Graco Little Lounger Review #Graco15ForMe

Graco Little Lounger in Astoria. Picture from buybuyBaby.

When Emmett was little, we had a Graco Pack N Play that we loved. We used it to change him, for him to nap in and to corral him when he got older! The biggest downfall was that when he was napping, I was pretty much stuck in the living room, where the Pack N Play was. Those days are over, thanks to the new Graco Little Lounger.

Graco Little Lounger ready to rock!

Little Lounger is two products in one: a rocking seat and a vibrating lounger. In rocking seat mode, you can calm your baby with the gentle rocking motion. If you flip down the Rock Locks, the seat becomes a vibrating lounger with 2-speed vibration.

Rock Locks are down

The ingenious seat has multiple recline positions, so that it's easy to find just the right position for baby's comfort, and it also has a 3 point harness. When you're not using it, Little Lounger folds compactly to store or travel, and a cute toy bar will keep baby occupied.

 If I had a Little Lounger when E. was a baby, I wouldn't have felt confined to one room while he was napping. It folds up quickly and is not too heavy so it is very portable. I could easily take 15 minutes for me while he was hanging out in the Little Lounger. We always used the Pack N Play's vibrating feature to help him sleep, so that is a HUGE plus to the Little Lounger.

The Little Lounger folded up.

Another thing I like is that the patterns are subtle and gender neutral. No loud neons or sweet baby colors. Little Lounger will fit into your decor. The pattern in my pictures is the Astoria pattern, which is a buybuyBaby exclusive. Other patterns include Caraway, a Babies R Us exclusive and Dakota, a Target exclusive. You can see all of the patterns (there are more than these three!) on Graco's Web site.

I was lucky enough to go to a Graco sponsored party to see the Little Lounger in person. The party included a professional chef who showed us a great way to take advantage of the 15 minutes of me time - by cooking quick, healthy and delicious meals. How will you take your #Graco15ForMe?

Here is the menu

Szechuan chicken and bok choy

Banana Flambe

The Little Lounger retails for $79.99. you can connect with Graco on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Graco or on Twitter @GracoBaby - https://twitter.com/GracoBaby




Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post by Graco in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are mine.

Smashburger opens in New Hyde Park

smashburger - New Hyde Park, NY

Here is my Smashburger story (what, doesn't everyone have one?)... In July, E. and I visited my parents in CO. We arrived very very late at night, got up early to go to church then went to Smashburger! My parents were soooo excited to introduce it to me. And yes, my burger was delicious! (There is a picture of it at that link)

I didn't think there were any on Long Island (but did I check no.... of course not!) but there are - Smashburger just opened its 4th Long Island location. This Smashburger is at 1600 Marcus Ave in New Hyde Park.

Hidden deliciousness

Menu is posted outside

Situated in a strip mall, the Smashburger looks like an ordinary burger joint. Once you step inside, you can tell right away that it is not ordinary! First, they have color changing panels to separate the dining room from the line, and the decor is chrome and wood. The menu board is a screen, And the menu choices include different fare such as veggie frites, Haagen-Dazs shakes and malts and an avaocado burger. They also sell beer!

menu board

the seating area is to the left, behind the color changing wall

Unfortunately Jeff is crazy busy at work so it was just me and the kiddo. (I did promise Jeff that we would go after things slowed down!). It did not take me long to decide on the BBQ, bacon & cheddar burger with sweet potato fries. I wasn't sure about E - he wanted a grilled cheese, but the kids menu did not mention grilled cheese. However, one of the signs on the menu board was aimed at kids and mentioned grilled cheese. I just got him a hot dog, though. It came with fries, and I did not see a healthier alternative. The drink was extra, which seemed a little ridiculous to me. I'd rather the meal cost more and include the drink. The prices themselves seems comparable to other burger places, and as I mentioned they go have a very big and unique menu.

food is brought to your table

mmmm, milk!

haystack onions, BBQ sauce. bacon...  Yes please!!

hot dog grilled on the grill!!

I did not get to see the smash part of Smashburger's claim to fame - they take a ball of raw hamburger and smash it on the grill. It makes a thin patty with the yummy crispiness of the grill. My burger was delicious - ther patty itself has a great taste, and the bbq sauce added some sweet and sour taste. Both types of fries were delicious. In fact, E., who does not like fries, gobbled his up! I also liked that his hot dog was split down the middle and grilled. My only complaint was that my fries were WAY too salty. You can see in the picture below how much salt was left after I ate the fries.

the paper says it all...

TONS of salt!

The restaurant was very clean. I saw several employees making sure the condiment area was stocked and the tea jug filled. They were all very nice a friend;y with my 2 year old - and did not seem to mind him running around the store like a crazy person when we were trying to leave!

free refills and several types of tea. Like the hand sanitizer too.

seating area

I remember how amazing the burger I had in CO was, and I am so glad that my memory actually served me right!I can't wait to introduce Jeff to the Smashburger scrumptiousness.






