Yummi Pouch

A few years a go a company came out with pouches filled with apple sauce and other blends that your kids could eat right out of the pouch no spoon required. If you are a parent you have probably fed one to your kid at some time or another. Both of my girls loved them and I found them to be very handy. That is in tell the girls got big and wanted to eat two or three at a time and I realized they were just too expensive for big kids to eat. I always loved the idea though and kept thinking someone needs to make refillable reusable pouches.  Well someone finally did they are called Yummi Pouch you can find them HERE . They come in sets of different sizes and price ranges from $8.99 to $35.00 depending on how big the set is and the size of the pouches. Pouches come in three sizes 2.5 oz, 6 oz  and 10 oz.  They come in white and blue are the solid colors they carry and then they have a set of pouches with patterns on them that are different colors.  Check out the pictures to see what they look like. Yummi Pouch are both BPA and PVC free. The best part they are completely reusable. We received a couple pouches in the different sizes and colors to test out.


First up ease of use they are very simple to use put the cap on the
pouch open the zippered end and pore in what ever puree your kids like and zip it shut just like a ziplock bag. We used apple sauce for our test just because that's what the girls wanted. I used a small funnel which worked well or you can spoon it in which worked equally well.  I found filling easy I did need to rinse off the zipper end of the pouch after I closed it as I tend to dribble a little but its was not a big deal. After I fill them I keep them in the fridge for the kids to grab as a snack or for use to take to the park.  You can also pop them in the freezer for a cold snack or to pack in a lunch box. To eat them you simply twist off the cap and suck or squeeze it into your mouth. They also have a spoon attachment that you can buy if you prefer it. My kids just like sucking it right out of the pouch.

I found washing to be easy they are dish washer safe just rinse with warm water expand and put them up side down in the dishwasher so the zipper part is facing down. I wash mine by hand because well we don't have a dishwasher at the moment.  I toss them in a sink of hot soapy water with the caps off and swish them around this usually gets them clean. Some times the zipper will get a little yuckie but i found a small brush like you would use on a baby bottle nipple works well to clean the zipper. It also fits in the spout nicely.

I was a little worried about the zipper popping open when the girls squeezed them because lets face it they get a little rough some times. So far we have never had one come open I even gave one to my two year old niece just to see if she could pop it open.  We found them to be tough pouches and I think they will last a long time. We have taken them every where to the park, on walks, in our back packs. Yummi Pouch has become our go to snack when we are out and about. I am truly happy with them in every way. I think I will get a couple of the pouch covers to help keep our Yummi Pouches cool this summer.

Disclosure I received this product free of charge so that my family could test them out and tell you what we thought. I did not receive any money for this review all opinions are mine or that of my kids.  

Cuppow

Hear in Mo we drink our sweet tea from a Mason Jar. What can I say its just the way things are done around hear. While surfing around online one day I discovered Cuppow. If you drink from a Mason jar Cuppow products were made just for you. Cuppow makes these great mason jar drinking lids and a lunch box adapter called the BNTO that allows you to store dip right in side your wide mouth canning jar for lunches on the go. The Adapter lids allow you to turn any mason jar into a travel mug and they come in several different colors and you can get them for both wide and regular mouth jars. The adapter lids sell for $7.99 and the BNTO lunch box adapter sells for $7.99. The are all made of recycled BPA free plastic and are Made right hear in the USA and packaged with recycled material. you an find them by clicking HEAR

I received one wide mouth drinking lid and one regular mouth drinking lid and one BNTO to try out. To use the drinking lids you unscrew the jar lid replace the seal with the cuppow  screw the lid back on the jar and your done. They are reusable and have held up well with all the washing they have gone through in the last month. I only have the two lids so they get washed a lot. The hole on the drinking lid is designed so that you can used a straw in it. I don't normally drink with a straw but I tested it out just to be sure it really would fit and it worked wonderfully.  With Cuppow I don't worry about my drink getting spilled so much and its super comfortable to drink out of.





I also received a BNTO this was a totally new but I was excited to try it out. With the BNTO you will need the both the ring and seal to your jar. Take off the ring and seal put your snack in side in our case it was celery sticks. Drop the BNTO into the jar put in your dip ranch dressing for us. Replace the seal and ring and your set to go. Its completely reusable and it looks super cool and its all in one so it saves space. The girls though it was handy they kept asking what else we could put in it, one of them even suggested soup in the bottom and small soup crackers in the BNTO. Chips and cheese, Oreos and Milk the list goes on and on.


Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product

Lebert Fitness Equalizer

photo from Lebert website

I got the opportunity to try out another great work out product a couple months a go. I wanted to really test this one out so I took a little extra time to work with it and see what it could do for me.  Lets get the technical stuff out of the way first. 

Each Equalizer bar weigh about 8 pounds. The dimensions are 28-1/2 inches high by 25 inches wide and it has been tested to support up to 400 pounds of body weight. The Equalizers can easily be stacked together, taking up little storage space.
The package I received  included 2 Equalizer Bars, Beginner/Intermediate Workout DVD with Marc Lebert and Laminated Poster. It sells for $114.99 at http://www.lebertfitness.com/Products/LebertEqualizer/Home.aspx

This is what the company says about the Equalizer:
Simplify your exercise routine, and conquer your fitness goals with the LEBERT EQUALIZER Total Body Strengthener™.   The Lebert Equalizer™ is a simple, portable, yet multi-purpose and versatile piece of strength training equipment that works arms, chest, back and core muscles like no other can, using your own body weight as resistance.  Created by personal trainer and Taekwondo Black Belt, Marc Lebert, the Equalizer™ is now being used by athletes of all levels and ages, in bootcamps, group fitness, sports conditioning classes, martial arts clubs and home gyms everywhere.Participants use their own body weight as resistance and decide what level is right for them by "self-spotting". Self-spotting means the legs can be used to assist the user to perform exercises and/or when they cannot continue an exercise. A simple modification (usually leg placement) can allow for the set to be extended.

