Keeping #Warm With Mozy

We have now had our first snow this fall in Omaha, Nebraska a few days ago. Has it snowed where you live? 

When snow happens, it means it's time to bundle up! 

The day before it snowed was colder than the day it snowed. That's when I took the boys out for a photo shoot. Bur...what was I thinking?! 

I pulled out our new Mozy. At first I thought I'd give this to Mica, but we've been sharing it. 

What is a Mozy? You might be asking. It's like a thick warm blanket for the lower part of your body.

Uses:

 

You can use a Mozy whenever you feel like it, but I have specific uses in mind. 

• You can use a Mozy for soccer, football, and other games. I know sports are limited right now, but there are some going on. If you are sitting in the stands, mask on, freezing your butt off, a Mozy will help. I've always hated how they make many coats for your upper torso, but no coat for your lower body. Snow pants are hard to put on, and take off because they have to go on before your big heavy shoes or boots do. 
  
  
• You can use a Mozy for a bonfire, or drum circle. I just added the drum circle in there because we used to have one often at Kansas City Art Institute. Maybe it's an artist thing. My friend that just moved to Florida said they have them often right down the street from where she lives. 
  
  
• You can use a Mozy for fishing, or hunting. With fishing there's a lot of sitting around, so a Mozy would be helpful. I think it would be great with deer hunting as well. 
  
  
• Elementary teachers or Aids can use a Mozy at recess time, or when they are waiting for caregivers to pick up their children at the end of the day. They even have pockets in the front for hand sanitizer, pens, pencils, and more.
  
  
• Leave a Mozy in the car for trips, or if you get stranded. I typically have a blanket in the car for just in case needs. Having a Mozy stay in the car would be equally, or better than a blanket to have. 
  
  
• People can use a Mozy for the bus stop. They can wear them around their legs, and turn around and use them like a blanket inside the bus. Mica has a ways to walk to get to the bus stop. Knock on wood he's had very little waiting time. I was worried about bus communication with 3 days in school, and 2 days off. 
  
  
• People can use a Mozy in the morning, for the car. In the mornings Isaak's always cold. He hates taking a coat, that he has to lug around school. They can't use lockers right now, with COVID on the scene. Instead of a coat I encouraged him to grab the Mozy. Isaak's been dressing in layers on his top. He thought he invented dressing in layers. I said, "No son. People have been dressing in layers, for years!" It's harder to dress in layers, for the lower part of your body. Mozy makes layering easy!

They say on their site that a Mozy is easy to walk in. I found it feeling a bit like my legs were hugged. It's not as easy to walk in as I thought it would be. 

How to use a Mozy:

They have a fun diagram on how to use one on the box. I love it, because I'm a visual person. It was much easier to put on then snow pants! 

Easy peasy to put on!

Get it on too tight? It's adjustable.

Unlike snow pants, you can take a Mozy off and put it back on with ease! It's not heavy to carry around. The inside is a heavy fleece, and the outside is a waterproof material. 

Sizes: 

• Mozy Mini (small) 16" - 26"
• Mozy Mid (medium) 27" - 45"
• Mozy More (large) 46"

Patches: 

When you buy a Mozy they have a patch on it. Ever since I was in Girl Scouts, and then again when my boys attended Lowe's Clinic I dig patches! They will ofter more patches. It looks like they are working on that, on their site.

You can get the Mozy here: 

https://www.getthemozy.com/products/mozy, or on Amazon. Their site uses google pay, shop pay, and PayPal. The cost for a Mozy is $99. Think of it as a cost similar to a warm coat. 

It would be great to get someone for Christmas!

If you had a Mozy what would you use it for?

Disclaimer: I got this product for free, in exchange of my honest opinion. Mozy did not tell me what to say. 

Do You Prefer Camping or Staying in a Hotel? #travel #vacation

When we stayed in Minnesota we couldn't decide if we should camp...

or staying in a hotel?

I said, "Why not do both?" So that's what we did. 

Camping Perks

You're out in the wilderness most of the time. 

There are possibly more memories made.

Kids learn new things: How to start a fire, how to put out a fire, problem solving and so on.

Wifi is actually part of many camp grounds, so that's no longer a negative. 

No TV could be a perk or a negative. You didn't go on vacation to watch TV. 

There are choices: Cabin, Tent or Camper. 

Many campgrounds have mini golf, bikes to check out, hot tubs, pools, movie nights. This is something you have to check out prior to investing. What's a perk to one family, may not be a perk to another. 

It's cheaper than staying in a hotel.

Camping Negatives

Lots of bugs possibly.

Weather can mess up your fun.

Allergies can be a problem. 

Bathrooms usually aren't nearby. That's worse at night, than during the day.

You need more things like bedding, blankets, firewood, bug spray, dishes and so on. 

You have to plan out you time more. It takes longer to cook your food than going out to eat. 

It sucks if a grocery store isn't nearby. 

There isn't a place to go for privacy. In your camping space family is there, in the bathroom someone is knocking on the door to use it, and in the showers there are others showering too. 

I'd say that Girl Scouts did prepare me, for starting a fire. The boys grabbed all kinds of green kindling. I knew better. 

Even though there are bugs, there's also little creatures. 

Isaak found this tree frog he didn't want to let go. It is kind of cute!

We kept having ground squirrels and regular squirrels join us at our camp site. We don't have them in Nebraska, so it was kind of fun seeing them run all over. We just have regular brown squirrels.

Isaak also found a butterfly near a river's edge. It's wings were broken. He was sad when Travis said we couldn't keep it. 

 

Hotel Perks

Safety First: You can come and go without the worry of a hot fire to put out. You can lock your room and a cabin, but you can't lock a tent.

Clean towels/sheets and a made bed every day.

