Reviews by Friends of ikat

Jo says "Where's all the protein in Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake? " about Herbalife Shakes

Jo — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:00:49 GMT

I am doing a 12-week weight loss program sponsored by Herbalife. When I enrolled I didn't know that they were sponsoring it. I have bought quite a few of their products. The first one I bought was the Healthy Meal Nutritional Shake Mix. It is for "healthy nutrition and weight management".

The flavor I chose is french vanilla, which is delicious. I add soy or almond mix to two scoops and ice cubes and have a yummy snack. The program suggests that we have one or two shakes a day. I normally have one and stick to the amount of calories per day I should eat.

I paid about $35.00 for a 26.5 ounce canister. This makes 30 servings per container.

It has 19 essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients; however, you will get these in a multi-vitamin. For example, you'll get 35% of Vitamin A when you add milk and 50% of Vitamin D, which you will get if you go outside for 15 minutes a day. Yes I am skeptical because I haven't seen results and I think it is over priced.

The "wellness coaches" say that...

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Jo says "I watch TV; my husband works. Thank you Sony Infrared Headphones" about Sony - Infrared Cordless Headphones MDR-IF240RK

Jo — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:45:15 GMT

To the Point

The problem isn't new but the technology to fix it seems to be new - at least new to us. The problem was that our house has an open floor plan meaning my husband's office and our living room are connected. I got used to reading the closed caption wording but sometimes my reading was slower than the words on the screen.

In comes wireless headphones. I tried out a pair of Radio Shack brand headphones at our daughter and son-in-law's but my husband ended up buying me the Sony Infrared Cordless Headphones MDR-IF240RK.

A Closer View: The features

The Sony Infrared Cordless Headphones

come with a transmitter. The transmitter is placed near the television and comes with an AC power adapter.
come with a connecting cord. The box says that the connection to the TV, Audio, or PC equipment is easy. It probably is. For some reason it took us awhile to figure out what plugs went into what holes.
a range of 24 feet depending on the angle of your head.
will last for 60 hours using regular...

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Jo says "My Silicone Grid saves burning or scratching surfaces" about Highly Evolved Housewares Silicone Zone The Grid

Jo — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:44:37 GMT

My Highly Evolved Housewares Silicone Zone The Grid Trivet was an inexpensive ($2.00) impulse buy. You can find the company's website here: http://tinyurl.com/ybywr84 where you will see the assortment of silicone products made.

The Grid comes in red, blue, and black. I bought a black Silicone Grid Trivet. This was my first time using anything like this though if I see potholders and other items I could use I would for sure buy more items by Highly Evolved Housewares.

The Grid is a non-skid counter mat and it truly does not skid. I love the feel of it - soft and rubbery. I don't have to worry that it will scratch my oven, table, or counters.

The Grid is made with InSILate Technology making any thing up to 675 degrees alright to put on the Highly Evolved Housewares Silicone Zone The Grid Trivet.

It is dishwasher safe and made in China. The Grid has a hole so you can hang it or just a place for me to hold on to it.

Highly Evolved Housewares Silicone Zone The Grid Trivet literally is a grid...

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Jo says "There were 16 then 15 of my Anchor Hocking Beverage Set" about Anchor Hocking Trivium Beverage Set

Jo — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:04:50 GMT

To the Point

So there I was looking at glasses trying to remember which ones Rudi recommended. I bought a 16- piece glassware set by Anchor Hocking. The style is called Trivium.

A Closer View

When I got home I looked Anchor Hocking Trivium up online and saw some bad reviews. But I only paid $10.00 for eight 11-ounce double old-fashioned glasses and eight 16- ounce coolers. I would have preferred a color but there was only clear in this style. I just wanted to get through Thanksgiving with a new set of glasses.

I liked the style of the Anchor Hocking Trivium glasses. They are simple but have an hour glass design. I thought out of all the ones on the shelf these would be the least likely to spill. They are dishwasher safe and seemed to be thick enough so that they would last at least a month. I have Pfaltzgraff glasses that have been with me for 15 years!

I am the type of person who saves new things. Not wanting the glasses scratched I didn't use them but my husband did. The point is the...

