Some of you may remember last week I did a review on “Learn to Dance Salsa” by Salsa Crazy. Well, this same company also has a 4 dvd set called “Dance Lessons Starter Kit” that they sent me to review as well. If you read my previous post then you already know how much I enjoyed the Salsa dvd. The Salsa disc included in this set is the exact same video, but, of course, this set includes 3 additional dances: Swing, Merengue and Bachata.
The other dvds are set up pretty much the same way as the Salsa dvd(you can read that review here: http://lazyhomemaker.com/2015/02/09/review-of-beginning-salsa-dance-volume-1-by-salsacrazy/ )
The good: The dances are explained in a way that is very easy to follow along with(if I could do it then anyone could). They have a few extras aside from the dance lessons including dance room etiquette and history of the dances, which I love. They are fun! Really they are. I have never been a dancer but this set made me want to keep going and it has me looking for local events and clubs to try them out in “real life” and anyone that knows me will understand that this is huge as I am most definitely not a public dancer.
The bad: I’m honestly having trouble coming up with something negative to say. If I had to pick something I could mention that the production value won’t be winning any awards, but that really isn’t a problem. It’s an instructional video, not an action movie.
If you are interested in purchasing the Dance Lessons Starter Kit you can find it on Amazon for only $24.95 as of the time of this post. The link is here: http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Lessons-Starter-Kit-Merengue/dp/B00S7155KY/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
I was given this set for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Retseliney, Premium Spiralizer Bundle – Vegetable Review
I was recently chosen to review a Retseliney, Premium Spiralizer bundle. I had been wanting to try a dish with zoodles(zucchini noodles) for some time so this was a perfect opportunity. The spiralizer was really easy to use. You just place the vegetable into the end and twist like you are sharpening a pencil. Simple. Even my 5 year old can use it(with supervision of course.)
It has 2 ends with different sized blades so you can have your “noodles” either thicker or thinner. It’s made from high quality plastic and stainless steel blades. This is not a flimsy design and I expect it to last for quite some time. It also came with a cleaning brush that made clean up quick and easy. The cap has these spikes on it to grip the end of the vegetable that helps to reduce waste and make it easier on your fingers.
Zucchini noodles are great but you can also use it for potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beets, or countless other veggies. I have several kitchen gadgets that get pushed back into a corner and never see the light of day but I don’t think this will be one of them. I can see the spiralizer making a regular appearance in m kitchen. Other extras in the bundle include a small recipe booklet and a jar opener.
The Retseliney, Premium Spiralizer Bundle can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Retseliney-Premium-Spiralizer-Bundle-Vegetable/dp/B00P8EJMJ8/ref=sr_1_36?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1423172401&sr=1-36&keywords=spiralizer
I was sent this product for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Set of 2 20oz Double wall bottles review
Earlier this week I received a set of stainless steel water bottles free of charge for review. My daughter had a soccer clinic to go to Monday night so I took that opportunity to try them out so I filled one of the bottles up with water, threw in a couple of ice cubes, tossed it into our bag, and ran out the door. When we got to the gym it occurred to me that the bottle was literally upside down in the bag with my wallet, Sylvia’s t-shirt, and everything else so I panicked a little bit, expecting the contents of our tote to be soaked. When I pulled the bottle out, however, I was happy to see that nothing was wet. The bottle didn’t leak at all and there was no condensation on the outside either.
I had also noticed that for a double-wall stainless steel container, it was surprisingly light weight. My daughter’s practice lasts for almost 2 hours and the water stayed ice cold the whole time(I know it’s February but this we were inside a heated gymnasium.)
The next day I figured I may as well use it again so I made some iced tea and filled it up for myself along with a few ice cubes. After about 6 hours I noticed that my tea was still cold and there were still ice cubes inside the bottle. It had stayed that cold for most of the day. I was done drinking it at that point so I’m not entirely sure how long they would’ve lasted but I am curious to find out.
A few more things to note: The bottle fits nicely inside the cupholder of my car, it’s about the same circumference as typical soda cans, bottles, and travel mugs. They have a soft rubber mouthpiece that I found quite comfortable. They are BPA free which is always a plus. They are vacuum sealed and even if you leave the top flipped open, it will not leak.
I fell in love with these bottles and I can see myself using them quite often and I definitely recommend them. You can purchase them through amazon, here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/b00t1vktpk
As per FTC guidelines: I received this product free of charge in exchange for my HONEST review and, as always, all of my opinions are my own.
