Reviews by shadaram

shadaram says "Very cute, but in small doses!" about Fisher Price Elmo Live

shadaram — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:24:22 GMT

We love Elmo, and have had both the previous Tickle Me Elmo's (Original and TMX), and now, Elmo Live. My daughter received this as an early birthday gift. She is under the age limit of 3, but enjoys it anyhow. This Elmo does blow the other 2 away and does much more than just laugh. I guess comparing Live to the tickle me versions is a little off since this one isn't a "tickle me" one, he doesn't laugh when tickled, but, they are similiar in that they are Elmo's and interactive.

About Elmo Live:
Elmo live is very cute, and pretty realistic. He comes with a chair and sits down and stands up on his own. He has touch buttons on his nose, back, stomach, and foot, and each one does something different. He sings, dances, and tells stories. He also sneezes, and has various sayings. He even knows when he falls off his stool. When he falls over he says "Uh-oh! Elmo fell down, can you help Elmo up." Then when you stand him back up, he says "Thank you, your Elmo's best friend." His arms go up and......

shadaram says "When a fairytale turns into a nightmare!" about Mary Higgins Clark - A Cry in the Night

shadaram — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:09:44 GMT

I am an avid reader, and particularly love suspense books. I have been a huge fan of Mary Higgins Clark's books for years, and I think this might just be my favorite book of hers so far. I have read this book several times, and am in need of a new copy, mine is almost in shambles.

I can't really say why this is my favorite, I do find a few things predictable, and the ending even has a little bit of a "cheesy" part, but there is just something about it that hooks me in, over and over. It is a little different than most of Mary's books, but not so different from her style that you won't recognize it.

About the book:
The book is about an everyday, girl next door, single mom of 2 young girls, named Jenny MacPartland. She is a divorced woman that works in an art gallery in Manhattan. She is struggling to make ends meet, but is overall happy. While hosting a viewing for an upcoming new artist at the gallery, she meets the man of her dreams, Erich Krueger, the stunning, and very rich, artist whose......

shadaram says "Only way to fly (Unless you don't live where they fly)" about Southwest Airlines

shadaram — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 03:28:35 GMT

I just got back from vacation last week, and this was a paid for vacation by a family member, so I was very leary about the travel, but was PLEASED when I found out we were flying Southwest. I make it a priority to try and fly with them anytime we fly. With times like they are at the present, it seems that every airline is charging you for checked baggage, carry on baggage, peanuts, drinks, and whatever else you can think of. How long before we are charged to breathe?? But, in the midst of all these other airlines, there is Southwest, they don't charge any extra fee's, and that makes me HAPPY! Fares are already ridiculous, so I don't feel I should be paying to take bags, who travels without clothes? Besides that, they have very comparable prices to others, and in most cases are cheaper. All of our flights were on time, one being almost 20 minutes early.

As far as the service, I was pleased, as usual. The attendants were very pleasant, on all 4 of our flights. (Round trip with a lay over......

shadaram says "New meaning for bouncing bundle of joy!" about Fisher Price Bounce and Spin Zebra

shadaram — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 16:38:26 GMT

My 20 month old loves playing on the Bounce and play Zebra. We did not actually purchase this item, we trade toys every so often with my nephew, who is just a few months older than my daughter, to swap them out to keep the kids interested in them, but I have looked at it several times to buy. I must say, I will be sad when this one goes back. My daughter enjoys it, and she will even just sit on it when we read, or when we watch a little tv, or whatever else.

The zebra has a big bottom to keep it sturdy, and it plays music. There is a switch for volume setting, either low or high, which is nice. When the zebra is sat on, it can spin fully around, and your child can bounce up and down on it. It is bright and colorful, and has 2 animals on the handles that can be twisted around for added fun. Although it looks like it would rock back and forth, it doesn't, and that would be my main complaint. I wish it did go back and forth. When we first brought it home, my daughter kept trying to rock on......

shadaram says "2 words - LOVED IT!!!!!!!" about The Dark Knight

shadaram — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:52:11 GMT

I am not going to go into great detail here, if you have watched any tv in the last few months, then you know what this movie is about, you know who is in it, etc, so, just my opinions. I am not a huge action movie person, and definitely not one for all the super hero/comic movies, but have liked a few, Batman Begins being one of them. My husband is a HUGE batman fanatic and has been since childhood, so, I hopped on the batman bandwagon years ago, therefore making me excited about this movie from the minute Batman Begins ended, showing the jokers card. I am not a comic book reader, and don't get into the back stories, but from what I know of Batman, I think the Joker is probably my favorite of the villians connected to Gotham city, so, again, this movie was a no-brainer. Add the gorgeous Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/batman, and the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, and I was hooked.
I bought our tickets the day they went on sale, got the babysitter lined up, and we anxiously awaited this......

shadaram says "Ugh, another movie where you end up asking WHAT????" about Premonition

shadaram — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:07:32 GMT

I love a good thrill/mystery type movie, so this was on my list of to-see movies. Plus, I like Sandra Bullock and am a big fan of Julian McMahon. This movie does deliver, if you like the type of movies with twists and turns every 5 seconds, and one that takes you back and forth over and over. I don't mind all the twists and other plot turns, etc, but this one was a little too all over the place for me, and I think they tried to make it such a mind bender that they forgot to answer many questions that I found in the movie. I don't like to over-analyze movies, but I found myself doing just that with this movie.

The story:
The movie stars Sandra Bullock and Linda and Julian McMahon as Jim, her husband. The movies starts out as a flash of when they were newly married, before children, and Jim getting his promotion and surprising her with a new, large house and telling her that they have to fill up those extra rooms with children. Fast forward to present, and they have 2 young daughters. Jim......

shadaram says "Wii found a way to make exercising FUNNNN!!!" about Nintendo Wii Fit

shadaram — Mon, 26 May 2008 03:23:38 GMT

We bought the Wii fit board when it came out and I have played it everyday since. I wanted to give it several days before I wrote a review. If I had wrote this after playing it once, I would have rated it 5 stars, but I have found a few things I would change.

Wii Fit in a nutshell:
Wii fit is a "board" that comes with a fitness "game". The board is placed on the ground, and you stand on it. When you first play it, you will make a character mii, and it will take you through a balance test and give you your fitness age based off of your performance and your bmi. My first test had me 9 years older that I was, YIKES! Since this is sensitive and personal info, you can create a password so that noone else can view your bmi, weight, etc. You then get games and training exercises in the following categories: Strength training, yoga, balance games, and aerobics. You also get to pick a trainer for strength training and yoga, either a male or female. Strength training is different exercise, such as......

shadaram says "Good for small, once in a while tasks" about Reynolds Handi-Vac Handheld Vacuum Sealer

shadaram — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:45:08 GMT

With the cost of everything going up, I have been wanting to buy more things like meat, shredded cheese, and that sort of stuff in larger packages to save money. I have been looking into a food-saver so I could freeze this stuff, but it is pretty high. Then I ran across Reynolds Handi-vac sealer, and for the price, decided it was worth trying. It isn't a bad product, but needs some improvement.

About this item:
The handi-vac comes in a starter kit that contains the sealer and 3 quart size freezer bags. The bags are specially made to go with this handheld sealer. You can purchase extra bags in either a 9 count box of the gallon size, or 14 count box of the quart size. The kit runs somewhere around $10, and I even found a coupon online to save $2.50 for it. I can't say for sure how much the bags cost because it has been a while since I bought this, but when I initially looked at them, I think they were around $3.50 or so. The bags have a blue circle in the corner, and a fill line. The circle......

shadaram says "Wasn't even worth eating for FREE!!!" about McDonalds Southern Style Chicken Sandwich

shadaram — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:57:26 GMT

Today McDonald's was giving out their new Southern Style Chicken sandwich, which is a Chick-Fil-A knock off, for free if you purchased a medium drink. In my opinion, this is probably the only way they will get you to eat it! I am probably being a little on the unfair side, because I am comparing this sandwich to Chick-fil-a's original chicken sandwich, but it is a blatant knock-off, so why not. If you are going to copy the best, then you better do a good job, and McDonald's falls flat. They even copied the chicken biscuit for breakfast.

In the pictures of this sandwich, it looks exactly like the Chick-fil-a sandwich, but when you receive it in person, it is nothing like that. It is a bun, with a chicken fillet, and 2 pickles, just like someone else's we know, but that is where the only comparison is. And as a side-note: couldn't they have given you 3 or 4 pickles, did it have to be 2 JUST LIKE CHICK-FIL-A???? Even if I don't compare this sandwich, I was not at all impressed. It was so greasy......

shadaram says "If water was a cream, this would be it!" about Clinique Moisture Surge Extra Thirsty Skin Relief

shadaram — Thu, 15 May 2008 15:10:43 GMT

My face is the yucky combination of part dry/part oily skin, so I struggle finding a good moisturizer. This, is a good one. To me, it feels like putting water on your skin, but in a cream form. It is cool feeling when you rub it in, which just soothes your face. No matter how much you use, it is light feeling, and lasts the 12 hours Clinique claims it will last. I live in Oklahoma, which has high humidity, and this lotion lives up to the claim that it will hold skins moisture even in humidity changes.

About the lotion:
You are supposed to use daily, and can refreshen midday by "tapping" a small amount over makeup. It is supposed to last for 12 hours, and for me it does. Cliniques add says that it will give you a "by-a-waterfall feel." It keeps your skin moisturized through changes in humidity as well. It comes in 2 sizes, 1.7 oz for $34 or 2.5 oz. for $46.60. It is allergy tested and 100% fragrance free.

My thoughts:
I really do like this lotion, and it feels great on. My only complaint is......

shadaram says "Great alternative to sugary juices" about Gerber Graduates Fruit Splashers Purified Water

shadaram — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:19:31 GMT

My 1 year old is unable to drink 100% fruit juice because of ill effects when she uses the bathroom, so, the pediatrician suggested that we not give her 100% juice items until she is a little older. While searching for a suitable product, I was appalled to see the amounts of sugar in the other juices. In fact, even the 100% juices contained high amounts of sugar. I happened upon Gerber Graduates Fruit Splashers Purified Water while shopping for snacks for her. Being a "Flavored" water, I wasn't sure if she would like it or not, and for the amount you get, it isn't exactly cheap (a little over $2), but had to give it a try. We bought the grape flavor and it was a hit. She drinks plain water and milk fine, but I wanted to add something else for variety, and this works out great.

All about the drink:
Like I said, for about $2, you get 32 fl oz, and can choose from grape, kiwi-strawberry, or tropical. The "Water" has 40% less sugar than most fruit juices. It is purified water with a fruit juice......

shadaram says "A great way to stimulate your senses in the shower" about Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Energy Mandarin Lime body wash

shadaram — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:55:09 GMT

I wrote a review on the lotion that goes with this body wash, so this may look a little familiar! I visited Bath and Body Works not too long ago for an open house event they were doing and If you RSVP'D before the event, you got a coupon for $25 in free product, and I received this body wash and the coordinating lotion as the gift. I wasn't too sure about it, but for free, I figured I would try it. Well, sometimes this is how you stumble upon the best things, and that is the case with this, as I will be buying it for years to come, if they make it that long. The mandarin lime smell is AWESOME and isn't over powering. The energizing scent is very uplifting. The wash lathers great, so a little goes a long way.

