Word on the Street Junior Review by Crafty

When I received my March Awesome Pack, I mentioned that I wanted to review each of the games as we played them. We played Word on the Street Junior shortly after the box arrived; in fact we have played it several times, but I am just getting around to the review now.

Update from Boxy

Hi all!

Things are really busy here and with the move, I just don't have time to deal with much else. I also paused most of my subscriptions so I don't have a great deal to review anyway. Crafty will be keeping up the blog, I'm sure, but there may be a bit of lull until I get myself settled! Hope to see you this summer once I'm out from under boxes!

My Geek Box Review: April 2015

I think this was the April My Geek Box, but it may be March since getting from the UK to US takes forever sometimes. I have to admit that I was so disappointed with this, but mostly because I had high expectations. My Geek Box only recently started shipping to the US again and I've seen some of their boxes and wanted to sign up so badly. I noticed they often included candy and British candy is hard to get here, especially now that we're not allowed to have Cadbury, and they also tended to heavily gear themselves toward British stuff like Doctor Who and Sherlock. I feel like this stuff is sorely lacking in all the geek boxes I get, so I was really excited when this arrived. Sadly it wasn't great British fandoms, but mostly more of the same.

I will say that the shirt is pretty nice and the design is great. Although I'm inundated with Avengers, I understand that every box is kind of capitalizing on the movie release right now, which makes sense. Hopefully they'll all do the same when Doctor Who returns in the fall.

Companion Tees Review: April 2015

I may have said this before, but Companion Tees is the best subscription ever! They always send perfect shirts, whether in their monthly grab bag or in the monthly subscription like this one. Since their monthly grab bag, for me, includes three shirts, I get that one in a box, but the regular subscription comes in the TARDIS. :)

Hatchery Review: March? April? 2015

The reason I'm not sure which month this box is for is because I signed up for one of those online deals for three months with Hatchery, but it auto-renewed. After two months, I canceled so it wouldn't auto-renew because I didn't want to be worrying about while moving. However, in doing so to avoid being charged, the system also canceled my last box.

I recently realized I hadn't received that third box and contacted Hatchery. They not only replied in an hour, but also had a box in the mail that day. Talk about awesome customer service! I'm actually a fan of this box and think it would make an awesome gift, but the last thing I need right now is to worry about another address change.

Each month, with the Tasting Box, you are sent five small samples of cooking items or food ingredients from artisans around the US. There's always a great variety and Hatchery provides suggested recipes as well.

My first item was a bottle of Michigan Apple Pie shrubs. I've never really used these, but it sounds interesting and I don't mind trying it out. Now that summer's on the way, maybe I can make something yummy and sit out on the porch!

GeekMeBox Review: April 2015

I was already planning to cancel GeekMeBox, mostly because I have too many of these and I haven't found anything to really hook me with this one, but then they announced that April's box would include Game of Thrones and Harry Potter, so I stayed on. I'm not sure it was really worth it, but it wasn't terrible, either. I can't really say anything negative about GeekMeBox, but I just don't feel like there's anything really unique about them, either, and they're more expensive than others that offer basically the same thing.

The first two items were a Hulk POP and some Legend of Zelda socks. I really like these items, but I think we have this POP. He's a bobblehead, though, so we may not. I do love that there are figures in the GeekMeBox subscription, because I get really tired of the kid-friendly stuff that isn't transferable to adults in some of these boxes. At least figures can be collected by someone at any age.

Fandom of the Month Club Review: April 2015

Fandom of the Month Club, for those who've missed it, is a jewelry/accessory subscription box that caters to nerdy fandoms. It's all for less than $15 a month, which is pretty amazing. This month's fandom was Harry Potter.

Recently, Fandom of the Month Club had new boxes made rather than their old padded envelopes and the owl image comes at the perfect time!

SH&SH Pizza Cutter Review

So I like to make homemade pizzas, because 1. I love pizza and 2. I like easy meal prep. Of course when you make homemade pizza, sometimes the crust can be tough to cut through and although we have some knives to do the job, the end result isn't always pretty. Therefore, I was excited to review the pizza cutter from SH&SH.

