Think It Thursday: An Open Letter

This is something that is very personal, but was on my mind for quite a while so I felt it best to share with you all since it affected my blogging for a few days.

I recently learned through a facebook message from my cousin, that my "father" passed away. I haven't seen the man since I was about 2. He has never been a part of my life in the past 30 year. He was my "father", never a dad. Now I know that seems kind of cold to inform someone that way, but it was actually my other cousin (her sister) who had noticed the name in the paper & thought it might be the same. After a phone call to my aunt, who in turn called my mom, it was clear that it was. 

I started crying. But I was far from sad. This person had already been dead to me for practically my whole life, so it was no difference in that aspect. But I was furious that I never got to tell him what a sorry excuse for a father he was. I was a crying ball of rage. So I looked up the obituary online to see for myself. I knew the name, it was him. I noticed the date it said he passed. It was the week prior...on my youngest daughters birthday! This enraged me more. How dare he die on such a special day to me! I don't care if that sounds childish or not. That's exactly how I felt. By this point I was ready to go for a run, too bad it was pitch black, icy & freezing outside. 

The next morning I took it upon myself to call the funeral home like my cousin suggested to find out a cause of death. I have zero medical history for that side of the family & if there was anything genetic about his passing, I wanted to know. The woman was very understanding since apparently she gets these kinds of calls all the time (she thanked me afterwards for not yelling at her like most others in my situation). The cause of death was vague to say the least, hypoxia from a seizure disorder. 

I really didn't want to speak with my aunt or uncle, so I left an email address instead since I needed to know more about this "seizure disorder". But google got the best of me & after I plugged in my uncle's name & "firefighter", I found him. Well, I found an article about him that mentioned the family line of firefighters (this part skipped my "father" though & he was a 2 yr. Army vet turned professional alcoholic), so I knew it was him for sure. Ironically he is now a fire chief not too far away from me. 

But something sparked when I saw that & I called him. He was "unavailable" when I said I was his niece, but when I told the woman I was just trying to find out how my "father", his brother, had died - he was on the phone in no time. I got more actual information from the woman at the funeral home than from him since you could tell that he was beating around the bush. He said they tried to find me & OK, my nickname from when I was little & my maiden name would probably pull up a million different people. But to search my moms maiden name (my aunt on my "father"s side was in the same grade/classes as my uncle from my moms side - so they know the name), which is far from common, they would pull up someone I'm related to. Yes, it's one of those kind of names. So of course I had to tell him I found him in about 5 min.

I was told there was no estate, which I knew without asking. I informed him that I wasn't calling for money, I wouldn't have wanted it anyways coming from him. I just wanted answers. My children if anything deserved to know. But what I thought was the absolute funniest part, I was told that my aunt would probably share some of his ashes. I politely declined & told my uncle that I liked him & my aunt far better than my "father". And judging by the fact that I haven't spoken to them in probably 25 years says a lot!

I left my uncle with my number & he was supposedly going to have my aunt call me. It's been a week or two (my time perception is way off from Christmas) & I haven't heard anything. I don't suppose I ever will either. But if need be, I'll be making more phone calls myself just to get the answers that I need. 

Merry Christmas!

 

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

 

Merlot Skin Care Giveaway Winner!

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Congrats to Ronalee D.! 

Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter!   

Skwooshi: The New Play Compound

Have you heard of Skwooshi, the new play compound that doesn't dry out? That alone is like music to a mother's ears. I don't even want to think of how much money I've thrown away from having to toss hardened Play-Doh or other kinds of compounds. But what makes Skwooshi different is that it's a dry compound. Therefore, it won't dry out!

This Car & Rocket Action Set came with 4 easy to use molds & 2 of the 10 available colors of Skwooshi in their own little cases.

Skwooshi reminds me of the soft green foamy stuff used for flower arrangements, it even crumbles like it. But if you take a larger piece & pull it apart, it almost looks like stretching gum with the soft foamy green stuff in it. Based on my description alone, you can imagine how many times I did that trying to figure it out. (It was a lot & I never figured it out.)

Time to play! Despite being easy to clean up the crumb-like pieces by pressing into a larger piece, I thought that there was no way these molds would produce anything decent. I was expecting extra lines everywhere from all of the pieces my kids used to shove into the molds,

View this photo on Instagram!

I don't say this often, but I was wrong. There were only a few lines here & there, but I think that was just from not putting enough Skwooshi into the mold.

