Reviews by hudson2001

hudson2001 says "Hands down, the best boxed corn bread mix I've found." about Penguin Natural Foods All Natural Baking Mix Corn Bread

hudson2001 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:53:10 GMT

I love corn bread and corn muffins, and have been eating the cheap stuff for years. Every so often I will make my own from scratch, but that's too much work for the time I usually have. So when I found this mix, I was very excited. And after tasting it? I was even MORE excited! It is so moist, with actual pieces of corn in it! My husband, who really DOES NOT LIKE corn bread even likes this! My dad, who I consider a corn bread connoisseur, LOVES it and now wants this instead of his regular corn bread. It's not available everywhere, so I end up buying multiple boxes to ship home with family!

...

hudson2001 says "I did not buy these for yoga - just slippery wood floors!" about ToeSox Yoga / Pilates Toe Socks

hudson2001 — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:45:19 GMT

We moved into a house with mostly wood floors, and in the winter, they get COLD and regular socks just slip like crazy--and with a baby that I carry around all the time, slipping is NOT an option. I've tried many different type of grippy socks and slippers, and haven't loved any of them--the gripper dots usually come off within one or two washings or trips around the house. So when someone recommended these yoga socks, I had to give them a try.

Unfortunately, I don't really like them. The grippy knobs are nice--they've stayed on through a few washings already and they're small enough that you can't feel them when walking on them (a problem with some other grippy socks). But the actual toe part of the socks? Egads. It's hard to get your toes in the holes and takes some finessing (something I don't feel you should have to do with something as basic as socks). Then, once you have them on, the socks feel SO thick they are almost uncomfortable (I now know I can't stand to have things between...

...

hudson2001 says "Just didn't give me the WOW factor I wanted and was expecting." about Canon - PowerShot SD1200 IS Digital Camera

hudson2001 — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:31:07 GMT

After four years of using the heck out of (and LOVING) my Canon SD600, the two batteries no longer hold charges well, so it was either $80 for two new Canon batteries (I know I can get off brands but I don't think they last as long), I decided to spend the bucks on the new Canon SD1200.

I only tested it for one day because when I pulled it out of the box, the LCD screen had a HUGE scratch on it, so I knew I would be returning it. But I took a bunch of test shots to see if I really liked it and wanted to re-purchase it. Keeping in mind I didn't get to review every aspect of the camera, what was my overall review after one day's worth of test shots? In one word: meh.

There were highs and lows/pros and cons. I am sure I would grow to love it, but there are definitely things I like and things I don't.

CONS?

The power button is harder to turn on (moreso one-handed like I normally do since I am rushing to take a quick picture of the baby). It doesn't stick out as much as on the SD600. (On the...

...

hudson2001 says "Fun toy, but could be better. Glad I only paid $4." about Vtech Move and Crawl Ball

hudson2001 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:55:55 GMT

I got the Vtech Move and Crawl Ball at a garage sale, and I'd say it was definitely worth the $4 I paid--because I was going to purchase it new! After using it for a few days, however, I am glad I only paid $4.

The pros?

Even on the loud setting, it's not that loud.
It's fun to watch the baby reach for it as it rolls around.
The baby likes the noises and vibrations.

The cons?

The animals are cartoon animals so they are very hard to distinguish (if I have a hard time, how the heck is my kidlet supposed to do it?).
The ball asks questions like "Where is the pig?" but gives you NO time to actually find it (especially considering the style of the animals). If you do manage to find the animal/number/shape in time, you get a YAAAAAY! from the ball. But honestly, most of the time I couldn't even find the animal/number/shape in time so I don't see a child being able to, either.
Doesn't roll well on carpet unless it's very flat carpet. I always have the baby on a blanket (even on our carpeted floors)...

...

hudson2001 says "The exhaust feature ROCKS! Cools wonderfully, too!" about Holmes twin window fan

hudson2001 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:43:51 GMT

I am writing this review about the Holmes HAWF2043 Twin Window Fan.

We live in an older two-story house where the A/C doesn't really work well upstairs. And the sun really heats up the master bedroom during the day (even with the curtains closed) so that it's practically a sauna by evening (and even harder to cool down). I looked at a bunch of fans here but just couldn't decide (for some reason I always tend to place more weight on the negative reviews than the positive). A friend also recommended it but then the weather cooled and I sort of forgot about it.

But then we had another heat wave. And I was watching QVC and they had this fan on (although I didn't know it was THIS fan at the time). I thought "Hmmm, looks neat" but then went to look for it on Amazon to hopefully avoid S/H!! I found it and ordered it immediately.

And we LOVE it!! It is WONDERFUL at exhausting the hot air from our master bedroom on those awfully hot days (the room is 16x16). Yes, it's still warm in there (even...

