Reviews | That Bald Chick

The Amazing Mat Review plus Giveaway

February 3, 2012 By Virginia 18 Comments

With the recent spring-like weather in St. Louis, my kids have been able to play outdoors more. Which they love. And they have been tracking in dirt more, which I LOATHE.

When I recently received an opportunity to review The Amazing Mat, an anti-bacterial adhesive mat that traps dirt, germs, and bacteria and KEEPS THEM OFF YOUR FLOOR, I was like, “Yah, baby!”

Each mat has thirty layers specifically engineered for capturing mud, dirt, allergens, fungus, mold and even feces. When the top sheet of the mat is dirty, you simply peel away the recyclable sheet to reveal a new layer.

Can’t beat that, right?

When The Amazing Mat arrived, I placed it in front of our back door. Easy peasy.

Mister wanted to know what it was, and what it’s supposed to do. I explained to him that it is “traps” crumbs and dirt, off of our feet, to help keep the floor clean. He immediately brushed some crumbs off of the table onto the mat, and walked onto it.

I didn’t expect him to DO that. I was about to warn him that he shouldn’t walk on it without shoes on. Because he is affected by Hay Wells Syndrome, the skin on his feet is extremely delicate. When he stepped onto The Amazing Mat with his bare feet, my heart skipped a beat. In my minds eye, I saw the skin peeling off of the bottoms of his feet followed by weeks of wound treatment. I immediately picked him up to examine the bottoms of his feet, and to my surprise, they were fine.

Crisis averted.

While Mister and I were discussing The Amazing Mat, Sister was outside, splashing in a mud puddle. She loves playing outdoors. Rain. Sleet. Snow. It doesn’t matter, she doesn’t care. She just wants to be outdoors.

She came in, asking me to wash her hands, and when I looked down, I could not have been happier to have The Amazing Mat on my floor!

Muddy Boots on The Amazing Mat

Once she was done playing outside, I left her boots on the mat by the door. After the mud dried, I simply removed the dirty layer, and BOOSH! It was a clean layer WITHOUT THE MOP!

Amazing Mat with Muddy Boots

The Amazing Mat ($29.95) is available in six different designs and can be purchased at www.theamazingmat.com.

I can’t say that I will always use The Amazing Mat, but I WILL be putting it down on rainy and muddy days to save myself from having to mop the entire floor!

Where would you put The Amazing Mat?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: For the Home, Giveaways, Reviews Tagged With: amazingmat, checkthisout, giveaway, Review

Little Mommy My Very Real Baby Doll

December 7, 2011 By Virginia 10 Comments

Have you ever been startled by something, only to laugh at yourself over it?

A few days ago I was organizing Christmas presents in the basement, while the kids were upstairs napping. I was trying to be very quiet, so as to not disturb them since I was right under their bedrooms. As I was unboxing a doll, I heard “Mommy, I love you.” I jumped about two foot, thinking one of the kids had sneaked into the basement, and then realized that it was the Little Mommy My Very Real Baby Doll, which I received for review from Mattel, that I was unboxing.

About the Little Mommy My Very Real Baby Doll (from Mattel)

Does your little one want know what it’s like to be a Mommy? This doll is much like a toddler, and little mommies love giving this sweetie a snack and fixing her boo-boo. The doll will even give good night kisses at bedtime, before closing her eyes. Nighty-night!

Incredible lifelike movement and sounds
Tongue lights up green when she licks her juice bar
You can "magically" wipe away her boo-boo, too
Includes doll with lots of play accessories
Requires 4 AA Alkaline Batteries (included)
Recommended for ages 3+

Very real, indeed. I couldn’t stop laughing for several minutes afterwards. I thought I would show you a few of her sayings. Please forgive the crudeness of the video, I did this one without Hubs expert editing assistance!

Sister just loves baby dolls. It wasn’t until recently that she cared whether or not a doll made noise or moved. That all changed one day when she found a baby doll that cries at the pantry where we volunteer. She wagged that thing around all morning, comforting it, cuddling it, talking to it. So much so, that when it came time to go, the Pastor that runs the pantry told me to take the doll home with me, so Sister could continue to play with it. She kept asking me, “Mommy, what’s the baby saying? I don’t understand hers whining.” Hmmm. Wonder where she has heard that… LOL.

I’m not sure what I think of the glowing green mouth, but I think Sister will like it, and that is what really matters. Because of her reaction to that one, I just know she is going to LOVE this one. I envision hours of play with this toy, and can’t wait to see her mother it.

They sure didn’t have dolls like this when I was little!

The Little Mommy My Very Real Baby Doll is available at retailers nationwide, on Amazon, and at http://shop.mattel.com

Snag this money saving coupon for your Christmas shopping!

$10.00 off Little Mommy My Very Real Baby Doll

***I received a courtesy sample of this product to facilitate an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions stated are my own.***

Filed Under: Reviews, Toys Tagged With: Christmas, doll, giftideas

Book Review- The Corruptible

December 7, 2011 By Virginia 4 Comments

One of the first books I read on my brand new Kindle Fire was The Corruptible by Mark Mynheir. In the second installment of the Nightwatchman series, the first being The Night Watchman (Ray Quinn Series, Book 1), Mark Mynheir grabs the reader and pulls him into the pages of this fictional crime drama and holds him there with characters that are likeable and uncannily familiar.

