Reviews by Friends of MaineMomof2

CyndiA says "French's spicy brown mustard - nice taste with a little kick. " about French's brown mustard

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:31:54 GMT

My son just discovered French's spicy brown mustard which made me laugh, since I've always had some on hand. I'll eat the regular hot dog mustard, but I like the little extra zip with the spicy brown. The kid didn't touch it, since it said "spicy." He's not big on hot foods.

I grilled brats, and we were out of yellow mustard. So, the kid decided to try French's spicy brown, and it was love at first bite.

Don't let the name fool you. French's spicy brown is just a nice balanced mustard with a bit of extra flavor but not enough to put anyone off. If it had much kick, the kid would not have eaten it and sure would not be using up all my French's spicy brown mustard now.

Looks like I can cut way back on plain yellow mustard and double up on French's spicy. My son likes it on burgers, sandwiches, and on fried Spam or Treet meat. It's his new favorite condiment.

If you've hesitated to try French's spicy brown due to the spicy name, give it a try. It really is not hot at all. It just packs a bit...

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CyndiA says "Grill Floss - best barbecue grill cleaning tool I've ever owned." about Grillfloss - Barbecue Cleaning Tool, GFLXL, Stainless Steel

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:06:00 GMT

I looked at GrillFloss a long time before I bought one, and I was blown away by how well it worked. It's one of those products that I should have bought long ago. It makes cleaning a barbecue grill so much easier.

Grill Floss has a hook on the end. The hook can be flipped over for larger sized grates. I generally use the smaller end with charcoal grates, since I cook over charcoal most often. And, those grates tend to be the thinner wire types. But, Grill Floss works well on the larger gas grill grates too.

With the little hook design, this just slides right up and down the grate and into the corners and does a great job in getting the gunk off. It takes hardly any elbow grease at all especially if you use GrillFloss when the grates are still warm.

I was so impressed with Grill Floss that I added it at my Open Sky Yes You Can Grill barbecue store online. I just carry top picks for outdoor cooking, so this is definately a thumbs up and a grill cleaning tool I'd recommend to anyone who grills...

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CyndiA says "Acer Aspire netbook - great "on the go" computer in a mini size." about Acer Netbook Aspire One

CyndiA — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:54:45 GMT

One of my students showed up with an Acer Aspire, and I was amazed at how small the little netbook is compared to a full sized laptop computer. I'm not tall enough to actualy use a laptop on my lap, but the Acer looked like it might work. And, it did. The Acer Aspire fits right on my lap with room to move my elbows out and type. Yay!

Now, I have an Acer. It's red, but the red color is not fire engine. It's more a burnt red color. They have pink like in the photo as well as blue, black, and white.

Mine is the 10 inch, since they are phasing out the 9 inch. The only difference is screen size. You don't get a smaller netbook with a 9 inch. You just get a little more plastic around the edges.

The main difference with the netbooks is that they have less storage space, but I do an heavy duty computer work on my desktop computer. A netbook is not designed to hold big programs like PageMaker, but it does fine with MS Word and a few other smaller programs loaded on there. You do need a portable...

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CyndiA says "Love Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango - Yum - So Sexy. " about Softsoap Pomegranate and Mango Moisturizing Body Wash

CyndiA — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:13:50 GMT

I like Softsoap products in general, but I really LOVE the new pomegranate and mango scent. Whew boy. It's a wonderful scent both in the bathroom and all over the house when it's shower time for anyone around here.

Softsoap brand is inexpensive for the bottle soap, and I've found the squeeze soap works better around here. The bars get so messy, and I'm not even convinced the boys use bar soap when I put that in the shower.

I've always just grabbed any scent of Softsoap. One is about as good as another . . . until this pomegranate and mango. They just really knocked it out of the park with this scent.

I thought it just might be me, but my son in college mentioned that the last soap I sent was really great. Yep. It was the pomegranate and mango scent. He has a girlfriend now, so that may be part of the reason he noticed, but this Softsoap really does smell wonderful.

This week I found Softsaop pomegranate and mango at the Dollar Store in town. The manager taught me piano lessons, so I...

