review – Luv Saving Money

Hershey Bears Official Bobblehead With A Cause

If you are familiar with the Hershey Bears hockey team in the AHL then you might know about their teddy bear toss. Fans toss stuffed animals onto the ices after the first goal of the designated Teddy Bear Toss game. Teddy bears tossed on the ice during the designated game this year were donated to 35 Hershey area charities including: Vista Autism Services, Milton Hershey School, Harrisburg school district, Hershey Food Bank, Palmyra Lions Club, and more.

The last teddy bear toss game was Jan 7, 2024 when the Hershey Bears played the Lehigh Valley Phantoms at GIANT Center. Bogdan Trineyev scored the “Teddy Bear Toss Goal” that flooded the ice with thousands of stuffies. A record 75,599 stuffed toys were collected, breaking the previous record of 67,309 set in 2023.

Now the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled an officially licensed Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss Bobblehead with a cause.

The bobblehead celebrates the Hershey Bears world-famous Teddy Bear Toss, and the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum will be donating $5 from every bobblehead sold to the Hershey Bears Cares initiative that the Teddy Bear Toss supports. The special edition bobblehead is being produced exclusively by the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, an official licensee of the American Hockey League.

Standing on an ice-textured base, the bobblehead features the Hershey Bears’ mascot Coco the Bear holding a bobbling teddy bear with teddy bears also covering the ice-textured base. Each bobblehead is individually numbered to 2,024 and they are only available through the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum’s Online Store. The bobbleheads, which are expected to ship in July, are $40 each plus a flat-rate shipping charge of $8 per order.

Fun Facts About Hershey Bears Hockey

The Bears have a long and storied franchise history in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Chocolate manufacturer Milton S. Hershey first established the “Hershey Hockey Club” in 1932 to manage professional hockey teams based in Hershey, and the Bears were officially founded for the 1938-39 season when the Canadian-American Hockey League and the International Hockey League merged to form the eight-team International-American Hockey League, now known as the AHL. The Bears have played in Hershey for their entire existence, making the franchise the longest continuously operating AHL member club still located in its original city.

The most successful franchise in the history of the American Hockey League, the Hershey Bears won their 12th championship in 2023 after defeating the Coachella Valley Firebirds in seven games in the Calder Cup Finals. The team also won titles in 1947, 1958, 1959, 1969, 1974, 1980, 1988, 1997, 2006, 2009, and 2010. The Bears captured their first championship since 2010 when forward Mike Vecchione became the first player in AHL history to score a sudden-death overtime goal in Game 7 of a Calder Cup Finals, clinching the championship at 16:19 of overtime.

How To Get Hershey Bears Bobblehead

The Officially licensed Hershey Bears Teddy Bear Toss Bobblehead with a cause is available for pre-order now on the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum website.

The bobbleheads are expected to ship in July. Remember that $5 from every purchase of these unique bobbleheads go to the Hershey Bears Cares Initiative.

About the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum:
The National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum, which is located at 170 S. 1st St. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, opened to the public on February 1st, 2019. The HOF and Museum also produces high quality, customized bobbleheads for retail sale as well as organizations, individuals, and teams across the country. Visit us online and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

On a Side Note

If you have never been to a semi-pro hockey game I highly encourage you to do so. About 6 years ago I was looking for something to do in the winter with my kids. I wanted something indoors something that didn’t cost a lot of money. I had heard about the Johnstown Tomahawks hockey team. I looked at the ticket prices and they were very reasonable even for good seats. It was just me and my to youngest kids at the time and we had so much fun. I talked my husband into going with us the next time. After that we were hooked. We go to several games a year now and are even considering getting season tickets. Support your local sports teams! Plus, you never know who will make it big time. You can say “Hey I saw that guy play when he played for the local team”

100% Recyclable Shoes – Casual Comfort with Zebra Oasis

Shoes are great. Most of us have at least a couple pair. But did you know most shoes can’t be recycled? Most of our worn out shoes end up being burned in landfills because the materials can’t be easily separated for proper recycling. So they either hang out in landfills or are burned which aren’t ideal for the environment either.

So what can we do? Most of us needs shoes right?

Zebra Oasis

Zebra Oasis seems to have it figured out. Every step considered to make their shoes better for the environment. Here are some ways Zebra Oasis is keeping the environmental impact in the forefront of their shoes:

100% Truly recyclable with their patented “R-ring” design to easily separate materials when it’s time to retire your shoes
Recycled CO-2 injected soles – TPU foam makes their foam fully recyclable without using extra chemicals typically used in the foaming process
Hemp upper part – the upper part of the shoes is made from hemp. Making these shoes: breathable, comfortable, sustainable, and comforable
NO DYES! – Zebra Oasis is committed to using natural materials. No dyes are used. Which also means when you wash your shoes they maintain their color

You can watch how the R-ring works to recycle your shoes here:

But Are They Going To Wear?

