Random Tid Bits

1. I asked Travis to put our work lunches in our cars last night because it was cold enough to be a refrigerator. I went out to start my car, and the key was just left in the door. Any random stranger could have easily stollen my 14+ Honda Civic. That would have made me sad! 




I'm kind of wondering why he had the key like that anyhow. It works as a remote.


2. I got a Jury Summons, for the first time. They sent me a return envelope, but there's nothing to return. It has a website to go online to fill out some info, but no paperwork to put in the envelope. What a waist of money and paper! Unless I'm missing something. Ekkk! Have you been on a Jury before?


3. Not a great picture, but still funny! Isaak thought if he put his shirt like (the image below) he looked like a true Egyptian.
   
   
   
   
   
4. Isaak had his first wire poke out of his braces. Just his luck - not - the Orthodontist Doctor is out of town. He has to go in on Friday to get the wire removed, so it doesn't drive him nuts all weekend. Then go back in on Monday to get the wire put back on.
   
   
5. Mica had a few girls over, for their Science Olympiad project. Last week one of them forgot. I was so happy she gave us an, I Sorry Card. All is forgiven. It was funny listening to them work. They were so giggly. Isaak kept saying how annoying they were. LOL!

4WD Climber #diy #car

I like sets where kids, tweens and teens put everything together themselves! 

Recently Isaak got a 4WD Climber by Mefashion. 

Delima: 

I love to hang on to kits like this for Christmas, Birthdays and Easter. I don't like to give the boys toys all year round. Then they expect it. Of course he had to put it together for the review.

Postitive:

Isaak needs to work on his skills of putting kits together. Summer break is a great time to do that.

Ages:

It's for ages 6 and up. I think a 6 year old could play with it, but I don't think anyone under the age of 10 could put it together. Isaak's 12, and he needed help a lot. I do think Mica would have been able to build this easier. Mica's more like Travis - a take it apart, and put it together person. Isaak's more like me - a creative builder, but not good with step-by-step instructions.

Pieces:

This is what it looked like once all the pieces were out of the box. A few additional tools were needed, but they were standard. He also needed a battery.

Instructions:

They did have instructions in the box. Many were unclear, some Travis was like, "What do they mean?" I think the instructions could have been a lot better. Someone from China tried to translate them to English. It just didn't work out, where they are understandable.

Put it Together:

Isaak had to have help off and on. If the instructions were better, maybe he would have had an easier time.

Left Overs:

They didn't have a lot of left over trash.

End Result:

I have to admit when I get something like this to review I'm nervous it's not going to work. Then what? It worked! Yay! Isaak wishes it was faster. He thought he could put it on high gear, but there isn't anything like that. It runs as it's supposed to.

Cost:

You can get it on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QF2JLFK for $18.99. The same brand has an orange model marked from $28 down to $9.99, but it's not on Prime like the one I reviewed. There's a $5.99 shipping cost added to the orange model. I do feel a little jipped when I see that companies mark down the price a lot for consumers, when I spent some of my own money to buy it for reviewing. 

Do you like do it yourself kits?

Disclaimer: I got this product at a discounted price to help with this review. All words in the review are written by me. They are my opinions.

Guess What's as Old as My Son Mica? #sp

Our blue Honda Civic.

I got this Civic when Mica was just 2 days old. I remember holding him in the car dealership. Little man had a high pitch squeaky cry. 

The car I had before this one was a green Subaru Impreza. It was a two door vehicle, which made it hard to get a carseat in and out of. 

The Civic is almost 14 years old. It looks good from a distance. In certain spots it's starting to rust. I have 1 tire that won't hold air, so it seems. The car has been in a few minor accidents. I have two doors that won't lock with the power locks, and two doors that do not have the power windows that will go up and down. 

True story, I so wish not everything wasn't power operated these days. I'd much rather roll my window up and down. The windows broke right after the warranty was expired. 

I'm ready for it to retire, but I know we won't get a lot for it. 

What's one to do?

Part of me wants to get rid of it, another part of me wants to drive it until it's on its last limb so to speak. Mica's almost 14, so possibly he can learn to drive on my little blue car. 

I just learned about Junk Car Masters. They buy junk cars for instant cash. They'll even tow it away for you. You just put your zip code | make | model | year, and then milage, and then they ask you questions about your car to access how much they'd give you for it. Check it out for yourself: https://junkcarmasters.com/.

If you knew your kid was going to start learning to drive soon, and you needed a new car would you A) Just splurge and get a new car. B) Get another newer, used car. or C) Just keep driving the car until something happens where it's too expensive to fix. ??????? 

