Today is the day for cleaning the bathrooms in The Daily Kool household. The master bath is usually not a big deal, but the kids' bathroom? Oh, my goodness gracious! After only one week, the fumes are enough to make us gag, our eyes water and, quite frankly, almost knock us over in a dead faint. But then again, we have boys...and they stand up when using the toilet...and they love to play with their favorite appendage...enough said? All the air fresheners in the world can't compete with that stench. What's a parent to do?
Go in with a mask and gloves, and hope for the best, that's what. Well, being armed with an amazing cleanser certainly doesn't hurt, either. Method Le Scrub soft abrasive cleanser really does the trick. Ever since one of our beloved followers suggested we try out the fabulous Method Best in Glass cleaner (see previous post), we have become huge fans of this fabulous company...and our windows have never been cleaner! One by one, we have gone away from the traditional cleansers that we grew up with, and have been replacing them with Method's non-toxic, vegan and environmentally friendly home cleaning solutions. Method Le Scrub is no exception.
Method Le Scrub is a eucalyptus mint scented, mildly abrasive cleanser for deep cleaning the bathroom...deep cleaning is definitely the way to go in our home! It uses finely milled marble with naturally-derived, biodegradable ingredients to remove tough stains. Grime, soap scum, hard water deposits and mildew are no match for this gentle, yet powerful cleanser. Seriously folks, this works just as well as (if not better than) the stuff Mom used. And, ahhhhh....the smell is just plain wonderful! Method Le Scrub makes even our kids' bathroom smell like a spa!
Sure, you can always make your own at-home natural soft scrub cleaner (we've put the recipe below), but when you have a cruelty-free company that does it so well for you, why bother? Method Le Scrub soft abrasive cleanser is pretty cost-effective (a little goes a long way) has amazingly "kool" packaging (check out the sponge holder at the top!) and is readily available for purchase at our local Target store. Plus, we feel good about letting our kids help out cleaning with it...for more reasons than one. What more could we ask for? Well , maybe a girl next time! Homemade Soft Abrasive Cleanser (if you are so inclined)
We at The Daily Kool are huge soda drinkers. Oh yeah, we love them all...from Coca Cola to Orange Crush to Canada Dry Ginger Ale, each one of us has our own soft drink obsession. Are we the picture of good, healthy habits, or what? We're actually pretty good about drinking mostly water, especially since we've found Fiji, but sometimes, we just have have a can of soda with a nice meal. There's just something about the fizzy tickling sensation going down the back of the throat, coupled with just the right amount of sweetness...ah, instant satisfaction.
Because everyone has his/her own favorite, we tend to keep a variety of cold soda cans on hand in our fridge for family and company. Why cans, you ask? Yes, 2-liter bottles are much more cost-effective, but cans allow us to cater to everyone's tastes while monitoring intake at the same time...we make it a point to restrict ourselves to one can a day...with the exception of club soda. Cans of club soda (we like La Croix) are great for getting a healthier soda fix on the go.
Like most people, our biggest challenge with cans is keeping the soda from going flat...unless we drink the whole can at once, of course. We have no shame in admitting that we refuse to drink soda that has gone flat...we're kind of snobbish that way. We have tried out so many "fizz keepers" over the years, without much luck. A couple of weeks ago though, we came across these amazing Snap Capp reclosable can tops. Made in the U.S.A. (a big plus with us), plastic Snap Capps convert an ordinary 12 or 16 oz aluminum beverage can into a portable, recloseable and non-spilling bottle. Okay, we were definitely intrigued enough to try this one out.
We just love it when a product does exactly what it says! We purchased a sleeve of eight Snap Capps in different colors to test out at home. We chose Orange Crush for the test to make sure we used something that would clearly show up if the product leaked. After opening the can, we simply snapped the cap onto it. It took surprisingly little effort, and the Snap Capp made a clear "pop" when it was on correctly. We then twisted open the top cover, and drank from the soda as if it were a bottle. Wow, it really was a spill-proof seal...kool!
After a couple of sips, we put the can back into the refrigerator to let it sit for a few days. Our soda actually stayed fresh and fizzy for four days, which is about the same amount of time a two liter bottle will keep in our house. After enjoying the rest of our orange soda, we held onto the Snap Capp, squeezed the middle of the can, and popped it right off. A quick rinse with hot water, and we were ready to use it again.
There are so many things we like about our Snap Capp recloseable can tops. The assorted colors ensure that each person remembers which is his or her can...a particular advantage at some of our family gatherings. Spillage is much less likely, especially in the car or with the kids...as long as the cap is on, of course. Don't get us wrong. We didn't exactly shake the can vigorously for several minutes after putting on the Snap Capp...we're not sure we're all that interested in testing it that extensively, anyway. But, with normal use, we found the seal perfectly tight. Plus it makes drinking from a can safer; we don't have to worry about cutting ourselves on any sharp, metal parts. The best part is how much less soda waste we have...we no longer feel the need to polish off a whole can in one sitting. We just put the leftovers back in the fridge until later, without worrying about it going flat.
