Review: Illumibowl - New & Improved!

Last summer, I did a review on a product called the Illumibowl. Let me give you a quick little reminder of what this product was all about. This is a motion activated light that adheres to your toilet so when you have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, you do not have to turn the light on.

It really is a great concept and I was sure it would work well with my two young girls who sometimes have to get up in the middle of the night.

While I was very excited to try this product out and use it the first time, I was pretty disappointed at it not working correctly for me, as explained in my previous review.

Well, Illumibowl contacted me recently and asked me to try out their new and improved product, and write another review! I was happy to take on the task to hopefully be able to write a more positive review of their product. I was not disappointed this time around!!

This time, it not only works as I'd hoped it would for the girls, but they also love that our toilet bowl is pink when it is dark (you can choose from among nine different colors, but with two girls, pink it is).

So the original Illumibowl design had a backing of 4 suction cups that you adhered to the side of the toilet with the light bulb part inside the bowl, and for me I could never get it to stick correctly.

Once I did get it to stick, but the moment  I lifted the toilet seat lid, it fell onto the floor or into the toilet. Annoying to say the least.

This New and Improved design is just that, improved! They now have a flexible arm that rests right on the toilet base and hangs over, and they've gotten rid of those suction cups altogether.

I had suggested in my previous review that this product would work best with a hook type design and the new product essentially is just that. The flexible arm is great because it can fit on any size toilet with ease. I am highly satisfied now that I can actually use the product to its full potential.

They've also upgraded the light features! The original design also had nine colors and with both models, you could rotate between colors. 

They have now added a feature where you can click the button on the side of the device and it has 3 separate dimming settings.

I found this to be great, because some of the colors were very bright.

Although my kids loved it, walking in and seeing the brightest of greens in your toilet in the middle of the night is just sometimes a little much!  I want to keep my night vision at 3 am, thanks!

I absolutely love this new version of Illumibowl. My kids love it (still) and are now a little older so they are not obsessed with touching it, which is nice.

I would definitely recommend this to any of my friends. I think this would be a great product for any potty training parent, or really anyone in general. Great update, Illumibowl, and thank you for giving me the chance to try this out again!

www.illumibowl.com
twitter.com/illumibowl
https://www.instagram.com/illumibowl
https://www.pinterest.com/illumibowl/
http://illumibowl.tumblr.com/

Review: Art of Fabric Burlap & Brocade Table Runners

The holiday season is fully upon us and many of you are setting the scene for a beautiful holiday meal, selecting the perfect center piece, the right dishes, glasses and flatware.

But wait! What's missing from this picture? You need a special tablecloth or runner! That is where Art of Fabric comes in. Art of Fabric is on online source for charming touches to complete your home decor.

During the course of this review, my experience with the folks at Art of Fabric has been very positive. They have been promptly responsive in messages, very polite and accommodating.

Originally, I was scheduled to review a piece that would not have worked well in my home and they were very understanding and allowed me to select a different piece. I went with two beautiful table runners.

The first was a wide burlap runner, which I chose to accent my farmhouse table. I went with the burlap, knowing that it would work well year round for any occasion where I wanted to add a bit more country charm to my table.  If you check their website, you'll see they have several styles to choose from.

To dress it up, I also chose a luxurious, brocade runner in dazzling white with delicate little sparkling snowflakes scattered throughout. This runner is slightly narrower than the burlap so it layers beautifully but also works well on its own.

Each piece is sewn all the way around so I have no concern with fraying. I am very happy with my choices. My table would have been incomplete without them.

Be sure to thoroughly browse their website to find all sorts of wonderful fabric items to accent your home including curtains, throw pillows, full tablecloths and more.  Prices vary depending on fabric, but they are quite reasonable, and Art of Fabric offers a 30-day 'no questions asked' guarantee.

http://www.artofabric.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ArtOFabric
https://twitter.com/Artofabric
https://www.instagram.com/artofabric/
https://www.pinterest.com/artofabricLA/

Review: Squatty Potty

As I sit upon my porcelain throne I ponder the great questions in life: Why is my 2 year old staring at me? Do I have any notifications on Facebook? Oh no. My phone is almost dead. Where did I leave my charger? What was my wife asking me to do 5 minutes ago? Oh yea. Change the baby's diaper. Ooh. Look at this picture of a cat. What was I supposed to do again? Why is my wife yelling? What time is it? Its been 30 minutes?!

