A Practical Gift for Mom

We just had Easter and now Mother's Day is quickly approaching.   Are you wondering what to buy Mom for Mother's Day?  I am one for practical and useful gifts.  I found The Best Micro Cut Shredder at Hammacher Schlemmer and knew right away that I wanted it for my home office.

From shredding useless junk mail to shredding documents I no longer need, this paper shredders makes confetti.  Yes, I said confetti.  Backed by Hammacher Schlemmer's lifetime warranty, this is the perfect gift for Mom on Mother's Day.

Only available from Hammacher Schlemmer, this micro cut shredder earned The Best rating from the Hammacher Schlemmer Institute because it produced the smallest shreds, was the easiest model to use, and generated the least amount of sound. It cut paper into unrecognizable confetti as little as 12.3mm x 4.8mm, while lesser units shredded paper as large as 54mm x 12.2mm. Ranked as the easiest unit to use, it had a feeder that easily accepted paper, a light and window for the receptacle, and simple forward/reverse functionality to unclog jams. The Best model only generated 63 dB of noise (about the level of normal conversation) and was the quietest unit tested. It chews through 18 sheets of paper at one time, completely destroys CDs and credit cards, and has an 8 1/2 gallon bin. Rolls on four casters. AC plug. Black. 22" H x 14 1/2" W x 11" D. (38 lbs.)

Mother's Day Giveaway

You can win this Power Air Fryer and Smokeless Indoor Grill just in time for Mother's Day!  Read the review here.  Enter the giveaway below. a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can never have too many family games!

I am always on the lookout for new games to play with my family.  We recently tried these and they are great!   The nice people from Top Trumps were kind enough to provide them for me to review.

This is Lexicon Go!  Harry Potter Word Game.  You get 55 playing card tiles stored in a cool L shaped canvas bag that zips open and closed.  In this super fast word game, you race against the other players to be the first to get rid of all of your letter tiles.  You can build on your own words, as well as on your opponents' words, as long as you form complete words.  You can swap your letter tiles for new ones as well.  This Harry Potter Edition contains 4 special spell tiles that you can use to increase your chances of winning.  The Polyjuice tile is a wild tile that can be used as any letter.  And if you can spell the word "SNITCH" you will automatically win the round.  This game is great to play with your family.  You need at least two players to play and it is recommended for ages 8 and up.  You can purchase it HERE for $19.99.

This is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter Top Trumps Match Game.  To win the game, you need to get five wizards, witches or creatures in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally).  But it is easier said than done.  Just when you have victory in sight, your opponent can use a special Top Trumps card to take the match from you!   The game has loads of cubes that feature 15 of your favorite characters from the world of Harry Potter.  These include Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Professor Dumbledore.  It is easy to set up and pack away thanks to its self contained plastic case that lets you play any time, any where!  This is a 2 player game that is suitable for ages 4 and up.  You can purchase it HERE for $19.99. 
This is Top Trumps Dinosaurs.  These cards are beautifully illustrated with colorful and realistic dinosaurs.  They feature dinosaurs like Gigantosaurus, Voliciraptor, Brachiosaurus and Triceratops.  If you can't tell one dinosaur from another, then you need Top Trumps Dinosaurs to teach you.  Each card lists the "stats" (height, weight, length, killer rating, intelligence and age) of the specified dinosaur.  On each turn, the one with the highest specified stat wins.  You can play any time any where, and with as many people as you want!  The easy to carry plastic case can be slipped into a backpack or purse so you can easily take it with you as you go!  You can purchase this game HERE for $9.99.  

This is Top Trumps Marvel Universe.  This is very similar to Top Trumps Dinosaurs, only these cards feature the heroes and villains from the Marvel Universe.  You have characters from Guardians of the Galaxy, the Avengers, Antman, Black Panther and Spiderman.  The cards list their "stats" (strength, skill, size, wisecracks, and mystique) and you use those to determine the winner of each round.  Highest specified stat wins.  This deck also has the easy to carry plastic case.  You can purchase this game HERE for $9.99.

Cinco de Mayo Favorites

I received all of the products mentioned in this post.

Are you ready for Cinco de Mayo?  I have some wonderful wines and spirits to tell you about!

The national spirit of Oaxaca, Mexico: mezcal. Mezcal is known to be a “smokey” agave spirit, usually turning people off from the idea, but I am here to tell you that Zignum Mezcal could not be further away from those debilitating expectations!

A name with Zapoteca roots, Zignum means “The Tip of the Spear.” As of today, Zignum maintains its status as one of the leading mezcals in Mexico, in Mexican duty free, and the most awarded mezcal in the world. It is also the first and only MÉTODO VERDE™ (green method) mezcal, made by shredding raw agave hearts and then steaming the fibers and nectar, creating a mezcal with a clean agave flavor that is smooth and easy to drink.

It’s 3 expressions; Joven, Reposado, and Añejo are perfect for any Cinco de Mayo festivities. They are best served neat, with a slice of orange sprinkled with sal de gusano, or mixed into any of your favorite cocktails.

Zignum is meant to exude nothing but Mexican pride and luxury; so look no further for your Cinco de Mayo beverage of choice!

BxSxT Vodka is a 100% craft spirit perfected in a once abandoned laundromat-turned-distillery, based in Eugene, OR (Wolf Spirit Distillery). Its self-taught distiller, Ben Green, considers BxSxT his greatest labor of love. The vodka itself has a manifesto meant to encourage “individualism” and the “maker culture.

Dixie Southern Vodka is based in Charleston, South Carolina, Dixie Southern Vodka is an independent, American-made craft spirit with roots in the New South renaissance. It is the largest premium craft vodka brand produced in the Southeast; the largest spirit brand produced in the state of SC; and won a 2019 Growth Brands “Rising Star” Award from Beverage Dynamics magazine for its rapid growth.

 

BeatBox Beverages known as “The World’s Tastiest Portable Party Punch™,” the white-wine based Party Punch comes in Fruit Punch, Pink Lemonade, Blue Razzberry and Fresh Watermelon. Low calorie, low-sugar, and gluten free, it is 11.1% ABV. Additionally, the 3 founders received a $1M investment from mark Cuban via Shark in 2014; this was the biggest investment the show had ever made at the time.

You have so many choices to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  Please drink responsibly!

Get Creative With Zephyr Kinetic Plasticine Dough For Kids

The nice people from Zephyr provided me with this product to review.

Zephyr Plasticine is a unique kind of play dough.  It's lightweight and extremely resilient.  It's soft enough to mold easily so you can use your imagination to create masterpieces.  Stretch it and build large objects with no need to worry about it collapsing under its own weight.

It will even float in water, so why not build yourself a boat?  Or even a whole fleet of ships?  It will hold its form.   

This is a kid friendly product that is completely safe for the environment.  It is recommended for use in kindergartens and daycares where kids are encouraged to be creative and use their imagination.  It is hypoallergenic with antiseptic in the composition and they used food coloring for the dye.  Of course, even though it is non-toxic and kid friendly, it still should not be eaten, so it is recommended for children 3 and older.

Zephyr is made with Non-Newtonian fluid, making it able to change its properties depending on how fast and rough or how slow and gentle you are when you play with it.  If you are rough with it, it will become hard, but if you are gentle it will be soft, pliable, fluffy, flexible and stretchable.  If you quickly and roughly form it into a ball, it will hold its shape while you bounce it.  It won't fly apart or lose its shape from the impact.  But if you are slow and gentle, you will be able to stretch it and easily shape it into anything you choose.

 
Another cool thing about Zephyr is that you can bake it and then paint it using your acrylic paints.  If you build something that you are super proud of and want to keep forever, pop it in the oven and bake it.  Then paint it in the colors that you like! 

 

  
Kids love it because it is fun, but Moms will love it because it never crumbles and doesn't leave those tiny pieces behind like other brands.  I usually hate giving my kids this type of thing to play with simply because it makes such a mess and is hard to clean up.  But you don't have that problem with Zephyr!  My kids played with it for hours and when they were done there was not a single crumb of it anywhere! 

  Zephyr is available in several different colors, as well as neon glitter and glow in the dark.  My kids think it is so cool to build a figure, turn off the lights and see it actually glowing in the dark.  

Zephyr is a great toy and I highly recommend it.  My children love it and I must admit that even I find it strangely relaxing to squish it in my hands and to build things with.  Check out their videos on YouTube HERE and HERE to see how much fun kids have playing with this stuff!  You can purchase Zephyr on Amazon or Walmart.  The suggested retail price ranges from $2.49-$36 depending on the size and type that you buy.