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CrystaBush says "Tresemme is a good fill-in when I run out of my Redken Shampoo." about TRESemme Smooth & Silky Shampoo

CrystaBush — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:18:08 GMT

TREsemme
Smooth & Silky Shampoo

5x Smoother & Silkier
Vitamin H
Silk Proteins
For dry or damaged hair
Professional formula
Under $5 for 32oz.

My Viewpoint!
I tend to be very loyal to Redken hair products and very rarely stray from them. Since the Redken products that I use are bought from a hair salon and tend to be very pricey, I don't stock up and find myself running out of shampoo or conditioner from time to time. When this happens, I fall back on TREsemme Smooth & Silky Shampoo.

I have found that most shampoo and conditioners that I have used in the past have always felt greasy when applying to my hair and very hard to rinse thoroughly out thus leaving my hair feeling weighted down and oily. Since I have blonde hair and have to wash my hair everyday, sometimes twice a day, I need a shampoo that doesn't leave my hair looking dirty.

TREsemme Smooth & Silky Shampoo doesn't leave my hair feeling weighted down or greasy looking like most shampoos seem to do. The Smooth & Silky formula...

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CyndiA says "I hunted down this cheese. It's smoked gouda, and it's great. " about Frico Smoked Gouda Cheese

CyndiA — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:56:42 GMT

I tried a new cheese at my son's frat Family Day party, and it just blew me away. I tracked down the kid who organized the party to see if he could tell me what kind of cheese I'm stumbled upon, but he was not sure. He did know that Harris Teeter did the trays, so that gave me a starting place.

I went to the local Harris Teeter to get help. The first deli lady had no clue what I was babbling about but rounded up the cheese expert.

Descriptions come easy for me, so I told the cheese lady that it was a light colored and smooth cheese with a creamy texture but still firm. Some cuts were edged with a brownish rind which was edible. And, the cheese was clearly smoked. It had a distinct smokey flavor which is what really made it stand out.

Ah ha. She knew what I was after. The cheese is Frico Gouda Smoked - an import from, I think, Holland.

Frico cheese is expensive, but they pack it in small sizes and charge by weight. I paid $3.50 for a disk of the cheese that I could wrap my fingers around...

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CyndiA says "Not so good - dusty potato chips by T.G.I. Friday's. Bummer!" about TGIF - Potato Skins Cheddar & Bacon Potato Chips

CyndiA — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:28:30 GMT

T.G.I. Friday's potato skins with cheese were one of my favorite appetizers back in college, so when I saw these potato chips by TGIF with the same bacon and cheddar flavor, I had to grab a bag.

First off, the bag is small. It runs about the same price as "normal" chips, but you don't get much. Actually, that worked out fine as there are still some left which I think the dog might eat.

If you think of small Pringles chips that are thicker (so they don't break I guess), then you have the general idea on the TGIF chips. They are not stacked like Pringles, but they are formed and all have the same shape which is kind of like one of those old fashioned shoe horns.

The TGIF chips are sprinkled liberally with powder which I suppose is the bacon and cheddar. Of course, they can't have real bacon and cheese in a bag of chips. But, the powder sure does not taste like bacon or any cheese I ever had and sure not like TGIF potato skins. The taste is kind of like chemicals - maybe what you might get...

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mrkstvns says "The Most Beautiful Cavern in Texas!" about Cave Without a Name

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:38:05 GMT

I'm always looking for fun things to do with my kids on the weekends, and one thing we all love to do is to explore a "land down under". Underground that is. As in cave tours.

We do quite a few cave tours because it's fun, it's educational, it's interesting, it's beautiful, it's totally natural, and because it's a very cool thing to do (literally! It's like 68 degrees underground even when it's a skull-scorching 104 in the shade up top.).

One of the most naturally beautiful caves we've visited in Texas is the Cave Without a Name, located outside Boerne Texas. Boerne is in the heart of the infamous Texas Hill Country, maybe a half hour or so northwest of San Antonio. Though it can be something of a challenge to actually FIND, the Cave Without a Names is fairly close to San Antonio, making it an excellent family day trip for visitors to the Alamo Ciy.

