Totoro Power Bank (Black) Review

  I recently got the opportunity to try a black Totoro power bank. I was really excited because its so adorable. So here is my review:

  Upon receiving the power bank, I had total fangirl squealing going one because... Totoro. Right?! Anyhow. I opened it up to check it out. I had a hard time with the instructions because they weren't very instructive. It was full of the usual electronic warnings, but didn't really explain how to use the power bank or what the lights meant. I figured it out myself pretty quickly and plugged it in to charge.

  The first thing I have to say is that this power bank is adorable AND functional, which is becoming a rare quality in character based items more and more. Fortunately, this power bank not only works, but it also works better than any other power bank I own. After charging, I was able to charge my Samsung Galaxy S6 from 14% to full in about 2 hours. I was also able to charge my husband's S6 from 73% to full, and my tablet from 46% to 92% before the power bank was out of juice. For me, this is amazing as most power banks don't even charge my phone all the way (much less charge several devices) and it was pretty fast at doing it!

  I want to talk a little about the design. This is definitely made out of high quality materials. It feels smooth and matte, and it has some weight to it but its not really heavy. The button is one the nose and is easy to push. The whole set up is pretty intuitive and easy to figure out even if you don't have instructions. I love the lights on the belly and the smile that lights up. Its super cute and makes it easy to see that it is charging and how much power is left in the power bank with just a glance. The lights really add to the cuteness for me. I mean, I'd like it anyway, but the lights make it more unique and attractive.

  My bottom line is this: This power banks is cute and effective. It would be great to have on hand to charge your devices when you're on the go. Its a little large, but still portable and for the price you won't find anything comparable. The only serious downside is that I'm going to have to wrestle my kids to get it back xD

** 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.

DJ Earworm Mashup - United State of Pop 2014 (Do What You Wanna Do)

I CAN'T GET THIS SONG OUT OF MY HEAD!

This is probably the best mashup I've ever heard. EVER.

Even though I don't like ANY of the songs in it, put together, its catchy and fun. I can't stop listening to it!

AMF's Summer Unplugged

  Are you wondering what to do with your kids this summer?

My kids usually sit around and complain that they have nothing to do all summer and we have a pool! I try to take them camping and other fun stuff, but other than going on vacation, they don't want to do ANYTHING. Do you have the same problem? Are your kids an immovable lump on your couch? What do you do? What summer plans do you make?

  This year, I'm thinking bowling might be the answer.
  AMF has a great bowling deal this summer for kids (and adults too!).
Kids 15 and under get to bowl free! They'll get 2 free games of bowling a day at select AMF centers 7 days a week until 8PM. Summer Unplugged will run from Monday, May 14 through Monday, September 3. AMF is even offering kid's meals for $3.29. Shoes aren't included with the free games, but they're pretty cheap, so it is totally worth it! Free game coupons are emailed every week.

  Head on over to to select a participating location and complete the simple registration form to get started with "Summer Unplugged" for your kids.




  Grown ups can play too! AMF offers a Summer Pass to everyone over the age of 16. The Summer Pass is $29.95 and is good for 2 games per day for up to 4 people ALL SUMMER LONG. Shoes aren't included in this deal either, but again.... they're rather cheap and at around $7.50 per person for the whole summer, its a great deal! The Summer Pass has the same dates and times as Summer Unplugged, so you can use your pass to spend some time with the kiddies, or get away from them *winkwink*.
You can find the Summer Pass online.

AMF is also on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Check them out!


DISCLOSURE: I participated in this campaign as a member of One2One Network and am eligible for a prize drawing. 
All opinions stated in the post are my own

Crowdtap and Old Navy Shorts!

First off, I want to thank Old Navy and CrowdTap for providing me with wonderful opportunities to share products and brands with my friends and family.

Recently, I was provided (by CrowdTap and Old Navy) an Old Navy Style Council coupon booklet that included 4 coupons. Each coupon was good for a free top, a free pair of shorts and a free accessory of our choice (including shoes, jewelry, hats, scarves, bags, etc.)

I invited a couple of my friends and I dragged my mum along for the fun of it (she's never shopped at Old Navy O_o). We had a lovely lunch at Chipolte and headed to the nearest Old Navy store to cause mayhem and destruction.... err... I mean.... to have fun and check out the shorts ;)

The Old Navy Staff was wonderful. Not only did they go above and beyond the call of duty, they had wonderful suggestions and recommendations. The whole staff treated us like royalty even though we were probably being a pain in the ass. It was absolutely wonderful.

We had fun trying on outfits and critiquing each other's choices. It was really fun to give "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" to each other while we were trying things on. My mum and I had some fun with some of the accessories since we're a little crazy. We had all the girls laughing (store staff included).

All in all we had the best time. We had girl time, and we got to shop. Everyone was exhausted when we were through, but I'm pretty sure they still had enough energy to call around and rave about Old Navy. I would gladly do it again anytime.

I picked a lime green top with black cut-off shorts and a pair of wedge shoes with my coupon. Then I HAD to buy a hat to match it because it was so adorable. I don't think anyone walked out of the store without buying a little something extra. The only thing that upset me a bit was that my Old Navy store doesn't carry jewelry.... but I think I have enough anyway!

This was a great opportunity for all of us and we all agreed that it was the most fun we've had in a very long time. Thanks CrowdTap and Old Navy!

**Disclaimer: Products were provided by CrowdTap and Old Navy. 

I did not receive any monetary compensation and all opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone.