Preggers by Therafirm Support Band! Initial Thoughts

I received my first product to review from the MommiesFirst Council yesterday! I was pretty Excited to tear into the box!, I have previously purchased a few "Belly Bands" that I haven't used much this pregnancy as I had thought they were just for extending the wear of your pre-pregnancy clothing and I have basically been living in skirts and dress for the last 25 weeks so haven't really needed them, The ones I had previously are not if I understand correctly actual "Compression" wear though, so I am excited to try this product as I have reached the stage of my pregnancy where my back is getting sore and by the end of the day I am feeling quite a bit of pressure on my belly.

I will be reviewing this product in stages, today's review will focus on my initial thoughts right out of the box.

Packaging was efficient and eye catching, and right out of the box the product seemed of good quality. The box also included a little book with some information, though that information was not specifically regarding the support band, and was more geared towards the other products in the line, which I have to say was a little disappointing, but even a trip to their website garnered me very little information regarding this specific product, I think getting so further information out there as to the benefits of this product would help this company.

A closer examination of the product, shows that the top and the bottom each have a diffrent band, one thicker and one thinner, BUT neither the box, product or booklet, indicate which is the top of the bottom, so I made an educated guess and wiggled my pregnancy self into the garment, and then finished getting dressed.  I can definitely tell that I am wearing the band, but I haven't had it on long enough to tell whether or not that will bother me at some point today, but I will offer in that the product is pretty seamless under my clothing, Upon my arrival to work I visted the website of the company, and discovered at least according to the picture on there, my educated guess was wrong and I was wearing it upside down ;), so off to the bathroom I go to change it around (Which of course will require me to get almost naked in the bathroom at work which might be a little weird) It would have been nice to have some indication of which way was up.

Captain Amazing stared wearing a compression sleeve on his ankles last year for playing sports so I may sit him down tonight and talk about his experiences, though I know it definitely helps him.

Stay tuned I will be reviewing the effectiveness of this product once I have had enough time to test it out.  In the meantime here is a link, if you want to check it out yourself :)

http://www.rupreggers.com/support-garments/support-bands.html


M.

MommiesFirst Council Member!

I am very pleased to announce that I have been selected to be apart of the MommiesFirst Council!

http://mommiesfirst.com/pages/the-mommiesfirst-council

This opportunity will allow me to review and rate products for both pregnant women and moms which will be featured both on the MommiesFirst website and in upcoming MommiesFirst monthly boxes.

I have already been selected for my first product which is an item for my pregnancy!!  I can't wait to review it and share with you all!!

365 Days of Blog Posts, Day 1

I have decided that I would really really like to push myself to be a better blogger this year and really try and chronicle our upcoming year as we deal with trying to conceive and hopefully pregnancy, buying our first home along with product reviews and maybe recipes as usual.

Welcome to 2014 readers! I look forward to sharing this year with you!!

December 2013 Wantable Intimates review

One of the beauty bloggers I follow recently posted that for Cyber Monday Wantable was offering a 2 for 1 deal, on new subscriptions, I have been secretly interested in trying out their new "intimates box" but hesitant to pull the trigger after the initial Canadian launch fiasco see link to post below

http://messylaughter.blogspot.ca/2013/06/wantable-new-subscription-box-open-to.html

I wasn't really overly impressed with the Jewelry box as I felt value for my money was lacking and cancelled after that first box (I still have not worn 2 of the 4 pieces and I only wore the other 2 once or twice), But I have been eyeing reviews of the Intimates box since its launch and coveting the pieces, though reviews are hard to judge as I am never sure if they send well known or popular bloggers better stuff than the average joe (Which I am) but decided that 2 boxes for the price of 1 would still be a great deal even if I disliked half of what I received.

Before I get into my review let me give you a little run down of how Wantable works

When you sign up for Wantable you get to pick your type of subscription, they offer a Make Up, Accessory and Intimates boxes, They then offer a quiz to determine your preferences and sizes (I was a bit concerned about the size issue, as I have been burned before with the panty subscriptions), its a great but simple quiz, and each month you can adjust it to further customize your boxes.

The cost for US subscribers is $36 USD, with Free shipping, but since I am Canadian, I pay extra for shipping AND because the value of the box is over the duty free limit, they charge a small customs fee, which I think is a fabulous idea, as some other U.S based subscriptions have left me with huge! customs charges (ahem FANCY) so my total cost was $45.26 and let me tell you it was worth EVERY PENNY!!