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Jo says "Pur Power Resistance Cord gives you a traveling gym" about Zenzation Athletics PurPower Resistance Cord 10128

Jo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:14:05 GMT

The PurPower Resistance Cord was an impulse buy. If you have a Marshall's near you then you'll know the bargains offered. The $11.99 Cord was $5.99 so I grabbed it. I've used Resistance Cords or Bands as I call them for years. If you haven't it is a great piece to either add to your routine just use it to work your whole body. Don't worry because it comes with a piece of paper that show you a few exercises to do. You can see the PurPower Cord here: www.jr.com/zenzation-athletics/pe/ZNZ_WTE10128/.

The PurPower Resistance Cord

is made of latex so stay away if you are allergic to latex.
is purple which is a medium strength. Other name brands such as Spri makes it much easier to know what the strength is of the Tube/Cord/Band. There was no indication on the package but I figured if it was too easy I could just make this 5' Cord small by wrapping it around my wrists. This makes it shorter and thus harder.
is portable and a super prop to take with you on your travels. Unless you are a body...

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Jo says "Colgate Orabase didn't Relieve my tongue Pain" about Colgate Orabase Maximum Strength Oral Pain Reliever

Jo — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:22:27 GMT

To the Point

I had surgery on my tongue yesterday or shall I say in my tongue. In any case I had a tongue lesion which was removed and I have stitches. Dr. Lane, an oral surgeon, gave me several samples of Colgate Orabase Maximum Strength Oral Pain Reliever.

A Closer View

I have been taking Tylenol and Advil which has helped the pain somewhat. This morning I decided to give one of these samples a try. Colgate Orabase Maximum Strength Oral Pain Reliever comes in a .21-ounce tube in the $5.00 range.

The active ingredient is benzocaine (20%) which is supposed to stop the pain of mouth and gum sores.

Adults and children two years and older can use Colgate Orabase Maximum Strength Oral Pain Reliever. I followed the instructions which are to gently dab on the site of irritation with a cotton swab or fingertip. I can use it up to 4 times a day or according to what your doctor or dentist recommends.

Don't use Colgate Orabase Maximum Strength Oral Pain Reliever if you are allergic to local anesthetics...

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Jo says "Yogacise Lifts my Body without hurting my neck" about Gaiam Yogacise Body Lift

Jo — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 13:56:58 GMT

I don't think I have met a Gaiam product I didn't like and this is true of the Yogacise Body Lift. We use this prop regularly in Yoga class.

The specifications

Yogacise Body Lift

is made in China
supports 250 pounds
is 28 inches long by 21 inches wide by 15 inches high
is very portable weighing in at 19 pounds

Why use the Yogacise Body Lift?

I'll talk about what I see as the primary use of the Body Lift and that is to do an inversion. Yoga is one of the few systems of health that suggest you regularly turn yourself upside down for extended periods of time. My Yoga teacher always tells us how amazing inversions are from relieving anxiety to relieving constipation.

I know I feel great after using the Yogacise Body Lift. I have done head stands on the floor but for some of us due to injury, age, fear, or name the reason, prefer not to. In comes the Body Lift. This prop allows me to go upside down without any compression on my head.

The padding is super thick making it very comfortable to rest...

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Katrena says "The Hungry Hummingbird Gives Interesing Information About Hummer" about The Hungry Hummingbird

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:02:10 GMT

The Hungry Hummingbird [2001, Millbrook Press, ISBN: 0-7613-1951-4], by April Pulley Sayre and illustrated by Gay W. Holland, is a 32-page children's book about hummingbirds.

The Story:

A hummingbird decides to find some food on a bright and sunny August morning, but he's not having much luck at first. He tries several plants:

daisies (bees like this pollen)
butterfly (colorful but not food for hummingbird)
trumpet vine & red honeysuckle (likes this food)
red lights on back of car (no way)
red hat (nope)
red head on sapsucker (no, but the sap was good in the hole he left in the tree, but hummingbirds cannot drill holes)
yellow jewelweed (good even if it was not red)
insects (tasty--I didn't know that hummingbirds ate these!)
store-bought feeder (good also)

This book also has information about "The Truth Behind the Story" with interesting facts such as bats and bears visiting feeders and "Attracting Hummingbirds" with information about how to make food and care for feeders with several...

