the post where I pretend to be a real reviewer of stuff (again).

Wow it's been so long since I've posted about products! Yes, it has been a long time. And I know exactly where to start because I have 2 products that we've purchased- one yesterday and one several months ago that I have to blab about.

I hate that commercial for car insurance where the guy is like "I research everything from my breakfast cereal to ..." Yeah ok. If you have time to do that then you have no life. Wow, and I thought I was kind of pathetic. In my case, my research ends up being AFTER I buy something. Not always, sometimes I pine over google, amazon, and whatever other websites I find before I buy certain things. If I'm spending a pretty penny I'd prefer to take my time. Not on a $3 box of breakfast cereal. I barely even look at the box sometimes and the next morning it's like "HEY when did I buy that?" and it's all new to me. Keeps the excitement flowing I suppose.
So usually I pay close attention to see how something works out. I believed the hype of the product (feeling like a true sucker because HEY I watch "Mad Men") but it's totally okay. We all have to buy stuff. Even Don Draper. And moms.

The first product that gave me the warm and tinglies inside was a product that I actually laughed at myself for buying. In the inside, I think my husband was too. I read the ingredients and thought "what... .uhm.... what is this?" But because I'm such a dork when it comes to buying medicines over the counter for a 4 and 6 year old (geez..especially one with a heart condition) I had to try this out:

Please know, that no one ever pays me to review anything. I mean, Hyland's can pay me if they would like too. I'll take anything. Even a coupon...?

The other day James came down with cold # 47480 of his existence and it was a nasty sounding one. Sidetracking here- but WHY do my kids always catch a cold and it goes right to their lungs so they can sound like a coughing 75 year old smoker? 

Well anyway, I was too scared to buy Children's Nyquil because they omit the "good stuff" in it that us adults enjoy so I thought, "well if I'm going to spend $6 on medicine, it has to work". 

Can anyone tell me what any of this is? Okay.. I think I see a latin form of chamomile and coffee? did I just make a horrible parental mistake? Well, I handed over my $6+ and hoped for the best. At least I knew that this concoction would be safe (I hoped) for both of kids because hey let's face, it's only a matter of time until Natalie gets the cold, too. 

I gave James the dose of 2 tsp and he said that it tasted sort of like grapes. He really liked it! I messed with him and told him it would taste like butt and he was scared, but then pleasantly surprised! 

And the verdict is in......

It ACTUALLY worked! He slept for 10 1/2 hours straight and he barely coughed at all. With a humidifier in his room, the 2 together helped his nose not drip all night like the previous night. And as a matter of fact, when I went in to wake him up for school this morning he was just about in the same exact position he was in when he fell asleep. So, I think it truly knocked him O-U-T. 

He was a little groggy. I tried to give him a cup of coffee and he wasn't having it. But he told me he slept great. To me, he looked like he slept so solid that he was literally like a log. 

He's feeling better today and that's all that matters. 

So if you haven't tried this weird concoction of coffee? sulphur? (wow, really?), and chamomile (sorta?) then seriously try it out. If you don't, then it's probably safer just to use a small shot of whiskey. Mmmm just like our parents used to.... 

Next up.. 

This piece of crap:

Yeah I'm just going to cut to the chase here, because this product makes me angry. Over the late part of the summer Rick needed a new wallet. We walked by this thing in Target on our way over to the checkout. I can just hear the makers of this plastic thing now.. "GOTCHA! HAHA" as they laugh all the way to the bank. 

If you bought one of these and it never broke then I just don't believe you. Or maybe it really just never broke because you wrapped this wallet up in bubble wrap before you put in your purse or pocket. 

First of all, it was plastic. Maaaaybe a thin slice of aluminum on the outside, which is supposed to help with identity theft and protect your library cards and diners club cards or something. Because I don't know anyone who carries a real Visa credit card anymore. Oh crap..that's right.. debit cards. Oopsie. 

Okay, so I sort of see the point now. I'll shut up. 

But here's where they get ya... when we would open the wallet everything would just spill out of it. And Rick doesn't carry much stuff but this wallet barely could carry 5 $1 bills. The slots seem to be laced with cooking spray because everything would slide out of this thing. But we let it go. It was a new wallet and we would just have to get used to picking up everything off of the floor (or ground) for the next few years. 

But then one day he dropped it. On our carpet! And the hinge *cough* (made of plastic) snapped and it split in 2. The wallet died. 

R.I.P aluma wallet August 2011-September 2011. 

We asked for a refund from Target and they totally laughed in our faces. I hate hearing "well you could call the manufacturer" which is the equivalent to no help. So, we threw the thing away and let it go. Well, until now. Man... I really want that 11 bucks back.