Simply Earth Subscription Box - December

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Force Field Cloaks - Glow in the dark blankets

Force Field sent me a prototype of their blankets. They sent us the pink cloak and its SUPER fun! I would like to see a smaller logo on the blankets or perhaps a tag instead.

I cannot get a good picture of ForceField in the dark, so I will include some of their videos so you can see how amazing they work. 

The inventor, Terry Sachetti, and the CEO of The Glow Company created the Force Field Cloak™.

You simply Lay your Forcefield cloak under bright light for 10-15 minutes. This charges the Force Field for 8+ hours. Everything is non toxic and safe for kids. You can super charge the blanket with a black light as well. 

Lets hear what kids say. My daughter agrees with them. If your kids are afraid of the dark this would be a great item to help them hide and feel safe. It does not illuminate the room, but it does give them something to focus on and help eliminate the fear of the dark. 

These are currently in short supply for Christmas, GO NOW!

Zuru Makya brick building tape

Zuru Makya sent me their brick building tape.  It takes your kids building to the next level by allowing them to build in a totally different way. Now you can build vertically, horizontally AND UPSIDE DOWN!

This building tape is FANTASTIC! I've taken pictures with one, but will update it once we stick it to the wall (its going to be a Christmas present). I've been playing with a roll of it for a awhile now and its really neat. Its going to be even better when we can build on the wall! 

The brick tape is flexible, (ie: Lego, Mega Blocks, Keri, Lapin, and NIMUNA Loops) It goes on with attached Non-marking tape. You can cut it to any length, unstick it and move it! 

This is the adhesive side of the Makya brick tape. It  is made with  high quality food grade silicone and can be used in multiple ways. A few examples would be wall décor, Lego baseplates on a table, picture frame, 

Available in several colors and sizes. 

Logitow smart building blocks and animation

 Logitow is made up of magical cubes with IoT and a powerful APP. Each creation kids build instantly becomes a 3D animation mirrored over wireless connection on a tablet. This is WAY cool.

When I first saw Logitow, I was intrigued. Ipads are a great tool, but kids get addicted to just watching it. This is a great solution in combining the technology of the ipad, but the hands on approach of her physically creating something. 

The app is not released yet, so I am going to use a couple from Logitows indigogo page.

This is great for STEM activities and anything built can be saved and exported to 3D printer. Logitow allows kids to build with their hands, see it on screen AND print a 3D model. AMAZING! Now to get a 3D printer! 

Once the app is available I will do a follow up post or update. I'm really excited to see this in action.

Each set comes with

- Cube Blocks

- Key Block x1

- Ending Block x1

- Micro-USB Cable x1 

1.Download Logitow App from Google Play or App Store (Release Dec.)

2.Turn on the Logitow Key Block, connect with Cube Blocks, and finish it with the Ending Block

My Magic Mud toothpaste

My Magic Mud sent me their Cinnamon clove toothpaste as well as a mini peppermint. . I have tried so many natural toothpastes over the last couple years in combination with oil pulling. 

I actually switched back to traditional toothpaste after not being able to get rid of the dingy look to my teeth. I  drink black tea which stains and nothing got my teeth whiter. 

In comes My Magic Mud. Their site says "Strengthen & Whiten Your Smile with Activated Charcoal". 

My Magic Mud uses Activated charcoal, coconut oil, bentonite clay, and organic essential oils. They are vegan and use no fluoride or GMOs. The toothpaste comes in spearmint, peppermint, cinnamon clove and wintergreen. They also have tooth whitening powder for evening. 

My Magic Mud uses no foaming agents, fluoride, glycerin, toxic chemicals, cruelty, tricolsan, GMOs or Gluten. 

I do have to say  I saw a REMARKABLE difference and almost instantly. I took a picture before and then on the third day and sent it to the company. The results were so dramatic that Mr. Crazy Life and little Crazy Life started using it as well. They use diatomaceous earth which is a mild and porous abrasive to help get the plaque off the teeth. It feels like I've just been to the dentist every time I brush with My Magic Mud. That's how clean my teeth feel. 

