Product Review: Zerlar Silicone Breastfeeding Manual Breast Pumps Milk Pump Suction

So some moms in one of the breastfeeding groups I am in were raving about this product. I decided I had to try it because I just hate pumping, so the idea of just attaching this while nursing and letting it collect milk seemed too good to be true. Because of this I bought this cheaper "knock off" version to try it out. This version and the more expensive one are both sold on Amazon. 

I purchased this item for $12.99 with free Amazon prime shipping. 

The link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EMXN28M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

With my previous 3 kids I struggled to breastfeed, but have been blessed that this 4th time it has been a breeze. I attribute that to situation, support, and education. However those struggles of nursing, pumping, supplementing, etc over and over again left a bad taste in my mouth for pumping. 

Amazingly this product worked wonderfully! I have used it three times now and it is such a simple way to collect breastmilk.

Of special note.. I have not had pain while using this product, but if you are having pain I would stop using it. 

Product Review: Fragrant Jewels Bath Bomb

So again I saw an ad and though, "Ohhh that look's fun." So, of course, I decided to try it out and write a fun little review about it.  The bath bomb alone was $14.95 and I did receive a free ring because I used a code. It cost a total of $22.95 and I did feel that the shipping was a bit on the pricey side at $7.95. 

From the site: https://www.fragrantjewels.com/collections/bath-bombs

I chose to order the Watermelon Bath Bomb. I must say that its presentation was pretty darn cute. It would make an adorable addition to a gift basket in my opinion. The opposite side of the packaging. 

The bath bomb is wrapped in plastic; I assume for extra stability during shipping. It smelled pretty good as well. 

The "free gift" ring was meh in my opinion, but hey...it's just not my style. 

It did some awesome rotations and fizzing after adding to water. 

Of course I have to have my Starbucks with my relaxing bath ;) 

Kind of looked cool towards the end of its life and you can see the surprise ring in the middle. Definitely has a fun factor to it. 

The ring. 

I totally dig the style of this ring. 

I wore it for a week, but unfortunately it turned my finger green at the end of the week. Super cute for a once in a while ring though. 

The jewelry comes with a tag that you enter a code and it tells you what your ring is worth. My rings were "worth" $10. I don't actually believe they are worth that, but maybe you would pay that in store to buy something similar. They also tell you that there is a chance you could get a ring worth much more, but I don't like to take chances on gimmicks like that. 

However after all was said and done I had a mild reaction to the bath bomb. I do have sensitive skin so I would be wary of buying this for yourself if you have sensitive skin. 

In summary, its a cute idea and has some interesting/fun gimmicks. I definitely think it was worth the one time experience, but I don't think I plan to purchase it again. 

Long Overdue Introduction

So in January I announced we were expecting a new little one. He arrived on 2/4/2016. So here is our little guy, William. He has been a true joy in our life and his siblings have been so adorable interacting with him. I never jotted down a long birth story, so here is a blerb I posted on facebook after the fact. 

 I was induced on 2/4 and I started at 1-2 cm. I labored for 6 hours without pain meds. The nurses kept coming in and saying that I "labored beautifully" and I was amazing lol. They kept coming in to adjust my pitocin up and down because they felt I was having too strong of contractions. I must say I felt like super woman up until I hit 6-7cm. I agreed to pain meds because they had informed me this was my last opportunity. In hindsight.. I don't think I needed them. I labored another hour... gained little progress but was in a lot of pain. Ready to be done. I remember telling Richard that I was "Ready to be done now" in a very pitiful tone. The nurse came in and had me flip to my right side, then my left. I needed to push! I had gone from 7cm to 10 cm in 5 to 10 minutes! They made me HOLD HIM IN while I waited for the doctor... Doctor arrived, told me to push. I pushed his head out and a few seconds later his body. Literally he came out in under a minute! Richard told me after the fact the doctor almost dropped baby William because he didn't expect him to come out so fast! During labor Richard was AMAZING! Rubbing my back, holding my hand, and just being there to support me through it. I sat on the ball, I rocked back and forth, I listened to music... etc Richard also snapped some pics..  

and a recent picture of baby William

Product Review: Elizavecca Carbonated Bubble Clay Mask

So I saw a video for this product and was interested in the fact that it bubbled up instead of dried. It seemed fun so I thought I would give it a try. I ordered it from Amazon for $10.64 with free 2 day prime shipping. 

