Ozeri Extravo Wine Opener

After a long week at work and taking care of kids I think any mom could relate when I say that a nice glass of wine after dinner is just what you need to start the weekend off right.

Well lucky for me I got to test the Ozeri Extravo Wine Opener and boy was I amazed!

 

It is not that big so it doesn't take up a lot of space which is good in my kitchen where room is tight. It has a slicer thing that will cut the foil off the bottle before you pop the cork and then you just simply put the opener on the bottle and push down on the outer ring on top and it will automatically pop the cork! There is not twisting and breaking of the cork (like I always manage to do!) by manually doing it. And what is even better is when you push the smaller circle on top it unscrews the cork from the opener and it all stays in one piece! It also comes with a bottle stopper that is in two pieces so if you want to pour some later all you have to do it pull the middle piece out and there you go!

 

This product is so easy to use compared to some of the other automatic wine

openers out there and it is so reasonably priced too. If you are in the market for a wine opener then look no further because this is the one for you! I can't wait to go home and use it tonight!

 

 

Top 5 Garage Sale Tips

It's beginning to be that season again. Spring is here and it is slowly starting to warm up, which means people are starting to come out of hibernation and do some spring cleaning. With that spring cleaning comes garage sales. 

Whether you do your own garage sale or perhaps a neighborhood one here are my top 5 tips for a successful garage sale.

1. Advertise! Advertise! Advertise!

It used to be that really the only way to advertise for a garage sale was in the newspaper but now there are so many ways to get the word out there and for free! Craigslist, local Facebook pages, and of course the good old fashioned signs on the street corners just to name a few. 

2. Organization is Key

One of the first things a potential buyer does it does a "look see" from his car window and he slowly goes to possibly park their car. If the sale is not organized and things are just carelessly slopped on the tables or on the ground on a blanket most people won't stop. If you take the time and hang clothes up nicely on a clothes rack it will come off to the customer that you have taken care of those clothes and are organized. You can get clothes racks for as cheap as 9.99. You might have to spend a little bit of money for organization (like renting tables, buying clothes racks, etc.) but it will make up for it in the sales.

3. Eye Catching Signs

This kind of goes hand in hand with organization but if you put small signs up over items like the clothes rack that say "Unless marked items are (money amount) each. That way it saves YOU from a million of the same questions! 

4. Have Enough Change

It looks really bad on you if your customer comes up to pay and he owes 4.50 and hands you a $20 bill and you look back and say "sorry I don't have change." I have seen a person put the stuff down and leave. Especially those expert garage salers because they know they can probably get something similar at another sale. I recommend to have twenty $1 bills and about 5 dollars in various coins just to completely prepared.

5. Be Prepared to Bargain

Not everyone that comes to your sale is going to willingly pay the price you have listed. Most anyone knows that you can haggle your way to a lower price but you have to pick and choose your battles. If it is a small difference in price I usually am okay with it because really what is the point in spring cleaning if you aren't going to get rid of it. I will usually cut a few dollars out too if someone is buying a bulk of my clothes or round it down to the nearest dollar just to make it more appealing to them. 

Influenster Review - Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick

A few weeks ago I found out about Influenster which is free to join community of trendsetters, consumers, social media hotshots where you can give your opinions on products and experiences. As you fill out surveys and do reviews on products your Influenster scores rises and you can qualify for special reviews for testing purposes...like the Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick!

This review was actually a lot of fun because lipstick is always the one thing that I am the least knowledgeable about in terms of makeup.

I enjoyed testing out this lipstick because one it actually does keep your lips moist without feeling like your lipstick is cracking your lips. This was actually the perfect time for me to test this lipstick because my lips have been dry and a little chapped lately with the crazy weather. The lipstick worked so well that I didn't feel like I needed to moisturize my lips with chap-stick on top of it. It also doesn't smudge off if you give someone a kiss too (which is an added bonus because what husband wants big red lip prints on his cheek!). I also didn't feel like it was caked on my lips either and it went on really smooth. 

The only thing for me that I wasn't 100% on was the color BUT that is just because I usually don't wear something that bright. However that was the color given to me for testing purposes and Renew Moisture Lipstick comes in lots of shades so I wouldn't mark it as a bad thing.

I definitely think I am going to keep using this lipstick for date nights and also go out and buy some more for daytime wear but I highly recommend trying out Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick!

