I found the hickory and jalapeño cheese to be not appealing, but loved the white cheddar. My husband liked the hot jalapeño snacks. Our 6 year old son would only eat the hickory flavor stating they tasted like BBQ chips. I guess we each found a flavor we liked, but none of us were immediately in love.

by Emily

We were very excited to get the chance to try the Pogos natural potato cheese sticks. At first I was a little reluctant I will admit, all natural kind of gives me the idea of no flavor, no fun and not very good. I was proved wrong though because the Pogo snacks are very flavorful and very yummy.

We ate our favorite bag, the Hickory smoked, in one sitting. They have a very different little munch. It’s crunchy, but not too crunchy. There is a neat little design and you don’t get all this flavoring on your fingers. We loved them and the fact they are all natural is just an added bonus.

by Andrea

The makers of Pogos want to “bring to the world wholesome, great tasting snacks made from the very best, all-natural ingredients.” You can’t fault them for that. It would be a welcome addition to the millions of health concious people. My family recently received a bag of each of the three flavors of Pogos; hickory, white cheddar and jalapeno cheese.

I’d love to say that they were an instant hit, but that’s not quite true. At first, we were a bit hesitant of the texture and appearance of Pogos. They look like airy, white zig-zag chips and to a family that used to dense, orange, cheesy triangles, this was quite a change.

The aromas are strong, almost to the point of overwhelming when you open the bag. After a tentative beginning, we dug in and tried them all. After tasting them, there were mixed reviews around the table. Out of 4 adults and 5 kids, without a doubt the person who liked them best was my two year old grandchild. Everyone else found them to have a strange aftertaste and unlike most bags of chips in our house, these remain uneaten.

I wanted to like these chips, but my family just didn’t. The idea of a healthy snack alternative is fabulous, but we won’t be rushing out to buy Pogos.

by Perri

A few weeks ago I received some chips to review called Pogos. I was pretty dang excited about them as they offered a healthier option to regular potato chips. They are all natural with no trans-fats, so I was hoping to make a better snacking option out of them. However, though they sent a variety to try, I didn’t like any of them. Neither did any other adult that tried them. The flavors were a little funky and in the case of the Hickory Smoked ones, I could hardly even stand to smell them they were so strong. They had the texture of a Cheeto, only chewier.

On the bright side every kid I gave them to loved them and they are easy to chew for teething toddlers. I even gave one to my infant son and he sucked on it until it was gone. So the bottom line is that Pogos can be a healthier option for kids, but maybe not so much for people beyond Spaghetti O’s stages. I hate to pan something that seems like such a great idea, but this really just didn’t do it for me.

by Andi

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The best thing about this swing is that it isn’t incredibly gaudy and hideously ugly like the Aquarium bouncy seat we keep hidden in our bathroom upstairs. The second best thing is that the music is pleasant and void of completely wrong notes and harmonies unlike the Aquarium bouncy seat with it’s identifiable, yet wrong, rendition of Pachelbel’s Canon.

Really though, the swing is something I could take or leave. Christopher isn’t terribly thrilled with it, although he will tolerate it for about 10 minutes now that he has discovered he can swat at the bees dangling in front of him. He doesn’t seem to enjoy the swinging motion very much and the harness is a little hard to maneuver when you are bending over that close to the ground.

That could be just us though and not the fault of the swing. Not recommending this product comes down to one simple claim in that the named it a travel swing. Except it is not. We tried to break it down and take it with us on a road trip so the baby would have somewhere to hang out in a non-kid friendly home. It doesn’t break down like that. In fact, it’s pretty cumbersome to simply move from room to room.

As a stationary swing for your home it is a good deal. They just need to retract the claim that it is a “travel swing.” It’s not traveling anywhere without a struggle and a lot of extra room in your car.

Written by Canape, who is a girl from the deep south who loves her husband, her stepdaughter, her dogs, and her baby boy. She’s a musician by trade, and a baker and writer by hobby. She and her husband renovate houses on the side and she writes a personal blog at Don’t Take the Repeats.

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Vinegar of the Four Thieves made by For My Kids kitchen cleaner is perfect for me. It smells really nice and is made from all natural ingredients. I had my doubts as to whether or not it would work, but I shouldn’t have. I saved the first trial run of the kitchen cleaner for the night I made split pea soup. Sprayed directly on the cooked on soup, it worked like a charm. I was very impressed.

