Zuru Bunch O Balloons RANT!

I have many not-too-fond memories of filling many, many water balloons for my kids over the years. I have been hit it the face with popped balloons as I'm filling them, made a huge mess near my sink, and even been wet to the point I needed to change my shirt. 

Not to mention the time it takes to fill enough for each kid to have a good time. 

A long time!

Also, my fingers always hurt after tying so many balloons. 

Ouch!

There has to be a better way. 

Please! I need a better way!

Needless to say, when I first saw Bunch O Balloons by Zuru, I was thrilled. 

I was super excited about filling 100 water balloons in 60 seconds!

I was amazed, intrigued, and ecstatic!

The price of  $9.99 for 100 did seem steep but if it alleviated a mess and saved me a ton of time, it would be worth it!

No! 

No No No No No No No!

I bought several packages of these since I first saw them. They come in packs including blue, orange, and green and pink, purple and white so I had to spend $20 to get both my kids the colors they liked. 

I thought it would be fine though. No mess, less time wasted. 

No! 

No No No No No No No!

Now these have really become a sensation and I have even saw them at Costco in a huge pack. 

I am so glad I did not buy that. 

RANT time!

Unfortunately, I have to rant! 

I cannot keep this to myself. 

This product sucks!

In theory, this product is a dream come true for both the water balloon fillers and the water balloon throwers. 

More water balloons for them, less mess and time wasted for me. 

No! 

No No No No No No No!

This is not a good product at all. 

I attempted to try these 4 times and they failed every single time. 

You connect the hose, turn it on and fill them up. 

The instructions do not say how long you fill them up or how high the water should be. 

The first time, I was scared and didn't know what they would do. I ended up filling them not full enough and when I went to add more water, they all fell off their connector. They were too small to break and remained pretty bouncy. 

Ok, now I know what I am doing. 

Let's try it again. 

The second time, I filled them too full, I guess. 

They didn't seem too full, but they broke as soon as I touched them. Out of 30, my kids each got 7. 

So, 16 broke.

I had to clean up that mess. 

My kids were disappointed. 

My fault again. 

I will be more careful next time. 

The third time I tried these, as soon as I turned on the water, I realized there were tiny holes in each balloon. They were all ruined. 

UGH!

More of me disappointing my kids. 

Try one more time!

The 4th, and final time I tried these, 5 of them popped off the connector. When this happened, I got squirted in the face from 5 different directions. Each balloon is on its own plastic straw type thing. Without a balloon there, the water goes everywhere, 

I am done! 

This is a FAIL!

I plan to return this package to Fred Meyers, even though it is open and half used. 

The product is faulty and I am going to tell customer service that.  

I have noticed these have been on sale for around $8. 

No thanks!

On to the next...

I found a new brand that has a similar concept. They are self-sealing. They still need to be done one at a time but there is no connector. I dont have to tie them, so hopefully they work better.
This package was only $5.
Still, more expensive than regular water balloons but if it cuts down on time from not having to tie them, I am on board!

I love sharing products that I trust and rely on.

 Unfortunately Bunch O Balloons needs to go back to the drawing board.

 This is a lot of money for an inconsistent product that claims convenience and does not deliver. 

Sorry, Zuru, not sorry!

I hope you are sorry, Zuru!

Huge Collective Haul: Shopping for Our Camping Vacation Part 2

This is part 2 of my HUGE shopping haul for our camping family vacation. 

Part 1 was so big, it needed it's own blog post!

To read part 1 of this haul including The Dollar Tree, Target, and Ace Hardware, click here.
We are leaving for our eight night family vacation on Friday. We are going to our favorite camp site and I have a rafting trip planned. I have done a lot of shopping in preparation for this trip.
In part 2, I have Walmart, Rite Aid, and Kmart

Walmart

I ended up picking up 2 water guns. I normally do not buy these for my kids.  I know water guns are harmless, but it is still a gun. I have talked to my kids about guns and I think they can handle having a water gun on a hot day and not get any mixed signals about gun violence. It will be hot out on our vacation and I dont have space for the larger squirters. I'm not sure how other parents out there feel about water guns. I am on the fence and I will see how it goes. 

I found another great deal on Candy Cordz crafts. I found another set back in June at Michaels really cheap as well. The two of these will be for my daughter to do crafts while we are camping/
I picked them each up a small toy. My son got a TsumTsum mini stuffy  and my daughter got a new Shopkins blind pack.
The last item I got was a pure splurge and only purchased because it was on clearance and I wanted them to try Wubble Balls at some point. This one glows, so what is a better time than while camping and on vacation to try a new toy I wouldn't normally buy. No time is like the present!

