July 22, 2008
Renuzit Tri-Scents.
I was contacted by a rep from Renuzit, to receive a free Renuzit Tri-Scents home air freshener, and give my thoughts on it.
I received it through the mail on Saturday, and when I opened the box up, all of this crinkly little streamer stuff came flying out of the box, and landed all over my kitchen counter and carpet.
I managed to scoop it all up and put most of it back in the box.
It had come flying out like one of those fake peanut cans with the spring snake in it. *laughs*
It also came packaged with an insert that tells you how to set it up, the available scents, and some money saving coupons on other Renuzit products.
It came with the Seaside Breezes set of fragrances, and was very easy to put together.
The 3 little containers of scent oil come stuck together so you're not trying to snap each one in by itself, and they just snap right into the electric scent warmer.
It has a slider on the side so you can decide the strength of fragrance that comes out, I have mine set on the lowest one and find that it's just the right amount coming out.
I have it plugged in in my room because the cat's litter boxes are in my bathroom, and even though they are cleaned daily, with 3 cats, there is always a bit of au-naturale kitty fragrance in my room. (hint-kitty pee or poop)
The Tri-Scent does a really nice job of helping to make the scent of cat much less noticeable.
I really like this product, the scents are not overwhelming unless you turn it way up, which I made the mistake of doing the first time I plugged it in.
I didn't realize it was set on high, and when I went back to my room an hour later, I was bowled over by how strong it was.
Other people may find the highest setting is just perfect in a very large open room where the scent needs to try and fill up a large space.
The way the Tr-Scents work is to change through the 3 different fragrances it comes with, Relaxing Waves, Beach Breezes, and Ocean Oasis, every 45 minutes.
So every 45 minutes the scent that comes out is uniquely different, but matches the other two scents, and gives you a nice change in how your room smells.
I find this changing of scent really nice while I'm sleeping at night.
I would buy this product again, and will probably buy the refill kits for it.
I will only use it in my bedroom and will have to unplug it when my sister comes over because she is allergic to very strong perfume type scents.
Air fresheners really bother her allergies, and give her like an instant migraine when she walks into a house with any type of air freshener in them.
I had a few air fresheners plugged in 2 years ago when I went in for my surgery, and when I came home they were gone completely from my house.
My sister had unplugged them and threw them away. *laughs*
I should have unplugged them before leaving, I knew they bothered her, but it slipped my mind with everything I had going on.
Now I know to unplug and turn off any air fresheners before she comes over.
It's part of the reason I ask her to give me a warning phone call.
I don't want to bother her allergies.
June 18, 2008
Snap Capp review.
When I saw the soda can caps, Snap Capp, posted on Dyane's blog, I was like cool, I could really use those.
I buy and drink soda from cans because it is cheaper to buy cans than it is bottles, but with a can, it can lose it's carbonation rather rapidly.
So went to the site Dyane posted, and ordered my own 3-pack.
The Snap Capps came today, and of course I had to immediately try them out.
The 3-pack we got came in 1 blue, (Sebastian) 1 green, (Mark) and 1 purple, (Me) 1 for each of us.
Click here to see how they work, they are very cool.
It was $9.99 for the 3-pack, and $7.19 for FedEx delivery, (the cheapest on the list) but in the long run it will save money over all because there will be no more wasted cans of soda when they lose their fizz.
You can also buy them at Walgreen's for $2.50 each, and at the official site, they are working on getting the on line ordering page set up.
I know that once my soda loses the fizz, I'm no longer wanting to drink it, I absolutely hate flat soda, so with a bottle cap on it, it stays fresh.
I'll be able to keep a cap on it, it won't lose carbonation, and when I'm ready for bed, I can just make sure my cap is on tight and stick it in the fridge.
Come morning, my soda will still be fresh.
I'm quite impressed with these so far, and knowing that the teens and I won't be wasting any more soda because they lost the fizzy fun, and money, I know that these will be in constant use.
They are plastic and can just be rinsed out under the faucet too, easy to clean!
Oh! And because of having an air tight seal around the can, and a good tight twist on/off cap, they do not spill!
I tested this, and there are no leaks at all, so it's perfect for your kids and teens, no more spilled sticky soda messes!
We've been using them all day since they were delivered this morning, and they really do work.
Not a single one of the 3 sodas I've had today, has lost it's fizz at all.
And maybe I'm just thinking it happens, but the sodas actually feel like they are staying colder longer.
Maybe they are because no cold can escape, and no heat get in.
I dunno.
But I really love these and will probably buy a few more just to have on hand or in case one accidentally gets tossed.
I can totally see that happening with the teens.
So yeah, love 'em, and if you drink soda or heck, even beer from cans, you should try these, they really do work.
So thanks Dyane for posting about these, I would have never even known they existed if you hadn't.
June 11, 2008
Ergo what?
When I got my first little baby computer, an Emachine, back when I first moved here in 1997, I had it set up much like I do now, except that every time I was on my computer, my right shoulder and arm would hurt after about an hour of using it.
It made me not want to be on it at all, and I loved being on it just as much as i still love it today. *hugs the tower lovingly named Ace*
I complained to my sister about it, and she said it was because of the mouse I was using.
It was a standard 2 button mouse and a mouse pad.
When you have one of those, you are moving your arm and hand all over the place to click around on the screens, and the way I was sitting combined with the way I was moving my arm, was causing me pain.
So she explained to me what computer ergonomics was, and took me to a store to get a mouse I wouldn't have to do that much moving with.
She bought me an ergonomic trackball mouse that day, and I've never looked back.
It instantly felt better, my shoulder and arm never hurt again.
In the last 11 years, I've now been through 2 of those trackball mice, and when this one dies, I'll just get another one just like it.
You should totally try an ergonomic mouse if you are having pain in your wrists, shoulder, or arm after being on the computer.
Trust me, it will make you feel tons better!
June 6, 2008
Secret Clinical Strength
It is so damn hot here in Florida in the summer months, that even if you're not normally a heavy sweater, you will be perspiring more than usual.
My mom sends me coupons all the time, and in one of the batches about a month ago, was a $3.00 off coupon for Secret Clinical Strength deodorant.
It's more expensive than the regular Secret, about $8.99, so I saved a few bucks using the coupon.
I've been using it almost daily since I bought it, alternating between the regular and the clinical for comparison, and I gotta tell ya, this product does what it says.
On the days I wore the regular and it was steamy, balmy-hot and humid out, my pits felt a bit moist.
Gross visual I know, but I also know that you know what I'm talking about.
