Showing posts with label product review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label product review. Show all posts

Friday, March 8, 2024

Reusable Water Balloons?!

Did you play with the water hose as a kid? Chasing siblings or friends? Maybe jumping through the sprinkler system? How about water balloons? Did you love throwing them at others and hoping to get hit in turn? I did! And so, apparently, do at least some of my children. You know what I didn't like? I didn't enjoy having to pick up the balloon pieces afterwards. Tiny bits of busted rubber, a rainbow of colors everywhere! Reminded me of that part in Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters where his very important job was to clean up after the Hero Games were over...Using Balloons Responsibly for the Environment - Fill n' Away UK

 So, what if I told you that there were alternatives? Like... reusable water balloons? No, I'm not talking about sponges filled with water that you throw at each other! I'm talking about a soft silicon-like container with magnets that keep the top half attached to the lower half. And actually do pretty good at keeping the water inside until they hit someone and splash!

It is a very clever concept called Hydrobursts Balloon by Relatable toys. I got this through Influenster. But when I attempted to look them up, I learned they are just too new! So I'm letting you know what we think for when they start hitting the store shelves.

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product for free in exchange for sharing my reviews. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are my own.*

As a mom, I don't want something that is going to make a horrendous mess in my yard. I don't want bits of rubber everywhere that is dangerous for pets or babies. That makes my yard look trashy. I also prefer toys that are economical. We don't have money to buy tons of new balloons just to throw and pop in a couple seconds. 

These are soft, so the hit won't hurt. Even the ridge with built-in magnets isn't that hard. My 7 and 11 year olds both had a blast tossing them at each other. 

I suggest having a water-filled bowl or bucket to keep the fun going. They are easy to refill like that. 

This is going to make the summer so much more fun! And also give us a good reprieve from the Texas heat. Definitely an amazing product that we enjoyed testing out!

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Temu Times Three

Okay, last post on Temu items for now. My daughters had requested, and the older one even bought, the dolls. I grabbed the miniatures for a project I plan to start. The hat was a bonus for my hat/cat loving little one! Let me know what you think! 

Pink hair doll - My daughter is in love with this doll! After seeing how great it is, I really want to get one for myself. Her eyes are gorgeous. Her hair is so soft! I love how well the joints work. And her face painting is stunning. Great quality! 

Anime doll - Her hair is so soft! Though once you pull her hair down from the two side parts, you can see she has a massive bald spot splitting those from her bulk of hair. It also has a tendency to come out easily when the girls brush it. Her eyes, have amazing details - purple with white stars. She reminds me of an anime girl. The paint job on her face is stunning. Her joints are well done too. 

Cat ears hat - My youngest daughter has been in love with this style hat for a while. So when I saw this one with the ears, I knew I needed to get one for her. She couldn't wait to show it off! The ears are a little far back and a little floppy, making it difficult to see them, but she's in love with it so I'm happy.

Dollhouse test tube set - Amazingly enough, I think they really are glass! Well, all but the stand, corks and stir stick thing. That made me so happy. I love realistic miniatures. This one was for a future project I'm working on. A 1/6 laboratory!

Drink set - these are the kind of things we love to find! Little drinks that are cute and doll sized. Made to be charms, the have the little holes, but are easily used for dolls instead. This particular set is now sold out. But there are lots of other options that were similarly priced.

This lingerie set was a little bit of a miss. The underwear were supposed to be for the Witch doll the girls made, but they were lopsided and didn't fit well onto the doll. The bra and nightgown at least were decent. The one I purchased was sold out. So you might have to find another seller anyhow. Maybe it will be better!

And finally, we come to the miniature doctor tools set. I got this so that I could enhance the Plague Doctor doll I created. 3D printing the tools wasn't working out. And these work great - except for the stethoscope which is slightly small. Unfortunately, this was also sold out. However, I did find other sellers with sets just like it. 

This last item, was actually something I had hoped would be like the Make It Mini capsules. But instead it was a kit for making things with crafting mousse. Instructions were in another language and mostly covered up by a seller sticker. But we managed to guess our way through it.

Friday, February 16, 2024

Temu Take Two - How Well Do the Products Work?

Okay, okay. I totally placed another two orders. One was because I wanted to try other items. The second was because my daughter wanted to buy something. So here I am again. Testing out the quality. I think you might be surprised. I know I was. I paid a little more attention, though still not enough. Want to see what I got? Keep reading, or watching, to see the report.