Continental Breakfast is often included. This is one thing I make sure of. I'd rater spend a little more for Continental Breakfast because I'll spend an extra $40 going out for breakfast. 

Many have a little fridge and microwave. That can save a lot of $$$$.

Wifi is part of deal. My boys get excited to watch cable. We only have regular TV and Prime at home. They watched a few Man Flicks. You know the type: The world is coming to an end, the military and president have to get involved to save it at the end. There's mostly action, and a slight romance. The main star always gets the girl.  

If you forget something you can ask the staff to help you.

Many have an indoor pool and/or hot tub. Bathrooms are inside your room.

Many are near public transportation.

Hotel Negatives

Swimming towels are always so small. We had this discussion. They are even small for the boys.

We actually had more problems with kids running around all hours of the night more than we did camping.

You spend more time on devises and watching TV, than you do with camping. 

If you're on a different floor, and there's no elevator things get heavy. With camping we parked right up to our cabin. There was little walking to get to our cabin.

Filters need to be changed. I don't know why, but Travis checks air filters when we get to hotels. They always need to be changed. 

You don't have the outdoors to dry your swimming suits. 

Many won't take pets if you have one. 

It's more expensive than camping. 

If you ask the boys they'd say they liked the hotel more. A hotel seemed easier. I think the boys liked the fact that they had a TV to watch. BUT I have more memories from camping. I do wish the KOAs we stayed at had The Pancake Man. There have been some I've stayed at in the past that did. That would have made breakfast faster, cheaper, and easier. I'm glad we did both. We had to take more, but variety is nice! 

What do you prefer Camping or Staying in a Hotel? 

Disclaimer: This is not a paid review. I got no compensation, for writing this post. All opinions are my own. 

WW: Fire {Linky}

We went camping for the first time in about 3 years. Yep my allergies, and nose were so bad prior to my my surgery that I just didn't even want to try to camp. It's not that my allergies are perfect, but I can breathe through my nose now. I'm not walking around with a migraine headache 24/7.

We did it. It was kind of a spontaneous decision.

What did you do on Memorial Day?

 Travis teaching the boys how to make a fire without matches:

Isaak collected sticks, and Mica was the smore maker.

We all like our marshmallows burnt. Of course I'll eat them any which way. How do you like yours?

 An up close fire shot:

Travel Toiletry Bag Review

I've been slowly trying to build up a stash of travel items for my kids. Mica got an adult sleeping bag for Christmas, will soon get a bigger and nicer duffle bag, and now I have a Travel Toiletry Bag: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XYZVTZ1 he will get.

The boy doesn't use a razor yet, but he does use a toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, fingernail trimmers, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, and face soap always. This toiletry bag is big enough for all that, and more!

I like that this bag is a classy black. It can be used for women, men, boys, or girls.

Cost:

$14.99 with free shipping!

This Travel Toiletry Bag Has: 

• 1 main storage compartment
• 2 side pouches with dual zippers
• 1 external pocket on a side pouch
• Different mesh pockets in different sizes 
• A hook when the main part is unzipped to hang it up 

 A Lot of Stuff Can Fit in the Main Part of the Bag!

The Side Pockets Have Elastic Bands:

• This helps objects hold still
• Certainly great for bottles that hold liquids

The bag doesn't take up a lot of room when it's all unzipped:

Different Items to Place in the Toiletry Bag:

• Toothpaste
• Dental floss
• A small bottle of mouthwash 
• A small bottle of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash
• Brushes or combs
• Tweezers
• Fingernail trimmers
• Vitamins or medicine
• A small first aid kit
• For men a shaving kit
• For women hair things
• Makeup
• Essential Oils

When to Use a Toiletry Bag:

• An overnight stay
• Vacation
• A business trip
• A school trip
• Camping
• A cruise 
• If someone is in drama it could be easily brought with them to put on make-up, and to take it off

It's waterproof, so you can take this into a locker room, or have it near a sink with no worries about messing it up.

Do you have a toiletry bag for when you go places?

Disclaimer: I received this Travel Toiletry Bag to assist with this 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.

Quilted Waterproof Cargo Liner Cover For a SUV

Once upon a time, not so long ago I went to put something in the backend of our Outback, and realized that there was specks of Styrofoam all over it. Even our shop vac didn't want to put up the pieces of Styrofoam in the fibers. It took a ton of time to vacuum that mess up. I decided then and there that I needed something to cover that backend for when Travis transports sculpture things.

Thankfully I got a Quilted Waterproof Cargo Liner Cover For a SUV to review. It's made by: INNX.

What if can be used for:

• Pets 
• Camping
• Gardening - supplies and plants
• Hauling - things like sculpture or furniture

Size:

• 41" Width
• 52" Length
• 17.7" Height

Color: It only comes in black.

Since my husband work with all kinds of materials: Styrofoam, wax, and all kinds of metals it's important to me to protect our vehicle.

It came in a small box, and unfolded easily. It's pretty easy to install. It would have been easier to install if there was one visual instruction guide. It's left for the buyer to figure out.

There are straps that adjust, and fit over the back seats. Then velcro fits on the sides of the SUV. We haven't installed the velcro just yet. This is going to be a Christmas gift to Travis. Merry Christmas Travis. He also wants to wait to install the velcro when he goes to KC to deliver a sculpture to their foundry, or pick one up.

The velcro is pretty easy to put in place. It has a strip that needs to be removed to put it in.

I love that it has a big pocket for anything you need. I imagine for us tools, tent steaks, or a flashlight will fit in this pocket.

The material seems really durable. It's totally meant to last. 

Cost wise it's not too expensive. It was originally $79.99, and is now $59.99. Buy it before the price changes. Considering that it helps take care of the value of the SUV, I'm ok with the price. 

Do you haul very many things in your vehicle?

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