Review - Kennedy Home Collection 30-Inch Faux leather Folding Ottoman, Black

We use this to hold all of our movie blankets and it's perfect! Looks nice in our living room, has stood up to a lot of heavy use from our children, and has a surprising amount of storage space.

Click below to purchase at Amazon:
Kennedy Home Collection 30-Inch Faux leather Folding Ottoman, Black

Edited June 2014:
Our ottoman is now 2.5 years old and has been heavily used! The main part is in great shape and I love how it holds blankets perfectly. The problem now is that all 4 of the corners on the lid have broken. :( I haven't found anything comparable to the ottoman, so I've purchased some black duck tape to repair the corners...MACGYVER STYLE! Hopefully it'll soon be an even more epic ottoman.

Review: Dritz Sewing Babyville Boutique Pattern & Instruction Book 1 Cloth Diapers Made Easy

I've been sewing cloth diapers for several years and love the information and patterns in this book!
Fantastic for beginners but also great for those with more experience.
The pictures and tutorials are well-done and include a lot of different variations to try.
The pattern is awesome! It's one of the best-fitting patterns I've ever used (and I've tried quite a few!)
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to sew their own cloth diapers.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:
Bulk Buy: Dritz Sewing Babyville Boutique Pattern & Instruction Book 1 Cloth Diapers Made Easy (3-Pack)

Review: Graco Dynamo Lite Classic Connect Stroller, Oasis

I like this stroller, for the most part.

We received this after having problems with the folding mechanism on the Graco stroller we bought as part of our travel system (see that review here: http://reviewgeex.blogspot.com/2011/05/review-graco-spree-travel-system.html)

The pattern is cute (though I wish it matched our car seat, like our original stroller did). Very gender neutral. Canopy is large and works well. I like that it has a little flap check on baby without opening the whole canopy.  Parent tray holds most drinks fairly well, and the open compartment is great for phones, keys, wallet, camera, etc. Child's tray holds a bottle or sippy cup really well. I also like that it opens easily from either side (for my independent little one!)

Our Graco car seat snaps easily and securely into place. Basket underneath is very roomy and sturdy! Our 3-year-old likes to crawl in there while I'm pushing the baby in the car seat, and the basket easily holds her weight! The 5-point harness is great when we're not using the car seat. Straps are fairly easy to adjust.

The wheels have been squeaking for awhile but I think some WD-40 would solve that problem very quickly. The folding mechanism on the handle has never gotten stuck.

My only big complaint is that it's really awkward to unfold. Impossible to do it with one hand. You have to hold the handle with your right hand and use your left to pull the latch off the left side, and pull the handle out to unfold it. But if your left hand slips while holding the latch, you get to start again. Lucky you!

Folding the stroller is pretty quick: you push the button, turn the handle and fold. It folds in half and fits in a fairly small space, which is nice. It's just the unfolding that's a pain.

I wish the child's foot rest were wider, but that's not a huge issue.

Overall, a great stroller.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:

Graco Dynamo Lite Classic Connect Stroller, Oasis

Update: May 2014
We've been using this stroller almost daily for the past 3 years and it's still in great shape! Wish unfolding it were easier, but it works and we like it. :)

Review: Graco Spree Travel System, Barcelona Bluegrass

Overall: a decent travel system. Next time I'd probably get something different though.

First, the pros:

Car seat - Very sturdy, pattern is nice for a girl or boy, clicks easily into the base of all 3 of our Graco strollers, canopy is great for shade, padding is comfy, cover is easy to wash (we hang it to dry), seat belts work well and are easy for us to buckle/unbuckle.

Stroller - Love how it folds up! Basket is nice and roomy, pattern is pretty, canopy works great, cupholders are fairly deep, child's footrest is wide.

Cons:

Car seat - this may be a personal preference, but the seat belts can only be adjusted from behind the car seat. During quick weather changes (snowstorms, rain, etc.) it's a huge inconvenience to get the straps adjusted correctly when time is of the essence! We keep the base latched into our van, and it's nearly impossible to adjust the straps when the car seat is clicked into the base. So we end up doing a weird dance called, "balance the car seat sideways on the base and hurry to adjust the straps while the baby is screaming and the other kids are running in the thunderstorm." Next time, I'd buy a car seat with straps that can be adjusted in the front!

Stroller - loved pretty much everything about this stroller...until the folding mechanism stopped working. After a few weeks of having the stroller, the button and twisting part on the handle started "sticking". Sometimes they would work, other times we had to just shove the stroller in the back of the van without folding it (I don't know what we'd have done without a ginormous trunk!) After a few more weeks, the folding mechanism stopped working altogether. We wrote to Graco and they had us return the stroller in exchange for a different one. (Their customer service was fantastic in this regard!) Unfortunately, the stroller they sent us is a 'Graco Dynamo Lite Classic Connect Stroller'. It's an ok stroller, but unfolding it is really bizarre. (See my other review for more info).

I still love the Graco brand (and their customer service!) but next time I'd buy a car seat with front seat belt adjustment, and a stroller without folding mechanism issues.

Click below to see it at Amazon:

Graco Spree Travel System, Barcelona Bluegrass

Update: May 2014
We're now using the car seat with our youngest child and it's still in fantastic shape! Still wish we could adjust the seat belts from the front, but at least it's lasted us a good, long while.

Review: Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad

Love this changing pad!

We keep it on our changing table and I love the straps so I can strap in our baby when needed.

It's nice and thick, and the contoured sides help keep the baby in the middle of the pad. It wipes clean, though I made a couple of soft covers that can be thrown in the washing machine very easily.

Would definitely buy this changing pad again.

