Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser

As a mother of an active 2 year old boy who loves cars, my walls are a mess. My cream walls have become the race track for many cars with black wheels and that is not a good combination. Hand prints, food gunk and dirt, along with the black tire marks plagued my walls and a wash rag and soap wasn't working at all. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser claims:

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original will help your walls, baseboards, floors, switch plates, blinds and more look like new again by easily removing scuff marks and dirt. To discover the cleaning possibilities, simply take a swipe. Its water-activated micro-scrubbers reach into the surface grooves, lifting away built up grease and soap scum. The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Original is so powerful that each swipe removes more grime than the leading all-purpose spray cleaner, and it has no harsh chemicals.

 

(Photo courtesy of Mr. Clean)

 

So I bought it and was really hoping it would work. I got one Eraser out of the box and got it wet as the directions said. I went to work on the marks on my walls and they started to disappear! I was so excited. Then I looked at Eraser and saw some of my paint on it. So it works just don't rub to hard or concentrate in one area to long. So far I haven't had anything on my walls that the Eraser couldn't get off. I really like this for stubborn marks and gunk. I also like that it has no harsh chemicals or smell.

 

Rating : Average, this product is good but I really didn't like that it was taking my paint off my walls. Other than that it works pretty good.

 

Tips :

1. Follow directions
2. Don't rub to hard or concentrate in one area

 

Price : $2 - $15 depending on the count you get.

 

Happy Testing!!!

Katelyn

Tom's of Main Deodorant vs. Arm and Hammer Deodorant

When choosing a deodorant people always want to make sure it smells good and keeps them feeling fresh. Another thing my husband and I look for is ingredients that are good and healthy for our bodies, inside and out. We used to wear antiperspirants, but when we learned there is aluminum in them we wanted to go a more "natural ingredients" approach. Now I know this sounds like I'm on my soapbox about this, I'm not trying to persuade you one way or another, I'm just giving you information on why I'm comparing these two products. With that said, we started to look into deodorants that wouldn't have aluminum but would still give us the protection and smell we were looking for.

(Photo courtesy of Tom's of Main)

First we came across Tom's of Main Deodorant, we have known people who used the toothpaste, so we tried them first. I got the lavender smelling one and my husband picked the unscented. We started using them and after the first few times of using it we noticed that it wasn't lasting very long. For me the lavender smell would wear off after a few hours and then I would start to smell myself shortly after that. For my husband it would wear off quicker, with it being unscented and would come home from working a 12 hr shift smelling like he had no deodorant on at all. We were disappointed with it in that aspect but then we noticed our underarms were red and peeling! They didn't hurt but they were a little sore. Needless to say we stopped using and moved on to something else.

(Photo courtesy of Arm and Hammer)

Next came Arm and Hammer and I liked the smell on those much better. They have "Unscented" or "Fresh" and we both liked the smell of "Fresh". We started using that one and noticed it didn't wear off as quickly, you get a good 15-24 hrs of protection. It also didn't give us a rash of any kind. We are really liking this deodorant, so far no down sides.

Side note: I did talk about in this post using coconut oil as a natural deodorant, but I mentioned that it doesn't work for really sweaty activities, so this is the deodorant I would use in those situations.

Rating: Tom's of Main = Pesky, didn't work at all and gave us a rash. Arm and Hammer = Perfect, works and has natural ingredients

Price: Tom's of Main $5-$7, Arm and Hammer $3-$6

Thank you for reading!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Shark Steam Pocket Mop

As many mothers out there, when I am cleaning my house I want it to be clean and not just covered in chemicals. My floors were my biggest concern because at the time of deciding what products to use, I had a baby that was spending a lot of time on the floor and would be crawling around. I didn't want any chemicals on my floors that could transfer to my baby. So I saw an infomercial for the Shark Steam Pocket Mop and thought that is what I'm looking for. The commercial claimed to clean and sanitize surfaces and to clean quickly. It uses super heated steam from water that you pour into the water container. It makes steam quickly and you are ready to mop in seconds.

(Photo courtesy of Shark)

I was so excited to use it when I got it. I poured in filtered water and plugged it in. Now it does take a good minute or so to heat up and start steaming. Once it was ready to go I started moping and it worked well. It was cleaning and all the stuff that was dried on was coming off the floor. It was easy to use and took no more effort than using a regular mop (with out the bucket of water). I actually even used it on my wall in my kitchen around my trash can and it cleaned it up great. The mop also comes with different shape mop head that helps you get around toilets and that is an awesome feature. Now in our lives that baby boy that was crawling around the floor is now potty training and so having that mop head makes me feel good about how clean the floor is around the toilet. I have really enjoyed and liked this way of mopping. Also you don't have to wait for the floors to dry since it uses steam and dries practically instantly.