On the days I wore the clinical, no dampness, no perspiration, not even a drip of sweat from the 'ol arm pits.
This stuff works and it works really well.
I've tried the maximum strength of at least 10 different antiperspirants, and I've even tried Maxim, which was sorta sticky feeling, and the Secret Clinical Strength works better than all of them.
I'm way impressed with it.
So if you're the type of woman who sweats a lot and you're tired of trying a million different brands, or even getting a prescription for the heavy duty medical strength antiperspirant, give the Secret a try, it works really awesome.
May 17, 2008
Ok, here's some dirt.
I am so freaking amazed by my new vacuum, and I know I sound like a total dork for loving this thing, but check this out!
I ran it the first time and it filled the bag less canister, it was to the top with cat hair and dirt.
I had been running a vac nearly every single day or the Roomba, and I am appalled at what both those vacuums did not pick up out of the carpet.
Look at this.
This is the second run of the new vac going over the dining and living rooms.
This is just so gross!
That is the deep down dirt and hairs that my Eureka upright and the Roomba did not get out.
They couldn't get deep down into the carpet fibers, and this cheap $50 vac can.
It is simply amazing to me just how much dirt and hair, and is that white stuff like dead skin or something?!?
Ack!
Seriously, this cheap vac is just incredible, it has the most awesome suction I've (obviously) ever used in this house.
Every time I run it, it sucks out even more deep down dirt that the other vacs left behind and didn't have the sucking power to get out.
So gross, but man, the carpet looks so good now, and it feels better.
It feels softer when you walk on it, it looks fluffier too.
May 15, 2008
Holy dirt grossness!
I told you all how I bought myself a new Dirt Devil Breeze Bagless Upright
UPS actually delivered to my house today like the said they would.
Miracle or miracles! Hallelujah!
It came while Sebastian and I were at Publix getting the food shopping done.
We came home and put all the groceries away, and then I rested for a few minutes before putting it together.
This was so damn easy to do!
Just 4 screws, that's it, it basically snaps together.
I had it out of the box and built within 5 minutes.
As you can see, it's a little bit taller than a standard door knob height, and it's very, very lightweight.
After building it I decided to give it a go and see how this $50 vac would do.
OMG gross.
I have vacuumed my house nearly every single day with a regular vac, until it died of course, and have been running the Roomba every single day since it died.
I figured the carpet wouldn't be that bad.
How wrong I was.
I was going to take a picture of the dirt it collected, but once I saw just how much of it there was and just how dirty (it was black, like straight up black) the dirt was, I was like oh hell no!
I am not showing the whole world what this Dirt Devil just sucked out of my rugs that have been getting vacuumed every single day since April 23rd by the Roomba.
Mortified.
Horrified.
I was in total disbelief at just how much dirt and cat hair this thing sucked out of the carpet.
It was freaking amazing!
This really cheap $50 vac can suck!
It has some truly powerful suction going on.
I have a dark colored circular throw rug in the kitchen which just collects the cat's hair, and the Roomba was only getting some of it, but the rug had like this film of hair all over it.
One pass using this Dirt Devil, and I could clearly see the deep dark blue of the rug again.
I cleaned the whole thing, it looks brand new again.
I only went over the living and dining room and the throw rug once, and then stopped to see how the bag-less cup was doing.
It was full.
Unfreakingreal.
I called Sebastian out to take a look and he was grossed out too.
It was seriously full to the rim with cat hair and dirt, not to mention the probable thousands of dust mites that were living in my rugs all this time.
I cannot wait to use it again tomorrow and see how much it collects on it's second trip around the house.
I am also wondering just how many passes it's going to take to get all that nasty dirt mostly out of the carpets.
This is seriously the best cheap vacuum I have ever owned, and far superior to the Eureka upright that I had been using for the last 10 years.
May 11, 2008
Just Answer.com
As some of my readers may know, I was growing with concern about my cat Kali's health.
While she sleeps, she sort of shudders every few minutes.
So I set about to trying to research this on line before making a call to the vet.
I found Just Answer.com, and asked my question.
You choose what kind of expert you need an answer from in a drop down box, which is a HUGE list, and are connected to those experts who are on line.
There were 9 feline experts on line at the time I asked my question.
It is a pay to use site, but you only pay if you are satisfied with the answer of the experts who are online.
Your questions are answered by real people, experts in their field, in real time.
It can take up to an hour to get a response, but it's usually within 30 minutes according to the "waiting room" page you get after asking your question.
The fees are $9 if you are on a budget, $15, and then $30.
You can also pay them a bonus amount of your choosing, if you really liked the answer.
They also credit your account with 10% of what you pay, so if I ever need to ask another question, I won't have to pay as much.
Between my question and subsequent replies, I have a credit of $2.90 in my account.
Lori was the feline expert who answered my question.
She has 14 years health care mgmt & issues relating to cats, reproductive issues and multi-cat environments.
You can see her profile by clicking the link on her name.
This is what I asked.
I have a 10 year old female long hair cat. While she sleeps, her body sort of shudders, like little shivers every few minutes. Should I be concerned and take her to the vet?
There is probably nothing at all wrong. What you are seeing is quite common, HOWEVER, it can also signal possible neurological issues, so it definitely wouldn't hurt to have your vet check your girl out, especially since she is getting older. After age 7 or 8, it's a good idea to take your pet in for a checkup ever 12 to 18 months, just to make certain all is well.I wouldn't make an emergency appointment, but I would definitely schedule an appointment for a checkup in the next week or so, just to give her a clean bill of health. Make sure you let your vet know your concerns. Please let me know how things turn out and if I can help further!
I was very pleased with Lori's very fast reply to my concern, so I accepted her answer and the $9 deposit I had made using paypal was accepted and transferred to their accounting.
They accept paypal and all major credit cards.
I will call our vet in the morning to schedule her for a check up, but I do feel a lot better now knowing that this is quite common in older cats, but also to not just brush it off.
I would definitely recommend this site to anyone who has cats and has a concern, or anyone who has a question about just about anything.
That list of experts is really long, so you're sure to get the answer you are looking for.
May 10, 2008
Untapped.
In the world of blogging lately, "mommy bloggers" are getting mega attention.
Advertisers are falling all over themselves to get these moms of babies and toddlers to pimp out their diapers, baby shoes, potties and a gazillion other products on their blogs.
But what about the untapped market of the moms of teens?
Have you any idea how much teenagers cost?
Teens ask for more high end, high priced items, yet advertisers are paying no attention to these other "mommy blogs".