Rite Aid

I dont normally shop at Rite Aid. However, because I have been attempting to coupon and have heard lots of great things about Rite Aid, I gave it a shot there. 

I ended up using two coupons at Rite Aid. I got both the Simply Venus razors and the Tide each for $3. I think that is a pretty good deal. I prefer 5 blade razors, but these will be perfect for my daughter. I am going to save them for her until school starts. She is starting middle school and has been bugging me about shaving. Im not ready for that yet, but when I am, the stockpile is forming!

I really like their dollar section. These juice mixes are great for the kids. I just put them in water bottles. They make for easy drinks while camping. 

My Hubby picked out the Moon Pies. These are mini ones and the perfect size for a treat for him and the kids. 

The brownie mix is a great deal at $1. I am making these today, then freezing them to take with us Friday. 

Kmart 

This camping trip poses some challenges. One of them being when we go camping for four nights, the cooler is always packed so full I can hardly get ice into it. Packing food for eight nights in a cooler is also not realistic as it wont stay fresh. We are expecting temperatures above 90 the first half of the trip.  So I am planning food for the first four nights, plus as much extra food to get through the last half of the week as I can. I am still trying to figure it all out. We plan to go grocery shopping on our 5th day there and I have a menu planned. Having a second cooler will keep things colder as I have space for more ice. We picked up this cooler as our second cooler for only 17 bucks on clearance. It fits on the floor behind my seat and that space was available anyway. This cooler will be primarily for drinks. I may also get some snacks for the kids like yogurt and Lunchables in here as well so they can easily grab a snack when they are hungry. . 

More toys for the kids!
Camping can be very fun for them. It can also get boring.
My son's toy is this Minecraft Bow and Arrow. This was a spendy $30 but because this is our vacation, I want him to have it.
My daughter's items were all pretty cheap so she got more. She loves these coloring sets where she can design outfits for the dolls in the pictures. I usually get her something like this for gifts and she spends hours drawing in them.
I got some more insta clips for our lantern just in case. These were only $2 at Kmart. That is  great deal!
The last item I have never seen before. I got these self-sealing water balloons.
I am thinking of making a rant post on Buncha Balloons.
 Those are a total fail and I am not happy about it!
I am hoping although these are one at a time, it will still be easier if I dont have to tie them
We will see!

That is it for my HUGE camping vacation haul!
I still have to go to the grocery store.
I am planning a post for that later in the week.
I have to go pack.
I have so much to do to prepare for this trip!

Huge Collective Haul: Shopping for Our Camping Vacation Part 1

This Friday at 4PM....

I can't wait for this time and day. 

I have been waiting for this time and day for months. 

We are going on vacation!

We planned an eight night camping trip at our favorite camp ground. We are also going white water rafting on a guided tour on Saturday. 

This is the week of our wedding anniversary and my birthday. 

Summer has finally arrived and its going to be hot while we are there. 

I have spent the last week shopping and getting ready. 

I still have to buy a lot of our food but the rest of the items have been purchased and I have been just making a pile. 

Now, I need to start packing everything. 

This is very hallenging becuase the most nights we have gone camping at once is four. Eight is double and I barely have room for four nights as it is. I also want to do things up a bit bigger since this is our yearly vacation.

I have a few ideas up my sleeve. 

This haul is HUGE!

Everything but the blue table that can hardly be seen, is for our camping trip. Like I said, I still need to do the big food shopping and get a few more supplies but so far, this is so much and I need to start getting it packed. I am planning a food haul and "Get ready with me to go camping" post as well. Hopefully I can make time. 

I am overwhelmed. 

Haul Time!

I shopped at the Dollar Tree, Target, Ace Hardware, Walmart, Kmart and  Rite Aid,  

This haul is too big for one post. I will divide it up into two parts. 

Part two can be read here. 

Part One: Dollar Tree, Target, and Ace Hardware

Dollar Tree 

Here, I show everything I got from the Dollar Tree. 

Those pretzels are actually from Rite Aid dollar section! I guess they snuck in the bag and I was not paying attention! Did I mention I'm overwhelmed? HaHa!

My goal is to make our food last four days and we will need to go pick up more items on the 5th day. Im attempting to fit as much dry food items I can into our food box to cut down on what we will need to buy while camping. Space and keeping food fresh are big issues. 

I let my kids each pick out a cereal, and I picked up a can of corned beef hash. We like this for breakfast while we are camping/ I am really hoping this brand is ok. 

The Net is actually a food tent. It folds up like an umbrella. I thought this would be perfect for camping. I plan to have a birthday cake and with this, I can display it without worrying. 

