Because I Said So!!! Mom Knows Best!

Ugh! All this back and forth and back and forth is
killing me here. Run here and there and don't forget to
hit this place. It is hard enough with kids and taking
them everywhere they need to go. Andrew who spends
his time between here and his Dads makes for a lot of
packing and unpacking and the Baby. < Hangs Head >
The Diaper bag alone is enough to cause hip dysplasia
in most adults. I also have my dog who has to go with
no matter where we go and even has her own travel
pack for she loves Andrews Dad and he loves her and
Boo has spent a lot of time over there and needs stuff.
Now add in my Mother. < Hangs head and Sighs! > so
much carting around and running I am just about beat.
Even worse, feeding everyone. I had to learn to face
facts. I just don't have the cash to eat out all the time.
I was sitting there last week when John was still down
South and thought McDonald's tasted good for we have
not had it in ages. It was only Andrew and Rowan, the
Pooch and myself. I am not a huge eater and though
I get a Big Mac or a Quarter Pounder I can make two
meals out of it and I share a small fry with Rowan.
So we go and get Andrew and I a large sandwich, with
a coupon that was BOGO and then a happy meal and
then the dollar menu, 2 pops, fry, nuggets for Boo,
2 apple pies and 2 salads. 23 dollars! For 2 Adults
and a Baby and a 4 piece for the dog. 23 smackaroos!
I was in shock! I remember when Andrew and I could
eat for under 10 dollars, heck close to five and now it
is 4 times that and the two others that eat are happy
meal age. I know with John home it would have been
over 30 dollars and I would have cried even more. So I
have learned to pack lunches whenever I can.
Now that brings us to storage containers. Lord do
I have them everywhere. I have about 4 dozen lunch
boxers alone for John used to take lunch to work every
single day and before High School and the threat of
ruining Andrews social life, he did too. Both of the boys
would loose their heads if not attached so I picked them
up when ever I saw a good deal on them. I had a
couple for each of them and then they would swear one
was lost and I would replace it and when Andrew left
Jr High and the locker he had for 3 years he came home
with about 10. YIKES! The 6 or so I had at the home
just turned to 16. The John, years and years working
part time at the same place that turned to full time when
he left the Fire Department were soon spent filing for
Unemployment. He clears out his work station and
brings home another Dozen or so. DOUBLE YIKES!
What happened to them being lost? It soon dawned
on me that they were as lost as it is hard to locate
the Milk in the fridge that I have to go and find for
them, middle top shelf, every single time! Boys, boys,
and boys, too lazy too really look. So now I am up
around 3 dozen and Rowan shows her little face and
I need lunch items for a whole new person that the
old boxes just will not work for. Plus little plastic
containers for treats and crackers and everything else
Baby needs.
My overhead cabinets are insane with storage
and lunch containers. The only thing I don't have is
a container for me. I like Rice and Stir fry for why?
Yeah, you guessed it, I am always on a diet. The
funny part is Andrew lovesssssssss Stir Fry and Tai
Food more then anything. To pack that to go though
is the biggest pain in the dairy airy for you need so
many containers it just isn't worth it. Well I was speaking
to a nice lady I had met and she told me that she had
just the solution with a Bento Box that does not take
up a small country worth of shelf space. In fact
Bento Boxes in General are easy to store. She
directs me to a place called Zojirushi. Neat! They
also do a whole lot more then Bento Boxes too. A
whole lot. I contacted them and got to do a review
for you guys. The item is called the The Ms. Bento
Stainless Lunch Jar and is about the neatest thing I
have ever seen. Not only does it all come in this
adorable little carry bag that is the perfect size for
the whole kit and kaboodle it includes a washable
container, two microwaveable inner bowls, chopsticks,
and chopsticks holder. I feel all organized and fashionable.
It is stainless steel but it is blue so it even looks
darling. Not that I have anything against stainless steel
for that looks pretty sharp all on its own but I have so
many stainless items that I need a little bit of color in
my life. The Ms. Bento brings it! Not only are you
blessed with this durable construction you have the
inner bowls that are perfect for the microwave and
can go right from the fridge to there and not miss a
beat. Easy to clean? You Betcha! And made for the
foods I like, Stir Fry, Mamma is coming home!
I about fell in love with my very own bag that if the
boys touch I will break-a-da-face!

