a little logo printed on the inside of the shirt.
PROS:
-Lightweight
-Doesn’t ride up
-No uncomfortable tag
-Can wear the back as the front
-Comes in 7 different colours
-Comes in 4 different sleeve cuts
-Reasonably priced
-Website has a measurement guide so you order the correct size
-Ships worldwide
CONS:
-Needs to be ironed after washing. What, I hate ironing!
You can purchase your own halftees here. You can also purchase halftees from selected stores in the U.S. and Canada. Click here for the list of locations.
USE THE CODE mommyadventures10 FOR 10% OFF!!!!!! (code valid for 45 days from the date of this post)
Magnabilities – magnetic necklace
| 6 September, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under Jewellery |
I’m just starting to wear jewellery again. I haven’t been able to in a long while due to Daniel pulling on it, and/or trying to eat it. Sigh. Before I had kids I always wore jewellery. I had 3 earring holes in each ear. My 3rd holes have now closed, as well as one of my second holes. The first holes? They’ll never close. I got them when I was two.
I wore necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Every. Single. Day. Now I’m lucky if I leave the house wearing make up. But, as I said, I’ve just started to wear the occasional necklace. So, I said yes to reviewing a very interesting and different type of necklace. This isn’t your run of the mill necklace. It’s unique. It’s innovative. It’s different. It was definitely something I wanted to try out.
It’s Magnabilities.
First you pick your base necklace, then your pendant, then whatever circular inserts you want. The pendant is magnetic, and so are the inserts. Basically, it’s a necklace that can look different every day, depending on which insert you stick in it. Brilliant. Necklaces in general are expensive, so I’m all for a necklace that you can inexpensively change into a completely different looking necklace. The inserts are only $5USD for the standard ones, and the premium $13.95.
I was very excited when I opened up my Magnabilities package. The pendant they sent me had diamontes. I’m all about sparkle (seriously, you should see my shoes. Not that you can through all the sequins.) See that blank space in the middle of the pendant? That’s where you stick (magnetically) the insert.
Glam pendant
I told them I really like pink and purple, so they also sent me an assortment of beautiful/interesting/awesome pink and purple inserts.
One of my purple inserts. Oh yes, it has butterflies AND stars. Awesome.
It was so much fun holding up all of the inserts next to the shirt I was wearing to find which one looked the best, which one I’d wear that day.
Me wearing my Magnabilities necklace
I love these necklaces, they are so fun, and so different to any necklace I’ve ever had or even seen. Seriously, I think the necklaces are so awesome, I’m going to buy one for my sister in law for her birthday. I hope she’s not reading this….
PROS:
-Unique
-Good quality
-Stylish
-Wide variety of inserts
-Inexpensive
-Fun
-Inserts stay in the pendants, they never just fall out
-Tween range available
-Ships internationally (and it’s only $4.95 for U.S. shipping, and $10 for international shipping!)
-Inserts come in a pretty little drawstring bag (you can keep them in it so they don’t get lost)
CONS:
-Inserts can be a choking hazard for small children (little determined hands can get the inserts out of the necklaces)
-There are so many different inserts, it’s hard to actually look at them all on the website
- I can’t think of any other cons!
On another note, it would be awesome if they made a range for the 3 years and over girls. Hannah loves my necklace, and wants to wear and change the inserts. How good would it be if she had a suitable necklace of her own with fun cartoon inserts (or something like that)?!
To buy your own Magnability necklace, bracelet, ring, or earrings, anywhere in the world, click here.
Or, you could enter to win a $100 voucher (which is enough buy you a necklace, pendant, and plenty of inserts) to spend on whatever you want at Magnability. Entries are open to people anywhere in the world!
LELO smart wand
| 30 August, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under Relaxation |
I have to admit, I laughed when I opened the email containing a review request for the LELO Smart Wand all over body massager. Usually “all over body massager” is code for…you know…vibrator…. And I’m not about to start reviewing vibrators.
But then I watched the how to use it YouTube video (and I was quite apprehensive of what I might be about to see before I hit play) and found that it actually is a massager. I think.
How to use the LELO smart wand
So I said yes. I could use a massage, so sure, send it my way. I googled LELO smart wand, and found you can buy them from sex shops. Hmm… What was I getting myself in to?
It’s actually quite large. The end is about the size of my fist.
I seriously thought a vibrator was going to turn up at my door step. When the LELO did arrive, the box was quite large. I didn’t know it was the LELO that the package contained. Discreet packaging you see. Which is good, because if a delivery man thinks that kegel exercisers are “personal massagers,” (you can read that story here) then what would he think of an all over body massager? I didn’t really want to re-live that embarrassment again. Phew.
