reviews - Matthew's Puzzle - Autism Recovery, Gluten Free, Green Living Mom Blog

Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz DVD Review

June 7, 2013 By Maryann

Disclosure: I received a copy of Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz DVD to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

We will be taking a trip to Disney this year and although my boys love several of the Disney Channel characters (think Phineas and Ferb) they really haven’t been well acquainted with the characters that made Disney what it is today. I figure it would be really worth our effort to get them familiarized with a lot of the Disney characters. I went out and bought Lilo and Stitch because we are having a breakfast with them one day, and I even picked up Tangled since I’m sure we will be seeing some of the princesses running around. That is why I was really excited to get Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz DVD.

Not only does Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz let them spend some time with all the Disney Clubhouse crew but it also introduces the kids the the classic story of the Wizard of Oz without the scary flying monkeys!

I put Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz on the other day for Lorenzo to watch. He loved it. He actually sat and watched the whole show, which I wasn’t sure he was going to do since he is only 3 and longer shows often bore him. He did get a little tired of it once we moved on to the bonus features, but that is to be expected since his attention span isn’t that long.

Besides the featured Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Wizard of Dizz! there are two additional episodes on the DVD. They are The Golden Boo-Boo and Goofy’s Gone. The DVD also has 10 Minnie’s Bow Toons and a free download of the Minnie Bow Maker digital book app. The whole DVD retails in the US for $19.99 and $24.99 in Canada. It will be available in stores June 11, 2013.

Sincerely Nuts Turkish Pistachios Review #SPON

April 11, 2013 By Maryann

I have been given a complementary bag of Sincerely Nuts Turkish Pistachios to help facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.

When I was a little girl my parents would take me to visit my great aunt in Virginia. To me the hour long drive felt like 5 and I hated being in the car. But one thing always made the trip more pleasant and that was the pistachios my parents always brought along for me to enjoy. Back then the only pistachios available were the ones colored red! We had no idea that artificial color was so bad for you, so I used to love shelling the nuts while my fingers turned bright red.

Now we have Sincerely Nuts where we can order a variety of pistachios among other nuts, seeds, chocolate, candy and dried fruits. The Turkish Pistachios arrived roasted and lightly salted. My kids loved trying to open the shells. Because nuts are Paleo and full of good potassium I don’t mind the kids asking for them as an after dinner snack. This is fast becoming their favorite pre-bedtime indulgence.

Since they also have no sugar added dried pineapple I would like to use that with the pistachios to make a healthy and delicious trailmix. I think that would be perfect for taking on road trips this summer.

What is your favorite nut?

Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale Review – I’m Obsessed – Sponsored Post

March 26, 2013 By Maryann

I was provided with several Brad’s Raw Foods Products to help facilitate this review.

I am truly OBSESSED with Brad’s Raw Foods! Even before I was given a few of their products to review, I tried their Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale Vampire Killer and Naked. Both are AMAZING! I am not ashamed to say I ate the Vampire Killer in just one sitting. They are really that good. As you know I’m on Weight Watchers and I think the whole container is only 4 points. They are truly some of the tastiest snack items I have ever had.

The foods are organic, gluten free, Non-GMO, Kosher and Vegan. But most importantly, they taste great while doing all of that. The Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale Vampire Killer ingredient list reads like this: *Kale, *Red Bell Peppers, *Sunflower Seeds, *Cashews, *Scallions, *Garlic, *Lemon Juice, *Chickpea Miso (Rice, Chickpeas, Sea Salt, Water, Koji Spores), Himalayan Sea Salt. The * represents Organic Ingredients! Holy cow, that is a lot of organic foods and I pretty much know what everything on the list is, except maybe the Koji spores.

If you are into the Raw movement you will be interested to know that Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale is not heated above 115 degrees when it is dehydrated. That helps keep the enzymes and nutrients intact.

Not only did I try the Brad’s Raw Leafy Kale, but I also tried their Brad’s Raw Chips Cheddar. These pack a powerful crunch. I was actually surprised at how crunchy their are, especially since their aren’t really a cracker and they aren’t baked or fried. And something else I love, they use sustainable production which means all of their residual materials are composted and returned to the fields. Does it get any better than that? I personally, as I said above, am obsessed with their products. I saw on their website they also offer onion rings, but I haven’t been able to find them in my neighborhood yet. I can’t wait to locate this product too. I bet they would be great with a good burger!

Anyway, my husband and I picked these up on a whim, and I am so glad we did. These have fast become my favorite snack, especially the Raw Leafy Kale. I hope you try some when you see them in your market and if you do, drop me a line telling me your thoughts and which ones are your favorites.

Sponsored Review: Post-it Mobile Products

March 21, 2013 By Maryann

Post-it sent me an array of Post-it Mobile products for free so I could do this review.

Being a busy mom, I’m always on the go. And being a busy mom also means I can’t remember my head unless it is actually attached to my body! I’m guessing you may be the same way. So when Post-it offered up some of their new Post-it Mobile products I jumped at the chance. I have always liked Post-it. I thought the idea of little sticky notes were amazing and when I used to work outside the home I had Post-it notes all over my desk and computer. Now I don’t need Post-it notes as much to remind me of deadlines or projects but instead I need them to help me jot down phone numbers, write notes while I’m on the road or bring important items with me when I take the boys to gymnastics or music class.

Post-it Mobile was created to cover all sorts of situations. I particularly like the Post-it Mobile Attach & Go Dispenser; it was designed to clip to your car’s visor. This is perfect for me because I often need to give someone a small note when I’m dropping the boys off some where or I want to make sure I remember something important.

Something that my husband has taken to are the Post-it Mobile Attach & Go Insert products. These insert into items you carry such as binders or folders. They have flags, arrows flags and fan pads. These are great when he is reviewing documents on the fly, or reviewing contracts at customer sites.

I know my cousin in college would really use the Post-it Mobile Attach & Go Pocket products. These are pockets that attach to things you carry such as laptops, binders, planners and notebooks. I plan to use the large 9 inch by 12 inch pocket on my laptop next year when I’m the PTA secretary and need to keep a ton of things organized at meetings. And with the Autism One Conference coming up in a few months I plan to take the smaller 2 5/8 inch by 3 7/8 inch pocket with me to carry business cards. There is a ton of networking that goes on at these conferences and I want to make sure I have my cards handy.

I love that Post-it knows we are a group of people on the move, that we are Mobile. But I also love the fact that Post-it still embraces the fact that many of us will always love the feel of paper and pen. That there is a tactile element to writing, to thinking, that just feels good and real when we put pen to paper.