Unreal41 Candy Coated Chocolates

I tried the Unreal41 Candy Coated chocolates. I have no idea why they are numbered “41.” It was an interesting experience. At first bite, they seem like M&Ms. Then you realize that they have a heavier taste than M&Ms. Then you get a strange aftertaste. And you are curious, so you eat some more. They are definitely a completely different taste than M&Ms, so you may be disappointed if you think that's what you are getting. But I think I could get used to them. I like the idea that these are candy that is better for you as candy goes. They have no artificial ingredients, no hydrogenated oils, no corn syrup, and no preservatives. I received some coupons from BzzAgent to buy mine, otherwise I probably would have never realized these candies were out there.

Philips SatinPerfect Epilator

I've shaved, waxed, depilatorated? and now epilated my legs. I have to say that I have the hardest time getting hair off of my knees.  Depilatory creams worked best in the past, but I hated having to remember to put it on before I got in the shower and waiting the prescribed amount of time as well as the smell. Shaving always cut my knees, and waxing is too expensive. But with the Philips SatinPerfect epilator, the hair comes off easily and stays off. I found it too painful to use on my whole leg, especially since shaving works well enough and quick enough for me, but I'm glad I have it for my knees now!  They are kind of expensive (the one I received from BzzAgent was valued at $130, but they do make a $50 version), but as long as it last several years, I would think it’s worth the investment. The hair stays off for at least a week, and it works quickly in the privacy of your own home.

Silk Soymilk and Almond Milk

I have had soymilk in the past – chocolate soymilk.  And I have enjoyed it – especially the Silk brand.  I used to drink it as an afternoon snack at work.  I tried the 8th Continent brand once because it was on sale and did not like it.  It did not give the same enjoyable experience as drinking the Silk brand and more like drinking something “healthy.”  Now, I have read that chocolate soymilk (like chocolate milk) is not that great for you.  So, when I was given the opportunity to get two half-gallon Silk products for free from BzzAgent, I decided to broaden my horizons.  I purchased Silk PureAlmond Vanilla milk first.  I tried it straight up in a glass at first.  It was a little thick and slightly bitter, so I cut it with my regular milk and found it much more palatable.  My three year old also enjoyed the “nut milk.”  I then tried it in my protein smoothies.  It performed very well and gave the smoothie and extra dimension of almond flavor – a very nice touch.  I finally tried it in my cereal (everything from Lucky Charms to Frosted Mini-Wheats).  I actually really enjoyed it in the cereal.  It’s thicker than regular milk, so the experience harkens a little of something my mother likes to do – add yogurt to her cereal.  I don’t like adding yogurt because that’s too thick for me, but I did like the almond milk. 

After I finished the Almond Milk, I dared to try Silk Plain Soymilk.  This was a little scary to me, since I had never tried plain soymilk before and the idea of nothing sweetening it was not my idea of something tasty.  I tasted a tiny bit plain and it was as I expected – unappetizing.  So I added some Hershey’s chocolate syrup and it wasn’t too bad.  I then tried it in my smoothies and found it an acceptable replacement for regular milk.  I only noticed a slight taste difference.  I tried in my cereal and the same thing happened there – tasted fine.  I was actually pleasantly surprised that I was able to finish the entire half gallon and happy to know I don’t have to buy flavored soymilk again.   Silk also makes a coconut milk and I look forward to trying that one next!

