OK to Wake Clock

When you become a parent what is one thing that you cherish the most (besides the adorable little bundle of joy you care for)?  SLEEP!  Ah, sleep!  Wonderful, uninterrupted, sleep.  Unfortunately, it's interrupted often after having kids, even after the baby stage.
Take my 3-year-old daughter.  6AM rolls around and all I hear is "MOMMY!!!  I'M AWAAAAKE!!"  Thus leading her to waking her little brother who shares a room with her.  This leads to also a very tired mommy.
I searched all over the place for something to help me to get my sleep and keep my kids happy as well.  Enter the OK to Wake Clock!
I have been sleeping soooooo well since I bought this!  It not only teaches my kids time, but it teaches them about respecting others sleeping patterns.  They now know that it's okay for them to get up when they do, but they are not allowed to call for us or make loud noises until that certain special time.  They just play quietly in their room until then.
The clock can be used as just a clock, a night light, an alarm, and a wake timer.  It can even be set for naps and timeouts!  It's really easy to set for everything and it's a great design for everyone to handle.  Not only does it do everything I mentioned with time, but it also has a button that the kids can push to make a cute little smiley face pop up.  That smiley face also comes on when the green light turns on to tell them that it's OK to Wake!  The kids love it!  It also has a faceplate that you can change between two designs.
Now instead of hearing "MOMMY!!!  I'M AWAAAAKE!!" I now hear "MOMMY!!!  THE LIGHT IS GREEN!!!"  That's when I know I've gotten the sleep I need and so have they.

Pros
- Easy to set
- Cute
- Easy to teach the kids how to understand what it means
- You get a better sleep!

Cons
- If the kids do get a hold of it then you may want to check to make sure the times you have set for everything are the way you want them.  It is easy to change.

I really think this is a must have for anyone that has kids!

Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara by Rimmel London

I'm not big on mascara.  In fact, I can't really wear it because of a disorder called Trichotillomania.  Look it up because I'm not explaining it.

Now, when I received this product from Influenster, I was really caught off guard.  Blush?  Sure.  Lipstick?  Of course!  Eye shadow?  Maybe.  Mascara?  Uhh....  How can I do this when I don't even have/have very few eyelashes?

FALSE EYELASHES.  For my sanity though, I don't want to post a picture of myself.  I'm still working on how to deal with everything and honestly, I think I did a horrible job of applying everything to myself.  So used a model to try it on.  This person is anonymous and I will not be posting a picture of her either for that sake. (And just a side note, I used her's that she bought for herself and I'm keeping mine so I can keep trying and hopefully use it on my real ones soon.  I didn't want to use mine on her after I had used it because, germs.)

One word really stood out to me on this product: RETRO.  If anyone knows me, that's my thing.  I'm constantly teased by my husband that I should have been born in the 50s so I could live the decades of the fashion and music revolutions.

The hourglass shape of the brush was something I thought was interesting.  Again, never used mascara before so I'm intrigued.  My friend sat extremely still for me as I put my shaky hand to her eye.  She doesn't like to wear a lot of make up, so this is interesting for the two of us.  When she does wear mascara she doesn't like it on her bottom lashes, so that saved me a lot of stress, haha.  I carefully applied the mascara to her top lashes and WOW.

If I stood too close to her I probably would have been blown away by the gorgeous fan of lashes!  They looked so natural except so much fuller and darker.  She had yet to try the product before we did this (she bought it before she found out I received it) and was ecstatic over the results!

Pros
- No clumps
- Fans lashes out evenly
- Easy to apply

Cons
- Can't think of any because I'm not experienced enough to know about mascaras.

Dr. Scholl's® For Her Cozy Cushions

As someone with arthritis, this was my favorite thing to receive in my Rose Vox Box from Influenster to test!  Once again, I was chosen to try out new things and we all know that's what I love to do!

Not only do these provide support for my back, but they keep my feet so warm!  They have layers of plush with a fuzzy side on top that you can wiggle your toes in while wearing your favorite pair of boots.
They're easy to trim down too!  I have small feet and had to trim mine down to the 7 and it worked to just trim right along the indented line they provide for you.  And to really help, they have it labeled "Left" and "Right" to know which boot to put them in (because, admit it, you'd sit there staring at them, wondering which goes where too).

