Reviews by Friends of amywittenberg

Katrena says "Equate Hydrocortison 1% Cream Works as Well as Brand for Less" about Equate Hydrocortison 1% Cream

Katrena — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:38:48 GMT

Equate Hydrocortisone 1% Cream is a steroidal cream that can work well for mild allergic-type rashes. I have a 2 oz. size tube, which tends to be a little larger than some of the namebrand ones, but they may have a 2 oz. choice as well. It tends to be quite inexpensive and cheaper than the name brands.

Equate Non-prescription Hydrocortisone Cream May Help:

rashes from poison ivy, poison sumac, or poison oak (but this cream doesn't help very much!)
mosquito bites and other small bites that itch
ezcema and psoriasis (it's similar to triamcinolone)
reactions to soaps, detergents, jewelry, etc.
external itching in the perineal area

Hydrocortison Cream Should Not be Used:

internally
on diaper rash unless a pediatrician specifically directs this to be used (this would usually only be for a very short period of time and it would be a very small amount, usually mixed with something else to minimize its use)
alone to treat fungal infections (like a yeast infection) because it does not kill fungi...

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Katrena says "Disney Ice Pack Makes Boo Boos Less Painful" about Disney Ice Pack (re-usable)

Katrena — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:34:27 GMT

Disney re-usable ice packs caught my eye at the Dollar Tree one day. They are small, round packs that you can put in the freezer and use to apply cold therapy to any manner of boo boos. Best of all, they have cute Disney pictures on them like Piglet, Disney princesses, and more.

What I Like About Disney Ice Packs

My kids love these things! I think sometimes they will fake an injury just so they can run to the freezer and play doctor.
They are convenient at home.
They only cost $1
They can be used over and over.
They have a pretty thick outer covering.

What I Don't Like About Disney Ice Packs:

My youngest decided to try one for a teething ring. Make sure to supervise if using on a young one's injury and check to ensure that it doesn't have holes.
They are limited in their use since they must be kept in a freezer in order to keep them cold.
They don't hold the cold for a really long time, but it's usually long enough to sooth.

My Viewpoint:

Disney Ice Packs (re-usable) can take some of the...

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MommyLisa says "YUMMY YUM YUMMERS! " about Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash w/more vegetables

MommyLisa — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:44:39 GMT

Lean Cuisine Butternut Squash Ravioli is like the best lunch ever invented when I have no time and less cash to eat lunch at work.

YUM to the perfect ravioli sheets wrapped around the greatest butternut squash filling.

OMG to the delicious creamy sauce!

And HELLO THERE to the walnut pieces that spark up the veggies and taste of the whole dish.

I feel like someone from Top Chef created this delicious lunch.

Bonus? 350 Calories - 90% of your Vitamin A requirements - 6 grams of fiber

Drawback? It is a frozen lunch so there is a bit of sodium, 28% of your daily requirement.

I wish ALL Lean Cusine meals were this refined though. I mean come on Stouffers, work on the regular three cheese ravioli for some fun twists please!

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Katrena says "My Kids Love This Disney Princess Step Stool" about Disney Princess Step Stool

Katrena — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:28:45 GMT

The Disney Princess Step Stool is a cool stool for little girls who like pink and princesses. When I happened to see this one on sale at 75% off at Dollar General, I grabbed it and made a beeline for the checkout. I knew my girls would love it.

What I like about the Disney Princess Step Stool:

My daughters love Disney princesses and pink.
It has rubber tipped legs, which makes it less prone to slide.
It is fairly sturdy but wouldn't hold large amounts of weight.
I got it on sale at the end of the summer.
It's pretty lightweight and easy to move.

The Negatives on the Disney Princess Step Stool:

My 2-year-old can now reach things that she knows I put out of her reach.
It wasn't a terribly high price before the sale (less than $5) around here.
My kids (8, 5, 2) seem to always want to climb on this thing, and the 2-year-old usually sets it right on my foot before standing on it.
It has tipped a few times.