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Katrena says "Pirates Don't Change Diapers is Funny Look at Babysitting" about Pirates Don't Change Diapers

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 07:00:44 GMT

Pirates Don't Change Diapers [2007, Harcourt, Inc., ISBN: 978-0-15-205353-6], by Melinda Long and illustrated by David Shannon, is a 40-page children's book about babysitting.

The Story:

Mom has to go to the store to buy some milk and Jeremy Jacob has strict orders to try not to bother his napping father and to keep his little sister happy if she wakes up from her nap. Jeremy was trying to figure out what to buy for his Mom's birthday with his meager funds, but then needed to turn his attention to his little sister. Amazingly, the baby awakens immediately after Mom leaves, and that's just when the group of pirates arrive.

If the pirates are planning to stay to look for treasure in the backyard, they are going to have to help babysit. They agree, but only after they realize that they aren't expected to sit on the wee one. Speaking of wee, her diaper needs to be changed, and the pirates seem to have used up all the diapers in practice as everything from hands to pets to heads are sporting...

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Katrena says "Colorful Peacocks is Informative and Has Interesting Pictures" about Colorful Peacocks

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:57:48 GMT

Colorful Peacocks [2007, Lerner Publications Company, ISBN - 13: 978-0-8225-5930-6], by Deborah Underwood, is a 32-page children's book about peacocks. This book is quite small, about 6" X 6" with a hard cover and paper pages.

The Story:

Colorful Peacocks is actually about peafowl (peacocks--males, peahens--females, and peachicks--babies) and includes quite a few pictures of these beautiful birds. I would have never thought of a peacock blending in with a tree, but a picture shows how the tail feathers actually do blend in.

This book has quite a few interesting facts that I didn't know. I thought it was interesting that peafowl might eat a snake and that peacocks don't get their train (long tail) feathers until they are three years old.

The back of the book has a map of Asia and asks where peacocks live, but the book doesn't seem to answer that question. Hmmm.... It also identifies the various parts of a peacock's body and also includes a glossary and websites.

My girls and I particularly...

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Katrena says "Minty is an Engaging Story of Harriet Tubman as 8-year-old" about Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:52:35 GMT

Minty: A Story of Young Harriet Tubman [1996, Dial Books for Young Readers, ISBN: 0-8037-1888-8], by Alan Schroeder and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, is a 40-page children's fictional account of Harriet Tubman when she was 8 years old that is based on some factual information.

The Story:

Harriet Tubman is particularly fond of being a slave on the Brodas plantation, and the owner of the plantation seems to sense that. After Minty (from her "cradle" name of Araminta) spills cider on the table, she is punished by having to watch her beloved doll burn to ashes. She is then sent to be a field slave, and her parents warn Minty that she needs to "pat the lion" a before she "gets her head bit off" and sent down South.

Minty seems to enjoy the outdoors more, but the work is hard in the fields. When she is sent to tend some muskrat traps, she decides to set them free, only to discover that she is being watched so she tries to run and eventually is beaten badly. Her determination to run away only...

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Katrena says "Journey to the Haunted Planet Has Really Cool Holograms" about Journey to the Haunted Planet

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:45:13 GMT

Journey to the Haunted Planet: An Interstellar Adventure with 12 Cosmic Holograms [1995, HarperFestival, ISBN: 0-694-00812-5], by A.J. Wood and illustrated by Wayne Anderson, is a 20-page children's book.

The Story:

Professor Sponge decides to try out his homemade rocket, but a dog named Soap tends to cause all sorts of problems when he sneaks on board before lifting off. Although the professor claims there is no sign of life, some can't help but feel as if someone or something is watching them, so they decide that this strange planet is haunted. When Soap falls into a cavernous pit to find his bone, what will happen as the group discovers that there really is life on this planet?