...

hudson2001 says "Almost 4 stars, but not quite. Sketchy MP3 aspect." about Sassy Me in the Mirror w/ MP3 Hook-Up

hudson2001 — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 21:36:55 GMT

My baby loves mirrors and "crinkle" stuff so the Sassy Me in the Mirror with MP3 was a big hit. The bird (is it a bird? Whatever the blue thing is in the upper corner) is crinkly and the sun turns and has a squeaker in it (although my baby isn't old enough to squeak it yet).

I thought I was going to love the MP3 attachment...but honestly it kinda sucked.

1) The attached cable is EXTREMELY short. I know it can't be long since it's a toy for a baby, but it is SO short that it's difficult to get the ipod hooked up.

2) It doesn't hook up to my iPhone.

3) Contrary to another review I read (on Amazon), the sound does NOT come through the sun--at least as far as I can tell. It can definitely be heard coming out the REAR of the mirror, though...which leads to #4.

4) It can't take much of an an increase in volume--since the sound comes out the back, when the mirror was front-facing (as it would be if the baby was playing with it), we had to turn it up to even hear it--and at full volume the...

...

hudson2001 says "Bigger than I thought it would be; works great." about Zo-Li On-The-Go Travel Formula and Snack Dispenser

hudson2001 — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:46:38 GMT

I had been debating between the Zo-Li On-The-Go Travel Formula & Snack Dispenser and the Innobaby Packin' SMART Formula Dispenser and Snack Case, and ended up getting the Zo-Li because it was the first one to be available (at the time) with Amazon Prime.

To be honest, I loved the idea and was so jazzed with the item that I paid NO attention to the size of the container. I just assumed (wrongly, it turns out) that it was a tall and skinny container. I know the containers I currently use for formula (the munchkin - a tiny, skinny, one-serving container) and was expecting it to be about that size. So you can imagine my surprise when I opened the box and saw just how big the Zo-Li was!! I uploaded photos to show the size...but it is 3" wide and 8" tall!! It's HUGE! I don't remember seeing the dimensions listed in the product information section...but honestly, even if they were, I didn't pay attention because I was just so enamored with this container! As far as it taking up less room than...

...

hudson2001 says "Reminiscent of S'mores, by no means perfect execution." about Kellogg's Smorz

hudson2001 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:56:51 GMT

I am a S'more addict, so when I saw this cereal, I HAD to get it. And I was excited to say the least.

Until I tasted it.

Don't get me wrong--it's definitely tasty...but it's just not what I wanted it to be. The "graham" pieces are air-puffed pieces that don't really taste much like graham crackers--this cereal would have been MUCH better off with graham pieces à la Golden Grahams (except that's another company so I am sure there was some reason they couldn't). The marshmallow ratio was nice--always my favorite part of a breakfast cereal! And it was okay in milk--but I'll probably just eat it dry from now on.

So, overall, it tasted vaguely of S'mores...but had I been blindfolded, I probably wouldn't have been able to guess what it was. I would still eat it, of course. :)

...

hudson2001 says "My four month old loves it! " about Baby Einstein Bendy Ball

hudson2001 — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 17:50:42 GMT

A mom in my group had a similar one of these for her baby who loved it. So when we were walking through the baby aisles at Target last night, we saw this one (it's a Baby Einstein Bendy Ball). We just put it in the stroller with Owen to see if he would like it-and he played with it the entire time! So, of course, we bought it!

He has many other rattle-type toys meant for grabbing, but this is the first one he has actually grabbed on to and played with. It is very sturdy and actually a little heavier than I anticipated by just looking at it--I was worried it might be too heavy for him to pick up (since we had never really seen him pick up anything before) but he manages with no problems!

...

hudson2001 says "Wanted to love it but only liked it." about Fisher Price Soothing Motions Glider

hudson2001 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:50:02 GMT

We really wanted to LOVE the Soothing Motions Glider, but ended up only liking it. Why? It eats batteries like they're going out of style. And at 4 D batteries a pop, it gets expensive.

That said, the baby did like it...especially when he was tiny and wouldn't yet nap in his crib or pack-and-play. This glider would put him to sleep almost instantly. But even at only 8 or 9 pounds, it sounded like the motor was straining...and the fast speed was a joke.

A new set of batteries lasted a day for us, at which point the thing would move if you bumped it, or it would move even slower than the hare setting, then start and stop in fits and spurts. New batteries would jazz it up again for awhile...but not nearly long enough.

This would get a definite 4 stars if it was simply able to be plugged in and/or 5 stars if they added a vibration mode and a true fast speed.

If you're going to try this, I recommend Craiglist. We spent about $50 on it and got most of our money back out of it when we resold...

