Category Archives: Product Reviews

Product review of family, living, cooking, fashion,kids,toys, healthy including Photography and honest reviews.

Woolzies Dryer Balls and #Giveaway

woolziesMy son gets a new chore every year for his birthday. Last year, he (age 11)came to me and asked if he could do laundry.  Laundry  seriously is my Nemesis.  I don’t like doing it because it is in my basement.    The deal I made with him is he switches it and carries up stairs for me to fold.  For this he does not have to do dishes.

Disclosure:  I got Woolzies free for this review.  The opinions are my own.

When Woolzies  dyer balls contacted me to review there wool dryer balls.  I said yes,  when they showed my son could not wait to try them!  So would they improve drying time?

The Woolzies  site says :
Woolzies are pure handmade New Zealand wool dryer balls that soften your laundry naturally without any of the chemicals of conventional fabric softeners. Unlike the plastic dryer balls, they are PVC free and won’t fall apart or melt on you. Woolzies save time and energy by cutting down on drying time by an average of 25% per load. They also help reduce static and wrinkles.
 
Use Woolzies to snuggle up with naturally downy soft laundry that’s completely free of harmful chemicals. Woolzies are also hypo-allergenic and totally safe for people with wool sensitivities as they will not shed onto your laundry.
 
Unlike even natural dryer sheets and liquid fabric softeners, Woolzies last for 1,000 loads and are therefore extremely eco friendly. So why risk your health and waste your money with regular fabric softeners when you can save time, energy and money with all natural pure Woolzies!
So the results:

We have been using them for 3 weeks. Both my son and my husband said the defiantly improved dyer time. Yes Woolzies does  help to improve drying time.

Note:  I studied textiles while in college part of fashion design.  Wool has natural wicking properties due to the structure of the fiber.  It naturally moves water to the surface away to be absorbed in the air.  That is why sheep don’t sweat ,  they have wicking hair.  So the Woolzies balls would work because they are wool.

They also have reduced static and wrinkles.  The movement of having the ball in the dyer keeps from wrinkling.

Loosing balls With my son doing the laundry he tends to leave the Woolzies balls in the laundry so  do play find the Woolzies when I am folding.

Woolzies cost : $34.95  for 6 balls

So would you like to try Woolzies?  The Woolzies is giveaway to one of my readers.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure:  I got Woolzies free for this review.  The opinions are my own.

The Redesigning of my Life #MSNKnowNow


So Msn asked me  In honor of the newly redesigned MSN, we want to hear about a time that you’ve re-imagined or redesigned an aspect of your life, blog, or career.   I thought over the past few years I have reinvented so much of my life.  7 years ago when I left my corporate life became a full time at home mom.  Then starting a new online business making Babypop superhero capes.  To  the last 4 years blogging to find my place in the world.   That leads me to what I have learned about myself over the last few years.

I learned through blogging on this blog Superexhausted.  I have so many amazing opportunities and experiences with Superexhausted.   From my trip to the Taste of the NFL Superbowl,  To learning about the wonderful city I live in, to experience great brands.  It also proved to me that I can write.  I always thought because of my lack of writing ablity or should I say spelling ablity, I would never be able to speak to people through words.  Which is amazing people have come, visited, and commented on my posts.

This past September I wrote a post about my husbands health condition. It was amazing how many people related and share the post.  While being an extremely hard post to write because of the personal nature, it also was very healing and cathartic for me.    I learned that I have things to add to the world and people experience through my words.

I learned through blogging how much I love talking pictures and creating beauty the camera.  People have now asked me to shoot conferences and events.  So  my blogging photography has become a lovely way to open more doors to me.   I now received visitors and comments on this blog because of my photography.   I love it and if I won the lottery I would take pictures all day.

This blog has also taught me to care for myself.  3 years ago, I was at my highest body weight. Thought support the community bloggers I started to loose.  I started caring more about how I looked and shed the mommy frump,  so could I looked decent at blogging events.  Years I am down 45 pounds and feel more in control of my health and life. It was my social media sisters and reader on the web who supported and cheered me on.  When I needed the extra push, allowing me freely to talk about my weight  issues.