My favorite things found on Pinterest this week. 2/17/15
I didn’t spend as much time on Pinterest this week as usual but I still found some awesome pins.
#1) CRISPY SHRIMP PASTA
You can’t spend 30 seconds on Pinterest without finding some awesome recipes right off the bat. This weeks recipe isn’t anything fancy or super special…it just simply looks good. My 5 year old recently discovered that she loves shrimp….like REALLY loves it. She was browsing recipes with me and picked this one out herself. She has been cooking with us as much as possible lately and she wants this to be her next dish. And I’ve got to admit, as simple as it is, it does really look tasty so I can’t wait to try it. I think she did pretty good. It’s posted on kevinandamanda.com Their website has lots of yummy looking recipes. Be sure to check it out. You can find the pin here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132856257733803593/
#2) LADDER LIGHTING
I LOVE the idea of repurposing old household items into something new so when I saw this pin I knew I had to save it. Such a great idea! It’s posted on alexandradesignfinds.com From her website you have to set the category at “lighting” and do a bit of scrolling to find it but you’ll be sure to see some other neat things along the way. Or you can take the shortcut and click straight to the post by going through the pin, found here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132856257733805668/
#3) SOOTHING BATH SOAK
Yesterday I found what is for sure one of my new favorite websites/blogs “Little Dove Creations.” Technically I didn’t find this on Pinterest but I came across the link and had to save it as a pin. I love taking baths. Long, hot baths. Especially when it’s cold outside and BOY is it cold right now. I’m definitely due for one. I don’t get them often(don’t worry, I take plenty of showers) so when I do I like to soak for a while. And this is the perfect time of year for it. Bath soaks with oatmeal are perfect for winter too because the oats are great for dry skin. This one is definitely worth a look and PLEASE check out the rest of her website because she has lots of other great DIY recipes and projects. I’m seriously considering making her blog my browser’s homepage…true story. You can find the pin here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132856257733800037/
#4) NO-HEAT HEADBAND CURLS
This comes from a pin I actually found several months ago and I was just thinking about it again so I went searching for it. The original post that I had pinned at the time was no longer there but a quick bing search and I found another one using the exact same method. At the time my hair was longer so I gave it a try and it actually worked!
I have a hard time curling my hair because it’s pretty thick and takes FOREVER and a curl doesn’t really hold but this stayed in most of the day(with spray gel of course). I’ve cut my hair a bit shorter since then but if/when my hair gets longer I’ll try it again. Find the pin here: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/132856257733805802/
I hope you all find something you can use. Feel free to re-pin and let me know in the comments which is your favorite. Come back next week for more!
Half-assed Health e-book review and giveaway
I was emailed an e-book copy of “Half-assed Health” by John “Bones” Rodriguez for free in exchange for my honest review. As always, my opinions are my own.
The good: He had some good advice in the book. Many things were common sense but we could all use some reminders every once in a while. He wrote the book in a conversational manner, which some people don’t care for but I think it makes it an easy read. I loved his section advising that the goal isn’t to stress over the “best” way to do things but to make sure you are choosing foods and habits that are “better” than you were before. He goes into greater detail of course, but you get the point.
The not so good: While I liked the conversational style of his writing, I think it could’ve been done better. I felt that in some places he spent too much time repeating himself and going on and on about the topic at hand long after the point was made. It also seemed a bit obvious that the book wasn’t proofread and/or edited very well, if at all. There were some words out of place, punctuation was off in places and a misspelled word here and there. But the information was still there, and as I said, he does give some good advice.
All in all I would say that it might be worth a look. He has it listed on Amazon for $4.99 as of the time of this post. I would be ok paying that amount for it but the list price of $9.99 would be a stretch considering it’s well under 100 pages and feels a bit more like a magazine article than a book. If you do want to check it out then you can get it here: http://www.amazon.com/Half-Assed-Health-WITHOUT-Starving-Suffering-ebook/dp/B00E0NO10S/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 or for more information on the author and his other works you can visit his website http://www.halfassedhealth.com
Entering the giveaway is easy! Just follow me on Instagram here: http://instagram.com/chancefam/ and on twitter here: https://twitter.com/HiLazyHomemaker and then comment below with your Instagram profile link and your twitter ID so I can verify. Winner will be chosen randomly on 2/23/15 at 2:00pm
#1 Probiotic Review
I love probiotics. I was making my own water kefir for a time but my poor grains didn’t survive. I’ll try again when the weather warms a bit. I also have recently started a kombucha scoby but that takes several weeks to be ready. I’ll be sure to post about both of those projects later on(even if the fail) But in the meantime, This company sent me 2 free bottles of their probiotic supplement to try so I could write an honest review. So, as always, my opinions are my own.