Bare International Mystery Shopping

I will not typically review a company, specifically a mystery shopping company, because I think that mystery shoppers should remain anonymous.  Which is why I find Facebook Pages of mystery shopping companies amusing, because that’s about as un-anonymous as you can get.  However, since I had such a terrible experience with this company, I must get it off my chest.  I did two shops for this company the same day.  One shop, I received a 10/10 rating, the other a 1/10.  They rejected my shop and said I refused to respond to any requests of further information.  I am not new to mystery shopping.  I have been doing this for seven years and perform over one hundred shops a year with several different companies.  I have never had the following happen to me and hopefully it will never happen again.  The shop I performed was a 45 minute drive and only one of the four venues they wanted me to evaluate was open.  So maybe that made me irritable about the whole thing anyway.  I submitted the shop on time and emailed the scheduler to let her know that everything was closed.  I checked the job board the next day (instructions said to check within 24 hours) and there were no messages. I went about my business and waited for an email if there was a question.  I find that mystery shopping companies do not usually work as fast as they like their shoppers to and often get back to you a week or so after the assignment is finished with questions.  I never received any email and eventually forgot about the assignment.  Now before you accuse me of losing the email in a spam filter, let me tell you I check my spam filter several times a day, whenever I see that there is a message in it.  I also have a special filter for my mystery shopping emails with a big red “Mystery Shop” box that pops up on it to flag them for me.  I NEVER received an email from them until they sent me an email saying I received a grade of 1 on the shop and it was to be excluded, I would not be paid, and that I would receive a citation for never updating my report.  I was furious.  I found the phone number to my account manager and called.  She was very nonchalant about the situation when I was obviously very upset.  When I realized she was not going to do anything, I asked to speak to someone who could do something and she sent me to another person’s voicemail.  I left my message and waited to receive an answer.  The next day, I received a phone call from the account manager asking if she reopened the shop, would I add the additional information that was requested.  Of course I would.  I would have completed it earlier if you had managed to let me know me you needed more information.  I raised the issue of not receiving the emails with her again, and she said, “This happens all the time.  People never respond to our emails until they get the shop excluded email.”  So I told her that it sounded like there was something wrong with their email system and maybe someone should be looking into it.  And she flat out said, “No ma’am, it’s not a problem with our system.  The emails are being sent.  People just don’t respond to them.”  Excuse me, but she just called me a liar.  Wow.  So I told her that if I could not trust the company to send emails, then I would not be working with them in the future.  She said, “That’s fine, you don’t have to.”  No sympathy, no “I’m sorry to hear that,” just a condescending tone.

So, I added the additional information and resubmitted the shop.  I got an email an hour later from the person I left a voicemail for saying that she had spoken with the account manager and that the shop had been reopened from me.  She also said that supposedly three emails had been sent to me regarding this missing information (again, that I NEVER received).  The first message was dated five days after I had originally submitted my shop.  These messages appear on the shop log, but five days is WAY out of the 24 hour time frame of my responsibility of having to check the shop log.  Since I work with so many companies, I rely on those emails or phone calls if there is a problem with my shop.  I cannot check every company’s page every day to see if an editor bothered to read my report yet.

This is an extremely large company and I know they will not miss me and I’m sure my post will have no effect whatsoever, but I hope to help out another dedicated mystery shopper in the future.  You can be sure that if I am not paid for my shops in the timeframe that is listed on the site, I will file a complaint against Bare International with the Better Business Bureau.  When I did some looking around today, I saw many complaints about them not paying on time.  I can only hope that a company that would like to get good information from a mystery shopping company would read this and pass on Bare International.  There are many other wonderful dedicated companies that provide an excellent service to both their clients and treat their evaluators with respect.  Perhaps my blood pressure can return to normal now.  Thank you for your time.  I know this was a long read.

Barely There Flawless Fit Microfiber Hipster

Est. Retail Price $9 or 3/$24.  I received the Barely There Flawless Fit Microfiber Hipster to review as a BzzAgent.  It is made of microfiber, has no seams or tags.  It is very comfortable to wear, stretchy, and very sheer.  It’s great to wear under breeches if you are an equestrian as it show no lines at all.  Also, the fact that it has no seams in the crotch area makes your sitting trot much more bearable.  I think the price is a bit high, but you may be able to find it for a good sale price in stores sometimes.  I would definitely purchase more of these at a lower price.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Technorati Tags: Barely There,panties,microfiber,hipster,brief,flawless fit,equestrian,breeches