I opened the box.
“Oh, that’s definitely not a vibrator!” I told Aaron rather excitedly. It was way too big for that sort of thing. If I ordered a vibrator for actual um… vibrate-y things, I would be like “Oh heck no! You’re not coming near me with that thing!”
So yeah, all over body massager it actually is. I’m pretty sure.
I checked all of the instructions for good measure. There was no “do not insert…” warning, but I’m still going to go with that’s not what it’s for.
Massaging her own back. Easy.
It just so happend that I could use a shoulder massage, so after charging it up, I turned it on and went to work. With the 8 different vibration settings, I could start the massage slow and pick it up from there. Oh boy did it undo some knots.
It’s easy to reach your own shoulders because of the curved design. Oh, and did I mention it’s water proof? Yeah, you can take that bad boy in the bath with you. Relaxing bath, with a shoulder massage? Yes please. Can you tell that shoulder massages are my favourite? It’s also relaxing on my legs, feet, and lower back.
So just why is it shaped rather like a penis? I’m not sure. But because it is, I feel like I have to hide it away so anyone who comes over doesn’t see it. Even though it’s not used for any coital purposes. And I certainly can’t let any friends have a back massage with it because it does look like a vibrator. Despite it’s large size. I think they might be rather frightened if I pulled it out and said “hey, try this out.”
Hannah thinks it’s the best toy ever, and loves to turn it on and run around the house with it. Which looks rather funny/alarming/weird/horrible/cringeworthy due to it’s phallic appearance. I really hope that she doesn’t go in my room, grab it, and run around with it when we have people over. Sigh. Hopefully she doesn’t know where I hide it.
Maybe people do use it for um…you know… Maybe they don’t. I don’t know. All I know is that I use it as a shoulder/leg/foot/back massager, and it is very good at that.
PROS:
-8 different settings
-Curve makes it easy to reach your own back and shoulders
-Comes in different colours (Mine is purple, my favourite!)
-Completely waterproof
-Rechargeable
-1 year warranty
-Discreet packaging
CONS:
-Phallic appearance (although maybe some people like feeling like they are getting a back massage from a penis?)
-A bit pricey
- I really hope my Grandma isn’t reading this
To Buy a LELO smart wand, click here
*I received a free LELO smart wand for review purposes.
Veggie Tales: The Penniless Princess – God’s Little Girl
| 16 August, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under DVDs, Kids products |
A cartoon featuring talking, walking (without legs, mind you), dancing, singing vegetables seems rather bizarre. But, kids seem to love watching their favourite, familiar dinner time fare don clothing and going on adventures. Fine, I like to watch it too. Er…sometimes. Not so much 1 million times in a row like Hannah does.
We already owned 2 Veggie Tales DVD’s when I was offered to review The Penniless Princess.
Penniless Princess DVD preview
The Penniless Princess is a vegetable riches to rags story. Sounds crazy right? But that’s the beauty of it. As the introduction song goes, “there’s never ever ever been a show like vegetales!”
True that!
Anyway… The moment the DVD came in the mail, Hannah wanted to watch it. Then she wanted to watch it again. And again. And again. She asks to watch it every single night. We don’t let her watch it every night, but when she does, I’m happy knowing that she is getting a good lesson in humility, generosity, and worth in God’s eyes.
Despite only being 3, she watches the whole thing without needing to do something else. She does get a little bit bored during the texting song, since she can’t read and doesn’t know what acronyms are. I bet girls who are a little bit older would love that bit though.
I won’t spoil the movie for you, but there is a happy ending 
and there are no scary monsters or anything that will give kids nightmares. Because we certainly don’t need that.
PROS:
-Keeps kids entertained
-Wholesome content
-Good life lessons within the story
-Inexpensive
-Interesting story
CONS:
-Texting song a bit too old for younger kids
-Parents will always wonder how the vegetables hold anything when they don’t have arms. Kids don’t seem to take any notice.
To buy your own copy of The Penniless Princess in the U.S/Canada, click here
To buy it in Australia, click here
Abigail the story buddy
| 9 August, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under Books, Toys |
Hannah (3) wasn’t feeling very well. She was lying (laying?) around on the lounge looking miserable.
Knock knock.
“Mommy, there’s someone at the door.” She told me excitedly as she perked up for a little bit.
“Hannah, there’s a package for YOU!!!”
I helped her open it and watched her little face light up despite feeling horrible when she saw the soft furry bunny inside.
“Is this for me Mommy?” She asked.
“Yes sweetie, she’s for you! The box said her name was Abigail.