Not only is the Cave Without a Name beautiful and natural, it's also affordable fun: $14 for adults and $7 for kids. A tour takes a bit over...

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mrkstvns says "A World of Childhood Wonder -- Mexico City's Papalote Museum" about Papalote Museo del Nino

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:49:57 GMT

I'm a dad, and that means I spend a fair chunk of time on any trip doing things that shorter people like doing. Zoos and parks figure prominently in our family time, but so too do the many children's museums that are becoming highlights of many major cities. My small crew have been to quite a few children's museums, but their favorite (and mine too) is the delightful Papalote Museo del Nino in Mexico City.

I love the Papalote Museum because it's so big with such an enormous variety of fun activities and because it's got such GOOD exhibits for the little hands and developing minds. Many of the exhibits are hands-on explorations of the world we live in, with a hefty dose of technology to go with it. Papalote has these, just like most childrens' museums do. But what Papalote has that sets it apart are several exhibits that strike me as particularly Mexican.

Most childrens museums I've been to don't have hands-on archaeoligical digs, but then, most childrens museums aren't located in the heart...

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mrkstvns says "It's ALWAYS a Gruesome Halloween Night at the Mummy Museum!" about Museo de las Momias

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:14:38 GMT

One of the COOLEST, most utterly gruesome and terrifyingly WEIRD museums in all of Mexico is the infamous Museo de las Momias --- The Mummy Museum!!

Most travelers come to Guanajuato for the beautiful colonial atmosphere and the city's many cultural celebrations and festivals. But the macabre Museo de las Momias is just icing on the cake!

The museum has an ENORMOUS collection of mummies --- must be hundreds of them. There's galleries where you walk in, and just look down long glass showcases with mummy after mummy, most with grotesque expressions of death on their face, scraps of rotted clothing, bits of wood and dust, or other typical mummy attire.

Some though are just plain unsettling. They have a collection of "child mummies" --- babies or toddlers who died and became mummified, some still wearing very identifiable Sunday best, or clutching rotted bits of beloved toys.

You do know what Beethoven is doing these days, right? He's decomposing!

Well, that's a sure sign that he wasn't buried...

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mrkstvns says "The Convenient Weekend Beach Getaway for Arizona Partiers..." about Puerto Penasco

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:40:03 GMT

A look at a map shows you that Arizona is a land-locked state. It also shows you that it has a long border with Mexico and that there are miles of beaches along the Sea of Cortez just beckoning to Arizona locals. The most popular and fully developed of these beaches is Puerto Peñasco, which many Arizona folks prefer to call "Rocky Point" because otherwise they have to learn how to pronounce the sound of the ñ (en-yay) character, which as all gringos know, is a terrifying prospect indeed.

In any case, Puerto Peñasco has some things going for it that make it popular with the Arizona local yokels. First, it's got beaches (which sure beats the miles of brown sand that Arizona has). Second, it's pretty darn affordable with lots of dirty cheap hotel rooms and plenty of small seafood restaurants where you can sit out on the beach and dig your toes into the brown sand as waiters bring out plate after plato of yummy-licious camarones al diablo or filetes al mojo de ajo, along with chilly cervezas...

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mrkstvns says "Museo de Jose Luis Cuevas --- Where Modern Meets Ancient" about Museo Jose Luis Cuevas

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:09:13 GMT

There are more than 100 major museums in Mexico City, making it one of the most complex yet most rewarding big city destinations in the world. There's at least dozen big museums that can take you hours, if not full days, to tour --- but there are also countless smaller museums with tightly focused themes that can be fully experienced within only a couple hours. The Museo de Jose Luis Cuevas is one of these smaller museums.

I love the traditional Spanish architecture of the colonial home in which the museum is housed. It's just a few blocks walk from the Zocalo, making it an very easy side trip for anyone already sightseeing in the downtown area. It also means that, like just about everything in Mexico City's Centro area, everything you see and touch is about 400 - 500 years old. You'll walk up the cobblestone streets to the museum, which is easily identified by the enormous warped looking human heads outside.

