First let's get the thing that makes me angriest out of the way. The old classic, sodium. Now while I get that processed food has a tendency to be higher in salt, I feel there's never a need (other than manipulating taste buds and causing cravings)... +
First let's get the thing that makes me angriest out of the way. The old classic, sodium. Now while I get that processed food has a tendency to be higher in salt, I feel there's never a need (other than manipulating taste buds and causing cravings) for the salt levels to be this high. What really bugs me though? The nutrition is for 1/4 pack even though you'll use the pack in one sitting. So you might be thinking, well 17% of your daily salt is high, but it's not something you'll do all the time, it's actually 4 times that. That means it's 68% of your daily sodium. Salt is the next highest ingredient after rice.
I still give the mushroom rice 4 stars because my family enjoyed the taste, but the lack of transparency makes me mad and I think people should know what they're getting into. So if you have a low salt diet, definitely avoid this, don't be fooled by the tactic to make it seem 'healthier'.
In terms of easiness, this is really simple to make, you literally just heat it up on the stove and then add some margarine at the end. It's very simple and fast. It's also tasty, giving the rice a nice hit of mushroom flavour that everyone will enjoy. If you don't like salty food, this will definitely taste too salty for you, but if you enjoy a salty taste, you'll like this.
It is good, but I love the convenience and if they'd get serious about reducing the salt in their dishes, I'd buy them a lot more often. As it is, this is a rare treat and not a common occurrence in our household.
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While this is a Hot Wheels toy, I wouldn't recommend this to kids who just want speed and track-racing. This toy is more interactive than that, with a healthy dose of make-believe. Essentially, this is for kids who love the idea of a wacky, surreal... +
While this is a Hot Wheels toy, I wouldn't recommend this to kids who just want speed and track-racing. This toy is more interactive than that, with a healthy dose of make-believe. Essentially, this is for kids who love the idea of a wacky, surreal car wash guarded by an ornery gator. Kids who love to do step by step will enjoy this, it's not about racing, but it's really good for imagination and teaching them motor skills. Figuring out how each thing works and why it affects the car the way it does, is a lot of fun for older kids.
Both old and young really loved the colour change aspect. For the hot part we just ran a hot tap and for the cold section, we used water from the fridge, so I recommend you do the same. The whirlpool particularly was a hit with the younger kids who wanted to mash that button (It's actually more like a pump) super hard and had a great time. I would definitely supervise younger kids with this, if they open the water tower tap, they can easily let it overflow if they're careless and it's fully filled.
In terms of mess, this definitely gets water around, but it's not so insane that you can't use it inside. Pop a beach towel underneath and your kids can have fun, even if you don't have a yard.
Setup isn't too difficult and won't take more than 15-20 minutes. It's not hard to snap the parts together, but those with arthritic hands or bad backs, might enlist help to avoid unnecessary pain. The parts are split into 3 'sections' and while I wish the drawings were a little clearer, I was able to figure it all out. If you have older kids, they can help assemble and it's almost like a jigsaw puzzle watching it come together.
For us, the only negative was the gator. While they loved the idea of the gator chomping down, in reality it was actually hard to get it to occur. The car has to hit the side fast and hard enough to trigger his mouth and it actually rarely happened during our play. It would be cool if there was a button to trigger the chomp and one kid could try and 'trap' the other's car. It could also be difficult to tip the car out of the 'colour change pool' if it wasn't lifted fast enough.
This toy doesn't need batteries and comes with everything supplied and is recommended for ages 4+.
Overall, we really enjoyed it and it gives a lot of really cool features. It's not a race track, really, despite being hot wheels, but there are still parts where the car goes quickly. I'd recommend this as a gift to kids who already have a more straightforward 'racing' hot wheels track and would like something a little different.
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These are so, so close to being my ideal wipe. They work great for both mom (a nice way to freshen up) and baby. They are alcohol and fragrance-free. Unlike some unscented wipes they don't have a strange smell and are pleasant to use. The wipes are... +
These are so, so close to being my ideal wipe. They work great for both mom (a nice way to freshen up) and baby. They are alcohol and fragrance-free. Unlike some unscented wipes they don't have a strange smell and are pleasant to use. The wipes are thick and don't tear easily.
So what's keeping them from being perfect? I personally found them a tad too dry. When using them repeatedly, they were a little rough on the skin (both for me and baby) due to the dryness of the wipes. If they were just a little wetter, they would glide over the skin easier on repeat wipes. Plus, the second you expose them to air they start to dry even more, so having a little excess wetness is never a bad thing. These basically have the dryness level of wipes that have been left open and have started to dry out.