I'm pretty sure the label on this one said that this is for sitting and not standing...shouldn't...

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leon says "The best sheet feed scanner ever and the best gadget I own!" about Fujitsu Scansnap S510M

leon — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 21:17:52 GMT

About a year ago I purchased a Fujisu Scansnap S510M. For some reason I never spent much time with it until recently, and I've fallen in love with it...it's the best desktop feed scanner I've ever owned or used. As a well known geek-about-town in most of the circles I travel in I get a lot of questions about my favorite hardware and software. This fast scanner is now at the top of any list.

The Fujitsu Scansnap S510M is probably the single most critical component of my home office. It is a feed scanner (not a flat bed) that scans pages so fast it is mind boggling.It only rarely jams, and when it does, I just hit one button and the entire front component flips out for easy clearing. It could not possibly be any faster or easier to get documents scanned.

I can stack 40 pages of two-sided documents, hit one button, and walk away while the documents are scanned at an insane 18 pages per minute. It can handle documents as small as business card or as big as legal pages and it scans both sides...

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CyndiA says "Love these little mini 5 x 7 inch legal pads in pastel colors." about Tops Docket 5 x 7 Mini Legal Pads

CyndiA — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:04:49 GMT

Legal pads are convenient but bulky, but these Tops Docket 5 x 7 inch are just perfect for most situations. I can even stick one in my purse which comes in handy for so many times when I want to write down a quick note.

I first ordered these at work through Office Depot, and I continue to do so. My boss found out that he liked the little pads better than the big ones too - or for most things.

They are, as I said, 5 x 7 inches - a nice size.

These little notepads are lined which is nice. They may have unlined paper pads too. I've never checked. I personally like lines on my paper.

The colors that I get here are yellow, blue, and my favorite - lavender. They call them pastels. They have a bit of color but not enough to make it hard to read over them. It's very easy to read my black and blue pens over these colors.

I do use full size legal pads from time to time, but these 5 x 7 inch writing pads are my "go to" now. I really like the size.

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CyndiA says "Yay - Found Rainbo Rolls so can make little ham cheese snacks." about Rainbo Dinner Rolls in Foil Tray

CyndiA — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:35:21 GMT

Remember those little ham and cheese roll sandwiches that always got gobbled up at parties? Well, maybe they were not big all over, but they were super popular in the South.

For some reason, the grocery stores around don't carry the little Pepperidge Farm rolls now, so that knocked out these appetizers. Until . . . Rainbo started selling a similar type roll in the foil tray.

And, yes, it is Rainbo with no w and not Rainbow rolls. Bet that will confuse a lot of folks huh.

Rainbo rolls can just be heated up as bread, but I usually make the ham and cheese sandwiches. The whole tray of rolls are split like one giant sandwich. Then just put ham and cheese in there and pour butter with mustard and poppy seeds (though I used parsley this last time).

I'm glad I was able to find this brand making the tiny rolls. It had been ages since we had ham cheese appetizers, and they went over great at our family gathering this past weekend.

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jdt2912 says "Great way to stream TV" about Roku - Roku HD Player

jdt2912 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:05:44 GMT

Devices that stream programming from online to your TV sound great, but the ones I have tried before have been fairly glitchy and hard to set up. So I was a bit apprehensive about getting a Roku HD Player, but I kept hearing great things from people I knew and reading good things in articles that I had to give it a try.

Here's how it works -- you hook this very small black box up to your TV, connect it to your wireless network (you can also use a cable) and then you use it to access your online Netflix subscription. Sounds simple, right?

Well, it really was. I (and by I, I mean my wife, who is the go-to electronics set up person in our home) had it up and working in short order and the image quality and reception were great. The way you access movies is through your Netflix Instant Queue via an onscreen menu. So you need to go online, add movies to the queue that are cleared for instant viewing, and then you're set. The best part? Netflix doesn't charge you to watch any of these movies...

