Prebiotic vs Probiotic? Sugar Free Gummies?

 Quick blog review of a sample bottle of BeLive PREbiotic Fiber Gummies I was given. They are super soft and easy to chew with a natural apple flavor. I know I said PRObiotic gummies in the Youtube video but there IS a difference is how the pre/pro work in your gut.

 "Probiotics are “good” bacteria that help keep your digestive system healthy by controlling growth of harmful bacteria. Prebiotics are carbohydrates that cannot be digested by the human body. They are food for probiotics. ... The common feature of all these foods is fermentation, a process that produces probiotics."

 Chicory root is the prebiotic used as food for the good bacteria and it can give some digestive upset if ingested in large amounts, like what happens when you eat those delicious but devilish FiberOne brand snacks. Daily serving is ONE of these gummies with the warning not to eat more than 8 in a 24 hour period. Because digestive upset, trust me.

3.3g carbs and 1.6g fiber so I'd say one a day is keto friendly though the keto diet should have you ingesting a lot of fiber.
Try it for yourself: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075STV918

 I know the label says Keep Out of Reach of Children but I've given Cedric a few. He was fine. Now, it would be easy to eat the entire jar like candy so there's where the problem starts. 

Give a Shit With Rainbow Emoji Plush Poops

Poop emojis make me super happy. They're so totally silly and what better than a tie-dyed rainbow poop emoji that you can hug, or put it the way of people sitting on your couch so they have to awkwardly move them? "You can sit here but let me move my poop!", so much fun to say at holiday gatherings if your family is stuffy.

The downside of these cute plush mama & baby poop emojis are that the larger one had a shoddy stitch up on the bottom where the stuffing was about to come out. Otherwise they're pretty cute and cheerful as anthropomorphized rainbow shit should be.

 Yeah lame. I considered sending the plush back to Amazon but I contacted the seller and they were more than willing to send another pair of poops at no charge. A happy customer is the best customer and most Amazon sellers will bend over backwards NOT to get anything less than 5 stars on their reviews.

This is the only shit my dog gives.

Visions of sugared poops dance in his head. Because dog.

Pillows? Props? Soft serve ice cream and totally wrong about poop emoji? 

 Buy them yourself and see: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073CFBNL3

Tragic Product Name, Great Product for Butts

Once upon a time, before the internet, I used to do things. I would go out and walk my dogs. I would drive around and people watch. Now I do the internet equivalent of those things, being talking about dogs and looking at people in photos.
Enter the need for a soft chair pad for my 46 year old spreading butt, which you'd think would have enough natural padding BUTT it sadly does not. At least not in the places that prevent posterior and lower back pain.

 The tragically named Big Hippo chair pad really took a lot of pressure off my tailbone trauma from over a decade ago. WHAT tailbone trauma you ask? Well, pull up a chair with a Big Hippo memory foam pad and I'll talk about my butt injury.

  Years ago, like another lifetime ago, I was married to a dude who was really into UFC and MMA in its early years. Pretty certain that was the one thing we had in common thus the "was married to" description. I trained at a Royce Gracie Brazilian Ju Jitsu school, met some Gracies, got choked out by a Gracie (weirdly erotic but that's a story for another audience) AND fractured my coccyx, which is commonly known as the tailbone. The best part was it happened during a women's personal protection training class and I was playing an attacker, hanging onto this guy like a human backpack because he was at least a foot taller and he did the correct move to release me, which was a backward drop and pounded my ass literally into the ground. While both legs were up, exposing my tailbone. Hey, at least I could walk out of there and drive myself home, am I right? Anyway, a week of pain and an awkward visit to the gyno and coccyx fracture was revealed and let's just say there's not much one can do for the injury. Besides tell anyone who will listen all about how you broke your coccyx. 

 Solaire thinks this story is boring as this emoji and wants me to move on to the Big Hippo chair pad review. Occasionally I'll get a flare up from the traumatized butt bone as the doctor said there would be scar tissue and this pad has taken the place of my very relieved decorative pillow that was under my butt for a year or more. 

