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. 

Random Tid Bits

1. I decided to get a bunch of design things done, that I wanted to get done. Now my scratch disk is full. I've even deleted a bunch of other things off.
   


2. All my students have been good through all this COVID-19 stuff, except for 2. I have had others not participate much. That's to be expected. I'm talking attitude.
   
   I had one tell me I wasn't a good person because I didn't grade her boyfriend's stuff. I missed his attachment entirely. I counted...that day I had 42 emails from the students. I apologized to him. Explained I'm human, and that it would help if he worked in the order of the assignment. Then I emailed the girlfriend telling her that I'm human, and it's not really her business. If he has a problem, he should contact me.
   
   I had another student that's having web issues. She keeps giving me her old file. Somehow that's my problem, not hers. She's had issues all through school. When the Director told me that she's had issues with the online learning, I think she just has issues in general.
   
3.  It snowed 6 inches last week. Now it's in the 60s. Hello Nebraska! What's the weather like where you live?
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. I've messed with our weatherman some more. I really like him, so it's all for fun. He was talking about it being cloudy. I asked, "Is it cloudy with the chance of meatballs?" That was a few weeks ago.
   
   This week he kept saying his favorite word, "Spectacular". I told him the boys were outside digging in the "Spectacular" dirt. He reads the comments out loud, and often chuckles with mine. 
   
   

   

   
   
5. Isaak has a group chat with 3 or 4 girls. It makes him happy. Mica cracks up over it. Says he has too much drama in his life. 

Snow in the Heartland

Many people were wearing shorts on Saturday. It was a beautiful day! I wish we could have spent the whole day outside. Instead Mica had Quiz Bowl, Isaak had a basketball game, and I had a lunch date with my mom and sisters. It was all good things; just not outside. 

Isaak happened upon a caterpillar. The myth is...if the caterpillar has more black than brown we're supposed to have a long winter, if the caterpillar has more brown than black we're supposed to have a short winter.

This one had more brown than black, which would make it seem as thought our winter will be short. That's certainly not what The Farmer's Almanac states. I pass it all off as just fun stories. The weather is going to do what the weather is going to do. As much as I'd love to believe the Groundhog doesn't see his shadow, and the caterpillar has more brown than black...I don't put too much stalk into that. 

What about you? Do you believe old predictions? I suppose there's some truth to old medicines/practices. 

Two days after I saw this caterpillar it snowed. I'm thinking The Farmer's Almanac will be right on this upcoming winter. 

At least a heart traveled along with me all the way to work. 

Mens Hiking Snow Boots

I saw my first hint of fall yesterday. It still acts like summer, but the temperature is supposed to go from the 90s to the 60s all in one week.

Nebraska has some trees that turn red, some that turn yellow, but a lot turn brown and just fall down. It goes from a long summer to a short fall to a long winter. Winter will be here really soon. Sometimes it snows on Halloween here. 

We are ready for the snow Mother Nature! I just got Mica some Hiking Snow Boots. They'll be great for hiking, but also all those walks to the bus stop. 

His New Hiking Boots:

I'll rarely pass up reviewing boots or shoes. The boys grow so fast!

About the Boots:

They are easy to put on. The laces are easy to loosen and tighten.

They keep your feet toasty warm. They are lined inside.

They keep water out. I may buy a weather spray to be extra cautious.

My husband is always picky about the soles of shoes and boots. Some just don't have big enough treads. Getting these to review I did think about that. Lucky for Mica they are great!

Colors the Boots Come in:

Leather Black
Leather Blue
Leather Brown
Black Casual
Brown Casual
Grey Casual
D-Black
D-Camel
D-Dark Brown

I picked the D-Camel for Mica. I so wish I could pick a Leather Black for Isaak! That would really fit his personality, and a coat he has.

Sizes the Boots Come in:

6.5 to 12.5

Cost for the Boots:

$25.99 to $39.99

The cost depends on the type of shoe that's picked out.