Geek Fuel Review: April 2015

Sadly this wasn't my favorite Geek Fuel box, because it's all about superheroes. For me, superheroes and superhero movies are a perfect example of too much of a good thing. I enjoyed the first Avengers movie and even kind of liked the early X-Men movies. I didn't even mind the first Iron Man and actually loved the original Spiderman. My husband is definitely the comic book geek here, but I never minded seeing the movies with him because even when they weren't great, they were generally entertaining. But now I am just so, so sick of them. There seems to be a new one every month - and they rarely offer anything different. We will be seeing Age of Ultron, but even my husband - who has followed the Avengers since he was a small child - didn't care about seeing it later. We went to the midnight release for all the Harry Potter movies and Spiderman and Lord of the Rings and, of course, Star Wars, but he just figured he had to work Friday morning. However, we have both gone to work on no sleep from a movie before, but it's too much. You can't stress about every movie and Marvel, like Disney, just doesn't know how to give people a second to breathe. The dilution of excitement comes from the fact that they have movies every month or two. Part of what made the others exciting was that they didn't.

ANYWAY, long story short, the emphasis on superheroes in this month's Geek Fuel subscription box felt the same way. I'm getting so many Avengers items and I just don't care enough about them. My husband doesn't care enough, either, because again, too much of a good thing.

Treatsie Review: April 2015

This is going to be a terrible review, because I have to admit something. I have a ridiculous Treatsie addiction. The reason the review will be terrible is because I didn't get pictures of the box, since I was so quick to tear the box open and start enjoying it! 

So every month, before your subscription box ships, Treatsie also invites you to add on treats. I gave in this month and added a few as well, and the shipment notice came in about a week before it arrived. On scheduled delivery day, I waited quite impatiently. The FedEx driver didn't come until after 7 PM!!! I asked my husband every ten minutes if the box had come, but thankfully it finally did. At which point, I opened and split the box between us and started enjoying my portion. Only to realize I didn't have my camera. 

One of this month's featured items were marshmallows between butter cookies and held together with caramel. Although this sounds yummy, these had gelatin and so they were taken to my husband's work with him to be given away. 

Another of the featured item's was the PB&J chocolate bar, which is made with peanut praline and raspberry pate. I haven't tried this yet but it sounds fantastic and knowing Treatsie, it will be. 

MagiKitchen Mesh Strainer Review

I was provided with the MagiKitchen Mesh Strainer for review a while ago and I've had it to review. As you can see in this picture, I was in the process of using it. You may also recognize the bags/labels from Plated, but this meal ended up being a disaster. I haven't reviewed Plated in a while because things kind of imploded with this particular meal. A bit of artichoke got stuck in the garbage disposal and rather than enjoy dinner, we spent the night fixing our sink. 

Anyway, I have had this strainer for a while but hadn't ended up using it since I hadn't made pasta recently. 

Fulmar Expandable Bamboo Cutlery Organizer Review

Crafty had just come to help us pack our house up for the move and when we received the message about the Fulmar expandable cutlery organizer, she knew it would be perfect. We currently have a smaller one in the drawer, but with the move, it's time to think about what we could use and this was something I commented that we needed. So it came at a perfect time!

How We Communicate (By Crafty)

Communication is a necessity in this world. It is a way to express and exchange thoughts, ideas, and information. Communicating effectively, though, is a whole different story. Recently, I taught my students about verbal and nonverbal communication. We also discussed active listening and the difference between hearing something and actually listening to it. In a world where we spend so much time on the computer or texting, it has become hard not only to communicate effectively with each other, but it also leaves us struggling to comprehend sometimes what another person is really saying.

Word choice is one of the things that, whether written or spoken, should be pretty clear. I choose the words I want to say, a person understands them, and we move on, right? Not always. Sometimes word choice can be over someone’s head or too technical. Other times the words that are chosen actually require a person to infer what it is truly meant. Just because someone doesn’t spell it out for you in simple terms, making sure you get the point of the message, doesn’t mean they are not communicating effectively.