Caring about what I eat, lead to me embracing my love to cook.  So I recently started writing for a large blog on creating food posts.  My kids have learned to love all types of food through my blog experimentation.

My kids have grown up on this blog,  it is the story of their childhood,  that I can show them when they get older.  What an interesting way to reflect on their lives.

It is amazing how blogging has changed my life opening my eyes to new opportunities and a possible new careers.

Check out the all new MSN which was redesigned and is 4x times faster getting you infromation and new faster. A redesign that can make your life easier and faster.

This post was created in partnership with MSN. Find out more about the all new MSN experience at allnew.msn.com or see it in action on Windows 8, Android, or on iOS at msn.com

Skechers Shoe Review: Hydee Plus 2

skechers hydee plus 2Recently Skechers sent me a free Pair of Girls Hydee Plus 2 Sneakers for a review,  the opinions are stated in this Post about Skechers Hydee Plus 2 sneakers are my own.

We received the sneakers in the mail and my daughter total flipped she put them on immediately and was so excited. I am not sure if you know this but as blogger we try to photography review items prior to use.  So after telling my daughter to take them off.. (like 6) times because she did not want to part with the Skechers.  She started looking through  the box.   There was a Hydee and the Hytops comic book included which she read from cover to cover. The even have a web series about the Hydee  and the hytops.

girl wearing skechers sneakersBut I digress..  The Skechers Hydee Plus s Sneaker are super fun they are fun spring colors.  We received a grey, aqua, and hot pink.  They Hydee Plus 2 also comes in a Pink and Natural Shoe.   The sneakers also have a glittery fabric which is what attacked my daughter.. why girl does not love glitter.  She also loves how easy

Skechers Hydee Have a secret in the heel they have a wedge.  Making your girl taller.  My daughter loves the fact she towers over everyone else.  She also love the fact you cann’t see the wedge.   The shoes make her feel empowered with height.   Sizes start for age 6 and up.

Here is My daughters Video Review of the Skechers Hydee Plus 2 :

The Skechers website says the following about the Skechers Hydee Plus 2 Construction

Construction:

  • Soft suede upper
  • Contrast colored metallic glitter finish fabric panels
  • Lace up casual high top sneaker with hidden wedge
  • Stitching accents
  • Smooth glitter fabric does not shed
  • Printed side SKECHERS logo
  • Side features sporty suede overlays
  • Printed heart accent on heel panel
  • Lace up front
  • Instep contrast colored glitter fabric strap
  • Strap with adjustable hook and loop closure
  • Padded collar and tongue
  • High top design hides clever 2 inch wedge heel
  • Soft fabric shoe lining
  • Shock absorbing midsole
  • Lightweight comfortable internal wedge heel
  • Flexible rubber traction outsole

To view the entire Hydee Plus 2 collection, visit http://www.skechers.com.

My daughter loves her new Skechers.  I love the quality of the skechers shoes and the fashionable colors.  The Shoes cost $55 plus shipping and tax.

What Shoes do your kids love from skechers?

sneakers

Great Dog Toy Scrambler Egg Review

dog playing I have a very active doberman puppy.  He is a year and need to be very busy when outside or he barks at the neighbors.   So I found the PlayPal Scrambler dog toy it is like a dog egg.  It is a dog egg made out of non toxic plastic.  Virtual indestructible.. because cause the dogs mouth does not fit around it.

I found it at a dog specialty store. But you can find it on the web for about $16.00 Dog egg.

My doberman was exhausted after about 15 minutes play with the PlayPal scrambler dog toy.   He chased it and never able to get a hold of it.  He stopped playing with it when it got stuck and could not get it out or was just to tired to play.

So is your dog busy, do you think he would enjoy playing with a scrambler?