Disclaimer: I got a small compensation from Junk Car Masters to help with this post. All opinions are my own. 

Random Tid Bits

1. My car is in the shop from the crash that happened. Thank goodness it wasn't too bad. It was around $1,500 to fix it. They are paying for it. *I know I already posted a photo on my dented panel, but if I didn't post this, this post would be pictureless, and I can't have that. 





2. One thing I'm not good with is numbers. The insurance lady said, "Take it in on the 19th.", which is a Monday. Fast forward to the rental car place that said, "Do you need it on Monday?" I said, "Yes." Then I took it in this past Monday, instead of the next Monday. I felt like I did something wrong, but couldn't figure out what it was. I called to, "Touch base" with her, and confirmed I had in fact messed up. OMG this caused some major self beating, and confusion. Then Travis and I that hardly argue, argued about what to do with the rental car. I thought we should return it after the 3 days, and he said we should keep it. This was all discussed in the evening when the insurance lady wasn't available to talk to. The rental car was returned, and after talking to her we get it back. 


3. Isaak's teacher got in a wreck too. Only it was a much more serious wreck. Her poor car is totaled. Her back hurts! It must have been pretty bad because she's missed class a lot. Isaak said she was crying, and has had to go to the nurse to have her put stuff on her back. :( When I hear about her accident I feel bad for complaining about mine. It's nothing in comparison. 


4. I forgot to wear my glasses on Monday. I went home, and Travis asked why I look so bitchy. That must have been the look he said I had a lot before getting my glasses. The squinty bitch face. Ha!


5. Apparently I have, teacher tone when I talk too. Travis says I get, "A teacher tone" when I talk to the boys at times. I needed Mica to do something, so I walked into his room to ask him to pour water for dinner. He said, "Ok." I waited, and waited...No Mica! Finally I yelled, "Mica! If you don't want me to have teacher tone, or to nag like you men say women do; come to me when I call you!" Oh he heard me that second time.

Tips: Getting the Perfect Car #CarsCom #ad

This is a Sponsored Post.

We thought we'd be getting a new car when we had hail damage in the summer. Travis had to do a lot of calling back and forth to insurance and fix-it shop. We thought the Civic would for sure be totaled because of its age. It turned out that they did end up fixing both of our vehicles. 

I'm happy that there are sites out there like http://cars.com. They are super helpful in all things car related:

• Cars for Sale
• Sell Your Car
• Service and Repair
• Research

Buying cars can be super intimidating. They are just so expensive. Sites like cars.com, make us happy and less stressed.

What do you look for in a car?

For us it's always been something reliable. We've gotten a few Subaru's and a few Honda's. I just don't want the car to fall apart on us. Honda's and Subaru's are pretty reliable, and good on gas.

For our next car I want to go with something less expensive. It will more than likely be the car that Mica learns how to drive on. What we've looked for in the past may not be what we look for in the future.

The key thing is to do your research! Utilize companies like cars.com to help in the process of finding a car that fits your family. They give straight forward answers to questions you may have.

Get more than one opinion. Going to different dealerships, and working with different dealers will help you you get different perspectives that you need.

Try and have fun when getting a new car. Like I said above it can be stressful. Just relax, and enjoy some rides before making a purchase.

For a Great Article on How to Clean and Detail Your Car Interior, check out this article. I have the most trouble keeping my trunk clear from stuff. Does your car need to be cleaned right now? 

Scrape-A-Round The World's Best Ice Scraper Review

Do you have any Christmas presents left to get? I have an idea for adults. In cold places like where I live (Nebraska) a good ice scraper is hard to come by.

Why not get something that someone can use for Christmas? It's the ideal gift!

I'm happy I get to review 3 of the World's Best Ice Scraper!

I really like the blue and red one best because they have the ice scraper part on the back. Here a good ice scraper is needed!

The green one is just for snow pretty much. If you take off the end it doubles as a funnel. My husband could have so used this! He just got back from Arizona to see his parents. He rented a car to go down there. Apparently they didn't fill it with coolant. He needed a funnel so bad. He ended up cutting his water bottle up with his pocket knife to use as a funnel. If he had a Scrape-A-Round he could have used it!

Colors:

• Red
• Blue 
• Black
• Green 
• Yellow (I don't see this color on their site right now, but the clearly have sold this color in the past. Just look at the picture below).

They have multipacks too! The 3 pack is $18, and the Family and Friends pack of 6 is $30. It's well worth getting the pack of 6 to share. 

We Got a Major Ice Storm!
  