Honestly, we have gotten lazy. We don’t want to have to infer things, and we want it all right there in front of us - usually as quickly as possible. It wasn’t always that way, but we have managed to dumb down society to the point where some people don’t even know what the word inference means.

Federico's Car Care Tire Gauge Review

My husband travels more than 50 miles each way daily for work, so I'm always concerned about him driving that much and always on the lookout for products that will help keep his car running. When I was given the chance to review the tire gauge from Federico's Car Care, I was excited, because we have definitely spent a small fortune on tires over the years. It's a simple product, but having something on hand to ensure that we can extend the life of those tires is nice.

Paws & Play Dog Box Review

Boxy's cats get spoiled every month. After all, they are her children. (Also, they are cute enough to deserve it - trust me.) However, when Paws & Play offered us a pet box for review, Boxy was kind enough to consider my dog. Thanks, Boxy! 

Balance Bath Pillow Review

I love to take baths. When we bought our new house several years back, I told my husband that if we did not get the upgraded bathroom for the master bath, I wasn't moving. I love to sit in our jacuzzi tub to read, without the distraction of the three kids, but I admit eventually my neck gets pretty stiff. Then I was sent the Balance Bath Pillow for review, and now my concern is falling asleep in the tub!

Goals: May 2015

There's been a lot happening for Boxy, and Crafty is also dealing with some changes, so we are in the process of adjusting our goals and our lives to fit those changes.

Little Lace Box Review: April 2015

Reviewing Little Lace Box has become difficult for me, because it's such a nice box and a pleasant surprise each month - and every time I see anything online about Little Lace Box, I find myself irritated. I don't understand why this box seems to get so much animosity from the same group of people, but I grow exhausted by it. It's well worth the value, the items are so nice, and it really does cater to a lifestyle of treating yourself well and appreciating the finer things. I suppose that's not something a lot of people do these days, but I really like this box and it makes me happy - and then the negativity that gets thrown at it feels draining. 

Anyway, other people and their issues aside, I thought this box was phenomenal. I smiled while opening it and my husband and I loved every item. 

UrthBox Review: April 2015

I had signed up for the UrthBox special promotion a few months back and these boxes are so loaded it's ridiculous. With the move, though, it's a good time for it to be coming to an end for us, because we were just saying that we have too much stuff!

This is only a small selection of the extremely full box. This box was quite heavy on the kale, which isn't a favorite in this house, but there were still some awesome finds. In particular, I will be looking into buying more from Pretzel Perfection!

Awesome Pack Review: April 2015

I really hate having to pause certain subscriptions, and I especially hate it with Awesome Pack, because they do such a good job customizing each pack to our interests. However, we are now two months behind on playing any of the games we've received and until we settle in the new house, it doesn't make sense to have more to move. I will definitely return to Awesome Pack immediately upon settling, though!

This month, we received our cat toys, but asked to hold off on the little bonus items simply because everything is in boxes right now and the less we have to move, the better. 

Eco Emi Review: April 2015

I always get so excited when Eco Emi arrives! Admittedly, this was my least favorite of the boxes I've received, but mostly because it's all about renewing products and I'm inundated with that kind of stuff. Sadly it's also the end of the road for Eco Emi, which they recently announced. :(

Goal Check In: April 2015

How did we do for April? In some ways, great. In others, not so much. Both of us are in the middle of a lot so there's been too much happening lately overall. However, we still did our best! And that's better than nothing, I suppose.

Companion Tees/Once upon a Tee Monthly Grab Bag: April 2015

I don't remember how I found Companion Tees originally, but man am I happy I did! Each month, I get two shipments from them: a Whovian shirt and a three-shirt grab bag that is a mix of Whovian shirts and plain old geeky stuff from Once Upon a Tee. This month's grab bag is AMAZING!!