Rating: Perfect, I love how clean my floors get and I love that I can clean quickly and not having to worry about chemicals.

Tips:

1. Give it some time to heat up
2. Has two sides on the mop head you can use, so you can mop a lot of surfaces
3. Because it uses steam you get a little warmer mopping than regular mops
4. Use filtered water, its better for the system

Price: $120-$160

Happy Testing!
Katelyn


Signing Time

I took Sign Language in high school and fell in love. I really enjoyed learning the language and culture. When I got pregnant with my first child I knew I wanted to teach him sign language as a baby to help him communicate with me and I with him. I did a little research about teaching it to young kids and what the benefits would be. That's when I happened upon Signing Time's website, www.signingtime.com and was able to see their program and the benefits of teaching it to my child. Here is a small paragraph from the website about teaching sign language to your baby:

 

(Courtesy of signingtime.com)

Your baby can communicate with you before he can talk. Children learn to point, wave goodbye and blow kisses before they speak. Your child uses gestures to communicate while his verbal abilities catch up with his intellectual abilities. Baby sign language enables your child to tell you if he is hungry, thirsty or needs a diaper change. Baby sign language research suggests that infants who use sign language speak sooner and score higher, when tested after second grade. Baby Signing Time encourages signing and speaking together. Children hear the word, see the word, say the word, and model the word with their hands. You do not need to become fluent in baby signing, even learning a few signs like ‘milk’, ‘more’ and ‘diaper’ can help. Baby Signing Time teaches American Sign Language signs because if you are going to learn signs, you should learn signs for a real language rather than a made up signs. Learning ASL will enable your child to communicate with thousands who are hard of hearing or deaf. ASL signs are natural, easy and fun for babies.

The lines I highlighted are what stuck out to me so I thought why not give it a try. I started my son a little later than I wanted to with the DVDs (about 6 months) but was signing "eat" and "milk" to him. When he started watching the DVDs he fell in love with the music, songs and bright colors. He was watching but I didn't think he was getting it, only because I would try to sign with him after and he wouldn't do anything. After a few months of one DVD, one time a day, he was sitting there watching and the word "milk" came on the screen. Now before it was signed or spoken, it was just the word on the screen, my son looked at it and signed "milk"! I was amazed. I could not believe that he recognized the word and remembered the sign for it. He started signing a lot more after that and we never had a problem communicating with him. He started to speak around 13 months and has a very large vocabulary now at 3 yrs old. He has had no speech problems and learns and understands what we are saying. I never went though a "baby talk" period with him or a tantrum stage. He was able to communicate his needs and I was able to understand.

Signing Time has many different programs for all ages and even programs to help with specific issues, such as:

American Sign Language

Autism

Baby Sign Language

Classroom Management

Language Development

Music and Movement

Reading and Literacy

Speech Delays

Tantrums

 

Rating: Perfect, I would recommend this program to anyone with small children, are about to have a kid, or are having issues communicating with their kids. It has helped so much in my home and I intend to use it with my daughter when she is born.

 

Tips:

1. Be persistent with teaching them the signs
2. Learn along with them
3. Speak and sign with them

Price: It depends on the program you are look for but it can range any where from $20 for a DVD/CD set to $850 for the full set. You will need to look over the website to find the right program and price range for you.

 

Happy Testing!!

Katelyn

 

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Another healthy recipe review, and this one you cant even tell its healthy! When it comes to pasta dishes I'm one who likes a white/cheese sauce instead of a tomato sauce, but the white sauces can be killer to your diet with all the cream and butter used to make them. A regular Alfredo sauce can come in at over 1,000 calories and more that 50 grams of fat!! I wanted to find an alternative that tasted good but was way lower than that. Ourbestbites.com has some great recipes and so great low calorie and low fat recipes as well. This website is where I found this guiltless Alfredo sauce, and so I thought I would try it out. Here is the recipe:

(Courtesy of ourbestbites.com)

Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients:
2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2-3 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth. In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.
When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

This recipe is really easy to follow and hard to mess up. Its great on pasta, pizza or a dipping sauce for bread sticks. This sauce does not taste like a "light" Alfredo sauce but also doesn't leave you feeling like you have had a real heavy meal. It is a perfect light Alfredo sauce, and its only around 100 calories for 1/4 C! I actually made it tonight and I had some Half and Half I needed to use, so I substituted the milk for that and it came out a bit creamier but if calories and fat is what you are trying to watch than stick to the recipe.