Do they not realize the value of these teens?
Babies and toddlers have absolutely no say in what products they wear on their butts or feet, what toys or DVDs mommy pops in the DVD player, or what kind of yogurt you feed them.
Teens on the other hand, want the more expensive items like ipods, DVD players and tvs in their rooms.
They want the high priced shoes and the latest in style clothes.
They want the gaming systems and the expensive games to go with it.
There's been a lot of uproar to go along with all this mommy blogging stuff too.
Some moms are getting invited to attend major "mommy events", getting tons of free products, free trips etc, and some of the moms aren't.
I haven't been following the whole thing intently because well, my kids are teens, I admittedly haven't been paying much attention.
But the stories are starting to spread.
Some moms are totally pissed off that they didn't get an invite, they aren't getting products, and the moms that are getting this stuff, are getting right snippy back with these other moms who are sniping at them over it.
I read something the other day about something called Camp Baby, and let's just say there have been some nasty comments going back and forth amongst the moms going and the moms who are not going.
And then there's the whole writing of stories and articles.
I was asked if I wanted to write a few articles a month for various sites about being a single mom raising men, but for no pay.
When I asked if the moms of babies and toddlers get paid, the answer was yes.
Why are they getting paid yet the moms of teens won't be?
Am I pissed off about it?
No, but it does send a very tell-tale message that mothers of older children are not valued in the same way as mothers of babies and toddlers.
When did it get like this?
Why are adverts only listening to a few of these moms voices?
Why are only certain moms getting the invites and products?
And yes, why are moms of teens completely ignored in this market?
I thought perhaps one of the reasons may be that some teens demand privacy, that they no longer think it's cool that mom is blasting their pictures and stories up all over their blogs, and while it's true for some teen mom blogs, not all.
Like my teens don't really give it a care, I've been blogging about them for 10 years now, they are quite used to it.
There are some issues they ask me not to blog about, but mostly they don't care.
When they do ask me to respect their privacy, I do, and will not ever cross that line.
But for the most part, it's fair game around here and they know it.
But back to the advertising.
Advertisers are totally missing this untapped market of higher end stuff.
Teens want and wear the collectible Jordan's, the name brand everything in clothes, they want the biggest and best ipods available, the newest gaming systems and games, and where are the adverts for them?
Do advertisers realize just how much teenagers can spend or want their parents to spend?
I'm not saying I would pimp out every single product if it were offered, but yeah, throw some of those advertising dollars to these moms of teens with blogs.
The teens can actually provide real feedback about the items, love them or hate them.
Babies and toddlers will eat the yogurt and say yum, but a teen will tell you with brutal honesty if you have the best snack foods, the best soda, the coolest and hippest shoes and clothes, cell phones and a multitude of other items.
They are the current and future buyers of the high end products with their moms currently footing the bills.
May 4, 2008
Getting a good deal on an mp3 player.
Is your kid or teen begging you for an mp3 player, and they want the one everyone else has?
Well if spending that kind of money is out of the question for you like it is for me, (heck, I couldn't even spend that kind of money on an mp3 player for myself!) you can still get the kid a really great mp3 player that won't break the budget.
Buy.com has awesome weekly deals on all kinds of great products, and they have a really good price right now on a SanDisk Sansa clip 2gb mp3 player in black.
I myself have a SanDisk Sansa clip 1gb mp3 player, and I love it!
The one pictured above is identical to the one I have, except that it's the 2gb pictured.
You can't tell the difference in physical appearance, but inside is where it counts.
The SanDisk can hold so many music files, and the quality of playback is exceptional.
The earbud headphones are very comfortable to use, not hard like some others I've had.
Not only is the Sandisk Sansa clip an mp3 player, it also has an FM radio tuner with 40 preset channels, but you can easily do a scan search to find your favorite local radio stations.
It also has a microphone for recording yourself notes to playback later.
I've actually used mine to record my grocery list and play it back while grocery shopping.
That way I never forget anything, and because I can listen to the playback in my earbuds, no one knows what I'm listening to, they think I'm jamming out to music in the store.
It's not like one of those pocket recorders that plays it back at full deaf person volume for everyone to hear like in those commercials.
The battery is internal, never needs to be changed, and it charges by hooking it up to your pc through the usb cord that comes with it.
It has 15 continuous hours of playback too.
It holds the charge for a really long time.
I keep mine on my nightstand and listen to it every night before falling asleep, and I only have to recharge it once a week.
It needs Windows XP or Vista to work on your pc, and comes with everything you need to make it work, the manual, usb cord, the earbuds, and installation cd, which I actually didn't install.
I just plugged mine into my XP pc, and Windows just knew what to do.
It's super easy to copy your mp3 files over to your Sandisk mp3 player too.
It's as easy as plugging it in to the usb cord, wait for the window to pop up, and then go into your music folder to find your files.
Once you have a file you want to add, just click on copy this file.
Windows asks you where you want to copy the file to, so you just browse the list and find the Sandisk mp3 player, it's music folder, and click ok.
Bam! Super easy!
So anyway, if your kid is begging for an mp3 player for their upcoming birthday or just because, and you don't want to or can't spend a crazy amount of money on one, go check out Buy.com and look through the weekly deals or click the direct link I gave you.
This is an awesome little mp3 player.
It may be super small in size, (slightly larger than a golf ball in height) but it boasts super big sound and features.
I love mine and everyone asks me about it, and when I tell them, they can't believe it costs so little yet sounds so good.
May 3, 2008
MP3 Rocket review.
I found and downloaded a product called MP3 Rocket, to get some free music downloads.
I downloaded the free version so I could test it out, and I was very impressed with it.
Every song I searched for, was found, and downloading was quick and easy.
The song files were great quality, I was able to upload them to my Sansadisk mp3 player with no problems.
As with any file sharing program or just an in-general rule when you download from the internet, always run a virus scan on the file before adding it to your music collection.
I haven't run into any corrupted or virus-packed files yet, but it's a caution anyone with a net connection should do.
The free version comes packed with an add-on toolbar, but you can opt out of that which I was happy about.
I don't want or need another toolbar, so it's really nice to be able to opt out of extra features you don't want or need.
Some of the other features it boasts are streaming radio and television, and a few games you can play.
While the games have a time limit, the streaming radio and tv do not, so if you missed a favorite show last week, you can watch it using MP3 Rocket.
I prefer internet radio to over-air radio broadcasts, so the streaming radio is a great extra built in feature for me.
