Totoro Power Bank (Pink) Review

  I have the black Totoro power bank, well had it. My kids stole it and refuse to return it. So I went with a pink one to replace it and figured that I would write a review for both. They're the same product, but I do feel like color makes a bit of a difference in how you view them.

  I think Totoro is one of the most adorable characters on the planet. This power bank really does him justice as its just as adorable. I love the pink color. Its completely girly and cute and if my kids wouldn't have stolen mine, I would have picked it as a gift for my daughter.

  As with the black power bank, it works beautifully. It charges my devices faster than a standard charger and even has enough juice to add some power to another device or two when I'm done. I love that it comes with a convertible USB cord so you can change the tip and charge virtually any device. Its a little heavy not overly so and it's still very portable. The fact that is bigger than a lot of power banks only makes it more adorable as far as I'm concerned, and makes it easier to lose.

  The only complaints that I have are that it takes forever to charge it completely and it seems like there is a learning curve as the instructions don't particularly explain how to use it. The nose is the power button (how cute is that?!) and the light on the belly indicate that it is on and/or charging.The teeth also light up to let you know how much power the bank has. Hopefully its easy to figure out how to use from all the reviews. I will also say that when I received the black one, it already had a charge but the pink one was completely dead. If you bought or are buying more than one, don't get worried until you charge it!

  I'm huge on quality and this baby is made of high quality materials and feels great. It has a smooth matte finish that feels good in your hands. It's pretty easy to keep clean and its a great conversation piece or a gift for a teen. I would definitely recommend it for any Totoro fan that also likes pink. Oh! I almost forgot the best part! Instead of lighting up blue on the belly, the pink one lights up purpleish pink! How adorable is that??!!

** Disclaimer**

I was provided a product or coupon for testing and review purposes. In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note that all opinions are my own and I will only endorse items which I truly feel are of value to my readers.

Kitchen Supreme Liquid Chalk Markers Review

I recently tried out Kitchen Supreme chalk markers, so here is my review.

  These chalk markers are absolutely wonderful. The vivid colors make them fun to use, and there are so many different ways to use them. The reversible tips make them versatile for just about any project. The tip comes out and is double sided so you can choose bullet tip for writing or the chisel tip side for drawing and fine lines. The chalkboard labels are just as fun and useful. You can use them over and over for whatever you want to label. I've pulled them off and was able to restick them a couple times, but I'm not sure how many times you ca restick them before they lose their stickiness.

  The instructions for first time use of the chalk markers is straight and to the point. I did find that I had to press the tips of some colors for about a minute or so while some took only seconds for the liquid to saturate the tip. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning so you don't think you received a defective product.

  The markers write smoothly and evenly. The chalk is long lasting both in the marker and on surfaces. I haven't had any chalk accidentally wipe off or be stubborn to remove. I've used these on glass, dry erase boards, chalk boards, and chalk board labels. I was able to remove the liquid chalk with a wet rag or paper towel on everything except the chalk boards, but a little bit of glass cleaner took it off easily.

  I use these to label spice jars and mason jars, and I love using them to leave notes for my family on windows and dry erase boards. They work great for writing down the weekly meals on my kitchen dry erase board. I prefer them to dry erase markers because they don't stain if you leave something written for a long time like some dry erase markers can, and you won't accidentally wipe it off. These are absolutely worth the purchase and with so many things that you can do with them, its hard to find a reason why you wouldn't want to have these on hand. 

** Disclaimer**

I was provided a product or coupon for testing and review purposes. In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note that all opinions are my own and I will only endorse items which I truly feel are of value to my readers.

Grazia Reusable Silicone Baking Cups - Review

We all know that I have a tendency to burn down my house 

when I cook.... 

  That's not really true, but I used it as an excuse for half of my life because I didn't know how to cook much less bake something. All of my cooking involved fervent phone calls to my mother where she walked me through making a meal step by step, and half of my meals involved plating take-out from a local restaurant as quickly as I could before my husband arrived (I giggle every time I watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith). I had very firm thoughts on how I should be as a wife and cooking was at the top of the list. My first attempt at cake for my spouse looked like a blackened lump and I never wanted to do it again. I can still hear the smoke alarm going off while I sobbed over the scorched cake pan.

  Honestly though, it took years until I started learning to make more involved recipes and making simple deserts and cookies WITHOUT lighting anything on fire or setting off any smoke alarms.

  The point of the story is, I went through all of that and my husband doesn't even like cake. Not even a little. I didn't have to pretend to be able to cook anything anyway because the man can't even cook mac-n-cheese out of a box, he was grateful for a warm hot dog! Over the years, I've picked up cooking. I like food, I just don't like making it. I still don't bake cake, but I will make the occasional cupcake if a child asks me to.

  Anyway, the current crave at my house is muffins. My kids don't want to eat anything else for breakfast on school days. Their problem with breakfast is that they have to get up a few minutes earlier to eat. We decided muffins were a great compromise because they're not really unhealthy, they freeze well, and they're portable. My only problem with muffins is that my kids take those little paper liners and throw them at or around my trash can.


  Now that I'm done rambling, I have a review! 



  I recently received Grazia silicone baking cups to try, and they've kinda changed my life.

 They're so useful!

  The first things we all noticed was how very bright and colorful these are. They're easy to see on a shelf, and my kids love the fun colors. The colors came in handy for us because we each picked a color for our muffins... you know, so no one steals our muffins instead of eating the flavor they picked. Big problem around here.

  The other great things about these silicone cups are that they are microwave, dishwasher, oven, and freezer safe. So if you're like me and you freeze your muffins, the process is seamless. You can bake them, toss them in the freezer, and thaw them without having to remove the cup! Then they get tossed in the dishwasher instead of getting thrown around the trash can like paper liners. They're non-stick so you can eaily get your muffin (or whatever you bake) out without your muffin falling apart or having to scrape part of it out of the bottom of the cup.


  Another great feature is that you don't have to use muffin tins. You can if you want to, but you can just as easily toss these on a baking sheet or a cookie sheet and shove them in the oven. It's simpler and there is less clean up involved.

  Now, I do have one downside that I noticed and its not a big thing or a deal breaker. These don't cook exactly like a muffin tin. They cook more evenly instead of outside to inside. So if you're like me and your mentality is "if I accidentally overfill one, it will have a bigger top", you'll need to watch that when you use these cups. Unlike traditional tins, when you overfill these, you have a 70% chance of your muffins collapsing on themselves rather than rising higher. Not a big deal, but worth noting.

  I have to say that I fully recommend these. They make my mornings smoother and take away some of the little annoyances I have with baking muffins. They're reusable, environmentally safe, BPA free, and have a lifetime guarantee. If you're like me and are looking for less hassles, these are for you.

** Disclaimer**

I was provided a product or coupon for testing and review purposes. In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Please note that all opinions are my own and I will only endorse items which I truly feel are of value to my readers.