Aromatherapy Body Wash Info:
The bottle comes in a 10 fl. oz. bottle and costs $13. Sometimes the store will run specials if you buy 2 or more aromatherapy items. The wash has essential oils for scent, as well as other natural fragrances. It has green tea extract to help keep skin looking......

shadaram says "A creamy lustrous lotion that energizes with a yummy scent." about Bath & Body Works Aromatherapy Body Lotion Energy - Mandarin Lime

shadaram — Tue, 13 May 2008 02:34:27 GMT

I visited Bath and Body Works a little over a month ago for an open house event they were doing. If you RSVP'd before the event, you got a coupon on the day of the open house for $25 in free product, and I received this particular lotion and body wash as that gift. I wasn't sure about it, but hey, for free, I'll try just about anything. Probably going to end up being an expensive free gift because I will be buying this as long as they are making it. The mandarin lime smell is heavenly, and not at all over powering. Those aren't 2 smells I usually get excited over, but it works great in this lotion. The lotion goes on creamy and doesn't leave a greasy feeling. It lasts for hours as well, and a little goes a long way. The energizing scent is very uplifting.

Aromatherapy energy lotion info:
The lotion comes in a 6.5 fl. oz. bottle and costs $13. Sometimes the store will run specials if you buy more than 1 aromatherapy item. The lotion has essential oils for scent, as well as other natural fragrances.......

shadaram says "I'm a boneless wing-aholic" about Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill - Oklahoma City, OK

shadaram — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:57:27 GMT

I love boneless wing, but have yet to find any as good as BWW's! I think I like theirs so much because of all the different sauces you can choose from, varying in heat. We even buy bottles of our favorite sauces to use at home. In addition to wings, they have an extensive menu of items, most of which still come with their sauces.

They are on the higher side, but Thursday is 50 cent boneless wing day, so we go often on Thursdays. They have different specials on a few other days as well. They have awesome onion rings and burgers as well. Their sauces range from mild to blazin', and there are even some un-typical ones like Parmesan garlic and Caribbean jerk. There is something for everyone. The atmosphere is a little loud and rowdy, but pretty typical for a wing joint. The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because of their service. Here is the star breakdown: Food = 5 stars and Service = 3 stars at best. So, I placed them in the middle. We do not visit here for lunch if we are......

shadaram says "Evens out all your flaws, oh, wait, What flaws?!?!" about Cover Girl Smoothers Concealer

shadaram — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:30:03 GMT

I, unfortunately, suffer from rosacea on my cheeks, and as I get older, the red patches get a little worse. I have had a hard time finding something that will cover it and even out my skin tone, and if I do find something to work, it only works for a few hours. So, after talking with a beauty consultant live on covergirl.com about this issue, I decided to try the CG Smoothers Neutralizer concealer. WOO HOO!! What red patches? You wouldn't know they were there, as long as I use this.

This concealer comes in various shades, depending on what you need it for. Like I said, I used the Neutralizer. It looks like a tube of lipstick, and is inexpensive. It runs about $4.50 for a .14oz tube. It applies easily, and lasted all day. Now, I did use it with Covergirl foundation and makeup, so not sure if that helps it last, but it made it through work and leisure. It is dermatologist tested, and is not supposed to clog pores. It conditions skin and helps hide dark circles under eyes, imperfections, and......

shadaram says "Different from competitors by name only" about Target Baby Laundry Detergent

shadaram — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:12:47 GMT

When my daughter was born, I was very insistent on using Dreft, especially since I have sensitive skin. I know how delicate newborns skin can be, and I didn't want to up her chances of having sensitive skin, so we stuck with Dreft. While shopping at Target, I found they carried their own brand of baby detergent, and at about 1/2 the price. And, with all the laundry I was doing just for her, I was ecstatic at the possibility of maybe saving a few dollars. So, I decided to try the smaller bottle just to see. I love the smell of Dreft, but was willing to give up the smell for the price, but I didn't have to. Targets brand smells just like it, and does just as good of a job as Dreft. It works great to pre-treat stains. We haven't had any problems, and she is now 1 1/2. I am still using this detergent, but will probably switch to what we use for ourselves when we finish this bottle.