I can listen to music while I'm downloading music.
The program loads very quickly when starting it up too.
Over all, I'm very impressed with MP3 Rocket.
I love music, I love getting free music, and so this is a great program, a legal one, that will allow me to have all the songs I want without having to fear the RIAA coming after me.
April 9, 2008
Grossest chicken ever. Popeyes Chicken.
I had never eaten at Popeye's Chicken before, but everyone kept telling me how awesome it is, so today after doing a little shopping, we stopped and picked some up.
I honestly don't think I've ever tasted worse chicken in my entire life.
It was greasy, and had a nasty flavor to it that I can't even describe.
And the mashed potatoes and gravy.
Barf.
What the hell did they put in the gravy?
It was so gross.
I know they pride themselves on Cajun flavor, but I've had Cajun chicken before, and this stuff is just disgusting.
I do have to say though that their customer service was excellent.
They were quick, they didn't make any mistakes with our order, the staff was pleasant and courteous, and even offered us large cups of ice cold water because it was so hot out.
So the food sucks but the service was great.
Can't win 'em all.
April 6, 2008
Who cares if they're free? They're still radicals!
About a month ago, I told you I would be receiving a free sample of a new antioxidant to try out from a company called Biotivia.
It came just a few days after I made that post, and I've been taking it every day since.
Well, almost everyday which explains a few things with my energy levels.
I've been taking a product called BioQuench, it's a super antioxidant which quenches those free radicals which may cause illnesses, and which can cause oxidative stress.
BioQuench contains Trans-resveratrol 75%, which is a great product on it's own and contains no synthetic or genetically-engineered compounds.
But, it also has apple skin extract, Goji berry extract, pomegranate, mangosteen, grape seed extract, and alpha lipoic acid.
When all of these ingredients are combined together, they provide amazing super antioxidant support and radical scavenging abilities, to help your body fight off toxins from pollution, smoking, and other harmful substances which can make you sick.
I started taking it every day beginning the day I got it, and in about a week I noticed a change in my energy levels.
I definitely had more of it and I started sleeping better.
More energy means I'm doing more and therefore getting tired and sleeping through the night.
On days I forgot to take it, I noticed a lull in energy, a feeling of just being really tired.
Yesterday was one of those days, so that may explain what was wrong with me yesterday.
I woke up this morning and it was like a light bulb ah-ha moment, oh yeah, i didn't take my BioQuench yesterday, d'oh!
I'd have to say for me, it's made an improvement in how I feel and how I look.
My skin has been looking better, and so has my hair and nails.
Maybe getting rid of all those toxic free radicals is where it's at in looking good and feeling good.
April 4, 2008
All for under $100.
We went to Bealls, and I did ok.
They are having a huge 30%- 70% off sale, and I got a couple colors I don't generally wear, but I figure at least from now on, I'll have some "Sarasota PTA soccer mom" clothes for those times when I have to look the part.
2 pairs of really light cotton capri pants, 1 pair in natural, 1 pair in black. 40% off.
1 pair of light "cammo green" surfer shorts, with a pretty little pattern on the pockets. 40% off.
1 brown t-shirt material, very lightweight, dressy-front shirt. 30% off.
1 black cotton t-shirt. 30% off.
1 pair new black leather sandals with a slight heel. 30% off.
My sister Jo bought me the sandals and the natural color capri pants as a late birthday present, but all of the items together still came out to less than $100.
Then when I got home, the handbag I ordered from Amazon was here.
I had ordered a Vitalio Vera satchel handbag
I needed a new purse, and I had spent days looking at handbags in stores and on line, when I finally found this one.
I loved the way it looked, so I bought it.
A bag in a bag. Odd. I don't think I've ever bought a purse that comes in it's own cloth bag before. Told y'all I'm not in to fashion stuff. Maybe all "good" bags come in their own bags.
Do they? hahaha
The shoulder straps have an 8" inch drop, and the front closure with that little accent hang-down, is magnetic closure.
It has one main zipper that opens to a center zippered pocket, then 2 side open areas, and 1 side zippered pocket.
Then on the back, there is another small zippered pocket for change or a cell phone, or keys.
It's a very sturdy bag, but very soft. It's not real leather, but it looks and feels like it is.
There's a ton of room in it for all my junk, I like it.
March 27, 2008
Amazing testimonials.
This does fall under product reviews, because the people who send in their testimonials to Wiley X, are real world users who encountered dangerous situations, and their sunglasses protected their eyes.
This had been discussed on the local forums, so I went to the site to read even more testimonials.
For an example,
it was thirteen 155 artilery rounds and 10 to 12 morders(250 pounds of raw explosives.) i was the gunner on the lead vehicle. 20 feet from the bomb . im getting to is the the goggles work they saved my left eye. thanks wiley x. i think all military should wears these goggles
March 25, 2008
Lean Cuisine Flatbread melts.
When I went to Publix the other day, they were out of the chicken club paninis that I liked, so I decided to try the same flavor in the Flatbread Melts.
Bad mistake.
The flatbread melts are quite nasty.
The bread does NOT do well being microwaved like it says you're supposed to.
It gets gummy, like super chewy, and it has a gross taste to it.
The contents, the chicken, tomatoes, cheese and ranch sauce were fine, so I lightly toasted a slice of regular bread, and scraped the contents off the flatbread, and onto the toast, and folded it over, and ate it like that.
Next time, if they are out of the paninis, I'll buy something else.
The Flatbread Melts from Lean Cuisine, get a huge thumbs down.
Gag.
March 11, 2008
Amazon's MP3 downloads.
Have any of you checked out Amazon MP3 downloads
Our house drinks a ton of Pepsi products, (we do drink Coke too, it's really whatever is on sale) and so we've been getting the Pepsi codes, which you enter on your Amazon MP3 Pepsi page.
If you're logged into your Amazon account, it's automatically synced up, and you enter your codes.
The codes are basically 1 point each, it's 5 points per mp3 download.
They even have digital tv show downloads which are 12 Pepsi points each.
So anyway, I've been wracking up the points for weeks now, and I entered all the codes, and had enough for 10 mp3s.
Not bad.
So I go through and start picking out songs to download.
I find one I want, and click buy with my Pepsi points.
It has this Amazon downloader tool thing, and then it automatically opens itunes and deposits your songs in your itunes library, as well as a new folder in your my music folder, labeled Amazon mp3.
I really do not like that itunes automatically opens, and that's where it goes.
It would be a lot better if we could determine where the file goes.