The foil sheets are great to have and come in handy. The to go containers are for egg plant parmesan that I plan to make, freeze, and pack to go with us.  

These boards are for our new pool that I just set up for the kids. 

To read my review on the H2o Go! Pool click here. 

I also picked up a huge pack of combs. I am hoping to find a good one to part and section my daughter's hair.  It is much easier to take care of while camping if we section it. 

The Excedrin Tension Headache is great to have and was actually free. I had a coupon for $1.00 off. This 24 count bottle costs around $4 at Walgreens or Fred Meyer. I plan to do a post on my recent attempts at couponing. I am totally new to this.

When we got married two years ago, I got a lot of items for our wedding at the Dollar Tree. On this haul, I was able to get some items for my birthday that actually match our wedding colors. My decorations for the whole week will also match our wedding colors, being we will also have our anniversary while we are camping. These colors really our my go-to colors for everything and my husband says he thinks of me when he sees them so he likes that I use them as well. He is so sweet! 

I am planning a small party for my birthday. The kids will really enjoy it and I guess you only turn 40 once so why not!

I ended up picking up three tablecloths and three battery operated hanging lanterns that match. We will use these as part of the decorations for the week. On my birthday, we get the birthday necklaces and glasses.Super fun times!

I let the kids each pick two items. My daughter chose giant chalk and a bracelet and necklace set that glows. My son got a slinky and a suction cup ball. Entertaining children is so cheap if you go to the Dollar tree!

I also picked up to more bags for my collection of bags. Mom's bags of tricks always needs new bags! These are a great deal for $1 and adds more variety to my life. 

I love bags!

I also got some dragon fly fairy lights for my tent and a new clothesline. Having lights in the tent is not only stylish, and adds comfort, it also adds light which is super practical. I love to be "Practically Cozy" while camping. That is what this trip and all the other trips is all about. 

Especially this one. 

I want my family to have a great time and really feel like they are on a special vacation. 

The clothesline is a great way to quickly dry towels and other items and can provide privacy if you position things on the line strategically to keep passer-by campers from seeing too much. 

My favorite items from this Dollar Tree haul? 

The Excedrin was FREE! That was awesome/ 

I love the bags but my favorite items are the light up lanterns and dragon fly lights. 

They will add so much special charm to our space. 

Target 

At Target, I got some much-needed supplies. 

Hubby and I need water shoes to go rafting. It is also hard to keep the kids safe without them while they are playing on the river bank. Water shoes will make it much easier to navigate around in the water while they are playing. I looked at several places and finally found some at Target. I did pay full price though. Considering most of the summer items are on clearance right now, this was a disappointment but a much needed purchase, so I paid $40 total for both pairs. Atleast Hubby's are Speedo. 

I also got a waterproof disposable camera so we can take pics while rafting and possibly get some shots underwater. We will see. It will be fun to play around with it. The camera is safe up to 50 feet of water. 

I got 2 Off candles. This will last the full trip. I have tried other brands of Citronella candles and these work the best. I paid $8 each because we trust them. We also needed a good bug repellant. I got 2 cans of the Target brand with 25% Deet. The Off brand with this much deet is super effective. The store brand was a lot cheaper. 

For dishes while camping, we only use Dawn. It just works so well. 

I got a big pack of glow sticks for $5. This will last several nights and has several different types of glow sticks in it 

I like the Archer Farms Fire Roasted Pizza Crusts. These cook up so well on the grill. When I go to Target, I usually grab one of these. 

I got some more Scotch laminating sheets. I am making a banner for my birthday. I made one for my Mom's birthday in colors she likes and now I am making one in my colors. To read my post on how to make your own pennant banner, click here. 

These Mini Reese's Peanut Butter cups will be going in the cooler so they dont melt!

I got the kids each a toy. My daughter's came from Target. She got a Bratz doll and some shoes and accessories/ I want to make sure they have things they like so they arent bored and start fighting!

This will help. 

My son's toy will be in part 2 of this haul. 

The last thing I got at Target was a hammock. I want to provide a really nice camping experience and I thought a hammock would really play a crucial role in that. We lucked out with this one. It was originally $40, but I found the last one in the store for $12 on clearance. It holds up to 400 pounds so we can all enjoy the hammock. 

My favorite item in this haul? 

I'm happy I wont break my neck in the water anymore now that I have the water shoes. I am excited to use the camera, and the hammock. 

I think the hammock wins this one. 

Ace Hardware

For the hammock, we got  20 feet of weight approved rope, cut in 2 sections to tie it to trees at our campsite. 