Disclaimer: I was given coupons for Smashburger in exchange for my honest review.

Radical Review Wednesday: Smoogy Frozen Cheesecake Cookie Sandwich

The Smoogy in Original Lemon

My husband and I are suckers for just about any food competition program on TV. So when we heard about Supermarket Superstar - where home cooks competed to get their product onto supermarket store shelves - we had to watch! It was a pretty good show, and the winner was the Smoogy, an ice cream sandwich made with a flavored cheesecake filling instead of ice cream.

When I saw it in this week's Waldbaum's ad, I knew we had to try it!

Smoogy is a good size with a lot of filling

The first thing I noticed was the size. I thought it was comparable to to other ice cream sandwiches. It also had a lot of filling. I also noticed that the filling was off  center, with a lot more on one side than the other. They are individually wrapped in the plastic you can see in the picture above.

A bite of Smoogy-ness

The is a definite cheesecake taste, with a good lemon aftertaste. However, they also taste a little bit chemically. The cookie is the best part -  a good size that tastes like a spice cookie. I did find the Smoogy difficult to eat, though, because where the cookie touches the cheesecake filling, it hardens, thus making it difficult to bite then chew tthe cookie. The edges stay nice and soft. I have not had that problem with other ice cream sandwiches.

Smoogy nutrition info

Looking at the nutrition facts, Smoogy is slightly worse than the tubs of ice cream I had in my freezer - however, ice cream's serving size is 1/2 cup, and I know that I have more than that at one time! So it seems more of less like a wash to me. But, $3.99 (on sale) for three servings makes these expensive, and I just don't think the taste justifies the price. I would not buy these again.

If you want more information, there is a Web site - smoogycookie.com/ but that doesn't really have too much info on it!

ZzzQuil Review

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of ZzzQuil. All opinions are 100% mine.




My 2 year old has never been a great sleeper. He finally, FINALLY started consistently sleeping through the night in Feb - after a month and a half of waking up 3 to 5 times a night 4 to 5 times a week - no exaggeration. So, I have had many many sleepless nights myself, and that has totally messed up my sleep schedule. Even now, after almost 3 months of uninterrupted sleep, I am still waking up several times a night then taking awhile to fall back asleep. This mom is tired!!

The makers of Vicks NyQuil now have the perfect solution for occasional sleeplessness - ZzzQuil! ZzzQuil’s active ingredient, diphenhydramine HCI, helps reduce the time it takes for you to fall asleep when you have difficulty falling asleep, so you can sleep soundly and wake up refreshed. Not for colds, not for pain relief, ZzzQuil is just to help you sleep. It is non-habit forming as well as safe and effective when used according to package directions.

ZzzQuil is available in both liquid and  LiquiCap® forms. I used the liquid. The packaging looks similar to NyQuil, excerpt it has purple undertones. The liquid does have the usual medicine-ish taste, but it also had a hint of berry flavor. not hard to swllow at all. It is a warming liquid, and I could defiantly feel it warming my stomach right after I took it. ZzzQuil started working almost right away, making me sleepy. I fell asleep quickly, and only woke up one time in the middle of the night - then fell back asleep right away. I did have a little bit of a "sleep hangover" but it went away fairly quickly, and I did feel more awake and refreshed as usual.

You can like ZzzQuil on Facebook. If you have tried it, please tweet about your experience, including the hashtag #ZzzQuilNight

The Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler Book Review

The Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler: Everything You Need to Know to Survive (and Love) Your Child's Terrible Twos by Erin MacPherson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

My son is an awesome kid - but he is almost a 2 year old, and he is great at acting like one! And this is all new territory to me. I was hoping that the Christian Mama's Guide to Parenting a Toddler would help me get through this new stage with patience and grace. And I think it will!

This is not a straightforward parenting book - MacPherson adds in humor and real life experiences that help remind you not to take this parenting thing too seriously! She also has useful tips to help with things like tantrums (what I need the most help with!), getting your toddler to eat healthier (including recipes!), potty training (not looking forward to that!) and my favorite - learning a growing with your toddler. That chapter includes tons of activities to do with your toddler broken down into how you want to inspire your child i.e. to be an artist, to be a mathematician, to be a great reader, etc. I loved how each chapter included prayers in sections called "time out for mom" Very appropriate! This is a book I will definitely refer to as my son goes through his 2s and 3s!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze to review.

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Radical Review Wednesday: Goody QuikStyle Brush

Goody QuikStyle brush. photo by ivillage

I don't think I have ever coveted a brush until I saw the Goody QuikStyle brush. Being the mom of a 21 month old, I don't have the time to do a blow dry every day (or even most days!). Some mornings, I barely have time to shower! So to find a brush that removes 30% of water from wet hair to help speed my drying time? Yes please! That it is from Goody just makes it more desirable!

