3 oz Travel Bottles Review

I spend a lot of time packing for family trips throughout the year.  Each time, I find myself pulling out all of the full size shampoo, lotion, etc. bottles and being frustrated with the space they take up as well as annoyed by the need to pack them in plastic bags in case they break open during travel.  Now, I have a simple solution!  

These little 3 oz travel bottles are so handy!  Just the right size for a short trip, they hold enough shampoo and conditioner for me for a full week, and more than enough lotion and body wash.  The perfect travel accessories

Easy to fill, the top screws off to reveal a large opening.  

Even if squeezed with the lid snapped closed, they do not leak as they have a flap across the small opening to help regulate the amount discharged.  These things seal super tight and I have never had one open accidentally or leak.  I do transport them in the handy little carry bag they come in - just in case.

They are versatile, and can be used for must about anything, even food as they are made from food-grade silicone.

I love that they have the built in suction cup.  This little bugger is strong and will hold them to the shower wall for the duration of the shower and beyond.  They come off easily enough when needed, but keep hands free and are so convenient for those showers encountered during travel with little or no shelf space, or are too slippery to hold the bottles.

These things are great, and I plan to add more to my cart soon so each member of my family has their own for our next trip.  If you are looking for a gift, for travel accessories for men or travel accessories for women, even for the whole family, you can't go wrong with these travel bottles!

You can find them here
#SetTravelBottles

* I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Reusable Food Pouches Review

I love the convenience of the food pouches on the market now, but not so much the processed foods inside or the waste involved.  When I got the opportunity, I purchased a set of reusable pouches to try out.

This 6 pack of food pouches comes packaged simply enough.

The front is decorated with fun pictures (balloons in this case) and the back has spaces to write the child's name and the date the pouch was filled for easy tracking of food safety.

The bottoms of these pouches seal much like a Zip-Loc bag.  This makes them easy to fill and wash.  The seal is leak proof and can even withstand a child squeezing a sealed pouch without bursting. 

The tops of the pouches are sealed with the same twist off lids as the store bought variety.  Once the top is twisted off, you find the familiar spout a child can then suck the food out of the pouch through. 

 My only confusion with this product was in the lid.  The lids were sealed as a new store product would be.  I had to break the plastic seal to twist it loose.  Once that was done, I was left with the broken seal pieces still stuck to the lid.  These pieces are sharp and jagged, and not something I would feel comfortable giving to my child until removed as the product is intended to be re-used.

It was very easy to fill the pouch with applesauce, other fruit purees, even yogurt, and my children enjoyed them very much.  They were great for on the go and allowed my kids to eat messier snacks without the need for spoons.  The pouches retain their shape and condition well.  I did find that I could only fill them half to full or the contents would squeeze out as I tried to seal the bottom. 

I definitely recommend these over the store bought variety for the value, eco-friendly aspect, and the ability to use foods from your own home.

You can find them here

*I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Folding Step Stool Review

With little ones in the house, I am constantly in need of a step stool for someone to reach something, and sometimes I need one for myself as well.  While we have those little steps for the bathroom for potty training, they take up space and don't store well, and don't provide much reach either as they are short.  I was interested in finding a good quality folding step stool to keep on hand.

This step stool from Home It fits the bill perfectly.  It provides 13 inches of reach, is made of a strong black plastic and easily folds away for storage..

 When folded up, this step is quite narrow and can easily tuck into little narrow spaces, a cupboard, or alongside a wall.  The handy little handle makes it able to hang on a hook as well for storage.

 The of the step has white dots all over it, which help provide some traction while using the step.  It is very lightweight due to the built in holes, but it still can hold up to 300 pounds easily.

 Using the step is as easy as pressing the handle down to unfold the step.  No latches or further steps.  Simply unfold and step on.  This step is quite sturdy and built of a strong plastic.  The top sits flat and does not sag or buckle under weight.

 The bottoms of the step have little rubber feet to keep it from slipping, providing even more safety and security.

 I am very pleased with this step.  My children can easily operate it on their own and it allows them to reach what they need without needing me to lift them.  Bathroom and kitchen sinks are now accessible to them.  I have found plenty of opportunity to use this step when accessing upper cupboards and cleaning above my head level.  It is compact, lightweight and attractive while sturdy, durable and strong.  Exactly what I needed!

You can find one for yourself here:

* I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Omega-3 Gummies Review

I love the health benefits of Omega 3's, - brain and heart health - but am not a fan of fish at all, so the smell and taste some fish oil pills have prevent me from taking them.  I have also been interested in finding an Omega-3 product for my children, but swallowing pills is not going to happen.  Enter Nutrabear Omega-3 Gummies

Well sealed for quality assurance upon opening, they have an inner seal as well as a plastic wrap around the cap.

There is no notable smell upon opening the bottle.  The little gummies are fish shaped and  a yellow color.  They are not sticky or hard to chew, as some gummy products can be, but are easily bitten in half or pulled apart for smaller bite sizes.

Two fish gummies is a daily Omega-3 serving size.  

This product is vegan friendly, made with no animal products.  These are not actually fish-oil, but are a replacement for fish oil pills.  They are gelatin free and do not have a fishy taste.  Formulated for kids and adults, this is a product the whole family can use.  The initial taste has a flax seed hint to it, but it is past so quickly to be replaced by a mild orange flavor, that it is barely notable.  It was not a detractor for my children.