“Look, she has a book too.” I told Hannah.
“Can you read it to me Mommy? Pllleeeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeeeee?”
Hannah sat on my lap with Abigail next to her as I read Abigail’s story.
At the end of the page, Abigail spoke.
“She TALKS mommy!” Hannah was so excited. “She’s listening to the story too!”
Abigail would say something relevant to the story on nearly every page. Each time Hannah got excited.
When we were done with the story, Hannah got up, with a sudden burst of energy and pulled Abigail in all directions, tossing her in the air, helping her “do gymnastics” just like in Abigail’s book.
We read Abigail’s book, The Balance Beam, many times that day. And many times since. Hannah can’t get enough. She sits for the entire reading without getting bored, and sometimes for 2 or 3 readings back to back, each time as excited when Abigail talks as the last.
PROS:
-Abigail doesn’t say random things, she actually responds to phrases from the book
-Kids LOVE that Abigail interacts with the story
-Soft
-Cute
-Durable (Hannah was throwing her up in the air, and she can’t catch very well…)
-Comes with a book
-Reasonably priced
-Makes kids want to read
-Can purchase more books that Abigail will respond to
CONS:
-Subsequent books are a little pricey at $9.99AU each
To buy Abigail (or other interactive story buddies, such as Cooper the Bear) in Australia, click here
To buy Abigail in the US/Canada, click here
*I received Abigail for free for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own.
Personalized Children’s Book
| 30 July, 2012 | Posted by Sheri under Books |
Hannah loves reading. She is partial to anything with Mickey Mouse and gets me to read this 50-something page book about Mickey and friends having a picnic. All. The. Time. Sigh.
I dread when she asks me to read that book. I’m just over it. I’ve read it to her about 1 million times. And that is quite enough, thanks. But she still asks for more, and I know that it’s beneficial for kids her age to hear things over and over and over again. Did I mention sigh?
But how to steer her away from the dreaded Mickey book to something else? Something new. Something different.
I got an email asking if I’d like to review a personalized children’s book. A book that actually has Hannah’s name in it. And some of her friends too.
I was very excited. Surely she’d switch from wanting me to read Mickey all the time to wanting me to read the new book? Plus it’s cool. They didn’t have such coolness when I was a kid.
The book came a couple of weeks before Hannah’s birthday. I chose a Sesame Street book as she knows the characters and does quite like Elmo even though I had to take the voice box out of her tickle me Elmo because it creeped her out. It was pretty creepy. I’ll give her that.
I decided to save the book for her birthday. I thought it would make a great present.
Unfortunately, it somehow got missed when I brought her presents out from under my bed and since Grandma bought her nearly a thousand birthday presents (fine, that is a little exaggerated), I didn’t notice until the next day when I suddenly remembered that I couldn’t recall her opening her awesome personalized book.
So she didn’t get to open it on her birthday, but she did get to open it the next day. Kids don’t usually get presents the day after their birthday, so she was pretty excited.
I held off on actually reading more than the first few pages of it to her as I really wanted to tape it. I wanted a video of her excited little face when her name and Daniel’s name and her best friends name came up over and over again in the book.
But video taping and reading involves either a tripod, or an Aaron to hold the camera. Plus Daniel would have to be asleep so he didn’t knock down the tripod and try to eat the camera (seriously, he would), or jump on Aaron as he tried to film. He’s cheeky like that.
Yeah, I never got around to the filming.
I was itching to read the book to her, so I gave in one day and just did it. Without the filming.
“It was a busy day on Sesame Street. Everyone was preparing for the big art show. Hannah Thomson, age 3, from Sydney, NSW was coming to judge the show.”
At the mention of her name, age, and town, she lit up. There was no way the name was a coincidence when all the other info unique to her was there too. She knew it was about her.
“Hannah was bringing Daniel, Violet, and Annie to help her.”
She giggled a happy, excited little giggle at the mention of her brother and two friends.
Hannah loved hearing about her day on Sesame Street, since kids her age think the world revolves around them. She even paid attention to the whole book without getting bored, felt relaxed enough to poop on the potty while I read it to her (anyone who reads my other blog would know what an accomplishment that was).
PROS:
-Unique
-Personalized
-Reasonably priced
- Great keepsake
-Well made with thick paper and hard cover
-Fun to read (even for the adult!)
-Would appeal to all kids as all kids like hearing about themselves
CONS:
-Only ships to U.S.
-The font used is not the best. It could have looked a lot better with a different font.
KD Novelties has a wide range of personalized books available from adventure to holiday and religious to super heros.
To order your own personalized book, click here.