Rating: Perfect, I love this recipe and think it tastes so good and love that it is lower in calories and fat than traditional Alfredo sauce.

Tips:

• Just follow the recipe and it should all be fine
• Make sure you have everything ready before you throw the garlic in the butter, it is very easy to burn the garlic

I hope you try this recipe and enjoy it like my family and I do!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Munchkin Baby Wipe Warmer

I'm currently 8 months pregnant with my second child and so baby products seem like a natural way to go. With my first baby I had a baby shower and got a wipe warmer as a gift, I was super excited. If you don't know what this, it is a container that you plug in and you put the baby wipes in it and it warms them up. This is to help with newborns so they don't have cold wipes on their bums and they don't get cranky or upset.

(photo courtesy of ToysRUs)

At first I was so excited to use this, I plugged it in, put in the wipes and couldn't wait to to change the first diaper. To my surprise when I went to grab that first wipe it was dry, and so was the second one. The warmer was drying out the top of the stack of wipes. It was drying them out fast too, by the time the next diaper needed to be changed the top wipes were dried out and I ended up throwing them away. It was nice to have warm wipes for my newborn but I was frustrated with the wipes drying out. This product also has a little light on it, that was useful to find the wipes at night and not having to turn on a bright light.

Rating: Pesky, I didn't like this product and felt I was wasting money on wipes and was glad it was a gift and I didn't buy it myself.

Tips:

• If you do get this, you could flip your stack of wipes to try to rehydrate the wipes as they dry out

Price: $25- $35

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Veet Bladeless Razor Kit and Wax Strips

I have used both of these products in search for an alternative to shaving. I used the Veet Bladeless Razor Kit on my legs and the Veet Wax Strips on my eyebrow area on my face. I was hoping these would be "the next best thing" in hair removal and that it would solve my razor burn problem.  With the Veet Bladeless Razor Kit you are suppose to be able to:

• Remove hair for a velvety look and smooth skin
• Put the cream on your legs and remove with a plastic bladeless razor
• Lasts longer than regular shaving

The Wax Strips are pre-filled strips that you just rub on to your skin in the desired area and remove quickly to remove the hair.

(Photos courtesy of Veet)

When using the Bladeless Razor Kit I followed the directions that came with the kit. I applied it to my legs and let it sit for a few minutes. With the "razor" provided I started to remove the foam cream as though I was shaving. For me, some of the hair was removed but most was left behind along with irritation and slight chemical burns. After finishing up and washing my legs, they stung and burned and were spotted with red bumps. I'm not sure if I'm just sensitive but it was not a pleasant experience. They have a sensitive formula I have not tried but I'm not sure its worth trying since it hurt so bad last time.

The Wax Strips were much easier to use but not as effective as other wax strips I've used. After applying them to my skin and removing them, I noticed that some skin was removed too. It didn't hurt but it was red for a day and them the skin got dry and peeled where I had used the strips. Also if any hair was to coarse it did not grip well to the hair or remove it.

Rating: Pesky, and a waste of money. I was in more pain than if I would have just shaved my legs and used my regular wax to wax my eyebrows. It did not preform as it claimed, for me.

Price: Between $8-$12 for each product depending on retailer.


Thank you for visiting my blog!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Black Bean Brownies

I love sweets, and especially during this pregnancy. As everyone knows if you are not careful, especially being pregnant, you can really pack on the pounds eating sweets. So I went searching for a healthier version of my favorite treat, Brownies! I happened upon this great Black Bean recipe from AllRecipes.com, posted by Elizabeth. (here is the actual website http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-brownies/) I thought I would try them out and see if they would pass my pregnancy taste test. Here is the Recipe:
              

1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

3 eggs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 pinch salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon instant coffee (optional)

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x8 square baking dish.
2. Combine the black beans, eggs, oil, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, sugar, and instant coffee in a blender; blend until smooth; pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top of the mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes.

 

 

(photo courtesy of user zerofifteen)

 

The recipe is very easy to follow and takes little culinary skills. There were a few things that I did differently and am still experimenting with. I changed the vegetable oil and used Coconut oil because of the added health benefits (see here) of the oil and to add a hit of coconut taste to mask the black beans. I also have never used the instant coffee so I'm not sure how that would taste either. I'm wanting to experiment with using Honey or Agave Nectar as my sweetener instead of sugar and will report back to you how those worked out. One thing too, is I usually cook them about 5 minutes longer to make sure the center is fully done. These rise pretty good when cooking but don't be alarmed if after they cool they are about half the height. They are a dense brownie and turn out moist cake like instead of a chewy brownie. My favorite thing about these is they never dried out for me, the next day they were just as moist as the first.