I ordered some clothing items, mostly. Even though I have been sewing more things since a friend gave me the sewing machine, I can only make simple things so far. Like skirts. Making lots of skirts... And those are also in the sizes that an average 11.5" doll can wear. Making things smaller than that will take me more practice. 

The blue dress with snowflakes was for Skipper or Stacy to wear. While it had the unfinished edge, it is so well made that I haven't been afraid of unraveling. I told the girls to be careful with the sleeves too. It is a little snug on Skipper's torso, but not to the point of pulling it apart.

The wedding dress reminded me something from a live action princess movie. My daughters have been playing their dolls have lots of weddings. But there was never a white dress to use. I thought it was interesting that after purchasing this one, they sent a product instruction manual in PDF form. Have to be careful with the sleeves when sliding hands in. Material is stiff and crinkly, but this makes it hold form well. Veil just rests on the dolls head. My daughters loved it. And I loved that the edges were finished! Sadly, this one may not last long. It is a little too snug on a MtM doll body.

The traditional dress is absolutely adorable! You can tell they cut it from pre-printed patterns as they left some of the black lines on the bottom part of the dress. But my daughters fell in love with it. The flower pattern is cute. And it fit 2 of their dolls' different sizes just fine. 

This full outfit was something I knew my oldest girl would love. Though I had thought to steal the pants... The half shirt isn't something I'm interested in, but it and the red jacket were both well made. The pants were too small for your average 11.5" doll. They were the perfect size for a Skipper doll instead.

Now we come to the umbrella. I only saw that it was for a BJD doll. I keep forgetting that this covers the larger dolls too. Something like the Smart Doll. So my daughters got this as well. They say it works for the "family umbrella". And it can be used with their 18" dolls as well. I was impressed with the details. It functions just like a real sized umbrella!

Okay, here is probably the only thing I got for myself out of this batch... You know those really popular to-go cups these days? They have straws that you might not want dust to get into. So you put these straw caps on. But! They look like tiny cups too. Now, we follow My Froggy Stuff on YouTube. She made her own and they looked amazing. But I don't have the little bits around here that I can make one. Yet! So I decided to get these and modify them. And they work perfectly!

You recently saw the Witch doll we made, right? Well, she wears undies-like clothes. But that meant the girls had to take them from another doll. So I decided to try out the ones on Temu. I forgot to mention them in the first video, but I'm showing you them here instead. 

Getting to the end of this order... I promise! This one is my favorite and I totally want to get another for myself. The girls took this one. This little pink dress is perfect for Chelsea dolls! BUT - it also fits smaller big dolls like the Equestria Girls dolls. So my youngest has been over the moon about it. The details with the roses and lace are so cute! I envision turning a tiny Chelsea into a Belle fan.... 

Finally, we come to the last item! Thank you so much for hanging out this long. This is a DIY kit. While I would love to get the Make it Mini capsules, I just can't afford to do that. About 2 of those would have equaled this entire order! So I'm hoping this set will work instead for some fun that is similar. We shall see. But I will put that in another blog post when we actually test it out. 

What did you think? What product did you find the best? Have you ordered anything from Temu? Let me know in the comments below! I'd love to hear from you!

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Time to Checkout Temu! (Discount at the End!)

Have you seen ads everywhere for the Temu app? I have. At first I thought it would all just be cheap junk from overseas that took too long to arrive. So I ignored them all with a bit of annoyance. But...

Well, the girls and I have been making a lot of things for the dolls. We have also been watching videos of other doll enthusiasts who make things. Some of them have been testing the waters with Temu. Not everything inspires confidence. However, I decided to take the plunge and see what was worth it. As well as what falls short of expectations. So dive in with me! 

My first order

I say first as I tentatively consider making another order. I have wanted doll clothes that inspire realistic looks. My daughters and I have a tendency to do doll photography when we can. With the colder weather, we came to realize that our dolls just don't have the types of clothes meant for that weather. After all, Barbie is from Malibu. Unless she went to a resort somewhere, chances are good she doesn't see snow. Or anything below 60 degrees. So Mattel doesn't make many winter items. This can be such a bummer! This is why I started looking on Temu to begin with. https://mktimg-us.kwcdn.com/material-image/2024-01-31/deb113ca-3216-4e0d-bc77-6941abaf3510.png?imageMogr2/thumbnail/670x360Then, as I'm browsing doll clothes, my daughters want babies for their dolls. My oldest wanted to buy some with money she earned in a cat-sitting job. Sure, why not? Add this to my search. However, this is where we learned our first lesson. Measurements mean something! The babies we ordered were NOT the right scale. I thought of them as being like the big baby in Spirited Away in comparison to your average baby dolls. Thankfully, the girls weren't too disappointed. They have great imaginations and just use them as babies that are... bigger than normal.