I even tried saving to disk and then opening the Amazon downloader to unpack the file, and it still opens itunes.
Yo! Amazon!
Not everyone has an ipod, and not everyone uses itunes as their default music library.
Let the consumer decide where and how we open our music files we bought and paid for.
And yes, I did buy them.
I drink like gallons of Diet Pepsi.
I go through a 12 pack every 3 days for one lousy freaking point.
I'd say I earned the right to decide where I put my purchased music files, and how I open them.
Thanks.
Having to copy each and every file, and then paste it into my music folder on drive D, is a step that could totally be avoided if they just let us decide where we put them.
The only reason I even have itunes is so that Quicktime will work.
I have never shopped at itunes, and probably never will.
And ya know, itunes already has a music store, why do they need to have another one on Amazon?
Why couldn't Amazon just let people buy music without the extra crap of itunes?
Huh?
HUH!?!?
Oh, sorry, where was I?
Oh yeah, the actual mp3 files.
They are real, they are not protected, which means that they will play on every mp3 player, and not just ipods.
There's another thing that really annoys me about downloading music files.
The way they are labeled.
I hate the track number first, then the artist, then the song title.
They all look like this;
14- Janes Addiction & Ice_T- Dont call me nigger whitey
Oh, that may be a bad example. Sorry, I just chose at random from the mp3s I have.
Let's pick another one.
05-Tool-Forty Six & 2.
See that number in front?
Hate it.
Why?
Because I don't keep all my music in separate album folders, I keep all my mp3s in one huge folder, and I list it alphabetically.
So this number crap, makes every single download with a number, appear in the list by the songs with numbers first, and then alphabetically by band name.
Sooo, I have about 10 songs with 01, 10 songs with 02, 10 songs with 03 etc etc etc, and then, it goes into alphabetically by band name.
See, like this;
Click to embiggen
I don't like that.
The OCD in me absolutely hates it!
It's not perfect alphabetical order, and I cannot stand it, so I have slowly been working on renaming every single one of those files, to remove the number and make sure the band name is first, then song title.
And can you see?
Some of the files don't even have the band's name in the file name!
I have to add those.
Talk about time consuming, but I have to do it.
I really cannot leave them as is, I get so annoyed looking at that list like that.
Ok, ran off on a tangent.
Sorry about that!
This is about Amazon's mp3 downloads.
They are decent priced, single songs range from .89 cents to .99 cents, and full cds range from $4.99 to $9.00 and up.
They download quickly, the quality of the files is really good.
My only issue is with itunes automatically opening. (itunes opens, and then pops up every single time the Amazon downloader finishes downloading and moves the file to your itunes library)
If Amazon would get rid of that, and just let us put the files where we want and open them with whatever player we want, I'd be totally 100% on board with it.
Will I use it again?
Probably, but it'd be a lot better if they got rid of the itunes library opening and popping up after every song finishes downloading.
March 8, 2008
Turbo Ion's The Croc Flat Iron product review.
Almost every woman I know uses flat irons to get their hair perfectly straight, and me being a curly-headed girl my entire life, I have never known what truly flat and straight hair on me would look like.
Now I know.
I was fortunate enough to receive one of these flat irons to review, and I absolutely love it!
First let me tell you a little bit about Turbo Ion's The Croc Flat Iron.
It's a 1.5 inch ionic ceramic plate flat iron, with an 8 foot super sturdy cord that swivels.
The cord does not get tangled, it doesn't get all kinked up when you put it away.
It came in this itty bitty box, and the cord just fell loose and tangle free, when I removed it from the package.
It adjusts in temperature all the way up to 420 degrees.
Even at that high temp, the handle stays cool to the touch, and it heats up quickly, within 10 seconds, it was up to 420, and ready to go.
It has the industry's most advanced Nano-fine ceramic heating element, and it uses infrared heat and ion ventilating holes.
A few women I know told me that because of how long and thick my hair was, that there was no way a 1.5 inch plate would be able to handle my hair, and it would take a really long time.
Not so with this flat iron at all.
Start to finish, it only took me 30 minutes.
This is my hair today after taking a shower and letting it dry naturally for close to 5 hours.
The only thing I put in it was Infusium, like I always do, to attempt to keep it frizz free.
My hair is really thick and naturally curly.
It's very long, down to the middle of my back.
Then I started to use the flat iron, and you can see the immediate results.
It's flat, straight, and frizz free!
This is my hair just 30 minutes later, completely flat, completely straight, frizz free, and even longer than it normally is!
I have never owned a flat iron before, and never had my hair straightened by friends, or at a salon.
I was concerned that because of how thick my hair was, and how long it was, that using a flat iron was going to be difficult to use and take a long time.
The Turbo Ion's The Croc Flat Iron was really easy to use, fast, and did an amazing job.
When my hair is curly and dry, running a brush through it wouldn't make it look better, it would cause it to 'poof', and look like a lions mane.
For the first time ever, I can run a brush through my dry hair, and it does not get tangled up, it doesn't frizz out, the brush just glides through effortlessly, and my hair looks amazing.
Not only does the Turbo Ion's The Croc Flat Iron make my hair look incredible, it feels incredible.
It is silky smooth to the touch, it has shine, and does not feel dried out at all.
I am so impressed with the Turbo Ion's The Croc Flat Iron!
This is probably the best my hair has ever looked and felt in my entire life.
This product gets horns high for being an absolutely rockin' product!
Continue Reading �
February 8, 2008
Book review and give-a-way!
Trey Ellis is an African-American single father, blogger, and author.
He shared with me a copy of his latest book Bedtime Stories: Adventures in the Land of Single-Fatherhood
I received it last week, and spent time reading it cover to cover.
What I found was something I wasn't expecting.
Book description from Amazon,
How is a single dad supposed to navigate a new girlfriend into and out of his California king without his son or daughter noticing? For Trey Ellis, steering his way through the unfamiliar nuances of the contemporary dating scene is sometimes a nerve-racking exercise in intra-familial spycraft. But the rewards of being a dad, as any parent knows, easily outweigh any hardships. In a world where African-American fathers are relentlessly portrayed as absent without leave, this irresistible memoir is both a tribute to all those loving, nurturing, black men who are undaunted by the responsibilities of fatherhood and an utterly charming male nonfiction.
Trey Ellis is a loving, caring, single father trying to find his way, find a way to pick up the pieces of his life after his wife left, and find someone to love again, all the while being a great dad to his children.