Click here to buy it on Amazon:

Summer Infant Contoured Changing Pad

Update:
May 2014
Our changing pad is now 3 years old and still in perfect condition! We bought it for our 3rd child and are now using it with our 4th. Love it!

Review: Flexi Freeze Refreezable Ice Sheets 3 pack

Looking for the best ice packs for your cooler? The search is over!

Love how flexible and customizable these are. We keep them in our freezer and they're so easy to pop in the cooler for a picnic, camping, or road trip. They last quite awhile, and we never have to worry about them leaking all over the ice chest (I'm looking at you, ziploc baggies!)

Worth the price; recommend to everyone!

Click below to purchase at Amazon:
Flexi Freeze Refreezable Ice Sheets 3 pack

Update: May 2014
Just returned from a trip to a cabin for Memorial Day. It's a 3-hour journey each way, but our handy Flexi Freeze sheets did a fantastic job keeping the milk cold (and the chicken frozen!) for the entire journey! Still going strong after 3 years.

Review: Catan: Cities and Knights 5-6 Player Extension

Expansion Pack? Yes, please! Cities & Knights of Catan is one of our very favorite games. Naturally, we bought the expansion pack as soon as we'd saved enough money to do so! Pieces are the same good quality as the original game. Love being able to play with a larger group of family/friends.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:

Catan: Cities and Knights 5-6 Player Extension

Review: The Settlers of Catan 5 and 6 Player Extension

XP Pack for Settlers? I think yes! We love playing Catan and the expansion pack for an additional 1-2 players is awesome! Nice to be able to play with a larger group. Now we don't fight over the game (as much) anymore.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:
The Settlers of Catan 5 and 6 Player Extension

Review - Vista Explorer 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Tripod Bag

Bought this as a gift for my Mom (a professional photographer) for Christmas and it has been fantastic! She loved it so much that I ended up buying another for myself. :)

Favorite features:
Quick-release plate - easy to screw into both my large Canon SLR camera and my smaller Sony digital camera.
Pan Head - simple to adjust and get just the right angle.
Quick Release leg locks - very fast and easy to use.
Geared Center Post - moves very smoothly and has never gotten stuck.

I also like the included drawstring bag that makes packing it up a cinch. If you're looking for a lightweight, easy-to-use tripod for amateur or professional use, this is it!

Click below to buy it from Amazon:

Vista Explorer 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod with Tripod Bag

Update: May 2014
Still loving this tripod! It's light enough that I tote it along everywhere. It's also quite durable and I haven't had any problems with it.

Review - Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Super Friends Batcave

Bought this for our 4-year-old for Christmas and it's AWESOME! He's obsessed with Batman and this has been perfect. He loves playing with Batman and Robin, shooting the grappling hook, and using the elevator. He carries this around everywhere!

The colors are beautiful. I love how sturdy everything is. One of the best presents we've bought! Love Imaginext toys and the creative ways they help our children play.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:

Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Super Friends Batcave

Update: May 2014
Our son is now 8 years old and still LOVES playing with this. He's been quite rough with it, but hasn't managed to break anything. :) It still looks brand new!

Review - Fisher-Price Imaginext Dragon World Fortress

Bought this for our 6-year-old for Christmas and he LOVES it!!! He plays with it all the time. It's very well-made and the colors are vibrant. The textures are incredible. Our boy loves the action figures, sound effects, and especially the boulders.

Imaginext toys are fantastic! So glad we bought this for our son.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:

Fisher-Price Imaginext Dragon World Fortress

Update: May 2014
Our son is now 11 and still plays with this! The construction is fantastic. The only problem is that ours tips over quite a bit. I've read that they've since added a wedge to prevent this problem but unfortunately ours doesn't have this. Would still buy it because it's lasted many years and is still in great condition.

Review - Epson B11B193081 Perfection V300 Photo Scanner

As a Family History/Genealogy major, I bought this to scan old documents, books, and photos. I love it! The scans are fairly quick and the images produced are crystal clear. The lid lifts up quite a bit, which is great for books and other larger objects. We've also used it to scan negatives and slides, and it did an amazing job.

I love how fast this scanner is! No long "warm-up" time, which is great when you're in a hurry. There are a lot of different modes to choose from.

The only thing that bothers me is that if I put a card (insurance card, etc.) in the lower left corner, sometimes the scanner will miss the edges of the card. Moving the card up a little and to the center corrects the problem.

I'd definitely buy this scanner again!

Click below to buy it at Amazon:
Epson B11B193081 Perfection V300 Photo Scanner

Update: May 2014
We've now had this scanner for 3.5 years and it's still working great! We're getting our money's worth with this baby. :)

Review - ELC Lift Off Rocket Toy

Bought this as a Christmas present for our 4-year-old, space-loving boy. He loves it!!! The size is perfect for him. The characters are cute and well-made. He plays with it all the time. :) Would definitely buy again!

Click below to buy it at Amazon:
ELC Lift Off Rocket

Update: May 2014
We still have this toy and love it! Our son still plays with it every so often, but our 3-year-old daughter steals it quite a bit. :) The only problem is that the bottom "ramp" falls of constantly. It's easy to snap back on, but wish it didn't fall off all the time.

Review - Work Smart Eco Leather Executive Chair

Bought this chair as a Christmas present for my husband (after I stole his computer chair!) Love this chair! Its nicely padded and is great for my tall man. Wheels roll easily and it looks great in our study.

Click below to buy it at Amazon:
Work Smart Eco Leather Executive Chair

Update: May 2014
This has been a great chair! We've had it for 3.5 years and it still looks new. Our kiddos have a hard time pulling it over (which is awesome), and it's really easy to wipe it clean when they inevitably spill juice and goldfish crackers on it.