Baby Sister Birth Story: 12/30/2017

I was having a hard time feeling her movements Thursday night and Friday morning (12/28 & 29), so one of my midwives, Alice, sent me over to another clinic for a fetal non-stress test. The external monitor had a hard time picking up the movement, but the ultrasound said she (at this point, we didn't know whether we were having a girl or boy) was moving fine. The OB recommended induction, so Alice stripped my membranes around 2p, and we decided to reevaluate other natural induction methods in the morning if nothing happened. Labor picked up almost immediately.

By 3p I was starting to recognize contractions, but not necessarily needing to cope from them. At about 3:45, contractions were pretty consistent, and Alice told me to lay down and rest--which I did for about an hour before I got ansty and couldn't lay down anymore. We intended to go walking, but we never really got out the door until I decided I was craving beef. We (Mario, the girls, my mom and me) all loaded into the car to go to Masa, so I could eat their steak tips. Last minute we decided to go to Golden Corral, which was in the same parking lot. Let me tell you, that was the best Golden Corral if ever had! It was a Friday/weekend, so they had steak and ribs and pot roast, and several other meats, too. I ate A LOT!! And I don't think I've ever had that much meat and potatoes in one sitting. 😅

After dinner, we went back home, I took it easy, took a bath and tried--and failed--to get some sleep. Around 9p I had some hemorrhoids that were really bothering me. 🤪😲 After taking care of those, we put the girls to bed. Around 2p, I think, contractions got really close together, so I called Alice to see when she wanted me to come in. 

Between midnight & 1a Mario and I got to the Birth Cottage. I got checked in, and pretty much climbed right in the bath. I stayed there until I started to get cold, since I'm really sensitive to temperature changes. Through all of this, Mario was amazing about giving counterpressure, and helping me cope as labor became more intense. After I got out of the tub, I laid on the bed, and decided I was still cold. I sent Mario to warm me up a cup of chicken broth from the kitchen. 

Baby Sister in her first outfit

Pretty much as soon as he left I started pushing. I called out, "help," in a virtually silent voice. I finish the push to my water breaking. At this point, I had voice to holler, "I think my water just broke." Amanda, the student midwife, came to check on me, and things/time started blending together. At some point between Amanda coming in and my next push, Mario and Alice came back in. 
Starting with the push for my water to break, I was on my hands and knees. I didn't consciously move to my knees, it just sort of happened instinctually. My next contraction after Mario and Alice came in, I pushed again, and baby crowned, then got to her shoulders. The next contraction was another push, and she was born.  I don't remember if it was during the last contraction or in between contractions, but at some point between her crowning and birth, I said, "I can't do it; it hurts!" Alice responded, "the head is out. You've already done it; you're almost done!"

She was born at 2:34a, and I was pretty tired afterwards. For a couple minutes, I stayed on my knees, and Alice just laid her in the bed below me. The two things I remember saying after she was born was that she was a girl, and, "I did it without the epidural." (Though I don't remember in what order.) 

At some point I delivered the placenta, which I was tired and didn't want to push. 😅(I've added a photo of it, below--it's pretty cool, but feel free not to scroll down if you're squeamish.) 

Afterwards, she latched, ate well, and we both fell asleep. I'm not sure how long I was asleep, but when I woke up I got in the shower and prepared to go home. We were done and home before 6a, and it was super nice to sleep in my own bed, rather than being trapped at the hospital. (For Bigger Sister, she was checked out first thing in the morning, but I want checked out and allowed to go home until 2-3p--so about 5-6hrs later--not pleasant.)

It was really cool to just sort of do whatever felt right, and not be fighting for what I wanted--like with Biggest Sister--or to have the epidural so handy, that I just gave in, even though I still had a supportive nurse--like with Bigger Sister. Other than that, I'm never quite sure how to respond when I'm asked, "So, how was the birth?" or "What did you think about your birth?" It just sort of flowed, and happened. Almost nothing was intentional/planned. I was just able to do what felt right in the moment. Now, I have a gorgeous 1 month-old daughter, and it pretty much feels like she's always been part of our family. Sure, she's a newborn--and that comes with it's ups and downs--but overall, she's a really content baby, and we're blessed to have her in our lives!

Mario with Baby Sister in her first outfit

Baby Sister today--1 month old

Keep scrolling for photo of the placenta.