 

Homemade with love Book Review & Meal Planning

bowl of soup next to cook bookI received  Jennifer Perillos book  Homemade with Love free for this review,  the opinions stated are my own. I just finish reading Homemade with Love.. What can I say I love this cookbook. It is like having a best friend in the kitchen. So easy to use and written with love. It  is watering read.

So far I have tried her soup “kale with white bean and ravioli” verdict Yummy. I love the conversation that Jennifer  has with the reader.  This week I am try the apricot butter and make my own ricotta.  The book is inspiring,  it point out the benefits for health and pocketbook on making it yourself.

When I received the book I read it cover to cover while waiting for a 2 hour swim team practice.    The quality of the book is top notch.  I can’t wait to try more recipes.   She labels the recipes if they are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free,  she also has recipes for those of us who are meat eaters.

Healthy and all homemade.. great book for a beginner cook or more advanced on how to make your kitchen more natural and food more homemade.

Meal Planing this week:  we have a busy week baseball and  swim team .

Monday : Grill Cheese and tomato soup

Tuesday: Roasted chicken

Wednesday: Pork Tenderloin fresh veggies

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce

Friday: Taco Night

This week I am linking up to Organizing Junkie Menu Plan Monday

 

Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flat Review

shoes with emblished snapsI recently had the opportunity to review Lindsay Phillips Ballet Flat with snap on entitlements,  I love these shoes they are comfy and fashionable.   They are prefect for this spring.  These shoes have a Fashion feature snap embellishment options,  which make the choices of Lindsay Phillips shoes endless.

The Lindsay Phillips shoes are made of quality materials.  I received the Liz Ballet flat in Neutral Canvas.  The color is great for the spring and compliments many colors.  The lovely option of these flats are the snap embellishments.  The shoes come with a zipper like rosette.  The rosettes snap off and you can change them to many different available optional snaps.  Purchased separately the snaps  options are fantastic. You can quickly change your Lindsay Phillips shoe snap to coordinate  with many outfits and jewelery.  For a head to toe finished fashionable look.   The company even have a Mystery 5 or 10 pack of snaps available for purchase,  I love that Idea because I was having a hard time choosing.ballet shoes

A little history of Lindsay Phillips  started the idea company as a flip flop shoe project in ceramics in High School.  She then went to college   thinking about the interchange able Flip flop.  After graduating she worked for Ralph Lauren,  then with an investment from her mother she started her own company.  The Switch Flop is a flip flop was her first big seller, it uses hook and loop tapes which allows you to change the straps and front embellishments  on your Switch flop.  The are super cute  fun and flirty.   Lindsay built a multimillion dollar company catering to women’s needs for more shoe looks.  Yea! women owned business.

Back to these stellar flats, I love the idea that the shoes I received are so comfy and fit  in my budget ($64).  With the ablity to change the look they are great for traveling,  because they are easy packable and flexible to my busy life style.  Great for my everyday fashion.

I received 2 different embellished  snaps with my shoes.  The Audra Snap  (sale for $9) which are a great emerald color and Dorothy Snap ($15.95) which are a raffia like with a great gem in the middle.   I love also they idea that that Lindsay Phillips offer a variety of shoes so you can use the snaps on the wedges, heels, and switch flops year round. shoe emblishmentsSo you want to know how easy they are to use.  Watch my video review:

The Lindsay Phillips Liz Ballet Flat  shoes cost $64

The snaps range from $7- $17

I can recommend the Lindsay Phillips shoes highly.  They are comfortable and fun.

What shoes are you looking forward to wearing this spring?

ballet flats

I am linking up to Fashions Friday Post on A Musing of a Housewife.

Disclosure I received these shoes  for the purpose of this review.  The opinions stated are my own.