In fact I think I have fallen for Zojirushi all
by themselves for they have a lot of items that are
right up my alley. With baby I am rushed and they
have bottle warmers to make my day a little more
easy. My Coffee addiction can be fed with an air
pot or and Electric Kettle, both are great ways to
keep Coffee hot and right next to me for they are
safe too! They have a whole line of Gourmet items
and the Ms. Bento I received is only the tip of the
ice berg there. You also have got to see the Zutto
collection for sharp, sharp and sharp. I would kill to
have any one of these items in my kitchen. What
they are is this super stylish and efficient line of
kitchen appliances that look like they belong in life
styles of the rich and shameless and you can even afford
them for your home. The other product that Zojirushi
makes is a Rice Cooker and I must say I am aching
to try that. I have never in my life been able to
get rice to cook right unless it is Uncle Ben's instant
and thank you Uncle Ben for without you I would really
be with out a paddle on the infamous creek but
the Rice Cookers that Zojirushi makes looks so easy
that I think even I could handle one. If I ever get my
hands on one I promise to let you know. They have
a huge line to choose from and each one comes with
its own set of gadgets and special effect. All of them
belong in my kitchen! Zojirushi offers a taste of Japan
right here in the good old United States of America
and you can learn a whole lot more about them on
their web site plus they have a whole lot of stuff
that is a blast to check out too. Recipes, the Animation
theater and would you believe there is a whole bit
on how to make perfect rice! YUM and I admit I am
nervous but I am sure going to give it a try!

One of you can win a handy dandy Ms Bento
box too! To enter just head over to the site and take
a look around and then come back here and post what
you liked best about the Zojirushi site! The contest will
start tonight and run to Midnight on April 27th.
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, every day, and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.

Zojirushi


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or Twitter page
and post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times. You may only do this
one time! This is not a daily entry.

2. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times. You
may do this once per day if you post a new
tweet. For Each Daily entry there must be a
tweet for that day!

3. Grab my button. 5 entries. Please post
5 times. You may only do this one time!
This is not a daily entry.

4. Blog about this contest somewhere else
and post the link here. 5 Entries. Please
post five times. You may do this once per
day per new blog post! For each Daily entry
there must be a blog post for that day!



Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Radius Toothbrush and isABelt Contests!

BOX FOR BLOX
Got Kids?
Kids come with parts. Not just their own parts but parts
of everything they own. Annoying, numerous, tedious and all sized
parts. Want to know what a pain in the butt those parts can be?
Talk to any set of parents at 3 in the morning on Christmas
Eve after they spent the last 5 hours trying to put those parts
together. Better yet, walk in first thing Christmas morning and
hold out another toy that reads "some assembly" and tell them
you would have done it for them but it looks easy enough.
First duck, then run for that toy just might make its way
back to you. OR, buy them a huge Lego or mega block
kit and call them the morning after Christmas early so they
have to get out of bed and walk across the floor to answer
the phone. By the time they answer you will have had great
odds they will have stepped on one of those Lego pieces,
or ten on the way, then ask them how the toy went over.
I do have to warn you that if you try option number two you
should make sure that your life insurance policy is up to date
and you have been paying your premiums for you don't want to
stick someone with that bill, I heard funeral are expensive now
a days! The point I am getting at is any child's toy with parts
ends up being all over your floor and house and you are bound
to step on it long after they have lost interest in it.
Beads for necklaces and bracelets and Lego's are the
worst. Both of them hurt like all get out if you step on them
without shoes on. I have stepped on a few before and
it hurt so bad it brought me to my knees. Even worse, the
bottom of your foot is so sore and it hurts to walk on it for
weeks afterwords. Ouch and GRRRRRRR, all I want to
do is toss everyone in the trash when that happens. I have
bought more plastic bins that I can count for Andrew to pick
up his for he is a fanatic for Lego's and Mega Blocks and
K'nex and beg him to put them in there. He never does and
then I end up screaming at him and he still doesn't. Then
I beg, still no dice. I get to the point where I try to reason
with him and straight out ask him why and his answer is
always,
"Mom, if I put them all in that plastic bucket I will never be
able to find all the pieces. There are just too many and
I would have to dig forever to find the little ones!"
My reply is always,
" Then separate them and make one bin for each sized
piece."
His reply to that,
"Come on Mom, that will take forever!"
SO I end up doing it and it does take forever but the
pride of finishing it is enough to make my heart swell. Now
he has all his blocks organized and perfect and he can find
them when ever he needs them. Andrew walks in and sees
all of his pieces organized and the first words out of his
mouth are "cool, now I can remake ( insert whatever the
last building toy you child got) because I can find everything.
Then he proceeds to dump the boxes out. A day or two
later we are back to square one. Ugh! If only there was
a better way to sort them he might pitch in and help me
once in a while.
My next review IS such a way and a rocken way at
that! Box for Blox. This is another one of those Duh! I
could have thought of that products for hey, we could have.
Anyone with a boy or even a girl, Lego, Mega Block or
K'nex enthusiast knows what a pain in the hiney it is to
get your kids to pick them up. To keep them neat is even
harder yet and when you suggest to your kids that they do
the job they look at you like you are a leper.
Sort what?