Where to Get the Boots:

You can get them on Amazon Prime. I like this because they shipped fast, and they have a policy if they don't fit there are free returns. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W8XFVZG

Do you like hiking in the snow?

Disclaimer: All photos, words and opinions in this post are my own. I got a product for free, or discounted to help me with this review.

Random Tid Bits

1. It sucks that my nephew Emerson (age 7) has 5 or so seizures a day. :(
   
   I couldn't help, but to laugh when my sister told me my nephew Edison (age 4 almost 5) fakes seizures to get attention. Even my sister found it funny at first.


2. It's so rainy in the midwest today. I'm prewriting, so it's actually Wednesday. Expect that food prices may go up. Some farmers are having floods. We had 5" of snow, then 5" more, and now 5" of rain is supposed to happen. Between that was more rain and snow, but too hard to measure.
   
   Many people don't really think much of Iowa and Nebraska, but it's where much of your food sources come from. 


3. I don't seek out watching The Bachelor. If anything I'm against the idea of it. Dating multiple people at once is a bad idea. Sometimes the TV is on, it comes on, and it sucks me in. The latest guy Colton - let's just say that I respected him for being a virgin. I disrespected the host for bringing it up multiple times like he was an alien for it. Some people do choose to wait, and that's ok. I'm sure many people that have waited don't talk about it. Therefore it's not of the norm. 


4.  I was really excited to of gotten both of my children in the most popular camp with their cousin Elijah. It will be Mica's last year to be in it. Evan - the cousin that's Mica's age is a year ahead of him in school, so he's already booted out.


5. My Dad got me this book The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth, hoping it would help with my allergies:







The book is interesting. Some stuff I do, and would be willing to try. I'm not anti natural healing.

I don't believe in good feng shui in your house. Ok, so the placement of furniture matters slightly. Don't put a TV where you are going to get lots of glares. Don't put something solid in front of an air vent. Does correct placement bring positive vibes? I don't think so.

Sure essential oils are great smelling, and can be excellent to add to cleaners. Do they cure everything? They may cure some things, but not everything. 

Crystals, rocks, gem stones, pink himalayan salt lamps all look cool, but in my mind they don't bring you positive energy, or zap out sickness.

All the sudden Isaak found the book above. He thinks he can cure anyone of anything. 

Isaak: "Mom I feel like I had bad breath the other day. I think I need an Oregano Oil pill." Travis and I both rolled our eyes at one another. Yes it may work, but he's believing it all! 

Isaak: "Mom I scraped my knee. I need to put tea tree oil on it." Travis thought I told him to do that. I put a little on a cotton ball, and patted it on his knee. Maybe it will help.

Random Tid Bits

1. Mica's going through yet another transitional time with growing up. He forgets about 4 snack bowls in his room (thankfully they were all empty). He has no interest in doing any extras. He's in Quiz Bowl - that's plenty in his mind. Gawd forbid he hang out with his cousins for a board game night and pizza, sign up for camps for the summer, or a special academy (Zoo or Health) that his school offers next year.
   
   He gets embarrassed by me at his school now. I've always been his cuddle person, and I'm goofy. Maybe he thinks I'm going to cuddle up with him in the cafeteria? Possibly he thinks I'm going to say something that puts him on the spot. I don't know what's going on in his head. Growing pains are hard!





2. We keep having storage units going up in Omaha. They have Biblical quotes that are demeaning, and they have the ugliest logo. Do you have this storage unit where you live? They are popping up all over. 





3. I knew it was supposed to snow on Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, but didn't know it was going to come down so hard. It snowed 5". We got a call that Mica got yet another snow day. Parking lots are actually smaller because there's no room for snow. 





4. I'm a bit obsessed about True Crimes lately. I think I've watched or listened to every video on Chris Watts. I like Tori Hartman's channel. I just listen to it, while I'm working on other things. I think that Watts case has hit me hard because it makes me realize that Travis thinks I'm nuts when I start going on and on about certain cases. 


