MarloElaine » Reviews

Green Cleaning with MarloElaine

Elaine — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:38:02 +0000

For a long time, house keeping materials in my home consisted mainly of my Dyson vacuum and baby wipes. Once I discovered that baby wipes could be used to clean baby food off of walls just as easily as a child’s skin, I began using them for everything. I have used baby wipes to clean dried yogurt off the kitchen table, mop up mud tracked onto my carpet, and even removed “washable” crayon marks from wood furniture. I cannot imagine how I was able to live the majority of my life without baby wipes.

In an effort to become more green and eco-friendly, I am trying to wean myself off of disposable baby wipes in favor of reusable sponges, washcloths, and towels. I am also avoiding antibacterial soaps containing triclosan and purchasing refillable products when available.

My favorite refill product so far is the White Tea & Vitamin E Dial Eco-Smart Refill. This refill is packaged in a soft pouch rather than a bulky plastic bottle.

I use this liquid hand soap to refill both my regular soap dispensers and my foaming soap dispensers. My article “How to: Refill Foaming Hand Soap Pumps” describes how to add one part liquid soap to four parts water to make a less expensive, non-antibacterial foaming hand soap refill.

When MyBlogSpark offered me the opportunity to sample several Seventh Generation products, I was thrilled. On their about page, Seventh Generation describes themselves as being “committed to becoming the world’s most trusted brand of authentic, safe, and environmentally-responsible products for a healthy home.” Seventh Generation uses natural CleanWell instead of triclosan to make their disinfecting products. Earlier this month, the FDA wrote “At this time, FDA does not have evidence that triclosan added to antibacterial soaps and body washes provides extra health benefits over soap and water. Consumers concerned about using hand and body soaps with triclosan should wash with regular soap and water.”

MyBlogSpark and Seventh Generation sent me several cleaning products and supplies to sample and review. I really believe in the Seventh Generation philosophy, so I eagerly anticipated the cleaning kit in the mail. As soon as they arrived, my husband and I used them to give our kitchen and bathroom a much needed deep cleaning. The Disinfecting Multi-Surface Cleaner, Bathroom Cleanser, and Disinfecting Wipes all cleaned my hard surfaces quickly and easily, but we could not get past the oddly familiar yet slightly unpleasant Lemongrass and Thyme scent.

The brown paper towels we received were unbleached and made from 100% recycled paper. Unfortunately, they are not as absorbent as the Bounty paper towels I am used to. I ended up using twice as many paper towels to dry hands, wipe up spills, or soak up oil from food.

All the Seventh Generation Disinfectants are only available in the Lemongrass and Thyme scent, but there is an unscented Free & Clear line that I am looking forward to trying. I plan to join the Seventh Generation Nation so I can print coupons before my next purchase.

If you would like to try the Seventh Generation Disinfecting products for free, please post a comment below. One lucky reader will win a Seventh Generation Cleaning Kit containing disinfecting products, paper towels, a carrying tote, and “The Conscious Kitchen” book. The winner will be announced on Monday, May 10th. The cleaning kits have been generously provided by Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark.

Review: Chocolate Cheerios

Elaine — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:53:58 +0000

My entire family loves chocolate and loves Cherrios. We almost always have a large Costco-sized box of MultiGrain Cheerios or regular Cheerios in the house. So when MyBlogSpark offered us a chance to sample the new Chocolate Cheerios, we jumped at the opportunity.

We checked for packages several times a day until the large brown box arrived. We brought it in during dinner, but could not wait for breakfast the next morning. My husband, my two children, and myself all ate the delicious Chocolate Cheerios with milk for dessert that night! It was one of the healthiest desserts we have had in a long time, considering that Chocolate Cheerios is low in fat, has no saturated fat, and has only 100 calories per serving. The fact that it contains at least 8 grams of whole grain per serving, is cholesterol free, and is made with heart healthy oats doesn’t hurt either!

My daughter declared, “I can’t wait for breakfast so I can have more!” She also enjoys it for snack straight out of the box. My son prefers to mix the MultiGrain Cheerios with the Chocolate Cheerios and eat them together. He says it makes the lightly sweetened MultiGrain ones taste even better.

After we finished our sweet, tasty, crunchy dessert that night, we inspected the chocolate scented spa kit that came with the Chocolate Cheerios. We received a bottle of chocolate scented body wash, a chocolate body bar, chocolate bath salts, and a mini-bath sponge. I am looking forward to a few quiet moments to myself when I am finally able to indulge in a warm, chocolate bath.