Looking at reviews there was one product I was really really hoping to receive

The Muk Luk Slipper Sock/Boot (Value $35-44)  http://muk-luks.com/


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I love love love these, and can see myself wearing them all winter and even in the fall!, super cozy!!

Bella + Canvas Fleece Straight Leg Sweatpant (Value $34) http://www.bella.com

These are great, they are a little on the large side for me, but have a draw string, so I can work with that, I love being cozy and comfy at home, so these will defenitly get worn AND not being black, they won't show dog hair!!

PACT -Tomato Farm Stripe Crew Sock (Value reg $10, on sale for $4) http://www.wearpact.com

I received a gift pack of PACT socks last year from Golden Tote and I still love them, these socks are GREAT! They are super soft organic cotton, and I love the fact this is a company with a purpose, you can learn more about them here

http://www.wearpact.com/good-source/

AND I currently have a cart full from their website, I am thinking of pulling the trigger on.

Coobie Soft Bra - (Value $22) http://shopcoobie.com/shop?c=coobie-bras-full-size

This bra was nice, I was not fully blown away as I tend to need a bit of "support" and I think the large size lacked that, I should have gotten a medium (I have since updated by preferences on Wantable)

This one is the closest I could find on their website, its not exact though. Looking at the Cobbie website could also make me go broke LOL


All in all the value was just over $100, not including potential taxes and shipping so I am very pleased with my box and am really really looking forward to next month's box, and because of the sale it will only cost me shipping and duty! so less than $12 dollars (still kinda sneak a free box should be just that a free box)

If your interested in checking this subscription out, feel free to use my link

https://www.wantable.com/invite/pJ-YYCUX6kc

I paid for this box, from funds of my own, I was in no way compensated for my review.

Nutrience Natural & Grain Free Pet Foods Bzz Campaign

I received my BzzKit in the mail yesterday for this campaign and I honestly am blown away by how generous it was.

I received 

2 different types of food, in 200g Sample Packs

1 Coupon for a free bag

5 Coupons to Share for $5 off a bag

1 Customer Loyalty tracker for buy 10 get 1 free

And quite a bit of literature regarding the food and its benefits!

I immediately opened one of the sample bags and looked at the product, I did smell it, but stopped myself from going as far as "tasting it" LOL, I did however pour some into the cats bowl for her to enjoy!, she tucked right in and seemed to enjoy it but I think further testing will be required so I will update this review later on.

Grain Free Products tend to be more pricey then, regular pet foods, which if your pet's breed is subject to grain allergies can definitely be worth the money or even required if you pet has a grain allergy

I grabbed some prices for this product from the PetCetera website and they are as follows 

Dog

2.5Kg      $24.99
5kg         $39.99
13.5kg    $69.99

Cat

2.5kg     $27.99
5 kg       $44.99

I feed my bulldogs an all grain free limited ingredient diet, due to the fact that they are a breed that is known for having grain allergies and I do find that Nutrience is more expensive then my current brand Natural Balance, but I will have to wait and see if the benefits out weight the cost difference

Nutrience's website offers several comparisons of their brand against similar brands, though unfortunately not my regular brand, but you can click the link below to check out how your pets food stacks up!

http://parachutedev.ca/nutrience-parallax/compare-dog/index.php

Once my cat has a chance to try out the food in depth and I can gauge her reaction I will update this review!

Justfab Review! September 2013

I just got notified that my recent Justfab order got delivered! I am very sad to be at work at the moment as I would much rather be at home digging into the boxes! Will Update the Post with actual pictures and my thoughts once I get home! I ordered these boots during the B1G1 sale both are called "Bryce" and are currently sold out, I got both and Shipping for $48.90.

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Another Golden Tote Post!

The October Tote was released for sale and despite the fact that I was trying to NOT buy one LOL I got suckered in to buying one as a few of the items just where SCREAMING "BUY ME"

I went with the $149, tote (plus $25 Shipping) which gives you 6 to 7 items of which I get to choose 2, as I feel this is the most BANG for my buck (up to a $600 value)

My first Choice was the item that made me check out the sale in the first place

I am a sucker for these kinds of sweaters, paired with a shirt and boots this is my go to outfit of winter! This will also work with my lulu's for a more casual look

I chose this simple but work appropriate dress (again leggings, tights or nylons with boots! )as my second choice.

The other 4-5 items will all be chosen for me by the team at golden tote, based on my style profile, I am very excited and can't wait to see what I get! 

Did you order from the October sale yet? Check out! 

http://www.goldentote.com/