Placenta after birth 

#Belmint Foot Spa and Massager

I received the Belmint Foot Spa and Massager at a discount in exchange for my review, but the thoughts here are my own honest opinions.

Above is my unboxing video of the Belmint Foot Spa and Massager. My first impression was the simple, compact design. Bonus points for the fun flowers. I was, however, surprised that the cover came completely off, as proven at timestamp 2:14 in the video.

I was a little less than impressed during my first attempt to run the massager, though. The instructions were very limited, and clearly translated into English from another language. (Hubby confirmed that it was Chinese.) Most of the mistakes were subtle, but there were a couple of gems:

"People ,who with serious disorders, should use the product with the accompany and help of others."(Yes, that is the original comma placement, "People ,who...")

"Do not use the water higher than 45ÿ directly into the basin, so to avoid foot scald or make products deformation."

"Children,the disabled,the mentally handicapped slow to respond to the old man and hot and cold sensitive response should use this product with help of others." (Again, typos are the company's.) 

Hubby's favorite mistake:

"Products shall not be stored in bathrooms and other damp environment, it must be stored in a dry place, to avoid damage to the products." (Emphasis added by hubby.)

Here're my favorite mistakes/oddities:

 "Serious heart disease patients,pregnant women, serious thrombotic cerebral congestion,late diabetic patients are not suitable for the use of this product, or after a doctor's consult...Do not use this product when the people's foot has inflammation, trama,feet, Xian skin scald, and the women in the menstrual period." (The translator and editor missed the spaces again.)

 I don't know about you, but I have feet, so does that mean I shouldn't use it at all? 😉😂

All jokes aside, though the mistakes did make initial use a bit confusing, the biggest hurdle wasn't the language barrier. It was the lack of helpful information. The instructions were quite detailed on what each button is, and what the display means. However, the unit says, "Do not use without water," and the instructions never say how much water to use. We ended up using about 1-1.5 gallons of water, but we probably could/should have used more.

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager basin with 1-1.5 gal water and display: unit is off ( "OF")

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager filled 1-1.5 gal water to bottom of output nozzles without feet

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager filled 1-1.5 gal water to just the top of output nozzles with feet

I was having a little bit of a hard time figuring out what the temperature was, since there isn't an option to switch to Fahrenheit, but a quick Google Search said that 40°C=104°F. The recommended temperature is 35°C (95°F) to 45°C (113°F). When I told hubby, he laughed and said that his "optimal bath temperature is 42°," and that I should have just asked him.

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager display: unit is set to 40°C ("40") with light and massage on

I requested this review, because hubby has bad feet, and I was hoping the foot massager would help him, but the rollers went the wrong direction for him. He wanted the rollers to roll from his heel towards his toes, but they roll from toes to heel. He said he probably would prefer a shiatsu foot massager, but that the warm foot soak in the spa and massager was really relaxing.

While I didn't use it for the full massage time--only about 5 minutes before my "little helpers" needed me--I thought it was really nice. The rollers were firm enough to relieve tension in my arches, but not so deep that it was painful. The warm/hot water was definitely relaxing, and it was like an at-home pedicure.

I used it again, and this time I filled it up to just above the nozzles when empty, which just covered the vent when I put my feet in. It was nice to cover my feet more, and it was a lot quieter, too. I still only used the rollers for about 5 minutes before they started rubbing funny. Hubby let it run too long, and ended up with a couple of blisters, so be warned, and pay attention to how your feet are feeling.

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager filled to above output nozzles without feet

Belmint Foot Spa and Massager filled to just above the vent with feet

Overall, I would rate the Belmint Foot Spa and Massager 3.5-4 of 5 stars. The instructions and short tolerable massage time prevents me from rating it a 5. If you're looking for a high quality, deep foot massage, this isn't the unit for you. But I would recommend it to someone who wants a spa feel at home. I liked that it was a relaxing foot soak, and I liked the option to turn on and off the massage rollers as needed. Add a little Epsom salt, or other foot soak, and it's a portable, at-home pedicure system.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this review, and this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page.

#AmazrockMuslinSwaddle Blanket Review

I received the Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket free in exchange for my review, but the thoughts here are my own honest opinions.