So these are definitely worth the buy!

Pros
- Comfortable
- Warm
- Fuzzy
- Provide support

Cons
- Fuzzy part comes off easily

Huggies Slip-On Diapers

I fell for the commercials.  You know the ones: the kid is all over the place then the parent just easily slips the diaper up over their bottoms and they're off again.  I thought for sure this was going to be a life/time saver.
I have a 15 month old son.  He is EVERYWHERE.  Changing his diaper is one of the worst things in the world.  If you don't have poop on your shirt now, you will when you get done changing this kid.  Even when it's just a wet diaper, you will manage to get some sort of bodily fluid or diaper cream on yourself.
So a slip-on diaper, FANTASTIC idea!  I'll just buy them, take his diaper off, wipe the butt, then slip it right back over his pudgy little legs to cover his hiney.
The real way it happened?  Bought the diapers, took his diaper off, wiped his butt, put one leg through the hole, put the other leg through the other hole, caught the previous leg, put it back into the hole, catch the other leg, put it back into the hole, hold both legs together to keep them in the holes, stand him up to pull up the diaper, it gets stuck around his legs (yes I bought the right size), pull up around his butt, only to have him pull the tabs off just like he does with regular diapers....
Ironically (not really), Pull-Ups are made by the same company!  They are just Pull-Ups made into smaller sizes and a bit more absorbent.  They, in my opinion, are not more convenient than just laying the kid down and pulling tabs over their sides at the same time.

Pros
- It's a diaper
- Could be used to train a kid to go into the less absorbent diapers (aka Pull-Ups)

Cons
- Not as simple as it looks
- Expensive

They just weren't worth it.  I'm sticking with regular diapers, thank you.

Pop Tarts Gone Nutty

I love peanut butter.  Not just love, but, LOVE peanut butter.  So when I saw these pop up (see what I did there?) on the shelf at the store I HAD to buy them.  And I got both.  I'm not a Pop Tart fan either, so for me to actually spend money to get something that I don't normally get (unless requested by the family) it takes a lot.

I was hoping something along the lines of a toasted peanut butter sandwich (mmmmmmm) for the regular peanut butter and a melted peanut butter cup for the chocolate peanut butter.
I was VERY disappointed.
Neither of them have hardly any peanut butter in them.  You can barely taste it!  Their shells cover up the taste of everything.  And it wasn't even a taste I wanted, it was pure sugar.  Even the chocolate ones.  I didn't taste chocolate, I tasted sugar.  And not just that, but it's not even close to being as pretty and covered in chocolate looking as the box shows.
They could have at least made the product better by including a packet of real peanut butter to spread on top or to dip in (and if they come up with this idea, and I see that this post has a lot of views after that, then I'm expecting some pay on that idea.  Let it be known.)  That way it could at least have some of the taste that it claims to have on the box.
I'm not going to post Pros and Cons for these because it's just all Cons.  I don't see these lasting very long.  If they do, well, then I'll be very surprised.

Kraft Fresh Takes

I just discovered these at my supermarket not too long ago.  They're kind of easy to overlook being that they are in the dairy aisle with the cheese, but do me a favor and don't overlook them.  They look like this

So far my family has tried the Italian Parmesan, Roasted Garlic and Rosemary, and Smokey Mesquite BBQ.  We have only tried them on Chicken and Pork, but the package says you can try them on fish too, I just get nervous when cooking fish.
The only issue that I really have is the bag that it comes in.  It's not big enough to shake the food in.  So I solved that problem by just getting a gallon zip bag and pouring the ingredients in there to do the shaking.  Then after I am done coating them I sprinkle a bit more on top because sometimes the cheese doesn't stick as well.
Kraft Fresh Takes are a great, quick way to prepare a meal if you don't have a lot of time.  You could technically do this yourself, but they have all of the ingredients measured for you and it's just enough to give a really tasty flavor.

Pros
- Delicious
- Quick
- Easy
- Variety of flavors to choose from
- Package comes with tips on how to cook the meat and other ways to use the product.

Cons
- Bag that comes with it to shake the ingredients is too small.
- Not all flavors are available in every supermarket so you may have to look elsewhere to see if they carry different ones.

