Category Archives: Reviews

Preparing for a New Baby Minimalista Way, Necessary Baby Equipment

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My other posts from this series:

Furnishing a Nursery

Choosing a Stroller and a Car Seat

Choosing a Jogging Stroller

In this post I am going to focus on other baby gear that I personally found important to have and why. If you’re about to have a baby shower for your first child, walking through the baby store’s isles can be overwhelming. So many articles, they all seem important and possibly necessary. Monitors, crib mobiles, swings, playpens, bath tubs, changing table pads, diaper disposals etc, etc… I think it’s important to separate these items into three categories, “not needed”, “I could possibly use that” and “I definitely need it”! From that point you can make a decision for what you need to purchase based on the necessity level and the budget.

Even with my first one, I used careful judgment at picking baby items (yep, I’m a minimalista!).  I evaluated how long I would be using the item, how much it costs and what is its necessity level. And since I knew ahead of time that we were planning on two kids, I picked the colors to cover either gender.

This is a list of items that I’m glad I got, since they were well worth getting.

Playpen/bassinet combination with changing pad is a definite necessity and will serve your child from birth until 2 or 3 years old. I decided not to purchase changing table, see why in my previous article and started using playpen from the time my daughter was born. I didn’t use it as a bassinet, since it’s bulky and not easily movable. When my daughter grew up a little, I got rid of the changing pad and started using it as an actual playpen. It’s definitely a lifesaver when you need to leave the room to take a shower or if you’re cleaning the house or when they simply misbehave! Since it can be folded into a compact bag, it served Continue reading →

Preparing For a New Baby Minimalista Way, Stroller and Car Seat Selection

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In my earlier post I talked about saving money on furnishing and decorating the nursery. In this post I’ll be talking about picking the right stroller.

In my opinion, an every day stroller is not a thing to buy at the garage sale. Since it has a few nuts and bolts, moving parts, folding mechanism, you want these things to be sturdy, last a while and work well. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be using your stroller a lot. I use it to go on the walks in the neighborhood, shopping, play dates, adventure parks, etc.

Before purchasing I would strongly recommend Continue reading →

Seacret Spa Age-Defying Serum and Moisturizer Review

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After two unappealing reviews of Seacret’s Eye Cream and Age-Defying Eye cream I received a message from the company’s marketing manager with an offer to try out their Restore Age-Defying serum and Refresh Vitamin-Rich moisturizer. I happily agreed.

It’s been at least a month since I’ve been using the products. The goal is to use them at least once per day, preferably before going to bed. First the serum needs to be applied over face and neck, followed by the moisturizer. This is exactly what I did!

I can not say Continue reading →

Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion Review and Giveaway

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This giveaway is closed, the winner is Storm, the owner of comment #35, congrats Storm! Thanks for participating everyone!

There isn’t a more perfect time to use Skin MD Natural Shielding lotion than in the winter.  Even though I live in Florida, as the temperature drops below 60F and subsequently does the moisture in the air, my skin feels it big time! My hands suffer the most. Being a mommy to a toddler, I wet my hands close to every hour throughout the day. When the temperature outside is warm, the skin on my hands seems to hold pretty well. But as the cold hits, same skin gets extremely dry and rough. I’m a 32-year old woman, but by looking just at my hands, you would probably give me all 55 or more. I can’t even imagine how folks up north deal with their dry and itchy skin. Besides my hands, my elbows and my knees take #2 place in dryness. During such times I try to use very rich moisturizers, petroleum jelly and even olive oil! They help a little, but feel extremely oily. I have to rub them in forever and then wait a while for the oily feeling to go away.

When I tried Skin MD Natural Shielding lotion, one of the first things I noticed Continue reading →

Baby Jogger City Elite Disappointment

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With the 2-yr old and the second one on the way, I decided to look for a double stroller. I wanted a side-by-side type, with jogging/running capability, good size canopy for sun protection and compact enough to fit through a door. By looking through a ton of strollers online at the Babies-R-Us store, I decided to go with Baby Jogger City Elite Double Stroller. It seemed to have everything, nice soft reclining seats, good size basket underneath, large size canopy for each seat and an easy fold-up technology. What else could a mom dream of? I found the stroller on the Babies-r-Us site under Jogging/Running strollers. Though the price tag wasn’t small, it retails for $650.