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CyndiA says "Sea Best Tilapia - healthy and does not taste fishy." about Sea Best Tilapia Fillets

CyndiA — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:41:19 GMT

We are trying to eat healthier and especially like tilapia, because it does not taste fishy like some fish. There are several brands I buy, but I like Sea Best which comes in a one pound bag with each fish fillet individually wrapped. I can cook up one fish fillet or the whole bag, and the fish all stays fresh.

There are six fillets per bag or, at least, the bags I've bought have had six. The sizes are small, and the bag says it's 4 servings. So, I guess they figure on everyone eating one and one half piece of small tilapia fillet. That seems rather odd - but well . . . OK. They are small enough that my son actually needs 4 to fill up.

Tilapia is healthy and has the good fish oil, and this is straight up fish and not breaded or coated with anything. And, it comes it at under 100 calories per serving, but as I mentioned, the fillets are small.

We quick pan fry the tilapia or broil it, but my son likes it's baked with cheese and butter which is fabulous - but that kind of sucks the "healthy"...

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MikeMaroon says "Lookin for Love in all the Wrong Places......" about The Imperfect Enjoyment

MikeMaroon — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 17:36:25 GMT

by Dwan W. Gibson reminds me of dudes I knew in high school who used to brag about all the women they had or everyone sitting around the big screen TV, watching some reality show and recounting their dating horror stories from Match.com. And that's just how it reads. Mr. Gibson opens his first and, so far only, book, a memoir with the statement "The girls have always been good to me, most of the time." He then recounts his first kiss, in the seventh grade. From there it's all about the women he loved and lost.

Sometimes humorous, sometimes serious and always to the point, Gibson fashions a breezy and at times raunchy narrative describing how he got hooked on "the fairer sex", and his pursuit of love, often in all the wrong places. He moves away from his home in Cleveland for the bright lights of California, mostly to satisfy his sense of adventure and desire to get away from the social restrictions of a black man living in the midwest.

What he finds in San Diego isn't exactly...

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tim2 says "quite possibly the best veggie burger I have ever had" about Hop Haus - Chicago, IL

tim2 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:24:33 GMT

When my coworkers were discussing Hop Haus for lunch one day, the question on everyone's mind was which wild game burger (kangaroo, ostrich, bison, boar, etc) to have that day. Being vegetarian, I wasn't sure what options I would have - but I had never been and wanted to give the place a try. The menu has a pseudo burgers section and listed a "Homemade Vegan" burger. I know what you are thinking...vegan?...how could that be any good? Well, I have got to tell you that it was quite possibly the best veggie burger I have ever had. This one was cooked perfectly and was dressed with sauteed mushrooms, avocado and italian dressing. I was completely impressed and would absolutely recommend anyone try it.

It is worth noting that our party arrived right at noon and were able to get a table without a wait. The rest of the group enjoyed their wild game burgers. The total per person (no drinks, including tax and tip) was around $15.

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corywilkerson says "A very capable phone lacking a little consumer polish" about Motorola - droid Cell Phone

corywilkerson — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 21:14:32 GMT

I like the Droid. I do. It's just not my iPhone.

I was an overly-active iPhone user for nearly two years. I loved the entire iPhone experience - hardware and software alike - except for one glaringly obvious failure: the inability to consistently make and receive phone calls. In short, my somewhat reluctant move to the Droid had its genesis in a certain, unnamed carrier's inability to reliably service a major metropolitan area, not in the device itself.

The Droid, in it's current state, is really just Google's Android OS running on a touch-screen device, built by Motorola (apparently with considerable input from Google). This isn't a groundbreaking device, similar Android phones have existed on the market for quite some time; it's just that the Droid managed to cull together one of the best touch screens on the market to date, a full QWERTY slideout, a 5MP camera and opportunistically launched in-tandem with Android's 2.0 release, a generational leap forward for that platform.

As one would...