It's an honest memoir, right down to some embarrassing moments that all single parents face. I found myself shocked at how honest he was, but nodding along, even laughing, saying to myself, oh gawd, I've had that happen to me!
The modern dating scene for single parents, is nerve-wracking, and if you do start dating, what about the kids? When do you introduce them, how, should you do it at all? Ack!
Changing diapers, frozen dinners, those moments late at night when it's just you, your thoughts, and a can of pepsi. Those moments when you wonder if you're strong enough to do this and then realize, you have to no matter what.
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful memoir, and I know my single parent, and non-single parent readers alike, will love it as well.
That's why I'm having another give-a-way.
If you would like to have this book, all you have to do is leave a comment on this post between now and Sunday February 10th, at 10pm EST.
I will close the comments, and draw a winner on Monday morning.
That's it, no complicated rules, just leave a comment saying you'd like to have it.
Please make sure your email address is valid, and that you can provide a mailing address if you are the winner.
Your information is protected in accordance with my privacy policy.
It's a really great book, honest, heart-warming, real.
Thank you so much Trey for sharing it with me. And now with my readers.
Many wishes for much success.
February 1, 2008
Digiorno- Pizza- Microwave rising crust four cheese.
I knew the teens wouldn't be home tonight, so I only picked up something for myself for dinner tonight, and chose this pizza, the Digiorno- Pizza- Microwave rising crust four cheese flavor.
It looked good, it says 9.9oz, big box, price $3.99, says it's 2 servings.
I figured I could eat half for dinner, and half for lunch tomorrow.
Yes, it's totally bad for me, coming in at 370 calories a serving, and 2 servings per package.
Half tonight, half for lunch tomorrow. I could work it off.
Uh-huh.
Check this.
The box size is incredibly deceiving.
That's a huge difference in size of box and size of the actual product.
I thought if the pizza is that big, then the calories for 2 servings would be legit right? Wrong.
Look at the size of the thing!
Ok, so a total rip off on the size, but maybe the taste will be worth it.
I cook it on the special box thingy and with the special crisping ring thingy you place on top of the pizza, for 5 minutes like it says.
At just 4 minutes, I smelled burning.
I took it out of the microwave and it had burned the whole way around where the special "crisping ring" was placed on top of the pizza.
I figure I'll just eat the middle of this tiny, now burnt, little pizza.
It tasted like garbage.
The crust tasted like just pure flour, no seasoning, no flavor.
The sauce was salty, oh my word salty.
And the cheese was gross.
I tossed it in the trash after one bite.
It was that bad.
Save your money folks, the Totinos pizzas have more flavor and cook better than these things do.
January 26, 2008
Logo Yes? Yes!
I wish I had known about LogoYes and their logo design creator for business cards before I had mine made up.
The logo creator was really easy to use, there are literally hundreds of logos to choose from. I spent nearly an hour going through them all, and was simply amazed at just how many they have.
Once you find the logo of your liking, you can match the colors, the style of the card, change the size of the logo, the font, the size of the font, and really create a logo to start branding your business.
The logo creator is very flexible. If you make a mistake or don't like the way it looks, just click the back button on the creator or the number of the step you want to change, and bam! You're right back to where you want to change that item. Maybe the font wasn't right, or the logo was the wrong size, it's easy to change any part of the design you want to make different.
I took a screenshot of one of the designs I was working on to show you how easy it is.
I didn't add all my personal information for this display because there are certain things like my address and telephone number, that I don't want to be quite so public on my blog, but I can go back in and add all those things, change up the color and sizes before selecting to purchase my cards.
I'm not even sure if this is the logo I want to stick with. I am going to go back and look through all the various categories again and try several different designs and colors before making my final selection.
The logo creator is fun to use as well. It's quick, easy to understand, so simple to use, anyone could do it.
I really wish I had known about this site before I had my cards made up, I would have been able to truly customize my cards, brand my name to better suit what I do, and have a truly unique card unlike anyone else out there.
I may just go ahead and make some up anyway. I could have two sets of business cards to use.
January 16, 2008
Incoco Dry Nail Applique' part 2.
I just wanted to update this entry I wrote, on Incoco Dry nail Applique' polish.
As I said in my review, they were super easy to apply, match the right size, and I said I'd come back to let you know how long they really last.
They say they will last up to 14 days, and they are absolutely correct!
I probably could have gotten more than 14 days out of them if I didn't wash my dishes by hand.
Because I love these so much, and I want you to love them too, I'm giving away 1 package of these in the color Rose Tea, as pictured below.
This is a super duper, quickie fast give-a-way.
If you want this package, you need to leave a comment on this entry no later than 8pm tonight, EST.
I will then draw 1 lucky name, and will post the winner and request their mailing address.
In accordance with my privacy policy, your mailing address will only be used by me to send you this give-a-way.
You still also have until Friday night to enter both the Mad Money Swag give-a-way, and the Bed Bath and Beyond $25 gift card give-a-way. And don't forget, to get 2 entries on the gift card give-a-way, all you have to do is leave a comment on that entry, and write a post on your blog about the contest, and let me know.
Y'all just may want to add me to your feed reader or bookmark my blog.
This is looking to be the year of give-a-ways on My Single Mom Life. 
January 11, 2008
Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon? I sure do!
I was asked to try two different flavors of Grey Poupon mustard, and give my honest opinion of them.
They came in the mail yesterday afternoon, and so for lunch today, we all had Tavern Ham and cheese sandwiches, with the spicy brown mustard on them.
The hearty spicy brown mustard has a really nice spicy kick to it, even Mark who generally doesn't like mustard on sandwiches, thought it was really tasty.
Sebastian loves mustard, generally the plain yellow, but he loved this one a lot.
I have not always been a fan of brown mustards, I grew up with my dad only having one brown mustard in the house, and man, I hated it. Little jar, red label, oldest mustard sold nationally in the U.S. ?
Yeah, that one.
I ate ketchup on everything instead of that red label mustard.
So I was a little hesitant about trying another spicy brown mustard.
I got some nice Chicago Italian bread slices, layered on some thin ham slices, a slice of American cheese, and a teaspoon of the spicy brown mustard.
I was pleasantly surprised.
Unlike the red labeled mustard my dad loved so much, this didn't have that same super bitter taste to me, it was spicy, and it was good.
Tonight, I decided to try the harvest coarse ground in a recipe.
I made unfried chicken, and it can be made using pretty much any sauce you like, or just eggs to hold the coating on.
Crush 2 cups of plain corn flakes in a bag or bowl, whatever is easiest for you.