They were incredibly adorable! Each baby was $2.69. Hats and clothes are interchangeable, though the faces are all the same. But my daughters wanted to test that out anyhow. 

This coat is amazing! Well worth the purchase. My daughters have been asking me to get them one as well. It was $3.59 for the white one. The faux fur at the hood is incredibly soft. The tiny zipper works perfectly. I told my girls that when we finally take our out-of-state trip, we pack these so that they look like they belong in the snow zone! 

16pcs doll clothes and school toys backpack learning kit for 5 3 inch dolls 5 dresses 1 backpack 8 random color learning tools 2 pairs of pink shoes and white shoes 16pcs 6Another thing that our dolls were lacking where things that fit the smaller dolls. Those painted on clothes aren't so cute after a while. They need to be able to change. So I purchased this set for $4.49. The dresses are random, so you might get a different variety.

They are not finished around the edges, so you have to be gentle with them or you may soon find them fraying. The accessories, while cute, aren't really my style. The backpack opens and can hold almost everything in it. The straps on it are also adjustable. We found that these clothes also fit on my younger daughters My Little Pony Equestria Girls dolls!
Once she learned that, she didn't want them for the little dolls anymore. She has since asked me to get her some more too! 

The next set was this full outfit. The beanie has Home Made on it. The sweater can be worn as a short dress on the doll, or accompanied by something on the legs. It has a little Love embellishment on one shoulder. They send you the thigh high stockings, though my pair came apart at the seams on the first use. It also comes with cute little boots/sneakers. They fit well on the dolls. I bought the grey for me and my older daughter. The younger girl wanted pink. Great thing about Temu is that I can request a refund for the amount that they changed the price for! So, for this one, I spent $2.14 each. But now they are only about $1.93. So they refunded the difference to my account. Since I'm thinking about putting in another order, I requested it back in credit. This way I can just apply it to my next order! 

Final results are in...

This really was to test the waters. Everything that comes from Temu may not be what you hoped. But then other things might be better than you had hoped! My girls and I are excited about trying again. Who knows what we will show you next time? Maybe you can even request something for me to test out in comparison to the various dolls we have? Leave me a comment below! 

As promised....

I have a code that can help you save on your purchase! If you just want to copy the code: acd220483. But if you want to go the easier route, here is my link: https://temu.to/m/uqnvoeqksvu. 

I might earn store credit if you use it to purchase something. Honestly, I'm still learning how that works! But if it helps you save a little, that is plenty for me. 

What is something you have always wondered about getting from Temu? Let me know in the comments below! Better yet, have you purchased from them? Was it a positive experience?? Tell me about it!

Monday, December 4, 2023

That's Not a Hat!

Ravensburger - do you know that name? If not, let me introduce you!

*Disclaimer - I was sent these products for free in exchange for hosting a party and posting my reviews. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are my own or those of my guests.*

Ravensburger is a name you might see on some games, toys and puzzles. They are a family-owned company that has been making games since 1883!

They sent me two games to showcase. One is called That's Not a Hat. This is the one I focused on. The other was Strike, which I gave away as a door prize. Both can be found on the Ravensburger website. Don't worry, I'll have links below! 

That's Not a Hat

That's Not a Hat was truly fun, even through it's challenging play. We had to read through the instructions a couple times, but overall we loved the laughter! It is about having the ability to remember all your "gifts" or be able to bluff when you forget. For us older ones... we forgot, but we dusted off those bluffing skills like champs! 

I highly suggest watching this how-to-play video before you try playing. Makes it a lot easier! 

The official information on the game is:
That's Not a Hat - Wrap and regift objects in this deceptively simple card game of having the world’s best memory... or convincing everyone you do! Was that gift a hat, a bucket, or a traffic cone?! Play this “unforgettable” bluffing game with friends and family for fun, laughter, and a dash of madcap mayhem. As cards or gifts are flipped face down and passed around the table, players must memorize the object on each card or bluff their confidence as they pass the unwanted gift to someone else. Avoid getting caught declaring the wrong object or gain penalty points. The player with the least points at the end wins!

Recommended Age: 8+ 

Great for parties!