From the amazon page 

http://www.amazon.com/Elizavecca-carbonate-bubble-Clay-Mask/dp/B00KFLE2UI

Ingredients

green tea extract, aloe vera leaf extract, matcha powder, charcoal powder, pomegranate extract, fermented soy extract, alantoin, peony root extract, oregano leaf extract, white willow peel extract, portulaca extract, cinnamon extract

Directions

1. Spread evenly the carbonated bubble clay mask pack all over the face 2. let it lay for 5 minutes to generate the bubbles itself. 3. to maximize the pore cleansing and exfoliating and make-up cleansing, add some water to skin and massages two more minutes 4. wash off the bubbles foams generated during the pore cleansing with warm water

They claim it is a "Pore cleaning black head removal bubble bomb mud pack." 

So I started out looking like this: 

As you can see I have some acne issues right now and I look like a mom who was up until 4 am studying for her Physics final. 

I applied the mask (with a cute little spatula that it came with) and it immediately started bubbling up. I ended up applying a little more to the left side of my face than the right. In the end I would say that side ended up turning out better than the other side. 

Some fun bubble shots during my 5 minute wait. Its a fun feeling and sounds sort of like pop rocks or rice krispies lol. 

Here I am at the end of the five minute point and I began to gently rub in the mask. 

End Product after washing in warm water.. All clean

As soon as I finished washing with water my face was very soft. Likely from the soapy residue left behind that I just couldn't seem to scrub off. As it dried my face did feel a mild tightening feeling that it often does after masks. It also felt very clean. 

All in all it was a fun product. Their blackhead removal claim may have some validity to it as I felt like my nose looked better at the end. My nose is blackhead central on my face. I can't say whether it had any true benefit to my skin in the long run, but I plan to use it again. I will update with more info on long term use. 

It's been awhile

I guess I ought to give some updates since it has been quite some time. 

First off, we finally have a lawn mower that WORKS! In the long run we returned a second defective mower before we upgraded our purchased to a John Deere. It works wonderfully and we have not had any real problems ever since. 

Secondly Getzy is gone, but not in a bad way. Ross and Getzy moved out on the first into their very own place! So far the two seem to be doing well together :)

However the biggest change by far is the face that we are expecting a new little one in less than 4 weeks! So apparently my going silent for so many months was a side effect of being so busy. Richard and I are ecstatic to be expecting a baby boy due Feb 4th. 

Here are some images of our little guy via ultrasound. 

So we have been rather busy with school, life, and prepping for the little boy. 

I finished up Chemistry: Quantitative Analysis, Calculus III, and my first semester of research at the Cyclotron. Research was by far the best part! 

Richard left his research group and has another lined up to start after he finishes his grad classes. He should be done with all but one or two classes by the end of this spring semester. It was a transition for him but so far it has been the best move for him and our family. The previous situation was not a healthy one for him. 

Aurora, Johnny, and Scarlett all continue to excel and love school. They all had birthdays over the course of our missing blog months. Aurora turned 8, Johnny 7, and Scarlett 5. They are excited for their new baby brother. 

The kids attended the Monster Bash at their school during Halloween that our family won the award for best family costume. I helped to plan and decorate the event with my friend Megan. I did photography on the night of and Richard was our "Mad Scientist" :) John nor Dwight wore a costume on the day of so they are not in the pictures. 

Of course there was also Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas, and New Years. Too much to post all at one time, so this update will have to do for now.