I think we just had the worst snow storms all
year in the last two weeks. I really thought we were going
to make it through the Winter without a nasty one and
even my son had not missed any school to snow days
this year. Then in the last 2 weeks, there were like 5 major
snow storms and we were hit hard. I think some places in the
country are still getting hit. Just when you thought it was
safe to come out of the Winter clothes closet, BAM, little
white flakes that scream, "Not so fast there Buddy!" So
much for an early Summer. But old man winter can't stop
it from coming altogether no matter how hard it tries and
one of these days eggs will once again sizzle on the side
walk. Last Summer was a wash for me for the first part
of it I waddled and the middle I had a baby in NICU and
the end a little tiny little bundle of a eating, crying and doo
doo machine. We didn't even really get Rowan out of the
house to fall when we took her and the Pooch to the cider
mill. Okay, the Pooch went to the Cider Mill and the rest
of us were just dragged along. This Summer I plan on
taking full advantage for not only do we live in Michigan,
home of the 10 zillion and one lakes but in my complex
the pool is about 20 feet off my patio and out of the 18
condos and about 200 apartments only us and maybe three
other family's use the pool. Now you have to love that for
it is like having our own personal commercial sized pool
right out our back door. Rowan will still be a doo doo
machine this Summer but she will be a swimming one too.
Yeah, yeah, little water pants will be used.
The only problem is a can never find a suit that
I like. I have the worst shaped body in the whole world. I
have great legs ( and I am humble!) but all my extra
weight is around my middle and arms and I have a large
rib cage that makes me look like a have a nice bust but
in reality I have no cleavage. Nothing fits right on the top,
is too tight in the middle and hangs off the bottom. Finding
a suit is almost a nightmare and to compound the matter I
am also super self conscious so I end up wearing a t-shirt
over the whole kit and kaboodle. This year I know I will not
even be able to wear the suit I have had the last couple of
years that I have developed a love/hate relationship with.
I hate that it is the only one that I could find that fits right
and I love the fact that I could find one at all! I want one
that makes the jiggly parts stand still and not squeeze them
so tight they make for an escape at the closest available
opening. I want a suit that is flattering but not so low cut
that my son begs me to find a spot in the beach far enough
away so people don't know he is with me. I would like a style
that is flattering on a woman my age but not make me look
like I can only hang by the pool to 6 for at 7 they serve Jello
at the home! It would also be nice to have a little sun protection
but I think I may be pushing the envelope now. While I was
looking through the first series of many stores I thought I would
be shopping at this year I came across one that made me sit
up and take notice. Believe it or not it was like the third store
I came to too! Normally I spend months looking only to get
super frustrated and just recycle the suit from last season. This
isn't your normal swim suit store and I don't even really know
how I had this one end up on my list of stores to check out
but boy am I glad I did. Girls4Sport has just the items I was
looking for and I found a ton of cuties for Rowan too!
Girls4Sport sells swim wear and active wear and
performance clothing for all the girls in the family. From Cross
Training to Neoprene they have a great selection of items that not
only fit great and offer sun protection they look perfect on and are
made to last. Their performance fabrics offers support and
keeps Mount Jiggles* from running amok and the built in
shelf Bra makes it even better for they support the girls and
even give me a little bit of cleavage that I so dearly lack. The
Aqua Tops work perfect for all water sports and the colors and
styles work even better for me. Nothing is crazy or too flashy
yet instead of dropping all style and taste and just going for a
plain old bland boring suit they put together styles that look
hot and fashionable for every age. Even their patterned suits
are gorgeous and I am not a pattern person. The Suit I was sent
for review is a Halter top and a Boy Brief bottom and it is
just darling with the black and white pattern and both pieces
offer spectacular support where I need it. Each style comes in
a variety of colors and designs and another cool perk I have
just fell in love with is you can mix and match the pieces so
you have the option of buying a whole set or a pair of solid
bottoms and 3 or four different tops so it looks like you have
a new suit for every occasion. I also did the Michelle test and
you guys know how tough I am on clothes and I washed the suits
at least 20 times and pulled and stretched and went to town
yanking on the seams and even the ties the hook around your
neck to make sure nothing was going to come lose or stretch
and fall apart. I even let Rowan fondle one with some Juice
and some strawberry, hot fudge Sundae covered hands just
to see if they were stain resistant and they were perfect and
flew through every single test I tossed their way. In fact I
was so impressed with the adult styles they had there I have
already clued a few of my Mom friends in for most Moms
have the same problem with Swimsuits I have. Now we are
all going to look like a bunch of Diva's at the beach this Summer!