Place 3 tbs of the mustard on a plate and rub each chicken leg in the mustard.
Then roll and coat each leg in the crushed corn flakes and place on a cooking sprayed baking sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.
Then plate up and enjoy!
The harvest coarse ground mustard and crushed corn flakes, help keep the chicken meat super juicy, and the mustard gave the chicken a really nice kicky flavor. It was mild at first bite, then the spice would kick in, and it was fabulous. All those mustard seeds they use pop in your mouth with flavor, sort of bursting with each bite.
Over all, the teens and I really enjoyed both flavors of the mustard. They were a nice addition to the food, and a nice switch from regular plain yellow mustard.
I'll definitely be buying more of the harvest coarse ground for future recipes.
I've come across an incredible glaze for ham a fellow blogger made with mustard, and I'm dying to try it with this one.
December 21, 2007
Incoco Dry Nail Appliqué rocks!
I have really long nails, and I usually keep them bare because I suck at applying nail polish, and can't afford a manicure all the time.
My hands shake, I either apply too much and end up mucking it up, or apply too little and it looks splotchy.
I had been wanting to try those press on nail polish things.
They are real nail polish in strips, pre-cut to different sizes, and you just stick them on like stickers, but it is real nail polish.
They even smell like real nail polish.
It's very cool, but I admit I was totally skeptical.
Real nail polish already cut and you just stick them on and they last?
Riiiight.
So when I was at Walgreen's last night, I spotted the Incoco Dry Nail Appliqué was on sale.
Normally $7.99 per package, on sale for just $3.99.
I figured if they sucked, I wouldn't be out too much money.
So here's what all you get in the package and how it works.
You get an instruction card, a fingernail file with an abrasive, a soft, and a buffer side, a cuticle stick, a sample pack of other colors, 20 dry nail strips, a polish removal cloth, and a package to store the rest of your nail strips and seal with that gold tape so they don't dry out.
This is real nail polish. It will dry out if let out.
You then pick out a dry nail strip to match your nail size.
Then you remove the clear plastic cover and the backing paper, and place it on your nail starting at the base of the nail, and smoothing all the way to the tip.
Once applied and completely smooth, you bend the rest of it over the tip of your nail and run your finger downward to make it fold over your nail tip. Then with the file, you file in a downward motion to 'cut' the overhang off.
And ta da! You have gorgeous polished nails in a fraction of the time and cost.
I messed up and have a fold on my ring finger nail, but there are plenty of strips in the package, so I can just remove that one and do it again.
I have to finish all the rest of my nails anyway.
I am super impressed with these.
They were so easy to do, they didn't cost a lot, and the package says they will last up to 14 days.
I'll come back and let you know how they really held after 14 days, but so far, I think they rock!
December 21, 2007
Cheerios cheddar snack mix has trans fat.
I was asked if I would like to try out a new snack mix from Cheerios, and I said sure why not, I have teenage boys who love to snack on chips and stuff like that, so yeah, let's do it.
I received the bag above, it's an 8oz bag, retails for approximately $2.89.
It includes multi-grain cheerios, Chex pieces, pretzel pieces, triangle shaped crackers, little bread stick shaped crackers, in a cheddar seasoning.
Each 2/3 of a cup serving contains 8 grams of whole grain, and about 60 percent less fat than potato chips.
The bag says "good source of whole grain, baked not fried."
Mark who is 16, absolutely loved these, and ate almost the entire bag except for the small amount in the bowl above, that Sebastian and I shared.
This is the bad part.
When you think Cheerios, you think healthy, because regular Cheerios cereal brags that it can help lower cholesterol, so moms everywhere will see the Cheerios name and think this is healthy.
And if you actually just eat the recommended serving size of 2/3 cup, then it's not so bad.
2/3 cup is 120 calories and 30 of those are from fat.
Why?
Because Cheerios snack mix is made with hydrogenated soybean oil.
Cheerios snack mix claims that it has no trans fats, but when it's made with hydrogenated soybean oil, it DOES have trans fat.
It also contains high fructose corn syrup, which must be metabolized in the liver, and is known to cause health problems like anemia, high cholesterol and heart hypertrophy.
Click for bigger
So if you eat just the small 2/3 cup recommended serving size, it isn't so bad, but who actually eats snack mix in the tiny weenie recommended size?
No one.
Even 1 cup of this won't satisfy most kids or adults, and if you eat more than that, you are ingesting large amounts of trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.
I am actually surprised that Cheerios is calling this a healthy snack when it is made with hydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup.
December 8, 2007
Palmolive Oxy Plus + soapy residue on dishes.
I've read a ton of reviews about Palmolive Oxy Plus, and they all say, even their own website, that it does NOT leave a residue.
"I like that the liquid suds up quickly and produces copious amounts of cleaning bubbles."
It's far, far too many bubbles.
"There is no filmy residue or spots left on the dishes."
Yes there is. Tons of it.
And what the hell is with so much lather??
Dear god, it's like a bubble bath for my dishes.
I don't fill my sink with water and dish soap. I use a dish stick. You fill the dish stick with the soap, and scrub the dishes, there should not be this much soap.
See look, dish stick and excessive lather.
This is the side of the sink I actually wash the dishes in. There should not be this much lather when using the dish stick.
This is the clean silverware.
**
I have to rinse these, and rinse, and rinse and rinse.
I have to scrub them with my hands to get all the soap off.
They feel super slimy unless I use my fingers to rub off every trace of soap.
Just rinsing them so they visually have no soap on them, does not mean they have no soap.
If you don't scrub them with your hands until the slimy soap feeling is gone, the next time you eat, you will taste soap.
This applies to bowls, all the silverware, cups, plates, pots, pans, everything.
No residue my ass.
I'm seriously not impressed. If I had my receipt, I'd ask for my money back.
Continue Reading �
November 28, 2007
Bottle of Red, Bottle of White.*
A few days ago I received two premium bottles of wine from Gold Medal Wine's wine of the month club, to try and give my review of.
They were delivered very quickly by Fedex, and were packaged securely in shaped styrofoam, and snuggled tightly inside their shipping box.
When I got them out, I noticed how well they were each presented, wrapped in tissue paper and tied nicely with a bow matching the contents inside.
One red, one white.
They came with a beautiful gift card addressed to me, lots of informational materials, order forms, and a wine tasting score sheet postcard to mail back on each wine, with instructions on how to judge the wines.
They also came with a newsletter with all the information about the winery, Hambrecht Family Wines of California.
