Cornelius Teether from Baby Banana Brush Review

I received the below mentioned product as part of the US Family Guide blogger program. Any opinions expressed are my own.

I did an initial post for Baby Banana Brush just a couple weeks ago. Baby Banana Brush was a mom created product that happened after a scary incident with a regular toothbrush. She shares her story with us here:

The Baby Banana Brush Story:
A few years ago, my two-year-old grandson tripped and fell on his toothbrush as he was trying to brush his teeth. The traditional hard plastic toothbrush punctured the roof of his mouth and came within centimeters of entering his brain. As a mother of 8, I knew that this all-to-common occurrence of babies falling on hard toothbrushes should be preventable, but how? As these questions were on my mind, I discussed them with my daughter-in-law, who is a dental hygienist and with her insight the idea for a flexible infant toothbrush was born.

She taught me about the safety specifications we would need, such as a slight “C” shape to our brush. We brainstormed about ideas of fun things that might fit that “C” shape and came up with the Banana! I had some experience from previous products my company was developing with plastics and other materials. I consulted with several engineers and determined that 100% medical grade silicone would be the best material to serve our “flexible” needs.Next, I went to Taiwan – the silicone capital of the world – in 2004. There I met with the company that would eventually become our manufacturer. We had our toothbrush FDA registered, patented and tested with private labs. We knew we had created something unique – a flexible toothbrush and teether in one – which did not exist in the market at that time.

We launched our product at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists Convention in Washington, D.C. May 2008. There was lots of excitement for the product at this convention, and we began selling our toothbrush in pediatric dental offices and baby boutique stores.

My own daughter is 20 months old. She’s to the point where she wants to do everything herself. I’ve watched her gag herself a number of times using her regular toddler toothbrush. She’ll run around with hers. I’m a worry wart parent and my big fear was her tripping with it in her mouth and it goes down her throat. Baby Banana Brush has several super cute and safer toothbrush and teether designs. There is, or course, the original Baby Banana Brush but they also have other cute designs like the Cornelius teether, Baby Banana Octo-brush, and Baby Banana Sharky Brush.

We got to test out one of these super cute and safer toothbrushes. We received the Cornelius Teether.

The Cornelius teether said it’s for infants 3-12 months. Since my daughter was 20 months, I wasn’t sure if she would get the benefits from it. She is still teething in the back. It seems she keeps getting more and more teeth popping through. I put some of her toddler training toothpaste on it. She seemed visually interested in it right off the bat. I told her it was a toothbrush and she new just what to do.

She enjoyed chewing on this. I think it did feel good on the areas where teeth are still coming in. For the amount of teeth she has though I still needed to use a regular toothbrush to give her teeth a good clean. I think this Cornelius style toothbrush would be better suited for younger babies with less teeth than my daughter has. Still, this seem to be her favorite toothbrush. She’s been carrying it around the house chewing on it. The soft design and wide handles makes me feel better about her running around with it compared to her regular toothbrush.

In case you’re wondering, Baby Banana Brush does have a toddler training toothbrush meant for babies over 12 months of age and the Sharky brush says it for up to 24 months.

You can find Baby Banana Brush here:

Website: babybananabrush.com

Twitter: @babybananabrush

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Baby-Banana-Brush/313538811436

Pinterest: pinterest.com/babybananabrush

Dot&Dot Slim Packing/Organizing Cubes

I’ve been on a mission to organize and declutter my house. It seems to be a daunting job. For me, the best way to tackle it is to do one thing at a time. I know eventually it will start to look like I actually did something lol. We have a fairly big old house. Because our house is so old though, we don’t have much storage space so I have to get creative at times. I’m not the best at it but I keep learning. Organizing blogs and pinterest are my go to places.

Dot&Dot Slim Packing/organizing Cubes could be used for so many different things. They come in lots of colors that fit you OR they’d be great for color code organizing.

When I was asked to review Dot&Dot Slim Packing/Organizing Cubes I couldn’t pass up an excuse to organize another area of my home. These bags aren’t strictly for organizing though. They are great for packing for trips too. The soft design allows you to stuff all kinds of things into them and fit well in a suitcase.

I ended up choosing the Dot&Dot Slim cubes in pink. I thought they’d be perfect for helping organize my one cupboard in my bathroom. Yea, I know, don’t judge me.

So I went to work sorting and stuffing the bags. I told you these bags actually hold a lot of stuff for their size. I stuff one full of creams and serums, another full of make up products, another full of my hubby’s man stuff, and yet another one full of some of the meds and things on another shelf.

I was thinking how great these would be for packing away decorations around the holidays too. What else do you think you could use Dot&Dot cubes for?

