Product Review: Green Sprouts Eco-Friendly Freezer Tray

I was lucky enough to be able to try out the Green Sprouts Eco-Friendly Freezer Tray by iPlay recently and want to post about it. I loved this thing! You can find them here on Amazon.

They look like this....

What is that and why are you posting about it?

It's a simple, silicone tray, sort of like an ice tray (and I suppose you might could use it for one, but I didn't try) that is typically used for making homemade baby food. Is there really any other kind of baby food?! Not around here. ;0)

I like that the trays are an actual square, as opposed to using a traditional plastic ice try. This makes the baby food a lot easier to store because it stacks better. There are no curved edges like there would normally be when you pop your baby food out.

Of course the best feature of the product is the fact that it is BPA free. BPA (Bisphenol A) is a chemical make up in a lot of plastic products that can be harmful to our babies. Now we don't want that do we? It can be harmful to the development of children and studies also show that it can be harmful to the development of a developing fetus. (Lots o' "development" in there huh?) Do your research! Educate yourself for the safety of your little ones!

Ok...back to the tray. There was no twisting and turning like a normal ice tray. That also means no rogue cubes of baby food deciding to escape. I really despise when I lose half of them to the floor. Twist the tray, out they pop, and away they go...Like they're making a break for it Man! With the Green Sprouts tray, I had to push the cubes out of the bottom. This concept took me a second to grasp (call it Mommy Brain). The easiest way I found was to just turn the tray upside down on a plate and use my fingers to pop them out.

The One and Only Con that I found:

The ONLY thing I would change about this product is to perhaps make it bigger, or for iPlay to offer a bigger size. I don't know about most people, but when I make baby food, I normally make enough for at least a couple of weeks. And I don't know about most babies, but mine usually eat 2 cubes at a sitting. Of course, anyone who knows my kids also knows that they are gargantuan and eat like small adults.

This is certainly one I would recommend to friends with children! And you guys know how picky I am! It takes a lot for me to call someone up and go "I love this thing!" and I did that after I finished using this product.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge, in order for me to review it. All reviews posted on my blog are honest, and of my own opinion. I was not compensated for writing this review.

All In a day's Laundry

As I have mentioned to a few of you in person, I finally caved and tried out the new Tide Stain Release. Of course, I was waiting around for a coupon deal, but that never came along. Instead, I took my $1.50 coupon and bought the product from that big, mass retailer. ;0) The price wasn't outrageous with the coupon. The price came out to be about $2.50 after savings for a 10 pack of the "Duo-Paks". Not too shabby if it can save this busy mama some time by eliminating the need to scrub stains with a toothbrush.

I tried out the Tide Stain Release on several items.

1) Set in spit-up stain (AJ's onesie)

1) New ketchup (A's sweater complete with wearable school lunch)

1) Pair of socks (A's socks that she frequently wears outdoors with no shoes)

1) Pair of socks with new (not set in) spit-up stain (yes, she even gets her feet with this reflux!)

1) Shirt with mystery stain

The short of it:

Overall, yes I would buy this product. I wouldn't use it in every load of laundry, but would certainly use it in the baby's laundry and if I knew that A's laundry had something that need to be cleaned a little better, I would throw one in. The product was easy to use. Simply toss one in with your detergent while the washer is filling. Sort of defeats the purpose of using the Country Save for the purposes of having a healthier laundry detergent, but that's another story (I have yet to find a green stain remover that works).

The long of it:

So how did it work?

#1- The set in spit-up on A's onesie

Result: AWESOME! 

I have been trying for months to get this stain out. So long in fact, that AJ has outgrown the thing. It worked the first time, just like the slogan says.

#2 - The ketchup stain

Result: Worked well

I can't say for sure the Stain Release is what got the ketchup out because it wasn't set-in. It had been on the sweater for a few hours though.

#3 - Abbie's socks

Result: Didn't work

Don't worry. I didn't expect it to, but I was praying for a miracle. Nothing works on a pre-teen's socks.

#4 -New spit-up

Result: Awesome

Couldn't even tell it was there to begin with. Just like I like it. :)

#5- The Mystery Stain

Result: I'm surprised

While the stain isn't completely gone, it is faded quite considerably. This is something red and I have no clue what it is, but of course whatever it was had to land on a beautiful white shirt. I'm actually excited about throwing it in with the next Stain Release duo-pack to see if it fades even more.

Easy knit baby headband

If you're new to knitting (or want to learn), you know that finding true "beginner" patterns can be tough! Aside from knitting a thousand dishcloths, I have had a hard time finding something else functional and easy to knit up. I also like patterns that don't take a lot of time because I am an instant-gratification kind of girl.

I've been wanting to make something for baby A for a while now, but couldn't find anything easy enough. You see...I'm a beginner and because I only get about 2 seconds to myself a day, I'll probably be a beginner for all of my life. I came across this really cute knit baby headband pattern the other day over at HipKnitIzed and decided it was simple enough for me to give it a go! I had it finished in a couple of hours...shouldn't have taken that long, but it did. I'm also dying to try out those shortbread snowballs on the home page of her blog!

The directions are easy:

Get yarn. Ok..that's a given, but I need all the direction I can get some days. I chose to use Shepard Shades 100% wool in Shrimp because I just have a love for animal fibers. I'm guessing you could use just about anything with such a simple pattern.

 Man, my ottoman needs a new fabric!

Use size 5US needles and cast on 70 stitches

You then knit 5 rows, bind off, and sew the ends together! DONE!

I don't have a picture of my headband sewn together, but that part is extremely simple. I was too busy playing with little A, who really enjoys watching her mommy knit from her bouncy. I also made the fabulous felted flower from the Michael's website and I'm trying to figure out if I want to attach it or just make it a clip on.

Here is little A watching mommy make her a headband.

My headband came out just a teensy bit too big for little A. I'm guessing it's because I used a different type of yarn. Next time I'll just cast on fewer stitches.

If you are just learning how to knit, watching videos is way better than one of those books that you buy at craft stores. You can check some out here and here.

I am officially in love with the Shepard's Shades yarn. It doesn't split like other wool yarns that I have used. Also, it's a very smooth knitting yarn.  All in all, this is a great pattern for beginners. I have already sent a few friends over to HipKnitized to get started on their first knitting projects.