Reviews by crabbyowl

crabbyowl says "A lot of fun, and actually pays." about TreasureTrooper

crabbyowl — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:59:36 GMT

This is the first money-earning website I signed up for, and although I have since signed up for others Treasure Trooper remains by far my favorite. You can earn money through the standard methods of completing offers, shopping, and taking surveys, but they also have monthly contests in the forums, Jack's Jackpot (a monthly drawing you can enter by completing a specific offer), and a $100 treasure hunt that everyone can complete (it isn't a competition). You can also join a guild, and try to be the group that earns the most through offers, surveys, shopping, or referrals each month. Another great feature of this site is that there's a very active forum where you can ask and answer questions about the site or just talk with other people. Plus, when you've earned a total of $500 through them you become a member of their VIP club and get a number of nice perks every month.

I really can't think of any "cons" for Treasure Trooper. They have lots of ways to make their site fun, and......

crabbyowl says "Smells great, but a bit strong." about Bath & Body Works Lavender Lotion

crabbyowl — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:47:13 GMT

I asked for this lotion as a gift because I love lavender. Unfortunately, while I do like the smell of the lotion, I don't wear it very often because the scent is so strong; just a little bit on the backs of my hands is more than enough, whereas with other Bath and Body Works lotions I can put it on my neck and elbows as well and not be overwhelmed. I would give it five stars if the company would tone it down a bit. I would recommend this lotion because it does smell really nice, but with the stipulation that it is very strong....

crabbyowl says "So much better than tampons." about GladRags THE MOON CUP SIZE A

crabbyowl — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 01:14:47 GMT

I initially bought the Moon Cup out of curiosity, since I never really liked tampons (although I used them out of necessity) and liked the idea of a reusable product. The Moon Cup is supposed to last for up to 10 years, and based on how many boxes of tampons I would go through (about 3 every 2 months) it would pay for itself in about 6 months. That's a lot of money saved over that 10-year period, even accounting for time being pregnant when I obviously wouldn't menstruate, and I also really liked the fact that I wouldn't have to worry about running out of tampons anymore.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but once I got used to getting it in and out I loved it. In my first month of using it I wasn't completely sold, but by my second month I had no problems getting it in and out anymore and I knew I'd never go back to tampons. It is so much more convenient than they are (no more forgetting to put extras in my purse). Also, there isn't the smell that's usually associated with......

crabbyowl says "Wonderful for winter outings." about Classic Pooh Classic Pooh Newborn Pram Bag

crabbyowl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:18:46 GMT

I live in Minnesota, and as we all know it gets very cold here during the winter. This product was given to me as a gift shortly after my baby was born in October, and I've used it every time I've gone out with her since then. It's a 3-month sized outfit, but I first used it when she was two weeks old and it worked fine. She wasn't cold at all, even though it was a chilly day. Even now when it's really cold out she stays nice and warm. It has a zipper down each side so putting it on is just a matter of laying her down in it and zipping it up, plus doing the velcro at the neck. It also has a slit down where her legs are to make it easy to use in her carseat. In the reviews at Target.com one of the reviewers says her baby sleeps in it, which I haven't tried but I could see how it would be good for sleeping.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the arms are really long. My baby is very tall for her age and has very long arms, but even though she's about to outgrow......

crabbyowl says "My favorite maternity jeans." about Motherhood Maternity Secret Fit Belly Maternity Jeans

crabbyowl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:53:17 GMT

I wore these jeans almost exclusively during my pregnancy, along with one other pair of pants (not jeans). They were easily the most comfortable maternity jeans I wore, and I would recommend them to anyone. Yes, unfortunately they are more expensive than other brands, but I think they're well worth the cost.

The only drawback is that if you try to wear them before your belly is big enough, they tend to slip down and you have to keep pulling them up. I could wear them without this happening starting at around 25 weeks, about 5 weeks after I had to start wearing maternity clothes exclusively. This is pretty minor, though, since I got over 15 weeks of very frequent use out of them.

I couldn't recommend these jeans more.
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crabbyowl says "Nice jeans up until late pregnancy" about Liz Lange Maternity Jeans

crabbyowl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:45:46 GMT

I bought two pairs of these jeans when I was pregnant, and overall I liked them very much. They are very comfortable and flattering, and in the second and early third trimesters I liked that the waistband didn't ride up very high. In the late third trimester, however, the waistband would roll down and bunch up under my increasingly large belly, so I essentially stopped wearing them in the last two months of my pregnancy. Instead, I would wear Motherhood Maternity's secret fit jeans.

