AstroAI Ice Scraper and Extendable #snow Brush

Like many places, Nebraska has been hit hard with snow. I guess we're making up for the lack of snow late fall, early winter. The ground needed it, for our upcoming growing season. 

I just hope that where I teach in Fremont, Nebraska it doesn't flood when it all melts.  They had problems a few years back with flooding. 

I happened to notice that Travis didn't have a good broom type scraper. He said he had one, but it broke. 

It was great to surprise Travis with the AstroAI Ice Scraper and Extendable Snow Brush Remover:

You can get it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N18NBCP?th=1. It came just in time, for 0 degree weather + another snow dump. Are you getting snow where you live? 

Cost:

I think for all it does, it's reasonable. It is $32.99.

Colors:

I picked orange, but it comes in teal blue as well. I wouldn't mind having both of them; one for each vehicle. 

Pieces and Parts:

It comes with a bag to store all the pieces in. I'm not sure we'll use the bag. It snows quite often in Nebraska. I'd rather have the scraper, and brush ready to go. 

You can see how long it extends in the next picture. It is 62.4", when the average snow scraper reaches 39.7 6". The length helps for tall vehicles like the Subaru Outback that we have. It breaks apart if you do want to store it. We plan on using the brush more because we have a metal scraper that works really well already. 

On Amazon it shows that the scraper can go on one end, and the brush on the other. I'm still trying to figure that out. It looks to me like the orange bottom is the end, and nothing snaps on there.

The brush has a swivel button. This works wonders if you are trying to reach a certain part on your car, or truck. The plain orange button rotates the brush's direction. 

The orange button with an arrow snaps the brush off, and allows you to put on the scrapper. The first time I hit this button it was super easy. The second time I hit the button, I couldn't get it to pop off. I imagine in the deep winter, when I'm freezing, I just won't want to mess with getting the brush off, and putting a scrapper on. The idea is great! This one device that does everything! Realistically I think we'll only use this for the brush. In Nebraska I've found that a metal scrapper has to be used for our harsh winters.  

Have you had to scrape your car, or truck a lot this winter? 

Disclaimer: I got this product for a discounted price in exchange for an honest review. 

WW: An Icicle and a Sombrero {Linky}

It happened to be hat day at school. Isaak always wants to wear this big sombrero that we have hanging in our Mexican themed kitchen. We found a gigantic icicle. I had to take a picture.

WW: Wintertime Blues {Linky}

I think about this totally at the wrong time - I need to bump up the Vitamin D! I've been feeling so blah!

The kids have had 5 snow days. I had to look up the number because I lost track!

The latest snow was the worst - 10" on top of snow that was already on the ground. I don't know about everyone else, but we're out of room to put it. Our driveway is in a hole with walls on each side.

Before the big snow...my husband's sculpture looked like this:

Right before it got dark! Everything was really quite!

Two days after the big snowfall, it took me 45 minutes to get home from work. It usually takes me 11 minutes. The streets were and are horrible. It's been a long time, since we've gotten that much snow. When the plows were out, it was in the thick of it. The wind was blowing everywhere. They have to try and clear the streets because some people like doctors, nurses, police officers, firefighters, and so on have to go to work. The snow just drifted everywhere. The temperature dropped, so no salt was working. Everything was turning to ice. Downtown has 1 lane roads; when they usually have 2. Cars were stuck here and there all over.

Watch your step, black ice!

I have never worn my rain boots more than I have this year. This kind of ice is fun to step on.

Ice is hanging from my front porch. When I drive I hear crackling and shattering noises. It's not glass! Ice is falling to the ground. I literally have carcicles.

Ice or claws?

Has it snowed where you live? I know we're not alone. My friends in Missouri have gotten it too!

Random Tid Bits

1. Yesterday I was distracted in the office because boss man and a building next door were have loud words exchanged. I was sneaky, and wanted to listen in on what was going on. I could hear loud voices, but everything was muffled because of walls and distance. When I went to move closer to hear, and pretend to look at books. Get this...his wife was doing the same thing. Ha! She wanted to know what was going on too. I went back to my office.
   
   This isn't the first time they've exchanged loud words. The fight is aways the same. They are arguing about the parking lot.
   
