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Aqua Zinger by Zing Anything Review

~This review brought to you by Zing Anything~

The Zing Anything product line and technology is designed with the purpose of extracting the essence of all natural ingredients and allowing these flavors to infuse directly into a liquid of choice. Flavor, aroma, hue, plus the added vitamin, minerals, and nutrients all infuse naturally when using fresh ingredients like fruits/vegetables in the Zing Anything product line of water bottles and salad dressing makers.

Summer time has finally hit down south and the temperatures are sky rocketing to the 90’s. In a few weeks, I’m sure we’ll be back into the triple digits. Keeping hydrated is one of the most important factors during heat waves, but sometimes, it’s difficult to not only get my son to drink just water, but my husband is a stickler for soda. It drives me crazy and I get worried about how hydrated they are while we’re out to the park or walking around the lake!

Zing Anything has an amazing line of products that help infuse flavors into a variety of items, from water to salad dressing, you can zing up whatever you like. We were lucky enough to try out the Aqua Zinger and it’s become one of my most favorite kitchen items I’ve ever owned.

The Aqua Zinger is a four piece water bottle type infuser made of stainless steel and BPA/EA free plastic. Make sure the bottle is empty and that the cap is on tight before adding any ingredients to the bottom chamber. Clean and cut up whatever fruit or veggie you want to infuse. Add your combination of fruit, vegetable, herb, spice, or sugar to the cup. Place the grinder back into cup and screw back onto bottle. The keys of the grinder will lock into the bottle and start grinding your ingredients. Slowly screw and unscrew the grinder a few times to really mash up the ingredients. Now, add your water into the top of the bottle, shake, and allow the water to steep and infuse in your fridge for 15-30 minutes! Shake again before drinking!

My little guy loved watching me make all of our infused drinks! His favorite part was shaking up the bottle and, of course, getting to drink our fun creations! Our favorite flavors have been just lemon with water, lemon & lime, mint with water, and peach! I really want to try cucumber next and there is even a suggestion for hot chili peppers!

You don’t have to just steep water though. I’ve put a tea bag in the bottle with crushed lemon and a touch of honey for my own personal sweet tea. Allow it to steep for a full half an hour if you use cold water. It’s delicious! You can add any type of liquid really, cold or hot, to achieve the perfect drink. The only thing not really recommended is warm milk or baby food. Even carbonated water is okay!

My favorite part is the reuse of your ingredients. You can expect to get two full drinks from the Aqua Zinger before needing to change out the fruit or other items. If after 3 days refrigerated or 12 hours non-refrigerated, it’s suggested to throw out your mixture to avoid the growth of microbes. But trust me, your drink will never last that long, at least none of mine have so far!

If you’re looking for a healthy way to increase your daily water intake or your families intake during this hot summer, then look no further than an Aqua Zinger. Keeping yourself hydrate has never been easier or more tasty!

Connect
You can connect with Zing Anything on their website, Facebook, and Twitter pages

Buy It
You can purchase the Aqua Zinger off their website for $25.99

I received a sample product for this review. All opinions expressed are my own and/or families. Take it or leave it. Click here to view the whole disclosure policy.

UA ArmourFit Mouthguards Review

Blog· Review

~This review was made possible by Under Armour~

“Under Armour today introduced the first-of-its-kind microwaveable, boilable, re-fittable and chew resistant line of mouthguards with Bite Tech Inc., the exclusive licensee of Under Armour Performance Mouthwear.“

My kids are extremely active in sports: hockey, baseball, softball, boy’s lacrosse, girl’s lacrosse, basketball, cheerleading, dance, and running. All of them but running, cheerleading and dance require mouth guards. We go through a LOT of mouth guards. They seem to not last very long in my house.

My whole family was very eager to try the ArmourFit Mouthguards by Under Armour. We are big Under Armour fans.

Yes, my daughter is using the ArmourFit Mouthguard with the strap (and doesn’t need it), but she thinks it is cool. The strap works great on the hockey and boy’s lacrosse helmets!

My kids have played several baseball, boy’s lacrosse, softball, and girl’s lacrosse games wearing their ArmourFit Mouthguards. They LOVE them. They are comfortable in their mouths’. My kids really like that they can talk with them in. I like them for several reasons. They are chew-resistance (my kids chew through mouth guards all the time). They come in four colors. My kids either match them to their team color or pick their favorite color. The best reason of all is since they are comfortable to wear, my kids wear them like they are required too without compliant! That makes us all very happy!