The first shirt is "I Geek, Therefore I Am." A. I love this because making the already geeky Descartes even geekier is awesome and B. I love the franchises featured. You have Star Wars, Sherlock, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Firefly. Um, yes, please? LOVE THIS.

The next shirt is a Whovian one and it's awesomely inspirational. I agree, too. So the Doctor can show up anytime, because I'm ready. I already have a bag packed. :D

Finally, I couldn't be more excited about the last one. I saw this design and actually sent it to my husband as an image because I loved it so much. It's hard to see in the picture, but it says "Still Waiting for" and then there are nine things: screwdrivers (sonic, of course), acceptance letter (with the Hogwarts seal), super powers, magic balls, minions, pet dragon, perfect neighbor, cake, and Season 2 (with the Serenity). This is perfect.

My Geeky Goodies Review: April 2015

Geek subscription boxes can be tough, because these days, everyone seems to want to be part of geek culture. It's ironic, since most of us who grew up geeky were tortured about it for years, only for it now to be the thing to do. So there are a variety of boxes and they all tend to be similar, but there's something really special about My Geeky Goodies. (I would say this goes for Geek Fuel, too). Take out things like Custom Fan Box, which is customized and therefore going to appeal to you since it's based on your interests and not random themes, and Collectible Geek, which is a more expensive collectible box, and you're left with several mystery geek boxes in the $15-$30 range each month. How do you stand out then? I think it's easy for My Geeky Goodies, because they advertise as a box FOR geeks BY geeks - and they mean it. 

A lot of people love Loot Crate and that's fine, and from a casual observer's standpoint, there may not be much of a difference between something like that and My Geeky Goodies. In April, both boxes included a shirt, a value item in the $10 range, and some filler. But for me, as a hardcore nerd and gamer, there is a dramatic difference - and it comes down to something very simple: curation. 

I've had a hard time explaining this, but I am going to do it this way. My parents and in-laws don't really know or care much about my interests. I don't mean that in a bad way, but we're all people living our own lives and I don't really know much about theirs, either. When the holidays come, unless someone asks for something specific, there's a lot of generic gift giving happening. Beyond gift cards (the savior for when you have no idea what to buy), we tend to shop on a superficial level. My dad likes to garden and my mom likes taking baths. That's kind of shallow, but I know I can pick up some gardening supplies and bath products and they'll probably like them. I can't, however, select specific seeds. My mom collects these weird wooden figure things and birdhouses or something, but I couldn't tell you which kind or which ones she has. And it's the same for us. They know I play video games. They know I love Harry Potter and Doctor Who and Game of Thrones. If you asked my parents to name a house in either Harry Potter or Game of Thrones, they wouldn't have a clue. (My dad could tell you about Tom Baker, since he got me into Doctor Who as a child, but he didn't even know it was back on.)

How does this relate to geek subscription boxes? Well, it relates a lot, actually. A set of Game of Thrones magnets or a Harry Potter luggage tag is something my parents would get me for Christmas. It's fine, but they don't have a clue what the different magnets mean or what 9 3/4 is. Last month, Geek Fuel sent a dragon glass arrowhead. My parents would NOT buy this, because it means nothing to them. It means a great deal to me, though, as a fan. THIS is the best way to explain the difference in curation. I feel like the people sourcing items for My Geeky Goodies and Geek Fuel get it; the people sourcing for Loot Crate are not appealing to fans, as much as they're appealing to generic concepts and franchises. And really, superficial enjoyment of popular franchises is, for me at least, the absolute antithesis of geekdom. Again, it's a slight variation, but little bothers me more than corporate greed. 

Klover Box Review: April 2015

Klover Box is a subscription box of lifestyle products that are organic, natural, and ethical. I enjoy that, because I love finding cruelty-free items. It's very similar to Eco Emi, except the products are bigger (it's also more expensive, so there's the trade-off). This is my last box for a bit. 

Quarterly Box from Rosario Dawson: April 2015

I have actually had good experiences with Quarterly, since I have selected curators based on their interests that match mine. I was really looking forward to the Rosario Dawson box this month and I loved it. However, with that said, I won't be subscribing to any more Quarterly boxes. I will discuss why at the end of this post, but first let's look at how great this box is. 

