Carol Shwanda » PRODUCT REVIEWS

DID THE HELICOPTER LAND IN THE CHANDELIER AGAIN?

Carol — Thu, 26 May 2011 15:41:39 +0000

This past week I got a request from the Xenon Project to review their RC helicopter and I cannot tell you how much fun my family has had with this remote controlled helicopter. Paul especially. I just love watching him be a kid again. The helicopter is small, about 6 inches long, and safe to fly in the house, which we did all weekend. (The cats were very amused.)

Our great room has high ceilings, about 12 feet, ideal for giving our helicopter ample room to fly around. (It landed in the chandelier a few times requiring Paul to get out the ladder.) We all took turns. It takes a certain amount of fine motor skills to navigate, which we all mastered in a matter of minutes. This is a very sturdy toy, capable of withstanding several crash landings.

On Sunday night, Paul and I stopped over to visit Pop Pop, who will be 91 this Saturday, and we played a fun prank on him. Paul set up the toy in front of his door and had it airborne when we knocked. When he opened the door he got a big kick out of watching it whirr around in front of him. I think we will be getting him one for his birthday.

Remote controlled toys are something all kids love and my husband and his father are no exception. You may buy this toy for your children, but I have to say in our family it is the adults who get the most fun and enjoyment from it.

There is no assembly required. You just need 6 AA batteries. The helicopter can be charged from any USB port or from the controller itself.

DESIGNER EYEWEAR FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Carol — Wed, 11 May 2011 21:31:17 +0000

I got my first pair of eyeglasses when I was 9. I remember going to school and being amazed that I could actually see the blackboard. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop me from daydreaming as I gazed out the window in wonder at the beauty of the leaves on the trees. My new found fascination with sight quickly diminished when I realized that my coke bottle glasses weren’t exactly a fashion statement.

Later I graduated to contact lenses and eventually underwent lasik surgery to correct my near-sightedness forever. As I relished the freedom from eye wear contraptions, I came to realize that I actually missed the ole’ horned rims after all. They made me look studious, sophisticated (in a middle-aged sort of way) and my husband has admitted that he finds me sexy when I wear my reading glasses. Recently I was hunting on-line for designer eyewear and found this really cool website that sells designer frames that you can actually virtually try on. Seriously, you can upload a photo or take a web-cam picture of yourself and choose any style to see how they will look on you. This is a new form of eyeglasses technology because let’s face it, would you really expect people to buy eyeglasses online? I think so. The prices are reasonable, (all for $95) lots of styles to choose from, virtual and home try-ons, and free shipping. Can’t beat that.

Here’s the best part, for every pair of glasses you buy, they provide one for someone in need.

BUY RECYCLED INK CARTRIDGES

Carol — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:05:22 +0000

Tired of spending way too much on Dell printer ink? There is a great online source to purchase Dell ink cartridges. Purchasing Dell ink this way is not just good for the pocketbook, it’s good for the environment because they offer remanufactured ink cartridges. I, for one, am tired of paying high prices and I usually take my old ink cartridges to Office Max and recycle them and I’ve always wondered what they do with them. I checked out the cost for my HP Office Jet printer at Inkgrabber.com and found that I could be saving close to $20 a cartridge! With a 90 day money back satisfaction guarantee, I couldn’t be happier. They have special deals like 10% off orders over $55 and you can follow them on Facebook to learn more savings.

MESSY FIREPLACES A THING OF THE PAST

Carol — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:02:38 +0000

Paul and I have an gas fireplace in our outdoor kitchen, which we love to enjoy, but it has become a bit messy. Ashes blow everywhere, which can be a real concern, especially on windy days, but I think I have found a solution to my problem. Gas logs. I had no idea there was such a thing. I found them at R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs They have outdoor gas logs, which is exactly what we need. Petersen Gas Logs sells vented gas logs and ventless gas logs. To leann the difference, I went to their Gas Log FAQ’s and I learned ventless can be used with the damper closed, burn clean and product almost no exhaust. Perfect. In addition they sell fireplace accessories and even ceiling fans. I love shopping on the Internet.

LET YOUR KEYBOARD DO YOUR SHOPPING

Carol — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 19:48:27 +0000

When I first moved to Santa Cruz, a sleepy little California beach town from NYC, after having worked on Fashion Avenue, I was in a state of fashion culture shock. Uggs? Ugh! There was no such thing as the Internet and no place to buy designer clothing for miles. And there still isn’t.

