http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/phoenixtears Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:49:24 GMT Reviews by phoenixtears http://www.viewpoints.com/Chinchilla-review-ed580 Looking for a pet that is better than a fish, but less responsibility than a dog? Look no further, a chinchilla is here to save the day! Well, maybe not save the day, but certainly make your day. When I first found out one of my close friends was getting rid of a chinchilla I was skeptical, I'd heard that they were quite the hassle, but my worries were put away when we met little Oliver Twist. — Chinchillas are nocturnal, but they won't keep you up like ferrets or other nocturnal creatures because they're too mild, even when they're playful they're very quiet. Our chinchilla began to get active by about 2pm and was asleep, or nearly so by 1am. Chinchillas also happen to be very gentle, like rabbits, they might nibble because they're looking for food, but I've personally never been bitten. — The one big problem with chinchillas is that it's hard to find a vet for them, although they rarely get sick and don't require many shots because they're indoor only animals. You can... Sat, 08 Dec 2007 13:49:24 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Chinchilla-review-ed580 phoenixtears 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Boudreauxs-Butt-Paste-Diaper-Rash-Cream--25480-review-a4e20 With a name like that it's a wonder the product sells, but it's not the name that generates sales, it's the product itself! Boudreaux's Butt Paste is by far the best diaper rash cream on the market, great for any sort of heat rash or diaper rash, and not just for the babies! — I'm originally from the north and when I moved down south to be with my husband and his then three year old toddler I was very skeptical of the stuff. I'd been raised on things like destin that require reapplication a few times in a day to get rid of the rash, but I've NEVER had to reapply butt paste. One time on and the rash is gone. — Not only does Boudreaux's Butt Paste work fast but it leaves a baby butt smelling sweet like sugar, almost irresistibly so. Unlike most diaper rash ointments I've encountered, Boudreaux's butt paste smells great, and only requires a little dab to get the job done and doesn't have to be thick to get wonderful results. — My now approaching 6 year old... Fri, 07 Dec 2007 16:44:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Boudreauxs-Butt-Paste-Diaper-Rash-Cream--25480-review-a4e20 phoenixtears 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Wacom-Intuos2-Platinum-review-39f91     As an artist I've always believed that it's not the tools you use to create art it's how you use them, but a wacom tablet really allows the transition from classical mediums to digital mediums to be much more smooth. Having used a pencil and paper the majority of my artistic life, using a mouse was really difficult especially when it's an old ball mouse. But, with a Wacom Intuos2 I can have a baby in my lap and still preform all the tasks I need to without fussing over a mouse and trying to be detailed. —     So what makes a tablet worth so much money? A tablet works just like a pencil or a pen instead of a mouse, you put your tablet pen to the tablet and begin drawing on your program of choice, the intuos2 comes with a trial of a few of my favorite programs, but several other programs recognize all the nifty things tablets can do. Specifically, a tablet has pressure sensitivity, in other words, if you press harder down on the pen point the... Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:50:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Wacom-Intuos2-Platinum-review-39f91 phoenixtears 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Baby-Einstein-Videos-review-696f0 Baby Einstein is great for a baby under the age of 10 months or so, the bright colors, soothing sounds, and entertaining characters allows for brain development and fun all at the same time. I loved picking up a couple of these DVDs and putting them in the player plopping my bundle of joy in front of the TV and turning on the convenient 'continuous play' feature so mommy could do dishes or clean for a little while and still be sure that the she was 'getting something out of it'. — The only real downside I've had with Baby Einsteins is that it's very, very entrancing, it's hard for me to not watch with her, it's not that it's fast pace or has a plot or anything, it's the colors and the sounds and how they help the brain experience more things. It's really quite fascinating. I really enjoy watching with her and pointing at the things that they show on the screen and telling her what they are. On all of the tapes we've seen they don't have very much real speaking, which is why I... Sat, 01 Dec 2007 12:08:54 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Baby-Einstein-Videos-review-696f0 phoenixtears 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Disney-Pix-Click-Digital-Camera-review-f4341 I wouldn't dream of recommending this to Anyone who has ever seen a photograph made after the 60s. Not only do the photos come out too dark, there is no flash, no preview of the pictures, AND the software is absolute junk to work with. Don't even get me started on the manual! — I'm certainly glad this was a gift because it wasn't worth the time to pry it out of the impossibly sealed plastic much less pay for it. To be more specific and to a tee, when my 5 year old received this gift we fumbled with it for 10 minutes to get it out, then we had to locate batteries, and once we get taking pictures we realize there's no way to look at them without first loading the extremely buggy memory consuming software. My five year old was VERY disappointed to find out that not only was the software terrible and proprietary so you had to use it to view your pictures, but that the pictures weren't even worth looking at, all of them horribly dark, blurry, and out of focus because there is NO way... Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:40:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Disney-Pix-Click-Digital-Camera-review-f4341 phoenixtears 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/chillis-columbus-GA-review-b8eb1 Well, the last time we went to Chilis will be the LAST time we go to Chili's. Both my husband and I were disgusted by the food we recieved, sure, the service was great, and the people were nice, but the food they prepared wasn't worth feeding to our dog, in fact, our dog wouldn't eat it! It may have just been that night the chef decided to be mean, but I'm never ever going there... Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:42:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/chillis-columbus-GA-review-b8eb1 phoenixtears 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/Sony-PlayStation-2-Console-review-e5f91 Well, I've had a Playstation 2 for nearly 4 years now and the thing has been good to me, I love it, but it just can't compare to the lastest graphics and the coolest technology. Don't get me wrong, I won't be replacing this thing any time soon, but I'll be adding new additions to the family. (Can anybody say Wii?). We've had several games over the course of this consoles lifetime, some good, some not so much. — — Overall I'd say that it was worth the price (both times I bought it!) —... Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:36:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Sony-PlayStation-2-Console-review-e5f91 phoenixtears 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Nest-review-e0f3 While the nest has an interesting magazine and some very interesting ideas, it's no a site I'd recommend for anyone who's having a non-standard marriage. My husband had a four year-old when we got married, and the nest doesn't at all encourage family while being a newlywed and has no information AT ALL about how to handle honeymoons when there's nobody to watch the kids, or how to incorporate children into the wedding, and drones on about cocktail parties and 'snazzy' newlywed pads. — — Nice information, but really, not everyone is having a standard... Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:25:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Nest-review-e0f3 phoenixtears 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Graco-SnugRide-car-seat-review-364b0 I'm crazy about safety when it comes to my children. Having a five year old leads some to wonder if there's anything that's really 'childsafe', but there is! Graco's new Snugride system is a child-safe, parent-friendly, affordable car carrier that I'm absolutely crazy about. Graco has a great company name to start with, so I was instantly attracted to their line of products when we heard we'd be having our tiny little love. Well, while we were comparing prices, safety, and durability we found this carrier to rise above the others. After we brought it home we found just a few tiny problems. First, we had a 7lbs 1/2 ounce baby and, although the company claims that the carrier is made for babies 5lbs and up, she seemed just a tad too small for the carrier at first. We got the straps nice and tightened, but when we got home we found her little head all slumped over and not well positioned. So we decided to take a closer look. Having re-read the manual, we discovered that the straps should... Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:02:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Graco-SnugRide-car-seat-review-364b0 phoenixtears 5