Dove Intensive Repair Daily Treatment Conditioner

 The Claim: Benefits of a treatment at the speed of a conditioner, leaving hair intensely nourished, significantly strengthened and silky smooth.  I received this product as a BzzAgent.  I have fine hair and have used it for a week and feel like my hair has gotten thicker.  I would not say that my hair is softer and would definitely say that I have tried other conditioners that make my hair softer.  But I feel that this one may be "repairing" my hair, and that's why it feels thicker.  It has not added any weight to my hair in the process and does have a pleasant smell.  Time will tell if it actually is helping out my hair.  So far, I think the product is average and wish it made my hair feel smoother.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Tomara Equestrian Full-Seat Breeches

These breeches are sold on Amazon.com and eBay by The Tack House.  If you want a pair, buy them off eBay - you can get them as cheap as $10 there, which is why I bought them.  Who has ever heard of brand-new full-seat breeches for $10?!  Well, when I received them, I saw why.

These breeches look like they are homemade.  They are advertised has having a Clarino seat and some say that is a lie, but I can't really tell.  What I can tell is that there is no backing to the seat - it's sewn directly into the rest of the breech.  All other breeches have the patches sewn on top of the original breech fabric.  So, the backing of the patch is directly against your skin, which makes it a bit sweaty.  The rest of the breech fabric is a cotton-lycra blend, so rather comfy.

As you can see from the picture, they aren't exactly as form-fitting as other breeches either.  They tend to be wide in the calf/ankle area and don't stretch very well vertically, meaning they ride up when you bend your knee.  There are no pockets, but they are zippered and buttoned.

I don't know how long these will last, but I own two pair and they have each lasted through at least one ride!  If I can get a year's worth out of them, the price I paid will be worth it.  Not bad for schooling and would NOT recommend at all for showing.  I give them 2 out of 5 stars - the extra star for being so darn cheap.

Children's Claritin

Est. retail price: $12.99 for 10 tablets or 4 fl oz.  I received a sample of Children's Claritin Allergy chewable tablets as a BzzAgent.  Children's Claritin is a 24-hour oral antihistamine medication approved for children as young as two (2) years old.  The specific medicine in Claritin is loratadine, which is different than the medication of Children's Zyrtec (cetirizine), as well as the first generation allergy medication Children's Benedryl (diphenhydramine) which is thought to cause drowsiness and also not recommended for children under the age of four (4).  Benedryl also only lasts 4-6 hours.  You can usually find good coupons for Claritin in the newspaper and online.

  

I had been using the liquid form of Children's Claritin already and been happy with the outcome.  The nice thing about the liquid Claritin is you can adjust the dosage easily to give a half dose or however you want to adjust it.  It also comes out at about half the price per dose than the chewables.  There are some nice advantages to the chewables, however.  They are great to travel with and you don't have to worry about any liquids spilling in your bag during transit.  The chewables are also nice for babysitters to give when you are away.  You don't have to worry about them getting the dosage correct or any other frustrations that may arise from giving a liquid dose.

Children's Claritin is generally thought to be safe to use daily for long-term allergy relief, but I try to adjust the dosage at least according to the pollen levels and can usually stop the drugs during the winter months.  I do believe the Children's Claritin as well as the Zyrtec tend to make my child more hyper than usual, so I try to give him the lowest dose possible to relieve his allergy symptons.  For this reason I prefer the liquid medications and give Children's Claritin liquid 5 out of 5 stars and the chewables 4 out of 5 stars because the pills cannot easily be halved and the price is so much higher per dose.

Fisher-Price Precious Planet Potty, Froggy Friend

Est. Retail Price: $14.99.  I have been very happy with the Fisher-Price Precious Planet Potty, Froggy Friend with potty training my son.  It has a nice wide base and is very stable.  Some reviews I have read say that it can slip on the floor, but we have *gasp* carpet in our bathrooms, so that is not a problem for us.  I first got this when my son was 15 months old and it was a little too big for him.  We weren't really training him then, just getting him used to it, but if you plan on training that early, this might not be the best choice.  He is now 2 years old and it seems to fit perfectly.  It his as nice high and wide urine guard and a nice supportive back.  There are only two pieces and it is a cinch to clean.  I think I paid $13 for it on Amazon.com and it has been worth every penny.  I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Fisher-Price now has a Fisher-Price Sea Turtle Potty Ring, Sea Green, which I have not tried, but looks like a good compliment for toilet ring training. I currently use the Mommy's Helper Contoured Cushie Tushie Potty Seat which is nice because it it padded, but could also use a little higher urine guard, but for the most part works well for the low price.