Game Box Monthly Review: April 2015

For two months now, I have received awesome tabletop games - and played none. I admit it's not entirely because of the move, although I swear that's most of it. Most of my free time has been spent cleaning, packing, organizing, etc. The other reason is that I've been playing a lot more video games than normal, which is already something I do way too much of, so my free time has been depleted even more!

Anyway, Game Box Monthly has now sent two amazing games I need to play and probably won't play until July! This month's is really intriguing. Stones of Fate is a memory-based strategy game. 

BakeItFun Silicone Baking Mat Review

After Boxy reviewed the silicone cupcake wrappers, I bought a set for my daughter who loves to bake, and they are seriously awesome. So when BakeItFun asked me to review the BakeItFun Silicone Baking Mat, I happily agreed.

Game of Thrones 5.3 Recap

Wow, this was an awesome episode. I'm so stressed out about what's coming!!

I will admit that I'm less concerned about getting the books finished now, as the show seems to have taken quite the detour. I don't really mind that, since it means less is ruined in both versions for me, although I have to admit I'm a bit of a purist and it does drive me insane to some degree as well. I guess I'm less upset since I am behind in my reading, but I can imagine fans must be displeased.

Either way, things have really been intensified.

Can I just say how much I hate Margaery Tyrell? I have hated her since the beginning and I am glad she's being shown to be as manipulative and conniving as she really is. Maybe now people will have a bit more sympathy for Cersei, too, who is also manipulative, but if she's a villain, how can anyone like Margaery? Goodness, she should marry Baelish and they can be the most evil couple ever.

Speaking of Baelish, ugh. What is he doing? I know this is a variation from the books, but Ramsay?! This episode should have been called, "A Bunch of Liars." Ramsay's little sweet and kind act is ridiculous (I love the actor, but he is a pure sociopath.).

Pet Box Special Collection Review

My cats are super antisocial lately because they know something is up with the move. Fortunately it's not all that far, but they're not going to be thrilled about a car journey. So when I got an email from Pet Box promoting a special collection they had, I signed up. I figure maybe they'll be distracted by toys. I don't have pictures, though, because they wouldn't come down and play until much later. 

Sudsy Box Review: April 2015

As much as I have enjoyed several of my subscription boxes, there are things I don't like. In particular, I don't have very positive feelings about the way that people market their products. I especially am not a fan of sending out boxes early for review in order to get more customers. The greatest difference between just shopping and signing up for a subscription box is not convenience but surprise. I can buy brands I like that are ethical and natural for less, and I can also set up recurring orders on Amazon and elsewhere. It's much easier to manage than an account with a subscription box, especially since many of these companies make you email and hope they get it in time if you don't want to be charged. So essentially what I am paying for in these subscriptions is twofold - exposure to new brands that I may not have found on my own and the element of surprise. 

So with all that said, I was subscribing to Sudsy Box because I like natural soaps. It's not really a big surprise what's in the box, beyond the fourth item and the scents, but I figured I liked the enjoyment of the unexpected box every few months. I already subscribe to Wholly Hemp, who don't operate the same way with deliveries. You get your box the same time every month based on when you sign up and they're usually based on their current stock, so surprise is inevitable. Wholly Hemp also doesn't do a ton of marketing. 

I received my last Sudsy Box about a week ago. Sadly it's my last because certain people, and those who don't feel like they need to pay $20 every two months, got theirs almost a month earlier. I'm done with this as a customer. If you want my business, and you want my money, then you simply need to prioritize customers over marketing. Sudsy Box doesn't want to do that, so I will stick to the companies who do, I suppose. (To be clear, it's not that they send boxes out to reviewers. Bloggers get things for free and that's part of the deal, but it's the fact that the marketing strategy of revealing items well before the people who bought them get them - or even have boxes in the mail - feels so greedy.)