Snap Capp reclosable can tops are great for picnics, parties, in the car and even at the office. We even brought a couple to the zoo last week for when we treated ourselves to a couple of cans from the machine. The Snap Capp gave us the flexibility to walk around, without being encumbered with open beverage cans. We're definitely giving a couple of these to our fellow soda, energy drink and yes, even beer lovers!
We were talking on the phone with our brother yesterday, when we somehow got on the topic of this year's Halloween costume ideas for the kids. Last we heard, our oldest son wanted a black Spiderman costume (easy), while our youngest chose to be Boots, the monkey from Dora (not quite as easy). Anyway, as we were having our conversation, our 8 year old suddenly said from the background that he now wanted to be Arnold from the Magic School Bus television show. We were shocked to find out that our brother, the brilliant pediatrician, had never even heard of this Scholastic series. How embarrassing for him, we teased in our typical smug sibling fashion. Then, much to our brother's glee, our four year old insisted that he now wanted to be Phoebe, the redheaded girl...yeah, like we'll ever hear the end of that one from big brother. Darn it...we hate it when he gets the upper hand!
The Magic School Bus television series features the antics of Ms. Frizzle (voiced by Lily Tomlin) and her class of eight children who have a unique way of learning about the world around them. The Frizz's ever-changing wardrobe hints at each clever episode's scientific concept to be explored, just before the class is whisked away on an exciting field trip aboard their magical school bus. Each adventure takes them literally behind the scenes, sometimes by shrinking them to the size of blood cells, other times turning them into bats (or salmon, or butterflies).
The Magic School Bus clearly demonstrates the creators' brilliant imagination and passion for science. We absolutely love the concept of this Discovery Kids series. There is so much color and activity packed into each episode that it may seem a bit frantic at times, but it keeps our kids mesmerized all the same. Plus, the theme index on the Scholastic website makes it easy to find shows that relate specifically to what our children are currently learning in school. Excellent!
It's easy to understand the popularity of the Magic School Bus television series with children, parents and educators alike (though, perhaps not pediatricians). It's humorous, suspenseful, educational and just downright fun...our kids are both completely addicted to it. We love how it encourages kids to "take chances, make mistakes and get messy." Plus, they don't even realize how much they are actually learning. There are so few television shows for kids that hit the mark like this one does. Field trip, everyone!
Fall is a busy time for The Daily Kool family. This is the time of year that we celebrate the season with large dinner parties. Oh, and we invite everyone! Ah, yes...food is definitely the catalyst that brings us all together. Always has been. It's nothing for us to expect 30-40 guests in our admittedly small home for an elaborate dinner. Over the past ten years of our marriage (yikes!), our household has truly become the destination for meals galore. We only have one rule...no one brings food. Bottles of wine? Sure. Soda? Absolutely. The food though, is our domain, and we always look forward to testing out new and exciting dishes on our more than willing company. Have we mentioned how much we love to cook?
We live for the moment when our guests marvel at the sheer genius of our culinary skills...not that it happens often. Okay, we admit it...we always mess a couple of things up with every dinner. We have so many dishes in various stages of preparation, cooking and plating, at least a few of them always fall through the cracks. Over-boiled soup, scorched veggies, mushy risotto and dry (we sometimes forget to baste) turkey are just a few examples of the disasters we've encountered over the years. It's not easy staying on top of everything all at once.
Thank goodness for our cousin. Last time she came over, she gave us this absolutely adorable Done Right multiple cook time kitchen timer as a hostess gift. Check it out...there are five (count them) separately functioning timers in one oven-shaped package. Each of the five timers gives off a sound flashes with a light when ready. This little guy is just what we need to stay on track! We love how we can correspond the stove top timers with each of our burners, while the front timer reminds us when to check the oven. We were actually amazed how easy the Done Right timer was to program, even for us technically inept folks. Just press the 1 or 5 minute increment button until the desired time is reached and press start...it's that simple. Seriously, how great is this little gadget? And, why didn't we think of it first, darn it?
There are a couple of things that we've noticed with our own Done Right multiple cook time kitchen timer that we wanted to pass along. First off, the alarm itself is fairly low, which is why they've added the flashing light component, we suppose. It would have been nice to have a volume adjustment option. Honestly though, it's not much (if at all) lower than our regular oven timer. Plus, one of us is always in the kitchen, so it's not particularly a problem for us. Also, we always use the company's suggestions for prolonging battery life. When we aren't cooking up a storm, we remove one of the four AA batteries, and usually make sure to stop the flashing light before its one-minute automatic shut off. You can find this kitchen timer at several websites, including Amazon, Target and Walmart. Our research though, shows that QVC seems to currently have the best price at just under $20 (plus shipping)...this the the main link we've provided throughout the post.