I had my first chance to use this on Friday. I literally rained ice. My works parking lot, and car were covered! I had not had a chance to play with the Scrape-A-Round just yet. When I went to use it I was annoyed. I was moving it in circles, and it wasn't doing a thing. It was cold, dark, and I was in a hurry to pick the kids up. I didn't try using the prong side that the red and blue Scrape-A-Rounds have.

The next day there was snow on top of ice. I got the Scrape-A-Round to work better. I discovered the prongs on the red and green ones that break up the ice. I was no master at it. I still kept trying to just rotate it in circles with limited success. 

Later on when it was dark again I realized that I was using it wrong. Instead of just moving it in a circular motion I could angle it a bit to scrape better. Once the ice was broken up more I could start moving it in circles. It worked great! Of course it was dark, so I couldn't get a great video and pictures. It way out beats a typical plastic scraper at the store! I will still use the brush for powdery snow. I do like my metal scraper for ice, but will use the Scrape-A-Round as well. It covers a way bigger surface, and you can't jab your fingers.

Now of course there's no snow or ice to scrape to show you how Scrape-A-Round works. That's the hardest thing about reviewing something that's weather related. Daylight is limited this time of year as well. I will explain how it works in the video. Please don't judge my dirty car. Like I said we just got done with a ice/snow storm. It's covered in street salt and specks of dirt.

This scrapes windows frost and ice free in half the time! Makes the perfect gift for the Holidays! scrapearound.com

My readers get to save! 

Get FREE Shipping at scrapearound.com 
Use code: LU8FBEZREU2 at checkout. http://usfamilyguide.com/coupons.php?bid=13171&dealid=3099


Disclaimer: I got 3 Scrape-A-Rounds Windshield Ice & Snow Scrapers to Review. I wrote this post, and was not influenced at all with an opinion. I only review things that I find interesting, or that would benefit my readers.

Random Tid Bits

1. Even as my kids age they still crack me up. Mica thought it was great to go down the escalator like this:




There were people behind him laughing. I had to hurry up and take the photo before he got off. The kids certainly get their goofiness from me, and I got it from my Dad.


2. You may have remembered me bitching complaining frustrated with all my boy's skin issues over time. It seems like I call their doctor for skin issues more than anything else. It's usually unrelated things too. Anyhow Mica got a toenail infection at camp in July. I was told by doctors that there is nothing out there to treat toenail infections for kids. I was told by others that it would take over 3 years to get rid of it; if it would go away.
   
   I tried Henna (in India they use that to treat infections as well as an art on the skin). It turned his toe brown.
   
   He soaked his foot in yellow mouthwash (used to be used as a sterilizer in the hospital), and non distilled apple cider vinegar. A 50/50 mix. He did this for 20 minutes a day.
   
   He applied a mix of coconut oil, tea tree oil, lavender, and lemongrass oil once a day.
   
   He applied Vics Vapor Rub once a day.
   
   I had to try and get him to keep his shoes and socks off when he was at home as much as possible. I did miss my errand boy. He used to fetch things for me, and take trash out. I'm happy to note that his toenail is growing in normal! I'm keeping up with the treatment until it's all grown out. We had a little debate about that. Travis and Mica felt we could stop treatment. I felt we should continue until his toenail is all back to normal, since fungus toenails can spread. I let the doctor make the call on that. He agreed with me. He even said what I was saying, "What does it hurt?" It's just time really.


3. Lately I've been taking photos that don't really fit into 1 single post. Here's a photo of it raining. I love to capture it slamming against my windshield. Of course I was at a stop light. I would never text, take photos, or be on my phone while I'm driving.





4. The boys liked getting in this Telsa ModelS75D when we were shopping in the Plaza in Kansas City, MO. I have to admit the color is sweet! There was a white model that had side doors that flew open like the Delorean in The Back to the Future. I wonder how that would work in a garage? 





5. Last, but not least this shadow looks like Batman. I see it every time I walk around the building at work.

What's random in your life?

Random Tid Bits

1. Our car was in the shop getting an oil change. I wrote on the drop off form to check the breaks. There was a squeak whenever I stopped. They checked them, and it needed back breaks because they were paper thin. Travis gave the ok | thumbs up for them to put on new back breaks. Travis is a pretty serious guy. If he ever jokes around it's because I came into his life. Ha! I know how to mess with him. I paid for the car. He came home with our other vehicle.
   