Surely you are out of your mind to suggest such a thing.
Box for Blox makes it a painless task so simple your child
can't even come up with an excuse as fast as it take to
sort them. Box for Blox not only works to store your child's
Lego's and Mega Blocks it sorts them for them too. I swear
to all that is Holy!Are the pieces can hang out with all the
other sized pieces just like them!
What do they have to do?( or if you are at my house,
what do I have to do?)
Simple, just pick them up. Stack the Box for Blox the
correct way and the pieces will simply fall through layer
after layer to they get to the layer they belong on. There
are four trays that divide the pieces and
 the Box works like a charm. Once you
 put your pieces inside they naturally fall
 to the layer they belong on and you can
pick up the whole thing and store it for
the next time your kids play with it.
 The box holds loads of Lego's
and Mega Blocks and you can fit
anywhere from 1,500 to 1,800
Lego pieces and an exact number
would depend on what sized
pieces you have the most off.
Now Andrew has about ten times
that amount or more for he
collected them since he was
around 3 years of age and
still keeps an eye out for new
 ones now 13 years later!
Realistically they can't make
 a box any bigger then the size
it is now for the weight alone
 would be staggering. If
you have more blocks then that just order more then one
or do what we did. You know those plastic tubs I told
you about? We used the Box for Blox to sort them and
then just dumped the trays into the bins. It was so simple
to use that even Andrew has kept up with it and he has
even used the Lego's a few times since he had the box so
there have been real pieces to practice on. In all this time
not once did I have to fight with him to the point of wanting
to pull my hair out to get him to pick them up. In fact I
didn't have to ask him at all because it was so cool watching
all the Lego's fall to the right level he did it all on his own.
The Box also has him playing with his Lego's again and
hasn't really touched them in the last year for at his age
he is only into things that don't require clean up and they
have been sitting for quiet some time. Now they are back
out and he has never been happier.
The Box for Blox works for Lego's and Mega Blocks
and other similar sized block kits. It is 10 and a quarter
inches tall so it makes storing it a snap and I got a kick
out of the fact it even looks like a bunch
of giant Lego's stacked on top of each
other. Now I found that amusing
but what I didn't find amusing
was when Andrews Lego's
would get stuck in my Vacuum,
 now, HA HA, not so much
for they are in his box! The
price is right and the product
is perfect and I so wish they
had these when Andrew was
in his Lego Hey Day for I
wouldn't even want to think
about how many Lego's he
 lost over the years for the simple
fact is he never picked them
 up due to the hassle of putting
them away. Now they are stored
neatly on a shelf in his room
or stacked in the plastic tubs
 and Box for Blox has made
for one happy Mom and one
Happy boy and a whole lot
more peace in the house. They make a perfect gift for the
kids or better yet a gift for Mom and Dads everywhere for
we are the ones who get the best benefits from the box
with no more sore feet, no more ruined vacuums, no
more messy house and no more tears when little Johnny
can't find the last couple of pieces to his favorite Lego
set. These puppies are made in the USA and have been
featured in Woman's Day and right now you can order 2 and
save 10 bucks. Now that's a perk for me for I know I need
like 20 and I can rack up some savings! The Box for Blox
has also won the Best New Home Organizing Product and
rightly so for its my opinion the Box for Blox Rocks!
You guys have a mess like I did? Box for Blox would love
to help. They are going to let one of my readers win one.
To enter just head over to their web site and take a look
around then come back here and post what you have 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 every day and then posting that you did here
and other ways to enter are posted below.


Box For Blox




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. Tweet about my blog and post the link
here. 5 entries, please post five times.


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.


Box For Blox also has a monthly contest
going on via their site too so don't for
get to enter there as well!


Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Mommy Tool Box and Port a Pong Contests!

I hate to pack lunches. Andrew is now in High School
and Heaven forbid you send a High School student to
school with a home made lunch for they are going to
end up eating in a corner by themselves facing the wall.
Or so I have been told. We have come a long way in
lunch prices though since the 80's where I bought
lunch for 80 cents and Andrews costs him $2.50 minimum
and that is if he eats the daily special. The Burger, Taco,
and Pizza stands in his cafeteria cost as much as you
would spend at a regular fast food restaurant. John has
no choice but to brown bag it to work for lunch for we
are already spending 12.50 a week on Andrew and that
is without drinks. We plan on 20 bucks a week for him
total and he can budget it himself. If John were to grab
lunch every day you could add on another 25 bucks and
when you get close to $50.00 a week for lunches you
are crossing into the financial danger zone. As much as
he hates bringing lunch from home he knows financially
we have no choice.

He doesn't hate bringing his own lunch because
the food is bad in the lunches I pack for him, it is more
and embarrassment issue. The reason why he hates it
is that it doesn't matter how nice the plastic ware is
you place in his lunch bag it is the fact that none
of them were made for that specific reason in mind
and even if you only pack three things you have filled
the box to the brim and if you add a drink and a fresh
piece of fruit you can not even close the zipper
and everything is all hanging out. That is where he gets
embarrassed for he feels silly walking into work with a
lunch box and plastic containers hanging out the side
or worse yet walking by the guys to his locker and
something just flat out exceeds the stress limit on his lunch
container and falls to the floor right in front of them.
To make life more easy and less embarrassing I
needed to find a better solution.That was an imposable
task. Everywhere I looked I could not find the size I
needed. I mean don't get me wrong, a lot of places out
there make some fantastic plastic containers but as
fantastic as they are they just don't fill my lunch time
needs.

The other dilemma I faced was storage.
When you go out and purchase various sizes to hold
everything you need for a balanced lunch ( or for those
of us in the real world, just lots of junk) you end
up with 50 different sizes and 50 different lids. A week
later you have 50 different sizes and 42 different lids.
I know for a fact the Cupboard Gremlins are in Cahoots
with the Laundry ones and have hatched an Evil plan to
make me nuts. Any way, now you have all these different
sizes and no way to neatly store them. I even went out and
bought this organizer thing that came with plastic storage
containers. It looked really neat and sounded good in theory
and even spun to make it super simple to pick the size you
wanted but it was one of those things that was much
better in the box. When I pulled it out I had the joy of
finding out that in order for this to fit in you cabinet it
could only be so tall and wide and when you are faced with
that size limit the containers come in sizes that are not
only impractical they are plain old ridiculous. A great example
would be that one of these is so small the only thing it would
be good for is holding salad dressing. The other is tall and
narrow and would be great for carrot sticks so if you plan
on eating carrot sticks and dip for lunch every day you
are all set, if you want a sandwich think again. That hit
the trash and I was back to piecing items together and
ended up with a huge mess in my cupboard. Lids everywhere
for each size needed a certain lid and the same with each
brand so instead of having a few lids out you needed them
all. It was such a mess I would have to open my
cupboard then jump out of the way in case I was confronted
with an Avalanche of plastic ware. It is enough to make
a grown woman cry and I didn't know what to do.