...

hudson2001 says "Worst hotel room ever." about Knights Inn Detroit Area / Sterling Heights - Sterling Heights, MI

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:45:56 GMT

*NOTE* I originally rated them 2 stars because I couldn't do 1.5. However, upon another day of reflection and remembering more details, I have lowered it to 1 star.

We wanted a hotel close to home with an in-room jacuzzi for less than our monthly grocery budget (LOL). Seriously, most rooms I called about were upwards of $140 -- EEK! So when we saw the marquee at Knights Inn saying a jacuzzi room was $69.95, we were in. You see, we just had a baby 10 weeks ago and needed a night away from home while the grandparents watched the baby. We needed some "alone time," some muscle relaxation, AND a full night's sleep - so this place seemed perfect.

Unfortunately, it was much less than perfect.

It started with them not having our reservation - they mistakenly made the reservation for the night my husband called, not the night we requested. (The place was nearly empty, though, so it was no big deal. They also assured us they hadn't charged us for that night. Um, good thing.) Then, I asked hubby...

...

hudson2001 says "Works great with breastfeeding but takes some getting used to." about The First Years Breastflow Complete Starter Set Baby Bottle

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:13:51 GMT

We started with Avent bottles and even with the slow-flow newborn nipple, it seemed the flow was too fast and he lost quite a bit of milk out of the side while eating. Because we are breastfeeding, we thought we would try the Breastflow bottles.

At first I thought "I could honestly take them or leave them." He seemed to be more burpy, the flow still seemed too fast (he still lost some out the sides), and I hated how the milk gathered in the nipple and you'd have to squeeze the sides to let the milk back down.

Then as we used them more, they became less strange and I actually liked them. I think they also REALLY helped lessen any nipple confusion he might have had--which I was VERY worried about! It was a bit annoying having two nipple pieces to clean, but it was only one extra piece and if it worked well, you do what you have to do, right?

We ended up stopping breastfeeding at about 8 weeks (although I still do breastmilk) and stopped using these at about 10 weeks - they were starting...

...

hudson2001 says "Worth the money, but not perfect." about Learning Curve The First Years Modular Drying Rack

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:55:43 GMT

We started with the Munchkin drying rack, but quickly outgrew it once we got more bottles into rotation (along with pacifiers, pump equipment, etc.).

The First Years Modular Drying Rack was a vast improvement, but it only gets 4 stars because it does feel a bit flimsy and the trays don't spin as nicely as I'd hoped. I'd be willing to pay a bit more if it had some ball bearings in it for spinning ease.

One part that we don't use is the drip spout, which is supposed to hang over the edge of the sink so it can drain. The type of sink we have won't allow that - but in addition, we never have THAT much water draining where I can imagine that it would need to drip into the sink. They also say that you can put bottles on the inner part of the rack (not hanging on the hooks) which you can, but then they are hard to get to if you have bottles hanging on the rods. I would also make the top rods the same height as the (taller) bottom rods so that you can put big bottles up there as well.

All that...

...

hudson2001 says "Not what I remembered - they have an off taste." about Slim-Fast - Optima Snack Bars

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:52:04 GMT

I am writing this about the Peanut Butter Crunch variety that I bought from Amazon.

Years ago when I tried these, they were AWESOME. As another reviewer said, they tasted exactly like Butterfinger bars.

WELL, NOT ANY MORE. :(

I don't know what happened, but they have some off-taste to them that makes them almost inedible. The texture is still the same, and you can tell the taste is trying to be the same, but it's nowhere close. Unfortunately I cannot place the taste to give an idea.

I am very sorry I purchased 8 boxes of these..

...

hudson2001 says "Works okay but is too loud and spills too often." about Medela Freestyle Hands-Free Electric Double Breastpump 67060

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:47:55 GMT

This unit is somewhat of a disappointment and I am not happy we spent $350 on it.

Pros?

* Small, convenient size.
* Love love love the timer.

Cons?

* The thing I hate THE MOST is that if you tip the bottles AT ALL, milk comes out. I always try to pay close attention, yet at least 4-5 times a week I lose some milk (anywhere from a few drips to a stream) because it's just so fussy and I moved the wrong way or had to get up to check the baby...and I curse the thing to high heaven each time. (I was spoiled by the Symphony I originally rented from the hospital that was a closed unit--which is necessary for rentals, but also keeps the milk in.)

* The hands-free system is a joke. Maybe it's because I have large breasts, but nothing I did allowed the pump to attach correctly to my bra/breasts. The clips didn't seem to be in the right position to keep the cone pressed against me; once I thought I had them clipped, the entire strap popped off. My husband actually had to step in and help me get...