We also got 2 pounds of assorted nails. For some reason, we have no nails when we need nails so now we have 2 pounds. 

No one is falling off this hammock! 

I dont have a favorite at Ace, but I'm sure out of all the stores we shopped at, this haul was my Hubby's favorite.

 Haha!

That was a lot and we are only half done!

Read part 2 for the rest of this haul. 

Beef Stroganoff with Daisy Sour Cream

I was chosen to be a part of the BzzAgent Daisy Sour Cream campaign. I was challenged to come up with ways to use this new squeeze package. I instantly thought about my Beef Stroganoff recipe and now I get to share it with you all!

#GotItFree #DollopOfDaisy 

What makes my recipe special is the high quality ingredients. 

I use Angus Petite Sirloin, baby Portabello mushrooms, and creamy Daisy Sour Cream.

The new squeeze packaging of the sour cream makes this recipe even easier. 

Mom's Bags of Trick's Beef Stroganoff 

Serves 4 

1/2 pound Angus Petite Sirloin, cut into thin strips 

1/2 cup onion, chopped medium- I used Walla Walla Onion

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms, I used baby Portobello mushrooms 

2 tbsp olive oil 

Salt, pepper, seasonings

 1 cup water 

1 tsp beef base of bouillon cube-you could also use beef stock 

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 

2 tbsp flour 

 1 cup Daisy Sour Cream 

1 package egg noodles, cooked and drained 

Trim and cut beef sirloin, mushrooms, and onions. 

In a pan on medium high heat, add oil and once hot, add sliced steak and brown. 

Remove from pan, add mushrooms and onion, cooking until soft and turning brown. 

Meanwhile, measure 1 cup hot water and add 1 tsp beef base and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce to the water. 

Once the mushrooms and onions are done, add the meat back to the pan, season with salt. pepper, and seasonings  and then add the water mixture and flour and stir. 

Cook about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens to the point a ribbon can be made with your finger on the back of a rubber scraper.  

Add the sour cream, stir and remove from heat right before the mixture boils. 

Serve over hot, cooked egg noodles. 

Enjoy!

Thanks BzzAgent and Daisy Sour Cream for including me in your campaign. 

H2O Go! Inflatable Pool Unboxing and Review

I bought this H2O Go! Inflatable 10 Ft. Long Pool at Costco for $40 2 months ago. I told my kids as soon as it was 85 degrees outside, I would set it up. Well, today, finally, it was above 85 degrees for the first time in forever. We have hardly gotten a real summer at all yet! So, being the first day I got the opportunity to set it up, I took it. 

I started early because I wanted to give the water a chance to warm up before my kids got in the pool. 

Once I got the tarp set up, my cat Blue, got very curious as to just what I was doing.I has to shoo him out from underneath the tarp. Later, he tried to sit on the tarp covering the pool! I had to catch him before he fell in the water. He hasnt gone near it since then!

The contents of the box included the pool, instructions, and one patch. 

I started with a flat, clean area in our backyard. I laid down a large tarp as the foundation, leaving about a foot border of extra tarp for the pool to lay on. The instructions said to start on the bottom first. I used an electric air pump to inflate all 3 levels on the outside of the pool. This was difficult because the air kept coming out super fast as I was trying to close the chambers after filling them with air. The valves on the pool have a large valve and a smaller valve attached to it. This is very standard on large inflatables such as air mattresses. However,  the small valves are air tight, and basically do nothing. I dont know if that was the design or if I received a defective pool or what. Basically I haqd to make sure each section was super full and work really fast at trying to close each one before too much air came out. This wasnt easy at all but I got it done. 

Then I turned it on it's side and filled the seats on the inside and closed the drain hole. 

I made sure to wipe down my hose really well. The goal was to start with a very clean pool and try to keep it that way as long as possible. 

 I filled the pool up to the wavy fill line. This took about 30 minutes. 

After filling the pool, I covered it with a tarp. I utilized the cup holders in the pool to help hold the tarp down with water bottles. I left the tarp on for 6 hours, creating a sauna affect on the pool. I was trying to use the heat from the sun to warm it up so it wasnt so cold for my kids. 

Although the pool was not a hottub and super warm, it did warm up some sitting in the sun for 6 hours. 

Here, my kids are meditating, trying to get used to the cold water! HaHa! 

I guess the tarp and the meditation worked, because they are all smiles!

My daughter asked me if she can go in after breakfast in the morning!

I guess that means they like it!

I think the price is good for the size. My kids are rough on everything and this held up perfectly all day. I dont like the valve situation for inflating purposes. It was very hard to keep air in. I really expected a smaller valve opening for inflating. I think the cup holders are great and will allow me to hold a tarp on it fairly easily. I think overall, this is a great product. It was affordable and easy to set up and made my kids very happy!