I’m skeptical of supplements in general, especially in light of the recent news about many of them not being what they claim. And when it comes to herbs, I much prefer the actual fresh or dried herb brewed into a tea or made into a tincture. So even with my doubts, I was willing to give this a try. Since I stopped drinking kefir every day, my digestive system has suffered. Every day I would get stabbing pains in my gut and bad cramping. I started taking Advanced probiotic by Number One Nutrition which can be found here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GGSDWH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s easy to take, just 2 pills a day with a light meal and one bottle lasts an entire month The company also offers a money back guarantee and will refund your money, no questions asked, if you are unhappy with the product. After taking Advanced Probiotic for a week I realized that the stabbing pain in my gut was gone, and it had been gone for several days. I also had been chewing on tums every day for acid reflux and I haven’t touched them since starting these. I think it’s safe to say that Advanced Probiotic is doing it’s job and I plan to get more for myself after my current bottle is gone.
My favorite things found on pinterest this week – Valentine’s edition
Jarrod and I don’t get excited about Valentine’s Day. We never have really. We’ve never been the type to go out for a romantic date, buy each other gifts, exchange cards, etc… Every once in a while we’ll make a meal together, but we do that anyway often enough. I do still like to acknowledge it in some way. Especially with the kiddos and sometimes with a fun themed drink or recipe. So here are my favorite things on pinterest this week with a bit of a Valentine’s Day twist:
1) VALENTINE MOSCATO FLOAT
I like the looks of this one. I haven’t tried it yet. I’ll have to go get the ingredients this week. All you need is some Moscato wine, strawberry soda and vanilla ice cream. As far as wine goes, I don’t typically go for the sweet stuff but this is a fun way to drink Moscato. And anything with ice cream in it MUST be good, right? check out the full recipe here: http://www.thetaylor-house.com/valentine-moscato-float/2/
2) COOL SCIENCE EXPIRIMENTS FOR VALETINE’S DAY
This pin led me to a list of cool heart related science experiments. My 5 year old loves doing things like this, (and who am I kidding?) the hubs and I do too. I can’t wait to try some of these with my daughter and my daycare littles. From looking through these, it seems that there are things that are appropriate for about any age group. You can find the list here: http://creeksidelearning.com/cool-science-experiments/
3) STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
These cookies look pretty easy to make. They only use 6 ingredients(including a boxed cake mix) so I think they’re worth a try. In my experience, boxed cake mix cookies aren’t my favorite but I think the kiddos will love this one. My little one loves anything pink and so do most, if not all, of my daycare kiddos so the color alone will probably make these a hit. And who doesn’t love chocolate chips. Find the recipe for these here: http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/01/23/strawberry-chocolate-chip-cookies/
4) HERBAL APHRODISIACS
I’ve been wanting to try something like this so I was so excited to come across this pin. As you may know, I have been studying herbalism for the past year and just finished up an apprenticeship. The great thing about this, for me, is that I still have many of the ingredients on hand for some of these recipes. What I don’t have I’ll be ordering from Mountain Rose Herbs in the near future. You can find their link on the right side of this page(affiliate link). They won’t come in time for Valentine’s Day but you don’t need a holiday to have a little romance. And aphrodisiacs don’t actually have to be strictly used for romance. They can be used anytime to just lift your spirits and they make great gifts. I have a friend from my apprentice group who made an aphrodisiac cordial over Christmas time for her coworkers and it was quite a hit. Here they are: http://herbalacademyofne.com/2015/01/love-it-up-with-herbal-aphrodisiacs/?ap_id=pixie
Want to see more? Follow me on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.com/carrieml82/ and be sure to check back here next week for more favorites!
Review of Beginning Salsa Dance, Volume 1 by SalsaCrazy
I’ve always wanted to try Salsa dancing. True story. The problem is that I’ve never been much of a dancer. I’ve been the one to sit off in the corner with my drink in m hand and watch everyone else. And it never mattered how bad everyone else looks out on the dance floor(and trust me, most of you look pretty bad, especially when there is alcohol involved), I can never get up the nerve to join them. I always thought that maybe, just maybe, if I learn a specific type of dance then I would be more comfortable getting out there. And Salsa has always appealed to me. So when I found out that I had the opportunity to review an instructional video on salsa dancing I was pretty excited!