   I said to Travis, "I can't believe you'd pay that kind of money at that shop!" *Really it wasn't all that much. He said defensively, "But we needed new breaks. They were paper thin." I said, "That's what they said. Did you think to check them out at another shop?" He said, "Alissa they weren't that much." I said, "Got ya!" I got him for sure. Yes I'm a punk like that.


2. We went to see my parents during Mother's Day. Mica said, "Grandma you look really pretty in that color!" It sounded like a compliment.
   
   He then said, "When you die we should put that color of dress on you. Then we should find an amethyst necklace to put on you."
   
   Instead of me closing the conversation I said, "Mica she doesn't like to wear dresses. She can't wear her special shoes with a dress." - She had Polio.
   
   My Mom said, "They don't bury people with shoes on."
   
   I asked, "Well...how will you walk through the pearly gate then? I guess you won't be doing that."
   
   We were all laughing. 


3. We have an ant problem. I've been trying to keep the counter clean. It's just hard working full-time, and always making our own food. I've been wiping it down with vinegar, which ants are supposed to hate vinegar. Then I put Boric Acid with syrup around on bottle lids. What do you do for pesky ants?


4. Isaak said, "Mom when I grow up I want to be a movie maker, a movie actor, and a hair stylist. I also want to have a family. How will I ever have time for all that?" I responded to, "Welcome to my world son." What did you want to be when you grew up?


5. I was at Michaels with Isaak. They had all these classic books right by their cash register. I said, "Isaak why don't we get these to celebrate your class birthday." He picked out 12 Secret Garden books, and 11 Tom Sawyer | Huckleberry Finn books for his class. 

Source

New +LIFEGUARD Car Charger 2.1A Review

We lost our cell phone charger for our car. We were wanting 2 anyhow (1 for each vehicle). 

With Travis' newish job the workers communicate through texting. I would die at his job. I just don't text. He needs a cell phone that's charged at all times. I do like to have my cell phone charged to. 

When I got the new +LIFEGUARD Car Charger 2.1A to review I knew my husband would be stoked. It's really something he both needed and wanted.

 
I think for each of our birthdays this year we're getting new phones. I may become SMART and get a Smart Phone. Then I can get an Instagram account and dive into apps that people keep blogging about. :)

I like that this Car Charger can charge 2 devices at once. IQ Technology allows you to charge:

• iPhone
• iPad
• Samsung
• HTC
• MP3 Players
• Digital Cameras 
• Other Cell phones
• Tablets 
• USB devices with high speed using the +IQ USB jack

Design: 

The +LIFEGUARD 2.1A Car Charger has an amazing design and color.

It comes in silver and black. I like both colors. I chose black.

Powerful and Fast: 

This dual USB Car Charger can quick charge your device when you most need it. My husband was surprised by +LIFEGUARD 2.1A Car Charger - how fast it really did charge.

Lifetime Warranty: 

The +LIFEGUARD 2.1A Car Charger has a LIFETIME warranty and it carries the trustworthy +LIFEGUARD brand. You can count on the +LIFEGUARD customer service crew anytime and anywhere. We'll use ours anytime, but if you don't think you'd use it think again. It's perfect for road trips. It seems like when we travel our cell phones would just run low with battery because we were always roaming here and there. 

I may go back and get another one for our other vehicle. They are only $16.00, and on sale for $10.97.

 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

Wiper Blade Installation Video Review + Giveaway

Confession: 

We've never put on our own windshield wipers before. There's a place in town that puts them on for us.

I got wipers to review from EZwipers.com and they are super easy to order and install!  

You just go to EZwipers.com, write in your car make and model, and they take care of the work of figuring out what wipers you need for you.

Ordering from EZwipers.com lets busy people skip the step of heading to the big box store or auto parts store and using one of those awkward electronic catalogs, or waiting in line for help from an employee.   

How to Install EZwipers:

As you can see it only took a matter of minutes to install new wind shield wipers. I got a chance to use them, and they worked like a charm.
 
I love that I didn't have to think about what number on the packaging to buy. EZwipers did the work for me. 
 
The blades were paper on one side, and encased in plastic on the other. The paper side was easy to peel up to remove the blades.

We most certainly needed new wind shield wipers!

EZwipers.com offer windshield wiper blades online for cars and trucks. The fastest way to order the right wiper.
Super easy ordering process, we connect with you the right wiper in seconds. EZwipers.com carries wiper blades major brands like Anco and RainX wipers. Unlike many wiper companies they have a vast selection of rear wiper blades! EZwipers.com carries Winter Wipers too! 
 
They have free shipping and returns in the US.
 
Win it!

I got Anco Series 31 Wipers for Review, and that's what one of my reviews will win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.