Enter to win these prizes.

Our box of Chocolate Cheerios is almost empty. When I go back to the store to buy more, I will scour the internet for printable coupons. I found one $0.50 off coupon on the Cheerios site, but you can have several $1.00 coupons e-mailed to you if you join the Cheerios/Betty Crocker mailing list. So far I’ve received dollar off coupons for Original and MultiGrain Cheerios. I expect more to arrive in my in box shortly.

If you would like to enter a random drawing for your own chocolate scented spa kit, ceramic cereal bowl, and box of Chocolate Cheerios, please leave a comment below. All information and promotional items were provided by Cheerios through MyBlogSpark.

Review: Scatterpillar Scramble Game

Elaine — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:25:51 +0000

Hasbro’s Elefun and Friends just came out with a new game called Scatterpillar Scramble. The makers of Elefun, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Gator Golf, and Giraffalaff Limbo have another winner on their hands. This game would make an excellent Christmas gift for a preschooler. Keep reading for a chance to win this game!

Scatterpillar Scramble is a cute dancing caterpillar with four sets of hands. The game is for 2-4 players, ages 4 and up. Each player has a color coded set of tongs and marbles. The goal of the game is for each player to place all of their marbles into the caterpillar’s hands before their opponents.

My 3 1/2 and 6 year old children love the game, but they find it discouraging to play the game according to the directions. My husband and I even have a difficult time placing all the marbles while the caterpillar gyrates around to lively music. My kids like to race to place the marbles when the caterpillar is still, then turn it on to do a celebratory dance for the winner. The kids like to laugh and join in, then play again. They also like to play with their grandmother and anyone else who comes to visit.

This game would be excellent in a retirement home or rehab setting for people trying to improve their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. It would also make for an interesting time at a college party.

What games or toys do you like to play with your preschooler or school age child? Please post a comment below for a chance to win Scatterpillar Scramble AND Giraffalaff Limbo. Special thanks to MyBlogSpark and Hasbro for giving us the opportunity to review this game as well as providing a set of games to a lucky reader. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 16th. Thanks for reading!

Review: Honey Kix Cereal

Elaine — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:08:47 +0000

This fall, my son will be starting Kindergerten and my daughter will attend pre-school for the first time. No more leisurely mornings and long breakfasts for us. It’s back to fruit, bagels, toaster pastries, or cold cereal. Luckily, MyBlogSpark sent us a Honey Kix promotional pack to review on our site.

The package they sent us includes a coupon for a full size box of Honey Kix, a large Honey Kix “cereal pitcher,” a full size Honey Kix cereal bowl, a honey jar with server, and a cool milk and cereal travel kit. The travel kit consists of an insulated bowl for milk that screws onto the cereal compartment for storage. The cereal compartment is a bowl with a cover that has a spoon built in.

My kids tasted Honey Kix cereal for the first time today. I poured their milk into small bottles so they could pour it themselves without spilling. I transferred the Honey Kix into the cereal pitcher and called them to the breakfast table. For once, instead of listening to arguing and playing, I heard the quiet sounds of crunching and slurping.

My picky daughter ate two bowls of Honey Kix, while my hungry son ate four! They served themselves, so I’m not sure how full each bowl really was. My son has already requested the same breakfast for tomorrow, the first day of Kindergarten.

If you would like to receive a Honey Kix promotional pack from MyBlogSpark for yourself, please leave a comment below to be entered in a random drawing. Comments must be posted by Friday, August 28th to be eligible. The winner will be notified by e-mail on Sunday, August 30th.

Review: Nature Valley Nut Clusters

Elaine — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:26:16 +0000

We recently joined MyBlogSpark to sample and review new products here on our blog. The first products sent us were Nature Valley Nut Clusters. These are new snacks that remind me of those crunchy nutty granola bars, only bite sized. We tried all four varieties: Nut Lovers, Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew and Honey Roasted Peanut. They were all crunchy and sweet with just the right amount of salt added in. My kids and I really enjoyed them. My favorite was the Roasted Almond while my kids liked the Roasted Cashew best.

I am trying to steer my children away from the gummy, sticky snacks that can cause cavities, so these Nature Valley Nut Clusters are the perfect alternative. They are 100% natural and great for healthy snacking. They come in zip-top bags that are convenient for picnics, etc. I often leave a bag in my car for the inevitable, “Mom, I’m hungry!”

Stay tuned for more MyBlogSpark product reviews!