Hubba Hubba guys, eat you hearts out!
Rowan got to review a suit too and hers was just as
darling and just as perfect as mine. I put hers through the same
tests but I also took some extra time to yank on hers just a little
bit more for face it kids are hard on clothes. Still ticken after
a good old fashioned Michelle licken'! They carry toddler sizes and
youth sizes so there are items to fit your kids all the way to
adult and they also have a fantastic selection and I love the
little swim shorts for it is a hassle to get a one piece off of a
baby to change their diaper and most of the suits that are two
piece come off so easy you end up letting your toddler run around
with just the top or naked. Now with the swim shorts I can take
them on and off with no drama and the top has incredible coverage
and I can let her run around all day with it on for it is so versatile
she can wear it as play clothes then turn around and jump in the
pool without missing a beat. If you have a surfer on your hands or
just a little girl who loves the water so much she even swims
when you think the water should still have ice on it you can
worry less for they even have a Thermagaurde suit and keep
them as warm and cuddly as if she were wearing Long Johns on a
Winter day. Rowans suit fit like a dream and the stretchy material
will grow with her for a while and unlike other suits that
you are going to have to buy a bigger size every few months to
keep up with those weed like children. Last of all Girls4Sport
has clothing that is good for you too! That's right guys and gals,
their clothing has built in UV protection and the swim suits or active
wear blocks at least 98% of UVA/UVB rays. Not sure what suit
to get for your wife or daughter don't take a chance and buy her
something for your tastesbut get her a gift certificate instead. Now
she can pick out what style she wants and you will never have
to spend a full day with her as she tries on 72 differnat fabrics
alone. See, they think of everything! You can also buy Girls4Sport
items on line or at a whole bunch of retail stores. They even
have a sizing guide to make your life a whole lot more simple
and a list of retail stores sorted by state so if you feel as if
you have to try one on you will know where to go. I used to
be a small or medium before Roan detroyed my body after 15
years of trying to get shape and now I think i am a size 6
and just told them I think I need a meduim or large and let me
tell you their suits come the exact size you order. All in all
Girls4Sport has the best suits I have ever came across and
they and going to be my first stop and last stop every time
I need a new suit from now on!
Even better Girls4Sport is going to let one of my
readers see how awesome they are. One reader will win a
pair of Childrens Board shorts in the Sea Green or Coral
Pink. To enter just head over to their site and take a look
around and then come back here and post what your all
time favorite item is in a comment. The contest will start
today and run to Midnight on April 16th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.
Girls4Sport
Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.
1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.
2. Enter any of my other contests. 1 entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.
3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.
4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.
5. Tweet about this contest. 5 entries
please post five times.
Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!
*For those of you new to my site Mount Jiggles is my
Belly who I am always fighting with!
Posted in
active,
beach,
contest,
enter,
fashion,
fitness,
get out and play,
girls,
glamour,
makeup and style,
Outdoor Fun,
prize,
sports,
sweepstakes,
swim,
win,
women
by Michelle AKA blabla3269
|
You would think since I went to school to be a
Chef and I also went for Hotel and Restaurant management
that I would have the "Bombest!" Kitchen on the block.
Top of the line everything and only the best. My cupboards
she should make Martha Stewart cry and my cutlery should
be of such high quality I can cut a can then a Tomato like
that old infomercial. But no, like a mechanic who's personal
car never runs right my Kitchen just doesn't cook. Oh, I
have gadgets, so many I have to store 2/3 rds of them for
I just don't have the shelf space but the sad part there is
those gadgets aren't mine. They are my sons. Since he was
2 years old and wanted an Easy Bake oven to make a
M&M cake he has been collecting them. I even did have
those knives from the commercial ( Ginsu? -can't remember)
for my Mother ( now everyone repeat with me, BAD NANA!)
