I’ve heard people rave about the new liquid bandages for quite some time, but had never tried it out until recently. Suddenly I got this callous on my thumb and at some point in time, I cut through it with some paperwork and it would not heal. It was just the callous, with a cut and often times it split open and hurt!

During a busy day at work I was typing and apparently using the space bar with my left hand a lot,  because it was screaming at me by lunch time. (Ever try to use the space bar with the wrong thumb as you type? If you took typing class you know it’s nearly impossible, but I digress.) So I wandered off to the medicine cabinet in search of antibiotic ointment and a band aid or two.

One of my coworkers saw me perusing the cabinet and pointed out that we had packets of Band-Aid Liquid Bandages, raving about how great they are when you are typing and I should check them out. Which I did. A swab-like item soaked in some chemical (the liquid band aid I presume) pops out of the pack and I slathered it over the gash in my left thumb.

Continue reading “Band-Aid Liquid Bandages Don’t Seal The Deal”

Welcome to Must Have Monday’s. Every Monday our reviewers will let you have a sneak peak into what we use in our homes and our lives. Here we will tell you about the things we can’t live without. If you have a “must have” item to pass along please e-mail us. We welcome contributions from our readers and are always looking for new reviewers.

Have you ever looked for a fun fragrance to mix things up a bit? I have two favorite perfumes, but sometimes I get tired of smelling the same day after day. I recently ran across the TokyoMilk collection of playful scents in a magazine and gave it a try. The concept is neat and they offer 18 delightful variations for around $28 a bottle.

The fragrances are mischievously named for their combination of different oils, scents and other ingredients. My favorite scent thus far is Let Them Eat Cake, which contains sugarcane, coconut milk, white musk and vanilla orchid. Adding to the fun is the unique bottles. Each features an interesting image on the inside of the label which is visible through the glass. These would make fun gifts for friends and is a must have in my own collection!

Continue reading “Must Have Monday’s 49″

Now that I’ve returned to the workforce, I’m unwillingly flung back into the world of necessary pre-packaged foods. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing, if you really check out what is available at the grocery store. Take, for instance, A Taste of Thai. Sold in single serving size boxes, these dishes require one cup of water and some time in the microwave. They don’t need refrigeration, so they are great to stick in your desk drawer or office credenza for those days when you don’t get out for lunch.

I was delighted in the lunch room the other day, as I added the spice pack to my peanut chicken, that people came up sniffing “Wow, what is that? It smells fantastic!” And a couple asked me where I had gotten Thai food delivered.

The best part was that about half way through the meal, I was fantastically full. The serving of rice noodles is more than ample and unlike your usual heat and serve lunch fare, this time I wasn’t starving again two hours later.

Continue reading “A Taste of Thai Spices Up Lunch”

By going to Umbrella Today you can find out if you will need an umbrella today and what type of weather to expect in your area. Sounds easy enough and it really is! You type in your zip code to find out what the weather is like and you can enter your cell phone number and provider to get a simple text message each day about the weather.

Better yet you can determine what time you would like to receive the text message. Obviously not everyone is a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. person, so this is a way to determine what’s going on outside without watching the news every day so that you are prepared. This is a website to pass along to friends and family.

Continue reading “Wednesday Website - Umbrella Today?”

The Naked Binder is giving one lucky Props & Pans readers a set of their eco-friendly project binders in either muted or bright colors. What a great way to get yourself organized this year with four free new tools! You can read our review of The Naked Binders here.

To enter go to The Naked Binder website and look over their line of eco-friendly binders. Leave a comment here telling us what you like about their company and products. There is a lot to like, so it shouldn’t take long to browse. Entries will be accepted through January 12, 2009 at midnight (C.S.T.).

You can receive a second entry by blogging about the contest (linking to it) or adding us to your blogroll. Just e-mail us with a live link or let us know you have it posted on your site. You do not need a blog to enter, just leave us your e-mail address so that we may contact you. As always, it is Props & Pans policy NOT to distribute any information you give us (including your e-mail). Thanks for entering!

I recently received an assortment of four Naked Binders to check out. Immediately I noticed that the binders were much sturdier than the vinyl binders I normally purchase for home use. They also sport an array of colors on the spines so you can color coordinate your projects or pick a specific color to blend into your home or office.

The spines on the binders are very flexible due to a design which seems to be made for extra flexibility. The hinges have been independently tested and have held up brilliantly through over 50,000 openings.

And did I mention the binders were made of recycled material? So not only are they good to use, but they are good for the environment. In fact they are probably the most eco-friendly 3 ring binder on the planet.

Continue reading “Naked Binders Dress Things Up Nice & Green”

In the spirit of the hurried holidays and all the fruitcake we’re currently eating, the reviewers of Props and Pans have been posting our favorite reviews of 2008 during the past week. Today is our last favorite review and we’ll be back starting tomorrow with lots of opinions and giveaways, so as always stay tuned…

I’m pleasantly surprised after reviewing the new Robeez 2008 Fall Collection of soft-soled shoes! Honestly, I’ve always stayed away from purchasing the Robeez brand because of the price and instead went for other types of soft-soled shoes. However, now that I’ve actually used them and compared them; I realize just how different the Robeez are.

I really like them a lot! They’re incredibly soft on my daughter’s feet and they don’t leave any elastic marks around her ankles (and we have had issues with this). So far I haven’t noticed the toes getting scuffed up from so much crawling either.

The selection is great, and not just for girls. It’s hard to find adorable boys shoes, but they have everything from animals, sports and music to your classic loafers and more. Of course the girls selection includes shoes with ribbons, hearts and bows. Plus they have the classic Mary Jane’s and just about everything else you’re looking for. The new fall collection is superb as there is truly something for everyone.

Continue reading “Our Favorites of 2008″

In the spirit of the hurried holidays and all the fruitcake we’re currently eating, the reviewers of Props and Pans will be posting our favorite reviews of 2008 this week. We’ll be back next week with lots of opinions and giveaways, so as always stay tuned…

When I first discovered the Haba toy line I knew I was on to something. Not only are they lead free and non-toxic, but they are also educational, developmental and creative. Plus children are able to work through problem solving on their own.

I purchased this Marble Track for my son at Christmas and it is his favorite present. In fact, he asks to play with it everyday. My brother got the Ski Jump to add to the bottom of the track, and he loves to launch the marbles off onto the hardwood floor and chase them through the house.

My son is 4.5 years old and developmentally delayed with both fine motor skills and gross motor skills, and he has a visual processing disorder. This toy is perfect for him because he has to construct a three-dimensional track using his fine motor skills and visual perception (alright it’s my fine motor and visual perception…he just likes to zoom the marbles).

All of the Marble Track components are made from unfinished, solid wood and made in Germany. Haba’s large selection of toys are worth taking a glance at.

Written by Marcie, a full-time mom and wife, a part time writer, and a Chicago native. You can find Marcie at My Two Boys, A Child Chosen, Discussing Autism, and Chicago Moms Blog where she writes about adoption, special needs, and about living life in both worlds.

In the spirit of the hurried holidays and all the fruitcake we’re currently eating, the reviewers of Props and Pans will be posting our favorite reviews of 2008 this week. We’ll be back next week with lots of opinions and giveaways, so as always stay tuned…

What’s not fun about a name like Wiggity Bang Games? The name alone is fun to say and after reviewing a few of their new games I can honestly say they are even more fun to play! They recently introduced Whizizzle Phonics (another cute name) which is a line of card games aimed at helping kids ages 4 and up learn words.

I tried this out with our 5 year old who just completed pre-k and has learned most of the sounds of words and he loved it. The Whizizzle game comes in two sets, games 1-2-3 and 4-5-6. As you increase levels, the phonics builds upon what you went through in the previous game. For instance, in level 1 the game focused on short vowel sounds and level 2 concentrated on long vowel sounds. We are working our way through level 3 right now and I’m amazed at his attention span while playing this game. It is more unique than traditional flashcards because it concentrates on using sight, sound and color.

Continue reading “Our Favorites of 2008″

In the spirit of the hurried holidays and all the fruitcake we’re currently eating, the reviewers of Props and Pans will be posting our favorite reviews of 2008 this week. We’ll be back next week with lots of opinions and giveaways, so as always stay tuned…

My children were recently given a selection of puzzles from the Great American Puzzle Factory, which is part of Fundex Games. Imagine our delight when we opened the boxes of the Make’em Move puzzles to find that they have wheels that turn as well as other pieces of each scene that move. On the race car puzzle the driver’s scarf flows in the wind and the checkered flag waves in the winner.

The fire truck’s ladder moves so you can pretend you’re climbing up and down and the bell moves. You can find something for every child’s interest. The great thing about these is that after your make your puzzle, you have something to play pretend with!

All of their puzzles have nice, large pieces which lock together easily for little hands. This makes putting them together fun and not frustrating for little ones who are just learning.

Continue reading “Our Favorites of 2008″