But thanks to cyberspace, I can let my keyboard do the shopping. And I am so happy. Today I discovered Bluefly.com and I am in Surf City Heaven. They carry all the latest designers like Michael Kors, Cole Haan shoes, handbags and accessories and Stuart Weitzman shoes that Carrie Bradshaw would salivate over. And not everything is super expensive either. They have amazing sales too. Like a Marc New York wrap dress on sale for $85. Or Jeffrey Campbell black leather pumps for $59. Amazing! So if you are like me and you want a change of pace from your soccer-mom-car-pool-sweats, check this out.

That’s the beauty and convenience of shopping on the Internet. Now women like me who are bored with board shorts can get a taste of urban fashion at the touch of their fingertips.

RECIPE CONTEST

Carol — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:55:51 +0000

Calling all Foodies. I am working as a marketing consultant for my friend Les Cooper who owns Coeur d’Olives, purveyors of fine foods specializing in premium extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars with unique flavors like black cherry, pomegranate, tangerine, fig and red apple. The oils are to die for too. I recently made a Southwest style crab cake with chipotle mayonnaise using the chipotle infused oil. If you would like the recipe, sign up for Les’ email list on his Facebook page and we’ll send you our newsletters. My first official promotion is to hold a recipe contest. If you come up with a recipe or serving suggestion using one of Coeur d’Olives products, and we use it in our newsletter and post it on the Coeur d’Olives website, we will send you a free product of your choice. And my fellow bloggers out there, if you announce this campaign on your site we will send you a free product just for giving us your pitch.

FUN FOOD

Carol — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:26:21 +0000

I don’t usually describe food as fun, but recently I tried Bear Naked granola and I loved it. ( I would just like to interject here that I am not a paid endorser of the product, and I didn’t get freebies to try it either. I just liked it and want to share it with you.) My kids were asking me to make them yogurt, fruit and granola parfaits so I picked up some Bear Naked granola and some Stonyfield yogurt and on the inside lid of the yogurt I found this recipe for granola cupcakes. I have made them twice. The first time with The Heavenly Chocolate granola and the second time with The Vanilla Almond Crunch granola. The added granola makes for a very interesting and fun texture. My family loved them. For the recipe visit my kids’s craft blog: Just Imaginate.

EVERYONE LOVES A MARYLAND CRAB CAKE

Carol — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:19:04 +0000

A reader named Shelly recently commented on my blog post Ocean Ditty New Dirty about how much she loves crab cakes. She is from Maryland, of course. Whenever readers comment on my blog and they have a blog too, I always check it out. Shelley’s is one you should read too. It is called, I’m Still Standing. She writes about her special needs child to offer insight into what her life is like. She also loves crab cakes and has a great recipe for them. Click here to read all about her.

YO BABY

Carol — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:43:07 +0000

I have been asked by Stoneyfield to review their Yobaby yogurt. Up until now, every product or Foodie review I have done has been on products of people that I know or have a personal connection to. And I only review things that I like. Often times I am approached by marketers and PR people asking me to plug their line or service; like The American Dental Association who asked me to write about the importance of early dental hygiene. As much as this may be a gripping topic for you, it would bore me to tears. So I passed on that one.

When I got a pleasant email from Stonyfield’s marketing person and I remembered that my ex-husband’s ex-college roommate was their VP of Something, I figured I would give them a try since I have always enjoyed all of their other products. I bought a couple of six packs and tried them with the kids. We tasted the apple, blueberry, banana and peach. They were all delicious in a way a baby would love–very smooth and creamy and mild tasting without that tart, sour taste some yogurts have. Mark commented that he liked how there weren’t any chunks of fruit in it. If I had babies, I would definitely feed them Yobaby yogurt.

RHINO TOYS

Carol — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 06:22:59 +0000

One of my dear friends here in Santa Cruz, Suzanne Silverglate and her husband David Silverglate have a toy company called Rhino Toys. If you walk into any toy store anywhere, you will see their imaginative, creative, fun and very tactile toys. It is really cool having friends who make toys, especially going to their house and being a test subject for a new product. Their most popular toy and my personal fave is The Oball. It comes in an assortment of colors and sizes and is the ideal starter ball for a baby because they can grab the openings in the ball with their fingers. Suzanne tells me that the O-Ball has therapeutic purposes as well, and is often used by many physical therapists in their treatment with clients who have arthritis and have difficulting grasping objects with their hands.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to check out their complete line, I highly recommend that you do.