Then I came across Easy Lunch Box Systems.
The containers they have at Easy Lunch Box systems
are meant to hold a whole lunch not just one part of it. You
can put everything you need in one handy dandy container that
is just the right size and fits neatly in your lunch box with
plenty of room left over for a drink and a piece of fresh fruit
I am determined to keep tossing in Johns lunch hoping he
will some day eat it. The Easy Lunch Containers are
compartmentalized and divided so you can even toss some
left over casserole in one compartment and some potato's in
the next. In fact it is divided into 3 ways so I can even
put in a dessert if I wasn't so mad over the fact he never
eats the fruit. I no longer have to worry about cramming
everything in one big container and it all mushing together
and I no longer have to put lots of different size containers
into a bag that they never fit in and even John gets the perk of
not having to suffer the embarrassment of such a disaster.
These containers fit neatly into the bottom of a lunch
box or bag or even better they have a bag the perfect size
for these right on the site at an incredible price. The last
cooler bag I bought for the house cost $19.95 and it did
not have any bells of whistles on it and the bags they
have on Easy Lunch Box Systems cost only $7.95 and
come in 5 different colors. Did I mention they also are
the perfect size for the containers? Even if you have a
hearty eater like my son you are good to go for two
fit in the box just as well and still leave room for a drink
and you can still CLOSE the bag up unlike the bags I
have now with a Hodge podge of different sized containers.

Now I am really happy they look so nice and fit
so well and will spare John some ribbing at work. Those
facts are great, I admit it, but what is even better is the
fact they fit into my cupboard perfectly too! I love the
fact from now on I only need one container for all my
lunching needs and the shelf that used to look like a
Tornado went through it now looks all neat and organized.
The first thing I did was to grab a box and sweep that
cupboard clean! Every odd shaped doo-hickey went right
into the box. The few lids I have left, went right into the
box! All of it, in the box and the box was on the way to
the trash but you know me and the fact I can't throw anything
away, so it went into the basement to sit for 32 years or
we move. Normally John would have been throwing a fit about
that but he was so delighted at the new look of the cupboard
( he has been hit with a tidal wave of plastic ware more then
once) that he didn't even notice I took the box to the basement
and not the curb. Even I have to admit it looks awesome
and do I miss all the other ones? Not one bit! Why would
I? These containers have everything I need all in one
package and if I loose one of these lids, and I know I will,
any of the other ones will work just as well. They stack neat,
look great and are super durable, even if you use them
every single day! Better yet, when they are dirty you can
just toss them in the dishwasher for they are dishwasher
safe and won't get all bent out of shape like some of the
other ones I have bought. In fact if you are really handy
you can prepare meals and as your putting things away
you can fill your boxes up right then and store them in
the freezer. When you need them grab then and toss them
in the bag and when its lunch time you can just put them
in the Microwave for an easy warm up then take them home
and straight into the dish washer. How easy is that? I am
thrilled with the amount of time I can save this way for I always
cook extra for freezing and now I can just make lunches up
like my own personal TV dinner for hassle free mornings!
They come in stacks of four and I love them so much I measured
my cupboard and can fit 20 neatly! I would say I will save
the box of old ones for a garage sale but if they see
my organized cupboard first no way would anyone buy them.
They would be a fool not to go straight for Easy Lunch Box
Systems instead. This is one of those great ideas I don't know
how I got buy before I found them. Easy Lunch Box Systems
just made my life a little more easy!

You life can be a little more easy too for they are going
to give one of my readers a set of four and a lunch bag to
boot! To enter just go to their site and take a look around
and then come back here and post what you learned in a
comment. The contest will start today and run to Midnight
on February 26th.

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.

Easy Lunch box Systems.


Extra entries.
Extra entries only count after the initial entry
is completed.

1. Become a follower of my blog or
post that you are. 3 entries,
please post 3 times.

2. Enter any of my other contest. I 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.

Hey there, while you are here don't forget to enter
my Everyday Minerals and Sock Gram's Contests!