...

hudson2001 says "Frustrating to use if you have a wiggly baby" about Miracle Baby Blanket

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:39:36 GMT

I am sure this product is amazing for some people. Heck, a bunch of our friends SWORE by it. So, we ordered two of them. We have had them over a month now, and have only used them a handful of times.

Why?

Well, our baby is VERY active - which you would think this blanket is perfect for, since it keeps them contained. And it might, if we could actually get him IN it. Yes, we realize this is more our fault (and his) and NOT the fault of the blanket itself, but it's frustrating.

Why?

We try to wrap his Houdini-arms in the arm flaps, and by the time we have one flap tucked under him and are working on the second flap, the first one is already coming out. This is because you have to lift the baby (obviously) in order to place the arm flap under him (the whole point of pinning the arms). So while you are lifting him to place the second arm flap, if he is wiggling hard enough, the first arm will start to come loose--and just like any other swaddling, once an arm is even a little loose, that's...

...

hudson2001 says "Worked great for us, well worth a try at their inexpensive cost." about The First Years Soothie Pacifier

hudson2001 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:29:02 GMT

I didn't want to give my baby a pacifier AT ALL. I was paranoid that since I was breastfeeding, that any pacifier was going to ruin things... but we were at the hospital for a test and the baby was fussing a bit and the nurse asked if we had a pacifier and I said no. She reached into the cupboard and pulled out one of these, saying they were highly recommended. We took it from her, thanked her, and threw it in the diaper bag. (We didn't try it right then because, as I mentioned, I did NOT want my baby to use a pacifier.)

And then came a time when he was really fussy. And we had just watched The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD and learned that Sucking is something that, ironically, PACIFIES a baby and calms them down... so I gave the baby the Soothie...and he loved it! LOVED IT! I immediately went out and bought two more 2-packs (from Target and Babies R Us). I also bought the next-stage pacifiers (one step up from newborn).

Of course if he is super agitated (or hungry) then it won't stay...

...

hudson2001 says "Excellent item for the price." about Edge - Tech Corp Digital Photo Frame

hudson2001 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 04:21:55 GMT

I was extremely surprised with all the features and options available on this frame! The reason I went with this frame (as opposed to any other) is that you can load photos up to 12MB in size--and you don't have to bother resizing the photos! The native display is 640x480, but I loaded a bunch of different sizes and they all looked fine (there was no strange resizing or cropping). I have to say I was also pleasantly surprised by the quality of the displayed photos. I tested high-quality 600dpi photos vs. low-quality 96dpi photos, and while you could tell a difference if you REALLY studied them, overall, for the average user, the photos look just fine in low-quality (which allows you to get more photos on your memory card).

Speaking of memory cards, this frame supports more popular formats than I've seen elsewhere (including SD Memory Cards, MultiMedia (MMC) Cards, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, IBM Microdrive, and Type I/II Compact Flash Cards) as well as supporting MP3s and a slew of video...

...

hudson2001 says "NOT FOR LONG TERM USE, would not buy again." about Pet Gear Deluxe Home 'n Go Softcrate

hudson2001 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:47:54 GMT

I should have paid more attention to the original reviews when I was purchasing this at Amazon...I was warned ahead of time that this crate shouldn't be used as an everyday or long-term solution.

We used this crate for LESS THAN three months when the zipper one one end (that we use all the time) got screwed up and half the time it didn't open. At least one of the two zippers on that end could still move so the dog could get in and out, but I was afraid of the morning when I would try to open it and both zippers would be fully stuck. We could still have used the zippers on the top, but we didn't like those since the dog can't get in and out at her leisure.

Although in general it's a nice crate, I probably would not buy this item again just due to the poor quality of the zippers--hence the two stars. I am completely surprised that we only got three months' use out of it before the zippers bit the dust. We've already purchased a different, sturdier, latch-style crate that we're much happier...

...

hudson2001 says "What happened to Cuisinart quality?" about Cuisinart Food Processor - DLC-2011

hudson2001 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 04:43:19 GMT

For the most part, I like this machine. It was the one I wanted and it does what I need it to do and I like that (I've never made dough in it, so cannot comment on that feature, which seems to be where people have issues with it).

That said, there is one thing I ABSOLUTELY HATE about it - one of the safety features! The "pusher" cup HAS to be inserted the correct way before the thing will run! That gets a BIG thumbs down from me! I'm sorry, but I don't always want it in there to run the stupid thing - I'm not always pushing something in. For this reason alone I might be tempted to buy a different model (I didn't fully research them before I asked for this one--I just knew I wanted an 11 cup Cuisinart).

I only used this machine maybe once every other month on average (if that). So imagine my surprise when after I used the machine and went to wash it, I noticed a small metal rod in the sink, and then I noticed that the handle of the bowl assembly was falling apart!! My stepdad was able to piece...

...