I received my free copy last week and first put it in the next day. My 5 year old daughter was with me and we tried it out together. She is in ballet and was excited to try something different. In hindsight I wish I would’ve taken a picture or a short video because I’ve gotta say, she looked pretty darn cute wiggling her teeny hips. While the video won’t be winning any awards for production value, it was pretty good. The instructors were very easy to follow. They explained the steps just a little at a time before moving on. I think the pace was just about right. There was plenty of time to practice and figure it out before moving on, without getting bored with it.
The price is right too. Right now it is on sale for only $14.95 on Amazon and if you have Amazon Prime you can have it shipped for free as well. If you are thinking about trying something new then I would recommend this one. Even my 5 year old could do it and, as I said, we had a lot of fun with it. I can even see turning it into a workout once I have all of the steps down. Now my only challenge is trying to get the hubs to try it with me so I have a dance partner that’s closer to my own size.
I was given my copy for free in exchange for writing a review but all of my opinions are my own.
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Homemade Herbal Salve
Over the holidays I decided to hand out a couple of homemade items to some family members as part of their gifts. One of the things I made was an all-purpose herbal salve that I’m really quite proud of. I use this stuff for EVERYTHING from burns, cuts, scrapes, eczema/dry skin patches, and any other excuse I can come up with. I didn’t think to take pictures during the process at the time(I wasn’t blogging yet anyway) but I did manage to snap a picture of the finished product before I capped it
It’s really not that hard to make and you can get the ingredients and containers online. I get most of my herbs from a company called Mountain Rose Herbs. You can find a link to their website in the sidebar on the right side of my page. Everything else you can find on Amazon or several other places around the web(or a local supply store)
What you’ll need:
Carrier oil(I like to use almond or grape seed oil but EVOO works as well)
Herbs(this salve has Comfrey, Calendula, and St John’s wort)
Cheesecloth
Double Boiler
Beeswax
Tin containers or glass jars to store finished product(I used small tins and then when they were full I put the excess into a cleaned out coconut oil jar to keep for myself)
First step:
Make the infused oil. You can make this in a jar and do a solar infusion over about 6 weeks but I’m far too impatient so I used the quick method using a double boiler and my stove top. For this step you just need to place your herbs into the double boiler and cover with your carrier oil, leaving 1-2 inches of oil above the herbs. I honestly can’t remember the exact amounts I used but it’s really not a big deal to have exact amounts with an infusion. I’m thinking it was probably about 1/4 – 1/3 cup of each of the herbs an around 8oz of the oil. You’ll want to heat the herbs over VERY low heat for at least 1 hour but more is better. I think I did around 5 hours. Some people will heat them overnight or even longer. Make sure you control the heat though so you don’t end up frying your herbs. It should be around 100-140 degrees farenheit(closer to 100 degrees if you are leaving them overnight. When you are satisfied with your infusion, let it cool and then strain using the cheesecloth. At this point you have a nice herbal infused oil. You can continue on to the next step to make a salve or you can even leave it as is(stored in a jar with a tight lid) and use it as a bath oil.
Step 2:
Turn your oil into a salve. Place your herbal oil and about 1/4 cup(or less) of beeswax into the double boiler. Warm it over low heat to melt the wax. One the wax is melted into the oil, dip a metal spoon into the oil and place it into the freezer for about 1 minute and then pull it out and test the consistency. If it is too soft for you then add a little more beeswax and repeat this process until it is at the firmness that you want(or add in more oil if it’s too firm). At this point is when you would add a few drops of essential oils if desired. Once you have it just right, our into your containers and allow it to cool.
That’s it! You now have a homemade herbal salve! Of course you don’t have to use the same herbs I did. Depending on what you want to use it for, play around with different herbal combinations. You can use different herbs and make a salve for sore muscles, a chest rub, diaper rash, etc… I’m thinking of trying a fun, sexy combination to make a massage oil for Valentine’s Day. Have fun with it and maybe by the end of the year you’ll have the perfect combo to use for your own Holiday gifts.
I participated in Simple Saturdays blog hop and http://simplelifemom.com/2015/02/18/homestead-blog-hop-18/
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