Tips on How to Look Slimmer #FashionFriday

black dress with a peplum
Photo from asos.com

Tips on How to Look Slimmer

Most women are conscious of their weight even if they are not yet on the plus size. It is important for girls to look great and presentable especially if they are still single and looking for a potential date. Men are easily attracted to women who have a great body, but of course that is just the first impression. You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to look slimmer because you can actually do that with the clothes you wear. You just have to know what kind of clothes to wear to hide those bulges and accentuate your assets. Here are some tips on how you can do that:
Vintage Dress
Most dresses that were made during the 50s have fitted waist and bust, but the hip area is full. This kind of vintage dress is perfect for women with full figures. Make sure to choose a dress that flows down just above the knees. You usually see this kind of dress in bingo halls during the earlier years. Now, you can see girls wearing vintage clothes while playing their favorite games at FoxyBingo.com.   Asos Curve has a great collection of dresses that are suited for curvy women.

Peplum
The peplum is perfect for girls who have a square-shaped body because it gives out an illusion of having an hourglass body. The cut of the peplum makes the waist look slimmer and enhances the hips more. Many celebrities were spotted wearing peplums including Beyonce and Kim Kardashian. You can find different styles of peplum dresses at Alice and Olivia by Stacey Bendet.

Monochromatic Clothes
Wearing one color of clothing, but in different shades can create a slim silhouette. Wearing monochromatic top and bottom can also lengthen the body thus making you look taller. This style looks great on shorter women like Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Bilson. There are many plain colored shirts, blouses, skirts, shorts, and pants at J. Crew.
Disclosure: this post is a guest and sponsored post.   I love the tips and site the writers introduced me to.

Andys Cookie Review and Giveaway

sweet andys cookiesAndy cookies Review:  I received  Sweet Andy’s cookies to review.   Andy’s cookies are an all natural cookie with no preservatives.  They are large soft cookie that is sweet and chewy.   They come in a variety of flavors. I really have enjoyed sampling a variety of them.

I have to say I am impressed with the company they are are based in Hampton NY.  A former Wall Street Finical advisor Andy turned cookie king.  I love the story that his family fell on some hard times,  his family friends, and church member started helping the family out.  Since and could not repay the generosity of his friends,  he would bake them cookies.  Then the business was born,  Andy does local sales in NY,  if you are not close to the Apple,  you can have them too  they are now providing on line sales.Sweet Andys Cookies

You can check all the flavors Andys offers from Chocolate chip, Lemon, to Triple chip  and many more.  My favorite is the peanut butter.  Sweet and peanut butter,  how can you go wrong?  This is the sugar cookie.  Want a Bite?sugar cookie

Any of Sweet Andys cookies can be shipped directly to you.  Each bag containing 5 LARGE cookies, hat are sweet, soft, and tasty. One cookie at a time is great for a person because of the size.

The ship Priority mail via the post office.  The cookies shipped in a gift box w/ tissue to you so ready to  give or if you want to give as a individual cookie gifts paired up with your favorite tea.     They would be prefect for the up coming holidays.

The Prices they are fantastic. Current special offer prices are:

6 Bags of cookies – for $35.95 (with free shipping)  (30 cookies total)

4 bags of cookies for $24.95 w/ a $5 dollar shipping.   (20 cookies total)

packaging  of sweet anys cookiesSo you want to try them?  Enter My contest Visiting Sweet Andys Cookies and Tell me which flavor you would like to try leaving your comment on the blog, then mark in the raffle copter you did so.  Extra entries can be earned in Raffle copter.

This giveaway will Run till March 24th.   The cookies will be shipping direct from Sweet Andys,  shortly after Name and Address is provided.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Check out Sweet Andys Cookies Facebook Page

Disclosure: I received these cookies for the purpose of the review.  I do not take responsibility for the food items that are shipped via a 3rd party. The opinions in this post are of my own.