Number of Players: 3 - 8

15 minutes playtime

Includes: A rule book and 110 cards with simple illustrations for maximum
memorization chaos.

I've done a few of their puzzles over the years. But want to know a game I loved that they put out? My mom sent me this one before... Under their ThinkFun products, you can find the Cold Case Files. I have done A Pinch of Murder with my husband. It was so much fun!

Where can you find these games for yourself?

So glad you asked! As I mentioned above, you can go directly to the Ravensburger website. But there are other options of places you can look for the games at.

That's Not a Hat: 

Ravensburger has it for $10.99.

Barnes & Noble had it too for the same price. 

Amazon was the same price.

Strike: 

Ravensburger has it for $24.99. 

Walmart has them for the same price. 

Amazon was the same price. 

What do you think? Was this a great game option? I'll be looking forward to hearing from you in the comments below!

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Let's Have a Colorful Ritter Sport Chocolate Party!

I LOVE getting to host parties with Tryazon! Especially when there is chocolate involved. This time, Ritter Sport Chocolates were sponsored. Mmmmm!

*Disclaimer - I was sent this party pack in exchange for hosting a party and then sharing my reviews. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions are my own or of my guests.*

Ritter Sport Chocolates are a German-made, family-owned brand that has been making delicious chocolates since 1912. It is amazing! So light and creamy. I received so many flavors to try as well as share. So let me tell you about each one. 

Milk Chocolate with Cornflakes

This one has a creamy milk chocolate with cornflakes in the middle. My husbands first comment on it was that it was like a Crunch bar, but way creamier! I concur. Your first thought might be like mine, Seriously?? But let me tell you, it was good! I think it was easily my favorite.

Dark Chocolate with Marzipan Filling

The marzipans' sweetness offset the dark chocolate extremely well! I really enjoyed it. One guest was not a fan. They thought it had an aftertaste. I didn't catch any. 

Alpine Milk Chocolate

This would be the one you might compare to something like a Hershey's bar. My husband and I both thought it was less processed in taste. A great creamy chocolate. I only wished we had tried it on s'mores!

Milk Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts

This one was really interesting. Some guests thought it would be better with a different nut - like cashews, while some were fine with it. I suppose it just depends on whether you like hazelnuts or not. The chocolate was still just as creamy. 

Milk Chocolate Whole Almonds vs Dark Chocolate Whole Almonds

I am not entirely alone in loving the dark chocolate, but from this test we discovered that the majority prefers the milk chocolate. And most of them said it would be better without the almonds. Not a favored nut from this group. 

Milk Chocolate with Butter Biscuit and Cocoa Creme

This one was a favorite of everyone that tried it. I actually had requests for more, only there weren't any left!  

Milk Chocolate with Honey Sea-Salt Almonds

Despite there being almonds (not a favored nut for those trying), this one was liked. It had a sweeter taste and the nuts weren't too.... hmm, dry? Not sure how to describe this one any better than that.

Overall, I think everyone walked away with a new love for Ritter Sport chocolates. I'm even looking at the local stores now to see who carries which kinds. 

So what kind would you want to try?? Have you already tried them? Let me know in the comments below. And I'll be looking forward to hearing from you guys! Until next time. 

Thursday, October 26, 2023

4-In-1 Virtual Reality Game Pack From Abacus Brands

Through Tryazon, I was sent this amazing game box! I can't wait to show you how much fun you can have. First things first...

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product for free in exchange for hosting a party and writing a review. All opinions are my own or my guests'. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed.*

Okay now, let's take a look at this box and all that it includes. This is put out by Abacus Brands. It comes with 4 games in the one box. 4 ways to have fun! I think this makes it a great party pack. Not just for the fun, but for the learning. So I reached out to homeschool friends to see who could come hang out and try out this product with us. 

You have to download the app. Thanks to a QR code in the instruction manual, that was quick and easy. Next, you have an activation code on the front of the manual. You choose which game from the set you want to use first and enter your code. Once it has loaded the code, it downloads the game into your library. Then, you can repeat with the others. You only have to enter the code once, though. It will recognize that you have all of them and only ask if you agree to download more. Say yes, and keep adding to your library!  

Umm, I don't think it was supposed to do that....

I had to remove my phone from its protective case first. It was just too bulky to fit into the VR Goggles piece. However, when I went to insert the naked phone, I found that the foam started to peel off and even stuck to my phone!! I was not happy with that... Took me a while to scrape the glue off my phone. Now, to be fair, maybe it was because I had tried to put it in with the case originally. So be warned, and be careful.