Little Crazy Life does not like strong flavors, so I was shocked when she tried the cinnamon clove. She actually has been brushing her teeth without a fight since we received My Magic Mud. She started with her normal strawberry toothpaste and added a bit of the cinnamon clove. She plays with the amounts she uses until it fits her tastes. 

She LOVES the fact that the toothpaste turns her teeth black first. EVERY day she says "Mom, look! I haven't brushed my teeth in 100 years!" Using this toothpaste has also eliminated the need for timing her brushing sessions. She brushes until the water is clear, and that's just about 2 minutes. It gives her control instead of me harping on her. 

For the sake of those who have aversions to pictures of teeth,  I will not post a before and after. My Magic Mud has the OK to post it on their site if they want. 

BeneFIT scrubs review

BeneFit Medical Apparel sent me a pair of their stealth scrubs in Ceil blue. These are the SOFTEST scrubs I have ever felt. They are literally like pajamas (believe me, I tried them)!

The scrubs currently come in 10 beautiful colors for the women's stealth.  I wonder if I could get away with wearing them out and about and just let them assume I'm in healthcare? If I did get more of these, I would probably get the both the stealth and the Helix with black sides. I love the color contrast! 

The BeneFit Top and bottoms retail separately for $32.99. These have a chest pocket and 2 side pockets. The Helix is the mid-protection scrubs. The stealth has no colored side panels or logos.. There is also a badge loop in the chest pocket. 

I love that these are water resistant to unwanted splashes and spills. With some scrubs there are issues such as saggy pants, boxy sleeves, un-uniform cuts, unflattering, cheap fabric,, etc. These are NOT your average scrubs. BeneFIT scrubs are so comfortable and soft AND they are veteran owned. Shout out to the owners (James Reynolds, Dylan Croslin, and Justin Culver) for their service to this country!! 

 The BeneFIT pants have two pockets on the legs and one on the bum as well as a drawstring waist. 

Mr. Crazy Life is totally jealous! I'm hoping we can get a few of their other BeneFit products from their men's and lifestyle lines.  These are the best scrubs I have ever seen and felt. 

The Helix Stealth features:
•NO LOGO’s
•ALL SOLID
•Liquid Resistant
•Pre-Shrunk Fabric
•Light-Weight, Crazy Comfortable, Performance Driven
•4-Way Stretch Fabric That Adjusts To Body
-(Cotton/ Modal /Spandex Blend)
•Sleek Athletic Fit/ Not Boxy
•High Quality/Durable Stitching
•Fashionable, Professional Style
•2 Deep Vertical Pockets
• 1 Chest Pocket with ID/Badge Loop
• Right Sleeve Double Pen/Tool Pocket

LikeAGlove smart leggings review

LikeAGlove sent me these smart leggings. They measure your shape and send it via Bluetooth to the app.

I HATE Jean shopping with a passion. Its exhausting and frustrating. When I get to my goal, I will be ordering online and testing out the accuracy. I will have to do some measuring for my inseam since these are shorts, and not leggings. 

Once you save your measurements into the LikeAGlove app, you can track progress with your weight loss plan or order from a catalog of jeans that will fit you. They have many different brands, models and sizes. None of the jeans I normally wear are in the app, but gave me ideas of which to try on. I'm not posting a picture of the progress because you all don't need to know my measurements. ;)

The brands they promote on their site in their catalog are:

Levi’s, Lucky Brand, Banana Rep., Old Navy, 7 For All Mankind, Gap, Citizens of Humanity, Joe’s, Paige, J Brand, American Eagle, Ann Taylor, True Religion, AG, Hudson and more.

I am in  the process of changing my eating/exercise habits to lose weight. LikeAGlove has been great to track my process. 