And we all know that the absolute worst part about Play-Doh & other play compounds, is when it makes a mess on the floor. Especially carpet. Most of the time we don't even notice until it's already hardened, making the task of cleaning it up a huge chore. You'll be happy to know that since Skwooshi is a dry compound, it sweeps right up! See, I told you you'd be happy.

Skwooshi is creative fun that doesn't make a mess! Or at least not a mess that's difficult to clean up.

Keep up with the latest from Skwooshi on Facebook & Twitter.

**Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Skwooshi/Irwin Toy & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

 

Magna Color 3D Magic with an Underwater Adventure

My kids love to draw & color. Unfortunately they also love to peel all the paper off of the crayons, break them into pieces & occasionally use the walls & kitchen cupboards as their "canvas" (only the 2 year old is guilty of the latter). So as you can imagine, I try to find other ways for them to "color".

Magna Color 3D Magic is the perfect solution!

A magnetic drawing studio serves as the "canvas" & magic dot pens filled with colored magnets serves as the "crayons". It even comes with 2 double sided stencils with an underwater adventure theme, which can be used in an interactive app.

Filling the pens is easy. At first my daughter thought that we had to somehow put each magnet in the pens by hand. And well, if we did then that was going to be her job (LOL!). When you flip the drawing studio over, you can see what looks like a very intricate process.

Just insert the colored pens into the appropriate color slot & push down until they click into place. Make sure the sliders are pushed to close the openings, especially since only 4 of the 6 colors are included.

Flip the drawing studio back over so that the magnetic board is facing you. Empty out the bags of the magnetic dots onto the board (opening those little suckers is the hardest part). Then grab the sweeper tool that sits under the left  hand side, to push them upwards. There's a little slat that you may have to hold open to make sure all of the magnetic dots go through the opening, especially the smaller ones. 

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This is where my fun begins! My daughter thought the amount of fun I had shaking the magnetic dots through the levels was hilarious. But it reminded me of some kind of old school game...that's my excuse & I'm sticking to it.

Once the magnetic dots have gone through to their appropriate levels, just push the slider for the pens open, turn the drawing studio on its side & shake.

The pens are super easy to use, you just push down to release.

If you choose to use a stencil, the bottom of the drawing studio lifts up to easily slide it in. And of course you can download the free Magna Color app to bring your stenciled creations to life. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to try it out yet since my tablet is being repaired. But the app will be a nice surprise to the kids when I do get it back.

This may be a bit too advanced for my 2 year old (recommended for ages 4 & up), but with some supervision & a little help, she gets to enjoy it like her brother & sister. And I have to say that I really enjoy not having a mess to clean up!

Keep up with the latest from Magna Color on Facebook & Twitter.

**Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Magna Color/Tech 4 Kids & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

 

Tek Recon High Performance Blasters

These days it seems that kids would much rather play video games than actually go & play. I won't lie, I can see why since video games have come a long way since I was a kid (1st generation Nintendo & Atari girl here!) . Today they're more involving, especially the interactive ones where you can chat with other players online.But did you know that Tek Recon can basically make you feel like you're in a video game while you're actually physically playing?

Tek Recon & their line of High Performance Blasters (Hammer Head & Havok) have reinvented interactive play. These blasters shoot reusable "NRG rounds" that are coated in powder to prevent sticking (these actually remind me of the rubber bands you put on sheep to make their tails fall off), up to 75 ft! But with a simple free download of the Tek Recon app to a smartphone, it gives you the same online gaming feel.

I decided to start with the Havok since it looked more intimidating to assemble. It really wasn't after reading the directions, which actually surprised me. 

First thing I noticed was that the shoulder stock was adjustable. Which is absolutely awesome since all ages can comfortably play with it that way - myself included. 

I left my helper with the task of inserting the 36 "NRG rounds" that the blaster came with (holds 72 total) into the double ended clip. It took her a bit to get a good rhythm, but once she did she had them loaded in no time.

There's even a slider which allows you to choose either "distance" or "rapid" fire. I found that my helper & I both favored using the pump-action trigger vs. the actual trigger on "rapid" fore mode.

A smartphone mount easily attached to the top of the blaster & even comes with different sized spacers to help keep it in place. Just download the app & you're ready to play.

View this photo on Instagram!

I tried to register, but it was giving me an issue, which reminds me, I still have to go online & fix that. But I can select the "solo" mode & play without signing in. The app itself allows you to zoom in on your target, go full screen & even use the radio feature to speak with your team by using GPS technology. And all while in either night vision, infra-red, thermal or regular modes.