We absolutely LOVE Muslin swaddle blankets. Ever since we were given an Aden and Anais for our Baby Shower for Big Sister--I can't believe it's been over 3 years already!!--we've been collecting all the muslin swaddlers we can get our hands on, so I was thrilled when I saw the offer to review the Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket!

Amazrock Muslin Swaddle Blanket in box and Amazon packaging

If you've read my past reviews, you know I'm a fan of simplicity when it comes to packaging, and I am reminded of this again with the Amazrock packaging. Very cute, simple and gender non-specific.

Amazrock Swaddle Blanket box back with swaddle instructions

I remembered to get a photo of the back of the box without the Amazon packaging, which shows the swaddling and care instructions (again, nice and simple), but not the front of the box without the extra plastic.

Side-by-side of open Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle blankets

Right out of the box, the Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket feels thinner than our Aden and Anais, It's also much stiffer than our Aden and Anais, but that is likely because the Aden and Anais has been washed, used and "broken in" (as my babywearing side likes to say) for the past 3 years. The Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket feels about the same thickness as a couple small muslin swaddle blankets we got from Ross.

Big Sister and Baby Sister claimed the blankets right away

Even though the blankets were unwashed, Big Sister and Baby Sister had a blast playing with them. They even insisted I took pictures of them right then and there. (So don't mind the mess behind them; this is real life.)

Swaddled Big Sister (age 3)

Since they are SWADDLE blankets, I had to see how they handled swaddling. Since I worked at a early childhood education center (essentially an educational daycare) in the infant/toddler classroom for 4 or 5 years, I would have to say I'm pretty experienced with swaddling, and I'm comfortable swaddling with many different fabrics.

Unfortunately, Baby Sister would have nothing to do with being swaddled; fortunately, Big Sister was SUPER excited to be "mermaid swaddle!" One of the reasons I love muslin blankets so much, is for swaddling: it just molds to the child's body with very little effort. Big Sister, above, is swaddle a bit tighter than I would normally swaddle, but she wanted it super tight. The 48"x48" size made it ideal for swaddling a 3yo, and it would make the perfect infant swaddler--even with wigglers.

Having used the Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket as a shoulder and lap blanket, I can attest to it's leightweight warmth. Even though it's still averaging in the high 80's, low 90's, I have been getting chills from our air conditioning, and the Amazrocks swaddlers have been great at keeping the breeze and chill off, without making me sweat. Such a reassurance when knowing that the blankets are designed for infants, who aren't really able to regulate their own temperature, yet.

I would recommend these to anyone who wants an easy-swaddle alternative to the traditional hospital receiving blanket, that's big enough to be used for several ages. I'd also recommend it to someone like me, who's sensitive to changes in temperature, but also likes small, lightweight blankets.

Interesting side note: apparently Amazrock has their own site, and doesn't just sell on Amazon. It looks to be mostly an aStore (a website that has Amazon Affiliates and Amazon Shopping embedded and integrated directly into the site), but their brand makes the Amazrocks Muslin Swaddle Blanket as well as Amazrock Woodless Colored Pencils (which, unfortunately appears to be out of stock.)

Disclosure: I was compensated for this review, and this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commision on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page

#EZHome_EMT_026 Digital Thermometer Review

I received the Easy@Home Digital Thermometer free in exchange for my review, but the thoughts here are my own honest opinions.

Our thermometer got dropped and broke the last time one of the girls were sick, and it's been on our shopping list since then. The theremometer's been one of those items that I always think, "oh, I'll get that next time,"  every shopping trip, and next time never really comes, so I was really grateful when I saw this review offer, it meant I never had to force myself to just buckle down and buy the new thermometer. (It came at a pretty good time, too, since there's an outbreak of Hand Foot Mouth disease at FSU, nearby, and it will be nice to have a working thermometer if the virus reaches us.)

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer box, front

My first thought when I saw the package is that is was a no-brand knock-off that didn't seem worth the $13 the company is asking.

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer box, back

The back of the box is still pretty simple, and I'm glad it listed the features, since the <10 second read time and fever alarm started to reassure me of the price.

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer in storage case

I was surprised at how accurate and full-size the photo on the box was, and ultimately the size of the display in hand. Our last thermometer got no taller (oriented as pictured above, top being top of photo) than this display screen total, making this screen about twice as tall. The digital display on the Easy@Home Digital Thermometer screen was also a little wider (left to right) than our past thermometer, but not nearly as noticeable of a difference than the thermometer height.