They also make a hand sanitizer that I love as well. I recommend that you put that Purell down and get yourself something natural that won’t dry out your skin and smells a lot better too.

by Canape

I think that when you are using a cleaning product it’s never a good thing to hear, “What is that terrible smell?” asked by your five year old shortly after you start using it. I had started wondering that very thing the after the first few sprays. I look at the label and found lavender, peppermint, rosemary, but nothing that should make me wonder what has rotted.

I don’t know and the only ingredient I didn’t recognize was wormwood. I’ve used this product on our high chairs, on our plastic bibs which we wipe off with cleanser or soap, on our cutting board and on our counter. How good is it? Marginal, in my opinion. If you are cleaning up a minor mess like one boy I have will make, it works ok. But if you are cleaning up horrific paste-like mess that my other boy makes out of his food, then it’s really a pain. I had to reapply many times to get the high chair tray clean.

Unlike the Vinegar of the Four thieves, the hand sanitizer product is quite pleasant. Not only is the smell lovely, but it’s also made with witch hazel and grain alcohol. Without a doubt it is killing all the germs it comes into contact with. I slipped it into my diaper bag the day it arrived and have used it many times when we are out and about. I like this product as a hand sanitizer as it seems to dry more quickly than the gel variety I normally tote around. I would definitely buy this product.

by Gidge

The last time I used vinegar to clean was when we were trying to remove century old wallpaper off the walls in our kitchen. I must say it worked like a charm, but the smell was atrocious. Recently I tried Vinegar of the Four Thieves cleaning spray and was pleasantly surprised by the power it packed, although the smell was still there. I don’t really care for foo-foo smelling cleaning products because to me if it doesn’t smell like it’s powerful, then it isn’t really deep cleaning.

We also tried out their antibacterial hand santizer which was much more pleasant than the typical bottles I buy. The natural ingredients did not seem to leave a greasy film on our hands or dry out our skin with alcohol. The bottles come in several size options and can be refilled.

by Emily

Our family recently reviewed the all natural germ-fighting cleaner Vinegar of the Four Thieves and On-the-Go Hand Sanitizer produced by For My Kids. Each product is made of natural herbs with germ fighting properties.

I like the idea of these products very much. Who wouldn’t want to use products that are effective and kind to our environment? And they did appear to work, but these products don’t smell very good.

Not a single member of the family could stand being in the room when the vinegar was being used and only my four year old could tolerate the hand sanitizer. She loved it, but my six year old would run from me when I brought it out after the first time. They also come in glass bottles which make them not only a bit heavy to carry around in your diaper bag, but also a breaking hazard. Their website does say that they are available in plastic so an alternative is available.

The bottom line that these are a great idea, but there has to be a way to do it that doesn’t have such an odor.

by Mary

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The Blinc mascara was glossy and dark, and did coat my lashes by adding length and volume. It looked great and felt awful. The weight on my eyelashes seemed heavy and I found myself picking at it to make it more comfortable. It bugged me all day and I could not wait to take it off. With traditional mascara you can rub your lashes to adjust the clumps and correct any blemishes.

The Kiss Me Mascara is glued on tubes around your real lashes so there is no wiggle room on adjusting it once it is dry. The tubes wrap around your natural lashes so well that you have to use lots of warm water and gentle pressure to pull the mascara off. The lasting power and look were stellar, but I could not enjoy the feel. If you are looking for eye lash color and volume that takes serious effort to remove, this could be your ideal choice. If I had spent $25 on the full size mascara I would be crying, and I can assure you my tears would not make the product fail.

Written by Helene, who is a “fly by the seat of her pants” mom with 6 kids, well really 7 if you count her husband. She is a die-hard bargain shopper, designer-clad domestic diva who writes reviews to maintain a sense of sanity and unleash her creative side. You can also keep up with their busy family at their blog.

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I wish I’d thought of this idea a few years ago. Putting a band on kids sunglasses so that they wrap around their head and stay put when needed. Pure genius because children need eye protection when in the sun, but rarely leave them on. This would have been the answer when our son was younger. The soft velcro strap is easily adjusted to fit the child’s head and I love that it is machine washable.

They are made for two age groups (0-2 and 2-5 years old) and our son is 5 years old. Unfortunately, the larger size was really too small. This didn’t stop him from sporting what he called his new cool glasses, but it did leave quite an indent mark on his face due to the tightness. He’s a tall kid for his age, but maybe his head is much larger than the average 5 year old.

by Emily

Sophie has a fetish with shoes and glasses so when I was asked recently if I wanted to review some sunglasses for kids I agreed instantly. What I received was an orange pair of Baby Banz which are sunglasses made especially for children. They have a neoprene headband that wraps around the head entirely and velcros on the side. I really liked that they were adjustable, though I thought the velcro would have been more attractive had it been in the back rather than on the side. I also really liked that the band was made out of such a comfortable material and that it could easily be taken into water.

Sophie wore hers for a while and could easily slip them on and off without me having to make sure she didn’t stick anything in her eyes. (She pokes her eyes all the time with regular sunglasses. She has obviously inherited my coordination.) The only thing I did not like was that the band had a tendency to fold her ears down, and when that happened she looked ridiculous. Of course, sometimes she doesn’t need any help looking ridiculous, so I can’t really say it’s all the glasses. In the end though all that really matters is what Sophie thinks of them and she loves them! She calls them her “beedies,” which you can read as “pretties”. So there you have it Baby Banz are beedie and we like them!

by Andi

Baby Banz are banned in my house. I love the idea of sunglasses for kids, if they don’t look hideous. Baby Banz attempts to bridge the gap of plastic Disney World dime-store style and accessorize a child with useful glasses that look good while protecting those little eyes from the sun. Here’s the deal-killer for me: the glasses didn’t fit my pin-headed child. My son, who just turned 5-years old, has a small head (a big brain, but a tiny head). I ordered the infant-sized glasses, but they still fell off his head, which made him throw a fit. This made me consider locking myself in the garage and drinking all the beer that is stored in a second refrigerator. Then, I remembered we didn’t have a garage.

The upshot is that the glasses seem like a good idea, but the sizing problem needs to be addressed. Another reviewer had the opposite problem. The glasses were too tight for her child.

by Bitsy

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I tried them with several pairs of pants that haven’t made it to the seamstress yet, and was disappointed with the Sole Clips about 75% of the time.

First of all, they jab a hole in your pants that’s large enough to be noticeable. You can poke them through the hem or if you have thick material that will stay folded, fold the bottoms up and wear them within the fold. They come with protective ends to cover the point in black and clear to hopefully match your pants. Sounds pretty simple, but it just didn’t help me at all.

They only worked when I wore them with large runners, but with flip flops and ballet flats they didn’t work at all. Sole Clips come with a small, medium and large sets. Perhaps I have strangely shaped shoes, but they didn’t work for me. Instead of spending $15 on these, I’ll spend $6 - $10 to get my pants hemmed properly.

Written by Nicole, who blogs about whatever strikes her fancy at Much More Than a Mom. She’s a mom first, and then a whole bunch of other crazy stuff, including a teacher, fitness & yoga instructor and mother to two. She is also the founder & senior editor at The Opinionated Parent, where one of her favorite things to do is give great stuff away.

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But as luck would have it, the mother of triplets in my local Twins Club was selling one. In nearly pristine condition with all of the paperwork, instructions and after a quick demonstration in the driveway on how to use it, I picked up this behemoth and took it home.

At 6 feet long and very heavy (46.8 pounds shipping weight), this thing was made like a tank. The two front seats recline to one position and the back seat will recline completely for naps. This is a little frustrating because we had two little ones who really needed to recline, not one. We took it out to museums, to the 4th of July on Clearwater Beach and on walks everywhere. At least for a very short time we did.

There are two problems with this stroller and probably with any triple stroller. First, your heaviest child needs to go into the back. Basic physics are working against you if you put the heaviest child in the front, but our oldest child didn’t want to sit all the way in the back where he couldn’t see. He wanted to sit up front. So at first it worked nicely, while the twins were newborns and were very small babies. As they began to put on weight and the biggest boy grew, I realized why the triplet mom had chucked it although her triplets were just a few months older than my twins.

Secondly, it became nearly impossible to steer. My husband had trouble getting it to turn by the time my twins were one, simply because of the weight of our children in it. Now you might imagine that the sturdy construction would make it more amenable to hauling a brute squad of kids, and I suppose from the stand point of holding up it was indeed great. It never became weak or wobbly, but it also wouldn’t turn.

I’d pan it completely except that for a time, it was a really useful addition to our lives, but overall I would not recommend it. The price of this stroller new compared to it’s value is really out of whack. If you do need a triple stroller, I’d recommend scouring consignment shops or your local multiples clubs. When shopping for triple strollers be sure to read the details. There is a very expensive brand out there which shall remain nameless, that sells a triple stroller and none of it’s wheels turn. None. How do your turn it? I am told, by someone who owns one, that you really don’t. You pray you never have to turn it.

A triple stroller is something that seemed like a good idea, but we really ended up using a double and a single to accomplish the same goal as we grew more frustrated with the bulk, weight and overall manageability of the triple one. Knowing what I know now, I’d probably pass on one of these next time around.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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It is one year later and he is still drawn to Pooh. He has learned his letters, numbers and colors from Pooh. He has also learned about caves, trick or treating and building snowmen. For a child who had no prior knowledge of these things (he’s from and orphanage in Russia) Pooh was a fabulous friend.

However, the new My Friends Tigger and Pooh falls a little short. Friendly Tails, as much as Disney has tried, is just not the same as the original Winnie the Pooh series I fell in love with. When I first put the DVD in for my son he immediately asked for a different one. I can’t speculate why he did not like it, but I did not like the digital characters and the female Christopher Robin. He did manage the second time to fall into the Hundred Acre Woods and Hiccup right along with the gang.

by Marcie

I have an issue with the new Tigger and Pooh series. Call me a purist, but Pooh and all the friends of the Hundred Acre Wood took place in Christopher Robin’s head. So who is this little girl Darby and why is she there? Did I miss a memo?

Regardless, they’re very cute episodes with the traditional Pooh characters in place. My 5 year old was bored by them and won’t watch them. “Can we please watch something else?” he moans. We like Winnie the Pooh around here, so I’m not sure what the problem is exactly. He says they are boring. It could be that it is too different from the original series.

In a way, I think maybe some of the wonder and magic of the Hundred Acre wood is lost in the bright colors of the more modern setting. I think it’s a mistake to presume that our love of Pooh would translate into this modern setting. The stories are sweet and teach teamwork and problem solving in a gentle, friendship based setting. They are very positive and we watched the show despite my scoffing. It’s a fun little show, if you don’t look too deeply at the greater Hundred Acre Wood traditions. I definitely recommend it for the very little people at your house.

by Gidge

Props & Pans is giving one lucky reader a copy of My Friends Tigger and Pooh. To win you must leave a comment specifying which Winnie the Pooh character you or your child enjoys by Friday, April 4, 2008. 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 us 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!

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You can save yourself the mistake with this product by taking my advice. L’Oreal Infallible Never Fail Lipcolour is not worth the money. Let’s start with the mirrored packaging. Supposedly you can view your lips on the metallic covering, but the reflection I saw reminded me of being in a fun house. It was not clear enough to even tell if I had teeth!

I was excited to find a lipstick color in the form of lip gloss. I’ve never been able to apply lipstick the correct way and keep it looking nice, so I’ve always been a gloss kind of girl. This product offered the best of both worlds with lip color and vitamin E to moisturize and protect all in one place.

First, you apply the lipstick by pushing the colored tube up and removing only the applicator. Then, you apply the white lip tube over your lips to hold in moisture. This part was extremely difficult to remove from the holder and I just found it awkward to remove either tube. L’Oreal states that the color goes on and stays on, but it did not go on smooth and only lasted a few hours at most. I didn’t feel that my lips were any more moisturized from this product than from regular chapstick.

Overall, I’m not a fan of this invention. It looks like it would be convenient and smaller to carry around, but it does not function in the same manner. From the packaging to the actual product, it does not live up to their normally high standards their company usually produces in beauty care items.

Written by Emily, who is a married working mother of a very energetic 5 year old son. They reside in Southern Indiana (a little too close to the Kentucky border). Someday she’d like to visit Intercourse, PA and have her picture taken with the welcome sign. She writes at her personal blog, Fenicle and loves free samples and trying new things!

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My thought when using it was, “What is this oily mess?” The packaging says it is ultra moisturizing and skin brightening. So I sit and look at my hands and their newly applied lotion. They look shiny upon first application of the lotion. I have to admit, the oily nature of it kind of puts me off. It just seems to sit on top of my skin.

But then after it soaks in, it’s really nice. My hands are almost velvety and I’m completely impressed by the fact that it seems to stay on even when I wash my hands. I don’t desperately need to re-apply lotion after washing my hands.

I can’t say I like the oily stage it seems to go through, but I slather it on at work when I’m not handling a lot of paperwork so there is no harm and no foul. Does it brighten my skin? It possibly might at the oily stage.

I’ll give it a thumbs up for it’s long term effect, but I’m really not a total fan. No props from me on this product.

Written by Gidge, who is a mother of a 5 year old boy and 3 year old twin boys. A transplanted Hoosier, die-hard Colts fan and professional call center manager, she likes long walks on the beach, penguins and playing ping-pong. Her turn-ons include sleep and silence. Read all about her life here.

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