Zebra Oasis shoes perform well in temps ranging from -10 to 60 degrees Celsius. The shoes are very flexible . Zebra Oasis shoes also come with a 1 year warranty. Comfortable enough to wear all day but durable enough to keep up with you.

My Thoughts After A Month of Wear

When I read about them before I received them I was wondering about the whole “R-ring” thing. Would I feel it in the soul of the shoe? If I do too much walking, dancing around, etc in my shoes could I accidently start pulling it? The answer to those questions is NO. I wore these while out running errands, to the grocery store, to the warehouse store while hubby and I were dishwasher shopping, and more. I didn’t even think about the R-Ring. It’s more of a strong thread so you can’t feel it at all.

These shoes are so comfortable. Honestly, these might be one of the most comfortable shoes I have for casual wear. And I’m a tennis shoe girl. The casual design make them great to wear with just about anything: jeans, shorts, capris, skorts, whatever. The soft hemp uppers made these shoes instantly wearable. There’s no break-in period or “getting used to them”. You can take them right out of the box and head out the door.

I have a feeling these will be my daily pair for the spring and summer. The light, breathability of the shoe will be nice. Though I was wearing them February and March in Pennsylvania too so…

I love that these shoes are machine washable. I rarely can keep white shoes white. (They actually refer to this color as beige but I can’t keep beige shoes beige either) It will be so much easier for me to just be able to throw them in the washer when they start looking dingy.

A Little More About Zebra Oasis

Zebra Oasis is a premium lifestyle brand dedicated to sustainability. I think they hit the mark with these shoes. They have a goal to provide high quality foot wear with low environmental impact. I love that!

These shoes will be available in whole sizes. I typically wear a US 7.5 so to be safe I requested a US 8 to review. After wearing them for a few days I probably could have gone either way. There was definitely some wiggle room in the 8s for me but I typically like to wear socks of some type with my tennis shoes that that was good for me.

These shoes are expected to be available to purchase in April. I think it’s no coincidence that April happens to be Earth Month. So when you’re considering making your earth friendly changes, think about your shoes and consider these super comfortable Zebra Oasis shoes.

These shoe will also be available in gray.

You can find and purchase Zebra Oasis shoes on Outdoor Masters website.

I received a product sample in exchange for this post. Any opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

Waterproof Labels from Name Bubbles

I have been using waterproof, washable labels for years. I discovered them back when my oldest boys were starting school. It was so easy to label all their stuff. The stickers stayed on all year, the labels were easy to see, and if something needed cleaned up, I could do it and not have to worry about re-labeling.

Now that my kids are older I still find myself using label stickers. Inside backpacks, on gloves and hats, labeling electronics, I even use them when taking in a cover dish for work.

Name Bubbles has so many options and sizes. They have so many options for designs, adding characters, fonts, and more. When my kids were little they loved the novelty shapes or little icons. Now that they’re older they’d rather it just be plain and to the point. Name Bubbles has options for all that. And it’s so easy to create your custom label stickers.

If you have kids in daycare, I highly recommend getting the Name Bubbles daycare packs. I would get one pack for each kid. It comes with all kinds of different size and types of labels. 96 total labels to be exact. All the daycare pack labels are microwaves safe, waterproof, freezer safe, and laundry safe. So label bottles, sippy cups, shoes, clothing, toys, baby food, etc.

Custom Daycare Labels

Name Bubbles also has camp packs. I’ve already seen quite a few sign ups for summer camps, day camps, and educational camps coming up. Get ahead of the game and have a better chance of your kids’ stuff coming back home with them.

I created some name labels for my youngest son because we were getting low. What do you use name label son for a 13 year old?

backpacks
bluetooth speaker
chargers
laptop
jackets
handheld gaming systems
sports equipment (especially with football or hockey)
and more

The Name Bubbles name labels have saved us more than once. The school issues a laptop and charger to all the kids for virtual days. My daughter has lost track of her charger a couple times. Thankfully it was found in one of her classrooms. You know how they knew it was hers? Yeps, Name Bubbles labels.

So I made sure I stuck one of those handy dandy labels on my son’s charger too.

If my younger child is having a show-and-tell type day I label whatever she’s taking in. If they want to take stuff on vacation with us, I label stuff. Kids are fighting over whose charger is whose? label it.

I keep talking about kids but as a healthcare worker, I recommend people label their loved ones items if taking something to the hospital for them or short rehab stays, or for those living in a nursing facility. Books, ereaders, headphones, glasses, clothing, walkers, wheelchair, please label it!

Name Bubbles labels are so durable. And they really last a long time.