Chicken Dinner Mondays: Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This is a budget friendly, no-cook, easy dinner for a hot, summer night. 

In this recipe, I used rotisserie chicken breasts that I cut from the bone. 

Store bought rotisserie chickens can often be less expensive than actually buying a whole chicken and cooking it myself. When it is hot out, I dont want to heat up the oven by cooking an entire chicken, so buying a ready-to-go chicken is a great option. 

This recipe is for half of a chicken, or one breast. I save the thighs and legs for Hubby's lunch. 

This recipe makes two hearty sandwiches with a little left over to serve as a snack with crackers. 

To use to 2 chicken breasts, double the recipe. 

Mom's Bags of Tricks Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Makes 2 cups 

1 chicken breast, fully cooked and chopped 

2 tbsp onion, chopped fine

2 tbsp parsley, chopped fine

2 tbsp celery, chopped fine 

salt, pepper, seasonings

4 tbsp mayonnaise

I started with 2 tbsp of mayo and ended up adding 2 more after stirring to get the right consistency. 

I served this with fresh summer fruit. The mayo can be heavy on a hot summer day, so by adding a nice side of fruit, I can lighten up this rich chicken salad. 

I made this recipe for one breast because I plan to serve this again while camping. I froze half of the chicken and bread. Preparing small amounts of food like this cuts back on repetitious leftovers and gives me a meal pretty quick later down the road. 

                           

July Pinch Me! Unboxing and Review Plus Today is Sample Tuesday!

I am very excited for today's Pinch Me! Sample Tuesday.

I received my box for July last week and have been sampling the products in order to provide a great review for the site and for my blog. 

To sign up to get your own samples visit the Pinch Me! website here. It is very easy to sign up. Social Media followers is not a deciding factor. You only have to sign up and visit the site on Sample Tuesdays to pick your samples. Once you get the box, try the samples and then review them on their website. The box takes about 4 weeks to receive (at least in my experience). 

In June, I was able to get 5 samples. This month, I got 4. 

Vagisil Daily Intimate Wash 

(where is a blushing Emoji when you need one? LOL) 

This is a great product. It really helps return PH balance to a normal level after periods and sex. Using it everyday will womanly confidence. 

It eliminates odor caused by an unbalanced PH. 

I already use this product regularly and I am happy to now have a travel size for when we go camping or out of town. 

 Purina One Purposeful Nutrition

Tender Selects Blend with Real Chicken   

I feed my cats dry food and wet food everyday. I have never used this brand before. My cats noticed the difference right away and ate all of it up within a few hours. Usually, I end up throwing dry food away. With this, they happily ate it all. The first ingredient in this cat food is chicken, which is better for them. It is more expensive, but if they eat it, I am not wasting money by throwing away their normal dry food, like I do everyday. 

The sample I received was a very generous 6 oz bag and a coupon for $2 off my next purchase. 

Nexcare Sensitive Skin Bandages 

I already use Nexcare waterproof bandages exclusively for the past 5 years. I dont even bother buying other brands because these work the best. They stay on great for several days, through multiple showers, hand washing, and even swimming. However, they do leave a red ring on the skin where the bandage was. When I saw they now make a sensitive version, I got very excited. 

This sensitive bandage is a soft, breathable material. I tried one on my daughter's arm and it stayed on for the whole day, but fell off in the shower later that night. It didn't leave a red ring on her arm though. I tried one on my finger with antibiotic ointment and within a few minutes, the bandage slipped off. 

I will start using these when a waterproof bandage is not completely necessary, but will never give up on the waterproof ones Nexcare sells. In my opinion, these are the most reliable bandages out there. 

I received 2 bandages and a coupon for $1 off my next purchase. This will end up being a great deal because I can use this when Walgreens puts them on sale buy one, get one free. 

Brylcreem 

Men's Hair Cream 

My husband does not use many hair products, so we have never heard of this. 

I had him put it in his beard and it did feel softer after using this. 

However, I really didn't like the smell. 

He didn't mind it as much and liked the softness it gave him. 

My favorite item in this box? 

Purina One Purposeful Nutrition. 

Watching my cats gobble it up was enough for me to want to switch brands. 

I would like to thank Pinch Me! for including me in their box this month and to all the sponsors of the box for providing great samples for me to try. 

I cant wait for the next box!

I have heard on social media, Pinch Me! offered early entry to some yesterday with the opportunity of receiving 8 samples. I would love to be included in this special access next month.