 Unlike my decorative pillow, this chair pad doesn't bunch up or scoot around. There's a bit of grippy backing to keep it in place and the memory foam rebounds quickly, doesn't get misshapen. I do wish the Big Hippo brand was on it somewhere, that name really leaves me with so many questions. 

 Buy your own Big Hippo pad for bruised butts:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0756C47MT

Extendable Retractable Leashes: LOVE or HATE?

 I've owned dogs for the majority of my life. We didn't grow up with dogs, or even a cat, just hamsters and then rabbits. When I was eighteen and out of high school, I worked at a pet store in the mall as the Puppy Manager. There I fell in love with dogs and especially with the first dog our family ever owned, an American Eskimo. That was 1989 and the Extendi-lead was a hot new item. I remember how it cut into my little sister's neck and made a painful scab for weeks, too, when my puppy ran too close as she bent over. I think I had that same leash for maybe a decade, I rarely used it as it just wasn't safe for anything but being alone with your dog in a field on a hike.

 My Boston Terrier, Solaire, has been raised on a four to six foot lead. He isn't much of a puller, more of a mosey around and mark everything and sniffer and that's fine with me.

 This retractable leash is really bulky and reminds me why I prefer to hold a soft lead slipped over my wrist versus something I have to constantly grip. I just don't see the appeal and it seems like there's a lot of trial and error involved in learning to keep your dog safely controlled. 

  That said, it's made of all tape, not the rounded rope that tore my sister's neck when it touched her. I still dislike seeing this sort of leash being used anywhere other people have to pass the dog, like sidewalks. The owners usually let the dogs charge ahead of them and seem to have little interest in controlling the dog beyond holding the leash. This sort of behavior made me always dislike these leashes, and I've noticed that the majority with these type of long leashes also do NOT pick up their dog's poop. :C

 Look how far he got ahead of me going down the stairs from our apartment! He could have gone further but I stopped him and he waited. He could be down that hallway and around the corner and walking up on a stranger or another dog in a blink! I don't like that!

 I did get him to pause and wait at the top of each flight of stairs, and it is nice to let him take his time to stroll and pee without standing over him, especially when he's pooping and he gets to sort of gallop a bit on the long line. I also like how the leash doesn't drag through the grass which is ALWAYS full of poop despite dog bags all over the complex, so I mostly use this lead at night in an area where I don't expect people or other dogs to surprise us. It should be great for the park but not with my toddler as he could get hurt in the leash, like my sister did. Another issue I have is that if the heavy plastic handle is dropped, it might make him panic and run a few feet. I'll stick to my six foot soft leads.

 Like this retractable leash? Check it out at  https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dpets&field-keywords=retractable+dog+leash&field-brandtextbin=PetExpert. 

Solar Fairy Lights Make Indoor Outdoor Magic!

 I bought these sweet bright white fairy lights at a discount to review, as I've been wanting some outdoor solar lights for my third story balcony. These are tiny cool white BRIGHT LEDs on a thin gold wire, so you can wrap them or shape them however you want. Imagine the crafts like jars and wreaths you could light up, or the furniture like headboards.

 Here's a quickie video of the lights in action. I charged them in the window sill for about four hours, then activated them by flipping over the solar cell. 

 Each roll is about thirty feet long so these two should be more than adequate to really light up my balcony. They should last six to eight hours, depending on the pattern you choose and how much sun the solar panels received that day.

My Boston Terrier always wants to see what I'm doing. Could be FOOD, you never know.

 A totally awful pic but each solar panel has an on/off switch and a button to select the light pattern. It does several, like solid, or slow blink or chaser or what I refer to as flashing seizure lights. 

                                       

"Oh hey, is it FOOD yet?" Sorry to disappoint you, Solaire. Still fairy lights.

I charged the lights on my windowsill for a few hours before taking these photos. You can get them to light up during the day by covering the panel. Otherwise they'll come on around dusk. 

Purchase this awesome versatile fairy #lights set here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074SHV28X

Is a Service Dog Only For Blind People?