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer under arm test, with results

The instructions say, "from a medical viewpoint this [the under arm] method will always provide inaccurate readings. and should not be used if precise measurements are required.". For this test, a precise measurement wasn't really needed, and it was the only measurement Big Sister would tolerate so I could take a photo. The digital display was very clear, and large, filling most of the display area. You can't see it in the photo, but there was a small triangle under the green area, indicating it wasn't a fever. (Green for no fever, yellow for mild fever, red for high/severe fever.)

The large display and flexible tip surprised me by being very easy to take a measurement on my 3yo, who is normally fights having her temperature taken, even as an under arm measurement.

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer, no battery

I went to test myself for an oral test example, but I was disappointed to discover the low battery warning, after only one test. I pulled out the battery, put it back in, and then tried turning on the Easy@Home Digital Thermometer, again.

Easy@Home Digital Thermometer oral test results

It worked. I waited about a week, to try again, and I haven't had a problem with the battery, since. (And you can even see the triangle temperature indicator under the green area.)

Overall, I'm still a little shocked at the price, since our last one was a $5 thermometer, but a quick search on Amazon shows that $13 isn't too far off for the quick read, large screen, flexible tip, fever alarm, and temperature color indicator. I would recommend this especially for someone who needs the large display and multiple alerts, or someone (like me) who wants the super quick read and flexible tip to take the temperature of someone wriggly, like a toddler. The $5 version is probably sufficient for a single college student, or anyone who just needs a simple, accurate, thermometer with a 60 second read time. (It's amazing how 60 seconds feels like an eternity when trying to take a sick toddler's temperature.)

Disclosure: I was compensated for this review, and this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commision on purchases. For more information, see my

 Disclosures page

Review: #TeethingDroolPadsandBib

This is my first compensated review, and I received these Teething Drool Pads and Bib (or what I would call "suck pads") by BabyPreferred for free in exchange for it; however, all thoughts are own, honest opinion.

My first impression when I saw this offer was, "Aw! How cute!" Seriously, I love the little bird pattern. I'm such a fan of classic, simple, non-gender-specific patterns and colors, and the ivory background and simple navy birds combination really hits that mark!

BabyPreferred Teething Drool Pads & Bib in a simple, cute packaging 

In person, it's no different. Even the packaging was simple: Sealed in a basic plastic bag, with a brown cardstock or paperboard wrapping. The logo actually caught my attention first. The bp looked a little like an elephant or a dragonfly to me, until I figured out it was the letters touching. The little hair wisp was an added touch, too. Just now, while fiddling with the wrapping, did I notice that the care instructions were on the back with the bar code: "Machine wash cold. Tumble dry low. Do not iron the back." Simple enough. (See, I like that. simplicity is great!) There was also a business card that I almost ignored in the package, but turns out it's a 20% off discount on one side, and the instructions on the other.

The 3 pieces included; Top: the bib; Bottom: 2 "wrap around drool pads," one of which has elastics to attach toys to

The bottom two pieces are what I would call "suck pads," but BabyPreferred calls them "wrap around drool pads." The snaps and rounded rectangles made it pretty clear how to attach to the carrier, but I had to look at the instructions to figure out how to attach the top, or bib piece. I also didn't know what the 3 elastic pieces (not well pictured) on bottom of the second/right suck pad were. Turns out the elastic is to attach teething toys with a clip or one of those toy linking chains.

Drool pads attached to Ethos ConvertiBu™, with the bib in postition + Baby Sister trying to steal the carrier.

The Teething Drool Pads and Bib are designed for an Ergo Four Position 360° carrier, but my carrier is a semi-custom from EthosBabywearing.com: Ethos ConvertiBu­­™ in charcoal twill. The drool/suck pads fit great, but the bib did not attach properly. On an Ergo 360°, there are buttons to attach the bib to, but the Ethos ConvertiBu™ doesn't have a froward facing option, nor buttons to attach to. I don't mind, though. Having Baby Sister forward facing in the front hurts my back, so I wouldn't ever use that feature, and thus wouldn't necessarily need the bib. I had planned on checking out an Ergo 360° from my local lending library, but I've been unable to contact them since Hurricane Hermine hit the area. I'll definitely update if/when I get my hands on a 360°! But I don't think it would change my review much.

