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family – Page 3 – Luv Saving Money

Hot Holiday Toys To Watch For: Magic Mixies

I had the absolute pleasure of attending The Toy Insiders Virtual Day of Play for Holiday Toys. The one thing that was mentioned in the opening is that the toy industry is facing many of the issues that a lot of other industries are this year. That includes: delayed ship times, labor shortages, difficulty getting certain materials, etc. So the message this year is to buy early and buy “the” toy item your child wants when you see it. (If you are able to of course)

One of the items expected to be a hot holiday toy this year is Magic Mixies from Moose Toys.

During the Day of Play virtual event I showed the how-to video to my daughter and she was mesmerized. I posted a little info about it on my private facebook page and several of my friends and neighbors were telling me this is already on their kids’ wish lists.

What Is It?

It’s an interactive toy. You’ll receive a cauldron, wand, and ingredients to create a Mixie creature (included).

The short version: A magic cauldron that lights up, bubbles, and more. Your child adds all the ingredients and uses their magic wand to stir and tap the pot. Once all ingredients are added and all steps are complete, watch as the cauldron mists an reveals their Mixie creature.

The Mixie itself also interacts with your child and their wand. They can even do assist with the cauldron and spell book. Your child’s Mixie has 50+ sounds and reactions!

My favorite part? This isn’t a one and done thing. You can recreate the magic of revealing the Mixie over and over again.

I love that it has so much entertainment value and quite simply is adorable.

When and Where Can I Get It?

Depending on the site Magic Mixies will be released October 3 with Amazon listing October 1 for ship dates on pre-orders. Here’s some places and links you can find Magic Mixies.

Magic Mixies at Target Pink not available for pre-order here

Magic Mixies at Walmart Rainbow

Magic Mixies at Walmart pink

Magic Mixies at Walmart blue

Magic Mixies on Amazon Blue

Magic Mixies on Amazon Pink

Magic Mixies refill pack (good for 20+ mist reveals)

Magic Mixies How-To

You can check out the Magic the exact Magic Mixies video I saw right here:

I have more Hot Holiday Toy info coming up so be sure to subscribe to my emails, rss, and follow on social media!

This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission from sales made through my links.

Smile Brilliant Night Guard Review + Giveaway

You might have seen my review of the cariPRO Ultrasonic Toothbrush from Smile Brilliant in the past. I’m still using that same toothbrush today. I do keep a supply of new brush heads on hand. My dentist was impressed with how well it keeps my teeth clean. She actually asked for the name of the toothbrush. But a newer issued came along at one of my dentist appointments a few years ago.

About 2 years ago, while at my dentist appointment, my dentists commented about my gums receding. She says there’s a few reasons it could happen but one reasons is from teeth clenching or grinding my teeth. I had a coworker that had a similar problem. She ended up having to have cadaver gums to fix her receding gum line. The idea of that just doesn’t appeal to me. They did give me some hope that there has been advances with injecting collagen into the gums and seeing results with that treatment. Unfortunately it was just starting on the west coast and hadn’t made it’s way to the east coast yet. It’s obviously something that dentists will need to be trained to do as well.

I started to pay more attention. I noticed I did clench my teeth when working out. I sometimes grind my teeth when I’m bored. It’s possible I clench or grind my teeth at night. I don’t personally know that I do and my husband has never said anything to that effect.

So, what do I do? I ask my dentist. She suggested a night guard. Unfortunately she says it’s not covered by my insurance. They could do a custom one but it would cost around $500 or I could buy a pre-fab one somewhere like Walmart. So I went with that option. The pre-fab one I bought only cost about $20. Unfortunately you get what you pay for. It didn’t fit my mouth right. I had to cut the ends so it fit in my mouth without feeling like it was gagging me. In the end it didn’t work out.

I was starting to seriously consider shelling out the $500 to avoid cadaver gums. But then Smile Brilliant entered my life. It was exactly the solution I needed.