 I was sent a nicely made service dog vest to model on my Boston Terrier. Solaire has been a SiT, or Service Dog in Training when he was younger. I was pregnant with my third baby at almost 45 years old and my doctor was very concerned about my gestational diabetes, which caused problems in my other two pregnancies seventeen and nineteen years earlier.

 I was modifying my diet using the diabetic meal plan but my blood glucose was still spiking too high. My Boston Terrier puppy, Solaire was about five months old and I began reading up on training a Medical Alert Service Dog. A MASD can range from sensing seizures to blood glucose level spikes and drops and beyond. If its a chemical change in a human body, a MASD is trained to sense and respond appropriately. My Boston was trained to jump and bark at me when he sensed my blood sugar was spiking, which often left me feeling suddenly weak.

 I trained him myself with basic obedience and working in public. I used cotton fabric with saliva from my high glucose readings to teach him to alert me. It was a LOT of work and we ended up stopping while he was still in training as I was finally able to work out a low carb diet that allowed my blood sugars to process normally.

 That said, there are Service Dogs of all sizes and types and this is a quality vest that comes with a patch stating SERVICE DOG as well as soft vented sides. It is obviously too large for my Boston, this is a size large and the vest should be sized to not interfere with ease of movement. I didn't use the clip on the vest as I just don't think it gives the appropriate feedback for a Service Dog and I worry my Solaire might back out of it, so I used his regular harness under his vest.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F7066GY

Bought a Knock Off Clarisonic Mia and This Is What Happened To My Skin:

I bought a battery operated sonic face brush that looks very similar to the Clarisonic Mia in case shape and operation.  haven't been using an electronic face brush for several months as my two year old Clarisonic Mia suddenly just stopped charging properly. It would spin for a second, then beep beep beep continuously when on the charger and the sonic part seems to stop. I bought it years ago using a Sephora gift card that I won off poshly.com so I was really put out about having to pay another hundred dollars to buy a new Mia. My middle line Clarisonic Pro lasted about five years so two years with a single function was just too much for me to deal with.

  I got a great discount on this knock off Clarisonic brush from amazon. It has a nice weight and feels a lot like the Mia in hand. When I wash using a gentle cleanser, I can feel the sonic vibrations in my nose. In fact, it was so strong it made me sneeze the first few uses. I've used it fourteen times this week for one minute each time as recommended on my face. So far I haven't noticed any battery run down but I do plan on buying rechargeable batteries. The plus side of the Clarisonic Mia was its ability to recharge for two years until it stopped recharging.

This brush is about a quarter of the cost of the Clarisonic Mia and as you can see on the nylon fabric I demonstrate the wet brush on, the entire head rotates and vibrates sonically quite well. It has removed much of the dry skin off my cheeks from using Retin A every night.

As you can see, the models are almost identical. I guess the downside to the knock off is that you have to replace the batteries often. Invest in a battery recharger and a four pack of AA rechargeable batteries for about twenty dollars and I think you'd find the price for the non-Mia is still a value. 

I recommend this face brush. So far, so good and the way my skin feels is comparable to the Clarisonic Mia for one quarter the cost. The brush comes with a second brush head as well, which should be changed every three months or as it wears down.   bet you can't tell the Mia apart from the knock off facial brush, right? The Mia was a special edition pink model.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076LNTY54

Holiday Gingerbread Pop Up Play House

I've been wanting to buy my toddler a play house for a while but we're in a two bedroom apartment. We have space here and there if I put away a book shelf or put up the rocking chair I refinished but never even sit in. I was looking at buying a sturdy cardboard play house that he could color off Amazon when I saw this super cute gingerbread pop up play house.

 It came in a compact bag about the size of a tennis racket, which blew my mind as the house it pretty large, at least 4' high I'd think. Here it is inside its carrying bag with my thrilled Boston Terrier for comparison.

 I unzipped the bag and looked at the directions on the label, gave the folded up house slight pull and it popped right out and almost set itself up for me. My toddler saw it suddenly appear and was trying to get into it before I even had the sides straight and on the ground.  wish I had someone film it for me, it sure was a surprise. 