The newsletter also contains a few recipes that would go well with both these wine selections, and all the details of each wine, as well as information on last months wines and directions on how to see the full list of available wines.
I no longer have any nice wine glasses, I need to pick up some more for myself and for when I have guests. I had them on the shelves above my sink, and one of the cats had gone tearing through the house one day and knocked them all down.
So for this tasting, I used one of our latest collector cups from the Simpson's movie promo a few months back.
It would have been nice to use a real glass, but all mine were broken and Christine wanted to see my cups, and I'm only too happy to oblige a friend.
On to the tasting!
Let's start with the Bradford Mountain Grist Vineyard 2004 Zinfandel.
It was aged in oak for 12 months, and only 1,800 cases were produced.
This Zinfandel won several gold medals, and is very intensely flavored.
It had a brilliant appearance, a slightly musty aroma, full bodied, a mild texture, and a bit of a rough aftertaste.
At first I wasn't sure if I liked it, so I took another sip and swirled it around taking it all in.
I do like it, I think it would go with ribs, lamb, or a nice filet mignon, and/or heavy tomato pastas very well.
I then took a few minutes break making sure to completely rinse my mouth out with water, even lightly brushing my tongue, so I could taste the Chardonnay next.
The Belvedere Russian River Valley 2005 Chardonnay was aged in oak for 10 months, and 5,000 cases were produced.
It's a light yellow color, a pleasant aroma of pears and apples, and a hint of pineapple.
It has a light body, full fruity flavors, a mild texture, and a fine aftertaste.
I think it would go nicely with a garlic chicken dish and/or pasta.
Of the two, I liked the Chardonnay the best.
If I drank more often, I would definitely join this wine of the month club.
I was very impressed with both wines as well as how they were presented and shipped.
I noticed on one of the sheets enclosed, that gift packaging is available, and the boxes were gorgeously designed. The price for gift packaging was very reasonable and I could see ordering a few bottles as a gift for friends who enjoy fine wines.
I do need to go buy some new wine glasses now so that I can enjoy both these bottles over the next few weeks.
Continue Reading �
November 28, 2007
I love my anchor hocking bowls.
There, I said it, I admit it.
I was doing the dishes earlier and was washing out one of my Anchor Hocking mixing bowls
Nothing sticks to them, they come clean so freaking easy.
I think I want every dish and every pan, and all the bake ware I own, to be that Anchor Hocking glass stuff.
I use those 2 quart mixing bowls for everything I make practically.
When I need the boys to get down under the cupboard and get my bowl, I just say get the glass oven ware, and they know exactly which bowl I'm talking about.
I've dropped them on the hard terrazzo floor, and they didn't break, not even chip.
They've been in the sink and had silverware or a pan thrown in on top of them and not broken.
They freaking rule!
I have used them for everything from mixing cakes and making dips, to serving hot soups or to make jello.
I've even made an ice cream crunch frozen dessert and popped those bowls in the freezer, and they don't crack or chip from the temp changes.
I want all of my dishes to be made of that stuff.
It would be awesome.
November 19, 2007
Fun learning toys for the girls.
I got all 3 of the girls some awesome educational toys for Christmas.
I'm so excited!
The girls are going to love them!
I got Kayla, who is my step-niece, an Alphaball.
"Electronic Word Game makes spelling and word-building practice irresistible–in English and Spanish! Players choose a language setting, spin the trackball to scramble the letters of a word, then race to solve word puzzles."
It's perfect for her. She's at the age where she's really learning to spell more words, and this game makes it fun.
It looks cool too!
For Skye I got Animal Crackups.
They are little animal puzzles in sort of big shapes, that she can take apart, and put back together again.
"Flexible, washable plastic crackers lock together easily and can be mixed and matched for creative play. Snap together a horse and a duck to make a "dorse" or a rabbit and a pig for a "rig"."
For Susan, I got an animal hospital pretend set.
She loves animals and is already playing veterinarian, so this is the perfect gift for her too!
"Role play encourages students to practice oral language and writing skills while learning about the responsibilities of caring for pets. Sturdy, tri-fold board with built-in storage pockets allows quick and secure clean-up. Includes a brown puppy to care for."
I showed my sister all the toys and she loves them.
She is always buying them learning toys from Learning Resources, she gets their catalog, and just loves everything they have, so I knew these toys were the perfect choices for the girls for Christmas.
I can't wait to give them to them!
November 14, 2007
Ready Brush, anywhere teeth cleaning.
Sebastian and I did make it out to the store this afternoon to get all those dry goods we needed, and we swung into Walgreen's first to pick up some more Urine Gone
They are the only store that has it, and I'd rather just buy it locally if I can, rather than order it, but I do order it from time to time too.
I'm telling you, this stuff works on pet odors so freaking awesome!
But anyway, as we were checking out, I notice this bin at the register with a product in it called Ready Brush.
These are individually packaged toothbrushes, with toothpaste already in the bristles.
Now maybe these have been around for awhile, the cashier tells me they just got them in, but I was intrigued enough to buy one and test it out.
They are airline friendly, and made in the USA, so what the heck right?
So after our dinner of frozen pizza and frozen wings, and a movie, (best movie I've seen in years by the way) I decided to give it a test run.
It's a neat and tidy package, compact enough for travel, the toothpaste is in the bristles, just wet the brush and brush your teeth.
You can actually see the toothpaste in the bristles too.
So I turned on the water, wet the brush, and went to town cleaning the old enamel.
The package says that the bristles are soft, but they were definitely not soft when I first ran them over my teeth.
Maybe the toothpaste in the bristles made it feel hard at first, but after a few minutes of brushing they did loosen up.
The toothpaste is a nice minty flavor, not overly strong, not weak, I'd say just right.
I brushed for two minutes, spit, rinsed, and then popped the brush in my holder.
It's a good solid toothbrush, and even though it's meant to be disposable, I just couldn't see tossing it away after one use. (That's the cheapo in me)
They are .99 cents each, and I can see these as perfect for the constant traveler, the road trippers, camping, and other such events that call for a toothbrush but you don't want to have to carry a toothbrush case and a tube of paste around with you.
Just rip open, wet, and brush.
I really like the idea, and because they are airline friendly, I can really see these coming in handy on vacations.
Just grab about 5 per person for the flights and hotels, I can even see buying a few of these to tuck in my purse for when going out to dinner.
Eat, excuse yourself to the restroom, and really freshen your breath and clean your teeth instead of an after dinner mint.
I'll probably pick up a few more on my next visit to Walgreen's.
