http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/angel81ecu Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:25:47 GMT Reviews by angel81ecu http://www.viewpoints.com/Evenflo-Comfort-Select-Auto-Cycling-Breast-Pump-review-0c022 When our first child was born I picked up an Ameda one-handed manual breast pump for about $30 to help me with her feedings.  Using it caused extremely sore nipples and severe cramps in my hands, but it was all we could afford at the time.  I stuck with it for the entire year she was nursed but vowed never to use that manual pump again. When our second child was born, we were living in my hometown and the hospital gave us a breast pump attachment kit that worked with the electric Symphony breast pump unit available in the nursing room.  It worked like a dream and I was able to express milk so easily that I filled two 6 ounce bottles in half an hour without the problems I experienced with the manual pump.  We looked into purchasing the same brand, but was very discouraged by the $1000+ price tag.  Even renting the pump unit from a local company wasn't an option because that alone cost about 60 dollars per... Sat, 09 Feb 2008 15:25:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Evenflo-Comfort-Select-Auto-Cycling-Breast-Pump-review-0c022 angel81ecu 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Lansinoh-Breast-feeding-pads-review-417a0 When I was a first-time parent I thought all nursing pads were the same. Why pay more for a piece of material that was just going to soak up some moisture and be tossed away afterward? I was constantly trying out different brands of pads and would become extremely frustrated whenever they failed my expectations. There were even some brands where I couldn't tell which side was which and other brands were just too uncomfortable that they irritated my skin. Plus how could a flat pad fit my breast and effectively catch any expressed milk? I thought I'd just have to deal with inadequate protection, but then I received a free sample of Lansinoh's Disposable Nursing Pads in the mail and was happily surprised by the results. — The individual packaging is neat and different from any other brand I'd tried. Sure, to the environmentally concerned it would seem like a waste of materials, but with other brands I always ran the risk of the pads being wasted because of absorbing any... Sat, 09 Feb 2008 07:20:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Lansinoh-Breast-feeding-pads-review-417a0 angel81ecu 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-Ocean-Wonders-Aquarium-Bouncer-review-f6825 When our first daughter was born, we didn't buy a bouncer because she was constantly held by my father who would stand for hours rocking and bouncing her in his arms.  After our second daughter was born, I still didn't think it was a necessary purchase.  But when we found out we were expecting our third baby with our youngest still being 6 months old, my husband bought this bouncer at Toys'R'Us for about 45 dollars.  He figured it would come in handy while I was at home with all three kids. I have to admit that he was right. — With just one screwdriver I was able to put this bouncer together very easily despite being a total klutz when it comes to assembling things.  And unlike another similar bouncer, this one only required 4 size D batteries.  Two vibrantly colored toys hang from the toybar to help develop your baby's sense of sight and touch: the seahorse's tail curled around a spinner and removable teethers dangling from... Fri, 08 Feb 2008 03:55:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Fisher-Price-Ocean-Wonders-Aquarium-Bouncer-review-f6825 angel81ecu 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bissell-Powerforce-Bagless-review-cd82 I have spent a small fortune on vacuums that have always fallen short of my expectations. Regardless of how well I kept previous vacuums maintained, the tubes were constantly being clogged up with the fuzz from the new carpet. My long hair would tangle up the brush and cause the belts to burn up faster.  Bags and replacement parts were costing us more than the vacuums themselves.  Not to mention I'm all thumbs when it came to replacing bags.  After my husband ruined the last working vacuum left in the house (he washed non-washable filters), I went in search of another vacuum.  The price caught my attention first: $44.92 at Walmart. Then the features sealed the deal: bagless, lightweight, easy-to-use on-board tools, easy empty dirt container and washable filters.  I took it home, put it together and was thrilled with the results.  So thrilled I called up my mom to tell her to buy one too but found out that she'd... Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:01:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bissell-Powerforce-Bagless-review-cd82 angel81ecu 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Magic-Bullet-Blender-High-Speed-Mixing-System-review-09380 After watching the infomercial enough times to memorize it, my husband bought this for me as a gift when he found it on sale.  I am very skeptical and quick to doubt, but I admit that this appliance is very handy in my busy family life.  I use it for making homemade baby food, fruit smoothies (as advertised) and especially for preparing ingredients for meals and snacks. Clean up is easy: toss the cups and blades into the dishwasher and wipe the base off.  It's small and meant for short bursts of blending. If you want a food processor, buy one.  But if you want a fun gadget that can shave time off from kitchen duty, you should try this.  Also ideal for those with a picky family where every member has a particular drink they prefer because you can use the individual mugs to mix up the perfect drink for each person.  Two things I had issues with:  the price and the name.  I'm cheap by nature so I would... Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:28:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Magic-Bullet-Blender-High-Speed-Mixing-System-review-09380 angel81ecu 4