Through Hazel Eyes-A Mom Blog | Archive

Boba Baby Carrier

No Comments 12 March 2010

As the weather turns mild and balmy my favorite activities take place outdoors. We go for bike rides, play T-ball, hike, go for walks and more. When we moved into our house several years ago I loved the fact it was located in a slow, quiet cul-de-sac. However, when I want to go for a walk I want to walk a little further than our cul-de-sac offers, so I have to venture to the busy busy road that our Lane is off of. For me, that is fine, although I do not feel safe bringing the kids in strollers or walking by themselves. Wearing Olivia in a carrier is a safe alternative and allows which allows us closeness as well as the fresh air and a exercise for myself.

I’ve used probably every style out there as far as carriers go. Certain types suit different weights better than others and really what it boils down to is personal comfort for you and your child. Olivia is now heading toward 2 years of age and weighs just over 20 lbs. This limits our options somewhat. The hard pack carriers, you know the ones with the poles and such, are too big and bulky for me to handle on my own. That leaves the option of a soft, made from fabric carrier. I need this carrier to be made so that I can take it on, put Olivia in and take it off by myself. Boba Organic has created the perfect carrier that meets all of my needs and more. I can wear her on the front or back, use it all by myself and it is comfortable for both Olivia and I.

My favorite feature that sets this carrier apart from every other I’ve seen and used are the foot straps. I cannot stress how insanely nice these are for the child. I couldn’t pinpoint what was missing from previous carriers, but these foot straps have made a world of a difference for my little Olivia. In fact, the first thing she says after we get all strapped in is “feet”. Then she sticks them out so I can help guide each foot to it’s strap, making her one happy camper.

Mom (and Dad) approved? Yes! Absolutely. Our favorite specifications:

The color we received is the Cedar, this is perfect for mom or dad to wear the child around in. Although I noticed all of the colors are gender friendly, earthy, warm tones that I think anyone would be pleased with.

The ease, enough said. I can get it on and her packed up in under 1 minute.
How much Olivia adore “being worn” in it.
The fact that I can “wear her” until she is 45 lbs or around 4 years old.
It fits in the diaper back, or just about anywhere for that matter. Being that it is made of cloth mostly, it fold right up to go along with you wherever you are headed!

To Buy:

Visit BobaBabyCarrier.com and have a look around. Here is the selection of colors, you can also find instructional videos, testimonials, galleries and more. With spring and summer right around the corner this is surely something you will want to have on hand for your little ones!

Promotions, Reviews

Epson Stylus Photo R1900

13 Comments 04 February 2010

I’ve sat down several times now to start writing this review and the words were just not coming to me. I realize this sounds dramatic for a review of a printer. You see though, this printer is not just any ole’ printer. This has turned out to be the printer of my dreams (enter in dramatic music). No lie.

It is no secret that I have a love for all things photography. This started when I was just a little girl. I used my parents old 35 mm camera or a disposable camera for the most part. When I entered high school I took a photography class and made a camera out of an oatmeal box (tub?). I then developed the photos on my own in a dark room. This is what I’m getting to, the actual printing, developing, of the photo. You give your utmost effort, knowledge and passion in creating the perfect memory and then, more often than not in this digital world we’re living in, the photo becomes a part of our ever growing hard drives.

My home is my gallery. I have collages of photos all over the place, in every room, my goal is to change them out regularly. This is easier said than done. Around here, we have 2 places to get photos printed. I’m not here to name names, but let’s just say I’d prefer not to take that route. So then I turn to the professional lab developers, who do a fabulous job, but sometimes this can take more time out of my busy lifestyle than I account for. Then I forget, and my photos aren’t printed out once again.

Then Epson entered my life. Of course they have a wide variety of printers to choose from, but I found the perfect fit for me, the Epson Stylus Photo R1900. Everything I need and want in my printer.

Photos with a superior gloss finish

Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss® 2 pigment ink

Red and Orange inks — improved vibrancy

Smudge, fade and water resistant prints

New Radiance™ technology — optimum color gamut

Gallery-quality prints at faster speeds

Thick paper support for fine art media

Roll paper support for printing panoramas

Professional quality CD/DVD printing

Auto-switching Photo and Matte Black inks

The images printed off of this printer are so beautiful that I’ve had several friends ask me now why on earth I took my children to the photographer when I take so many photos myself. My photos have honestly never looked so good.