 

Also here is the posted nutritional information which makes me not feel as guilty when I'm eating them.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 126 | Total Fat: 5.3g | Cholesterol: 40mg

 

Rating: Average, The only reason I'm giving these an average is because I had to tweak a few things to my liking and I like chewy brownies, but its really hard to tell they are "Healthy" brownies. I tell people about this recipe if they want a sweet treat and watching what they eat.

 

Tips:

1. Use Coconut oil instead of vegetable oil
2. Cook about 5 minutes longer
3. Don't be alarmed when they fall to about half the height
4. Definitely use the chocolate chips on top

I hope you enjoy these brownies!

 

Happy Testing!

Katelyn

Lint Lizard, As Seen On TV

Sometimes my dryer doesn't seem to be getting my clothes dry after one cycle. Living in an apartment I will call the maintenance guys to come figure out what is wrong. That can take a day or two and in the mean time I'm drying loads of laundry over and over. When they do show up it, the problem is usually a clogged vent from lint that gets through the lint "catcher". Thanks to being pregnant and late nights watching infomercials I found my answer, the Lint Lizard. No more waiting for someone else to fix my problem. This product claims to do the following:

• Reach in your dryer to clear out all the lint build up
• Reach your outside vent as well
• Attach to almost any vacuum
• Save you money

 

(Photo courtesy of As Seen On TV)

Watching and reading all this I didn't see a downside. After receiving the Lint Lizard I wanted to use it right away. I attached easy to my vacuum but has a bit of trouble staying on. I have to use my other hand to keep it on. The other issue is its a hard but pliable plastic and it comes coiled in a square box and it is difficult to keep it straight or maneuver in the dryer. You can use your regular extender nozzle on your vacuum to clean out you dryer but the Lint Lizard just gives you added reach to your cleaning. Also with a price of $10.99 + S&H, I think over time would definitely save you money of not having to rerun clothes through the dryer to get them dry.

Rating: Average, this is not a must have product but does what it claims.

Tips:

• Have to hold it in place on vacuum if not a snug fit
• Coiling problem from box in shipment

Price: $10.99 + S&H

Thanks again.

Happy Testing!!
Katelyn

Shout Color Catcher

This review is coming from a guest tester (my mom)! The Shout Color Catcher claims, from there website ( www.shoutitout.com/en-US/Products/Pages/shout-color-catcher.aspx) to do the following:

• Sheets lock up loose dyes found in the wash water to prevent dyes from running or bleeding onto other clothes.
• Sheets change color as they absorb any loose dyes.
• Saves time by reducing the need for sorting.
• Saves money by reducing the need for half-size loads.
• Works in all water temperatures.

(Picture courtesy of Shout)

 



My mother used them in a load that had jeans that had never been washed before and a light colored shirt. Now anyone would know, that is not a good combination. The blue dye from the jeans would be all over that light colored shirt and anything else lighter then the jeans. My mother put in some of the Shout Color Catcher sheets and they worked! They caught the color of the jeans so it didn't end up on the shirts. The sheets did come out a different color as proof they caught the dye. My father travels a lot for his career and my mother is always doing laundry (and quickly) for his next trip and it saves her time on sorting out all his light shirts and dark clothes. My mother offers this advice when using these sheets though, read the directions on the box. The larger the load the more sheets you may need to catch all the dye that runs. You will want to read the directions and follow what they say depending on the load you are doing. As to saving money, that would have to be calculated out depending on how much money you are spending on water, energy, and laundry detergent, on half loads, compared to how much the sheets cost and how many you are having to use in each load. So it is kind of dependent on your situation, but I think we can all agree that it probably saves you money on not having to buy new clothes because they got "tie-dyed" in the wash from you blue jeans and that new red shirt!

Rating:Perfect, the product did what it claimed to do.

Tips:

• Read the directions on the box and follow based on your load of laundry

Price: Starts at $4 for a box of 24 sheets.

Thanks to my guess tester and thanks for reading my reviews! Please leave me some comments with either feedback on how well (or not so well) my blog is helping you, I'd like to know what or where I can improve to help you better. Also if there are products you wanted tested, let me know!

Happy Testing!
Katelyn

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil (or as my husband jokingly calls it, The Miracle Oil) is truly one of my favorite and most diverse products in my house. There are several things I use Coconut oil for, they are:

• Cooking/Baking
• Facial and body moisturizer
• Leave in/deep conditioner
• Deodorant

 

(picture courtesy of Central Market)

 



I was introduced to Coconut oil when my mother-in-law gave me a book to read called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, and in there she talks about the benefits of substituting, in your diet, Vegetable oil with Coconut oil. So I did a little research of other things Coconut oil could be used for and found not only cooking uses but beauty as well. The best Coconut oil to use needs to be unrefined and pure.

Let me starts with the cooking. I don't really want to get into all the health benefits of using this product because I'm more here to review how well it works, but please look in to the many benefits it has for your heart! When I am baking something is when I love to use Coconut oil instead of Vegetable or Canola oil, it has a slight coconut flavor but doesn't over power the dish I'm making, which I love. Its easy to use, you do have to run the jar under warm water to liquefy it, but is no different than using other oils in baking.

Now for the beauty tips. My husband and I use it as a facial moisturizer and we love the way it feels and smells. We put some in a small container, since you don't want to be sticking your fingers in the stuff you will be cooking with, and then just get a small amount and rub it between your fingers to melt in to oil. If you make sure to not use to much, (a little goes a long way) it feels so lightweight and doesn't make my skin to oily. I'm also pregnant right now and I use this on my growing belly to elevate itching and dry skin. I love the smell of it, makes me smell tropical! It is very moisturizing. I also use this as a leave in conditioner, after I wash my hair. When my hair is still damp I get a small amount on my fingers, rub together to make an oil, then run it through my hair concentrating on the mid-shafts and ends (split ends). After styling I use a itty bitty amount at the roots for fly-aways. For deep conditioning, wet your hair with water, place a generous amount all over your hair, leave in 1 hour, then shampoo as normal. Your hair will come out shiny and soft. Last but not least, deodorant is another use. Instead of applying your roll on deodorant, grab a cotton ball and put some Coconut oil on it and rub it onto your underarms. It smells better than other deodorants but if you are planning on sweating a lot use your regular deodorant, it doesn't mask the oder that well and so it wont work well on outside activities or sports, but everyday life should work alright.

Rating: Perfect, I recommend this product to everyone! It has so many uses that it is a staple in my household. I love multifunctional products!

Tips:

• Run jar under warm water to liquefy
• Make sure its unrefined, pure Coconut oil
• A little goes a long way
• OK as deodorant for everyday things but not heavy sweating activities

Price: Depending on the size and brand, between $8-$20

Thanks again for checking with me!

Happy testing!
Katelyn



Aztec Clay

About a year ago I had no idea what Aztec Clay (also known as Bentonite clay) was, but this product has been a huge staple in our household. Aztec clay has tons of uses, listed on the back are:

• Facials
• Acne
• Body wraps
• Clay baths
• Foot soaks
• Chilled clay for knee packs
• Insect bites

(picture courtesy of Vitamin Shoppe)

I have used this product for facials, acne and insect bites. First I'll start with the facial and acne use. The first time I used this product I used water to mix with the powder, per the instructions on the back. I used a plastic spoon and plastic bowl as metal can react and change the components of the clay. When mixing, the clay was a little clumpy and hard to get the right consistency, but I sill used it and it was cool and felt great on my skin. I just spread it all over my face avoiding my eyes and mouth but making sure my problem areas were covered well. When it drys it gets very tight, you can feel your face pulsating and you cant move your face at all. I left it on for about 10 mins. You then need to wash it off with warm water. My skin felt really clean and soft. I then tried it with Raw Apple Cider Vinegar and I like how that mixed and felt much better than water, but the smell is a little bit harsher.

Now to bug bites, my husband has the worst reactions to bug bites. The area swells and hurts, not to mention itches. I mixed the powder with water and put a little on the area where the actual bite is and put a band-aid over it. Changing the clay and band-aid every few hours and in about 24 hours every symptom is gone. It is a life saver for him and my son.

Rating: Perfect, I recommend this to everyone, especially for bug bites. If that's all you use it for you will get your moneys worth.

Tips:

• Use Water for bug bites and Apple cider vinegar for facials, when mixing
• Use non-metal utensils and bowl

Price: Between $5- $8

I hope this review helps you decide when it comes to using or buying this product! Thank you for reading my first review!

Happy testing!
Katelyn