Dot&Dot Slim cubes are available on Amazon:

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

BodiShape Slimming Contour Cream

Cellulite, that dimply skin some of us have in certain areas. Mine is on my upper thigh. I really notice it when I put on an extra pound or two. Which means, it should be a little more prevalent here with the holidays coming up. My hubby is very sweet and always tells me I look good regardless but the cellulite bothers me. I mean, I just don’t feel as sexy with those dimples in my thigh. I know, I know, I should love my body, yea I’ve had 4 kids, no I’m not trying to impress anyone but my husband…well that’s not entirely true it’s for me too. So honestly, if I could do something about it when it pops up, something fairly simple, I don’t mind doing it.

BodiShape Slimming Countour Cream says it can help get you firmer skin and reduce cellulite. Apply the cream to clean dry skin morning and night. It contains the following ingredients:

– Caffeine that Contains Theophylline Which Successfully Treats Cellulite
– Retinol that helps stimulate collagen growth & normalising the skin production process
– Coenzyme that Promotes the Internal Combustion of Fat
– Glaucine which is Responsible For Decreasing Fat Deposits

I had used a different cream in the past containing caffeine and it did help when worn during my workouts. This cream you do not have to use during workouts. Just put it on twice daily and go on about your day. It does have a 100% Unconditional, money back guarantee also so if for some reason you don’t like the results you get your money back.

Opening the jar I noticed an ivory color cream, thinner than what I expected. It had a strong scent to it the sort of reminded me of a blend of citrus and mint.

When I applied it to my upper thigh I noticed a cooling feeling on my thigh that lingered for a few minutes after applying. The scent stuck with me for about 15 minutes after as well. I did feel a tightness to the skin where I applied it. At the time of this testing period my cellulite wasn’t as prevalent (check with me the end of next week though, sheesh) so the little bit of cellulite I did have did seem to disappear after only about a week of use. I can’t speak on how this would work for a more prevalent case of cellulite but it would make me believe it would at least lesson the appearance of the cellulite.

It is the #1 selling cellulite cream on Amazon right now too. It’s made right here in the USA. :

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Would you like to try it for yourself to see if it works for you?

GIVEAWAY

1 Luv Saving Money reader will win

a jar of BodiShape Slimming Contour Cream

US only

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Spike Your Holiday Meals

I received the below mentioned products in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was received. Any opinions expressed are my own. Giveaway is sponsored by Spike Seasoning Magic.

My name is Angie and I’m afraid of spices. Seriously, I don’t experiment with them. It’s not that I don’t use them it’s that I only use ones the recipes tell me to use. I don’t think I’ve ever used Thyme in my life, not even sure if I know what it tastes like. I think I’ve used cilantro once or twice. I must have because there’s a small barely used bottle in my cupboard. Salt, pepper, paprika (hey I’m part Hungarian), garlic, onion powder, and red pepper. That’s about it. I mean clove and cinnamon for baking but I really don’t know what to “do” with some spices. That’s a bit embarrassing for me to admit but it’s the truth. I don’t usually have complaints with my cooking except occasionally from my hubby who likes a little bit of potatoes with his salt..if you get what I”m saying.

I was asked to review Spike Seasoning Magic and I was actually a little nervous. As I said, I’m afraid of spices. I agreed to it though because the seasoning are all natural, made without preservatives or additives. They also have zero calories per serving. Checking out Spike Seasoning Magic website they seemed pretty easy to use.

I received all 10 of the Spike Seasoning Magic products. The list of products includes:

Spike ® Original Magic!
Spike ® Hot’n Spicy Magic!
Spike ® Vege-Sal Magic!
Spike® Onion Magic!
Spike ® Lemon Pepper Magic!
Spike ® Salt-Free Magic!
Spike ® Vegit Magic!
Spike ® Garlic Magic!
Spike ® 5 Herb Magic!
Spike ® Tenderizer magic!

I was debating on where to start with using them. The first day I received them, I was making supper. One of my family’s favorites, Chicken Paprikas. I was hesitant to try anything new in the recipe since it’s an old family recipe. It already calls for salt, pepper, and paprika. It also calls for onions. It’s was time for us to go grocery shopping and we didn’t have any more onions. I decided to try the Spike Onion Magic. I then added the Spike Original Magic and cut back on some of the salt the recipe called for with the chicken. It looked and smelled good. No different in what in normally did so that was good.

So that turned out ok. The kids were praising the Chicken Paprikas as they always did. I told them I had used the new spices I got and they said it was good. The only complaint I had was from my hubby who said “did you forget to add salt?” As I said my hubby likes a little food with his salt.