Bounty DuraTowel

We go through paper towels like water around this house.  My husband uses them as a tissue (especially now with allergies), I always have puddles of water to clean up after I do dishes, and let's face it, kids aren't the cleanest eaters in the world, so I have to use one on them to clean them up.  It made sense for me to buy a pack of Bounty DuraTowels because of all this craziness.
Besides the price and amount that you get in a roll for that price, I hardly see a difference between these and other paper towels.  They are a tad bit stronger, but Bounty is known for their strength, even with their Basic line.  They don't get as soaked as easily as other towels while I'm wiping up a wet mess, so that's good.  But really, I don't see the point in spending that much on paper towels.  Their big packs of the regular ones work just fine for me.

Pros
- Strong
- Doesn't soak as easy while cleaning a wet mess
- No streaks while cleaning

Cons
- Pricey for the little amount that comes in a pack
- Nothing that sets them apart from the others

Gain Scent Booster

Who doesn't want their laundry to smell amazing?  Especially when you have extremely smelly clothes after a 12 hour day in extreme heat, like my husband.  I found a detergent, but I decided that our clothes (especially his) needed an extra boost in the "smelling amazing" department.

Enter, Gain Scent Booster.  It smells A-MA-ZING in the bottle, at the store when you squeeze the aroma up your nose.  I was sold then and there because if it smells that awesome then, then it MUST smell even better after my laundry's done!

It's true that the smell lasts a while.  I couldn't have washed our clothes enough, to get that smell out of them.  And I'm talking about the smell of the Gain Scent Booster.  The moment I opened the washer I could smell it, and it didn't smell good at all.

So I threw the laundry in the dryer thinking that maybe it will smell better after the clothes are dry.  Nope.  I even tried it again on towels.  They smelled worse.  I hated drying off after my shower for the longest time because that smell just stuck around on them.

I don't even know how to describe it.  Like a cross between dryer-than-a-human-desires wine and flowers that make you sneeze every time you get within a few feet of them with a touch of fruit.  I ended up throwing the rest out.  I'm not one to beg for my money back when I'm one that willingly purchased it knowing full well that I may not like it.

But really, these are my reviews.  You might like it because everyone has different tastes.

Pros

- Smells good IN the container

- Pretty container.

- Smell sticks around (if you like it)

- Dissolves well

Cons

- Does not smell good after laundry is done.

- Smell sticks around too long if you don't like it.

Windex Touch-Up Cleaner

I really wanted to like this.  I like most of Windex's products, so why not this one?  All you're supposed to do is just pump once with a paper towel and wipe, right?  Then you're supposed to have a beautiful quick fix to a small mess.
Well, it isn't that easy, nor does it actually clean.  Now, if you want a clean SMELL in the spot of where the mess was for about 5 minutes, then by all means this is the thing for you.  But if you actually want it to be clean while smelling fresh, well, you're going to need to work a bit harder than that.
I had a tiny mess on the counter, I was so excited because now I get to try the new Windex Touch-Up Cleaner!  I grabbed a paper towel and touched (well, pumped once) the top of the container.  Barely a squirt came out.  Okay, pump a bit more, now it looks like it has enough.  I go to wipe it up (spaghetti sauce) and it smears.  It is now an orange smelling smear of sauce.  Wet cleaner plus wet mess equals a smear.
So after I was done cooking I waited to see if it worked on the splatters from the sauce.  It didn't.  It took a lot of scraping with my fingernails through the paper towel to even clean it the slightest.  Soap and water works much better.
I'm just going to get down to it.  This product is a waste of money and I only tried the kitchen one so I don't want to know what the bathroom one fails at.

Pros
- Smells good
- Pretty bottle

Cons
- Doesn't clean quickly or efficiently.
- Really have to pump to get anything out of it.
- Just not worth it, period.