Double Stuf OREO Cakesters

Est. Retail Price $3.49.   I have tried the original OREO Cakesters Soft Snack Cakes in the past and thought they were disgusting, so I didn't have much hope for the Double Stuf version.  I think now that the ones I tried before may have been a little old, because I remember thinking the chocolate cake part was very dry.  The cake part of the Double Stuf version was not what I would call moist, but definitely not too dry.  Only a few crumbs dropped off while I was eating them.  The filling was ample, with a taste much like the inside of an Oatmeal Cream Pie.  Would go well with a glass of milk, but still no where near as good as the original Double Stuf OREO.  I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Boiron Children’s Chestal Homeopathic Cough Syrup

 Est. retail price: $6.99 When you have children and they get sick, you suddenly realize that you can’t help them.  The lowest recommended age for any cough and cold medicine is four years old.  So there you are, stuck with a bulb aspirator and a screaming child and maybe some saline nasal spray.  Well, if your child is coughing, help is on the way!  I found this homeopathic cough syrup one day when I was desperately seeking something to soothe my child’s persistent cough due to post-nasal drip during a cold.  I was willing to try anything to help him sleep and so I found it at Walgreens and brought it home.  And lo and behold – it was a miracle – it actually worked!  I now make sure to always have a bottle on hand.  It’s a little expensive and can be a little hard to find sometimes, but it is worth every penny.  It is the only cough syrup I have ever seen that is allowed to be taken by children as young as two because it doesn’t actually have any drugs in it.  Just buy a syringe and you’re set.  Ask your doctor if your child is younger than two.  I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

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American Plastic Toy Homestyle Kitchen

Est. Retail Price $59.99, I paid $30 at ALDI.  My edited review from Amazon: This is my second experience with American Plastic Toys. I started out with the American Plastic Toy 37 Piece Deluxe Workbench and you can see my review of that product here. That one was easier to put together than this product, but this one is bigger and more complicated.

It does require full assembly, but that's why I said this for those who would rather invest your own manpower and time than money. I am always surprised, although I don't know why, that people don't always read the instructions. I hate to see this product get bad reviews because of the ineptitude of others, which is why I'm writing this review. Hopefully you will find this a helpful positive review. This product requires two tools to be assembled which are in big pictures on the box and instruction manual. A screwdriver (a flat head is pictured, but I found a Philips head to be more useful - either will work with the included screws) and a PAIR OF CUTTING PLIERS - NOT SCISSORS. There is no picture of scissors on the box, it is obviously a pair of cutting pliers - a tool that makes flush cuts. I bought these - Xuron 170-II Micro-Shear Flush Cutter specifically for putting this together and it is well worth the $6 investment. If you do not use flush cutters and try to snap out the pieces or use scissors, of course you are going to get rough edges, because you are using the WRONG tools! But anyway... enough about the daft.

If you use the micro shears I recommend, then I also recommend cutting the pieces out while looking at them from the underside. This allows the cuts to be perfect and unnoticeable (and of course NO rough edges of any sort). If you do get a rough edge because you decided to snap them or used some other inferior cutting tool, you can easily repair the mistake with the micro shears. And it is a breeze to cut them out with the Xuron tool - no effort. But this isn't a review for the Xuron micro shears.