bought them for Andrew when he was like 4 for he wanted them
so bad. She did explain she meant for me to hold them for
him to he was older but he was a boy and a super active one
at that and one morning I woke to find the arm of my couch
cut up and the knives were then taken from where I thought
they were safe on the top shelf in the kitchen and placed in
storage and did not survive the house fire I had a year or so
after that. Right now we have:
A bullet, a mighty whisk, a popcorn maker, a Slurpee maker,
a ice cream maker, an omelet maker and an omelet pan,
a donut maker, a puff maker, the chocolate factory, a
candy maker, the cookie kit, 2 different George Foreman grills,
oops make that three now, a griddle, a pizza oven, a smoothie
machine, a Slap Chop, a Panini maker, a grilled cheese maker and
more special pans and kitchen tools and ice cube trays and
basters and gadgets then you can shake a stick at. It is
just insane. What I don't have and have not had is good
knives. I have a steel and a sharpener so you would think I
would have something to use with them but no, I keep getting
crappy knives that barely cut butter. I tell myself over and over
again that I am going to start getting good knives and collecting them
so I have a great set and every time I go to the store I see some
kit that seems like such a deal I grab that instead. When I get
home I am thrilled and open it right away and start chopping and
almost cry for it works so well in comparison to what I was
using and I am overwhelmed by how sharp they are and smooth
they cut. For a week I start busting out all my old recipes that
you need to cut things for and go crazy, I make Chicken Scallopini
and cut my own cutlets for the knife just works perfect, I do stir fry
everything and cut veggies like they will never grow again. Cheese,
bread, fruits and everything I can find. For a week I have fresh
cheese, fruit and Veggies trays filled to the brim for easy snacking
in my fridge and become an addict. Then I grab my knife set one
day and start to cut and it isn't quiet as smooth. Not as sharp.
Alright, I get that, loads of Kitchen experience, Knives dull, no
biggie. I grab my sharpeners and go to town there and then try
it again. Still dull. Hummmmmm, I used to be pretty darn good
at sharpening, maybe I am just out of practice, try again. I am
very thorough this time. Grab a Tomato for they are more easy
to cut and maybe I need to start with easy. I cut, it mushes
for the knife is so dull I have to press down to get a cut.
I grumble and snap at the next person who walks in the
room. I had went to the store and planned on spending 50-100
bucks on a good quality knife that would last forever and instead
of getting that ONE knife I once again fell for the good deal and
bought the set that had the steak knives and Chef's knife and
utility knife and bread knife and a half a dozen more specialty
knives in the pack. Hey, I got all of them for 49.95 and
the pack had all sorts of claims on it about them lasting
forever and keeping their edge and yada yada total crap. I
would throw the knives back at them but they are such junk
even if I did hit them they wouldn't stick. Back to square one,
again!
I vowed for like the 50th time that next time I bought
a knife it would be a good quality one and I would only buy
one at a time until I had a set of Superior knives that really
would last a lifetime. To solidify it this time I researched knives
and found a brand I decided to get and this brand happened to
be a ceramic knife. Ceramic is currently the best knife you can
get. I mean best, they blow steel away. This is the difference
between a raindrop and a tsunami here with benefits such as:
1. The Hardness. The only thing harder than the material used
to make these knives is a diamond. This makes them sharp
as well and are much harder and sharper then anything steel
has to offer.
2. Weight. They are very lightweight. These knives weigh less
than half of what other knives do.
3. Durability. Ceramic knives can usually go years without
needing to be sharpened. They also last longer overall because
unlike metal they will never rust.
4. Chemically Inert. These knives are not made with metal so
therefore you will not get that "Tinny" taste you can with metal
and the food you are cutting will end up tasting like that food.
They are also easy to clean and will never stain and super
easy to maintain. I did a load of research and was hooked.
While looking for a brand of kitchen knives that I wanted to
buy I stumbled on a site that has all sorts of ceramic knifes.
www.ceramicknife.org. They have Hunting knives, Rigging,
Electrician, Pocket knives and now a Kitchen Utility knife.
I contacted them to ask some questions and got the chance
to do a review. Now I was tickled pink. I was at last going
to have a good knife in my kitchen. AT LAST!
For review I was sent the Kitchen Utility knife and he
also tossed in a Rigging knife for me to check out. When
they came I was like a kid in a candy shop and I could not
wait to try them. I cut every single thing in the house that
could be cut. All with the Utility knife. I even had a whole
filet roast in my freezer. My Mother knows Andrew and I love
steaks and for Christmas she went to the meat store and bought
us the whole Filet Roast so we could cut our own Filet Mignon
to the size we wanted. A huge Roast at that and even if I cut
2-3 inch pieces we would have enough for 20 steaks or more.
