Pea Pod Delivery Review

This last two weeks have been rough for me.  We've had illnesses on illnesses and some other health problems and my desire to leave the house is at an all time low.  For months we'd been getting coupon codes from pea pod grocery service trying to entice us to have our groceries delivered and when I looked at our quickly emptying shelves and thought about going to the grocery store I almost had a panic attack until I remembered a pea pod coupon in my junk drawer.  I sat down and in maybe fifteen minutes had ordered my entire list.  They had everything on my grocery list.  The prices were maybe a little higher, like not necessarily the sale price but about equivalent of normal prices.  They have sale items.  Chicken was cheaper then in my store this week.  They carry organic.  They have their store brand and they accept manufacture coupons.  The grand total for my list, 110, 85 after I used my $25 off coupon.  The price to deliver to my house, 6.99 although for the first 60 days I get free delivery.  I picked a delivery time, hit send,  and was done.  This morning I got a text during breakfast that my groceries were here.  Six boxes were on the porch.  I pulled them in and had them unloaded before the kids were on the bus.  It was AMAZING!!!   For me at this moment a real life saver.  I imagine that if I stuck to one Costco trip a month and this the rest of the weeks I would probably even save money because I wouldn't be tempted by random clearance items.  Maybe this month I'll test that theory out!  The one negative I see, you are stuck with the boxes until they pick them back up.  Right now they are hiding in my guest room :)

eShakti Review

Part of being a Mormon is following a certain code of modesty (ie, wearing sleeves, dresses to your knees, neck and back lines that aren't plunging).  The comeback of capris was a lifesaver to Mormon woman but since not all styles off the rack are so forgiving plenty of businesses have grown up to cater to our needs.  We have embraced slips and undershirts to be shown, tiny sweaters to cover arms, and you can find us wearing leggings under our shorts as well as our skirts.  It allows us to follow some of the trends of the time but have a distinct style all our own.  For the most part I'm grateful.  Thank you Shade shirts for letting me wear off the rack dresses and capris for keeping me from burning up in the summer.  That being said sometimes I just want to wear something without having to worry about the extra layers I'm going to use for my "Mormon Problem Areas".  Enter eShakti.  A couple of months ago my friend Nancy mentioned a site that for a nominal fee would allow you to customize your clothing.  I read some mixed reviews about the site but I really need something cute for Dr. J's graduation and so I decided to give try it out on a spring dress, thinking that if that worked I could use them for the graduation attire.  The dress I picked had no sleeves, something normally I'd either not even consider or have to use a Shade to deal with.  This time I just added sleeves when I ordered. 

The cost of customizing a dress...7.50.  You can change the neckline, length, and sleeves for that price.  You can order normal sizes, 0-26, or you can specify your actual measurements, my arms are this many inches, my waist is this many, etc.  The dress is sort of a disaster.  I mean seriously, I'm at an all time high in my chunkiness, why did I order something with so much fabric and ruffles, and while I ordered something with color because I'm sick of my entire closet being black and brown, I'm not going to lie, I miss a dark color...that being said, the workmanship was great!  The sleeves look like they were always intended to be part of the dress.  The service was fast.  The cost reasonable.  The amount of choices amazing.  They have tons of great styles on the site and by allowing you to change aspects like sleeves, color, and length they give you access to almost limitless styles.  They also send e-mails each month offering money off new orders.  While there is a disadvantage to not being able to try stuff on (yes that would have probably helped me avoid looking like a cupcake :) I enjoy the option of being able to make decisions from home.  Also returns are easy and if you choose to get a gift card instead of cash back they'll refund you 20% higher than the price of the dress make up for some of the lost cost in shipping.  I've read some reviews of people who didn't like the results but for me it worked and I'll be using them again.

If you want to try them, my referral code CrysSlade51 will get you $20 off your order, plus the first time you customize a dress they'll do it for free waving the normal 7.50 fee.  In full disclosure I get a referral credit if you buy using that code so if that makes you uncomfortable you can usually find other coupon codes online.

