Monday, June 29, 2015

Accomplishing my Goals with the Tools 4 Wisdom Planner

So, I took an unplanned hiatus for a week or so...it seems like my to-do list just gets longer and longer and one of those many things was checking out the Tools 4 Wisdom Planner.  Once I had the time to sit down and really look at this planner I realized this is totally what I need in my life right now!

I’ve used planners for the past few years, it’s the only way I can keep track of my ever growing to-do list and important dates; but I’m not sure I’ve ever had a planner like this.  While this planner is still great for keeping track of every day to-do items and important dates, it is so much more than that.
             
Let’s start with my initial impressions from when I received the planner. The weight of the planner really surprised me. It’s not “Omigod this thing is so heavy how do you expect me to carry it around” heavy, but it definitely more impressive in weight than the planner it is replacing.  The cover is an interesting abstract design, but if that’s not your thing I believe they have 3 or 4 different designs to choose from.
                
As soon as you open the cover you’ll realize that the focus of this planner is to help you plan, set, and achieve your goals. The first section of the binder is designed to help you figure out your areas of focus for your goals, as well as how to achieve those goals.  There are plenty of pages so you can adjust your goals as needed throughout the year.  I personally have never used a planner in this capacity before so I’m kind of excited to see how this can help me achieve my goals!
              
 Each Month has its own tab and the tab starts with your monthly goals and how you plan to achieve them.  The rest of the month consists of each day with a line from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. for scheduling out your day.  You can also list out your priorities and idea’s by day/week. There is also a monthly priorities master list.

There is a tab for notes and ideas which is nice as I often jot down notes in my planner’s but then have to flip back through to find where I put those notes!  You’ll also receive a coupon code for free access to over 77 printables from Tools4Wisdom. I downloaded them and there are some great extra tools to help you focus on your goals.

 My description really doesn’t do this planner justice as it’s a really in depth planner.  Check out my short video so you can see everything this planner has to offer:

Overall, I think this is a great tool to really help you make short term and long term goals and to really help you track those goals.  It’s also a great appointment book.  The only thing I wasn’t a huge fan of is the lack of space to keep track of my daily to-do items.  I think I would use this in addition to the planner I currently have, but focus this more towards setting those long term goals and tracking them with the planner.  It would be awesome to see a future planner have a section for each day to list to-do items, as then this would literally be the perfect planner to meet all of my needs.

If you are a goal oriented person this is definitely the planner for you.  This planner is currently $29.95 on Amazon, which can be bought here:  It does come in 4 different styles so there’ something for everyone! The planner can be purchased here: Tools 4 Wisdom Planner
                
Do you currently use a planner to keep your life organized? What do you think of this “goal oriented” planner? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the Tools 4 Wisdom Planner!

                

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

I hate cleaning the microwave or why Greenwald's is the best cleaning brand out there!

          If you saw my post about Greenwald's carpet cleaner then you know how impressed I was with their product and it should come as no surprise that when I was given the opportunity to test out their glass cleaner and all purpose cleaner I absolutely jumped at the chance!

     
    Both products come concentrated in little packets.  Literally all you do is fill a water bottle with a quart of water, drop in the packet, shake it up and bam! you're ready to clean.  You get six packets for $16.95 (all purpose) or $17.95 (glass cleaner.)  That works out to $2.99 a bottle or less.  You are easily going to pay that much for any name brand cleaner in the store.

          Let's talk glass cleaner first.  One would think that all glass cleaner is pretty much created equal, but they totally aren't.  At my work we have to keep the porthole windows super clean and streak free so it doesn't interfere with movie presentation.  We have tried pretty much every commercial grade and otherwise glass cleaner out there, with little to no success. Sometimes we have to clean the window 2 or 3 times to get it up to par.  Well, I used the Greenwald's glass cleaner at home one time, and immediately brought the refills to work to use there.  This stuff is great, and I'm not going to say it's perfect and always streak free, but it is miles ahead of the competition!
Don't judge me!!!