With the ability to easily add more repetitions (without having to stop and change a pin in a machine or have someone helping) this product becomes very versatile. This simple versatility allows the user full control over the amount of body-weight used for a given exercise. The result is greater muscle endurance and strength. 

Now that the technical stuff out of the way hears How I feel about the Lebert Equalizer. 

I Like it! this thing is so great for something so simple It works wonders. When I opened the box I had to laugh I thought to my self how are two bars going to help me get in shape. I assembled the two Equalizer bars took me all of 10 min including the time it took me to chase Snoopy down when she stole the Allen wrench from me. Its super easy to assemble you don't really even need the directions to figure it out. I put in the Beginner/Intermediate workout DVD in and sat down to watch it. It seemed too simple to do me any good. I can now admit I am not in as good of shape as I thought I was. The beginner/intermediate workout kicked my but My upper body was so sore the next morning that I just had to do it again. I have since gained strength and have modified my work outs to be harder and have added more reps but it does still give me a great workout and allows me to change up my daily workout with out too much fuss. I love that I can do the Equalizer workout in my own living room there is no need to drag my self to the gym or pay gym fees something a mom on a budget is excited about.  It fits in the closet or under my bed so its out of the way when I am not using it. Its a quality built piece of equipment they did not skimp. It has a great solid feel, even when I am doing reverse crunches I feel safe. The Lebert Equalizer has given me a great work out and a good bang for my buck.

Here are some great photos from the Lebert site of my favorite Equalizer Exercises. 

 


Come check out the Lebert Site for some great videos and more information http://www.lebertfitness.com
Find them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/lebertfitness
Twitter https://twitter.com/marclebert

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.

Obol The Original Crispy Bowl

A pict of it in the box because she
says the box is important.

With two kids, someone in my house is always eating something. The Obol is quite possibly the best bowl in the world. Well at least for my family it is. Obol is The Original Crispy Bowl. With an Obol you will never eat soggy cereal again. The Obol is the most unique bowl I have ever seen. It has two sections: one down low for your milk and another up higher for your cereal with a little opening so you can swoop some cereal down into the milk before you scoop it out to eat it. It's called the Swoop n Scoop and the girls love it. You can check out the Obol here http://www.obol.co. They have them at every Brookstone store and at Brookstone.com.  There are two sizes of Obol. The original Obol is 8 in and holds 1 1/2 cups in the top and 2 cups in the bottom. Price for the Obol Original is $19.99. It comes in white, green, red, blue, orange and pink. Then there is the new Obol Jr. it is 7 in and holds 1 cup in the top and 1 cup in the bottom. Price for the Obol Jr. is $10.99. It comes in white, green, red, blue and purple. They also have a cool looking spoon called the Spoonit, and it has a ball shape on the handle and is designed for a steady grip and less drip reservoir and an angled tip. It sells for $6.99. The Obol and the Spoonit comes in some great colors too- green, red, blue, and purple and white. 

I received both the Original Obol and the Obol Jr. and a Spoonit to try out this week. These are some quality made bowls they are not flimsy in any way. They do have a little bit of weight to them but they are not  super heavy they just feel solidly made. I love the cool shape and they just look fun. Obol's unique shape is super easy to hold. They have a no slip grip on the under side of the bowl to help prevent drops. I love the that my cereal doesn't get soggy when one of the girls needs something in the middle of eating. It's not just good for cereal either. The girls have eaten vegetables in the top and dip in the bottom. Chips and salsa, Oreo's and milk offer no problem getting my hand in the bowl to dip them in milk. I can even use it to hold two different snacks at once while the girls are watching a movie.  Snoopy can have her celery in the top, and the Hot Rod princess can have her grapes in the bottom, and mom only has one bowl to wash. They are top rack dishwasher safe- a big plus for those of you that have a dishwasher. I love that the lower part is deep so it's easier for little ones to scoop without sloshing milk all over.  The girls love it as you can probably tell from the pictures. They have argued over who gets to use which bowl since I took them out of the box.  The colors they are bright, fun and beautiful.  The smaller one does stack inside the larger one fairly well. But I am not sure how well two or three of the same size will stack because we don't have two Obols of the same size to test it out. We have the 8 in Obol and the 7 in Obol. I would love to get another 7in Obol so that I have one to use. Another Spoonit would be great so they don't argue over it all the time.

See the great Spoonit shape

The Spoonit is cool with its unique round handle. Its easy to grip and the curved reservoir keeps the milk, yogurt, soup etc. where it belongs. I think the Spoonit would be great for people like my mom who suffer from arthritis because it's very easy to hold on to. The girls both love the spoonit the Hot Rod Princess would like them to make a kid size Spoonit. Because this one is a little too big for her kid size hand and mouth. They did think it was cool and still enjoy eating with it even if it's a little big. I do think they take up a little more room in my kitchen drawer than the average spoon does, but for me it's not a big deal. 

Swoop and Scoop!

Did I mention that Obol Is made in the USA !
I love a great American Made Product. And its BPA Free!  http://www.obol.co

                        

Disclosure: I received this product at no cost for review. All opinions are my own or what my kids thought of the product.