We haven't tried out all of the features in depth yet though. We plan on getting a few friends, more blasters (& there has to be a couple extra smartphones around here...somewhere), so that we can have a full on war outside. Although I have thought about painting  all of the "NRG rounds" with glow in the dark paint so i can find them easier (LOL!). Either that or buy massive amounts of refills, which would probably be better.

See, after setting up the Havok, the Hammer Head could practically be set up with your eyes closed! (The Hammer Head comes with 15 "NRG rounds" & holds up to 25.)

Keep up with the latest from Tek Recon on Facebook & Twitter.

**Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Tek Recon/Tech 4 Kids & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.

 

Amazing Grass & a Giveaway!

By now we all know of my love for superfoods. I mean, who wouldn't love getting a jolt of antioxidants, nutrients, vitamins & minerals with as little calories as possible?! And let's not forget how great it makes you feel! 

Amazing Grass was kind enough to send me a variety of their superfood products. And by the name alone, you can tell that they're green superfoods (all centered around a blend of wheat grass, kale, barley grass & alfalfa),  but taste far better than going outside & getting a handful of grass to eat.

Green SuperFood has amazing flavors like Orange Dreamsicle, Pineapple Lemongrass & Berry. You can't even taste any of the greens, especially when you mix them with juice, milk or in a smoothie. The only thing that gets me is the texture, but that's mostly my fault since I'm always in a rush & don't shake it enough (so make sure you do). But that's quite OK, since I love having the extra energy to get me through my mornings without drinking a pot of coffee. 

Kidz SuperFood is available in Chocolate & Wild Berry Flavors. These are perfect for a picky eater! The fruit & veggie rainbow is covered with ingredients like asparagus, carrots, pineapple, tomatoes, blueberries & beets. of course my pickiest eater wouldn't drink hers right away & it started to settle a bit (she's a texture weirdo like me), which turned her off. But my other two kids didn't seem to notice.

Amazing Meal is the perfect solution to make sure that you don't skip a meal. I don't know how many times I finally get the chance to eat lunch, only to look at the clock & see that it's almost 2:00. So most of the time I end up skipping, which makes me pig out at dinner, therefore making me uber lazy for the rest of the evening. And I don't have time to be lazy! Since Amazing Meal is a dietary supplement made with the same main green superfood blend plus added protein, fruits & veggies, it's enough to keep you satisfied. Added bonus - with flavors like Cafe Mocha, Vanilla Chai & Pomegranate Mango, it tastes more like dessert!

Green SuperFood Energy Bars are for those that still prefer to chew their superfood. Made with fruits, veggies & Green SuperFood Powder these bars satisfy your hunger & give you added energy while making you feel like you're indulging yourself. My favorite has to be the Chocolate Chip Coconut, it was like eating an Almond Joy. I almost tried to stop myself, until I looked at the bar, saw the green & reminded myself how healthy it was. Actually if given the chance, I'd choose this bar over an Almond Joy any day!

This is by far the easiest shaker I've ever used. Just a lid & a cup, no extra strainers or whatever they are. The measurements are fairly easy to read & it doesn't leak when I shake it. But the best part has to be inside the lid - Cheers!

And if you have an iPhone, you can get the app to take their Two Week Challenge. (You want to feel great & energized right?) Don't have an iPhone to take the challenge, that's OK. You can still sign up for Amazing Grass emails & receive special offers, new product info & more. Who knows, you might even turn into a GrassHead! If you join the GrassHeads (US & Canada residents) you get a 20% discount, auto shipment on products & even free shipping (US only)!

Check out this photo on Instagram!

Eager to try some Green SuperFood for yourself?

  

One  lucky winner will receive one (100 serving size) container of Green SuperFood in the flavor of their choice!

The giveaway will conclude on at 12:00 a.m. est on Wednesday 1/1/14. Winners will be announced via rafflecopter & in a separate blog post which will be published no later than 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday 1/1/14. Winners will also be notified via email & announced on the Smith and Blessings facebook page. Winners will have 48 hours to submit shipping information, which will then be passed on to Amazing Grass for distribution of product. If 48 hours has lapsed, a new winner will be picked & then will also have 48 hours to submit their information. *Giveaway open to U.S. & Canada residents only. 

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Keep up with the latest from Amazing Grass on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram & YouTube.

**Disclaimer: I received these products to try from Amazing Grass & am simply sharing my personal opinion which may vary from yours. I was not compensated for this review.