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Saturday, August 24, 2013

Purex Fels-Naptha Review

First of all, if you are anything like me, you've never heard of this product.  I guess it's been around for many, many years, but it was new to me.  I am, personally the queen of spills and stains on clothing, so when the opportunity to try a new stain remover came up, I jumped at the opportunity!
Normally, I use Shout Advanced Spray (which I LOVE), but I gave the bar a try.  I have to say, I'm not sure I'm sold on the bar (probably because it's easy for me to forget about or misplace since it's small).  I don't think the Fels-Naptha bar will become my go to stain remover.
I do have something I want to try in the future with the Fels-Naptha bar.  A friend posted this laundry recipe on her Facebook page last week and I was surprised to see that it uses the Fels-Naptha bar.  I can't wait to try it out!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care Review

I have a new product to review today (thanks to Purex Insiders).  I received a full size pack of the Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care cleaner.  If you're like me, the toilet is really the last thing you want to clean, but it's probably the thing in the house that needs to get cleaned the most!
I was excited to try this product out and see just how it worked and compared to other toilet cleaners I've used before.  I put it on the toilet myself, didn't require any assistance, so that was a good thing.  It kept the bowl pretty clean for the one month that it was supposed to last.  I've had some other cleaners that probably kept the bowl a little bit cleaner, but it wasn't a huge difference between the two.
What didn't we like?  The smell.  Even my husband complained about the smell (and he doesn't usually complain about that stuff).  The first couple of weeks after putting this on the toilet bowl, the bathroom smelled rather "chemically" which was not pleasant.  The smell was so strong that I doubt we would use this particular variety again.  Perhaps a different scent or if they came out with an unscented one, we'd definitely try an unscented one.  For now though, I suppose it's back to scrubbing the old fashioned way for us.

Disclaimer: I received a free Soft Scrub 4-in-1 Toilet Care package to try in my home in exchange for a review of the product with my honest opinion.  All opinions here are strictly my own.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Time4Learning Review

So, as you may recall, we were trying out the online curriculum from Time4Learning.  We tested the material for one month free of charge (in exchange for an honest review).  After our trial period, we found that it was not a good fit for us.  The curriculum is pretty good, just not a fit.  I'll break it down in the pros and cons of the program.
Pros:
Lots of resources
Easy tracking and grading of lessons
Lots of parent tools
Ready for you lesson plans
Can be used as curriculum or support lessons
Online access
You can start and stop whenever you choose

Cons:
Cost - $19.95 a month (not a horrible price, but if you only use a little bit of the curriculum for support lessons, then the price is a little high)
Science curriculum is secular, not Christian - this really bugged my son
Online access (I know, I listed this as a pro, it's both really)  I can be bad about remembering to log in to things online, certainly not Time4Learning's fault, just a reality for our family. Plus, my son really missed physical books to hold and expressed that preference to me.

So, my overall opinion of Time4Learning is that it seems to be a solid curriculum.  It is not a Christian or Biblical based curriculum, which is more in line with what we teach in our home.  There are a lot of things to see and do at their site (I don't think I even got to half of it).  Even though there are several things that I really like about Time4Learning, it isn't the right fit for our family. My son just did not embrace the idea of doing school online. I want to thank Time4Learning for the opportunity to try out their program and I would recommend you look around their site and see what they offer, it might be a great fit for your family!
http://www.Time4Learning.com - Online interactive curriculum for home use, PreK-8th Grade

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Dial Kids Body Wash Review - Watery Melon scent

My son loves that I review products and test them out with our family. So, you can imagine how excited he was when I asked him if he would like to try out a kids product for me and give me his honest opinion!
We received a bottle of the ages 6 and up Watery Melon Dial Kids body + hair wash.  It didn't take much to convince my son to try it out the same night our bottle arrived, he was so excited (which is saying a lot for a preteen boy - he usually thinks being sent to take a shower is some sort of torture)!  After his shower, I asked him what he thought about the body wash.  He told me that he thought the Dial kids body wash got him "cleaner" than his other bath products.  I asked him what that meant and we finally got to the meaning...my son thinks Dial Kids Body Wash rinses off much better than other products that he has used!  He also told me he loved the scent.  I have to agree, the Watery Melon smells great!  Some products smell a little "girly" for a preteen boy, but not this one.  It smells fresh and clean and it isn't overpowering.
Both my son and I give this product a big thumbs up!  We will definitely be buying this product as soon as we run out of the original bottle.  So, what are you waiting for, grab some Dial Kids body wash today!  Your kids will thank you!