OK. So I have a bit of a confession to make. Yes, it does often take me longer to drop the kids off at the pool than it does my wife.  But lets face it guys, a lot of the time we spend on the toilet is spent playing games on our phones, browsing Facebook, or watching fail videos on YouTube. Sorry to ruin it for you, but you know its true. We read about how to build a deck, the newest, fastest car or computer that just came out or how to make our wives happier (lol...right). We play Clash of Clans or Candy Crush on our phones. This is our time. Our few minutes of the day to escape and decompress.
The idea of taking less time in the bathroom can be a little scary for some of us.

But let me be the first to tell you that it's okay to spend less time backing the big brown motor-home out of the garage, especially when it leaves you with an oddly satisfying feeling of emptiness inside.

The first few times I used my Squatty Potty, I didn't think there was much of a difference. Why is this any different than leaning forward while you bomb the porcelain sea? I already do that.

But then it happened. I finally got it set right. The stool was the perfect distance from the toilet, my feet were perfectly spaced, and I had the perfect posture. It was as if someone had given me the greatest gift of my life. For the first time ever, I felt empty inside in a good kind of way. A way that is hard to describe.

Imagine this: You've been trying to clear out some inventory for days, but it just isn't happening. You've done everything you could think of including drinking 5 cups of coffee in 3 hours. Your stomach is cramping and you feel like you could die. Then it happens. You finally release the corn-eyed butt snake into the wild. Be free, butt snake! Live your life as you were meant to!

This is how every porcelain adventure feels with the Squatty Potty.

I get it. There're a lot of people who doubt it. There're also a lot of people who understand how it works but still haven't tried it.

Then there are those of us who have. There are those of us who can't live without it.

I want to buy 2 more: one for our second bathroom and one to keep at work. I find myself cringing when I have to go at work knowing that it won't be as epic and awesome as it is at home. Most people dislike birthing the brown dragon in public bathrooms for different reasons. I, and other Squatty Potty users, have our own selfish reasons.

In all seriousness though, I have never felt this great. I don't know how I lived before the Squatty Potty. It has changed my life for the better.

I spend less time in the bathroom and more time with my family and I literally feel better than I ever have. The price for the Squatty Potty Ecco Stool from their website is $29.00. They offer free shipping on any order over $19.99.

There are 3 other versions of the stool. The slim with teak finish is priced at $60.00,  the Tao bamboo adjustable model sells for $80.00, and the portable model that folds up for traveling sells for $35.00.

They also offer a line of t-shirts and toilet sprays. Not only can you poop better but you can smell and look better too!

And a note for our readers in Europe, they fit nicely under European style toilets as well!!

I sincerely hope that if you have even been remotely considering purchasing one that my review helps to push in the right direction (pun intended). The next time you feel the need to drop a depth charge do so from the right angle and altitude. ;-)

You've still got a few days to order one of these magical devices from their website and get it in time for Christmas - and you should. Someone you know wants one, and may not even know it yet.  If it's you, get two.

https://www.squattypotty.com/
https://www.facebook.com/squattypotty
https://twitter.com/squattypotty
https://www.pinterest.com/squattypotty/
https://www.instagram.com/squattypotty/
https://www.youtube.com/user/MySquattyPotty

Review: Illumibowl Motion-Activated Toilet Light

Illumibowl is a clip on motion activated "night light" for your toilet. Initially funded by a Kickstarter campaign, this product was invented to help people with their middle of the night bathroom trips -- no more turning the light on and blinding yourself at midnight. No more trying to go to the bathroom without the lights on, only to bump into the counter and bruise your hip in the process.  In March, 2016, Illumibowl was featured on Sharktank and is now partnered with Kevin O'Leary and available for purchase either on their website or at your local Bed Bath & Beyond.