If you’re ready to grab some Name Bubble labels for yourself, your kids, or your loved one. You can save 20% off with code: BUBBLE20 code exp 12/31/23

I received a sample of Name Bubbles labels in order to complete this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

National Geographic Kids Books Giveaway: Birds #NationalLibraryDay

Several years ago, we took the family to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, PA. We created wonderful memories that my family still talks about today. My husband loved the SOAR! program they had at that time. It was on the rooftop and featured birds of prey.

My kids and I loved the opportunity to feed the Lorakeets. It’s such an immersive experience being able to walk through the habitats and get up close to some of the beautiful birds.

This trip created a new appreciation for our bird feeder we have outside. The kids and I love seeing new birds coming to the feeder. We’ll try to figure out what they are and if they’re male or female.

We have some of the same bird types come back to our feeder each year. It also seems we get one or two new ones. We’ve had both the male and female cardinal at our feeder, chickadees, woodpeckers, Tufted titmouse, American Goldfinch, and a few others.

We get a great view out our front kitchen window of the birds at the feeder.

Fun fact, did you know that April 16 is National Library Day? For National Library Day, my kids and I were excited to review a National Geographic Kids Books bundle that’s all about birds.

Book In This Bundle

Little Kids First Board Book: Birds (board book, ages Baby-3)Designed to be the stepping stone to the best-selling National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, the Little Kids First Board Book series takes similar big subjects and distills them down to the simplest nonfiction concepts for the youngest audience. Not only will readers learn about a variety of birds, they can also find recurring shapes and patterns in the art, while adults can keep their eyes open for occasional funny commentary from the animals. With their bright and playful design, awesome photography, clear text, and cues to encourage interactive learning, the Little Kids First Board Books take a fresh new approach to make learning about nature and science fun.

Little Kids First Big Book of Birds(hardcover, ages 4-8)“Parents, teachers, and curious children will be fascinated by this excellent introduction to birds. VERDICT Lush nature photography, concise language, a large print size, and a browsable layout: this offering is ideal for home, school, and library use” – School Library Journal

This adorable reference introduces young readers to birds of all kinds: big and small, flyers and swimmers, colorful and plain. They’ll find backyard favorites, such as robins and cardinals and be introduced to more unique species that inhabit rain forests and deserts around the world. Bird behaviors kids can relate to, including singing, dancing, building, swimming, and diving, reveal fascinating insights into the avian world. More than 100 colorful photos are paired with profiles of each bird, along with facts about the creatures’ sizes, diets, homes, and more. This charming book will quickly become a favorite at storytime, bedtime, and any other time.

Fly With Me: A Celebration of Birds Through Pictures, Poems and Stories(hardcover, ages 4-8) by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple

“…a lavishly illustrated compendium of facts, photographs, and poetry…As is characteristic of National Geographic publications, the plentiful photographs are well-chosen and beautifully reproduced. A treasure for browsers and bird lovers everywhere.” — Kirkus Starred Review

“With text that never talks down to its audience, this makes an ideal choice for family sharing or classroom browsing.” — Booklist

This thoughtful and beautifully curated collection of our flying, feathery friends highlights the role birds play in human life from centuries ago to present day. While it’s beautiful and contains many original poems, it’s also full of valuable real science about these wondrous creatures. From history and behavior to spotting and photographing, there’s something for every bird fan in the flock. Young birders will learn all about migration and the importance of habitat conservation. They’ll find stories about bird rescues and fun facts about the fastest, strongest, and tiniest fliers. They’ll also discover the best bird nests, sweet songs to sing, ways to listen for and identify the birds around them, and more.

NG Kids Bird Guide of North America 2nd ed (paperback, ages 8-12)Fly into the world of birds in the most complete guide for kids to North America’s birds, featuring range maps, cool facts, interactive activities and crafts, and detailed descriptions and drawings by Jonathan Alderfer, one of the country’s top avian experts and artists.The guide features profiles of 50 of North America’s most popular birds–including how and where they live and tips about how to spot, hear, and attract them–as well as mini-profiles of another 100 birds, for coverage of 150 bird species in all.

Everything Birds of Prey(paperback, ages 8-12)From eagles to falcons and talons to beaks, Everything Birds of Prey introduces readers to the world’s most ferocious fliers. With stunning visuals and energetic, impactful design, readers won’t stop until they’ve learned everything there is to know about birds of prey.

Where Can I Find Out More?

You can find more information on Birds from Nat Geo Kids by visiting the National Geographic Kids website.

On Nat Geo Kids you can also find more information on birds, pictures, and even games.

GIVEAWAY

1 US winner will win a the National Geographic Kids Birds bundle for themself AND the same bundle for their favorite library.

**The winners prize will be sent directly to them. The library prize will be sent to the winner’s library of choice. So be prepared to with the name and address of your library if you win**

I received a book bundle at no cost to facilitate this post. Any opinions expressed are my own.

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.

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***