I recommend them up until your belly really starts to get big, at which point I found them too uncomfortable around the waist.
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crabbyowl says "An inexpensive, easy-to-use diaper cover." about Thirsties Thirsties Diaper Cover Diapers

crabbyowl — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:34:24 GMT

I just had my first baby two months ago, and have only used Thirsties diaper covers with prefolds. This system works very well for me, and I like the covers very much. There are fourteen colors to choose from, and four sizes. X-small fits babies from 6-12 pounds, small fits from 12-18 pounds, medium fits from 18-28 pounds, and large fits from 28-40 pounds.

My baby is approaching the 12-pound mark, and when she outgrows the covers we currently have I will be ordering more Thirsties covers. They're inexpensive as far as cloth diapering goes, but they have held up very well with only minor poop stains on the leg gussets (these can be removed by setting the covers in direct sunlight). They are also very good at containing messes; she's only had one blowout, and that was when she hadn't had a bowel movement for almost a day, so there was really a ton of it. Otherwise, they have been able to contain some quite large messes. When a mess leaks out of the prefold into the cover,......

crabbyowl says "A very nice Mp3 player." about Apple - iPod Nano (4 GB)

crabbyowl — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:33:50 GMT

The iPod Nano 4GB is now not the most up-to-date iPod you could get, but it's still a perfectly good product for those of us who don't necessarily need the features on the newer ones or who won't be storing a ton of stuff on it. I've had mine for three years and it's still functioning perfectly. For my purposes it suits me very well, and it's very easy to use.

There are drawbacks to this model. If you want to put a lot of music on it as well as a lot of podcasts you may find yourself running out of room for everything. I've had to remove music I don't listen to as much anymore to make room for newer stuff I'm more into at the moment. Also, sometimes when I turn it off and then take my thumb off the button the movement turns it back on again, which can be frustrating. Also, there are times when it would be nice to have video.

Overall, though, I do recommend this product.
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crabbyowl says "Wouldn't trade my time at St. Kate's for anything." about College of St. Catherine

crabbyowl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:22:04 GMT

The College of St. Catherine is the largest Catholic women's college in the nation, offering associate's, bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees. Beginning in the 2009-2010 academic year it will become St. Catherine University. It is affiliated with four other Twin Cities colleges through the ACTC, and students at St. Kate's can take classes at any of these colleges and even declare a major offered at one of them but not at St. Kate's.

When I was looking to apply to colleges in the 2000-2001 academic year I initially only considered St. Kate's because my aunt had completed her master's degree there and recommended it to me, but after visiting the campus only once I knew I could be happy as a student there. The admissions representative I met with was much more welcoming than those I had met from other colleges, and everyone I came into contact with was friendly and open. I also liked the fact that it is a women's college (although men are admitted into associate's and graduate......

crabbyowl says "My favorite lip balm, the only one I'll buy in the future." about Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

crabbyowl — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:06:20 GMT

I was given Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm as a gift, and right away it became the one I use the most; if I didn't already have a lot of other chap stick I need to use up it would be the only one I use. It has a very light mint scent that doesn't prevent me from smelling other things like some chap sticks do, and when you put it on it makes your lips tingle. I've found that the drier my lips are the more it tingles, which feels good when they're cracked and sore. The taste also isn't overwhelming, and it doesn't make whatever food happens to brush past your lips taste like chap stick. It is a bit pricy, but in my mind it's worth it. ...

crabbyowl says "Snappis are a huge help in using cloth diapers!" about Snappi Diaper Fastener Diapers

crabbyowl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 02:35:21 GMT

I use prefolds with Thirsties covers, and before I started using Snappis I would regularly have leaks out into the covers, making frequent washing necessary. Since I started fastening the prefolds with a Snappi this problem has greatly decreased in frequency. The diaper is also a bit trimmer, which is also a plus. The only downside to using them is that when the baby is squirming around it can be a bit difficult to get it fastened, but it can be done with a bit of patience. I would definitely recommend this product to anyone considering using cloth diapers. ...

crabbyowl says "The Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump is worth every penny." about Lansinoh Double Electric Breast Pump

crabbyowl — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:43:49 GMT

I am a new mother who will need to go back to work eventually, hence the need for a breast pump so my daughter can continue to get breastmilk even when I'm not around to feed her. The Lansinoh Electric Double Breast Pump was a gift from my mother, and it was a wonderful one. I had no trouble learning to use it, the parts are easy to wash and dry, and while I haven't had to order replacement parts it looks like the Lansinoh website makes it very easy to do so. In addition, the pump comes with replacements for the smallest part, which would be easy to lose or damage. I would recommend this pump to anyone. ...