          Onto the all purpose cleaner. I'd like to think I keep a pretty clean house.  It's not always perfect, but it's definitely not dirty.  Unless you look in the microwave. Ugh, I hate cleaning the microwave. Does anyone really enjoy cleaning the microwave??  It collects so much grease and grime and unless you remember to wipe it out every single time, which let me tell you a 9 year old is never going to remember that, it gets microwaved on there and it's just a big time consuming mess.  I decided to test the all-purpose cleaner out on the microwave.  I definitely feel like I was able to get the job done quicker with this cleaner. The cleaner also has a nice citrus smell too it, but it's not that really overwhelming fake citrus scent.  

         Seriously, if you haven't tried Greenwald's yet, go now! You can purchase the all purpose cleaner here: Greenwald's All Purpose, the glass cleaner here: Greenwald's Glass Cleaner, and just in case you missed it, the carpet cleaner here: Greenwald's Carpet Cleaner.

        Oh, and the best part?  They have a money back guarantee, so if you don't totally love the product like I do, you aren't out any money. Do you have a cleaning product that you absolutely love so much you want to tell everyone??  Tell me about it in the comments!


Sunday, June 14, 2015

I love Titan Elite Quarter High Basketball Socks and I don't even play basketball!

     Occasionally I'm given the opportunity to review a product that is a little out there for me....like basketball socks. I'm not even sure when the last time I touched a basketball is, much less actually played the sport.

   
 But I have a small obsession with socks. More specifically white socks.  I probably buy new white
socks at least once a month (sshhh....don't tell my husband) because I love new socks.  But I have a small secret too; my feet sweat A LOT and I hate it.  This is part of why I constantly buy new socks.  It seems like the older socks get, the less absorbent they are and I absolutely hate the feeling of wet, sweaty socks.

     I was really intrigued when I went to the Amazon product page for the Titan Elite Socks and they said "no more sweaty socks!" I generally work 10 hours shifts and a lot of that is me walking and being on my feet, so I figured I would wear these to work and see if they really stood up to the no sweat feet claim.  Yes, yes they do!  I actually ended up working an 11 hour shift and this was the FIRST time ever that I didn't change my socks as soon as I got home, because my feet were still dry!!

     Not only that, my feet weren't aching and tired like they normally are, because these socks really do provide excellent support. They fit really "tight" so I was a little worried they would bug me, but they absolutely didn't,but they definitely stayed put.  I think the only thing I hate more than sweat socks, is socks that fall down.

      I got these socks in a medium, I would definitely recommend a larger or x-large if you're purchasing these for a guy!  Oh, here's another neat fact, the socks are actually labeled left and right as the supports are made specifically for each foot!

      You can purchase the Titan Elite Socks here: Titan Elite Socks.  Their prices are definitely comparable to other brands and they also offer a money back guarantee!

      I received this product in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

 

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Get a little flavor in your water, without artificial sweeteners!


We all know how important it is to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but how many of us can say we actually do that??  I go through stages, but to be honest water is boring. Yea, yea, I know all about how it’s good for you and your body needs it, but water is just boring. There’s no flavor, there’s no pizzaz!  

      So Live Infinitely has come up with an amazing idea to add that “pizzaz” that water so desperately needs that doesn’t include a bunch of artificial sweeteners. Because the only thing I dislike more than just plain water, is little packets of artificial sweeteners that swear it’s going to make my water taste amazing!  Uh no. I put enough artificial crap in my body; I don’t need to add it to my water too.

Monday, June 8, 2015

Adovia Dead Sea Salt Scrub Review


I’m always down for trying new beauty products, so I jumped at the chance to try Adovia’s Dead Sea Salt Scrub.  Up until very recently my idea of skin care was washing my makeup off the next morning and occasionally applying lotion after my shower, so as you can see I wasn’t big on skin care. But I’ve just recently decided now is as good a time as ever to actually take care of skin….turns out I’m kinda stuck with it for the rest of my life!
I went and checked out some Amazon reviews while I was waiting to get this product, and while there was a ton of great feedback, there were a few things that concerned me.  The floral smell and oily texture both made me a little leary to try this, but I try to keep an open mind until I try a product for myself.
There were quite a few mentions about it splashing up when you opened it, so I exercised a little care when I opened it and I didn’t have any problems with that.  The sea salt scrubby stuff does seem to settle at the bottle, leaving a liquidy layer but a lot of products do that and I just mixed it up a little bit.