Ozeri© 8" Green Earth Pan™ Review

This past weekend I had the pleasure of reviewing the Green Earth Pan ™ by Ozeri©. 

This review was one of my favorites because I love to cook and who doesn't love to try out a new pan!! 

This pan has a natural ceramic coating and is non stick (it is actually is too!) and the best part is that it is free of PTFE, PFOA and other harmful chemicals. Basically when the pan heats up it doesn't release any harmful chemicals that are released in most other pans when heated to high temps. 

One of the things I liked about this pan is that it requires very little oil to use. I mean I probably used maybe a teaspoon or a little more of the coconut oil to fry my eggs.It also does not need to heat up as much as other pans since the material that the pan is made of is a good conductor of heat. 

I didn't make anything fancy in my pan just cooked breakfast for the family (egg and cheese sandwiches) but it worked wonderfully. It heated up fast just like the manual mentioned and it cooked it through evenly all the way like I said earlier it required very little oil to use. I would definitely recommend this pan to anyone that is looking to purchase new cookware. For the longest time I had wanted copper bottom pans because they were supposedly the best but this pan has changed my mind and makes me want ceramic pans!

Weekly Meal Planner

Anyone else like me and every night is a rush to figure out what to make for dinner? Can't figure out what to make well fear not! Here is a super easy meal planner to do!
Not only will it make dinner time less stressful but it is also super easy to make!

You will need:
8x10 frame
hot glue gun
clothes pins
cardstock scrapbook paper
small box ( i used a crayon box)
alphabet stickers
permanent marker
magnets (optional)

First you will need to cut the scrapbook paper to fit into the frame. You will also remove the glass from the frame. Also at this time you can cut stripes of scrapbook paper and write each meal idea on them.

On the scrapbook paper you can put the alphabet stickers to say what you want. For mine I put Menu.

Next you write each day of the week in permanent marker on the clothes pins. Then you will hot glue the clothes pins to the side of the frame.

The hardest part is making the box for the meal ideas to fit into. I took a 24 count crayon box and cut scrapbook paper and glued it on all the edges to decorate it. You could also make an envelope out of the paper and put your meal ideas in that as well. When you have decided what to do glue it to the scrapbook paper.

Once you have this all done before you put it in the frame you can glue magnets to the back of the frame if you would like to hang this on your fridge. If not then you can always use the leg of the frame to have it rest on the countertop like a traditional picture frame.

Dear Facebook, It's Not You, It's Me...

Yes that's right I am breaking up with you. Well maybe not a complete breakup but definitely a step back. While I love all that you offer me like connecting with old high school friends or old coworkers, let's face it you can be rather addictive! Everyone knows that you don't show ALL the status' from my friends so then I go searching and before I know it I have been on your site for over an hour!
I am sorry but this has got to stop. I can't tell my kiddo that she can't be on her Ipad for hours at a time and then do the same thing on your site. So therefore I am putting a timer on our relationship much like I just did with my kid. So with all that said you and I can still be friends but I must seriously back off!

Love your faithful but not so addicted friend,

April

Anyone else feel this way? Unfortunately with all the technology Facebook isn't the only site that we become addicted to these days. There is Instagram, Pinterest, The Chive...I could go on.
So how do you realize when you have spent too much time on these sites? And the more important question...How do you manage your time so you can balance it all out?

Pinterest Pick of the Week - Mason Jar Holder

So I always see mason jars at the grocery store, Michaels, dollar stores and pretty much any other crafty store in town. Finally I decided to have some fun and make something with a mason jar!
I saw a pin on Pinterest where the mason jar had been spraypainted and that seemed easy and really fun! My nine year old has a million pencils and pens so a mason jar is the perfect thing for her to use to store them.

There are just a few things that you need:
Mason jar of any size
Spray paint (however many colors you want)
GLITTER!
Clear coat spray paint (if you decide to glitter your jar)
Painters tape

Spray paint the whole mason jar. I did two coats but if you need more you can.

Put painters tape securely around the mason jar. Sprinkle the glitter all around. It might take a few times to get it all covered. I did it once and then added the clear coat and then did it again to make sure I had it all covered.

Make sure to let it dry before removing the tape. Once you do it is good to go and you can use it wherever you like!

Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie

Protein is an important part of your daily food intake. There are many uses for it in your body such as build and repair tissue, and it is literally in every cell of your body! 