I checked the packet for leaks, because I was convinced this wasn't intended, but it turns out it's how they're supposed to be. Speaking of the packaging, it's perfect. I love having a plastic 'closure' that doesn't lose stickiness over time. It's easy to close and big enough that a partially pulled out wipe won't stop it from closing.
If only they were a bit more saturated they would be my dream wipes. So pretty good, but room for improvement.
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Little bit of background. I bought this recently as an attempt to give my cats more 'brain work' and also help the boredom/stress of one of my kitties who inflames his bladder by being stressed from boredom. My main point of worry is that it... +
Little bit of background. I bought this recently as an attempt to give my cats more 'brain work' and also help the boredom/stress of one of my kitties who inflames his bladder by being stressed from boredom.
My main point of worry is that it wouldn't work or would be too complicated, but actually it almost works too well in that they have figured out the puzzles very quickly.
I have three cats, Cornelius (Ginger) is extremely smart, loving, chilled and picks up everything quickly. Bonnie (grey) is nervous and she is smart, but much dumber than Cornelius. Archie (White birman) is the dumbest cat I have ever met. He is beautiful and sweet (but the most cat-like), but I like to joke that his long fluffy hair must be growing in his brain, because he is super dumb and it's a nightmare training him to do anything.
Within two days all three of these cats were able to use ALL of the puzzles. Lemme talk you through each puzzle so you can get the details if you're considering this.
Transparent fish bowls: The first day I tried them with these, all the cats were confused and tried to put their paws through it, the fact that it's see-through seems to confuse them. However, if your cat struggles, don't take these away. Within a few days they will pick it up. The smartest cat, Cornelius, figured this out within five minutes. He's an expert at claw control and can flip a 'Temptations' treat out of the bowl on the first try. This is the hardest puzzle so it might take your cat some time to learn. I love that they can be unscrewed to be cleaned, but also you can flip them over on a treat for a different puzzle or playtime.
Peg pattern: This is the easiest pattern and should be used for beginner cats, for easy to get treats and for dumb cats like my Archie. This was the only puzzle he could get on the first day. The treat just sits between the pegs and can easily be snagged.
Wave pattern: They do find this harder than the peg pattern, it's the next easiest one. By day two, everybody could understand this, but it still takes them a minute or two to get the treat.
Tunnel: The tunnel is the second hardest next to the fish-bowls. Often they don't realise the treat is under there, and when they do they have to lie down and fish with their paws. Bonnie (middle intelligence) particularly likes this one.
Top of tunnel: You can put liquid treats up here, I haven't tried it yet, but will update when I do!
By the third day, even Archie had figure out to put his paw in the fish-bowl, though him and Bonnie still need to refine the skill of getting the treat out. They all get very excited when I put treats in there and also play with toys on it, it's become one of their favourites fast. I was nervous about the price (what if they didn't like it?), but for me it's totally been worth it. I also love that it's easy to clean and has rubber feet on the bottom to stop it sliding around.
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Let me say that I didn't hate everything about this. For starters, this isn't the kind of product I would use as a cleanser, I used it as a mask. I'm a fan of clay masks and use them a reasonable amount and have never had problems with them, until... +
Let me say that I didn't hate everything about this. For starters, this isn't the kind of product I would use as a cleanser, I used it as a mask. I'm a fan of clay masks and use them a reasonable amount and have never had problems with them, until this. I did like the scent. It has a reasonably strong, but pleasant scent that is minty, but almost like some lemon or tea tree in there too, it smells very similar to my go-to mask and is even the same colour!
I was also happy with the end result, I found my skin did look refreshed and more 'purified'. Since I have combination skin, I felt it cleaned up the oily areas nicely.
However, the single reason I wouldn't use this mask/cleanser again is because of the experience I had while it was on. Basically, it burned. About a minute after applying it, it felt really tingly and started to sting and by the four minute mark, it was burning outright, to the degree that I was really concerned. At the 5 minutes mark I washed it off quickly expecting to see damaged skin or an allergic reaction (I've never had one before), but it seemed ok. However, since it was really uncomfortable on and not relaxing, I definitely wouldn't use it again.
The end result was not so amazing that I'd go through the burning pain to get there. I checked the ingredients compared to my usual clay mask and this does have a lot of 'acid' products, so maybe it's that? Whatever it was, this didn't agree with my skin at all, so I can't recommend it.