I performed a test. Walking into this review I had no intentions of trying to necessarily compare Epson quality with any others, but I have. You see, I received the Epson printer before I received the Epson photo paper. I was very anxious to print something, anything, with this printer. So I printed out some photos on some Kodak glossy I had lying around. The photos were nice, but truly not what I had expected from the printer. The next day I received my Epson paper, the difference is crazy. I took a photo of the difference, but I’m not sure if it does it justice. The blacks are true black and the colors are 100 times more brilliant and vibrant on the Epson paper.

You can print on paper up to 13″ wide, print on roll paper and onto a CD or DVD, giving so much more versatility. Epson offers just about any type of paper to choose from for your printing needs, so far my favorite has been the 13″x19″ Ultra Premium Photo Paper Luster. I love the look, feel and the fact that I can usually fit several photos of the size I need on one sheet. I have a thing for square cropped photos and the Espon Stylus allows me crop and print a square photo quite easily.

Something that I had been putting off completing is the creation of a disc of Olivia entering this world, 20 months ago now. I did something similar from when Ryan was born to pass out to relatives and such that do not live nearby. I finally have the motivation I needed, because now I can print a nice label on the disc. You can also do this for a DVD you’ve burned or a music CD you’ve burned.

As you can tell I have nothing but love for Epson, in particular the Stylus Photo R1900. I could not come up with one complaint. The ink and paper are offered at a reasonable cost and are easy to load. The directions are clear and simple. The quality is overall perfect. My memories documented are priceless, the cost of this machine will go a long way.

To Buy:

Visit Epson.com. In addition to the Epson Stylus Photo R1900, you will find a large assortment of printers, paper, ink and more. Currently if you purchase the Epson Stylus Photo R1900 you will receive free shipping a $150 rebate.

Some or all of the material used in this post have been provided to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. Opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Beauty Sense, Giveaways, Parenting, Promotions, Reviews

Beauty Sense-ME! Bath Review and Giveaway

41 Comments 25 January 2010

Confession: I take a hot bath every.single.night. This is my time to relax, enjoy my latest book (this week happens to be The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), drink my glass of wine and just block everything out for 30 minutes or so.

ME! Bath has recently made my bath just that much more enjoyable. I received a scoop of the Bath Ice Cream in the Strawberry scent. When you drop the ice cream in it fizzes and you can smell the aroma immediately. It is strong enough that when I emerged from the bath I radiated this fantastic strawberry scent, yet it was still subtle enough and not overpowering. Just nice.

Each piece is comprised of a unique six oil blend, purifying minerals, indulgent fragrances and Epsom Salt, and is one hundred percent artisan crafted, taking three days to custom make.

After the bath I could feel the ingredients working. My skin felt moisturized enough that I did not feel the need to apply body creme as I usually do after the bath.

Don’t like baths? ME! Bath also carries Shower Sherbert, and exfoliate, cleanser and moisturizer all in one. You can also purchase the worlds most expensive bath among several other fascinating items that give you that kick start to relaxation.

Overall I find this to be a very exceptional product. It is unique, smells fabulous and does exactly what it says. The price is affordable and fair.

The Giveaway:

I have a scoop of ME! Bath Ice Cream to offer one Through Hazel Eyes reader. To enter visit ME! Bath and tell me what product you’d love to try or have tried and love.

Additional Entries:

-Subscribe via reader or email

-Follow through Google Friends Connect

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet this giveaway (up to 2 tweets per day)

Beauty Sense, Giveaways, Reviews

Beauty Sense-Barbar’s Eco 8000 Blow Dryer CLOSED

479 Comments 18 January 2010

I think we can all agree on at least one thing, a good hair cut, color or style can boost ones self confidence. Each of these begins with a good foundation. You start with the shampoo and conditioner that suit your hair type best and then a product that works as a barrier between your wet hair and your blow dryer. Then the blow dry itself. This could make or break the final step of your hair style.

The truth is, I hate blow drying my hair. My hair is thick and it grows so fast that I have to keep it long. The longer it gets the longer it takes. Up until now there is a rarely a day during the work week that I actually take the time to go through the process unless I have something important to do, you know, since my work week is usually spent at home anyway. My blow dryer was a nice, professional blow dryer, but it was 8 years old. It was built with a coil heating element. It dried my hair out, took forever, and there was something wrong with the fuse that required me to shake the cord a little to get it going each time I used it. My husband was sure I’d walk out of the bathroom completely fried one of these days.

I have known what needed to be done for a long time. I was just waiting for the right moment and was having a hard time saying good bye to my trusty blow dryer that went through Cosmetology with me. It is necessary for me to keep up with the times though if I want this mane of mine to remain healthy. I needed to start using a ceramic blow dryer. This is where Barbar steps in and saves the life of my soon to be split ends.

