![]() By: Emily As a mom to a preschooler with eczema and a person who suffers from dry sinuses during the winter months, I have gone through my fair share of humidifiers, from inexpensive store brands to high-end ultrasonic models. Because of this, I have become rather opinionated about what I look for in a humidifier and believe I am a good candidate to test and review this product. The Luma Comfort Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier HC12B is pretty straightforward to assemble out of the box. I did get confused about the number of nozzle pieces, and the instructions were ambiguous about the fact that you can set the humidifier up with various-length nozzles, depending if you have it sitting on the floor or on a table. ![]() Once I figured that out though, I set it up with the medium-length nozzle, as I was placing the humidifier slightly off the floor on the hearth in my living room. The bulb-shaped bottom of the humidifier is made up of two pieces. The top piece lifts off and is the tank that you fill with water. This was easy to do, and the water reservoir is a pretty decent size, holding over a gallon of water (9.5 pints according to manual). After it is placed on the base, you hear the water gurgling into the base and the instructions recommend waiting five minutes before you turn it on. After that, I had my preschooler press the power button, which gave a satisfying beep and illuminated. Within minutes cool mist was visibly floating out the top of the nozzle, adding moisture to the air. The cool mist part is great, because the first thing my son did was cover the nozzle with his palm and I had no concerns about him getting burned. The whole unit feels cool to the touch. ![]() The unit is very quiet, producing a barely noticeable whirring or humming noise that I only hear if I consciously listen for the sound. One of the key features of this unit is that it is designed to be attractive. I typically hate having a bulky humidifier take up precious table space in my small home, typically crowding a table or dresser for the duration of winter. While I’m sure I could put any humidifier on the floor, this one looks like it belongs there and is far less obtrusive than the other humidifiers I own. Additionally, for your family’s health and product longevity, humidifiers need to be cleaned regularly so I appreciate ones that are easy to clean. While the manual explains that the humidifier can run for 45 hours continuously on a single tank, it also recommends that you replace the tank of water daily to reduce the chance of buildup or bacteria. I found this to be a bit confusing. If I’m going to change the water daily, what’s the point of a 45 hour cycle? Good thing for me, I’m not that organized. If I can’t remember to scoop out my cat’s litter box each day, there is no way I’m going to find time to dump out and refill a humidifier tank. I have learned the hard way that cleaning out the reservoir frequently is important, not only to keep the humidifier running efficiently, but to avoid nasty mold growth. Trust me on this, it is not only nasty to look at but really unhealthy to neglect, so if you are going to use a humidifier, keep it clean! I clean mine every other week when in use continuously, which is what the manual recommends. Anytime I unplug it I try to remember to dump the water out immediately. I ran the humidifier through two 45 hour cycles, then drained it and cleaned it as I would twice a month. Previously I have cleaned my humidifiers with white vinegar and water, but the manual suggested using a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, as recommended by the EPA, to help remove mineral buildup and disinfect the unit. Good old Google helped me figure out that to make a gallon I needed to combine 1.25 cups of hydrogen peroxide, 14.75 cups of water (to get 16 cups, which equals a gallon). I put this in the reservoir and let it sit for 20 minutes, swishing it around a bit any time I came back into the kitchen. After the soaking was complete, I rinsed both the base and the water reservoir with clean water and let the pieces dry out in the bathtub before putting the unit back together. The humidifier comes with a remote that includes one of those coin shaped batteries. I understand why they went that route design-wise. The remote mimics the shape of the humidifier and is too small to hold AAA or AA batteries. However I never have anything but those batteries in stock and typically get irritated by products that require something that necessitates a specific trip to the hardware store to replace. Honestly I haven’t even put the battery in the remote since you can operate the unit directly from the base. Overall it is a unique take on humidifier design with a large tank capacity to get several days use on a single run. I found it easy to clean and appreciated the ability to customize the nozzle height based on where the unit was placed. The Luma Comfort Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier HC12B is available for purchase through www.air-n-water.com. Check out their Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/airnwaterinc. For a limited time, Cape Cod Mom’s readers can save 20% on any purchase by using the code Save20 at checkout! Air n Water has also graciously allowed us to host a giveaway for our community! One lucky Cape Cod Mom will win their very own Luma Comfort Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier HC12B. Read more for how to enter below! GIVEAWAY Disclosure of Material Connection: This is a "sponsored post." The company who sponsored it sent us a sample product to write an honest review. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we use personally and believe will be good for our readers. We are disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