Smile Brilliant offers custom night guards you can get in the convenience of your own home. Smile Brilliant Custom Night Guard costs a fraction of what i would have paid my dentist but still getting the custom fit I need. They send you a kit in the mail to create your own custom dental guard at your convenience. They have an easy to follow step by step guide.

You kit comes with a mold and stuff that reminds me of silly putty that you have to mix together. They give you enough for two tries just in case you mess up on the first one. I’ve used the same method for their teeth whitening trays. I usually get it on the first try but did end up having to use the 2nd set this time. No worries if you still need more, you just have to contact them.

The whole process really only take about 10 min start to finish. The instructions have high resolution, color pics. They are are truly step by step. I personally suggest reading through the entire directions so you can anticipate what you need to do next. It’s not a hard process but you do only have so much time to work with the molding solution before it starts to harden.

Smile Brilliant also provides an envelope, postage paid, to send your impression back for your bite guard to be created.

It took close to three weeks for me to get my bite guard in the mail but when I received it, it was a perfect fit. It’s a nice flexible material. It’s comfortable in my mouth.

When your finished bite guard is sent to you, you also receive a convenient, vented storage container to keep your bite guard in.

bite guard case
finished bite guard
How Much Is Teeth Whitening

Smile Brilliant offers several high quality and custom oral care products including the cariPro Ultrasonic toothbrush, Water flosser, custom teeth whitening kits, and more.

Save 20% off your order when you use my code: 20angiewith2

GIVEAWAY

Choice of T3 Sensitive or Light Custom Night Guard Giveaway link:
https://www.smilebrilliant.com/g/angiewith2

Just for entering you get an additional discount at Smile Brilliant!

*Eligible countries: US, UK, Australia, & Canada

**This post is in collaboration with Smile Brilliant. I was compensated with free product for this post. This post does contain affiliate links and I can earn from sales made through my links. Any opinions expressed are my own***

Virtual Vegetarian Cooking Class Through Penn State Extension

Looking into eating vegetarian? Maybe you already started but needs some tips and ideas? Penn State Extension is offering a virtual vegetarian cooking event called: Let’s Cook At Home: Vegetarian.

Vegetarian meals provide an opportunity to explore new flavors and recipes that highlight plant-based foods. Join “Let’s Cook at Home: Vegetarian” and learn how to eat a balanced, plant-based diet with tips to make traditional entrées the vegetarian way. This event is for anyone who wants to improve their diet and health and explore the health benefits of plant-based eating. Participants will learn how to prepare a healthy, vegetarian meal, plan a balanced plant-based diet, and simple cooking techniques and recipe modifications for vegetarian recipes.

Register

This live webinar will take place September 27 from 12:00 pm – 1 pm EST. Registration is $10. You must register in order to receive a link to the webinar. You can register for the Let’s Cook At Home: Vegetarian cooking event here: https://extension.psu.edu/lets-cook-at-home-vegetarian

About Penn State Extension

Penn State Extension serves individuals, businesses and communities, helping them address problems and realize opportunities through educational programs, products and services. In support of Penn State’s land-grant mission, extension programs make a difference locally through face-to-face education as well as widely through online programs. With support from federal, state and county governments, extension has a tradition of bringing unbiased, research-based information to the citizens of Pennsylvania for more than 100 years.

Penn State Extension offers a variety of online non-credit courses for the public. Consumers can access educational articles, videos, online courses and publications at their convenience, and register for regional in-person workshops and online webinars on a wide range of topics.

Dirt Devil Endura Max XL Review

I received the Dirt Devil Endura Max XL at no cost review through Bzzagent. I decided to write a review on my blog about this particular vacuum because I really have a lot to say about it.