You can find it here

*I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.

Manual Coffee Grinder Mill Review

My husband is a coffee lover.  We have a Keurig that we use very regularly, but the cost of K-Cups adds up quickly, so we have begun purchasing ground coffee and putting it into re-usable K-Cups.  We have had troubles with different brands and how fine their blends are with the Keurig, however, and decided to try grinding our own to get the right size grains for maximum brewing in our machine.

Until we were sure it would work as we hoped, we did not want to invest a lot into specialty beans or an expensive grinder that took up space, so we opted to start out with this little grinder.

The Dual Chef coffee grinder comes well packaged and protected, surrounded by bubble wrap within a box, with the handle packaged separately from the main body to avoid scratching during transport.

The handle is a strong stainless steel, with no sharp edges, and a plastic knob that freely spins to ease in griding.

It is easily assembled by simply putting the handle over the post on the top.

Made of a high quality stainless steel, the entire unit looks nice and is very durable and easy to maintain

The main body of the grinder easily slides apart.  The top has a small cap that the post slides through.  This is where beans are put.  The bottom half is lined with a clear plastic cup and has a window so you can see progress.  

The bottom of the top half has the grinding wheel.  By simply turning this gear one way or the other it adjusts how fine the grind will be.  I highly recommend turning the handle several times and giving the full unit a good wash before use, as I noted a fine white powder the first few times I spun the handle, the result of the gears initially being put to use.

When it is time to put your grinder to use, it is a very simple process. Simply put beans into the top half, filling up to the top of the black basket inside.  

Replace the top cap, put the handle on, assure that the bottom half is snugly fit around the top half, and begin.  Turning the handle for 2-4 minutes results in enough coffee for 2 cups roughly.

The unit can be used to store the ground coffee until it is needed as well, with the convenient window showing how much is inside.

This little unit is very easy to use and adjust for your desired grind; from Espresso to French Press, Percolator, and any other kind you need.  It is so nice and small, easy to transport and perfect for travel.  It is also nice that it takes up so little space in my kitchen.  I can easily toss it into a drawer and it is out of sight.  No need for electric cords or outlets to use this grinder, which makes it great for camping or backpacking.

This grinder comes with a 100% money back guarantee and is backed by a 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee, which makes it even nicer to try for yourself.  

You can find it here

* I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review

Omega-3 Supreme Fish Oil Review

In my quest to live healthier, I have been taking fish oil supplements for some time.  I have tried many different kinds, some cheap, some expensive, many with the fishy aftertaste or burps. This time around, I turned my attention to Life & Food's Omega-3 Supreme.

The bottle is well sealed and packaged.  It comes in a cardboard box, with an outer plastic ring seal around the cap and an inner bottle seal as well.

Once the bottle was unsealed and opened, I was curious about the smell and sniffed inside the package.  I was sad to note an obvious fishy smell.  Perhaps this is from the factory, spilled oil from inside a capsule, or just the result of having such a product in a bottle.  I noticed that the pills themselves were smaller than I anticipated.  Most that I have taken are the large capsules or tablets, but these were much smaller.

The 180 capsules are an amber hue with a coating that is not sticky, but is soft and flexible if pressed.  The soft gelatin capsules have an Enteric coating to help increase the absorption of the Omega-3's (by slowing down the ability for stomach acid to break them down) and work to reduce fish burps.  Two capsules makes a daily serving.

When I consumed them, I awaited the telltale fishy evidence, but was happy to find I did not experiences any of those effects, even with my concern at the fishy smell in the bottle.  Small enough to easily swallow, they go down easily and do not lodge or taste bad on the way.  

This product is MSC Certifified.  Made and manufactured in the USA through a multi-stage process of cold extraction, molecular distillation and filtration, a pure fish oil is created without fish odor, taste, PCB's, chlorinated oganpollutans and heavy metal toxins.  It goes through a 3rd party testing process to check for purity and Omega-3 efficacy.

You can find it here

* I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review

Hair & Beauty Accessory Set for Dolls

For girls with American Dolls, or some similar 18" version of this doll, it soon follows that clothes and accessories are desired.  For the little girl who enjoy playing with hair and makeup with their dolls, this set is the perfect thing.

Geared toward ages 6+, there are some smaller pieces in the set that could be dangerous to little hands. The set comes packaged in a non-descript box.

Within the box, each item is nestled into a pocket inside the plastic case which has a cover.  In this way, no matter how much the box is tipped or shaken, the pieces stay nicely displayed when it is time for the little girl to open her gift.

This set comes with so many things!

- apron with three pockets to hold items

- drape for doll to wear during the beauty session

- curling iron

- hair brush

- mirror

- 2 perfume bottles

- lipstick with removable cap

- makeup compact that opens

- makeup brush stand with 5 removable brushes (these are plastic replicas, not actual brushes)

- tiara

- 2 barrettes

- 2 ponytail holders

Hours of fun are in store with this set.  While intended for 18" dolls, it will work with smaller dolls as well, and with a young child's imagination, there is no limit.

The downside of this set is that it is not expensive, so some of the pieces feel a little cheap.  The tiara and barrettes will not withstand much abuse, but the brushes, perfume bottles and compact are more durable.  Stickers make up the compact contents, so I can see these not lasting, but otherwise it seems to be a toy that will withstand little girl play for some time.

You can check it out for yourself here

* I received this product for free in exchange for my honest and un-biased review.