5. Travis' chair design got accepting to this:




A mock up! Now he has to make the real thing!




Now he's ultra busy. He really doesn't want to hear about my interest in the Chris Watts case.

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. I'm back to feeling yucky. I swear it's from the dry air. I've had a steamer going every day at work. My one at home broke, so I should go buy another one. It just keeps snowing! 








2. We get comments that Mica looks so much like Travis. I think both boys look like both of us. I'm the one stepping into the boots, and Travis is the one by his sister.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Whenever I see a money change thing - pictured below I think of Pizza Rolls. My husband was waiting to eat some because they were so hot. I said, "You're eating them wrong. You have to bite an edge, open it up like a plastic change purse, and blow." He knew what I was talking about and laughed. 
   
   
   
   
   
4. This week we had 2 people drop. It's sad, but if they are not all in, then they shouldn't be here. 
   
   
5. Mica has some weirdness going on with his skin. Surprise not really. It seems like the boys always have some skin thing going on. We've had Ring Worm from the mats at the Y, warts, rashes all over from something outside, rashes from mud at camp, eczema, Isaak has a birthmark on his spine which is a big deal apparently and more.
   
   Here's Mica's newest weird thing (see pictures below). It's a brown blotting, discolored skin. It's flat. He wasn't born with it. It doesn't bother him. It started out on his arm, and now is below his ear. I emailed pictures to his doctor, and they wanted the boys to come in. We skipped their last yearly well check. I thought it was dirt, and was trying to wash it off. It's not going anywhere.
   
   It's kind of like how dark skinned people can get Vitiligo, but the opposite. It really looks the most like Melasma. Melasma usually forms on the face on women that are pregnant. Have you ever had a random oddity happen with your skin? 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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! 

Sledding

Last weekend the boys went sled riding. I watched.

They kept saying, "Come on Mom! Join us." Sometimes I feel old. Oh I can be silly, but that day I was feeling old and PMSy. Possibly more information than you wanted to know, but it is what it is. I never hide it at home. I'm very blunt.

My favorite stills from that day:

Shadows

Mica lugging his sled up the hill

Isaak coming down the fill

We had to test the sleds out. We went to a thrift store, and got the L.L. Bean sleds for $11! That's super cheap! Some of their sleds are close to $200!

The hill was perfect! No fence or street at the bottom.

Mica:

Isaak

Random Tid Bits

1. Mica's been complaining about his vitamin not going down all the way. It's a typical vitamin size, and he's had vitamins that you swallow for years now. Do you have problems swallowing vitamins?


2. Instead of drinking water to push the vitamin down, Mica decided it would be a great idea to chew a paper towel to swallow. He came into the living room with his mouth full, was chewing, and talking weird. I said, "What in the heck is in your mouth?" He said, "Oh nothing." I asked him again. Then he told me. I said, "Go spit that out!" 


3. The other day Travis got a text from Mica saying that his bus took him out to west Omaha instead of home. It was the late bus, and he was the only one on it. Not his typical bus driver. He must of thought Mica was a different kid. When he got here we were both like, "Why didn't you tell him?" He said, "Because we're not supposed to move, while the bus is going." I said, "There had to be stop lights, or a stop sign!" He's like, "I don't know. I just wanted to listen to my music I guess." We were all shaking our heads. At least now I'm laughing about it.





4. We were supposed to have snow happen yesterday. It didn't really happen. 


5. Saturday will be super busy around here. Mica has a Quiz Bowl across town. Isaak has 2 basketball games. Then the boys have their Leadership Camp in the evening. What are you doing this weekend?

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. I've been what Travis called Splissy. My nickname is Lissy from Alissa. I happened to spill a lot. I spilled tea in my classroom, and a huge think of water in the back end of the Subaru. Do you ever have moments of spilling a lot?