My Viewpoint:

The best part of Journey to the Haunted Planet for me was the holograms. My kids were absolutely fascinated with these strange creatures that kept changing colors or directions or actions throughout the book. The story was a bit mediocre for me, but I was really impressed with the holograms. The...

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Katrena says "Spiders Book Has Awesome Spider Pictures!" about Spiders

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:41:44 GMT

Spiders [2003, Harper-Collins, ISBN: 0-06-028391-2], by Seymour Simon, is a quite informative book about spiders. Teachers or people who are interested in learning about spiders will be interested in this children's book that is easy to read and gives readers a unique and up-close look at a wide variety of spiders.

Here are a few interesting facts from Spiders:

There are about 35,000 different types of spiders.
One type of spider resembles bird droppings.
Spiders are related to ticks and mites.
It tells how to tell the difference between a spider and an insect (spider--8 legs & 2 body parts, insect--6 legs, 3 body parts, antennae)
Pedipalps are beside spider's jaws and are used as feelers and can hold prey.
All spiders can produce silk, which can be "three times stronger than a steel wire of the same thickness."
Jumping spiders may jump as far as 40 times the length of its own body.
"A black widow's bite is about 15 times more poisonous than that of a rattlesnake."
Some spiders spend a...

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Katrena says "Best Halloween Book Was Just Average For Me & My Kids" about Best Halloween Book

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:41:07 GMT

Best Halloween Book [1985, Troll Associates, ISBN: 0-8167-0373-6], by Pat Whitehead and illustrated by Stephanie Britt, is a 32-page Halloween-themed children's book.

The Story:

Best Halloween Book is actually an ABC book that follows a little girl named Annie on her Halloween adventure as she decides what she wants to wear for Halloween and then procedes to the pumpkin patch where she meets several scary surprises.

I think it's pretty challenging to write a story that flows well if you are going to flow with the letters of the alphabet. This one did a pretty good job of that, but there seemed to be a lot of focus on being scared in the middle until nearly the end of the book. The pictures aren't all that scary, but the book mentions that some of the characters are not only scared and frightened but terrified.

This book does incorporate several words that children may not know, like ogre and quivers. I always think it's fun to see what authors are going to do with letters like X and Z in...

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Katrena says "The Witch Casts a Spell--Story to Tune of The Farmer in the Dell" about The Witch Casts a Spell

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:30:37 GMT

The Witch Casts a Spell [2002, Dial Books for Young Readers--Penguin Putnam, ISBN: 0-8037-2646-5], by Suzanne Williams and illustrated by Barbara Olsen, is a 32-page children's book with a Halloween-themed song. All of the lyrics and the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell" are on the last page.

The Story

The witch casts a spell and all the other characters begin to come alive and play their part in this children's book. Each phrase is repeated a total of three times with "such sights are seen on Halloween" repeated on each stanza between the second and third phrase. The various characters include:

scarecrow (looks a bit different with a blue face, but cute)
goblins (look like kids with missing teeth)
mummy (always easy to pick out a mummy in the crowd--my daughter kept wanting to call this one the mommy though!)
vampire (was he serving blood or cherry drinks?)
goblins (the ghost with the ballcap is too cute)
band (my daughter was fascinated by the piano player with no head)
spooks (try to...

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Katrena says "Grandma and Me Has Pictures that My 2-year-old Loves" about Grandma and Me

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:27:17 GMT

Grandma and Me [1988, Little Simon, ISBN: 0-689-81270-1], by Neil Ricklen, is a 22-page children's board book with pictures of grandmothers and their grandchildren that look to be about 18 months to 2 years old. Each page or set of pages has a single word on it:

cooking (with a toy stove)
crying (but Grandma is comforting)
counting (Grandma is holding up 2 fingers and they have a ball and a cute crocheted turtle with them)
tying (shoes, of course!)
hugging (Grandma is hugging her grandchild but the little girl is hugging her baby doll too)
brushing (pearly whites)
rocking (in a bentwood rocker)
dancing (with a tape player in the background)
listening (they both have on headphones and funny expressions)
coloring (it looks like they are coloring on the floor, but I think they have paper on the floor--might want to mention that before the little one decides to try that out)
playing (with a toy)
reaching (towards each other)
clapping (both are)
tumbling (the little one looks like he's in the...