The floral scent was honestly not nearly as bad I was expecting.  I’m not in love with it, but if the product works well it wouldn’t be enough to deter me from using it.  I decided to give a try on my face as it’s supposed to be a great exfoliator and moisturizer and I need both of those for my face!  Ok, let me just say up front…it is really oily, like really really oily. If there was going to be one thing about this product that kept me from using it, it would be that.  But at the end of the day the important question is: How does it make my skin feel??? Fan-freaking-tastic!!!!  I’m not even kidding you, my face feels so soft I kind of wish you could reach through the screen and touch my face. A lot of face cleaners really dry out the sides of my nose; I’m not sure why but it’s just that one area, that cleaners seem to really dry out so that’s totally how I judge how I like a product.

So, the picture is awful, but I hope you can see right around my nose and it’s not red at all.  In fact, for a no makeup picture I don’t completely hate it. My skin looks healthy and great! So while there are definitely a few things about this product I don’t love, I love what it does for my skin so it definitely gets my seal of approval!


This is the second Adovia product that I have tried and loved, and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!  I love that they don’t test on animals and are 100% cruelty free.  I also like that this was started by a mom who was simply looking for better, more natural products for herself! Their products are really reasonably priced too.  You can check it out here: http://www.cleopatraschoice.com/adovia-salt-scrub-ocean.html or you can purchase through Amazon here: Adovia Dead Sea Salt Scrub


Do you have a must have facial product that does wonders for your skin??  Let me know in the comments below, I'd love to hear about more great products!

This post was sponsored by BrandBacker

Sunday, June 7, 2015

How to put a duvet cover on in 4 minutes and LOVO Kids Bedding set!

I want to tell you all about this super cute new bedding I got today!  I got the Animal Heights bedding set from LOVO KIDS on Amazon; it can be purchased here: LOVO Kids Animal Heights Bedding Set

This is a 3 piece set that comes with a flat sheet, a pillow case, and a duvet cover.  It’s super cute, there’s actually a measuring stick in the design so you can measure your kid on the duvet cover! I’ve never seen a bedding set like that before, I really liked the uniqueness of the design.


So I’ve never used a duvet cover before and I figured out real quick that there has to be a better way to do this, rather than struggling and trying to shove the blanket in the cover.  Google to the rescue!!! A quick google search resulted in the “burrito method”.  Basically you turn the duvet cover inside out and lay the blanket on top of it and roll it up like a burrito.  Rather than try to explain the next steps, I suggest you just watch the video:

    



    




   I was able to get the blanket in the duvet cover in 4 minutes, the very first time I tried it. I imagine I can cut down that time in the future but 4 minutes for a super cute duvet cover is well worth it to me!

            LOVO KIDS seriously has some amazingly cute bedding!  Look at how cute these bedding sets are!!!





            Duvet covers are definitely my new favorite bedding option I love that you can just pull the cover right off and wash it and put it back on. If you notice in the video the right side is a little “lumpy” that’s the comforter from being washed! I can’t stand washing comforters because the stuffing always seems to get all messed up during the process and this is a great solution for me!

            I received this product in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.  All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 

I'm a horrible decorator and a Giveaway!

I love love home décor…but I’m not very good at it. I have a ton of great ideas but they never quite work out the way I envision them. We recently got a new (to us) kitchen table that is just dying for a centerpiece, but I’ve been totally stuck on what to do for it. I want it to be cute, but not cluttered. I also want to incorporate red and teal as that’s my color scheme for my kitchen.

I recently got these super cute bright LED flameless candles that I thought would be perfect to incorporate with my kitchen table centerpiece. I love these little candles, they look so cute and I like the fact that they’re kid friendly and totally safe to use.





 So I came up with two different ideas. These are pretty basic and I’m not sure how to really expand on them.

 I like this idea but it definitely needs more and I’m a little stuck.