I inventoried the entire contents before putting it together and found that I had one screw malformed - it was bent and stripped, but they included extra screws in the package, so that was not a problem. However, to test their customer service, I called the company and they were perfectly happy to send me out a new package that day. It does take a while to assemble, but I wanted it assembled before presenting to my child as I think all large presents should be so they can begin playing with it immediately. Everything works well and it is a good size for two year old plus.  The faucet is a little weird, it comes out, I'm guessing they intended it to be a "sprayer", but it just doesn't work for me and has frustrated my child a couple of times. The burners and accompanying utensils are on the small size, but the overall unit is a good size and I'm happy with the the size of the space behind the doors. I got this for 50% off retail and am thrilled with the value I received. Other kitchens this size that come fully assembled (or close to it) are in the $100 range.

So, if you don't like putting stuff together, I don't recommend this product. But if you want to spend a little of your own time and save a ton of money, find this product at a price you can live with and invest an extra $6 for some micro shears if you don't have a comparable product at home. You and your child will be glad you did!  I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

American Plastic Toy 37 Piece Deluxe Workbench

Est. Retail Price $59.99, but I paid $30 from ALDI.  My edited review from Amazon: This toy is exactly what I have been looking for for my going on 2 year old. It's rated for ages 3 and up and it's a good size that I know he can enjoy it for years to come.  I was able to easily carry the box upstairs to the room where I planned on assembling it. I took all the contents out and made sure I had all the parts before starting (there are lots of parts). You will need 2 tools to put it together: a screwdriver (either kind is fine) and some cutting pliers. When I first started putting it together, it seemed kind of flimsy, but I didn't pay much for this (50% off retail), so I wasn't expecting too much. After I figured how how the parts snapped together, it was smooth sailing after that. It didn't take me long to assemble it and I was able to do the whole thing by myself. I was impressed with the large screws that you use to put it together and the finished product was much sturdier and impressive than I first imagined. My cutting pliers came in a set of tools I got for free, so they weren't that great, but still did the job, however, I did need to sand down some edges for safety. I suspect if you have a real pair, little to no sanding would be needed. My son started playing with it immediately expressing much joy with the product. It's a Christmas gift, however, so he will have to wait another month before he see's it again, but I can't wait for him to play with it again! I am so satisfied with this product, I think I am going to also get the American Plastic Toy Homestyle Kitchen (and maybe find some new cutting pliers).  I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Huggies Overnites Diapers

Est. Retail Price $19.99 for big box at Target.  Price is only $18.99 online at Target, but you can often find $2-$3 off coupons from Huggies, which then makes it cheaper to purchase in-store.  Target has the lowest retail price for these by far.

When my son started wearing size 4 diapers, I noticed we could no longer use just a larger size diaper for overnight protection.  I tried all different kinds including Pampers Extra Protection and Pampers Cruisers Premium Absorbency.  The Huggies Overnites work the best and 95% of the time, my son wakes up completely dry.  He sleeps for 11 hours at night, so that's a long time with no diaper change.  It's really amazing to see these when he wakes up.  It's like the diaper has changed to cement.  It is very hard and thick, but at least there is no wetness on his clothes.  I give these 5 out of 5 stars!

Books and Reading

I don't read as much as I would like, but I do like the idea. So here are some sites that might inspire you to do a little more reading.

LibriVox: A lot of the time I get my reading through audiobooks rented from the library. At this site, you can listen to books (in the public domain) online. Books are read by people like you and me and you can volunteer to read for this site.

Bartleby.com: You can find public domain books to read online or tons of other literary aides on this site including encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.

Planet PDF: Free PDF eBooks (in the public domain).

BookCrossing: People leave books in public places on purpose and list them here for you to find!

What Should I Read Next?: Type in the name of a book you like and it will recommend other books you may like.

The American Scholar: Selected articles from The American Scholar magazine.

Movies and other Media entertainment

I like to watch Movies. And TV. Here are some sites to help you figure out what to watch next.

FilmAffinity: Rate and find recommendations for Movies. I think a lot of non-US people use this site since I seem to match with only Spanish movie watchers.

MovieLens: Rate and find recommendations for Movies. This site is run by the University of Minnesota. It seems to come up with some very obscure recommendations.