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Katrena says "High School Musical Twister Moves is Very Challenging" about Milton Bradley Disney High School Musical Twister Moves

Katrena — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:15:58 GMT

Milton Bradley Disney High School Musical Twister Moves is not your Twister game from years ago. My daughter received this as a birthday gift when she turned 8 and I was thinking spinner and big mat with colors. Wow--Twister has changed a lot.

How to play:

This game has two small mats, so it is designed for no more than two players at a time. A CD comes with it and a man and a woman call out various colors. It's important to notice who is calling what because you are supposed to step with one foot when the guy speaks and the other foot when the lady speaks. They also add a few other movements with hands and hops.

The CD has a short practice session at the beginning and then it moves quickly through lots of combination moves. It has four songs from the movie on it as well.

My Viewpoint:

Milton Bradley Disney High School Musical Twister Moves was VERY challenging for my 8-year-old and 5-year-old. They would have done much better with a spinner and a slower speed. If the CD had been a DVD...

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Katrena says "The Soup Bone Is a Bit Strange and Unusual but Fun for Halloween" about The Soup Bone

Katrena — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 20:25:50 GMT

The Soup Bone [1990, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, ISBN: 0-15-277255-3], by Tony Johnston and illustrated by Margot Tomes, is a 32-page children's book with a Halloween theme.

The Story

The Soup Bone begins with a little old lady who lives alone in a house that is too far away for trick-or-treaters to venture out to, so the lady decides to make herself some soup because she is lonely and hungry. She has all the good fixings for soup except for a bone, but she cannot seem to find a soup bone anywhere in the house. She begins to look outside for a bone and finally finds one partially buried only to discover that it is part of a scary skeleton, who promptly chases her up a tree and then decides to go into her house!

The little old lady seems pretty savvy as she decides to give the skeleton a bit of a scare as she dresses up in a dog costume. The skeleton searches for a suitable hiding place and ends up under the bed. The woman finally agrees not to scare the skeleton if he won't scare her, and...

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Katrena says "Frankie Stein is Cute Halloween Book about Frank N. Stein's Son" about Lola M. Schaefer - Frankie Stein

Katrena — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:58:43 GMT

Frankie Stein [2007, Marshall Cavendish Children, ISBN: 987-0-7614-5358-1], by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Kevan Atteberry, is a 32-page children's book with a Halloween theme.

The Story

A little boy named Frankie Stein is born to Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein, but they are a bit surprised that he looks so unusual. He looks like a kid rather than his "scary" relatives, so they decide to fix his blond hair, white teeth, smooth skin, and other "flaws." Although they had him looking more like a Stein, Frankie still didn't quite have the actions down, so his parents decided to give him a few lessons in how to act and to give him more inspiration by showing him his family tree.

Frankie begins to try to live up to his family's name. He really does. Then he decides to show them his own kind of scariness with a grand entrance. How will his parents react?

Most pages have several sentences with light font on dark backgrounds and dark font on light backgrounds. The pictures are fun and colorful...

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Katrena says "Brooms are for Flying! is Simple, Short, Fun Halloween Book" about Brooms are for Flying!

Katrena — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:39:18 GMT

Brooms are for Flying! [2000, Henry Holt and Company, ISBN: 0-8050-6410-9], by Michael Rex, is a 32-page children's picture book with a Halloween theme.

The Story

A little girl dressed in a witch costume encourages everyone to follow her throughout the book. Each pair of pages talks about a different body part or items and what it can do related to Halloween, including:

legs
feet
eyes
arms
wings
tails
bones
capes
mouths
tummies
masks

The end features a surprise as the kids take off their masks!

Reading the Story

I have a 5-year-old that is learning to read and she was thrilled to read this entire book. Each page only has about four words, so it is a quick read. Kids who are just beginning to read will need some help with some of the words, but there are some patterns, such as words ending in -ing that my child began to pick up on as she read.

This can encourage kids to be active as they can act out the various activities with the story. The illustrations mainly show kids dressed for Halloween...

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