Here is the inside of the LikeAGlove shorts. The orange lines are where they measure for high hips, low hips, etc. What I am loving about the shorts is that  LikeAGlove will show me changes in my body that cannot be measured by a scale. If I am gaining muscle and losing fat, my scale will not show me any loss that week.

The only thing I have noticed is you  have to pay attention to how you wear the shorts each time. Make a mental note or take a picture of yourself in them. That way you can get consistent measurements.  

Secondly, the app will crash sometimes and take a couple tries to get the measurements. 

Brackitz Inventor sets Review AND giveaway

 Brackitz sent me 2 kits to review for you.  These are the inventor series 170 and 44 piece set. 

Their mission is to leave a positive impact on the world through education and creativity. They want to inspire others to play, learn and grow. 

 This is the back of the 170 piece inventor set.  you can build up to 100" tall! 

The back of the 44 piece inventor set. You can build up to 70" tall! 

A scientist and dad, Chris Cochella , invented Brackitz. He spent many hours building with his young children. But the more they played, the more Chris realized that his kids’ imaginations overflowed with wild ideas that just couldn’t be executed with traditional blocks. After much experimentation and testing, Chris designed Brackitz. His plank and connector system is simple enough for young children to manipulate and revolutionary in its ability to connect anywhere, at any angle, enabling builders of all ages to literally design any structure they can imagine. From simple to complex, small scale to larger-than-life, gravity-defying, 3-D structures, brackitz puts real-life art, math, science, architectural, and engineering principles into play. And with Brackitz, kids’ creations are durable – even portable – so no more crying over bumped blocks. 

Brackitz attach to traditional planks at any angle. This helps kids to construct everything from small-scale builds to large scale! The pictures I'm seeing can be 3d structures that literally have no limit. It helps build their imagination with no structured way to use the pieces. 

 The plastic planks and rotating pieces in the Inventor 170 Piece Set is a great for larger builds and enables anyone to create builds with moving parts! Versatile, durable, and portable, award-winning Brackitz brings real-life art, math, science, architecture, and engineering principles

What I absolutely love about these Brackitz, is that even kids with underdeveloped motor skills can be successful. If they bump their creation, its not going to fall apart. 

These kits challenge kids and their thinking to create more 3 dimensional shapes and aren't limited to normal kit building. 

The kits have rotating pieces that help with problem solving and provides STEM learning. 

They are also made in the USA!!!! 

Brackitz Giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Adoric 400ml Cool mist diffuser review

 Adoric sent me this Wood Grain 400ml Diffuser. This is a great diffuser for large areas.

This holds just over 13 ounces of water. For Adorics 400 ML diffuser you want to use 12-15 drops of essential oils. most my other diffusers are about 100ML and I use between 3-5 drops depending on the strength of the oil.  We have a large open living room, so this fit the bill and just in time for the holidays! I'm sneaking in germ fighting oils so nobody gets sick. 

I actually have 6 other diffusers that are completely different styles and this one seems to cover our large family room the best. That is due to the 400ML capacity. I like that this one isn't a plain white plastic, as it looks nicer when we have guests over. 

This diffuser has 4 Timer Settings which can be set at one hour, 3 hours, 6 hours or ON until it runs out and shuts off. This brings to light the waterless Auto Shut-off. There are 2 Mist Modes, Color Changing Lights, and a beautiful wood grain look. 

Here is the bottom which shows the air output and plug in, as well as the top of the diffuser where the mist will come out. I typically use warm water so I get a bit more mist.

This is a great diffuser for a whole house, large room or Office. If using in an office I would use less oil as they do have therapeutic properties and you do not want to overwhelm anyone in a public space.   

Kid Basix stainless steel safe snacker and safe sporter

Kid Basix sent me their safe snacker and safe sporter. I'm not sure what happened to the lighting in this one.

Kid Basix creates eco-Functional food and beverage products in more durable, environmentally friendly materials like stainless steel.

