Play time!

Too tired to type up a real post....

How about some adorable pics of my husband and son playing Army Men vs. Aliens?

... and of course an epic battle to defeat Syndrome and the Kronos robots... you may notice that Syndrome is fighting against himself as well....

Playtime is special!

"The Many Uses of Ivory"

In my Influenster Mom VoxBox, I received a complimentary bar of Ivory soap to test and review.  I received this item for free from Influenster and Ivory, but the opinions are my own.  At first I thought, "OK. Soap. I guess we will wash with it!"  I opened the package and though the scent was light and fresh, I didn't care for it as a body soap.  I am very sensitive to scents of any kind.  Shortly after, I got online and searched for "Uses of Ivory Soap."  

What I used it for:
The first thing my son and I did was take a sliver of soap and put it in the microwave.  About a minute and a half later, the soap puffed up and made what looked like snow.  There is a lot of science going on here.  If you'd like to read about the physics involved, go here.  We used it as actual snow and played with the lego snowboarder even though it was over 100 degrees outside.

We also used the soap to wash hands.  It felt really clean and I noticed that my ring looked more sparkly afterwards.

I also contacted several friends who make their own laundry detergent like I do.  Remember this post?    I decided to try to make some dry soap instead of liquid soap.  Since I only had about half a bar, I used this recipe:
1/2 c. borax + 1/2 c. super washing soda + 1/4 c. oxyclean + 1/2 bar finely grated soap.  Use 1 to 2 TBSP of mix per load.

What I like about Ivory and Results I saw from the Product
I absolutely love that Ivory has so many uses.  The fact that it is JUST PLAIN SOAP... 99.44% pure makes me very happy as I know I am not using a product with a bunch of fillers I can't even pronounce.  Ivory worked great as soap, as laundry detergent, and as a craft.  It performed as well as other products we've used in its place.  Did I mention how shiny my ring was?!?

Thoughts on Ivory's Value
Ivory is CHEAP!  At less than $0.50 per bar if you pay full retail (or less with a coupon), you can afford it.  For example, the laundry soap mentioned above cost me about $2.00 total to make and will wash over 30 loads.  You can't beat that price.

Recommended Uses for this Product
Are you ready?  As you remember, I started this project looking for "Uses for Ivory Soap."  What I came across was a really cool document from the Procter and Gamble company.  They had a contest on Unusual Uses for Ivory Soap and picked their favorites.  They claim that "Ivory Soap and water will not injure anything that water, alone, will not harm."  You can read the whole document online here.

I read the whole pamphlet and cut and paste my favorites... I hope you enjoy.  I can't wait to try some of these out soon - especially the dust cloths. Those Swiffer brand ones are expensive!  I also thought the "keep your fingernails clean" idea was brilliant.  I also love the quote at the beginning of the book from the Procter and Gamble Company:  "If, at any time, you have a cleaning problem no covered by printed instructions, all that is necessary is to use Ivory Soap and common sense."

imPress Press On Manicure - Influenster Review

Recently I joined a group called Influenster.  If you like to blog, use social networking, and like free stuff, you  should join this group.  In my "Mom VoxBox," I was excited to see this imPRESS Press on Manicure kit from Broadway Nails.  You can learn more about this product from their website:  www.impressmanicure.com and can download a coupon for $1.00 off your purchase (Look on the bottom right corner of the screen).  These nails retail for $5.99-$7.99 and can be found at your local drugstores/beauty stores like Walgreens and Walmart.

Now I know you're thinking, "Press on nails? Seriously? What are you, eight?"  But you have to understand, although I love the look of a manicure, I can't stand long nails for day to day life.  My job as a teacher means that I wash my hands A LOT.  My job as a mom means I do a lot of baths and dishes.  Water is hard on polish. My pastimes of piano playing and wasting time on the computer critical blogging don't like long nails due to the clicky-clack of nails on keys that DRIVE ME CRAZY.  But I digress...  To keep it short... (ba-dump-ching!), I love the look of long nails for special occasions but find that short natural nails work best for me for the most part.

So the directions look pretty simple.  You peel the sticker.  You press it on.   I thought, "I can do this..." 

 I took a before shot here.  I tried to get that Pinterest "holding a bottle" look... ha!

I went through the bottle of 24 nails and picked out the ten that best fit my nails.  I have pretty small nails, so I used the eight smallest nails and then one of the more medium ones for my thumb.  I feel like if you have medium-to-large nails, you would have had enough for your nails too.  There was quite a variety of sizes in the bottle.  I swabbed my nails with the "prepping" cloth...  very refreshing.  I peeled the stickers and stuck them on!  This whole process took me about 10 minutes from start to finish.

And done! You can still see my nail bed on my thumb... should have used the next size up for this particular thumb... the other looked great.

Now, like I said, I'm pretty plain jane when it comes to nails, so here is my impression of these products.  First off, let me remind you that I received this product FOR FREE from influenster for testing and review.  The product was complimentary, but the opinions are my own.

1.  This was fast and looked pretty darn good.  I felt pretty special and pretty when my husband and I went on an afternoon date.  I see myself buying these again and putting them in the drawer for special occasions... a nice dinner, a wedding, or just a night out with the girls... a quick way to make yourself feel special.

2.  The price is pretty good.  This is not a salon manicure, but it faked my sister out who was shocked to find out they were press-on.  For about $6.00 I got a very manicured look without spending all that cash at the nail salon.

3.  I would not have chosen this color (Stilletto) because it is pretty dark and it is summer time.  However, there are several bright colors and fun prints available to try out.  I checked my local Walmart and they carried these in about 4 colors but the website claims to have 36 different styles.

4.  These are long lasting.  I lost one nail while I was doing the dishes about 5 days after I applied.  I had to really work to get the others off.  I think if I'd had some nail glue, I could have popped the rogue nail back on and the manicure could have lasted for quite some time.  The package claims "up to a week" of survival.

In conclusion, I would definitely buy these again and encourage you to try them out -- especially if you are like me and can't maintain or afford a professional manicure.  Try them!