Hip Humanitarian Review: April 2015

This month's Hip Humanitarian box was the Beauty Box and it included several items. While I'm still not sold on the value of this box, I liked two of the items a great deal. I do like that each box is focused on a theme and that it's more of a lifestyle box than others. I also like the companies they source from (although I have had trouble getting much info on a few of them, including one from this month). Overall, I believe this is a subscription heading in the right direction and they're at least fair in not claiming they can offer the subscription for less than it costs them to operate it. 

MixCups Review: April 2015

Now that Crafty has introduced me to the wonderful world of the reusable K-cup, I have been drinking a lot more whole bean coffee. Still, there are times when even that is too much work and MixCups comes in great for those times! I skipped last month because I had my Bean Box delivery coming, but this arrived in good time as I am down to my last K-cups. 

Live Infinitely Infusion Water Bottle Review

Getting my family to drink water is getting easier. I recently reviewed an infusion water bottle that had them begging for water. This past week, I was sent the Live Infinitely Water Bottle to review as well. 

PURGGO Car Eco-Purifier Review

I drive a minivan, am a mom of three, and it has been said to me in the past that my van smells like a bar. So I am thankful to Purggo for providing me its Car Eco-Purifier to review!

Angel Crafts Adhesive Vinyl Sheets Review

Not long ago I reviewed the Angel Craft Transfer tape, so reviewing their Adhesive Vinyl Sheets seemed logical. Angel Craft was kind enough to provide me this set of 20 6 x 12-inch sheets for review.

Why I Love the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Last week, I mentioned that I wanted to make this a regular thing - a sort of column about travel and my favorite places. The majority of those will be museums, and generally art museums at that, and I figured where better to start than one of my favorite museums in the world? And since this all came about with talk of New York City, it's only fitting to start with the Met (Metropolitan Museum of Art). In this post, I'm only talking about the main museum, not the Cloisters as well. I will cover them in a later post.

If you're easily overwhelmed, the Met is not a good place to go without a plan. It would take ages to see everything. It's the largest art museum in the US and in the top for size around the world, at around two million square feet. The facade actually doesn't do the intimidating size justice; it merely makes it look big. However, once you accept that one day is simply not enough time to see everything and select what you do want to see, it's a bit more manageable. This is easily a museum where you could arrive when it opened, leave when it closed, and still feel like you needed several more visits to explore in depth.

Dapper Box Review: March 2015

As we have previously discussed, my husband is far from interested in style. So when I was offered the chance to review Dapper Box, I asked Crafty first if her husband would be better to review the items. She said it was fine for me to do the review, although I knew that meant my husband would likely be difficult. ;) Because this was a review box, we were sent the March box. 

However, Dapper Box is a fairly straightforward subscription box for men and it's really something that all men, even those less fashionable ones like my husband, could use. 

Wantable Accessories Collection Review: April 2015

It's that time again - time for the Wantable Accessories Collection! This was a solid collection. Not my favorite, but not bad, either. There wasn't a great deal of variety, but I do tend to like necklaces more than anything so that makes sense. 

I received three necklaces this month, along with a pair of earrings. When I first opened the earrings, I was concerned because I don't usually like hoops and I didn't include them on my survey. However, these aren't hoops, but dangling circles. I really like these because they're delicate while also being stylish and unique. 

Wholly Hemp Review: April 2015

I love so many things about Wholly Hemp. The products are natural, they give back to help build stronger communities, the packaging is basic so it's easily recyclable, and it's an affordable way to get awesome bath and body products that are cruelty-free. Also they utilize hemp, which is a sustainable resource we desperately need to be using more. 

My box this month also had a jar of orange moisturizing cream, but Crafty was using it when the box arrived! Also included was a stick of Secret Falls deodorant. I have been using the Honest Company spray and I love it, but with summer coming up, a stick will be nice because it's a bit more certain to keep me smelling fresh. (Also I just tried the lavender vanilla deodorant from Honest Company and it smells exactly the same as my bergamot sage, so that's a bummer.)

On with the Show!