Zhu Zhu, Boo-Boo

Batter operated pets are all the rage right now.  My kids got six this year, three zhu zhu pets, one Fur Real Puppy, one Fur Real Panda, one Fur Real baby Penguin.  They ADORE ALL OF THEM!  The little noises they make, the movements, they really are commercialized to be exceptionally pleasing.  Add the fact that they don't poop, shed, or bite and they are a parents dream pet.  Two down falls I can see...1)Those bateries are going to run out.  2)The Zhu Zhu pets are little scalping machines.  The company is well aware of this.  It says right on them, "Do not put near hair."  Unfortunately when you get a scrum of kids, babies, and Zhu Zhu pets accidents are going to happen.  Twice now Peach has managed to be on the receiving end of this flaw.  Now she has a three pronged callick.  It is going to be painful watching this grow in for year to come :(

Ekos Cacau - Natura Product

I grew up in Arizona...land of the flip flop and bare feet.  Even now, a thirty year old mom of three flip flops are still my favorite footwear.  Every day of late spring, summer, and early fall I wear flip flops.  I pay the price, bad tan lines and calused heels!  I count on a winter in socks and shoes to soften them up.  Something went wrong this winter though.  My feet have been so dry this summer!  They actually grate the sheets when I slide my tootsies into bed at night.  I've tried lotions but they make my skin feel soffocated and have done nothing to help.  I decided it was just going to have to be scratch sheets for me.  Then I got this stuff.  My sister spent a semester in Peru and this Brazilian company Natura is extermely popular there.  The woman of Peru sell it to friends a relatives, think Mary Kay or Amway, the Brazilian organic, natural product version.  This stuff is for hands but I've been using it on my feet and hands.  It is delicious!!!!  It smells so good.  It goes on thick but doesn't leave me feeling soffocated, and best of all it makes my feet feel like silk.  My major problem....how am I going to get more of it!!!!

eshakti review

A friend of mine posted a site eshakti where you can customize clothing, length, sleeves, arms, for a minimum fee.  They also let you order clearance items with no customizing for 35% off.  I need a formal dress for Dr. J's graduation.  The last one I went to the girls looked like they'd walked out of a fashion magazine.  So a fancy dress is a must.  Finding a fancy dress with sleeves that goes below the knee is extremely difficult.  Prom, homecoming, a wedding...believe me I know.  So this seemed like a great possibility.  I read mixed reviews about the site so I decided to test it out on a clearance dress before I had something customized.

The box the dresses came in.

 Wrapped up in tight in two bags.

 The dresses.  Ok so here is the weird thing...they are made out of sweatshirt.  I talked with my sister about this and she says that is the popular thing right now.  Seeing as she is tons hipper than me I'll take her word for it, but I found it a little creepy :)  As weird as it is I liked the cut of dress number one, but I'm unsure of the length.  Believe it or not I don't have a full length mirror, a necessity to know if it is long enough.  So I'm a little torn on it.  The Orange one though...that one is going back.  I love the bow that goes with it.  I like the cut.  I adore the color.  I dislike the sweatshirt material.  The main problem though...it smells like cat pee.  I put it on and was instantly assaulted with a yucky smell.  Weird detergent, icky perfume.  I finally decided it smelled like cats.  Ick!  Definitely going back.  Will I try it again?  Right now it literally is a mixed bag.

Day 32 - Alone

Today I'm Thankful For: Resolve Carpet Cleaner.

Today it saved my sanity.  I was carrying my Green Smoothie out the door this morning when Gigi asked me to help her put her boots on.  She was sitting at the bottom of the stairs and when I handed her my cup and asked her to hold it while I slipped her shoes on.  I distinctly remember thinking, "Man this is a bad idea."  Almost at that exact second she sat the 16 ounces down beside her and knocked it over.  Green Smoothie went everywhere, the wall, the floor, the door, my pants, shoes, and worst of all half of the entire bottom stair.  Blueberries, ground up spinach, and banana on a tan carpet, bad combo!  Mentally I was freaking out.  I grabbed two towels and tried to wipe up as much as I could.  Then we headed out the door to school.  "What am I going to do?" I kept asking myself.  After Captain E and Gigi were safely at school Peach and I headed over to Wal-mart to check out the carpet cleaners.  After some debate I grabbed a bottle of Resolve Triple Oxi Advance.  It took over an hour, lots of Resolve, tons of water, three very used rags, and my spot cleaner to suck up all the green foam and water but I can now walk in the door without seeing a huge green splotch.  Resolve carpet cleaner is my hero.

Today I didn't:

-kill my daughter after she spilled green smoothie on the floor.

-let my kids have any Halloween candy, believe me they asked.

-do my dishes.

-actual do anything productive.

Today I:

-get spinach and berries out of my carpet.

-dropped my toys off at one week boutique's toy sale.

-spent an hour chatting with my neighbor JaNae when I went over to pick the kids up.  Poor girl had talk with a numb, sore mouth, thanks to a dentist appointment.  I was definitely grateful for the adult conversation.

-spent significant amounts of time trying to find a great deal on Band Hero.  There are none.  Looks like I'm going to have to go out Black Friday.  