Breaking it up into 4

Each subject, or game, comes with its own poster. These are full of information and on glossy paper. The posters are how you will interact with the Virtual Reality part of the games. In combination with the app, of course. In the app, you will hit that triangle for the Play option while looking into the center of the poster that corresponds. This will show you a spinning blue circle (think loading symbol) and then you will be transported into the interactive part.

Dinosaurs:

First up is the one my youngest was most excited for - the Dino-Dig. She absolutely loves dinosaurs.
And had been begging me to open it up since the party pack first arrived. I highly suggest that you lay down something like a junk towel or take it outside.
Also - be prepared for some dusty kids afterwards. I found that using water while we worked made the plaster come off easier.
Solar System:

Next up is the Solar System. I was disappointed that Pluto was not included in our solar system. Call me old schooled, but Pluto is still a planet in my book.

Putting together the solar system diagram or planetarium was a little difficult because the instructions included were... lacking. Thankfully, my son was able to eyeball the picture and pieces included to make it work. The kids needed extra paintbrushes so that they all could paint at the same time. Thankfully, we keep a bunch on hand for craft projects. But if you have multiple kids, just be warned.
I suppose it would have been better with the VR giving us instructions, but I was using my phone to take the video and photos at the time. 

Crystals:

Then we move on to learn about Crystals in the Lab. Growing the crystals takes 3-5 days. But in the video I'll load, you can at least see the process that we took to get them started. Within about 2-3 days, this is where the crystals were in their growth.

Green looks like a dud for us. I appreciate that the cups had lids you can set down in the top to keep the dust out.

Volcanoes:

And finally, we check out the Volcano Lab! Did you ever build one of those erupting volcanoes? Maybe with clay? Painted to look real? Building a volcano was one of the best experiments I can remember doing as a kid. And my kids get to do it now too. Actually, this isn't the first one we have done. The VR part had so much for them to see. And it describes all the aspects of volcanoes.

Right out the gate, we came to find we were missing some kind of "tube" that is needed to 'cap' the top and leave the place where the baking soda and citric acid goes to make the 'eruption' magic happen. We tried to improvise with a small plastic cup piece.

I wasn't too thrilled with that option or optimistic in it working. It wasn't deep enough. The bowl that comes with the kit is definitely not big enough to mix the plaster either. So I suggest using a bowl or pot that you don't use for food, for the mixing step.
Mixing with the stir stick they included was a little time consuming, but we managed pretty well I think. Move quickly though. this stuff starts to harden fast. You can see how we did it in the video. I'd suggest packing in the sides a little as you pour the plaster in. Although, I think ours looks really neat and more realistic with all the ridges along the sides.
Then came the painting time. It can be interesting with multiple kids. I had them take turns adding in colors and details. 

Here is the video we made of the various hands-on kits we did.

 

Pros to using these

First off, there is a lot of good information. You might have to correct some of the things spoken of or read from the posters, depending on your worldview. The interactive portions on the VR is really in depth! The kids had fun and found it very easy to use. I'm also glad that the kits came with hands-on parts. Things you can build or dig into. I find that kids are more likely to remember things if they interact.

Not conducive to those with glasses

Well, it was a bit of a let down for some of us who require glasses to see. Thankfully, with it being so close, it wasn't so blurry for me. And even my son (who is the most blind of us) said he only had to squint sometimes. You could attempt to wear your glasses with the headset, but it caused a tight pain on the nose. Kinda like wearing tight goggles. 

Where can you find them? 

I know our local Walmart had some of them on hand. In single sets. 

Amazon has the 4-in-1 kit for about $60. 

Or you can go straight to the makers! Abacusbrands.com has so many others to choose from. The Human Body and The World Atlas sure caught my eye.

Cons to the information taught...

As a Christian, I don't agree with the evolutionary teachings in the Dinosaur and Solar System programs. So if you are like me, be warned. You may need to remind your kids that the world is not millions of years old. That the universe we live in did not suddenly spring from nothing. That evolution is not how things came to be what they currently are. That dinosaurs died off because of an astronomical disaster. And my favorite? That we are still reaching out to aliens. We sent out a record with instructions on how to use it. This was hilarious to me. Why? Because I don't believe in intelligent life outside of our planet. And even IF I did, what makes us feel so pompous that we can assume they speak and read English?? 

Anyhow... These are theories (NOT PROVEN FACT) thought up by mankind, for mankind, to try to remove God from the equation. These kits are saturated with such views.