   Restore is a nonprofit that helps destroy things people don't want, and sells those things for cheap. The problem is, is that they drive their big ass trucks through our parking lot very fast. Our concrete surface has gotten destroyed on more than one occasion. It gets fixed, and gets destroyed again within a few weeks.
   
   Our school has fixed it, then they asked to share the price to fix it a 2nd time, then boss man blocked off the area to make them go the other way. Restore didn't like that! Boss man said he blocked it off to protect our students because they drive fast around the school. True, but it's not really the reason he blocked them off. Well after a few fights about it being blocked off, boss man I believe sent them the bill to fit the concrete. In boss man's defense we're not driving big trucks around the building EVER. Then Restore brought up that our students and staff park in their lot space. We're having them move.
   
   What's one to do in this type of situation? I hear about neighbors fighting over trees, or retaining walls. This is kind of a similar situation. Yes I could fight over trees and a retaining wall with a neighbor as well. We haven't, but we could.


2. We have a ton of junk food left over from New Years in the deep freezer. I said, "Pull out some pizza rolls. We can have them as a snack. Travis said, "Careful the pizza rolls are hot. They just came out of the oven." I said, "No worries." I grab one to eat it. He said, "You're going to burn yourself!" I said, "No you just need to learn to eat them right. You nibble the long edge off. Then you open it up like an old 80s money clip/holder, and blow on it before eating it all." It took him a minute to know what I was talking about. Hey I never burn myself with this method of eating a pizza roll.





3. We had a follow-up meeting with Mr. Principal last night. I went in saying, "Well it's good news, we now have an index card of things going wrong, verses a full letter page." It did go better!
   
   We found out that the biggest reason why Isaak got a C in Social Studies. It was because he went to go meet with his teacher and councilor on his own accord; then when he got back the Librarian didn't tell him what they worked on. She wanted him to ask his partner, which she did nothing the whole time, and had no clue. Isaak didn't understand what to do. Most of his packet was blank. He actually answered more questions than his partner that was there the whole time.
   
   Now he has to follow up from the packet he half did with a PowerPoint. Mr. Principal is going to have him work on the packet instead of some reading assignments he finds aren't making him grow. That's helpful! 


4. It's getting ready to snow good in Nebraska. All the elementary, middle and high schools got off school. It didn't happen much until the 1/2 half of the day. The kids all have Martin Luther King's Day off as well. Yay for a 4 day weekend. Have you had any snow where you live?


5. I'm a little nervous to drive home. It's a sheet of ice out there! 

WW: First Snow of the Season {Linky}

In Omaha, Nebraska we got our first snow for fall. I knew it was supposed to snow. But it came down in big puffs of snow. It was heavy, and knocked some tree limbs down. Many lost power. Thankfully we didn't though.

The next morning a leaf was stuck to my car. I pulled it off, and it left a leaf ice print.

The snow only stayed around for a day. All the rest of this week it's supposed to be warmer. 

Usually it doesn't snow until after Halloween around here. Do you get snow where you live? 

Random Tid Bits

1. Classes started back up this week. My students and my kids had a snow day. They called it the day before it snowed.
   
   Some were like, "It's great schools called it. Those kids shouldn't be walking to their bus stops with ice and snow on the ground."
   
   Others said, "There's no sign of snow yet, and they already called it?"
   
   It ended up icy, but barely snowing.
   
   

   

   What it looked like this morning. It snowed afterwards, but not a lot.

   
   I had a mix of thoughts. It is hard as a teacher to change my syllabus. It's like planning everything all over again. At Mica's school they were to have a Science Fair. They are still having it, but parents won't be invited to view everything. I was looking forward to that. 


2. My Mom was all worried that I went in to work. Again there wasn't a lot of snow! I don't live that far from a main street, and I don't have a big hill to go up or down. She hates the snow, but also hates the summer heat.  I thought, Geez my mom is talking to me like I'm 16. I think I know how to drive in the snow at 41 years old!


3. Did anyone watch the Tonya Harding special? What were your thoughts on it? Do you believe her? Do you think there's more lies that she's hiding? Travis doesn't believe her. I have more empathy with the abuse she's gone through. I don't know how or why she'd lie about more.