The Illumibowl night light includes 9 different colors to choose from or you can let it rotate through them all. This product rings in at $19.99 with free US shipping and 100% guaranteed satisfaction.

Now, in theory, this product seems like a great product. For me, not so much!

I have a 5 and a 3 year old who both are potty trained and use the bathroom on a regular basis. Show young children like mine the pretty new lights in the toilet EVERY time they walk into the bathroom and you have a problem!

They want to push the button to switch colors, want to sit there and watch every single color shine through, making their bathroom adventures longer than ever.

As if that didn't drive me crazy enough, the suction cups on the product would not stick, no matter what we did! (Their FAQ has suggestions for dealing with that, but they didn't work for us.)

So when the kids were not trying to get the colors to change, they were trying to "help" by fixing it and resticking it somewhere, not always on the toilet, but now I was having to try to keep them from sticking their hands in the bowl to attach the light!

I eventually took it off the toilet and pointed the sensor towards the toilet so it still turned on whenever you sat down, but we never got the cool effects that the product promises.

I think this product may do a lot better with a hook type element rather than the suction cups. Something that hooks over the bowl itself. I noticed that for the short time it did stick, as soon as my husband lifted the lid, it would flop over leaving him having to move it back. Kind of annoying!

So for the women of the world (who don't lift the seat) , this may be the product for you! Keep away from men and kids, in my opinion!

Finally, after about a week of using, the product just completely died out! Suction Cups didn't work from the beginning and then the lights quit on me.

I switched the batteries a few times and nothing seemed to help. I contacted the company and was assured that customer satisfaction was 100% guaranteed and a new product would be sent out to me.

I got a new product in two weeks, but unfortunately the replacement had the same issues and I ended up throwing it in the garbage one irritated night.

I love that the company is willing to make sure that the customer is completely satisfied, but after receiving a product, then a replacement and it still not working, I am not sold. Had this not been a review in which the product was complementary to me, I would have been asking for a refund rather than a replacement!

If anyone has had success using the Illumibowl, please share your experiences with us in comments!

https://www.illumibowl.com/
https://www.facebook.com/illumibowl/
https://twitter.com/illumibowl
https://www.instagram.com/illumibowl/
https://www.pinterest.com/illumibowl/

Review: Jarware Mason Jar Accessories (and Greek Potatoes!)

A few weeks ago, my husband and I were visiting World Market specifically to pick up a few particular items, and - because we know ourselves well - we'd agreed with one another not to buy anything that wasn't on our list! No cool funky little storage bin, no 'I didn't know this existed but now I neeeeed it' household gadget, and most definitely, no amazing snack items we'd not seen in years.

So, when I tripped over a rack of Jarware accessories - BPA Free, recycled plastic inserts that turn your mason jars into everything from a tea infuser to a piggy bank - I was charmed but resolute to look into them later and not buy them.

I almost tried to talk him into one or two - these things are very inexpensive!  We both agreed that the juicer in particular was a very cool idea, but we had agreed, so no... not today...  We felt so virtuous, we took ourselves out to eat and spent a lot more than we would have if we'd just bought the juicer.

That's what we do.

A couple days later, I was given the opportunity to review a few of their items and, huzzah!  One of them was the juicer!  So the virtue really worked out for me this time!

Jarware sent me three items to try: the juicer, the tea infuser, and the travel cup lid.  I set about rounding up a couple jars to try them on, and happily got to work.

The infuser and travel cup lid both required a regular sized jar mouth, while the juicer goes onto a wide mouth lid.

The way each one of these works, the Jarware piece snaps into the ring of a canning jar lid of the correct size, and then screws onto the jar itself.

Some of their other products (such as the Coffee Spoon Clip) connect to the jar itself, rather than to a lid.

Unfortunately, I ran into problems with both the infuser and the travel cup lid.  With each, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get the insert to fit evenly into the ring of the lid, and as a result, it wouldn't screw evenly onto the jar.

Since each of them are intended to be tipped when in use (you'd turn the tea infuser jar upside down while steeping), a wrongly screwed on lid would be a significant problem!