The mouthguard on the left is one that my son used for approximately a dozen games/practices. The mouthguard on the right is his ArmourFit Mouthguard that he has used approximately 30 games/practices. It is still in great shape.

Under Armour ArmourFit Mouthguards:

provide a protective advantage to the teeth, jaw and gums for athletes of all ages engaged in contact sports-including football, hockey, lacrosse and rugby-and limited contact sports, such as soccer, basketball, baseball and volleyball
provide athletes with an ?at home? tight, comfortable, dentist-like custom fit, and allows you to talk and breath easily
can be re-fit multiple times over as the user’s bite changes (lost tooth, braces adjustment, etc.)
are chew-resistant, which increases durability and ensures the mouthguard’s protective integrity is maintained
meets NFHS rules, latex-free and made in the USA

Connect: You can connect with Under Armour on their Facebook Page and/or @UnderArmour on Twitter.

Buy It! You can buy the UA ArmourFit Mouthguards online at Under Armour for $12.99.

VTech CareLine Phone System Review

Blog· Review· Tech

~This review was made possible by Lowepro~

“The VTech CareLine phone system encourages the independence and safety of boomer’s parents while keeping them connected to caregivers, friends, family and emergency contacts. The three-piece system has no monthly fees and was designed with experts in aging and technology for optimal use by older consumers who may struggle with hearing, dexterity or vision.“

Every day at work I see first hand how elder parents want to keep their independence but their children are concerned about their safety. I understand both sides. The VTech CareLine phone system is so fantastic for both parties. Let me share with you why!

The VTech CareLine has four speed-dial buttons. You can place the person photo on the button so you can visually see who you are calling. This is great for seniors and young children. Also, the number buttons are larger which make it easier to dial.

If you are like me, I love caller id. With the VTech CareLine phone, the caller id is announced so no has to look at the small numbers on the display. The phone also comes with a cordless phone. The cordless phone has a visual/flashing indicator when receiving a call, just in case you don’t hear it.

Now for the best part….the VTech CareLine phone comes with a safety pendant. The safety pendant allows two emergency phone numbers to be programmed to it.

You can wear the pendant around your neck (comes with a lanyard), clip it to your waistband or pocket. The best part is there are no monthly monitoring fee.

Lastly, the VTech CareLine has a digital answering machine that answers calls when you can’t. There is also an “audio assist” button that temporarily increases the volume when you are on a call. This helps you hear the person on the other end of the phone line.

The phone system comes with the base phone/digital answering machine, the cordless phone and pendant. You can add additional cordless phones and pendants. What a great idea for multiple people in the same household!

If you need a phone for someone you care for who doesn’t want to give up their independence, the VTech CareLine is a perfect solution. You can be a push of a button away. Even though this phone is targeted toward seniors, I think it is great for younger kids too. Like all VTech phones I have ever had, the quality is superb too!

Connect: You can connect with VTech Phones on their Facebook Page, and/or @VTechPhones on Twitter.

Buy It! You can buy the VTech CareLine Phone System online VTech for $119.95.

Lowepro’s Photo Sport Shoulder Bag for Women Review & Giveaway {CLOSED}

Blog· Giveaways· Review

~This review was made possible by Lowepro~

“Fits a camera and personal items – Take everything you need with dedicated space for both your camera and personal items.”

I absolutely love taking photos and I am always carrying my camera around with me, but didn’t have a bag for it. It usually ends up awkwardly placed in an everyday fabric bag with other items I am bring to the event or in my purse. Neither place is great for my expensive camera (which I saved 3 years to buy!).

It seems all the camera bags I have liked have been really girly. Girly is great for me, not so much for my husband, who ends up carrying a lot of my stuff! Lowepro’s Photo Sport Shoulder Bag for Women is designed for women, but still looks “manly” enough for him to carry!

The inside bag for the camera is padded to protect the camera. You can also pull out the padded bag (velcro tabs inside) and just carrying the camera.