2. It's snowed a few times this week. By my work is a hill. I tend to go down the hill, so I don't have problems with me sliding, or someone sliding into me. Well as I was stopped someone turned into me. BANG! It's not bad, but there is a panel that is dented in. Whenever I open my door I feel my car's pain. All the guy that hit me saw was the scrape on my door. That scrape is really nothing compared to the dented in panel, and the part behind the wheel will need to be fixed as well. 





3. The trouble is, is that my car needs an oil change, my car will need gas, and now my car needs to be fixed. I haven't gotten it in for an oil change because the owner's at my husband's work are out of town. Whenever this happens he stays at work longer. It snowed, so I wasn't about to do anything extra during those snow storms. Then I have a field trip for my class, and a doctor's appointment coming all. All situations where I need a car. We rushed it in for an oil change this morning. We'll just have to deal. At least I'll get a rental car when it's being fixed.


4. Isaak signed up for an art club with his Leadership Camp. He's doing that this Friday and next. The boy is pretty excited about it. I think they decided to have an art club just because of Isaak's interest. 


5. I finally found out who the Baby Bandit is. I walked into the classroom and said, "Oh there's no Baby Bandit clue out this morning." The only girl that was in there said, "Don't tell, but it's me. I have the staff member put up clues for me when I'm not here." She's the older one that's going through Chemo. There's nothing that girl can't do!

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

Apel Christmas

Christmas Eve is just as big of a deal as Christmas Day is for us. I hardly take photos. The lighting is crappy on Christmas Eve because it's so late. The lighting on Christmas Day is crappy because it's so early. - Thanks to Mica; he's my early to rise kid.

Christmas Eve:

We dress up to go to church. I have to be honest - we're not typical church goers. Then we go to my parent's house to eat soup, shrimp, cheese, crackers, and more. We open gifts after that.

While we were getting the food on the table the boys played their instruments. I thought at first, Oh God help us! Someone is going to get annoyed they are playing. My Grandpa and Aunt Becky loved it. They don't get to hear them play at school. Mica plays the trumpet, Isaak plays the violin, and my nephew Evan plays the flute.

It does seem like emotions run high during Christmas time. Someone gets pissed off at something. That night seemed like it worked well.

The food was great like always!

My big gift was a genealogy kit, which I still need to read over. Both boys got a big Lego gift. Travis got some cargo pants he's wanted.

We got home about 9:30.

Christmas Morning:

I heard coffee being made at 4:30. It was Mica. He was sitting on the love seat reading a book my sister got him the night before. I said, "Go back to bed! It's too early to be up!" He said, "I can't sleep." You'd think with not believing in Santa that he'd be ok with staying in bed. He's always been the first to be up on holidays and weekends. We have a rule that he has to make coffee before he does anything else. Ha!

He did go back to bed, but not to sleep.

I messed up an item in one of their stockings. One got something the other was to get. I'm pretty sure Isaak doesn't believe now, but he pretends he does. 

Mica's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks,  gloves, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys

Isaak's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks, a leather wallet, a gold harmonica, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys, and a few sewing cards he thought were a joke 

I thought he'd enjoy the sewing cards.

Isaak did grump a lot when he found out he didn't get a drone. My goal wasn't to mess up his Christmas. He felt like I was trying to. 

 Travis loved this manly apron I got him:

We ate cinnamon rolls my mom makes us every year.

We went to my Aunt's house for Christmas Day.

Some of the food I brought:

My Aunt Becky has Mica and my nephew Evan help give gifts to the little kids. Most of them are my cousin's kids:

Isaak was a bump on the log with taking pictures:

We didn't get any snow until the day before Christmas Eve, and it's been flurrying and bitter cold since. I'm ok because it is winter. I am more of a summer girl! My Mom drives me batty because she posted that she's ready for spring now that it's snowed. When summer gets here she complains about the heat. I want my birthday at a park, and she flat out won't do it because it's too hot! 

I guess Omaha, Nebraska has been the same temp as Antarctica, just cloudier. It's been popping up on people's facebook posts. 

How was your Christmas if you celebrate it? Has it been super cold where you live?