Those sculptures give you a delicious first taste of what Jose Luis Cuevas is...

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mrkstvns says "Museo de Vidrio --- A Unique Glass Museum in Monterrey" about Museo de Vidrio

mrkstvns — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:25:57 GMT

Monterrey is one of Mexico's most interesting large cities because it's so dynamic and there's so much to see and do for the visitor who scratches just slightly below the surface.

The city has quite a lot to offer the visitor with an interest in the fine arts, and one of its real artistic gems is the Museo del Vidrio --- the Glass Museum. The museum itself is located inside a mammoth industrial glass works, and it does have some exhibits that are educational and that inform you about glass as a commercial product. That's not its strongest point though.

The Museo del Vidrio has an extensive collection of stunning artworks, all crafted from glass. There are many, many examples of hand-blown and spun glass objects of stunning artistry and complexity, but what blows my mind are the really large, complex artworks. They have things like an enormous horse that sparkles under its spotlights as if it were crafted from a million diamonds --- but it's glass.

There's also an enjoyable gift shop on site,...

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CyndiA says "Excellent perfume for a classic beauty with traditional values. " about DKNY Cashmere Mist Eau De Parfum Spray

CyndiA — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:50:30 GMT

Cashmere Mist is the perfume I buy for my Mom now. Her favorite was Chanel #5, but she wore that with my Dad who died in a wreck. It seemed to make sense and scents to go with a new fragrance with life being much different now for her and the rest of the family.

Mom is a classic beauty and quite traditional in her values. Chanel #5 was a nice fit, and I'm the oldest and most likely to think of gifts along those lines. In looking at a new perfume, I just paid attention. When she tried a sample swab at the mall, I could tell she liked Cashmire Mist, so I kept that in mind and got that for the next holiday.

The fragrance on Cashmire Mist is elegant and classy. It's not a trendy type smell which would not match my Mom well. I'll try new ones, but she sticks with a perfume for years as she did with Chanel #5.

This is running on three years with Cashmire Mist being the one I buy when I think Mom might be running low on perfume. It matches her well and does not go out of style. It's just one of...

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CyndiA says "Can't get charcoal started? Try FlameDisk - very easy grilling. " about FlameDisk Flame Disk

CyndiA — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:12:59 GMT

If you are grilling challenged but love the idea of grilling outdoors, then FlameDisk could be your solution. FlameDisk is a charcoal alternative. It's an ethenol tray that fires fast and takes any challenge out of trying to rock a tailgate or home barbecue party when it comes to firing up.

I own a grilling and barbecue web site called Yes You Can Grill, so I check out loads of new grilling products and accessories for outdoors. A lot of the grill products do not do it for me, but FlameDisk was a hit.

FlameDisk looks kind of like an aluminum pie plate with a top and bottom. Between is the fuel which looks very much like candle wax with wicks through the holes in the top plate.

To use FlameDisk, just put it in the charcoal grill rather than charcoal. Then light one of the spots in the FlameDisk top (matches even come included).

The fire starts right up and is steady and even. If it gets a little too hot, just cap the lid on the grill as you would with charcoal. That damps the air down and...

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Buggheart says "The only thing missing is the spider." about LUSH Cobweb Bath Bomb

Buggheart — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:27:59 GMT

I'm not a huge bath bomb lover, but I was totally sucked into buying LUSH Cobweb Bath Bomb at a recent LUSH event and I am sure glad that I did.

I bought Cobweb without having any idea what it smelled like, just based solely on the fact that it's a Halloween product (I LOVE Halloween) and it has a cute spider web shape.

I had heard that it smells just like LUSH's Black Pearl bath bomb which a lot of people don't like. And that it, obviously, turns the water a dull grey color which is not very visually appealing.

Still, I had to give it a try, so I ordered it. And yesterday was its lucky day. I had spent the majority of the day outside and needed a hot bath to take away that chilled to the bone feeling. So I ran a hot bath, got in, and dropped Cobweb in with me. Well I don't know if it's because of it's disklike shape or whether Black Pearl does the same, but Cobweb fizzed like crazy! It fizzed and rolled around the tub for a few minutes before it completely dissolved, leaving the...