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Jolie says "buyuggsboot.net is a scam! Ugg Boots from China that are fake." about www.buyuggsboot.net

Jolie — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:22:46 GMT

Background on Buyuggsboot.net

A friend of mine at Viewpoints recently passed along a site called www.buyuggsboot.net. She found it online. www.buyuggsboot.net is a web site that sells all styles of Ugg Boots at discounted prices.

We werent certain if www.buyuggsboot.net were the real or not. But after a thorough review of the site, we thought it was legit. Buyuggsboot.net looks like a reasonable reseller of Ugg Boots. The page is designed well, the pictures look authentic and they make claim to having the real deal. They also consistently site throughout the web site having customer satisfaction commitments.

To add to the thought it was authentic, the pricing seemed good but not amazing. As you probably know a typical pair of Ugg Boots cost about $110. On Buyuggsboot.net the cost was $89.00- approximately a $20 savings. Seemed like a good deal, but they werent so cheap that I thought it could be scam. As an aside, last year Nordstrom had a similiar sale on Ugg boots so the pricing seemed...

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Katrena says "Smartvalve Toilet Fill Valve Left Me Feeling Pretty Slow & Dumb" about American Standard Smartvalve Toilet Valve Model 3198.000

Katrena — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:12:13 GMT

The American Standard Smartvalve toilet fill valve box says "Installs in under 15 minutes." I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker. I figured that even if it took my husband an hour and a half to get home that I would be able to smile and say "I already fixed the toilet!"

I am not a plumber. I do not have a plumber's tools. I don't make the money that plumbers do; therefore, I went to Lowe's and bought this thing that used to have a floating ball in it but newer versions now go straight up and down on a rod. It is supposed to cue the water to stop running after the back of the toilet fills to the appropriate level.

What I Like about SmartValve:

Height adjustment is easy--just twist the yellow part and lift or lower and then twist back to lock.
Opening the top for maintenance is easy, although I wouldn't recommend doing that while the water is running like my husband did. :)
There aren't many parts, but the directions didn't really talk about where to put all of the parts.
I can now flush...

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Katrena says "Rudolph is a Favorite Christmas Movie at My House" about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:49:07 GMT

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has the charm of an older movie with a story that never grows old. This movie focuses on how being different really isn't bad at all.

Sam the Snowman sets the stage and narrates the story beautifully. The characters are lovable, even the Abominable. Although Santa is a bit grouchy in places, he begins to cheer near the end. Even the relentless elf boss decides to soften at bit. The technology used to make the characters is quite interesting and really appeals to kids. Even the scary characters don't look all that scary.

The Story:

Rudolph is born looking different from the other reindeer because he has a shiny red nose. His father decides Rudolph should wear a cover over his nose, and Rudolph is showing great promise as the young ones try out for the sleigh team. Unfortunately, his cover pops off and Rudolph is no longer welcome by the other reindeer his age...except Clarice, who has a crush on him and decides he looks better without the silly cover.

Eventually...

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Katrena says "Twenty-six Princesses is a Fun Twist on an Alphabet Book" about Dave Horowitz - Twenty-Six Princesses

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:22:11 GMT

Twenty-six Princesses [2008, G.P. Putnam's Sons, ISBN: 978-0-399-24607-4] by Dave Horowitz is a 32-page children's picture book that covers the letters of the alphabet as the story of these princesses develops.

Not all of the princesses are being particularly ladylike, and I think that's why my girls like this one. The book also incorporates rhyming and lots of humor. My girls got a kick out of Princess Nell, who apparently passed gas and they also started laughing about "Princess Ruth, mithing a tooth."

The illustrations are colorful and compliment the story.

My Viewpoint:

Twenty-six Princesses is an alphabet book that shows lots of princesses, many of which are behaving badly. This can be a fun book and my kids liked to look for the letter of the alphabet that was somewhere on each page. The rhyming words made the book fun to read. People who are looking for well behaved princesses in their storybooks would probably do better to try another children's book.