Drool pads attached to Ethos ConvertiBu™ without the Bib

I didn't like the snaps against my shoulder, so I attached them facing the top, as shown in the picture below.

Baby Sister using the drool pads in the Ethos ConvertiBu™

Overall, I would recommend the BabyPreferred Teething Drool Pads and Bib to anyone with an Ergo 360° carrier, or any of the recommended carriers, as the product description says, "Designed for ERGObaby Four Position 360 Carrier, but also fits other carrier, car seat & stroller straps like Chicco, Jeep, Tula, Lillebaby, Beco, Boba, Babybjorn, Infantino, Evenflo & more." I also think the drool/suck pad portion will fit over almost any standard SSC (soft-structured/buckle carrier), and possibly over some Mei Tais.

If you want something to protect the straps of your carrier, I think these Drool Pads are great for you, and bonus, Baby Sister liked cuddling the bib portion that didn't fit our carrier.

Disclosure: I was compensated for this review, and this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commision on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page

My Early Childhood Teaching Philosophy

I am going to start right off the bat by making my credentials (or lack thereof) clear: I do not have a degree or any other advanced certificate in easily childhood education. I did take a couple of practicum-type credits as a dual-enrollment option in high school, as well as a few early childhood prerequisite courses. But, my Bachelors degree is mostly unrelated, and not in Education.   I also worked in a state licensed and nationally accredited early childhood facility for 3 or 4 years, and attended and participated in the trainings that were required during that time.

However, in that time, I learned a lot about the importance of having a teaching philosophy, and, as I contemplate the option of homeschooling our girls, I just wanted to organize my thoughts, and perhaps share them for others to see. 

I believe that play and hands-on experiences are the best forms of early childhood (and, in most cases, lifelong) education. 

While experimenting with a few different systems over the past year with Big Sister, I have found that I can't teach "forced" lessons. One curriculum I tried was entirely focused on the letters. There was no overarching theme; and I felt like all were were doing was making a long, drawn-out letter book that tried to also incorporate numbers and shapes. Big Sister didn't enjoy it after the first few lessons, and I refused to make learning a fight. 

Recently, I've tried casually assessing what skills and knowledge Big Sister has developed in the past year, and I am surprised to learn that she already knows a lot more that I thought, just by having conversations, reading, and interfacing with her directed play. 

I believe that learning should be incorporated into every aspect of life, and, just as important, themes and lessons should be child-driven. 

One example just occurred the other day: I was cleaning out some of my supplies, and Big Sister found a coloring page with a picture of a pelican, to which she asked, "what's that?" Instead of just answering her with, "a pelican," we jumped on the Internet, found fun facts and pictures of pelicans, watched a video of how pelicans really eat, found a pelican to color/cut/glue, counted pelicans in the video and pictures, and compared which pictures had more/fewer pelicans. After finishing at the computer, we colored the pelican coloring page, and Big Sister tried cutting out the pelican pieces (for the record, this was her first real experience with cutting, so I roughly cut apart each piece, and she "trimmed" them.) She then glued the pieces together, and proudly put her pelican on the fridge. We then pulled out our foam letters to make the word "pelican." As the girls would pull apart and hand me letters, I'd name them, and we'd build other words. 

It was a very fun, mostly casual, but there were a lot of learning objectives and skills wrapped up in that hour or so. 

Another example of child-driven learning occurred yesterday as Big Sister was playing with a computer keyboard. We talked about how the keyboard talked to the computer and tells the it what to do. I then started tracing letters with my finger on our couch, and Big Sister looked for the matching letter on the keyboard. 

Both relatively simple to implement, but by being involved with her interests and play, they became much more meaningful. 

I believe that intellectual skills supercede academic skills. 

I recently read this article that gave me terms for something I've always thought: skills related to the current standards of reading, writing , and 'rithmetic (academic skills) are less important than the ability to question, explore, and reason (intellectual skills.) One thing the article pointed out, that I didn't already connect, is that unless a child has developed the background, foundational intellectual skills, attempts to force academic skill will deter any real learning, and may decrease/slow the child's ability to learn the rote memorization. 

My biggest role as a parent, teacher and/or mentor is to facilitate a life-long love of learning, as well as a desire to always improve. 