We switched to stainless steel when the youngest started kindergarten, and never looked back. We LOVE the eco friendly gear as it lessens worries about chemicals leaching into your food. 

Kid Basix Safe Snacker is a single walled 18/8 Stainless Steel. I love that the silicone lid helps keep food fresh and it is attached and wont get lost.

The silicone itself is BPA and Phthalate Free as well as dishwasher safe. When first opening the lid was quite difficult to open, but after a few uses it has loosened up a bit. The outside silicone can be taken off to separate the lid for washing. Easy cleaning is a bonus. 

Safe Snacker comes in  three useful sizes - 7oz (nuts, crackers, dip), 13oz (fruit, veggies, chips), and 23oz (sandwich size). Dishwasher safe. I love how durable stainless steel is. With the addition of the silicone the snackers are even more durable than my plain stainless steel containers. Although I don't really mind the dents, they are well loved and totally worth the money. 

The Safe Sporter hold 12 ounces. it is 18/8 stainless steel like the safe snacker and the safe sippy.

The bottle is tested free of BPA, phthalates and other harmful chemicals. The safe sporter has a single walled steel container. Kid drinks are typically not overly hot so I don't find that a problem as our others are double walled. The wide mouth makes it easy cleaning and ice cubes. The sports top spout is easy to open and the removable mud cap if durable. The colorful silicone waistband is to protect hands from cold liquids and a coaster to protect the bottle from dents. The safe sporter is dishwasher safe. 

The only change I would love to see is the lids have stainless steel where it touches the food/liquids. 

Ice Screen Magnetic Windshield Cover Review

Here in the Pacific Northwest we don't get extreme weather but we get our fair share of iced over windows and the occasional snow. We have a garage, however, like most it is full of off season items and a garage fridge/freezer.  We are also purging a bunch of "Stuff", so there is no way we can park the car in the garage. This brings up the dilemma of getting little crazy life to school on time when the windows are iced over. 

This IceScreen is a magnetic windshield cover that goes over your front windshield. Here it is unrolled from the case.  The two blue straps just hook under the wheel well to keep it a bit more secure.

There are magnets in the fabric so it does not damage your paint. The IceScreen seems tough and pretty durable.  It is made with military grade, double waterproof, reinforced oxford polyester. However it still seems compact and easy to store. 

 The flaps go inside the car door so it cannot be stolen.  It is Easy-on and off which is great when you are in a hurry. Mr Crazy Life usually scrapes my windows for me in the morning while his car is warming up, but this will make his job SO much easier. It took me 5 minutes to unroll and put this on the car. I used the wipers to hold it down more snuggly to the window, but unsure if they are supposed to be under the cover. 

The IceScreen is designed to fit exactly over your windshield.  iceScreen comes in several sizes to make sure your windshield is covered and reduce the changes of having to still scrape the windows.

I am SUPER impressed with the IceScreen. It takes less than 5 minutes to put on the car and saves me time in the morning when it truly matters. You can just take this off and throw it in the trunk. It takes even less time to take the cover off AND no frozen hands and endless scraping in the morning! 

Size/ FitMedium:

Dimensions: Top 55.1'' - Bottom 63'' - Height 39.3''

Vehicle Type: compact, economy cars

Windshield Fit Size Similarities: BMW S3, VW Jetta, Fiat 500, Volkswagen Beetle, Lexus or similar

Large:

Dimensions: Width 62'' - Height 45"

Vehicle Type: Mid size luxury cars, regular sized SUV

Windshield Fit Size Similarities: Honda CRV, Civic, Buick, Lexus or similar

My Critter Grabber Review

Remember those old  hand grabbers that were geared towards those who couldn't reach high areas or those with disabilities? This has now transferred to catching bugs and spiders!! We have vaulted ceilings and sometimes its hard to get those spiders.

The Critter catcher is a Personal bug, spider and insect trap with the same idea. The grabber end is made of much different material. You can see that there are different sizes of reach. The pink is the longest they have. 