Cedric loved the house right away and was jumping around in it as I was straightening out the sides.

 Cedric loves his play house! It's sturdy enough that it doesn't tip over when he gets rowdy inside. He has climbed through the windows and its held up.

 For reference, my son is almost two, about thirty pounds and 33" tall. He won't let me put a blanket or pillow inside but imagine how comfy it would be if it had a soft floor.

 I HIGHLY recommend purchasing this playhouse! So many holiday photo ops plus they carry many other fun styles. He has been playing in it daily and using it as a ball pit, though the balls do come out the door frame. The house did come with a door but it wasn't the right shape to cover the opening and only had some oddly placed velcro to hang it off, so I put it up until we can fix the velcro with additional tape. Really that's my only complaint about this playhouse. You can order yours here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071LJPBN3

My Party (Sign) Animal

 Who else remembers Spuds Mackenzie? As in remembers that Super Party Animal in beer commercial on TV, riding along on a skateboard in his (actual a HER) Hawaiian shirt and Wayfarers, the 80s haired bikini babes gathered around that goofy panting face?

 Okay continuing on, who else either loved neon signs in the 80s, which seemed to be their Chili's heyday, or is currently enjoying the retro appeal of neon signage making a trendy decor comeback? I LOVE neon but the expense and the safety/fragility of the neon lighting in my toddler occupied home make me hesitant to invest in even the COOLEST neon sign like this original Spuds light.

 I *do* have a bull terrier breed dog though and finally getting through that intro comes this cute PARTY LIGHT that's actually a safe alternative to neon. It's a LED party sign that doesn't heat up and can be mounted wherever you'd like. Party room, kitchen, nursery... wherever! I comes with a silver chain for hanging and isn't heavy at all. The sign is fairly bright and honestly a bit difficult to photograph well. I sort of wish it had a party hat or firework or something instead of a martini, as that would make it more applicable to all sorts of parties like kid parties but hey. It's still cute.

 Solaire the Boston Terrier showing off his party light. For whatever reason the martini glass wasn't flashing at this point but I assure you it rocks back and forth when lit.

Want to see the LED Party light in action? Click to watch, then check out the light for yourself: 

 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RDTTFD

ERMERGERD! Kawaii Night Light Alert!

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 Okay okay okay, so you have a baby or know someone with a baby and you'd like to buy a gift for said baby? Well, have I got an inexpensive and CUTE baby shower gift for you.

 This Honey Dog Night Light Set (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0716DN2GH) is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute. The larger light is the only working light, with a touch adjustable spot on the mama bunny's foot (or papa bunny, not going to assume gender roles here). The baby bunny is just hard plastic and a decoration.  

 Here's the big bunny lit up at dusk on the lowest setting. The big unit is recharged with a USB cord (included) and will glow red if the battery is low, then green when its done. The instructions say the charge will keep the light on for many hours, I haven't tested this as my son is usually asleep within an hour of turning it on.

 Here is the bunny lit up on the highest setting at dusk. The night light really can light up an average sized bedroom and I keep it on the lowest setting in my master bedroom of my apartment. The red light behind the bunny is the charging light, so you can also charge it while it's operating which is a plus. There's a switch on the back to turn the unit off fully so it can't be touched back on.

 My toddler enjoys playing with the big and little bunny together but he isn't rough with them. If your child can handle them gently without banging them together or possibly loosening the bulbs inside, they might enjoy the touch sensor. Having the touch sensor on the big bunny's foot allows Cedric to be part of the bedtime ritual by turning on his night light in preparation to lay down and eventually sleep.

 My Boston Terrier always wants to get in the frame when I'm trying to take product photos. He knows he gets treats for posing, so this set up is always an opportunity to get them treats. The bunny might shatter if he bit it so I don't recommend them in the reach of dogs, even little ones with tic tac teeth like my Solaire. 

 The gift box for the Honey Dog night light set is incredibly adorable, perfect for that baby gift! You could personalize the lights with little ribbons or bow ties or pom pom necklaces. 

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