This week has been extremely busy and exciting. The kids' school play is quickly approaching. This past week was what is called "tech week." During tech week, the cast and crew spend many hours perfecting their performances, making sure their costumes are set for the show, and forming an even tighter bond with each other.

Tech week began with the costume parade. The cast came in full costume so that the director and costume committee (that's me) could approve or make changes to the costumes. This year the costumes required me to do very little, which was nice, since I am adjusting to not being at play practice every night due to my work schedule. Thankfully the biggest alterations I have made are adjusting the straps of a dress and adding feather plumes to the berets used for the actors who are part of the prologue. The costumes feature neon tee-shirts, bright colored plastic sunglasses, and berets with feather plumes. With an 80's feel to the costumes, there is no shortage of bright colors.

Collectible Geek Review: April 2015 (Assemble)

Since I just did my overview of current geek subscription box offerings, this review comes at a good time. Collectible Geek, for me, remains one of the best simply because the boxes come loaded and the items are high quality. I also have enjoyed their themes immensely (although we will be skipping May, since it's TMNT and we aren't fans). This month's theme is Assemble, which means Avengers for those of you less savvy in the comics world - or those who don't watch movies. 

The first item was a really great Hulk shirt in traditional green and purple. I like the shirts from Collectible Geek a lot. I believe the shirts are exclusive to their box as well, although I'm not 100% sure. Either way, I liked this, including the colors. 

Orange Glad Review: April 2015

Well, this is ridiculous. This box is too good to exist, I think. I have to warn you that if you try Orange Glad, you won't be able to stop ordering from them. Unless you simply hate joy.

The first item in the box was a pack of Dreams Come Chew from QUIN. This is the second item I've tried from QUIN, but this is the first item in all the snack boxes that inspired me to order more. I bought two full-size bags of this after sampling it, because it's that good. I'm actually a big fan of Starburst, but since they contain gelatin, I don't eat them. QUIN's Dreams Come Chew is handmade vegan Starburst basically and it's amazing.

Then there were chocolate chip butter biscuits. They came broken, sadly, but that's okay, because they didn't last long enough to need to be in one piece. Wow, these are awesome, and wow, Orange Glad just really knows how to pack a box of happy treats.

The Right to Privacy in a Digital World

Recently, Michael Buble caused a lot of uproar about a photo he posted on Instagram. People are angry about it being sexist, saying it is body shaming and slut shaming and so on. Honestly, I don't feel like getting into that debate, since we're making assumptions about how someone would feel or react based on our own feelings and reactions. There are people who would be uncomfortable with his comments and others who would be flattered. Disgusting comments like, "well, if she was dressed like that, she obviously wants you to think about her ass" belong in the 1950's, so it's not worth even trying to converse with someone who makes them.

On the other hand, something about the photo and situation really bothered me personally. We can't control the fact that photos and videos are everywhere now. We all probably get accidentally captured in them all the time. However, in this case, a girl had no idea she was being photographed, definitely didn't know she'd be all over the internet, and certainly wasn't expecting to be discussed. Maybe she would be flattered. That's not the point, though. If he had something negative about her not, to some people, complimentary, people would be angrier, but that's also not the point. What is the point is that we have taken our entitlement too far.

EpicBelle Comfort Grip Crochet Hooks Review

Epic is right! I use my hands for a lot of crafting and I tend to get hand and wrist pain often with repetitive motions. In February, I made some very tiny crocheted hearts with a small hook, 2.0 mm, and I struggled to keep the hook in my hand. I recently used EpicBelle Comfort Grip Crochet Hooks for the same project with no trouble at all. I was very excited to receive these for review, as I clearly use crochet hooks a lot.

Sumo Ice Cream Scoop Review

I love ice cream. I eat a ton of ice cream. But I always use a spoon to scoop it because I haven't had much luck with ice cream scoops. Usually they are either too weak to really do anything or, more often, the materials they're made with just aren't very long-lasting. So when I had a chance to review the SUMO Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop, I wanted to see if it made a difference. It is described as indestructible, so I figured why not?