I can't remember the specifics of the smaller bottle, but the large one is 200 Fl. oz. and does approx. 64 loads.......

shadaram says "Nothing added, and that's a good thing!" about All Free and Clear Liquid Detergent

shadaram — Sun, 11 May 2008 03:40:31 GMT

I have sensitive skin, and am allergic to several types of detergent, so I try to stick with the "free and clear" types. I have been pretty disappointed in the past, but those days are over. I decided to try All Free and Clear because I heard it worked great for infants and toddlers, as well as for individuals with sensitive skin. Used it, loved it, I now have a new detergent!

All Free and Clear is hyperallergenic, and is free of perfumes and dyes. It also has All's patented stainlifters to get out those nasty stains. It comes in the 3X concentrated formula, so it is better for the environment as well, by having less waste. One "small and mighty" bottle does approx. 32 loads of laundry and runs around $4 - 5.

I haven't used this on my toddler yet, I am still using up her huge bottle of detergent, but I plan on using it for her soon. I have been using it for my laundry for about 2 weeks now and love it. My clothes are nice and soft, and it seems to get stains out great. I have used it to......

shadaram says "Not what I would call a brownie" about Nestle - Mini Brownie Bites

shadaram — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:32:12 GMT

We are trying to eat healthier around here, but still like to snack. Because of this, I like to keep refrigerated cookie dough on hand so that we can make just a few cookies at a time, then there isn't over indulgence. So, when I saw that Nestle had made refrigerated brownie dough as well, I was thrilled because we love brownies. These are called mini brownie bites, but they are nothing more than just a chocolate mini cookie.

The pack contains 40 mini brownie bites that you pull apart and bake for 9 to 11 minutes. You can make as many or as few as you would like at a time. Any unused dough can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months. They are extremely convenient, and at just a few dollars a package, a great deal since you are getting 40 of them.

Don't get me wrong, they are delicious, but very rich. They don't taste anything like a brownie to me, they taste like a chocolate chocolate chip cookie, just in miniature size. If I had wanted cookies, I would have just picked regular chocolate......

shadaram says "Feels like silk on your face" about Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream 1.7 oz

shadaram — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:52:57 GMT

I received a sample of this that was for a 4 day trial, which is how long Olay says it should take to see results, so, I tried it. The sample lasted over a week, and I used it the whole week as directed. Now, I didn't have any noticeable results in 4 days, or even 7, but I loved this cream so much that I continue to use it. I was already using other Olay regenerist products, so this fit right in.

The box says that this cream has plumping intercellular hydration that is supposed to micro-sculpt for a lifted look, even across your jawline. Olay claims that it has the highest concentration of their signature amino-peptide complex. It is supposed to firm areas that are prone to sag, even the jaw line, smooth your skin, and restore your skins elasticity.

Twice a day, you rub a small amount in a circular motion on the areas that you want improvement. It goes on like silk, and leaves your skin feeling wonderful. I have dry skin, not bad, but I always use moisturizer on my face. This helps tremendously......

shadaram says "Great way to eat a bagel and cream cheese on the go" about Kraft Bagel-fuls

shadaram — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:53:55 GMT

Since I am on the go all morning, I love things that are made for convenience, even if I have to pay a little more for this. Shopping the other day, I saw these new Bagel-fuls by Kraft. I will have to admit, at first I thought YUCK, but then realized that I do like bagels and cream cheese, so not sure why these came off as gross at first. Since a box only had 4 bagels, and was under $2, I thought why not give them a try. I chose to try the original.

What they are:
Bagel-fuls basically look like a hot dog, but they are a bagel that are filled with philadelphia cream cheese. They can be refrigerated, and then take less than 30 seconds to heat up, or frozen, and then take less than a minute to heat up. They last 2 weeks in the fridge, and up to 1 year in the freezer.They are able to be hand held to eat. Each bagel-ful is 2.5 oz. and individually packaged. There are several varieties to chose from: plain, cinnamon, strawberry, chive, and whole grain. Depending on which type you chose, they......