All the opinions expressed here are my own (and my son's).  I was given a bottle of Dial Kids Body + Hair Wash from Purex Insiders to test and review.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Dial Coconut Water Body Wash


Have I ever told you that I love body wash?  I LOVE body wash!  Really, I do!  I don't believe I've used soap for a shower by choice since the day I discovered body wash many eons ago.  In college, one of my favorite stores was Bath & Body Works.  I loved them then.  I try to love them now, but they've changed and it's just not the same.  So, I must seek my body wash joy elsewhere.
Imagine my delight when I saw an email come in from the Purex Insiders announcing that I could sign up to try their new coconut body wash.  I signed up immediately and got extremely excited to find the box on my doorstep.  I'm pretty sure the box was calling my name and begging me to take a shower so I could try it (what?  you weren't there...it coulda happened).
So, I tried the body wash after reading all the good things it was supposed to do.  It said it would make my skin feel soft...yep, that was a true statement.  It said that it would rinse off well and not leave a lot of residue...pretty sure that's a big yes!  I don't remember all the other things it was supposed to do, but overall it did a great job.  My skin felt soft and smooth.  Now, I just need it to be available in a huge array of scents starting with peach!

Legal Mumbo Jumbo:  I received a bottle of Dial Coconut Body Wash for FREE in exchange for an honest review of the product.  All opinions stated here are my own.

Purex with Crystals Review

This is my latest Purex product to take for a test drive at my house.  As a Purex Insider member, they've been keeping me busy lately trying out new products.  Stay tuned for a review of Dial's new coconut water body wash and later, Dial's new kids body wash/shampoo!
So, in case you didn't know, my usual detergent is Tide with Bleach (although for now I've switched to Purex with Oxi) and I use Snuggle fabric softener.  I love the way my clothes look and smell with my usual products!  However, I am always happy to try new products and see if they work as well or maybe better.
I put Purex with Crystals to the test this past weekend.  We were behind in doing laundry (I know you're shocked, but it's okay - everyone gets behind once in a while and if they don't, well, I don't want to know about it).  The first load I tried with the Purex w/ Crystals was a load of white clothes (undershirts, socks, unmentionables, etc.).  Everything came out super clean, no dull looking undershirts or socks and the biggest thing - NO STATIC CLING!!!  None! Zip! Zero!  Plus, it all smelled great, too!
The second load was a load of jeans and dark shirts.  Once again, the results were fabulous!  Soft, great smelling clothes and no static cling (again).  The only funny thing that happened was my husband saw me put the detergent in with the load of laundry and then start to close the lid and wondered why I wasn't putting in any fabric softener!
So, I liked the Purex with Crystals.  I'm not sure it would be the detergent I would switch to from my normal detergent, but I know it would be great to have my husband or son use this when they do laundry because fabric softener is usually what they forget!  Overall, this does the job well and smells great!

Now for the legal mumbo jumbo:
I received a bottle of Purex with Crystals from Purex for the sole purpose of trying out their product and then writing an honest review.  All opinions stated here are my own and if you want to form your own opinion of Purex with Crystals - go to the store and get it - it's a great product and priced affordably!

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

A New Homeschooling Review: Coming Soon!

We are trying a new program with our homeschool this month!  We have a one month trial from Time 4 Learning that we'll be "test driving".  I have some official words that I need to post from Time 4 Learning : I've been invited to try Time4Learning for one month in exchange for a candid review. My opinion will be entirely my own, so be sure to come back and read about my experience. Time4Learning can be used as a homeschool curriculum, for afterschool enrichment and for summer skill sharpening. Find out how to write your own curriculum review for Time4Learning.
So that's the deal. We get to try this curriculum for one month for FREE!  We'll let you know how it goes and what our thoughts are after we've used the program.  I have high hopes!

Friday, February 8, 2013

Borax Review

Have you ever used Borax?  I used to use it all the time and then got out of the habit.  Borax is great to use with your laundry (it allows you to use half the laundry soap you would normally use and your clothes still come out beautifully clean!)
I  was so excited that Purex Insiders sent me a box to get reacquainted with!  You really can't beat Borax for cleaning power!  I have a cleaning book that has some cleaning "recipes" that use Borax, but I haven't tried them yet...guess that's next on my list to try with this box.
So, if you are looking for a way to save money on your laundry, but you love one of the more expensive detergents (or even a regular priced one) adding Borax will allow you to use less detergent, get super clean clothes and save a buck or two in the process!

I was sent a box to Borax to try and then review.  The opinions expressed here are my own.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Dial Foaming Hand Soap (Holiday Editions)

I was pleasantly surprised to find a box of Dial Foaming Hand Soap on my doorstep this Christmas season.  Even though I'm a Purex Insider and get items to review from time to time, I wasn't expecting this package!
The best part of this package was that the soap was decorated for Christmas!  I received two bottles (one decorated like a candy cane and a snowman bottle).  My son was absolutely thrilled to have "Christmas" soap to use to wash his hands and make the bathroom festive.
Overall, the soap did a great job.  I did have to be careful how forcefully I pushed the pump or it would squirt part my hands onto the counter.  The scent was berry and smelled good.  I will definitely be looking for these next Christmas, they're an easy way to make the bathroom a little festive and kids love to use it to wash their hands!
Dial soap provided the samples for me to try, but the opinions expressed are mine.