I want to start by saying, I’ve gone through over my fair share of vacuums. I’ve tried everything from higher end pricier vacuums like Dyson to budget friendly Walmart specials. I’ve mostly bought brand new vacuums but I did roll the dice on a few refurbs. Vacuums never seem to last more than a year or 2 for us no matter the style, price, or brand. We are a family of 6 with 3 cats. I run a robot vacuum daily and run an upright vacuum at least twice a week, sometime more. I do that because the robot vacuum just doesn’t get all the tighter areas and corners. I’ve also tried two different brands robot vacuums for the record. So I feel like I have a good comparison and can give a fair judgment on a vacuum.

So I received the Dirt Devil Endura Max XL in the mail. I unbox the vacuum and find my owner’s manual and set up info. I’ve set up quite a few vacuums. I found this one to be just a little confusing. Instead of the hose being one piece it’s actually two pieces. The written instructions for setup are minimal and the pictures are black and white and not very detailed. The pictures make it seem like the hose is all one piece but of course it’s not. I tried looking up youtube videos but to no avail. I finally figured out where it should go and I was ready to use the vacuum.

After the slight confusion with the set up, I also noticed that the materials used for the suction tube, hose, and suction tube release button were a pretty cheap plastic. It does not seem like it will be very durable. Especially in my house which is apparently hard on vacuums.

So I turn the vacuum on and, oh my goodness, it is absolutely the loudest vacuum I’ve ever owned. Even my husband was complaining about the noise. This vacuum also vibrates much more than I’m used to with other vacuums I’ve owned. I found myself not wanting to run the vacuum after the kids go to bed (which is usually the time I like to do it. I’m a night owl.) I also don’t want to run this vacuum in the mornings because my husband works night shift and I don’t want to wake him up.

So is there any good news Ang?

Yes, I can’t say I should just throw the whole vacuum away. The suction does appear to be pretty good. I had no issue vacuuming up popcorn, getting crumbs out of corners in the kitchen or vacuuming up cat hair. It’s really light weight for the size of the vacuum so it’s not a burden to carry it upstairs.

It’s multi-surface with different surface settings. I had no issues using it on my tile floors in my kitchen, hardwood floors in the living room, or carpeting in the bedrooms. It came with a couple attachments which were easy to apply and use on my furniture.

The canister works much like any other canister vacuum I’ve owned. Easy to open and empty the contents of the canister. Easy to replace the filter when needed.

The power cord length, I would say, is sufficient. I’ve had vacuums with longer cords, I’ve had vacuums with shorter cords. If I was wishing, I’d have the cord be another 3 feet longer or so but this part isn’t a deal breaker for me.

In Summary

If the noise isn’t an issue for you, you need a light-weight vacuum, and you’re not hard on vacuums like my family is then this would probably work out for you. It does the job.

Depending on the site, this vacuum is being listed with a retail price of $90 – $96. Had I paid that price out of pocket for this vacuum I would have been very disappointed. I don’t see myself using this vacuum much in my house especially since I have other options available. I think this will be one that I send off with one of my older boys to college or to their first place to get them started.

Juice Drinkers! This Online Community Is For YOU! Earn Rewards Too!

This post is a sponsored post.

Where are my juice drinkers at? I’ve partnered with C Space to bring awareness to an exclusive online Juice drinkers community. A leading fruit juice company has created this anonymous online community with the goal of learning how to make their products even more delicious for everyone! 

I’m definitely a fan of fruit juices. I like trying different flavors and combos. I love my classics too.

Quick Facts About the Juice Community

  • Members in this private community share their opinions with each other about a wide range of food & beverage related topics.
  • Discussion topics, polls and news are shared by fellow members and community facilitators.
  • Participants will receive Amazon eGift cards each month for contributing to the community.
  • All participant feedback and opinions will be kept confidential.

Connect with other juice enthusiasts, have your voice heard, help shape the future of the juices you love, and earn some rewards while you’re at it.

See if you qualify for this exclusive juice drinkers community here: https://cspace.mvk.co/2599p

Let me know if you get in!