Goody QuikStyle brush closeup. photo frombeautezine

This brush works great! My hair is long and very thick, and it takes forever to dry. The Goody QuikStyle does help it to dry faster. If I want it even more dry, I flip my hair over to make sure that the underneath gets dry as well. I feel so much better about going outside with wet hair because it is not as wet as it used to be! You can also use it to brush your wet hair, then continue using it as you dry and style your hair.

Goody QuikStyle in action!

The only downside is cleaning it. Because it is so absorbent, it didn't dry very quickly, so it was still wet when I went to use it the next day. However, it did dry again, and works just fine!

For more information, check out the Goody website: http://bit.ly/REp8ue  or the QuikStyle Product Page: http://bit.ly/Sis8Oi


*I received this product complimentary to test through Influenster’s VoxBox program*

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ Review

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ Peach Almond

 I am an oatmeal fiend! I love it in every way possible. I eat it several times a week and E. does too. I was excited to see Quaker Real Medleys Oatneal+ in my VoxBox.

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ - chunks of fruit and nuts

I loved this oatmeal. The peaches were plentiful and big AND they tasted just like peaches. No freeze dried bits that taste like nothing. Lots of almonds too, plenty of taste. The portion size was just right, and it filled me up. This would be great for traveling or just when you are on vacation and need a quick and filling breakfast.

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal+ Peach Almond - delicious!

My only issue is that 45 seconds was not long enough to cook it in the microwave. It was still really runny, even after I stirred it (and waited). I had to cook it for 45 seconds more, and it was perfect.

For more information, visit the Quaker Web Site.




*I received this product complimentary from Influenster*

Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops Review

When I was younger, I loved going to the convenience store which, no lie, was called Convenient. One thing I loved buying was packages of cough drops. And my favorite cough drop, by far, was Pine Bros. I really liked how it was soft and it was not minty. It was soothing but not overpowering.

I had not had them in years, so I was so excited to get the chance to try them again. And a week after they arrived I happened to get a nasty cold with a sore throat - which I still have!! Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops were just the way that I remembered. They were soft and a little chewy, and they melted in my mouth. The Natural Honey flavor was so soothing and the Wild Cherry flavor tasted like cherries! I love that they come in pucks - so easy to keep in the diaper bag. No more loose cough drops, no more digging to find them in the bottom of your bag.

Pine Bros. Softish Throat Drops are available nationwide at CVS Pharmacy and retail for $3.49.  Flavors include Natural Honey and Wild Cherry with Licorice available in limited quantities this holiday season. Lemon-Citrus will be available next year. Connect with Pine Bros. on Facebook and Twitter - they have a number of contests going throughout the year.


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.

Printable Halloween Party Pack Review

Halloween is almost here!!! I am so excited to see the kids dressed up and to eat candy :D Every year, one of my friends has a family friendly Halloween party.These printables from Python Printable Games are perfect for any Halloween party.

The pack retails for $19.95 for 40 games. Some of them are: Crafty Pumpkin Decorating Ideas, Pin The Head On The Monster, Werewolf Spot The Difference, Halloween Costume Word Search, Halloween Coloring Pages, Halloween Synonyms For Kids, Chew On This Candy Names Game, Halloween Scavenger Hunt, Halloween Memo Match For Kids, Halloween Crossword For Kids, Halloween Maze Game.... and many more.
 
There are games for adults, kids, teens and mixed age groups.You can keep these games forever and reuse them on other occasions.

 I printed out the coloring pages, word searches, Pirate Language game and the Werewolf Spot the Difference games. All of the pages printed out crisp, and the colors were vibrant. They worked well in both color and black and white - even the spot the difference game. Jeff really enjoyed the Pirate Language game, and I can't wait to color with E. The answers and solutions are all included too.

Fee fall printable downloads are available at: http://www.python-printable-games.com/fun-printable-games-ezine.html  Subscribers also get coupons and other fun freebies.
There is also a SPECIAL MYSTERY coupon code running all through Fall: MYSTY. The percentage saved changes every few days!




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.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling review

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was not what I was expecting. The end is still making me think.

It starts with the death of Barry Fairbrother, and all of the characters are introduced in the first few chapters. There are A LOT of characters, and I had a horrible time of keeping them straight. They all had different personality types, and each was well written. Every one had their own flaws. There were just a lot!

Then the book goes into why Barry's death is such a big deal, setting up the main plot point which so much of the book revolves around. It was a different type of storytelling, and I enjoyed it.

At times, the book was just too much - too many storylines, too many people, to much going on. Towards the end, I was getting a little impatience for the book to be over ans wondering if the conclusion would be satisfactory. Then, boom, a big old surprise came and suddenly I had to see what happened!!

This book showcases what a good storyteller JK Rowling is. It is a long read, sometimes a maddening read, but it is a good read.

View all my reviews