I didn't want to give up easily, and fought with it off and on for a couple days.  Because I have arthritis, I assumed this might just be me, and asked my husband to give it a try.  And he has, several times, without success.

On their website, the FAQ mentions this issue, saying,

"WE KNOW INSTALLING YOUR JARWARE CAN BE A LITTLE TOUGH SOMETIMES, BUT DON’T FRET!

THE PLASTIC USED FOR OUR JARWARE ITEMS AND THE SIZE OF THE RIM CAN VARY EVER SO SLIGHTLY DURING PRODUCTION. THESE SMALL VARIATIONS CAN SOMETIMES COMPOUND AND MAKE CERTAIN ITEMS EASIER TO SNAP IN, OR VICE VERSA HARDER TO SNAP IN.  

IF YOU ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY, PLEASE RUN THE BAND OVER HOT WATER FOR 30-60 SECONDS AND THEN TRY TO SNAP IN THE JARWARE.
JARWARE LIQUID ITEMS (COCKTAIL SHAKER, TEA INFUSER) NEED TO HAVE A TIGHT FIT AND WILL REQUIRE SOME EXTRA FORCE. AS SUCH, THE PRODUCT WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE REMOVED FROM THE RIM AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED PERMANENT."  

They even include a video showing you how to do it!

So, we tried it again, repeatedly, heating the ring band, and while it helped get the drink lid all the way in to look at it, the jar still leaked when tilted.

We had even less luck with the infuser lid - no matter what, it was just not going to go into that ring!

Sadface

 From the text I quoted, I am guessing that perhaps a different unit might work better (we did switch out rings about a half dozen times to make sure it wasn't that), and since they are very inexpensive ($3.99 for the drink lid and $9.99 for the tea infuser), I might be willing to try them again, however I think if enough people are having issues like this, maybe it'd be best to pre-insert them into a ring and sell them that way?

In spite of those two going awry, the the one I was most interested in, as I mentioned, was the juice extractor, and this one was a roaring success!

Now, we have a few juicer extractors already - a few, because they are never pleasant to use! Either you need to have very strong hands to get anywhere, or they're just a giant mess.

I found the Jarware Juicer ($5.99) to be very easy to assemble, use and clean.  It slipped easily and firmly into a widemouth jar ring, which was then readily screwed onto the jar.

I was able to make quick work of several lemons without getting tired - for me, it was much more gentle on my hands to be able to hold a jar than to use a similar variety that would sits inside a small dish.

I was able to juice each lemon thoroughly, with all seeds and pulp falling into the juicer crevice as they should, while the juice itself fell neatly into the jar - all ready to be used or stored away for later use!

Clean up was also a breeze - the juicer quickly comes off the ring and one firm shake got all of the pulp and seeds out of the crevice and into the trash or compost bin, so the juicer can be hand washed or tucked into the top rack of the dishwasher.

I have since used it several times, which alone tells me how much I like, it because over the years I have made all sorts of excuses to avoid having to squeeze fresh citrus in spite of having several tools to help me do it.

In my opinion, this one winner makes up for the two that didn't work out - I'll keep trying with them, but since I wasn't able to make them work, I can't recommend them.  If anyone's tried one of them and successfully gotten to to connect to the ring and attach to a jar without leaking, please share your tips in the comments!

The juicer, though?  Grab one the next time you come across them - or get a few and keep them on hand for stocking stuffers.

You can buy Jarware products  locally in select stores, or directly from their website, with free shipping for orders $29.99 or more.  Jarware products are also available on Amazon.

Now that I can quickly squeeze up some fresh juice, I celebrated by making one of my favorite potato dishes to go along with some Lemon-Garlic Chicken and Cucumber Salad:  Greek Potatoes!

Greek Potatoes are rich with broth and lemon - lots and lots of lemon.  They are great as a side, although our local Greek restaurant serves them as an appetizer because they are that good!

Greek Potatoes
(serves 4)

6-8 medium sized waxy potatoes
3/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp oregano (fresh if you've got it, but dry will do)
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken broth

Traditionally, you should peel the potatoes but I don't - just scrub well and chop into 1" chunks.  If you think about it, stab the chunks with a fork a few times, the better to infuse them with the lemony marinade.

