It's Magic!

Have you ever heard of these things? Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.

I saw it on television. Never one to pass up a chance to ruin our walls further, I decided to give it a go. Our house is about 12 years old and the interior paint is pretty banged up. Okay, it's scary. Take, for instance, the wall posts between the laundry room and front room.


Well, wet these little erasers. Wring out the excess water. Scrub the spot. And holy hell -- 15 seconds later, the spots are gone! Hot damn.


I'm seriously impressed. We had this horrid little red mark on the post near the front door for years. Couldn't get it off with anything; gone in about five seconds. I would show you how well it cleaned off the wall behind our kitchen table but the wall is still pretty hideous...even without all the green scrapes from our chairs.

No one paid me to review this product.

Happy cleaning, y'all.

- Ju

Double the Flavor, Double the Fun

Review by: Do

I tried some new gum this week....I know....very exciting stuff!

1.) Stride Shift - Flavor changing gum. I thought it could be really cool, like in the original 'Charlie & the Chocolate Factory' when Violet tried that experimental gum that tastes like a 3 course dinner. I was hoping for better results than she had.

The flavor I chose was citrus to mint. Well, it definitley is a citrus-y flavored gum. Not a great flavor, but tolerable. So, if I keep chewing it changes to mint, right? Okay...chew, chew chew. The only real thing I noticed was that the flavor goes from tolerable to just not good. At one point I thought I felt a bit of 'menthol' when I was breathing in air, but by that time the taste was bad and I had to throw it out. The citus is so strong, that even if it did change I probably wouldn't be able to tell.

I also had my 12-yr old son try and he agreed that it was just citrus, not mint.

End results: If you like citrus gum, give it a chew. I didn't notice any change in flavor.

2.) Rockstar Energy Gum - Iced Mint. My husband loves the Rockstar energy drinks, so when I saw this gum in the local convenient store, I couldn't pass it up. Although I bought it for my husband, I was curious too, so I tried this 'energy gum-loaded with caffeine, taurine, and B-Vitamins'.

Wow...it is definitely minty!! So far so good. But the longer I chewed, which really wasn't very long, I started to notice a funky, bitter flavor. I also didn't notice any increase in my energy level. Serving size is 2 pieces, which is equal to 80mg of caffeine. The pieces are 'giant' and I really can't imagine chewing 2 pieces at once.

My husband says it's okay to start, minty like a normal gum, flavor runs out very fast, and then the gum instantly tastes rotten (his words were a little more 'colorful'). He didn't notice any energizing effects, but then he drinks a lot of energy drinks so he didn't think that was too odd. He said he would not recommend the gum.

End results: I don't care for this gum either, and at $2.50 a pack (10 pieces) I don't think I'll be buying it again.

For now, I'll be sticking with the basics. Trident and Dentyn have never done me wrong, and I think I'll be better off chewing on them.

More fish

We went to the GA Aquarium on Monday, late morning. I think it's the best day, and time, to go. We managed to avoid the mad rush at opening, the afternoon elementary school arrivals, and the cleaning crews. I'm still not thrilled with their prices.

When they opened in late 2005, the price for an adult admission was $22. It is now $27 -- up one dollar since April 10. See this post for more information. All the prices are up. AGAIN. But I digress.

It is definitely a neat place. They have many nifty exhibits, though the new addition being built for dolphins has made the current tour smaller and less accessible. The one exception to that is the penguins -- they are much easier to watch. Dominic loved that. The Beluga whales are very impressive, but the whale sharks are my favorite. They are in a 6.3 million gallon tank which looks like a huge personal aquarium.


We had a lot of fun this visit; even my Dad was impressed. This was Mom's second visit, and she had a grand time yet again. Yes, it is pricey. I hate to think of spending that kind of money to look at fish, but I've been there three times since it opened and I still enjoy it. If you get the chance, you should go. Just make sure to keep your eyes closed when exiting the building; you have to leave through the gift shop.

My Mother's Day

Review by: Do

Someone recommended that I review my own Mother's Day...it never really dawned on me, but it's actually a good idea.

To make a long story short, I had a super relaxing, peaceful, hug and kiss filled Mother's Day and I couldn't have asked for anything more! The End.

I guess I could elaborate just a little bit...

First thing I remember is my husband got out of bed before I did...which is just weird. But I immediately took the opportunity to hog the whole bed and all the pillows. Ahhhh, so comfy.

Next thing I know I am being woken up by my loving family saying Happy Mother's Day, and holding my M-Day breakfast. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, AND coffee! They said I could even eat in bed, but I chose not to because I wanted to be with them.

My husband had taken our kids shopping earlier in the week, and they both picked out wonderful gifts for me. Steven picked a beautiful "mom" necklace, and Paige picked a matching ring. Plus, 2 scratch offs - 1 winner! Paige also gave me a hand painted magnet that she made at school. I love them!

From my husband, as we agreed, I was only supposed to receive tickets to the Creed concert (future review) that we are going to this summer. But since he is a cheater...I mean... since he is so thoughtful, he did get me little something else. On top of the concert tickets I received a gc for a pedicure, and the new Godsmack cd (future review). Plus, another scratch off - another winner! Love them too!

What I asked for specifically from my kids was just a day without fighting. Just get along. Don't fight over a seat at the table. Don't whack your brother when he calls you weird. Don't yell at your sister when she uses your head phones without asking. And let me tell you, they did awesome!!! Just a couple low level 'debates', but that was it!! Everyone was so content, I even had time to paint and work on my pastel!

On top of it all they even attempted to clean the house!! Steven vacuumed, and Paige dusted. It doesn't matter that they only did one room, it was nice of them to try. And my husband did 2 loads of laundry!! Be still my heart - I think I'm in love!

It was snowing here in CNY that day, but I didn't mind being cooped up in the house with my wonderfully caring family. I didn't need all those gifts, but I love the fact that they thought of me and wanted to get me something.

To make a long story short (or is it too late for that) I had a super relaxing, peaceful, hug and kiss filled Mother's Day and I couldn't have asked for anything more! The End. :-)