I love learning new things. If I'm not pursuing my curiosity and/or developing myself one way or another, I get bored and frustrated, and I think that's evidence of successful parents, teachers and mentors who have helped me realize that there is so much that I DON'T know, but I can get closer and learn whatever I'm interested in. 

If I can tool my girls with the ability to ask questions, and then know how to find the answers, they will be well on their way to passionate, meaningful learning.  

30 Day Vitamix Challenge

Update: This was originally published on July 28, 2016, but was bumped to the top when I added my Personal Note.

Our blender all but died on us about a month before the start of this challenge. We thought about just replacing it straight across with another Livingwell HealthMaster by Montel, but Mario and I have wanted a Vitamix or BlendTec on and off since we got married. Having saved birthday and Christmas money for a while, and just piggybacking off a friend's yard sale, we had actually accrued enough cash on hand to invest in a high end blender. 

We went with Vitamix, instead of BlendTec nearly 100% due to Mario's research. The reviews on his favorite professional review websites (CNET and Amazon) as well as Blender Reviews, an industry specific review site, all recommended Vitamix first. It was also what was in stock at our local Costco Wholesale on a decent sale, and we got the Vitamix 5300 for about the same as the Certified Refurbished option on Amazon of the same model. 

Vitamix has a company challenge that the consultant/representative guy mentioned when he was here the week before we purchased our unit. We couldn't find it, so we did our own challenge. Costco has a 30-90 day return policy (I don't remember which category the Vitamix fit in,) so we resolved to use our Vitamix at least once per day for 30 days to ensure we will use it enough to justify the price. 

Our first impression was that if you're just going to make smoothies, it's not worth 4-6x the price of our previous blender. But it stood above for the ability to make soups and sauces from raw to cooked in the blender, in 10 minutes or less. 

Before I get to our full review, we wanted to try a variety of foods, especially things we would have made anyways. Here's what we tried. 

Day 1: Creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup 

Day 2: Chicken Tortilla soup, Strawberry soft serve ice cream. Creamy Alfredo sauce 

Day 3: Protein smoothie, veggie "Stone" soup (I don't know if you've read the book, but basically whatever was on hand)

Day 4: Tomato Spinach soup, Banana Shake

Day 5: Strawberry Sorbet

Day 6: Chicken Tortilla soup (a personal favorite)

Day 7: Alfredo sauce, Creamy Tomato soup 

Day 8: Chicken Tortilla soup (told you it was a favorite), peach shake

Day 9: Creamy Chicken Spinach Potato soup, chocolate ice cream

Day 10: Pineapple peach ice cream, finished a couple days worth of leftover soup

Day 11: Chicken Rice soup

Day 12: Pineapple orange banana smoothie, virgin Pinã Colada

Day 13: Creamed chicken Chili

Day 14: Creamy Tomato soup, Tropical Fruit sorbet, Rocky Road ice cream/slushy 

Day 15: Failed attempt at vanilla ice cream 

Day 16: 2 more failed attempt at vanilla ice cream, with 1 passable attempt used in soda freezes

Day 17: finished leftover soups

Day 18: Triple Berry Shake using leftover vanilla ice cream

Day 19:  Pineapple Orange Julius

Day 20: Tuscan White Bean Soup (not a favorite), Strawberry ice cream

Day 21: Alfredo Sauce, Strawberry Orange Julius

Day 22: Strawberry Sherbet (some of which was used in Canada Dry floats)

Day 23: my "sore throat soothing" (Pineapple Orange Julius with honey)
Day 24: Chicken Rice soup
Day 25: Orange Julius
Day 26: Triple Berry smoothie
Day 27: "Sore Throat soothing" smoothie
Day 28: Strawberry Orange Julius
Day 29: Strawberry ice cream
Day 30: Spicy Chicken Tomato soup

As you can see, my attempt at a variety of foods was moderately limited. We found what we liked, then we had a lot of the same or similar soups and smoothies over the past month. (A quick clarification: that is not all we ate over the past month, while I had hoped to supply more complete meals, I never got around to listing them, so the list above is just what was made in the Vitamix.) 