You can click on each of these to view them larger. The picture to the far left is my hair after blow drying with a blow dryer that uses a coil heating element. The picture in the center is using the Barbar Eco 8000 Ceramic Blow Dryer and the picture on the far right is using the flat iron for less than 2 minutes after using the ceramic blow dryer. Not only is the Barbar Eco 8000 Blow Dryer a healthier option for my hair but it is better for the environment.

A few reason why I love this blow dryer:

After following the same steps as usual in my blow drying process: air drying for 10 minutes, applying a barrier (CHI Iron Guard) and using a paddle brush (Aveda wooden paddle brush); my hair dried 12 minutes faster using the Barbar Eco 8000.
I’m using less energy.
The heat from the blow dryer is not as hot, yet still dries quicker.
My hair is about 20 times smoother after blow drying, before flat ironing or curling.
The blow dryer itself is pretty.

From Barbar:

“The difference is use of electricity & output of radiation. The ECO 8000 has 5.0 mG (milligauss) output radiation. A standard 1,800 WATT dryer has over 200.0 mG! This amount of mG is comparable to the radiation output of a microwave. The ceramic heating element lasts 5x longer than a coil heating element. The ceramic heating element uses 90% electricity, turning it into heat. No energy is wasted, but saved. The coil heating element wastes electricity because it doesn’t use it, thus turning it into radiation. Unused electricity turns into radiation!”

To Buy:

You can find the Barbar Eco 8000 Ceramic blow dryer among many other necessary hair tools at Barbarhair.com.

The Giveaway:

Barbar has offered the opportunity for one Through Hazel Eyes reader to win their very own Barbar Eco 8000 Ceramic Blow Dryer at a value of $150.00.

To Enter:

Visit BarbarHair.com and tell me what you absolutely would love to own yourself or something new you have learned.

Additional Entries:

-Subscribe to Through Hazel Eyes via reader or email

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this (up to 2 times/day)

-Follow me on Google Friends Connect

Contest will end February 1st. I will draw a winner via random.org an announce here after.

130

Damla says:

January 23, 2010 at 11:29 am (Edit)

Follow you on twitter and tweeted: http://twitter.com/sweepstakelover/status/8115513476

Congratulations!! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter!

Giveaways, Recipes, Reviews

Yoplait Frozen Smoothies and a Giveaway

362 Comments 15 January 2010

I have always been a lover of a good smoothie. No doubt about it. I hesitate though when it comes to actually making them at home. Sure they’re tasty and nutritious, but if you’ve ever made one at home you know how messy it can get. Not to mention the amount of ingredients you have to put together to make it just right.

With much thanks to Yoplait I can now concoct smoothies for two (or more) in less than 2 minutes and using only the package they sell in the freezer aisle and a cup of milk. Each Yoplait smoothie contains a full serving of fruit and the frozen yogurt pieces already in the package contain your live and active cultures. Let’s not forget about the calcium and vitamin C each contains as well. The taste is incredibly creamy and fruity at the same time. My favorite flavor has been the Very Berry, but there are others to choose from as well.

Each member in our family loved these for different reasons. Personally, I am horrible about eating breakfast. This smoothie is a perfect solution for me opposed to the cup (or 3) of coffee I normally consume for breakfast. For the kids this has been a great solution for afternoon snack. Ryan is always starving when he gets home from school, but I never want to give him too much to eat because then he won’t eat his dinner. One package of Yoplait Smoothie after school makes enough for Olivia, Ryan and a little for myself as well. This gets them another serving of their fruit for the day and it fills them up enough until dinner, but not too much.

Again, they are easy to prepare. You can make these in any blender, however I’ve been making mine in a single serve blender that has just enough space to prepare one package of Yoplait smoothie. This makes 2-3 glasses of smoothie for kid sized portions. All you do is poor the ingredients from the package into the blender followed by your 1 cup of milk and blend for 1.5 minutes. It’s then ready to serve and any leftovers can be stored in your refrigerator.

The Giveaway:

Yoplait and My Blog Spark are kindly providing a Yoplait Frozen Smoothie Gift Pack to one Through Hazel Eyes reader. Each gift pack includes a VIP coupon to redeem for a free package of Yoplait Frozen Smoothies as well as a Blender to mix your smoothies with.

To Enter:

Please answer this question as your initial entry: What is your favorite smoothie to make at home?

Additional Entries:

-Follow me via google friends connect

-Subscribe via reader or email

-Follow me on twitter and tweet about this giveaway (2 times per day)

Contest will end January 31st. I will draw a winner via random.org and announce here after.