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The setup for this playset is pretty easy to do, it's a simple matter to remove it from the box, though if you are short you might want two people as the box is quite bulky. Basically everything comes pre-assembled, stickered and ready to go, you... +
The setup for this playset is pretty easy to do, it's a simple matter to remove it from the box, though if you are short you might want two people as the box is quite bulky. Basically everything comes pre-assembled, stickered and ready to go, you just need to remove the plastic, take it out of the box (ten mins max) and add the 2 chairs, figures and dog and dog feeding area wherever you want.
Like the other Little People's set this comes with two attachable 'tabs' that can be hooked into the other playsets to make a 'town'. It can also be closed into a square 'house shape' when playtime is over, to keep everything neat. It's a pretty awesome little set that has a lot going for it and the age range of 1-5 is spot on. It was a big hit with our little testers.
One thing that's a little strange and could be seen as a benefit (or not) is that instead of having a switch for French or English, it's English AND French. Basically, it's bilingual and the lines will play in English followed by the same line in French. If you don't mind your kid picking up an extra language, that's a pretty cute feature. However, if you're in an anglo only house and don't like French, this might bother you. Another occasion it might be less than welcome is if your child is on the older end of the scale and already fluently bilingual. Then hearing the same thing repeated over, might be annoying to them.
As for the audio, there's a lot of it. Each button must have around 6 phrases (if not more) and I didn't find the audio to be so loud it would be annoying, but there is a blue switch (on the ceiling in the kitchen) to turn it off if you want it to be silent. Each area has different themes, mostly about getting along, taking care of yourself and generally being a good little dude, or dudette. I also really appreciate that it comes with a battery already.
Speaking and singing isn't the only thing this playset does, it also has a couple of cute little physical features. The light in the kitchen turns on and the means can be slid to change from breakfast to lunch. The fridge and front door opens. The bed has a blanket that can be lifted up and there's mess on the bed underneath! The playroom has a 'swing around' panel that can hide blocks and toys away or put them on display. There's really quite a lot to keep kids entertained.
Ours also liked that the house was not too cluttered as they immediately filled it with toys and dolls from other playsets, including a dinosaur, which sadly did not fit (like that would stop them). So basically it's a cheerful happy learning toy that will teach your child about cleaning up and being nice in French and English, that folds away at the end of the day. Very happy with this!
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I'm not the best at doing my brows, it has to be said, but I was excited to try the Precisely, My Brow pencil. I did have a few issues with it, but overall I found it really good! The first issue was caused by my own folly. I ordered shade 5 Warm... +
I'm not the best at doing my brows, it has to be said, but I was excited to try the Precisely, My Brow pencil. I did have a few issues with it, but overall I found it really good! The first issue was caused by my own folly. I ordered shade 5 Warm Black/Brown and to be frank, I feel like I probably ordered too dark. I feel like my brows have a lot of blonde in them when the light hits and I wish I'd gone for a slightly lighter/cooler shade. Lesson learned for the future! So definitely be careful with what shade you pick.
My other problem was that I initially tried to use it when the nib was too 'turned up' and it was too long and snapped. I basically lost about a third of the pencil doing this, so I would heavily recommend you do not do this. The pencil fully extended does not have as much product as I'd like, so by losing a chunk of it, it was pretty upsetting. Learn from my mistake and extend the nib only slightly when doing your brows.
The third problem I had was that I felt like the product became blunt quickly and didn't draw as well when blunt, this could be because it snapped though I'm not sure.
I still rate it really highly though, because there's a lot of things I really loved about it. It's so easy to use, for a beginner like me who has clumsy hands and not a lot of makeup skills. It's basically just twist and go. The fact that it provides its own spoolie brush is also really awesome and the spoolie works really well to blend it.
When I first started using it I was so impressed by how sharp and fine the lines it made were. They really looked like fine eyebrows hairs and it made it look so realistic in the areas where I had to fill in my brows. My brows are pretty full and I don't have a lot of sparse areas, but even then Precisely, my Brows worked really well to give them more shape and definition. I'll definitely use this in the future, though I'll be more careful so I don't break it and cause problems and I'll probably buy a lighter colour!
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Mega Bloks is fast becoming one of my fave toddler toys, that always delivers on cost and quality; not to mention fun! This is a cute little car themed set that's really versatile. Younger kids have fun with the noisy car and basic blocks, but the... +
Mega Bloks is fast becoming one of my fave toddler toys, that always delivers on cost and quality; not to mention fun! This is a cute little car themed set that's really versatile. Younger kids have fun with the noisy car and basic blocks, but the slightly older kids loved to change the ramp around as well.
The truck has a cute face that reminds me of Cars, but you should note that the front opens quite easily. So if you send the car down the ramp with the front section closed, it will pop open, so be careful. Everything in the set is extremely sturdy, bright and super easy to use. It works even better when combined with existing Mega-bloks sets so they can create even higher towers and creations. They also loved the car making noises, especially the 'woohoo' noise.
My only minor complaint would be that it can be tricky to fit everything back together into the truck, especially if you don't pay attention to how it arrived. For example, I couldn't figure out where to put the yellow ramp, until I looked at my original picture and realised it's supposed to rest along the top like a fire truck ladder, without the little additions on the ends. Once you know how to put it together again to be packed away, it's really easy, but definitely pay attention to how it comes as you unpack it.
Either way, this is a really popular toy with ours, fun and good for learning. Setup and unpacking is so easy, the car already comes with the battery in it and everything is ready to go. Recommended for Ages 1 - 5.
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When it comes to being a nice figure, this toy is great and the price isn't too high compared to similar products I've seen in the past. Where the problem is, is the toy almost exaggerates what it can do. I expected it to be really cool from the... +
When it comes to being a nice figure, this toy is great and the price isn't too high compared to similar products I've seen in the past. Where the problem is, is the toy almost exaggerates what it can do. I expected it to be really cool from the description, but it's not really well executed at all.
For example, I thought for the Dinosaur to 'hatch' it would be on a mechanical hinge of some kind. But in actuality, the egg slides together and part of the egg 'pokes' the activation button at which point it throws off the top part of the egg. This causes a few problems. Firstly, the egg is difficult to slide together and younger kids will be unable to do it. Half the time it doesn't work and gets 'stuck' as well. Secondly, the egg can't really stay together at all without 'activating' the hatch mechanism, except when it gets stuck which is maybe one in every ten tries. This means you can't store the dino in the egg, or leave it closed. The best you can do is balance the top part of the egg on the bottom, which has a tendency to fall over and roll away. For displaying this toy as a figure, or storage, this is kind of a nightmare.
The egg mechanism is at the front and the egg is not heavy enough to compensate, so when the dino isn't inside it constantly falls forward, falls apart and rolls away. They should have weighted the bottom of the egg to prevent this.
Onto the T-Rex baby itself, which oddly looks like a Velociraptor to me. The figure itself is cute and has nice details and was a hit by itself. They quickly became bored with the hatch mechanism, but continued to use the T-rex up until now and will probably continue to use it. However, the 'growing teeth' are again kind of a disappointment. Because the mouth opens as the teeth grow, you can barely notice them get bigger, they grow so little. Still, a dino that can chomp is good enough, but again the advertising made it seem much cooler.
On the note of packaging and setup, no batteries are required (yaaay), but getting it out of the box is kind of a nightmare. No joke, this is the hardest toy ever to remove from the box and I test A LOT of toys. Not only is every part of it taped and glued together so you have to pull it apart using strength and more than few swear words (make sure no little ones are around for this!), but once you get the box open...the dino is also tied down. It's not enough that they tie him down with thick string which you must cut, his feet are also tied tightly with plastic straps that are difficult to cut free without damaging him. Again, I recommend nail clippers, but even then it's difficult to cut close enough to get the toy out. It really is kind of a nightmare to unpack, so grandparents might have difficult getting it out if they have arthritis in their joints.
Overall, the toy is really cool and reasonable price, but the design of the egg needs a lot of improvement so that it can be used again and again, or displayed alongside the dino. At the moment, the egg will probably eventually end up getting tossed because of the balance and mechanism issues. The dino, however, will be kept and played with again and again.
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I stand by my frequent commentary on baby products, that while this is free of many of the 'problem' ingredients, parents should not that it has added fragrance/perfume. To my mind, there's no reason to ever have this in baby products and irritate... +
I stand by my frequent commentary on baby products, that while this is free of many of the 'problem' ingredients, parents should not that it has added fragrance/perfume. To my mind, there's no reason to ever have this in baby products and irritate their skin. However, at least in this case the scent is not too strong and has a pleasant lavender smell.
I also wouldn't buy the claims of no more tears and better sleep. You can literally bathe a baby in anything and give them quiet time and they will sleep longer and better, it's not related to whatever you wash with. Depending on the age of your baby, it's actually recommended to wash 3 times a week and merely wipe over the rest of the time. As for no more tears, this stings just as much on the eyes as regular shampoo.
Yet I still rated it quite highly, because at the end of the day, it's a nice bath product that cleans and does a good job keeping baby's skin soft. Just add it to the bath water and swish. It doesn't bubble overly much (which is good) and the smell isn't too strong.
I just wish they wouldn't try all the misleading marketing stuff, because by itself this is fine. Though if you're looking for an un-fragranced one, this isn't it.
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