We love our Done Right multiple cook time kitchen timer so much, we leave it out on our stove top, even when we're not using it. Sure, it's a little larger than your standard kitchen timer, but talk about a fabulous conversation piece. What a wonderful novelty gift for anyone who spends oodles of time in the kitchen...particularly those of us who need a little help with the orchestration and execution of our larger dinner parties. Form and function are definitely the right combination with this super "kool" idea. Of course, we've just eliminated our best (and most plausible) excuse for a not-so-perfect meal. Aargh...the pressure!
Yesterday, we were playing catch with our kids in our development's common grassy area. It was great to have some old-fashioned outside time, though it was admittedly hard to ignore the oppressive heat of the Florida sun. Anyway, here we were, running for a long pass from one of our football stars-to-be, when we suddenly felt the ground get squishy beneath our feet. Holy sh..achem, oh cra...uh...oh, pooh! Literally. You guessed it, our big feet had landed in a pile of doggy doo. Do you have any idea what it's like getting that stuff off the bottom of sneakers with ridges? Ugh...we shudder just thinking about it.
Okay, here's the kicker. While we were away on vacation last week, our home owners association sent a letter to everyone, reminding us of our legal obligation to clean up after our dogs. Apparently, we aren't the only ones scrubbing our shoes these days. While it's admirable that our community is taking a more active role in keeping our grass play-friendly and poop-free, we have a sudden (and unpleasant) vision of our dumpsters filling up with tons of plastic supermarket bags. We are seriously considering giving each of our dog owner neighbors a roll of BioBags.
Made from GMO free certified corn instead of polyethylene, BioBag dog waste bags are the first biodegradable and compostable "plastic" pooper bags in the world. Think about it...using regular plastic bags to dispose of pet waste prevents natural decomposition. It just doesn't make sense to put 100% biodegradable dog waste into plastic bags that can take over 100 years to decompose. BioBags have given us a practical solution to a common problem. The waste and the bag can be thrown into a backyard compost, where both items can decompose naturally; the waste and bag can be buried, where micro-organisms will quickly eat both; the waste and bag can be set at curbside with other yard waste where communities collect biodegradable waste for composting.
Okay, so maybe we're a little pathetic to be getting so excited about dog waste bags...but we really love our BioBags, especially now that they come available on a roll. We admit to falling for the "biodegradable" claim on another brand of widely available poop bags, only to find out that they are misleading the public and do not meet every state's standards. We won't mention names, but shame on them! Anyway, we do still have the dispenser from that purchase...it's super-convenient, and apparently the new BioBags on a roll should fit in it beautifully. Excellent!
It is the responsibility of every dog owner to clean up after your pet. If you are looking for a dog waste bag that completely biodegradable, BioBags are definitely worth checking out. They even come in two sizes, regular and large. Just remember that they do have a shelf life, as with any biodegradable and compostable bag. The best part, though? They are sturdy enough to handle even tough messes without puncturing in mid-scoop...anyone who has had the pleasure of their fingers breaking through one of those flimsy regular plastic bags can appreciate this statement. Oh boy, could we tell you stories (shuddering again)! Okay, so BioBags aren't free like grocery bags. But they are reasonably priced, especially considering how much better they are for the environment. We at The Daily Kool all agree...BioBags are definitely a "kool" idea!
The Daily Kool is on a family vacation this week. To our most valued readers, we hope you enjoy this week-long review of some of our past posts. We hope you will find these ideas as "kool" as we do!
We have worn our Sketchers Shape Ups fitness shoes this entire week we've been away and love them just as much as when we first purchased them. We have literally walked miles and miles in our Sketchers Shape Ups...boy, are our calves (and backs) thanking us!
The Daily Kool is on a family vacation this week. To our most valued readers, we hope you enjoy this week-long review of some of our past posts. We hope you will find these ideas as "kool" as we do!
Boy, do we love our pets! Check out some of our favorite ideas to help spoil the dog or cat in your life:
The DailyKool is a free daily email bringing you the “must haves” in time-saving, money-saving, or just plain “Kool” gizmos, gadgets and whozits for hectic lives. Our goal is to feature products and ideas that can solve some of the everyday problems that can bog us down…and no, we’re not talking about world peace type issues. Just the scoop on simple solutions to make the little things easier. And if we can put a smile on your face in the process...well, that’s just an extra bonus for us!
Today is the day for cleaning the bathrooms in The Daily Kool household. The master bath is usually not a big deal, but the kids' bathroom? Oh, my goodness gracious! After only one week, the fumes are enough to make us gag, our eyes water and, quite frankly, almost knock us over in a dead faint. But then again, we have boys...and they stand up when using the toilet...and they love to play with their favorite appendage...enough said? All the air fresheners in the world can't compete with that stench. What's a parent to do?
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