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Buggheart says "So tempted by the apple!" about LUSH So White Bath Bomb

Buggheart — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:17:00 GMT

Although I'm not a huge fan of bath bombs, I had to give So White Bath Bomb a try when I placed a recent LUSH order.

What tempted me so?

Well, the description on LUSH.com, of course. So White is described on the LUSH website as a frothy blanket of apple scented "snow" for your bath.... inspired by the tempting apple a certain wicked stepmother tricked her beautiful stepdaughter into eating. We assure you however, that this Bath Bomb is not full of poison to put you to sleep. It is made with an uplifting fragrance of refreshing oranges, apples and romantic rose and is meant to awake you if you've been under a spell (or are just feeling tired). This one is quite a frothy bath as we've grated in some bubble bar mixture, so you can bathe in apple scented snow and feel fairest of them all.

I LOVE apple scented products and anything that smells fruity, so I had to give this one a try. I was also drawn somewhat by the idea of a frothy blanket of apple scented "snow".

So today I spent a lot...

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Buggheart says "Finally a way color my hair without coloring my face too." about Repelle Skin Shield Wand

Buggheart — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 02:00:58 GMT

I've been coloring my hair for years. Back when I used to go blond, getting hair color on my skin wasn't a big deal. But since I switched to a darker color I found that it's really hard to not get any haircolor on my skin. No matter how careful I was, it always got on my skin.

Then one day when I was buying color at the beauty supply school I found a product called Repelle Skin Shield Wand. It's like a little ChapStick tube but more oval shaped than round. It can be used on all skin types to protect skin from being stained by haircolor.

Before I color my hair, I apply Repelle all around my hairline, ears, and neck, then apply the color. It creates an invisible barrier that is not greasy like lotion or Vaseline. When I've rinsed it out and all is said and done, I don't have any color stains on my skin. One think I like is that if I get a little Repelle on my hair, it doesn't prevent the haircolor from sinking in and it washes off of my skin very easily.

The Repelle package states...

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BayouBengal says "Prilosec OTC is a Great Choice for Controling Acid Reflux" about Prilosec OTC

BayouBengal — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:53:09 GMT

Prilosec OTC became my husband's standby when he ran out of his prescription for Zantac 150 mg. Both can be obtained over the counter now, but in the case of his prescription, it was cheaper to get it at the pharmacy than buy over the counter. His doctor would not refill his prescription without an office visit (dumb since he has been on this for several years), so that led to him trying Prilosec OTC. Why switch? Because I already had some at the house and it worked for me so he decided why not?

Prilosec OTC comes in boxes of 14, 28, and 42 count. The product works by blocking the acid with one dose a day. It is also great for frequent heartburn sufferers.

Active Ingredients

Omeprazole magnesium delayed-release tablet 20.6 mg (equivalent to 20 mg omeprazole)

My Thoughts on Prilosec OTC

The worst thing about starting Prilosec OTC is that it doesn't work immediately. You have to take it for a couple of days to two weeks for the medication to really kick in and prevent heartburn/acid...

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Buggheart says "Like trying to wash with a piece of liver." about LUSH Strawberry Santa Shower Jelly

Buggheart — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:07:53 GMT

OK so I don't know that it's EXACTLY like washing with a liver, but it's slippery, slimy, and icky like a liver so it's the first thing that popped into my mind.

I've never been a fan of LUSH Shower Jellies so you may be wondering why I even tried LUSH Strawberry Santa. Well, because I got it for free at a party at my local LUSH store. And thankfully it was free, because I would have been upset if I paid for this awful blob of goo.

For starters, Strawberry Santa doesn't even smell like strawberry. It smells like fruit but if it's called Strawberry Santa, it might be a good idea to make sure it smells like that berry rather than just fruit in general. So I wasn't crazy about the scent. Nothing wrong with it, it's just not strawberry.

Next, the consisteny was very stringy. With other jellies I have been able to reach into the container and squeeze a little blob of the jelly out of the container and wash with it or stick it on my shower pouf to make some lather. With this jelly,...

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