About The Corruptible…

Sardonic private detective Ray Quinn finds himself pulled into a dangerous case surrounding a dead ex-cop in this gritty whodunit.

How much money would it take for you to betray the truth?
Ex-homicide detective Ray Quinn never had glamorous thoughts of the life of a private investigator-but being cornered in a bathroom stall by the enraged philandering husband of a client? That’s something he could live without. Retired from homicide and living with a painful disability, Ray’s options are limited. Stick to the job, keep impetuous sidekick Crevis alive, and spend quiet evenings with trusted pal Jim Beam, that’s about the best he can hope for.
As a new client emerges, Ray finds himself in an impossibly large boardroom holding a check with enough zeros to finally lift him from his financial pit. The job seems easy enough: find Logan Ramsey, an ex-cop turned security officer who’s taken off with sensitive corporate information. But few things are easy in Ray’s world, regardless of the amount of zeros in the check.
In what should be an open-and-shut case, Ray stumbles across Logan Ramsey in a seedy motel room. Only Ray wasn’t the first to find him. Now Logan’s dead, the client’s information is nowhere to be found, and Ray’s employer is less than forthcoming with the details. Suddenly the line between the good guys and bad guys isn’t so clear. With a foot in both worlds and an illuminating look at an unhappy ending that could well be his own, which will Ray choose?

The Corruptible is compelling and witty, a thoroughly enjoyable novel.

Although I had not read the first book in the series, I had no trouble relating to the characters and understanding the history established with the first book. With a background in law enforcement, Mark Mynheir has taken care to weave his knowledge into the novel, yielding an authentic detective story that is life-like and an enjoyable read.

While some of the dialogue is a bit awkward, the overall plot and characters are well developed and believable.

I really enjoyed reading this e-book and look forward to more titles from Mark Mynheir.

***I received a courtesy digital copy of this book to facilitate an honest review. I am not required to give a positive review. All opinions stated are my own.***

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Book, christian, lovetoread, Review

Lincoln Logs

November 30, 2011 By Virginia 4 Comments

Mister loves to build. He can build with just about anything. Blocks, other toys, silverware. You name it, and he can turn it into something else. One of his favorite things to do is sit and build things with Daddy. So for Christmas, he is getting Lincoln Logs.

A lot of Lincoln Logs.

And I do mean A LOT. In fact, he is getting enough Lincoln Logs for Christmas that he could build a small village. He is getting the Lincoln Logs Fort Hudson set from us, a review courtesy of K’Nex. And he is getting a HUGE bag of logs from my Mom. My Mom actually got the bag of logs last year for him, but Sister was way too young (under two) for them to be out, so we had to put them away.

We are getting them out, and wrapping them up this year.

The Lincoln Logs that we received from K’Nex, as well as those that we received from my Mom, are made from real wood and are splinter free. They have the notched ends that allow end to end building. They are stained with non-toxic stain, so even if your little one chews on them, there’s no worry. While the color of the stain on the logs we received for review varies slightly from those we received from my Mom, the quality is true to Lincoln Logs, and it is a toy that I can feel good about giving my son.

I know that the Lincoln Logs will provide him (and Daddy) with many hours of building fun, and I can’t wait to see his face when he opens them up. He has seen some in the store, and has been like, “Maybe we should buy some of those, Mommy.”

Go back in time with Lincoln Logs® to create a Frontier fort! Fort Hudson includes real wood logs plus colorful accessories and play figures. These familiar notched logs and accessories are made to fit together, allowing kids to build any kind of structure they can imagine. Fort Hudson comes with a handy storage container for dependable storage and portability.

Build a frontier fort complete with a frontiersman

Real Wood Logs plus colorful figure and accessories

Handy storage container

70 pieces

Lincoln Logs are a classic favorite among children of all ages. And with good reason! If they can imagine it, they can build it with Lincoln Logs. I remember playing with Lincoln Logs when I was a kid. We could play with those things for hours, and never get tired of them! Did you know that Lincoln Logs were invented in 1916, by John L. Wright, son of Frank Lloyd Wright? The toy sets were originally made of 100 percent wood, with varying colors of roof pieces. In the 1970s, the company unsuccessfully introduced sets made entirely of plastic. Consumers wanted their children to play with the Lincoln Logs that they had played with as children, and the sets were soon reverted to the classic real wood on all their sets. The product is named after Abraham Lincoln, the President who began his celebrated life in a log cabin in Kentucky.

Did you know that the is a Lincoln Logs Little Prairie Farmhouse is a set designed especially for little girls?

How cool is that! It comes complete with the horses that have pink and blue mains! If Sister displays an interest in Mister’s Lincoln Logs, she may just get a set of her own for her birthday!

Lincoln Logs are available at retailers nationwide, on Amazon, and on KNex.com

Learn more about the K’Nex family of toys by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Did you play with Lincoln Logs when you were younger?