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Katrena says "Find Moon Phase Image for Any Date 1800-2199: Cool!" about Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:36:20 GMT

The Moon Phase Images Virtual Reality Web Site offers visitors the opportunity to find out the moon phase for dates between 1800 and 2199. According to the web site, the lunar images were created by R. Schmidt.

How It Works:

The home page shows a virtual image of the moon as it appears at the present time in universal time that is updated every four hours. Users may also choose to see the moon as it appears at another time by choosing:

Century
Year
Month
Day
Hour
Time Zone (Universal, Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific)

What I Like About This Web Site:

Easy navigation--users can go back and reset with another date quickly
Very simple--doesn't have advertisements or other topics
Easy to use--my 8-year-old learned how to use it in just a few minutes
Wide range of dates available
Seems to be accurate but I

What I Don't Like About This Web Site:

The default century is the 1900s
It doesn't list the name of the phase--just shows the picture

My Viewpoint:

My daughter has had an assignment to...

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Katrena says "104.7 fm Radio "The Fish" Has Great Christian Christmas Music" about 104.7 fm radio "The Fish" Web Site

Katrena — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 03:11:35 GMT

Radio stations don't like the area in which I live. I'm in a rural area where even cell phones often do not pick up. It's not unusual to see people walking around outside their homes when they try to talk on the phone. Radio? Well, if it's not clear, sometimes it's just not worth the effort...unless I try to pick up a station on the radio.

I love to listen to Christmas music. I came across the web site for 104.7 fm "The Fish" in Atlanta by accident, and I'm glad that I did. This Christian radio web site is very user friendly, and at this time they are playing all Christian Christmas music. I particularly enjoy listening to the Christian Christmas music, both older and newer songs, and this station is playing both. They are playing a few secular songs like Frosty and Sleigh Ride. They advertise that they are kid friendly, and so far I would agree with that.

I can easily find the area to click to listen to the station live, and I can also see the last 15 songs played. The song list has...

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Katrena says "Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress & Sweater Combo Has Pretty Style" about Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:39:49 GMT

This Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater Combo has a unique style with five layers cascading down, alternating white algodon with blue and white print fabric. Each layer also has a pretty patterned strip to separate the layers with a small lace ruffle at the bottom. Daisies encircle the bottom edge of the dress and a matching soft white cotton sweater can be worn with the dress.

I'm not sure on the price of this dress, but I thought it made a cute gift.

What I Like About the Dress:

It is a very pretty style that looks so cute!
The blue doesn't fade onto the white fabric.
The sweater is separate, so it can be worn sleeveless on really hot days.
This dress has been durable--my daughter loves to climb and crawl and usually puts her clothes to the test.

What I Don't Like About the Dress:

The daisies aren't sewn completely down and tend to curl up.
The dress and sweater both have tags--my 5-year-old absolutely HATES tags.

My Viewpoint:

I think this Faded Glory Sleeveless Dress and Sweater...

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Katrena says "Tinkyada Grand Shell Pasta is OK but Hard to Cook Properly" about Tinkyada Brown Rice Pasta Grand Shell (with Rice Bran)

Katrena — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:18:21 GMT

Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells with rice bran is a very small box of very large pasta shells.

What I like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

I do like the way this product is produced and packaged. It has clear labels regarding multiple allergens and includes the following information:

wheat free
gluten free
kosher certified
cholesterol free
low far
low sodium
source of fiber

This product is manufactured in a factory in which the entire factory only produces rice products, so there isn't the risk of cross-contamination of wheat products, which is great. I've bought quite a few Tinkyada pastas and they seem to be consistently labeled and it's nice to have the peace of mind to have something absolutely gluten-free. I believe these are also organic because they are sold at Whole Foods, which specializes in organic products.

What I don't like about Tinkyada brown rice pasta grand shells:

The package says these are not mushy--that's an understatement. It seems to take forever...

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