What do I love best about the Lowepro’s Photo Sport Shoulder Bag for Women? Let me tell you! There is room for more than just the camera – BONUS! I don’t like carrying a camera bag, a purse, and a bag with kid “stuff” to keep them entertained. This allows me to leave my purse at home, as there is room for my phone, wallet and even my water bottle! I LOVE it!

Connect: You can connect with Lowepro on their Facebook Page, @Lowerpro on Twitter, and/or Pinterest.

Buy It! You can buy the Lowepro’s Photo Sport Shoulder Bag for Women online at Lowepro’s for $74.99.

Giveaway: How would you like to a Lowepro’s Photo Sport Shoulder Bag for Women? I have one to give away to one lucky contestant! To enter the giveaway please follow all of the directions below! If you don’t follow the rules, you can’t win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Boo Nursing Coverlet

Blog· Crafts· DIY

Boo
Nursing Coverlet

Yes,
you may laugh at the title, but it’s so true.
My daughter’s first word was BOO
short for BOOB! So many people are embarrassed by nursing
moms except for the perverts that are trying to sneak a peek. Even some of the mom’s themselves are
embarrassed. I was a bit timid with my
first child, but it didn?t last long. My
first daughter was born in 2005 and you really couldn?t find a lot of nursing
covers back then. It seems so long ago,
but really eight years isn?t that long . . . then again it seems like an
eternity. So when I became pregnant with
my second child in 2010, I decided I would find a pattern for a nursing
cover. I found a really nice blog that
gave you easy to follow directions and began my journey.

Materials
Needed

?
Thread

?
1
yard of fabric

?
Corset
Boning. It comes in black or white and it comes in
different strengths (or stiffness).

?
2
D rings. The rings
are called D rings because they are
in the shape of the letter D. They come in silver or gold. I got the 1? in size.

Step
1:

Cut your fabric 28? X 38?. The finished product is approximately 25?
X 33?. The cover was able to wrap around my sides
and fit under my arms with plenty of room to spare.

Step
2:

I cut the strips for the neck straps. The
pattern suggested 31 inches on the longer strap, but I took off a few inches
and cut mine at 26? X 3? wide. As for the shorter strap I cut it at 10
inches by 3 inches wide. The shorter strap
will hold the D rings.

My original coverlets were leftover pieces of cotton
blend upholstery fabrics. This fabric
was perfect during the cold months, but a bit warm in the summer months. Unfortunately, it is hard to find time to sew
with a newborn baby that suffered from reflux and sleep apnea. Needless to say she is now three and we still
have sleepless nights at times.

Thankfully, I decided to go with gender neutral
material with my first two coverlets so I will be able to use them for our baby
boy that is due July 29th. I?m positive
I will get tons of use out of them and the ones I am sharing with you. Although I would change the fabric for the
summer months the fabric used for my second child doesn?t even look used. I could sell these handmade goods and the
buyer would still be pleased.

STEP
3:

When sewing your straps make sure you turn your ends
down to where no raggedy edges are showing.
I keep a ruler handy and made sure it measured 1?
the length of both straps. Make sure you
pin them in place and iron them while they are pinned. As for the long strap you will turn your end
down to a point and secure it with pins and iron again. The short strap is where you will place the D rings and secure them by turning your
fabric under, and again secure them with pins and iron. Don?t worry about the ends of the straps they
will be placed under the hem at the top of the coverlet.

STEP
4:

First I sewed
the coverlet by turning down my seam allowance on the bottom, and then turned
down my boarder by an inch. I pinned and
pressed my inch margin before I sewed it securely into place. My seam allowance was measured by the last
measurement line on the sewing machine.
I continued until I reached the top.

STEP
5:

When I began to use the boning for the top I went
ahead, and did the same as STEP 4
only I left 10-12 inches in the center for the boning. I turned the fabric over the same as STEP 4, and inserted the boning in the
center under the hem, and secured it into place with pins (make sure you secure
it into place). Then I placed the straps
at either end of the boning and folded the end under the hem. Everything should be nice and neat and secured
with pins in order to sew your last seem.
I kept my seam allowance the same as STEP 4. After you have completed that seam come back to
your first strap and create another seam at the top of the boning and
sew through the second strap for extra security. This way the boning will not shift around and
your straps are extra secure.

Now you are finished and can adjust your straps to
your own personal measurements. Now you can fold it up and place it in your diaper bag for all those feeding emergencies.

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