With that here is a quick and easy protein smoothie that is protein rich and also tastes delicious! 

1 Banana

1 cup ice (about 6-8 cubes)

1 Tbsn peanut butter

1 scoop of protein powder (I recommend either vanilla or chocolate)

1/2 to 3/4 cup (depending on how thick you want) 1% or skim milk

Put everything in a blender and then mix to your desired consistency.  

This is great as a snack in the middle of your day or even in the morning when you are in a rush and don't have a lot of time to make anything else.

Wednesday Workout - Legs!

Legs day at the gym is one of my most absolute favorite days because of how many different exercises you can do. You can isolate muscles and just do quads, hamstrings, glutes or you can do it all! But most of all who doesn't want to look good in a cute pair of shorts this summer!

I typically change up my workout routine every few months so my muscles don't get used the same motions and repititions. So here lately this past month this is what i have been doing.

Goblet Squats- 3 sets of 10-15 reps

This is one of the easiest squats to do and it provides a good warm up for your quads and hips.

Leg Press Machine- Single Leg Presses 2 sets of 10-12 reps and 3rd set to failure

Good Mornings- Use a 20-30lb barbell and set it on your shoulders behind your neck. While slightly bending you knees bend down until your back is parallel to the floor. Do this for 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Glute Kickback Machine aka the Booty Blaster- 3 sets of 12-15 reps
One of my most favorite machines because it gives a good leg workout but it also works your glutes really well! I use 35-50lbs but please start lower and then work up if it is too easy.

Hack Squat Machine- 3 sets of 10-12 reps

Calf Machine- 2 sets of 10-15 reps and 3rd set to failure Depending on your gym there may be a few different machines (ie. seated calf raise, standing calf raise) so pick which one you feel works best for you.

Lying Leg Curl- 3 sets 10-12 reps
One of the reasons I like the lying leg curl is that you can isolate your legs and do one at a time. You naturally have a dominate leg so by isolating and working each leg individually you are getting the equal amont of work for each leg.

These are just some of my favorite leg exercises. You can mix and match (ie quads, calves, hamstrings in one workout) or you can isolate and just work quad or just work hamstrings and you will still get a good workout.
One of the biggest things I stress when lifting is form is the key! If you don't have good form you are setting yourself up for injury! Also go slow if you feel like you need to rush through the reps maybe take it down in weight so that way you can go slower to work on form and feel the burn just that much more.
Also if you aren't sure of what these exercises are go check out Bodybuilding.com as they have a workout section that goes over exercises for any part of the body. It is good to use to find new exercises so your muscles don't get used to the same 5 moves every time you work out!
So go enjoy the workout!

*Editors note- I totally work this like 2 weeks ago but has had such a crazy schedule and didn't realize i didn't hit send! 

Finding the Right Babysitter

The time has come that we have started to look for a babysitter for the girls. It will be nice to have a night out every once a month or so but also with our work schedules getting only crazier it is good to have someone that we can count on. Sure we have lots of friends here that watch the girls for us but I don't want to strain any friendships over it as it has happened to me (the one being strained) in the past.

So with this babysitter thing officially decided I need help! What questions do you ask your potential babysitter? I know obvious ones...Are you CPR/First Aid certified?  Do you have any references? etc. But what are some good ones you have used or can think of?

We are also looking to go through Care.com to find one but has anyone else found one a different way? I am not looking for a teenager in high school because if for some rare situation I need them during the week and I'm at work til midnight I know they wouldn't be available.

I am excited to have a more permanent sitter that the girls will get used to and have fun with but let me tell you this overprotective momma sure is nervous! Makes me wanna put some nanny cams all over my house when I leave!

So please pass along any advice you may have! 

New Year New Blogging Ideas!

Welcome to 2014!!!

You may have noticed I took a leave of absence from the blog but I am back! I got back from my deployment at the end of November and needed some quality time with the family and to also re-adjust to mommy life again and it can take some getting used to after 7 months of just fending for myself.  

This year I have taken on a different perspective for a New Years resolution. Instead of trying to do one or two things better why not just strive to make 2014 better than 2013?!lets be honest anyways when you make a specific resolution most times within a month you have already forgotten but I think just trying to make the whole year better in general doesn't quite put as much stress on it.

So here's to new blog ideas and a great new year!!