Combine everything in a container that can be turned upside down (or use a large ziploc bag), and let marinate at least 2 hours - longer is better!  Flip every so often to make sure every potato is able to soak up that lemony goodness.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Turn potatoes into a large casserole dish, marinade and all, and let them roast for about an hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and starting to crisp on the outside (only a little!).  They will still be saucy.

Serve with sauce spooned over them - enjoy!

http://www.jarware.com/
https://www.facebook.com/masonjarware
https://twitter.com/masonjarware
https://www.pinterest.com/masonjarware/

Review: Lylicraft Handsewn Pillow Slips

Throw pillows are a wonderful way to add a splash of color to your room, but boy are they pricey sometimes! And if they aren't pricey, they are usually rough as a burlap sack or fall apart in the wash.

Pillow slips make a great alternative - you can change out your pillow slip to suit the season or your mood, and they're easily removed from the pillow form for washing.

I recently received two pillow slips from the Etsy shop Lylicraft, and they are wonderful.

Lylicraft is run by Lyli Kassim from her home in Malaysia. She uses Malaysian Batik fabrics and other beautiful fabrics to craft pillow slips and cosmetic bags.

Her pillow slips come in two sizes: 16x16 inches square and 18x18 inches square. I received one of each size in beautiful, jewel toned colors.

The fabric is incredibly soft and feels cool to the touch which is an interesting characteristic.

The slips are closed with a hidden zipper rather than being the fold over style. I much prefer the zipper.

Looking closely at all the seems, you can see that Lyli takes great care in crafting her items. Each seam has been doubled over so there are no raw edges to fray.

They fit over my IKEA Fjadrar throw pillows very well. I was able to stuff the same sized pillow in each slip. The 16" pillow just ends up being much fuller.

My Lylicraft slips have held up well to several washes already. I wanted to put them through a thorough test in that arena and they still look brand new.

I am very impressed with this product and would highly recommend it to anyone.

The 16" slip sells for $10.00 and shipping from Malaysia to my area code came up as $2.00. I don't see any 18" pillows in her shop as of this date so that size may no longer be available.

To view other items in the Lylicraft shop you can visit this Etsy link or check out her Facebook page.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/LyliCraft
https://www.facebook.com/LyliCraftShop/

Review: Packable Pails

For those of you with kids, let me introduce you to Packable Pails. This is a family owned company that was conceived after a family trip to the beach.  Buckets are a beach necessity, but they tend to be awkwardly shaped and bulking, making packing them in a full car challenging. Packable Pails are brightly colored square shaped silicone buckets that collapse when they're not being used down to 2 inches, making them easy to tuck away.

When you get your pail, you also get a sturdy white shovel AND a great mesh bag for carrying everything.

Although this product was initially designed with the idea of using it for the beach, it has so many more uses for it! You can use it for carrying toys, for use with your crafts, as a cute little pail for baby stuff and the list goes on.  Opened, they are 8.5" wide by 6.5" tall, roomy enough to hold a good bit, but no so big it'll be too heavy to carry.

I don't know about you moms out there but with two little ones around Easter time, I like to give buckets rather than baskets. This way they can use the buckets for the whole year rather than a flimsy basket that usually gets destroyed pretty fast. If I had received this product closer to Easter (and it had stayed clean), I definitely would have filled it with all the little goodies..

I have a 5 year old and a 3 year old. We have used our buckets in the desert so the girls could fill it up with sand and have fun.. We have also used it to transport weeds when doing yard work with the kiddos. It is now being used for my kiddos to transport toys from room to room in our house.

I really like the fact that these pails are sturdy, sturdy enough to withstand the wrath of two very active girls! They held rocks, heavy toys and and odd sized objects and never lost their shape.

As I mentioned earlier, these pails are unlike any out there - they collapse! You can go from full size bucket to virtually flat with just a little push of the sides. It is pretty easy for adults and older kids, my 3 year old had a little trouble getting it to fully collapse down but it is not impossible.