Lint Lizard

I have seen this product out for a while now.  Every time I would pass by it in the store I stopped and looked at it while contemplating if it would be worth the $11 or not.  I finally broke down yesterday and bought it.
My dryer hasn't been working properly lately.  It has been taking two rounds to completely dry any clothing/towels so I boiled it down to lint (and if it's not that then I think it's time for a new dryer.  These things are OLD).  No matter how often I clean the filter (after every dry) it just seemed to be getting worse.  I'm blaming it on the guy that lived here before us because we just moved in a little over a year ago and these things came with the place.
So like I said, I bought the Lint Lizard.  After putting it together I realized that it looks a bit like a beer bong.  You know, those things that people use at parties that have a funnel and tube attached to each other with the tube part ending in a person's mouth while a beer is being poured in.
This:

Maybe someone just had an idea while drinking out of one, I don't know.  Or maybe it's just my college days coming back to me.  Moving on....
I attached the Lint Lizard to my vacuum (Easy to do) and slithered the hose down into my lint trap.  It took some maneuvering, but after a couple of seconds I heard the glorious sound of something being sucked up the hose, and not just something, but something huge.  When I emptied my vacuum there was a pretty nice size pink and gray clump of dusty fuzz that couldn't have come from anywhere else buy my dryer.
So now what, you ask.  Well, now I throw the load of laundry in that has just finished in the washer and wait.  And wait.  And.... I'll be back.
Laundry's done!  And it's DRY on the first dry!  So, yes, the Lint Lizard works!

Pros
- Easy to assemble
- Reaches far into the lint trap
- Fairly wide enough hose to gather some of the biggest clumps

Cons
- Cheaply made and comes apart easily while using it
- Awkward to handle
- Should make an attachment to go on a handheld

So it's up to you whether or not you want to buy the Lint Lizard.  In my opinion, if you have a busy life and need a quick way to take care of something simple, then get one.

Scotch Brite Stay Clean Scrubbers

I wanted to use this product for a bit to see how true it is to it's name and I have to admit, Scotch Brite really did the testing on this one.  Although I wouldn't care to have someone with a television camera and a reporter in my kitchen eavesdropping in on my cleaning to find this out.
I have been using the same sponge for a month now and I haven't seen a single sign of food sticking to it and not coming out.  If something does stick then all it takes is a simple rinse under the faucet to wash it off.  And you don't have to worry about getting those little blue pieces of sponge stuck to your dishes/pots/pans only to find them later when you're cooking.
There are only a couple of things I can see some people complaining about, but I don't see them as deal breakers.  It does take a bit more elbow grease to scrub off the tough stuff, but you will eventually get it and soaking the dishes for a bit longer does help with this.  Also, the soap tends to wash out faster and I find myself having to replenish it a bit more often than other sponges but it doesn't take much so it's not really a waste of soap.  If you can look over these factors, like I can, then this would be a good thing for you to use.

Let's go over the pros and cons:

Pros
- No food sticking to the sponge.
- Comfortable cloth-like backing to the sponge to hold on to.
- Rinses out easily so no mildewy or stinky sponges are sitting at the sink.
- Durable.
- Not a lot of soap needed to make a nice suds.
- Not really a selling factor to most, but it is a pretty purple.

Cons
- Need to soak the dishes a bit longer and scrub a bit harder to get the tough stuff off.
- Since it rinses out easily then it goes through soap easily.

Palmolive Soft Touch Dish Soap

I recently received a package from Influenster.com with two bottles of Palmolive Soft Touch Dish Soap in it.  I have been chosen with a few others to test it and review what I thought about the product.  So I figured, why not review other things as well?  I'm a very vocal person when it comes to products that I like and don't like, so why just tell my friends and family when I can tell the world?  If there is a product that you're curious about and you don't see it on here and you want to know if I have used it or not, feel free to message me and I'll look into it if I feel it's something I could do.  I have a family of four with two small children so it will be mostly cleaning products and kids things.  But you never know!

Palmolive Soft Touch dish soap

I have actually been using this product for a while, so I think that shows right there that I love it.  I have psoriasis and this is the only dish soap that I have found that does not make my hands itch or crack after use AND it cleans well.
I found it not only good enough to help soak some pots and pans overnight, but to clean bottles for my baby as well.  There has been no residue or sliminess on anything that I have washed.  I recommend this for anyone!  If you have to wash dishes by hand (like I do because I have no dishwasher) then get this.
It comes in a few different types such as Aloe, Coconut Butter and Vitamin E.  My personal favorite is the Coconut Butter because of the scent, but all three work the same.
So if you want your hands to feel soft and not cracked or itchy after washing the dishes, then go get Palmolive Soft Touch!