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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Using Pumice Blocks to Clean

I am super pleased with my pack of pumice stone cleaners. I used them to clean a pot that had been sitting for months with burnt on oatmeal. Within a few minutes of scrub time, I was able to rinse and use it again.

I did the same on an enamel cast iron pan and it was a perfect clean up. With as many sticks as I received, I want to try cleaning the mineral deposits out of my toilet bowl. I have tried to bleach the rings out of the bowl every few weeks and nothing has really helped. Some people swear by the pumice stone for removing toilet rings but I've tried on two different toilets in two different homes and neither looks as good as the photo below. Of course, neither is as FILTHY as that toilet bowl. Ew.

I read a lot of articles and reviews on using the pumice blocks to clean pools. I don't own a pool so I can't directly comment on how effective the Powerhouse Pumice stones might be but the photos I've seen show a lot of limescale and hard water stains removed off the tiles and the seams in between. I would give the pumice a try with a soft brush versus using chemicals if I had a pool.

https://www.amazon.com/Pumice-Cleaning-Stone-4-Pack-Density/dp/B016JQ9SG0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&qid=1501285058&sr=8-6&keywords=pumice+stone+for+cleaning&th=1&linkCode=sl1&tag=2010a7-20&linkId=68418da76adb73ec0fc16a62f6d13423 #powerhousepumice #elevateessentials