I linked all the recipes I based things off of, but I rarely, if ever, follow a recipe directly. For starters, everything was gluten-free, and everything except the Creamy Broccoli Cheddar soup was dairy-free. If a recipe wasn't linked, it was either a repeat (such as the Chicken Tortilla and Tomato soups) or is was something that I just threw together based on foods I've made in the past or that sounded good that day. Smoothies were a soy milk base with a consistency similar to Jamba Juice (or other major smoothie shop.) Sorbets were made with juice and sherbets were made with soy milk; both were a consistency between smoothies and soft-serve ice cream. Orange Julius indicated it was an orange juice, banana base with or without added soy milk. Ice creams were made with soy milk and a consistency of soft-serve ice cream.  (Occasionally I was able to  get the strawberry ice cream to the consistency of softened ice cream, like at ice cream shops.)

Vitamix--and other high-end blenders--boasts the capability of being a blender and food processor. I really liked it for dicing and chopping vegetables, and it was really neat to just pulse chunks of veggies into the finished soups, to give them some texture. I, however, forgot to try making flours or nut butters until yesterday. I made almond flour, chocolate almond butter, chocolate almond milk and chocolate almond shakes after the girls' naps. (I remembered right when they fell asleep. Talk about rude awakening if I started the blender then!)

I thought it performed quite well! The flour was a little coarser than I would have liked, but that could have been my impatience for the chocolate shake. The chocolate nut butter was a great consistency! About the same as store-bought "natural" nut butters. I'm a big fan of Nutella, and my chocolate almond butter just didn't compete with it, but when I ate it the second time, without the expectation of Nutella, it was pretty good. My almond butter was just the almond flour with some added Costco chocolate chips (there's no milk in the ingredients, but they are processed in the same facility as many of the top allergens, but we've never reacted to the milk or wheat in the packaging facility,) so it tasted a little like a melted chocolate bar. The chocolate almond shake was by far my favorite experiment yesterday, and, although it wasn't quite as creamy as the store-bought almond milk, it was still a great dessert. The consistency was similar to that of a shake with mix-ins. I think that was partly the coarse flour that I scraped off the edge of the pitcher, and partly because the chocolate chips re-solidified with the addition of the ice.

Now that I've written all this up, I'm smacking myself for not taking any pictures of anything I made. Isn't drooling over the food part of the fun of reading these reviews?!?!?! [MAJOR FACEPALM!!!!] Oh well, I guess it's kinda too late now.

As for the final review, we're keeping it. The versatility is why we have been "saving our pennies" on and off throughout our marriage, and it has been SUPER nice to have a soup/meal on the table from scratch in <10min on days when I've forgotten food is necessary for survival. The nut butter yesterday really reinforced utility of the Vitamix.

However! High-end blenders are not a necessity for everyone. If your goal is just smoothies, a Ninja, our Livingwell HealthMaster by Montel,  Oster or any number of other mid-level blenders will meet your needs for a fraction of the cost.

Pros:

• Powerful motor
• 7-yr warranty
• variety of uses (including--but not limited to--soups, sauces, flours, butters, ice cream, smoothies, homemade milk substitutes, etc.) 
• HEAT soups/sauces in blender
• Tamper stick (I've always hated having to stop the blender to push stuff down)

Cons:

• PRICE! The Vitamix we got is 4-6x the price of a decent mid-level blender, and $30-150 more than a comparable BlendTec (depending on current sales)
• Some other reviewers don't like the tamper, so I included it here, too

My husband wanted me to add that the greatest benefit he sees from the Vitamix, is that we're eating healthier foods, and that, to him, is worth almost any expense. 

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this reveiw, and all thoughs are my unbiased, honest opinion, but this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page

Personal Statement: All links are things I have used or owned and thought they we're worthwhile, without any other compensation. 

What's the deal with #Afflink?

I alluded to the writing of this post on Facebook, so I wanted to make sure it was written.

I am a member of the Amazon Affiliates Program, and if you haven't already seen my first post after signing up, you can read it here. It was pretty poorly written, but it was my first experience with being an Amazon Affiliate, so I wanted to make sure I covered the required/default disclaimer. 

I also wanted to be as transparent as possible when I share products with affiliate links on Facebook, so I've been using the #afflink. Well, that backfired on me. I never explained what I meant, and I've had several people private message me or ask on a comment what I meant by #afflink. 

#Afflink is especially common on Twitter, where character count is limited, but it's a shortened way to tag affiliate links on social media. Based on a few tutorials I read, it seems to be a way to limit the full disclaimer on short posts, especially Twitter, but it also occurs on Facebook, Instagram, and, occasionally, YouTube descriptions. 