The next day I was making mashed potatoes for supper. I thought maybe they’d be good with some of the Spike Garlic Magic in them. I tried that and again cut back on the salt I would normally use. I think they turned out great. the kids said they liked those as well.

Spike Garlic Magic was a nice addition to the mashed potatoes. I’m gonna have to try this for the mashed potatoes I make with the holiday meals. My sister is doing Thanksgiving dinner this year but I’m doing Christmas dinner.

Alright so the last thing I did with these seasonings was something I thought would make a good last minute “uh oh guests showed up I need a snack to feed them” We usually have a few boxes of crackers sitting around. We’re fans of cheese and crackers, spreads, and dips. As I told you we were due to go grocery shopping. I was having a snack craving but we didn’t have much in the house. I pulled out the crackers and thought I could probably figure out a dip. I put some low fat sour cream on a plate and mixed in some of the Spike Onion Magic and some of the Spike Veg-it Magic with it. It made a really tasty and easy dip for the crackers. It was honestly really good. Even my youngest son asked “Mom what are you eating? Can I have some?” So I made him up his own and he ate it all.

I can’t wait to try the Spike Magic Tenderizer for the ham for Christmas. I’m finding all kinds of uses for these perfectly mixed seasonings. I can say, I’m not afraid of seasonings anymore. Yay!

You an find Spike seasonings on these sites:

Website: spike-it-up.com

Facebook: facebook.com/SpikeSeasoningMagics

Would you like to win Spike Magic seasonings to help with your holiday meals?

GIVEAWAY

1 US Luv Saving Money reader will win

all 10 of the Spike Magic seasonings the I received

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TENS Handheld Electronic Pulse Massager from SantaMedical

Working as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for about 12 years now, I’ve used a TENS unit or two. First I want to tell you what a TENS unit is. TENS actually stand for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. TENS of course is a lot easier to say and basically means it’s a device that sends low electrical currents to your nerves and muscles. TENS units can be used for a few different things but one of the most common uses is for pain control. It helps by creating a sort of electronic massage for the area that’s hurting you.

Before I go any further I just want to put this out there. You should always check with your doctor before trying one of these devices. Because it uses low electrical currents it may not be for everyone. For example, someone with a pacemaker should not use this for left shoulder pain. Also, some pain may be from a more serious or chronic issue that may need addressed by your doctor. BUT once your doctor or therapist gives you the ok, there are a number of people that get temporary relief from things like back pain, sore muscles, and shoulder pain.

The TENS Electronic Pulse Massager from SantaMedical is a light weight unit. It comes with 2 lead wires for dual channel stimulation, 4 electrode pads, 4 AAA batteries, and of course the device itself.

It has a liquid crystal display making it easy to read. There are several buttons making this a friendlier unit for home use. The buttons are larger and with just a push of a button you can get auto modes for shoulder, joint, soles of feet, etc. There are 3 different massage settings that include: massage, beat, and knead. There is a dial just under the liquid crystal display that you turn to control the intensity of the electrical stimulation. There are two dials to be able to control both channels.

When setting up your TENS unit, first make sure your unit is shut off. plug the leads into the top of the device. then plug the ends into the electrode pads. Then place on the area that’s hurting. You don’t really want to place them right next to each other. If your lower back is hurting place one on each side of your lower back. You can also do this vertically if one side is hurting but not the other. Once you have the leads in place, very slowly turn the intensity to the “1” setting. Trust me, you do NOT want to go full throttle on this until you see what’s going to be comfortable for you. If it’s not hitting the area, simply turn the TENS off and replace pads.

For the purpose of pain control, you’ll turn the intensity up to where it’s comfortable for you. My lower back was a bit sore on this particular day. I turned it on. For me letting it sit right around 1 or 2 was plenty. I tried the “4” setting but it nearly made me jump our of my skin. Others may like a higher intensity. Always start off low and work your way up to what’s comfortable for you.

There is a countdown timer on the machine. The default seems to be 15 minutes. This is not something you want to leave on for long periods of time. Since it is electrical stim it could cause red areas to form under the electrodes if left on too long. Obviously you don’t want to use this in the shower or around water for a number of reasons.

I’m someone who tends to carry my stress in my shoulders and base of my neck. If I have a number of stressful days in a row my neck get stiff and it’s hard for me to turn my head. I get musculoskeletal headaches in which oral pain relievers do not touch. This happened for me this week after 2 weeks of stress. I tried massages, warm water, and stretches but it wasn’t helping. I decided to give the TENS unit a try and the next day I had more movement in my neck. Today I’m almost completely back to my normal self.

The TENS Electronic Pulse Massager from SantaMedical is available on Amazon:

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.