This is what the Critter Grabber looks closed (with the fake spider nearby). 

This is the Critter Catcher open and ready to catch that bug! See the thicker strands with little protrusions? That helps keep the bug from escaping. What I love about this is that you can safely catch and remove bugs and spiders.  The design keeps you and the insect safe – no direct contact with the bug and no mess.

This is my 9 year old using the Critter Catcher She has now taken the initiative to catching the bugs by herself instead of being afraid. The Critter Catcher is also 100% eco-friendly and chemical-free which is important around kids. Plus, the bugs and spiders are unharmed and can be returned to nature. 

We REALLY like this and have had fun with the fake spider trying to freak each other out. BONUS! 

TruGrow Liquid Aeration Review

TruGrow sent me a 16oz bottle of Liquid Aeration Soil Conditioner. The 16 oz bottle treats up

to 1/4 acre.

We have horrible soil. Honestly it SUCKS. Look at this hot mess at the end of summer. It is very hard clay and it doesn't grow grass well. I water it so much during the summer, that it should be lush and green. NOPE. Its full of weeds and moss. We keep putting grass seed, fertilizer, and many other things on it and cannot keep it green. This is after a summer of constant watering and not ever having to mow the lawn. We also have had our yard aerated to try and get the grass to grow in both our front and back yard and still NOTHING. We had a French drain put in which dug up the entire back yard and after 2 summers, we still couldn't grow grass! You can see the brown lines from the French drain line. After a summer of watering, fertilizing, aerating.....this is what it looks liked. 

DRUMROLL.....................

You guys, this is ONE WEEK later! I watered the lawn like I normally do after ONE application of TruGrow. This is One week! 

From what I am reading professional groundskeepers don't aerate--they use the truGrow technology.

TruGrow isn't fertilizer. Water and fertilizers can’t help your lawn if they can’t be absorbed into hardened soil. We have found this to be so true. No amount of help we tried to give our lawn did anything but waste our money. 

TruGrow dissolves hardened minerals and loosens clay so your plant roots can absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients and grow deep and thick. This is what weve been missing for 4 years at this house! Our grass NEVER looks like this in summer, let alone at the end of the season. 

After delving into TruGrow and their product line, this is what ive found.

-Dissolves and releases hardened mineral

-Loosens clay

-Prevents snow mold

-Each 16 fl.oz. bottle treats up to 11,000 sq.

-Attach the ready-to-use sprayer to your hose and spray on your lawn & garden.

-Apply monthly during your growing season

-Certified safe for your plants, pets, and people

-100% natural, biodegradable solution

-no messy mechanical aeration

-boosts effectiveness of fertilizers--up to 70% of fertilizers are normally wasted

-use up to 40% less water

-its kid and Pet safe

I'm REALLY looking forward to using this again in spring, and showing you what once a month application can do. If our lawn can look like this after one application, I cannot wait to see mid summer! Hopefully TruGrow will allow us to do a longer product study for you. 

KidzGear volume limited Headphones review

Kidz Gear sent me their headset headphones for kids in PINK. We have a single digit kid going on pre-teen. These were the perfect solution when we need her to turn her music off for the night. Some nights she just needs her music to wind down after a particularly rough day. 

They also come in Blue, purple, grey, orange, green, and limited edition white.  I linked all of them to amazon. They are all $15.99, which is a great deal for kids headsets. 

My favorite thing about Kidz Gear headphones is that they are volume limited with KidzControl.

It limits audio volume to approximately 80% (~ 20dB lower) of original maximum volume. This is great so they don't damage their hearing!

My daughter loves the boom mic for when she's goofing off in her room. She isn't into gaming, but this would be great for that. It swivels in all directions so kids can wear the mic on either side or up out of their way. 

We recently took these on the plane with us and they worked fantastic! She used them with the Ipad and ipod as well as our iPhone 6s. There are no problems and she didn't have to use an adaptor or splitter. 

Over all a really well made product that holds up to kids.