Some or all of the material used in this post have been provided to me by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the sole purpose of product testing. In this case, Yoplait and My Blog Spark. Opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by monetary compensation.

Reviews

Tassimo=Amazing

19 Comments 08 January 2010

Several years ago now I had a good friend who received an Espresso machine for Christmas. I remember it being the bees knees, except for the fact that it took forever, it was loud and when your beverage was complete it was so incredibly scalding that you couldn’t drink it for at least a half hour. Fast forward to the last couple of months. I kept hearing of this Tassimo and have not heard of one bad experience yet. I was still skeptical and had to try it for myself. After all, it’s made with Bosch and my husband adores Bosch tools. Oh, and we both love coffee. A lot.

Now that I have this precious gem of a brewing system, I would like to first share a video on it’s usage. Then we’ll get to my full on honest opinion.

Yep, you saw that right. I have this set up right next to my computer in my “office”. I don’t know that that is actually a recommended location, but it works out perfect for me. Now that you were able to see for yourself how easy and user friendly this brewing system is, I’ll share some specifics.

The Tassimo was very easy to set up and use immediately. It took approximately 10-15 minutes for me to tear into open the box, rinse the filter, wash the water tank gently and insert my first ever T-Disc. Along with my Tassimo I received a box of Gevalia Chai Tea, Starbucks Cafe Verona Coffee and Gevalia Espresso. Each of these are amazing in flavor. I went out the very next day to purchase several other flavors and some hot cocoa and have not been dissapointed with any of the selections. I truly believe there is something for everyone.

The only complaint I had initially was the cost of the T-discs. My husband made me sit down and do the math. I mean sure, if you drink coffee as much as we do then you probably buy one of those big tubs of your favorite kind for around $10.00. Killer deal. However, even though I was getting my killer deal in bulk coffee, I was still stopping at Starbucks every time I went grocery shopping. We’ll be nice and say twice a week at $5.00/drink. Then there is our local coffee shop, where I get my tri-weekly weekly Chai Tea. So add another $5.00/week at the very least, making that at least $15.00/week. One package of Starbucks coffee T-discs, 12 discs/package, cost 10.99 on Tassimodirect.com. If you made it this far you get my point. So, when I head to the grocery store now I grab my to-go mug of my very own Starbucks coffee. I promise you, it tastes just as good as if they brewed it.

To Buy:

You can visit Tassimodirect.com. There you will find the perfect brewing system and a full selecton of T-discs starting at 5.99/package. After purchasing and receiving your Tassimo Brewing system you will find an enclosed code that entitles you to two free T-disc packages. You can also opt to use T-Disc Direct Delivery making sure you never go without your favorite beverage.

Reviews

The Dyson works on all floors

No Comments 01 December 2009

I mean, it really works on all floors. I’ve purchased a vacuum that states this, but it never holds true. For me it is a necessity to have a vacuum that works on all floors because we have several floor types throughout our house. Most of which are not carpet. We have hard wood flooring through our living room, family area and hallway. We have tile in our bathroom and laundry room. We have a laminate in our kitchen. The bedrooms are all shag carpet. We need a vacuum that works on all floors. The Dyson Animal dc 25 did not let me down. This vacuum, should we call it a vacuum and not a miracle worker(I know, dramatic), truly worked on every single floor in my home.

We have an area rug in the living area and family area, and as I vacuumed throughout it was a seamless transaction from the rug to the wood floor and vice versa. It never loses suction. There was not a stray hair to be seen after running through with the Dyson. I could walk on the hard floors with bare feet and not feel something stick to my foot that the broom missed while sweeping. Speaking of the broom, can you imagine what a pain it is to sweep an entire living area? It used to be that I would vacuum the area rugs, and then usually half of what I vacuumed would spit out the back, and then I would sweep. Something was always missed, and I didn’t like having my baby girl crawl around on those floors. Now I feel reassured that she is crawling on a clean surface.

I wish there was something I could tell you that I don’t like about the Dyson, so I don’t sound like a saleswoman for them, but there is nothing. Honest from the bottom of my heart, I have not found one thing that I dislike about this vacuum, except maybe that it doesn’t do my dishes too (just kidding)!

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Boba Baby Carrier

Epson Stylus Photo R1900

Beauty Sense-ME! Bath Review and Giveaway

Beauty Sense-Barbar’s Eco 8000 Blow Dryer CLOSED

Yoplait Frozen Smoothies and a Giveaway

Tassimo=Amazing

The Dyson works on all floors

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