REVIEW: LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago

Elaine — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:07:36 +0000

We were very excited to learn that the America’s first indoor LEGOLAND was opening up right here in Illinois. LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago opened on July 31, 2008 in the Streets of Woodfield in Schaumburg. The official website was very detailed and descriptive, so we knew exactly what to expect. We even knew to plan on about 2 – 2 1/2 hours to work through the whole place.

TICKETS

I found a link to buy tickets online for buy one adult admission, get one child admission free. I purchased 2 adult tickets for $39.90 and my 2 and 4 year old children were admitted for free. Once tickets are purchased online, they can be used any day within 6 months of purchase. Another benefit to purchasing tickets in advance is that we were able to bypass the long lines outside. The link that I used was an introductory promotion that was advertised only in the first week. I just learned that Baskin Robbins has coupons with the same paid adult, free child offer.

Since we saw how many people were outside waiting to get in, we decided to skip around and do the Dragon Ride and the 4D movie first. Those were the two things our son Sammy was most excited about, so we wanted to make sure we fit them in before it got too crowded or before the kids got cranky, sleepy, or hungry.

DRAGON RIDE

Sophie (age 2) was a bit scared of the Dragon Ride because it was dark, but I just sat next to her and hugged her throughout the ride. Sammy (age 4) sat with his daddy and excitedly pointed at all the LEGO animals and LEGO people throughout the ride. The Dragon Ride was the only place we were asked not to take pictures. Good thing we put our cameras away, because as the signs promised: we all got a bit wet.

4D CINEMA

The 4D Cinema was a short, cute movie called ‘Spellbreaker 4D.’ Oddly, there was no talking – just a series of noises and grunts from the Princess, the Hero, the evil Magician, etc. Sophie didn’t like the paper glasses provided, so she just watched a blurry cartoon. Sammy liked the 4D effects and kept reaching out to try to touch the swords and people approaching him. The 4D effects came not only from the movie screen, but from fans, lights, and even a snow machine!

LEGO CAFÉ

The LEGO Café is convenient for lunch or snack time. I’m not sure what they serve or if the prices are reasonable. Their chocolate chip cookies smelled really good, but we brought our own water to drink and then went to lunch at nearby Ikea afterwards.

BUILD AND TEST/MODEL BUILDERS WORKSHOP

Upstairs near the LEGO Café, there were numerous play stations with tons of regular LEGOS, LEGO Duplos, build your own LEGO race cars with lots of ramps. Even though we followed the website FAQ recommendations about going first thing in the morning or late afternoon, these areas were very crowded. We had to bypass the “Build and Test” areas, Model Builders Workshop, and the playground type equipment due to the sheer volume of children. A side note: socks are required for the indoor playground equipment (similar to the climbing tubes at Chuck E. Cheese).

FACTORY TOUR

The “factory tour” consisted of standing in one room and looking at the pretend equipment along the walls. One volunteer was chosen to push about four buttons that made the machines move and make noise. At the end, each child was invited to take a yellow LEGO brick home with them as a free souvenir. Sam and Sophie would have enjoyed this a lot more if there were less people in the room. They were not able to see very much behind the other parents and kids. They were delighted to each have their own LEGO that wasn’t a Duplo block.

BIG BRICK PLAY ZONE

There were a few quiet corners filled with huge, soft LEGO bricks. These were the best! Our kids could have spent hours here. I was hoping the store downstairs carried them, but there were none to be found.

MINILAND

Miniland is the first area most LEGOLAND visitors see, since it is right next to the cashier at the entrance. It is a great place for LEGO enthusiasts, Chicago tourists, and Chicago natives. It’s fascinating to study the details of Chicago icons built into these miniatures made completely out of LEGO bricks. The Sears Tower, Hancock building, Water Tower, Buckingham Fountain, and even the “SeaPup” speed boat are just a few of the amazingly accurate landmarks depicted here.

ADVENTURE TRAIL

After walking through Miniland, we had to wait an unusually long amount of time before we were allowed to enter the Adventure Trail section. We had to endure an unenthusiastic treasure hunting skit, but once we were inside, we walked around at our own pace. There were many LEGO animals and LEGO people that the kids enjoyed touching and posing with for pictures. Sam and Sophie enjoyed the hippo, monkeys, frogs, and alligators the best.

HALL OF FAME

There were several large LEGO sculptures of people and animals scattered throughout LEGOLAND. We particularly enjoyed the Hall of Fame that had huge LEGO characters such as Batman, Darth Vader, R2D2, Harry Potter, and Hagrid. The Hall of Fame also had another area with soft LEGO bricks to play with.