4. I never got a full blown cold. I just got a bit stuffy, but man I've been tired! 


5. I sinned and bought some Keebler cookies. I caved from Mica's begging. They went untouched until their day off. I found out the boys ate all the cookies, except for 2. I That's 16 cookies they ate. If they split them than 8 cookies each! 

Source

Spring is Coming

I never know if I should listen to the groundhog on Groundhog Day. It's seriously the silliest holiday. If he sees his shadow spring is early, and if he doesn't winter is longer. I think that's how it goes. Schools have every kid in the surrounding area believing in it. Ha! Isaak even bought the whole put your pjs on inside out and backwards for a snow day.

Maybe because of Groundhog Day silliness it's the reason that they made the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.

We seem to be done with ice storms.

Ice on Branches:

Living in Nebraska anything can happen. Spring like weather could be faking me out, and we could have ice in a few weeks. Here we have 4 true seasons.

We had 70 degree weather Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Today it's raining a spring like rain. 

Our dwarf Magnolia tree in the front has buds forming on the tips of the branches.

Yet Another Sign of Spring:

Spring never happens as early as mid February here in the center of the US. Omaha is smack dab in the center of the US. Counting Crows has a song called, Omaha. One lyric, "Omaha, somewhere in the middle of America. Get right to the heart of matters. It's the heart that matters more."

Nebraska is now a zone warmer. We now match Kansas City, which is 2 1/2 to 3 hours south. 

Readers what do you think about spring happening so early? Lately the weather for a few years has been so crazy! Is it just a shift of weather pattern? Is it global warming? Is it chance? What do you think? 

Beanie Knit Skull Cap Review

Mica is outside in the cold for safety patrol. He likes the Beanie Knit Skull Cap style. We got a wool blend ski hat. It's designed by: CacheAlaska. 

It's Made For Women and Men:

At first I wanted to give this to Travis. The one size hat didn't fit him very well. It seemed too tight. Travis' head isn't big, so I'd order a large for most men or women. One size and Large are the only 2 sizes that they have. The one size is more for tweens. It fits Mica perfectly.

Colors:

• Charcoal Grey (Like we got)
• Army Green
• Black
• Brown
• Navy Blue

 They are all pretty neutral colors that work with anything.

Material:

It's 50/50 Wool/Acrylic. The material is designed in such a way that the hat makes a person stay warm even if it's wet. That's amazing to me. 

It's fleece line on the headband part of the hat. This keeps it comfortable and breathable.

When to Wear This Hat:

• On Safety Patrol
• Sledding
• Skiing
• Hiking
• Walking
• Running
• Ice Fishing
• Ice Skating

Many more places and things to do when it's cold.

Cost:

$10.49 to $29.99 - Depends on the size and color. This hat was on the lower range.

Do you wear hats? I stick to ear muffs because hoods are too big for my small head, and hats mess up my hair.

Disclaimer: I received Beanie Knit Skull Cap 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 or family.

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.

World's Best Ice Scraper!

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. Most of the scrapers I find in the stores work for light powdery snows. I end up resorting to using the brush, and struggle with ice. I've found a few scrapers in the past that work ok at best.
  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'll have a follow up post after I review the scrapers that are coming to me. 

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!

Scraping a New Way

If you're tired of scraping your windows the old fashioned way, then join the Scrape-A-Round movement. You will secure your family's safety, access new gift ideas and scrape your windows cleaner in half the time with the world's best windshield ice scraper. View the Scrape-A-Round action:

The Scrape-a-round is a brilliant feat of ice scraping engineering. The simple explanations why Scrape-A-Round is the best ice scraper are as follows, Scrape-A-Round is the: 

• Best ice scraper because of the softer plastic, which allows the scraper to conform to the window curvature! 
• 18" of ice scraping surface. 
• The comfortable grasp provides relief for the arthritic or carpal syndrome sufferer. 
• Direct pressure to the window, no pressure lost through the ice scraper! 
• The circular rotational motion of ice scraper. 
• Double ice scraper action, leading edge and trailing edge. 
• Multi functional, remove the cap and it doubles as a funnel. 

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 will get 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.