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![]() By: Emily I was provided an opportunity to evaluate some reusable glass containers from buygreen.com, an online shopping site full of a wide range of quality environmentally-conscious products in exchange for an honest review. The food storage collection is a new part of the Lifefactory product line and provides transportable glass storage protected by a silicone sleeve. I received the 2-cup size containers and used them to pack lunch for myself as well as for my preschooler. First of all, I love the colors, I got one in Huckleberry, which is a pretty purple, and one in orange, my boy's favorite color. His lunch of cold cut roll-ups and broccoli fit comfortably in the bottom, and I had room to place a small container of orange slices on top before securing the lid. I actually had him help me pack it, since he was excited about the cool orange "grown up" container for his lunch. He thought it was cool that the bottom silicone sleeve had tabs on it that you attached to the lid to hold it in place. While I read several reviews complaining about the way the lid latches to the base, I did not have a problem with them, and my four-year old did not complain about them being too tough to remove when I sent him in with this container for lunch. I packed a stew for my own lunch, and it was very nice to have the added security of attaching the lid to the bottom of the container with the tabs. No leakage! I knew there was no way it would pop off, even if it flipped on it's side in my bag. Although even without the tabs secured, the lid still goes on firmly. I have several other glass containers and over time many of the lids have split and cracked. These lids are made of a more rigid plastic than the containers I own, and I see no way of them deteriorating over time the way my other lids have. I also really appreciated having the silicone to protect my hands as I removed the container from the microwave, as opposed to using my shirt as a pot holder. The entire container is refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher safe. The container and silicone sleeve (without the lid) are microwave and oven safe (up to 425 degrees). BuyGreen.com GiveawayOne lucky Cape Cod Mom fan will receive a $25 gift card to buygreen.com To enter all you have to do is comment below with an answer to this question: If you win the $25 gift certificate what would you spend it on? Terms & Conditions
Giveaway terms and conditions: This giveaway is sponsored by buygreen.com and hosted by Mommies LLC. This giveaway is open to residents of the US who are of legal age at time of entry. This giveaway is accepting entries Nov 20 2014 through Dec 3, 2014 11:59pm EST. ALL entries will be verified. Winner will be chosen via Random.org and contacted via the email they used when they commented. Winner will have 24 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited to the next winner. A maximum of 3 alternate winners will be selected. Mommies LLC Privacy Policy: http://www.capecodmommies.com/disclosure.html ![]() By: Emily Being mom to a four-year-old who is a huge fan of trucks, I was excited about the two of us watching “Big, Loud, and Strong Semi Trucks” together. The DVD is advertised as being for children 3-8 years old, but unfortunately it did not hold my son’s attention for very long. As promised it contains 40 minutes of truck footage in 5-10 min segments that are interspersed with facts about trucks, and some cartoon truck who sings songs. While he enjoyed seeing the trucks on the screen, and seemed excited about the first song with Boone, the cartoon truck driving cowboy, the production level of this DVD reminds me of some of the DIY You Tube videos of children’s songs done by creative parents. Perhaps it would appeal more to children closer to 3 years old, but I think the advertising misses the mark by suggesting this is going to captivate the attention of children up to 8. Kids Like Trucks is run by two dads, Jason Lancaster and Mark Harvey, who know trucks, not only because they have worked in the auto industry for decades, but also because they both have sons who just can't get enough truck action! It would be great for Kids Like Trucks to narrow down their audience a bit and change it to gear specifically to age groups as 3-8 is too wide a range. It would also be great to see them team up with Touch a Truck events and see if they can market together or even do volumes on other classes of trucks such as a military truck series or emergency truck series. ***Blogger was provided with the DVD in order to facilitate an honest review per Mommies LLC policy which will only provide honest reviews and feedback to our community. All thoughts and opinions expressed are the blogger's own and have not been influenced. Kids Like Trucks Giveaway!![]() By: Emily I was provided with free samples of Barbara’s new cereal line, Snackimals to write this honest review from NaturallySavvy. My son loved them, eating a whole bowl full and then asking for more. The cereal seems like a sweeter version of the Kix cereal I snacked on as a kid. Let me start off by saying that I am a fan of the Barbara's product line. I have purchase Honest O's and the Original Puffins cereal in the past and like supporting a company that strives to, "create simple, wholesome and delicious products with the most honest ingredients." The Snackimals Cookie line marketed towards kids has expanded to breakfast cereal including both Vanilla Blast and Cinnamon Crunch flavors. Now don't get me wrong, it is great that they are providing a non GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) corn-based product, but they already provide this with their Original Puffins cereal and the adult version has 2 grams less sugar per serving! Perhaps you think I am one of "those" types of parents who hover and obsess over the nutritional value of everything that my child eats. Not really. Well maybe, but without the hovering. And honestly who the heck has spare time to obsess about every last thing that goes into their kid’s mouth? I do want my son to have a palate that appreciates a broad spectrum of tastes from spicy to bitter and yes, even sweet. I think indulging in a sugary treat is just that, a treat, not something I want to serve up for breakfast every morning. I also happen to have a three-year-old who is more than capable of pushing my buttons and driving me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY without the assistance of a sugar high. We still went trick-or-treating and he still knows what a donut looks and tastes like from Dunkin’ Donuts (we do after all live in New England). I am just so frustrated that a product that is specifically marketed towards kids as “healthy and nutritious” contains more sugar than a comparable adult version from the same company. That being said, if faced with choosing to offer your child a bowl full of Barbara’s Snackimals Cinnamon Crunch vs Kellogg’s Cinnamon Pops cereal, the 7 grams of sugar in a serving of Snackimals is better than the 11.3 grams in Cinnamon Pops per 30 gram serving. So as far as cereal options go, Snackimals is a better choice. So here's my product comparison breakdown. Please note that not all cereals had the same serving size listed in the nutritional information panel on the box. To compare them evenly I converted them all to the same number of grams. In other words, if you compare what I have compiled here with the cereal box, the numbers may be different based on the serving size. Barbara’s Snackimals Cinnamon Crunch Cereal 30 gram serving has 7 grams of sugar Ingredients: ORGANIC CORN FLOUR, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN CORN FLOUR, ORGANIC WHOLE GRAIN OAT FLOUR, FRUCTAN (NutraFlora®, Natural Dietary Fiber), ORGANIC OAT HULL FIBER, CALCIUM CARBONATE, ORGANIC CINNAMON, SEA SALT, NATURAL FLAVOR Pros: Non GMO Corn, lower sugar than comparable cereal (Kellogg’s Cinnamon Pops). Cons: More sugar per serving than other Barbara’s cereals that my son likes to eat. Barbara's Original Puffins 30 gram serving has 5.5 grams of sugar Ingredients: NON GMO CORN FLOUR, NON GMO CORN BRAN, EVAPORATED CANE SUGAR, WHOLE OAT FLOUR, UNSULFURED MOLASSES, EXPELLER PRESSED HIGH OLEIC OIL (CANOLA AND/OR SUNFLOWER), SEA SALT, BAKING SODA, CARAMEL COLOR (FROM CANE MOLASSES), VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID), TOCOPHEROLS (ANTIOXIDANTS TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS). Pros: Non GMO Corn, lower sugar than Snackimals Cons: Not a big fan of the canola/sunflower oils. Why is that needed in breakfast cereal? Barbara's Honest O's 30 gram serving has 1 gram of sugar Ingredients: ORGANIC WHOLE OAT FLOUR, ORGANIC NON-GMO CORN FLOUR, ORGANIC OAT BRAN, ORGANIC APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, SEA SALT, BAKING SODA. Pros: Non GMO Corn, sweetness from apple juice instead of cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup Cons: I could annoyingly argue that the better option would be to give your kiddo a bowl of oatmeal, but then they are likely to dump a giant pile of brown sugar on top, right? Honest O’s for the win. Original Kix 30 gram serving has 3 grams of sugar Ingredients: WHOLE GRAIN CORN, CORN MEAL, SUGAR, CORN BRAN, SALT, BROWN SUGAR SYRUP, TRISODIUM PHOSPHATE, VITAMIN E (MIXED TOCOPHEROLS) ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS. Pros: 3 grams of sugar is better than the 7 grams in Snackimals. Cons: GMO corn. I avoid GMOs whenever possible. Kellogg’s Cinnamon Pops 30 gram serving has 11.3 grams of sugar Ingredients: CORN MEAL, SUGAR, CORN BRAN, CORN SYRUP, CINNAMON, SALT, OAT FLOUR, BAKING SODA, VEGETABLE OIL, BHT (Butylated hydroxytoulene, added to preserve fat) Pros: None. Cons: GMO corn. Does a breakfast cereal need both sugar and corn syrup? Again, what’s up with the vegetable oil? Get rid of the veg oil and you don’t need the BHT. Win an App and a Year's Supply of Snackimals Cereal & Cookies![]() *Contest alert! Barbara’s wants your help naming the Snackimals monkey! Click on the link below to enter to win a Year’s Supply of Snackimals Cereal and Cookies. *Everyone who enters wins a free Snackimals Dash app that is a lot of fun – steer the monkey through the jungle in search of healthy snacks for you and your friends, and recycle for bonus points! *In addition to the grand prize of a Year’s Supply of Snackimals, there are lots of other cool contest prizes, so enter today! What will you name the Snackimals monkey? Send your suggestion today! Link: Name-a-Snackimals contest One Cape Cod Mommies Fan/Reader will also win a giveaway package that includes one box of the Vanilla Blast and one box of Cinnamon Crunch. |
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