I would definitely purchase these pails in the future as they really are versatile and a great thing to have around the house.

They have 4 color options for you to choose from and they run at $14.99 apiece via their online store ( not bad for such a cool toy).

There is also the option to get what they call The Official Bucket Fillers Bucket which is gray with a little smiley face on it and that also runs at $14.99

Check out their website to look over the site for ordering!

http://packablepails.com/
https://www.facebook.com/packablepails
https://twitter.com/packablepails
https://www.pinterest.com/PackablePails/
https://www.instagram.com/packablepails/

Review/Giveaway: QuickZip Sheets

When Mischief grew out of his crib-turned-toddler bed, we wanted to get him something that would last him for years. A loft bed seemed perfect, it had a place for clothes, it had a desk, it had fun hidey hole places for him, it had shelves for storage.... it seemed great! So we got one.

 Then I realized that yes, all of those are super cool and make my little boy happy and will grow with him...but dang, putting a sheet on that bugger was HARD! And when we moved and the original loft was broken beyond repair (grr...movers....), we replaced it with an even taller version!!

I'm not entirely certain what I was thinking... I could hardly change the sheets on the lower one, now there's this monstrosity that is taller than I am! Needless to say, the Mr changed sheets. Every time. And it wasn't easy for him, either, but at least he has freakishly long arms and can manhandle a twin mattress better than I can. But with him being in the Army, I can't always count on him to be around when sheets need changing. What was I to do?

Thank goodness for QuickZip Sheets! These ingenious fitted sheet sets are great! It comes as a two part system: a base that, once in place, does not have to be removed, and the zip on sheet. When the sheet needs changing, you simply unzip the sheet and zip in a new one. Et voila! You have quickly changed the sheets!

The bases come in two different styles, a drop in base (only available in crib and twin sizes) and a more traditional fitted base (available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, and California king sizes). The sheets come in 200 threadcount (twin and twin XL), 400 thread count sateen (all sizes), 200thread count fleece (twin and twin XL).

 Also available are play yardsheets, flat mattress pads, as well as flat sheets and pillow cases.

 The color choices aren't that great - usually only the choice is between white or a gray, with the only exception being the crib sheets.  However, they make life so much easier, it is worth it to overlook the lack of color.

To be completely honest, I had the Mr put the fitted base on the bed first. It gave him no more trouble than a regular fitted sheet, so the real test was when I changed sheets out (either on Saturdays or if Mischief drank too much before bed). Saturday came, and so did the big test.

I crawled up the ladder into his bed, with the clean sheet in hand. The label at the foot of the bed marked where the zipper started, making for zero futzing about trying to find the damn thing.

With next to no effort, I quickly unzipped the sheet and replaced it with the new. In less time than it takes to make his bed, I had changed out the fitted sheet! THIS WAS AMAZING!

While Mischief has not had any accidents since we've started using the QuickZip sheet, I can definitely see the speediness in which I can change the sheet being exceptionally helpful in the wee hours.  I can honestly say that I now no longer dread changing my son's sheets every week.

QuickZip is giving our readers $10 off their purchase - just use the code CHEW10 at checkout!

Quick Zip is offering one of our US readers a Basic Twin 200ct Starter Pack ($59.99 value) of their own! The winner may select between White or Grey, and select either a Fitted or Drop-In Base. Read on to see how you can enter.  

http://quickzipsheet.com/

https://www.facebook.com/quickzipsheets
https://twitter.com/quickzip
https://www.pinterest.com/quickzip/
https://www.youtube.com/user/QuickZipSheet

To enter the giveaway, you must leave a comment in this entry as instructed by the Rafflecopter below, then leave the name you commented under and your email in the box in the Rafflecopter entry. (This allows us to contact you if you win!) This will open up additional optional entries to increase your odds of winning.

This giveaway is open to US RESIDENTS ONLY and will end just before midnight ET on 2-2. 

The winner will be notified by email within 24 hours after the end of the giveaway. In order to claim the giveaway prize, the winner will need to respond within 24 hours of notification, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Once the winner has responded and confirmed, their first name will be posted on our Giveaways  page.

Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway