Birkenstock - Walking With Support & Style

I was asked by Birkenstock recently to try out their new Boston line of clogs.

I have never been a huge sandle wearer due to the fact that my feet tend to need more support (flat arches) and thus, most sandles tend to leave my ankles and legs hurting. So to be honest I did not know what to expect in trying out the Birkenstocks.

I also did not know a lot about the company prior to getting these shipped to me. I had heard a lot of hype in the past about their products and knew people that had them and raved about them, but I had never owned a pair myself. Some of the things I learned while getting ready for this review was that:

1. All their footware is crafted from cork (talk about green shoes!).
2. Their production lines are exclusively powered by solar energy.
3. 100% of the adhesives used within their shoes are earth friendly.
4. Their shoe boxes are made of 90% post consumer waste.
5. All of their shoes are completely repairable and renewable (which can increase the overall life of your footware)

When I received the clogs, I was impressed first by the exterior. The clogs were sleek and looked to be very comfortable. Yet, the proof is in the pudding as they say and thus as I tried them on I had to be cautious and as always give my honest opinion. As I put them on, the first thing in my mind was WOW, these have awesome support. The clogs themselves have built in arch supports that as as good as the hard inserts I use in my regular shoes. This is a nice plus for me, and I now think that I do have a pair of clogs that will not merely sit on a shelf, but instead will be ones that I can wear without fear of eventual pain.

I also checked out the rest of the Birkenstock product line and have to say that if given the chance, the next pair that I would love to try out would be a part of their shoe line, in particular the Devon, Dark Brown Leather Shoe. I like how this shoe (from the outside at least) looks like a shoe that I could even wear to work. So I would be given foot comfort as well as style, imagine that!

The clogs that received also came with information about the Movie stars that were wearing these as well. I am not the type of person who would be swayed to wear something just because someone else does (especially someone else that makes a ton more money than I do), but I can say that for the money that one would spend on a pair of Birkenstocks, the quality that you receive in return is worth every penny. I now can see why people talk highly of the Birkenstock brand and I will definitely consider other Birkenstock products in the future.

The featured product in this post was provided to me free of charge by Birkenstock. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company. Please refer to this site's Terms of Use for more information.



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Clever Kids Accessories That Double As Entertainment

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a fun new product with my eldest, Diva-J. The Wallaroo Hat Company’s Art Hat offers kids a practical wearable, washable, crushable hat that your child can design.
Every Art Hat kit contains an adjustable white microfiber bucket hat with contrasting color under the 2 ¼” brim, six nontoxic fabric paints and a paint brush.

The hat itself comes in a small unassuming package that makes you wonder what you have received, but once you unpack everything, you will soon notice that there is a lot of fun in store for your budding artist.

When I showed Diva-J what we were going to do, she was quite excited! One of the nice things about the Art Hat is that it comes with all of the supplies that you will need to complete your project, including hat, paint & brushes. The contrasting colors that the hat comes in allows a little diva to truly stand out and her artwork makes it even more the case. I also like the fact that the hat itself can be mashed up in a billion different ways and it still remains wearable. As any of you with kids know, this is a must!

The Art Hat gives children a way to express themselves in their own creativity and then share with the world their talents. While our hat is currently under construction, I know that when it is done that Diva-J will wear it with pride.

Outside of the Arthat, I spent some time looking at the other products that they offer, and was excited to see that they have some very cool men's hats. I particularly liked the Hobart Hat in Beige & Navy. Not only does this hat have protection to the extent of UPF 50+, but it also is sturdy and I can tell it would last a long time! So maybe some day I will be able to get myself a hat such as this to protect my ever thining hair!
There are many other hats such as this that are very diverse in nature. I am sure that you will be able to find something that interests you or someone in your family!

So if you are looking for a hat that stands out and pushes your child to practice their creativity, this is a great product for you and your family.

For more information about the Wallaroo art hat or other hats and accessories, visit http://www.wallaroohats.com/.

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Product Review - Dyson DC31

 

I recently was given the opportunity from Dyson to examine their newest invention on the market the DC31. As you can probably guess, as a father and a guy who loves technology I was extremely excited about the opportunity to try this out!

Some details about the product itself

• The DC 31 houses the Dyson digital motor, DDM – the fastest, most power-efficient motor ever developed for a handheld vacuum. Spinning up to 104,000rpm.
• DDM is five times faster than a Formula 1 race car engine.
• Uses patented Root Cyclone™ technology to separate dirt, fine dust and debris from the air.
• Dual power mode with 38 or 65 Air Watts
• 22.2V lithium ion battery

The Motor
The motor assembly that Dyson uses for the DC31 is unique in that it is four times as fast and twice as powerful as the conventional motor. DDM uses digital pulse technology making over 3000 adjustments a second, and spinning at up to 104,000 times a minute. That’s five times faster than a Formula 1 car engine. And no carbon brushes mean it won’t wear out, for a longer working life.


About Dyson
Research, Design and Development is at the core of Dyson. One third of people at Dyson are engineers and scientists. Their expertise in fluid, mechanical, electrical, EMC, thermal, chemical, acoustic and software engineering allows them to design new products as well as challenge and improve existing technologies. Dyson has over 1,200 patents and patent applications for over 250 different inventions (May 2008). Dyson’s RDD investment has quadrupled over the last 5 years. The total number of Dyson vacuum cleaners sold worldwide since 1993 is over 24.5 million (2007) – and still counting. 10 million of these were sold in the last 3 years.

My Thoughts on the DC31
I have been in awe of the Dyson products (from afar) for many years. I have talked to people that have owned them and used them and all have had very good things to say, though I had never had the chance to try it out myself, that was until now.

In receiving the DC31, I was amazed at how compact the packaging was. I was expecting a larger bulky box, especially when I had thought of other hand vacuums that I have owned in the past. The DC31 is very small in size (about the size of a large drill without the additional tools added on). The construction of the product is sound and the instructions for easy start up were simple to follow.

One of the initial things that I was amazed at was the length of time that the instructions states that a charge lasts. On its highest most powerful setting it states that the DC31 will last about six minutes and ten minutes on the lowest (regular) setting. This surprised me and made me wonder whether it was in fact the case as it also stated that it would take 3.5 hours to bring the DC31 back up to full charge. The other thing that I noticed was how light weight it was and how much it truly reminded me of a drill.

So I charged up the DC31 so that I could prepare for its inaugural test drive.

After using the DC31 I can say that it lived up to my expectations. The suction power that the product had was amazing and while there were some pet hair issues at first, once I figured out how to best use the extensions, the hair seemed to get sucked up without a problem. I also liked the way that the vacuum is emptied. With a simple release lever, it was easy to get rid of all things that I had sucked up.

The charge itself did last about what the company said it would. Yet, in saying this, seeing that I did not have to use the vacuum for long periods of time it lasted multiple days without recharge.

I have had other hand vacuums like this in the past, but none have had the suction power (or RPM's) that the Dyson has. If you are looking for a hand vacuum with amazing power, look no further than Dyson.

Beginning September 2009, DC31 and DC31 Animal are available at most major retailers
and Dyson.com at the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $219.99 and $269.99,
respectively. Both are covered under a 2 year warranty for parts and labor. For more
information, please visit www.dyson.com.

Book Review - 5 Cities That Ruled The World

Are you interested in both history and theology? Are you the type of person that enjoys a quick read that doesn't let you down? If you said yes to both of these questions, then this book is the right one for you.

I was given the chance to review this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing and, as I always enjoy learning more about history, I was excited to read this book. The book itself examines, as the title implies, 5 cities that ruled the world: Jerusalem; Athens, Rome, London & New York.

While a true history could probably take volumes to write on each of these cities, the author, Douglas Wilson condenses the pertinent information down to a mere200 pages of jam-packed information on the cities themselves.

I was amazed at how deftly the author examined the main points in history so that the non-historian could get a picture of the world through both a theological and historical lens while keeping the material simple and easy to understand.

I learned a lot in this book, and now am looking for more titles form the same author! I would recommend this book to all!

If this book sounds like something that would interest you, you can read a few pages by clicking here. If you have decided that this book is a must have it can be found on the Thomas Nelson website or at Amazon.com.


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Book Review - The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Parenting is one of a series of the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbooks by Joshua Piven, David Borgenicht, and Sarah Jordon.

I was excited to be given a copy of this book by the authors. This book is filled with both interesting and funny ideas about how you as a parent can get yourself out of the craziest of situations. From making emergency toys to disciplining an imaginary friend the book starts at birth and examines scenarios through the teenage years. I even loved the appendix on understanding IM lingo. I found myself laughing and amazed at the different angles that the authors took to come up with creative solutions to everyday problems. It truly made me wonder how many of the authors had children themselves, as well whether they had tried these techniques on their own children and if they worked...

The book is an easy and entertaining read and one that any new or old parent can benefit from. While not everyone will find the tips helpful, everyone will find them entertaining and conversation starters for sure.

I recommend this book to anyone who has or will have kids, as it does look at parenting through a fun lens and allows us (as parents) to not take ourselves or the situations that we encounter too seriously.


If this books sounds like one that you would be interested in, it can be purchased through Amazon. Check it out today!

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Book Review - How To Walk To School

As an educator, I am always interested in reading about the positive ways in which we can reach out to our kids and educate them for the future. In this book, the authors, who were the individuals who turned around a school in severe decline, show us that change is possible even situations where hope has been lost.

I was amazed at how the neighborhood which surrounded the school in question banded together starting only from the conversations between two parents and a principal. The rest they say is history. The school now has done a remarkable job at getting their local community engaged and actively involved, not only in the school itself, but in the lives of their children.

Some might complain that the change of this school is at the detriment of the lower income students who once attended and were bussed into the school. After reading this book, though, you will see that this practice was also a detriment to the school and to the children itself causing less parent interaction and involvement as well as behavioral issues due to the fact that students were being bussed for up to an hour each day.

With this being said, the renaissance of the Nettlehorst school is remarkable and one that can provide new life for other schools struggling with similar situations. The book also provides other school communities a blueprint of how to make your school and your community stronger.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that wishes to be inspired to take action and make a difference, it will move you in the right direction!

If you are interested in more information about this unique collaboration or about the book itself check out the website at - www.howtowalktoschool.com.


The book can be purchased through Amazon. Check it out today!


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Book Review - The Grandparents Handbook

Grandparents are engaged and active in the lives of their grandkids and though it will be many years before I will have the opportunity to be considered a grandparent myself, I was asked to review this book for all of you (my readers) who might be grandparents or soon to be grandparents.


This book is a treasure trove of ideas, recipes, and helpful hints about being a hip, as well as savvy grandparent today. It talks about pitfalls as well as areas where you can really help, and it helps you understand the differences between being a parent and a grandparent (it is more than just - we can give the kids back!)

The book also provides a refresher chapter on various baby related tasks such as changing a diaper, swaddling a newborn, and giving kids a bath and also includes some advice on respecting your children's decisions on how they raise their children.

Divided into four sections—"Bringing Up Baby: A Grandparent's Refresher Course,” "Indoor and Outdoor Fun and Games,” "Crafts and Cooking,” and "Sharing and Exploring the World Together”—The Grandparents Handbook features such activities as:

•       How to Baby—and Kid—Proof Your Home (page 30)
•       How to Handle Toddler Tantrums (page 50)
•       Holding a Backyard Olympics (page 60)
•       Planting a Fairy and Goblin Garden (page 85)
•       Creating Your Own Ice Cream Cake (page 107)
•       Making Homemade Pickles (page 109)
•       Planning a Special Meal Together (page 178)
•       Creating Your Family Tree (page 180)
•       And much more!

The book itself reads much like a handbook and is a great gift idea for yourself or for another new grandparent out there. The book is relatively inexpensive (retailing at $16.95), but it can be found on Amazon and other retailers for sometimes cheaper. If you visit Amazon, you can take a look at a few of the pages of the book. Check it out today!


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