Of the two, this is my favorite one. I was thinking I could get 2 more vases, and do one with red beads and one with teal beads and mix up the ribbons.


 The flameless candles come in a box of 11, and you actually get pink and red flower petals with it. Whether I end up sticking with these centerpieces or going a different way, I love having these candles handy. We live in the Midwest and power outages are far more frequent than I like and these are great for summer power outages. We have candles, but when it’s already 90 degrees outside, the last thing you want to do is add more heat! If you’d like to get some of these candles for yourself they can be purchased here: 11 LED Flameless Candles


BUT….here’s the best part! You can enter to win a set below! So go win yourself a set of these flameless candles and I’d love to hear what you think of my centerpiece idea’s in the comments below. I’m totally open to advice and ideas too! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, June 5, 2015

IRULU 7 inch tablet....my favorite new toy!

I've been dying to get a tablet for ages so when I was given the opportunity to get a tablet from IRULU, of course I jumped on it!

I got the IRULU 7 inch Google Android Tablet and my favorite part is it's pink!  I also got a great pink case that has a built in keyboard, and a stand for it.  This tablet is really reasonably priced; it's currently $61.99 on Amazon and it's definitely a great deal at this price!
Isn't this just the most adorable tablet ever???


The tablet comes with a wall charger AND a usb charger, which is great for me because I can charge it in my car or use a portable charger if I'm on a trip or just out and about.  

This is how easy this tablet is to use....I opened it and within 2 minutes I had it hooked up to wifi and I was surfing the web! It comes with Google Play pre-loaded as well as the IRULU store and the IRULU game store.  

Some cool features that I really loved about this tablet are there's a front facing and a rear facing camera, it already has an app pre-loaded for video making, which is a huge plus for me because I love making video's!  In fact you can check out my video review here:


I'm a huge android fan, so I love the fact that this is an Android tablet. I know next to nothing about operating systems or anything like that, but I can tell you this little tablet moves fast! It loads faster than my laptop, and I have a relatively new laptop...it just loads that fast!

If you're in the market for a great tablet definitely check out IRULU on Amazon.  The tablet I purchased can be found here: IRULU Pink Tablet but if you aren't a fan of pink they have a ton of great color choice, including your basic black!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

I tried a slimming belt....and I liked it!

I’ve never used a slimming belt before; to be totally honest until recently I wasn’t very familiar with these products at all. Recently I was given the opportunity to try one from IEasySexy, so I figured why not?

Side view!

 When I first opened the box, I was like oh boy what did I get myself into? Am I going to even be able to figure out how to use this thing?? I took a few minutes to look it over, and once I actually looked at it I realized it’s actually pretty simple to use. The Velcro part is the front and you just put it around your waist and Velcro it together. Once you have it together there are two black pieces that you can adjust to the tightness that you want. The big Velcro can be adjusted as well; I assume the tighter you have it the better it’s going to work.

I think I have it on a little high in this picture

The most important part of this for me was, can you tell I have it on?? I’m sure if you were wearing a super tight thank top, then yes you are going to be able to tell, but my husband was unable to tell I had it on in the shirt I’m wearing in the picture, or in a t-shirt. Another thing I noticed that really affected my opinion of this product is while I had it on I think I had the best posture I’ve had in years. I have major issues with slouching and wearing this makes you stand up tall.





The pieces I'm holding are the
 velcro pieces you can adjust
once it is on
 These definitely run a little small as they are Asian sizes. I would have generally ordered an XL, but went with an XXL to be on the safe side and I’m glad I did. Overall, I’m really glad I gave this product a chance. My husband could notice a difference in my waist line with the product on, so this will be great for those “feeling a little chubby” days when your clothes are fitting just a little tighter than you like. I will definitely be using this and will try and update with any long term results!  If you would like to purchase this or want to know more details, check it out here:  ieasysexyslimmingbelt.  They have a ton of different styles depending on what you are looking for!
Have you ever tried a product like this? What were your thoughts on it? Did you notice any long term results?

This post was sponsored by ieasysexy.  I received this product for free in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.