-took my kids out for Pizza.  Yup I was just that lazy.  Usually we do homemade but that whole dish issue...well I'm serious about not doing them :)

Check out this picture of my mom and Nana.  I always felt visually challenged in my own family.  My nana and my mom are the two woman I love most in this world.  I know parents/grandparents either don't have favorites or don't admit to them but that didn't keep me from wanted to be the favorite.  In fact I think it is safe to say that these two woman were probably my first great loves.  Like all children I tried to pick the parts of me that matched them, my primary care givers, the ones I loved.  As a child is was deeply unsettling that I could find so few similarities.  Brown eyes to their blue.  Brown skin to their pale.  They both have brown hair but while theirs was light enough that it could easily be dyed to another color mine is dark enough that for simplicity sake many people just refer to it as black.  Curly hair to their straight.  My family has a very distinct nose, the Lucas nose.  While my nose was far from small it was more sharp, a monument to my father.  My grandmother had nice full lips, my mothers are much thinner, mine are some place in between.  They had cheek bones, my cheeks have always been round.  They both have high foreheads with high hair lines, a great place for bangs, mine forehead is narrow, my hair comes down far.  So few are our similarities that even now as an adult I have the list memorized.  My hands and feet look just like my Nana's.  My stubby eye lashes and thick calves are from my mom.  Ironically my teeth were gapped just like theirs and I got rid of that in my early teens.  But the rest of the similarities I hold around myself like a comforting blanket.  I wonder if the same will be true of my own children. 

Products I Love

I have the worst skin.  Every little scratch becomes something permanent.  Scar city.  I recently cut a huge chunk off my leg with a bad razor.  Blood was going every.  I looked down and realized I was going to have a huge scar and there was no way a little band aid was going to work .  Then I realized I had these pads in my closet. You pull one out, warm it up in your hand and place it over the wound.  It acts like a second skin.  It was amazing.  I did have to replace it once because there was a lot of blood built up under the first one.  I pulled it off, wiped it off, and put a new one on.  I got no scab.  I had no blood leakage.  I didn't get any of that nasty sticky stuff around my bandage.  Two weeks later I barely have a scar at all.  I will definitely be buying these again.  Interestingly enough the surgeon Dr. J is working with uses a similar product all the time on office procedures.  No more regular band aids for me.   

I found these blankets at target this week.  4 aden and anais for under 30 dollars.  These muslin blankets are the best baby blankets I've ever seen.  They are perfect for swaddling.  They are perfect for covering baby.  They are light, cute, and humongous.  You can buy them online for almost 50 dollars.  Target has them for a much better price.  I know I don't have a new baby but I couldn't resist.  I swaddled Peach in her nap yesterday and she slept so much better then she usually does.  They are also great for playing ghost!

Horizon Milk...DELICIOUS

Horizon organic milk is delicious, no weird aftertaste. I buy the self life individual chocolate milks for my sons lunch. I'm always having to restock because his father drinks at least one a day. Yup, his father! Thanks Wizard.

30 Days Organic

Organic Butter....um taste exactly the same as the organic milk. What is that weird flavor?

Free Range Chickens and Their Eggs

Organic, free range chickens and the eggs they lay that I steal. That is todays post. Free Range, vegetarian feed eggs are easy to get. They run about 3.30 a dozen. My favorite grocery carries their own brand as well as Egglands best. They come in a nifty little plastic carton which is recyclable (although so is the cardboard one so I don't this is a selling point). They are brown. Which my kids love. I'm pretty sure that is just a fact on what type of chicken they are, but it makes them look more "organic", lol. They taste the same. I've heard people say, "They taste so much better." I haven't noticed that, but they don't taste worse so that is good. I've heard the nutritional value is better. Hubby and I used to wonder how this was possible but then we started thinking about timetable. Typical chickens are forced to sit in tight cages completely indoors with lights that make their days and nights shorter, allowing them to produce more eggs per year. That has got to take it out of your body. It just isn't healthy to defy the natural laws of egg laying :) I get a kick out of the "vegetarian feed". You might be asking yourself well what else could they be eating...well a lot to be truthful. When we lived next door to this old lady, in exchange for eggs and a brake on our rent we took care of her chickens and kept on eye on her. Those birds were nuts. If a chicken or chick died and you didn't get it out of their area they would peck it all up. I guess they were eating it. Still grosses me out today to think about it. Someday I would like to have my own chickens and eat their eggs...I guess that whole chicken thing made an impact, but until then these little brown babies aren't bad!

Brown Cow Maple Yogurt

It is organic and it is delicious! Be forewarned cream on top equals high fat content (this is whole milk people). Should be considered a dessert...not a diet food :)