I don't ALWAYS share my affiliate link, when I share products on social media, so I have tried to distinguish between the ones I may earn a commission on, and other posts and/or products by adding the hashtag. Whether it's a post I earn a commission on or not, I only share posts I am genuinely interested in. Usually, I try to keep my affiliate posts for things I've actually used and liked; however, that's not always the case. 

I would always appreciate purchases through one of my links. It doesn't cost anything extra for you, but every purchase provides a little supplemental income to save for a minivan and finish paying off Mario's student loans.

Each time you click an affiliate link, that click is good for 24 hours. If you would like to keep supporting us, we simply ask that you refer back to this or other #afflink posts to ensure the link is active each time you make a purchase.

Thanks for whatever support you're willing to provide for us. You can shop all of Amazon.com,  Amazon Prime Music,  Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Kindle Reader and  Audible,  and even Amazon Gift Cards and Amazon Trade-ins. I also just discovered that Amazon offers Amazon Cell Phones & Service Plans.


Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review, and all thoughs are my unbiased, honest opinion, but this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page

Personal Statement: This post contains affiliate links; however, I have received no compensation for my review. Everything here is my honest opinion of a product we purchased.

"Alexa" the Amazon Echo

Here's our "Alexa" unit as part of our Family

I wasn't going to share this, because I thought it was tacky, but of all the Amazon purchases we've made in the last year, I think the Amazon Echo, "Alexa" has been my favorite. When we purchased it, back in November or December (It was Mario's big Christmas present to himself) I thought it was a frivolous waste of money, and quite honestly, it was a frivolous purchase.

HOWEVER! It has made grocery shopping SO much easier. I am notorious for making a list (even whole menu plans) and leaving the list at home when shopping, and "Alexa" has made it so that I actually take the list with me, since it syncs to an app on my phone. I've tried other shopping apps--and even the Reminders app that comes standard on iOS devices--but for whatever reason, I don't input the item to the list right when I think of it. Because the Echo is voice activated, I simply say, "Alexa, add ______ to the shopping list," and she adds it right then and there. The app syncs nearly instantaneously, and wallah! Forgotten grocery items are nearly non-existent! Plus, since I know my grocery list is a lot more accurate, I'm confident that I've listed everything I actually need;  I am a lot less prone to impulse buys, which equates to $$$ that stays in our pockets. (I haven't done the math, but I would guess that the money saved from fewer impulse buys either completely or nearly paid for the Echo.)

The other big feature of "Alexa" that I use, is the voice activated bluetooth speaker. She (yes, we have personified the Echo in our home) is linked to Amazon Prime Music (here's a 30-day Free Trial,) which has a lot of free music for Amazon Prime members. (Did you know that students get 6mo Prime Student free with a .edu email account, and then half off on Amazon Prime after that? Check out Prime Student) Mario started saving a lot of his favorite music on when we were first married, plus all the free music already in the cloud, there's very little that's not available through "Alexa." I never really had music going until after we purchased "Alexa," but now I can say, "Alexa, play 'Eye of the Tiger'" anytime Big Sister asks.

There are lots of other skills and features (here's the Alexa Skills Guide) that Mario uses (especially the ability to add events to his Google Calendar,) but other than the shopping list and music, the only other skills I regularly use are the voice activated timer and weather, and occasionally I'll use the 7 Minute workout skill. For a little while, we had the Amazon Shop feature enabled, so we could just have "Alexa, order _____ from Amazon," but after Big Sister almost ordered a second Echo unit, we disabled that feature.

Overall, I would recommend the Amazon Echo to anyone who likes voice activated devices or who are a bit scatterbrained, like me. It is a little expensive, so I can't wholeheartedly say "Everyone needs one!" It's definitely a want, but now that we have it, it would be hard to go back as it really has made grocery shopping much more effective. So, if you like to listen to music regularly (or you would like to more easily) and/or you would like a little help with remembering your shopping list, then I think the Echo is definitely something that would benefit you.



Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review, and all thoughts are my unbiased, honest opinion, but this post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission on purchases. For more information, see my Disclosures page

Personal Statement: This post contains affiliate links; however, I have received no compensation for my review. Everything here is my honest opinion of a product we purchased.