When my mother-in-law brought over the heavy box, she pointed out that there was a warning right on the box: Continue reading →

Seacret Spa Eye Gel Review

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After unsuccessfully trying out Seacret Regain Age-Defying Eye Cream for under-eye darkness, I decided to go back to the mall and exchange it for the Eye Gel. I didn’t have much choice, they don’t give refunds, exchanges only for 30 days after purchase. After explaining to the suave salesman that the product didn’t work and showing my receipt, he agreed to do an exchange for me.  The salesman convinced me that in order for the Regain product to work, I have to use the Eye Gel as a base (even though I was told otherwise when I purchased Regain). He was trying hard to up sell me on the facial serum as well, but after my experience with their Regain Eye Cream I wasn’t willing to spend any more money on any products from their stand. After I expressed my opinion, he proudly showed me a few impressive before and after pictures of people using their products. But how can I trust a picture if the product didn’t work on ME?

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Seacret Spa Age-Defying Regain Eye Cream Review

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I decided to start looking into under eye creams to help lighten up the dark circles under my eyes. When I was in my mid twenties, I tried a couple of the drug store brands, but didn’t get much satisfaction.

Now in my early thirties I am on the quest again. The most bothersome thing about my eyes are the dark circles. Luckily I don’t yet have the bags or the aging crow feet. But whenever I look at myself in the mirror without make up, I can’t help but be bothered by the reddish-brown circles under and slightly above my eyes. The raccoon eyes are staring back at me, screaming for attention!

I am not exactly sure why I get these ugly things. I think heredity got a lot to do with it, thanks to my mother’s side. Otherwise I feel like I have a reasonably healthy lifestyle as far as sleep, diet and exercise are concerned.

My friend loves Seacret under eye cream and her eyes look great. She swears she doesn’t use any concealer.   So I decided to give it a try. We have a couple of Seacret booths at the local mall, and I approached one of them to learn a little more about the secret of  Seacret. A smooth talking young Israeli lady explained to me that the company uses minerals from the Dead Sea in each of its products. Dead Sea is reach in minerals and helps heal problems like joint pain, arthritis, swelling, etc. She insured me that all of the ingredients are natural and her mom is in love with this line.

Continue reading →

Courtesy Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Brandon Burn In Hell!!

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My husband and I decided to purchase a larger vehicle for me sometime in the future since we are expecting a new addition. I was driving Honda Accord at the time and we were leaning towards purchasing an SUV. Since I had absolutely no idea what manufacturer or model I actually would like, I decided to stop in at a couple of dealerships to try out different vehicles. I knew that I wanted to stick with something used, Japanese and low miles.  The first place I went to was Courtesy Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Brandon, on the corner of Lakewood drive and highway 60. The sales manager met me outside, we talked and like a good salesman he offered me a car, that he thought was just right for me. He showed me this blue Lexus RX300 and I absolutely fell in love with it, once I sat in it. I admit, Lexus knows how to make you feel special. I told him right away that I am not ready to purchase yet, it would have to go through my husband, so he was happy to put together a cost sheet for me. I then stopped by a couple of other dealerships, got to drive couple of Honda CRV’s, which were a little newer, more expensive and with higher mileage. And I wasn’t in love with them!

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IntelliGender Gender Prediction Test Review

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I was offered to try this test by my sister-in-law, who works in the corporate office of a large supermarket chain here in Florida. She said that the distributor of this test would like to test this product on public to see how easy it is to do and how accurate it actually is. She referred me as a test subject and I happily agreed, since I didn’t have to pay for it. Currently the test retails for $35 and states 90% accuracy rate. Hey, I’ll try anything once and it sounded like a fun thing to try!

I decided to review this test by discussing each step of the instructions that come with the test kit. So you can decide whether this test is for you!

1. When you wake, please fill the collection cup with your first morning urine when collecting your sample. It is very important to use first morning urine when collecting your sample. Failure to do so will likely result in an incorrect result. Once collected, set the urine sample aside and get the test kit ready for use. Remove the white overcap, exposing the kit’s lid. Remove the white oval tab from the top of the lid, exposing a small hole in the middle. You will need to keep the tab close by as you will replace it over the hole once the urine has been added. You are now ready to perform the test.

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Classic Crème Cookies

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Since I got pregnant, my sweet tooth has slightly increased. Even though it’s not in my nature to ever buy any type of cookies, I saw these Classic Crème cookies in the organic section and on the whim decided to give them a try. I think seeing Oreos commercials in the past few days, made me decide that perhaps I was craving Oreos.

Continue reading →