Filed Under: Reviews, Toys Tagged With: giftideas, lincolnlogs, Review, thinkchristmas, Toys

Philips Norelco Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper

November 29, 2011 By Virginia 8 Comments

I have been cutting Hubs hair since 2004, which was BEFORE he secured the title Hubs! But not anymore, thanks to his new Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper, which we received for review.

About the Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper…

Easy to Handle with 180-Degree Rotating Head
Thanks to the innovative 180-degree rotating head on the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper, you can trim your own hair with ease and precision. Instead of trying to move your hand or arm into an uncomfortable and difficult position, you can simply rotate the trimmer’s head to achieve the angle that gives you the best reach. The rotating head has a 41-millimeter cutting width that lets you cut more hair with each stroke, and it provides a consistent and even cut every time.

Easy Adjustments for the Perfect Length
With 20 length settings between a #1/2 and #9, the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper gives you the options you need to create the haircut you want. It’s easy to adjust to the length setting using the integrated zoom ring. Simply turn the wheel until you reach the right length for your hair–check the length settings on the side of the comb for accuracy.

Contour-Following Combs and Skin-Friendly Blades for Comfort
The Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper features 2-D combs (big, small, and precision) that move slightly up and down to follow the contours of your head for a smooth, even, and comfortable haircut. Both the combs and the stainless steel blades feature rounded edges that prevent scratching and increase comfort.

Precision Trimmer Contours Around Ears and Trims Sideburns
A precision trimmer is included for contouring around the ears and trimming your sideburns. This handy attachment ensures you’ll always have a well-groomed look.

Easy-Clean Design
The Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper is fully washable for easy cleaning. Keep it neat and tidy by simply running tap water over the combs and blades. There is no maintenance or lubrication required with this easy-to-use clipper–simply use, wash, and pack away for the next time.

Quick Charge and Long-Lasting Battery
Designed for total convenience, the Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper features a lithium-ion battery and Quick Charge Power System–a one-hour quick charge provides 60 minutes of running time. A charging indicator lets you know when the clipper is ready to go.

If you just need a quick trim and don’t have time to fully charge the clipper, you can plug it into a standard outlet for corded operation.

The Philips Norelco Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper is backed by a manufacturer’s two-year worldwide guarantee.

What’s in the Box
Philips Norelco Do-it-Yourself Hair Clipper, cleaning brush, precision trimmer, and three guide combs (big, small, and precision).

I was pretty excited about getting this handy gadget for review. While I don’t mind cutting Hubs hair, I don’t like getting hair on me. I’m bald, okay? Cutting his hair (and Mister’s and Sister’s hair) is a sacrifice for love. I sacrifice my comfort level because I love them. Stray hair drives me nuts. I don’t like hair on me, on my clothes, in my sink, on my floor, or on my furniture. It just makes me want to wretch. Extreme? Maybe. True? Absolutely.

When presented with the opportunity to even think about not cutting his hair anymore, I nearly did a happy dance. I calmed myself down long enough to ask him if he would be interested in helping me with the review of it. “Sure, I’ll try it,” he said.

It just so happened that Hubs had been asking for a hair cut for a few days… okay, a few weeks… when the Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper arrived. So, I grabbed the camera, and we headed for the bathroom. Sometimes it is just easier to SHOW you how well a product works…

Can I just say, I love it!

Yep. It cuts HIS hair, but I love it. Why? Because I didn’t have to brush any of that hair, that ended up on the counter, off of me. I didn’t have to touch it (yep, Hubs cleans up after himself)! AND NOW I don’t have to cut his hair anymore! WOOT!

***Doing a little dance… Doing a little dance…***

Sure, I may have to get a hair here or there, that he misses, but for the most part… my hair cutting duty is OVER!!

Seriously, that rotating head makes this device truly a do-it-yourself device! That’s why I started cutting his hair in the first place, because he couldn’t angle the clippers easily to ensure an even cut.

***Doing a little dance… Doing a little dance…***

The only thing Hubs said he would change is that the clipper didn’t come with a storage bag or case, and he likes to keep stuff like that put away in cases.

The Philips Norelco Qc5530/40 Do-It-Yourself Hair Clipper is reasonably priced at $39.99. For the trouble it is going to save me, I would pay double that. Literally. It just so happens that it is currently on sale on Amazon for $33.99. Plus, there is a handy dandy little Amazon coupon that allows you to save an additional $10 off the purchase of Philips Norelco Hair Clippers.

With the coupon, this gadget is just $23.99! That is a STEAL! If you have Amazon Prime, shipping is free of course. Otherwise, add $1.01 worth of stuff to your cart to get free shipping. SCORE!

What an awesome stocking stuffer of Christmas gift that would be for the guy(s) on your list!

Now I just need to teach Mister how to use it on his own head.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

Learn more about the Philips Norelco line of products, and money saving specials, by following @shaveexperts on Twitter.

Filed Under: Beauty, Health, & Wellness, Reviews Tagged With: clipper, haircut, philips, trimmer