Sourcelight: This is my favorite movie recommendation site. It has been the most accurate so far in my opinion.

Listen to a Movie: Once you've figured out something to watch and can't wait to get home, you can listen to it at this site. Great if you're at work. Better if you've actually seen the movie and know what it looks like. Then you know what's going on while listening to it.

Horses

I love horses. I primarily ride dressage and plan to become a Grand Prix rider one day, although today I am still at Training Level. Here are some places I visit to get practice ideas as well as places I think are great if you are looking to adopt a horse.

Dressage Tests: This is a Canadian site, but they have all the dressage tests in the full test format. These are out of date currently, but the are still good to practice with. Just don't practice them for a show!

The British Horse Society: This is like Pony Club in Britain.

Elvenstar Horsemanship Manual: The Elvenstar Riding Academy has a great progression program.

NCDCTA: The North Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association website.

The Chronicle of the Horse Giveaways Forum: Two of my favorite things - horses and freebies!

Articles from the Instructor: This is a list of horsemanship articles on the Certified Horsemanship Association page.

Classical Dressage Notebook: British site with great articles on the elements of dressage.

The Art of Classical Riding: Articles rated by level.

Horse Training Communication: This is on a gaited horses site, but has good information on the proper communication between horse and rider.

Horse Training Articles: Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre has a nice site with lots of helpful short horse training articles.

ClassicalDressage.com: Question & Answer Forum

The Horse Magazine: Articles, articles, articles. On Dressage, Eventing, Showjumping, Rider Fitness, Horsemandship, and Breeding/Nutrition.

Training for Endurance Riding: Not something I plan to do anytime soon, but have a slight interest in.

Straight from the Horse's Mouth: A site to get you acquainted with horses and help you find out if you're ready to own one.

Second Wind Adoption Program: Horse Adoption based in West Virginia.

MidAtlantic Horse Rescue: Horse Rescue & Adoption based in Maryland

Fun in the Kitchen

I like to cook. And I like to experiment with my cooking and try new recipes. Here are some of the sites I like to get new ideas from.

America's Test Kitchen: You may have seen this on public television.

Countrylife.net: A taste of the good life!

FoodieView: Recipe search

Feeding America: Not really usuable recipes, but really fun to look through! It's a collection of very old cookbooks.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest NC: Because I like to each so much, I like to help others who cannot enjoy the luxuries I do.

The Impulsive Buy: This a blog I discovered where this guy trys new products and writes about it for us to see. Many of the items he trys are food items, but there are also toiletries and other random stuff.

Games

I like to play games. Here are some of my favorite games.

Scrabble

Mahjongg

Paper Toys

Nutrition, Diet, & Fitness

I want to live to be 100. In order to do that, I know I need to keep my body in good shape and eat well. Below are some sites I like to visit that help me do that.

Mayo Clinic: Create your own personal page and get articles relevant to you.

Nutrition Action Healthletter: I like to read the "Brand Name Rating" sections. No advertising and no pop-ups.

The Diet Detective: Blog-style site with good information about nutrition and diet. Heavy advertising and no pop-ups.

The World's Healthiest Foods: Can view foods by nutrient ranking, which is my favorite. Also has receipes and good information about how to eat healthy. No advertising and no pop-ups.

The Glycemic Index: The glycemic index ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on our blood glucose levels. Site created by the University of Sydney, Australia. No advertising and no pop-ups.

Nutrition Information Services: This site lists nutrition information for the menus of many fast food restaurants. Minimal advertising and no pop-ups.

The Diet Channel: Reviews all the diets out there - and there are a ton! Also provides great information about health and nutrition.

Yoga Journal: Excerpt from an article of yoga poses to lengthen the spine.

Sit & Get Fit: I don't know about you, but my job has me sitting around all day. This article from the Well and Healthy Woman magazine page has some exercises I can do in my chair.

My Daily Yoga: Yoga moves you can do at your desk. Minimal advertising and no pop-ups.