Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Have a #Bumtiful Day


So here I am sitting on a comfortable cushion that has a soft cover, a squishy foam that yields to my body yet still supports me and helps to relieve a bit of lower back pain. I do notice that the cutout in the cushion relieves some of the pressure on my tailbone area. I do not have tailbone area pain, like Husband does, so I cannot speak to the pain relief.

I actually got this cushion for Husband because of his pylonidal abscess - go ahead and google it, I'll wait...

Did you find it? Kinda gross and VERY. PAINFUL.

Anyway, I had purchased another cushion for this purpose but it was so firm that it was uncomfortable to him. I now have the firm one on my area of the couch because it lifts me up a couple inches and allows me to cross my legs (applesauce style, yo) on the couch without my feet falling asleep. Plus Jasmine (number one kitteh) likes to curl up on it, too.

So, when I saw the ChiroDoc (Bumtiful) - Breathable and Ergonomic Orthopedic Memory Foam Seat Cushion - For Coccyx and Tailbone Pain Relief and Reduce Back Pain From Sitting All Day - Use Anywhere - One Size Fits All on one of the review sites I use, I had to try it.

I really like the soft cover that it comes with. And, below or in my instagram post, you can see how it is squishy enough to have give but firm enough to support and keep its shape. To me, it is a well constructed and nicely made cushion.


Bottom line - if you have tailbone or back pain, this cushion could work for you.

I received this product at a discount or free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Monday, May 16, 2016

Reusable Bento Style #lunchboxes for Prep and Meals


Its time for another #ProductReview. I am so excited to try the 3-Compartment Bento Box / Durable Plastic Lunch Boxes Sets, Meal Prep, Portion Control Containers,Food Storage [10 Pack] by Prefer Green. The set of #lunchboxes sells for $14.99 here on amazon.


My initial thoughts were not that great. The plastic these are made of is quite thin and I wonder how many reuses I will get out of these boxes and lids. They are listed to be dishwasher, microwave (reheating only, not cooking) and freezer safe.
So, what should I do with 10 bento style reusable meal boxes? I think I should make some lunches and dinners that will be simple to eat. My plan is to use some as direct from the fridge meals, another few as freezer meals and the rest as meal prep. This is one time I wish our microwave was working. I guess I'll have to use a neighbor's microwave to test the microwave safe claim. 


I'm really excited to try them out for meal prep. Here's an initial list of what I think I will use them for:
I also have a flight coming up this week and already have one box packed with a Greek pasta and veggie salad I made, a chicken salad sandwich and a small treat. I really appreciate that each well in the bo is a different size. So when I want to fill up the box, but not fill up on treats, I use the smallest one for the sweet ending to my meal.

1. Omelette or quiche ingredient prep
2. Stir fry veg prep
3. Salad topping prep
The idea being that I will chop and portion all of the ingredients that will work in the above recipes all at once. 

The Greek pasta and veggie salad is so simple to make and, I think, is very flavorful. Here is how I made it:
Cook your favorite bite sized pasta till done, drain and set aside. 

While the pasta is cooking, prep the rest of the salad ingredients (great way to use the Bento Boxes by PreferGreen!)
>feta cheese, crumbled
>olives, sliced
>fresh baby spinach, chiffonade (cut into ribbons)
>carrots, shredded
>fresh broccoli, cut into very small pieces - about 1/2" "trees"
>fresh zucchini "noodles" - used the new Pampered Chef Spiralizer with the spaghetti blade for these
>pine nuts, toasted (optional)
Basically, toss everything above with the cooked and cooled pasta in the ratio that you like. Add Greek dressing - I used the dressing from Ken's Steakhouse - and toss well. Add toasted pine nuts on top if desired. You could also add diced fresh tomatoes or grape tomatoes, cauliflower and any other vegetable you want.


I suggest letting it marinate at least 4 hours, but overnight is best.

I received this product at a discount or free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Friday, May 13, 2016

A Gadget Holder (aka a Gadget for my Gadgets)



I have always wanted a good #cellphoneholderstand that would allow me to have the phone facing me and kind of suspended in the air. The perfect one would support the phone enough to I could touch the screen and use it, yet would not wobble all over the place. I would be able to position it in a way that the screen would be 90 degrees from the ground as the most used position, but that I could also rotate it to be parallel to the ground for some uses. The camera would need to be accessible when in the holder. The stand would not need to be bolted to any furniture, would be portable itself and versatile enough to be used on different anchors.

I have found something that almost does all of that! The Universal Cell Phone Clip Holder Bracket Flexible Long Arms for iPhone, GPS Devices, Fit On Desktop Bed Mobile Stand for Bedroom, Office, Bathroom, Kitchen - Black by eShopMind is described as a Multi-Angle Portable Cellphone & Tablet Desktop Stand. It will *not* hold tablets that are wider than the maximum opening of 3.54 inch, but I believe that will allow for it to hold the smallest of the devices that are labeled tablets - like a 7" diagonal tablet. I cannot say for sure since the smallest tablet I have access to is a 10.1".

The negatives are quite minimal. In order for the holder to allow the phone to essentially hover, the flexible arm is quite difficult to maneuver, which is why it can hold the phone in the air. It will move, but one needs to be smart about how to place it. I had to play with it a few times before I was able to get the phone to hover where I wanted and without too much movement when I touched it. It is a bit of a balancing act but it can be done.

There is a very nice bonus item, the Universal Lazy Bed Desktop Car Stand Mount Holder which I LOVE! This holder has several angle options, is very sturdy and tight (it will not lose its angle position) and easily holds my 10.1" tablet in the portrait and landscape positions. I do a lot of reading in bed in order to get to sleep. I have had to hold the tablet in an upright position using only my arm, which is not only uncomfortable but slightly dangerous. I can't count how many times I have woken myself up because my arm let go of the tablet and the tablet smacked me in the face. Such a *horrible* problem, I know, but this actually eliminates it!

To illustrate how I am using the stand I created a short video and posted it on instagram. Please ignore the dust...I do.


The video shows my qi charger pad in the clasp of the holder. What is really neato is that I can actually place my qi charger pad and the phone in a case in the clasp and it holds everything! As you can see I have the base clip on a piece of pressboard that is about 1/2" thick and about 1-2" wide. The clip also works on the basic metal frame of a bed, but the metal piece is perpendicular to the ground, not parallel like the pressboard that is part of the stand where my monitor lives.

I received this product at a discount in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Trust me, I have no problem with complaining about a product and not recommending it. With this particular product, if you do not feel you are strong enough to twist the arm or are not comfortable with balancing objects, you might not want to purchase this. Or, you would be wise to ask someone to help you with the initial set up.