Philadelphia Orchestra Review

girls at the kimmel centerA few weeks ago we were invited to see the Philadelphia Orchestra for the Carnival of the Animals is a fun, interactive musical program presented by The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall.   My daughter and her friend adored the program.  The Kimmel center is beautiful. kimmel center
During the Canival of animals we saw: Charlotte Blake Alston, a nationally-recognized storyteller, instrumentalist and singer who performs in venues throughout North America and abroad, will be narrating the performance—helping children learn about different instruments in the orchestra and their animal counterparts. In the magical musical adventure, woodwinds transform into delicate birds; double-basses imitate thundering elephants, and cellos paint an audible picture of beautiful and graceful swans.
Both the girls that concert was amazing the sat on the edge of there  seats.    They were very wided eyed and loved it.  I thought the girls age of 7+ was perfect for the performance.   They had the prefect attention span to listen to the performance.   Also after the preformance the girls got to meet the performers.
cheloist
A new performance is arriving on March 23rd.  There family series is great because each month it is offered the performance is new and different.

We’ve Got the Beat!

Saturday, March 23, 2013 11:30 AM

Delta David Gier Conductor
Colin Currie Percussion
Featuring the Bernard Woma Ensemble

Vivaldi’s Ring of Mystery

Saturday, April 20, 2013 11:30 AM

Cristian Măcelaru Conductor
Featuring Classical Kids LIVE!

THE FUN BEGINS AT 10 AM
The Philadelphia Orchestra, they are passionate about educating children and nurturing their love of classical music – from little tots to tweens and everyone in between. That’s why before each and every Family Concert, we host a pre-concert adventure. This music begins with a pre-concert adventure at 10 AM (although seating is continuous so arrival is encourages any time before 11 AM)—an interactive program .
For more information, visit http://www.philorch.org/family-concerts

kimmel centerDisclosure: I received the tickets in exchange for this review. The opinions in this post are of my own.

NutriBullet Review and Ice Pop Recipe

strawberry ice popsI was so excited when I received the NutriBullet to review.The idea of a smoothies as a meal has always been a good idea but a lot of work with a traditional blender.  I have been using the Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System
for a few weeks.  I really love how smoothly the Nutribullet blends the ingredients, with less clean up. The Nutribullet has so many uses in my kitchen, from a apple,kale, and avocado smoothies or blending oats fine to be part of a meat loaf. I keep finding new ways every day to use it.  The Nutribullet keeps all the nutritional value of the food so I can add or blend it in my families food. nutribullet

NutriBullet comes with 2 different blades one that keep the food in pieces and one that purees.  I find that I am finding uses for both on a daily basis. They nutribullet system comes with 3 different cups,  so I can make many different shakes for my family in the morning to everyone in the house. Also since all the parts are easy clean and dishwasher safe it is a breeze to use.  I am leaving the Nutribullet out on the counter since take up little space and get used so often.

Since I started using the Nutribullet I noticed that I have had an easier time maintaining my weight.   Actually I have been noticing a lower weight than normal.   So I am excited to see the long term results (I will keep you posted)

I have been replacing one meal a day with the Nutribullet smoothies and really feel better.  I have been following the smoothie recipe book that was included with the NutriBullet System.  I also like  creating my own treats for the family.  Like these all natural fruit pops.

nutribullet making a ice popNutriBullet Strawberry Banana Ice Pops

  • 2 bananas
  • 5 strawberries
  • 1 cup of milk
  1. Blend using double Nutribullet blade
  2. pour in to molds
  3. freeze for 4 hours , enjoy

kids eating an ice pop

Overall Opinion:  The NutriBullet is a great blender/smoothie maker.  The600rpm  power of this product is amazing it is fast and efficient.  The cost is over $100,  I think the unit is worth the price because of how finely and smooth it makes the food it process.  Which make tougher greens palatable and enjoyable therefore being healthy.  I am really impress with the Nutribullet. I did have a friends Dad tell me all about the NutriBullet prior to me reviewing it.  He said it changed his life,  making him healther so I had high expectation going into the review.  I have to say the Nutribullet did not disappoint. I would recommend the Nutribullet.

Disclosure: I received the Nutribullet  to review,  this review is of my own opinion,  This post does contain affiliate links.