I had to freeze it for it was just too large and since my knives
were so crappy I did not want to mess with cutting it until I
absolutely had to. The first time I cut off a piece I used my
serrated knife for the knives I had that were made for cutting
cuts of meat was so crappy it would never make it through
so at least with my serrated I could saw my way through. It
is still a pain in the butt and the steaks look like heck so I
am super glad it was just for our own consumption and I didn't
have guests coming over but it got the job done, barely. With
the Ceramic knife I was a little worried for it you don't know what
a Kitchen Utility knife is, it is a small knife, maybe 2-3 inches
and used for cutting hard items where you need control or sort
of an anything goes knife as long as it is not a big sort of
anything. I was afraid I would have to cut around the outside
first to get a groove big enough for the knife to fit in and do
it that way but boy was I surprised. And a good surprise too
for the knife is so sharp it just glided right through, and I mean
glided through. This was a frozen solid hunk of meat that I
would have trouble cutting even with a "Good" sharp "Steel"
knife and this was going through this huge roast like a steak
knife through butter! I almost cried. I never enjoyed a steak
more. Now I was worried that it would dull before long like
all the other knives I had bought so what they hey, if it is
going to break my heart I might as well speed up the process
so I know sooner rather then later. I spent a whole week cutting
everything in the house, I had other meats that were bought in
bulk and I cut all of them up ( except for the filet) and that
wasn't enough so every box I got that week in the mail and
mind you guys and girls, I get 20-40 boxes a week all super
sealed and wrapped in enough tape to efficiently tape my son
to the wall so he could never get out. I used it to cut down
those boxes and cut the twine I was using to tie them up for
the dumpster and I even used the knife to cut through some
cable wire when I moved my cable box and needed a longer
piece. Then I went back to the kitchen and cut cut cut some
more. At the end of 10 full days of cutting everything I could
get my hands on I pulled out that filet Roast and was going to
try it again. In my mind, no way would it be this easy
this time. Even if I had a steel knife I had paid 100 bucks
for or a clever I did not think it could take the beating I put
it through and still cut through this roast. At the very least I
thought it would need to be sharpened first!
BOY WAS I WRONG!
Oh-My-GAWD, this knife cut just like it did the first day
I got it and I was in utter and total shock. If you spend a
lot of time in the kitchen run, don't walk to get this knife.
It is that good and ceramicknife.org has prices that I could
not find cheaper any where else and I looked like crazy,
remember I was determined way before this review to buy some
and had already done a load of research on brands and prices.
This knife is fantastic and I loveeeeeeeee ceramicknife.org. New
best friend material here!
The other knife they send was the Rigger. Once again
I had my guys at war over who would get it. I deemed it
a family item for I didn't want to hear it and didn't really know
what a Rigger is and wanted to know before I let them have it
at all. This is a pocket knife of sorts designed to cut when
you can only use one hand. It is perfect for sailors who need
to cut ropes and is so sharp it can cut through Kevlar. After
reading about it and talking it over with the guys we decided
it is also perfect for things such as hunting and fishing and
DIY work around the house and none of us could get over
how light weight it was. We compared it to the Sports knife
I bought for Andrew when he decided he wanted to take up
hunting and it just blew that knife out of the water. It is also
half the price of what I paid for that knife and while I spent
the week with my kitchen utility knife cutting everything in
sight the guys spend the week cutting everything with these.
Both of the guys used it to cut the Strings down on their
guitars, Andrews a normal guitar and Johns a Bass Guitar with
thicker strings. They also cut floor tiles and carpet and lord
knows what else for after I checked in a few times to see what
they were up to they made me nervous they would cut a hand
off ( it cuts through Kevlar for Christs Sake, whats a hand
compared to that?) and I decided it was better if I just didn't
know. It folds up and is just under 3 inches so it is legal to
carry and it works better then any pocket knife or sporting
knife you have ever seen. If you know a man who Hunts or
Fishes or just needs a knife this is your guy and ceramicknife.org
is your site. They also sell Utility blades and a sharpener and
much much more. I know for a fact now that I have tried
a ceramic knife I will never go back to steel. Now
I realize I am lucky and it might just be I found a fantastic
place to buy them from but even if that is that case I am
super lucky then for I did find these guys and remember I
already said they are my new best friends and I will never go
back to plain old boring steel!
Ceramicknife.org was not only great to me they
are great to my readers as well and one of you guys can
win your choice of either the Rigger or the Kitchen Utility
Knife. To enter just head over to their site and take a look
around then come back here and post what your favorite
knife is or something you learned. The contest will start
tonight and run to Midnight on April 19th.
USA and 18 and older can enter daily and the winner
will be contacted by email and have 72 hours to
contact me with their mailing information. As always
you can earn a bonus entry by entering the contest of
the day and other ways to enter are posted below.
Ceramicknife.org
Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.
1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.
2. Enter any of my other contests. 1 entry
per contest, separate post for each entry.
3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times.
4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries Please
post five times.
5. Tweet about this contest. 5 entries
please post five times.
Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!
Posted in
contest,
cooking,
enter,
gift,
great value,
kitchen,
men,
outdoors,
present,
prize,
sports,
useful tools,
winner,
women
by Michelle AKA blabla3269
|
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