PRIVATE PARTIES

We saw several rooms set aside for private parties. The largest room can accommodate up to 50 people. Private workshops were also offered along with the highest level birthday packages. As of August 2008, party packages range from $19.75 – $29.75 per person.

LEGO STORE

The LEGO store was a bit disappointing. I expected a larger, better stocked shop. Many things my children were interested in were sold out, such as the LEGO Duplo people and the Princess Duplo set. The kids t-shirts were overpriced at $19.99. Loose LEGO bricks were $27.99/lb and sorted by size and color. I have no idea how this price compares to buying a box of assorted pieces. The $7.99 foam swords were a hit with our kids, but weapons aren’t generally allowed in our home. There were several cute key chains available for $3.99, but we did not buy any of those either.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All four of us had a great time at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Chicago. Our only complaints were regarding the staff and the price. The cashiers at the entrance seemed flustered and were not very friendly. The employees who were dressed in costumes (Professor Brick a Brack at the Factory Tour and the Adventure Trail Tour Guide) lacked enthusiasm and weren’t good with crowd control. There were very few employees circulating around to answer questions or direct people to certain attractions or washrooms, etc. Many of the soap dispensers in the washrooms (including the family washroom) ran out of soap. Hopefully these are just temporary issues that will be worked out as the staff familiarizes themselves with their new roles.

The price of admission to LEGOLAND was comparable to an amusement park, but the actual LEGOLAND itself was comparable to a standard children’s museum. Kohl’s Children’s Museum in Glenview charges $7.50 per person and Chicago Children’s Museum in Navy Pier charges $9.00 per person. Those museums can keep kids entertained for 4 hours or even a full day, depending on the child. Kiddie Land Amusement Park in Melrose Park charges $23 for ages 6 and up and $20 for ages 3-5 & 60+

If I didn’t live 45 minutes away, I’d consider buying an Annual pass for unlimited admission during non-holiday weekdays. It’s slightly cheaper than the Premium pass that allows admission on both weekdays and weekends. I believe you have to go at least 3 times in one year to make it worth your while. They do not offer any type of family pass, so each individual has to purchase their own adult, child, or senior pass. Passes are not transferable and not available online.

LEGOLAND is a must see for LEGO enthusiast of all ages. We saw a lot of parents building towers, racing cars, and just enjoying themselves with their children. I even saw a group of teenagers entering as we were leaving. We definitely plan to go back.

Don’t forget to purchase your tickets online in advance using the LEGOLAND Coupon. Be sure to proceed directly to the entrance doors with your printout of the tickets.

Review: Here Come the 123s with They Might Be Giants CD/DVD combo

Elaine — Mon, 12 May 2008 20:29:43 +0000

If your children love the Disney Channel as much as mine do, chances are you’ve already heard something from the album “Here Come the 123s” by They Might Be Giants (TMBG). I discovered this CD/DVD combo at my local public library. Both of my kids love it so much. I have already renewed it the maximum number of times, so I guess I will have to break down and purchase my own copy.

I actually enjoy listening to all of the songs myself! I have very fond memories of listening to TMBG’s “Flood” album over and over again on a cassette tape, trying to memorize the quirky lyrics. When my four year old son Sam tries to sing along with “Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work),” I just have to laugh. At least he’s finally interested in learning the days of the week! Of course, this means two year old Sophie will learn them too!

The album comes with both a CD and a DVD of all the songs and music videos. There are cute little introductions to the videos by puppets named John and Jon (the members of TMBG). Some of the videos are animated while others are Sesame Street style with hand puppets. Very entertaining and cute. Not sickeningly sweet cute, though.

The 24 songs and 23 music videos are arranged in numerical order, starting with “Zeroes,” “One Everything,” etc., to “Eight Hundred and Thirteen Mile Car Trip” and others. My kids’ favorite songs right now are “Triops Has Three Eyes,” “One Dozen Monkeys,” and of course “Seven Days of the Week (I Never Go to Work).”

This was produced by Disney Sound, as was our other favorite CD/DVD combo “Welcome to Ralph’s World” by Ralph Covert. They Might Be Giants have other children’s CDs available called “No!,” “Bed, Bed, Bed,” and “Here Come the ABC’s.” I’m looking forward to listening to these albums with my children.

In the meantime, there’s a Free weekly kids video podcast! and lots of videos on YouTube. Here’s Sammy’s favorite song found on YouTube:

Review: I Love Toy Trains DVDs and Store

Elaine — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 06:29:40 +0000

Our son Sammy loves anything remotely related to trains. He likes to read about trains and tracks, draw and color them, watch real trains, play with toy trains, and watch movies and cartoons about trains.

Sammy’s favorite movies are the “I Love Toy Trains” DVDs. He enjoys the entire series, which consists of 12 episodes (approximately half an hour each) and “The Final Show,” which is 55 minutes long. There are also bonus DVDs that we have not seen yet: “I Love Toy Trains: The Music Video,” and a 55 minute gag reel DVD called “Oh No!”

Our public library carries most of “I Love Toy Trains” DVD series. They are very popular with the children. When they are not checked out, we often find them scratched and sticky. While they are available online, we decided to go directly to the source to buy our own copies.

I Love Toy Trains: The Store is located in New Buffalo, Michigan. Just a few minutes from the Michigan-Indiana border, it is just over an hour away from Chicago. They carry all the “I Love Toy Trains” merchandise, such as DVDs, trains, t-shirts, hats, and coloring books. They also carry the other “I Love” series such as Cat Machines and John Deere as well as a large collection of Thomas and Friends items. One room of the store houses an impressive train display with several sets of tracks and model trains.

When we went in last April, the price for any DVD in the store was $20, $35 for two, and similar discounts if you buy 3 or 4 dvds at one time. We purchased two DVDs: “I Love Toy Trains Volumes 1-3” and “I Love Cat Machines Volumes 1-4” and an “I Love Toy Trains” t-shirt for Sammy.

Sammy’s godfather bought him a really cool Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway “Calling All Engines Gift Pack.” The set contains five vehicles which would have cost more than double the price if purchased separately. Sammy was so excited to receive them, and it wasn’t even his birthday!

If you make the trip to New Buffalo, MI, be sure to make time for burgers at Redamak’s and dessert at The South Bend Chocolate Company.

Review: TrueBlue Blueberry Juice

Elaine — Wed, 23 May 2007 00:00:58 +0000

The kind folks at TrueBlue Blueberry Juice sent us two free samples of their products. We were able to taste the Blueberry Juice and the Blueberry Pomegranate. TrueBlue also comes in Blueberry Green Tea and Blueberry Cranberry. There is nutritional information on the website about Blueberry Raspberry, Blueberry Blackberry, LiteBlue Blueberry, LiteBlue Blueberry Raspberry, so hopefully they will be available soon as well.

The blueberry juice blends we have tried so far are excellent! They are very tasty without being too sweet. Both are smooth, crisp, and light. The plain Blueberry Juice is actually a blend of grape and blueberry juices. Marlo and I prefer the Blueberry over the Blueberry Pomegranate.

Both of our children (ages 1 and 3) couldn’t get enough of the juices. They didn’t seem to have a preference between the two. Since the juices are sweetened with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, I feel comfortable giving them to my children. The LiteBlue varieties are sweetened with both cane sugar and Splenda to give a product with half the calories.

Blueberries and blueberry juice are supposed to be very good for you. The TrueBlue site details the health benefits of blueberry products:

High in Antioxidants, Lowers cholesterol, Prevents urinary tract infections, Improves memory, coordination and balance, Improves Eyesight, and Slows aging.

All that and it tastes good too!

I’m looking forward to trying the other varieties. Both of our local grocery chains (Jewel and Dominick’s) carry TrueBlue. Find a store nearest you.

If you like juices, we encourage you to try TrueBlue. Don’t forget to print out the $1.00 off coupon.

Thanks TrueBlue for sending us the samples!

Review: Swiffer Carpet Flick

Elaine — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 06:49:40 +0000

My son Sammy just loves to watch me vacuum. He pretends that many of his toys are vacuums (toy weed whacker, golf clubs, etc.). As soon as we saw the television commercial for the Swiffer Carpet Flick, we knew we had to get it for him.

To Sammy’s delight, the handle comes in several pieces, allowing us to customize it to Sammy’s height. Now he can pretend to vacuum just like Mommy, and actually clean the carpet too!

The Swiffer does a pretty good job of cleaning up Cheerios his little sister may have thrown on the floor. It’s great for that quick daily cleanup when you don’t want to lug out that heavy vacuum.

If you have a toddler at home who likes to help out with the household work, this is the toy to get them. Unlike this vacuum toy, the Swiffer actually picks up dirt and does not require any batteries.

Safety Information: Please be sure to remind your kids not to touch the sticky part of the Swiffer. As the warning on the box says, it’s not meant for ingestion – i.e., don’t let them eat it!