Ivy says:

One of the many ways to save money on gasoline is to drive less, obviously. One of the ways I’ve been driving less is to order things online that have free shipping. Finding free shipping is a lot easier than it once was, thanks to FreeShipping.org.

I was introduced to FreeShipping.org awhile back when we did a (now closed) giveaway on Love Shak, Baby in conjunction with FreeShipping.org. I spent some time poring over the site, and found that they have tons of free shipping codes. Need to buy something from JC Penney? There are JC Penney free shipping codes galore.

I know I’ve mentioned JC Penney a lot, but I recently ordered a daughter a dress and used a JC Penney free shipping code. I saved quite a bit of money because there are no JC Penney retailers very close to where I live.  I love their stuff, but I hate the drive.

But there’s also free shipping codes for so many other retailers- Macy’s, The Gap, Old Navy, Target- you name it, FreeShipping.org most likely has it. Be sure to check it out and save money!

Ivy says:

For some unknown reason, my kids normally would rather sit on hard wooden chairs than sit on the floor, even if it is carpeted. I have a hard time fathoming this, since I spent a year sleeping on the floor when I was 9, by choice.

PlazaRugs.com sent me the Black and White Geometric Rug from the Jasmine collection to review here at Home Ec Reviews. I received it on Friday and put it down on the floor and the kids immediately flocked to it. They loved how it looked. Then they walked on it. Then they- amazingly- sat on it. They didn’t want to get up off of it. They even wanted to have a camp-out on the rug. This, the kids who don’t believe in sitting on the floor.

I did some walking on it and sitting on it and I agree with the kids. This is one soft, comfy rug. It is really very well made- I’ve already vacuumed it several times and it’s not being attacked by fuzzies like many other less well-made rugs do. My cats have dug their claws into it and haven’t pulled up rug bits. I’m impressed.

Even my husband, who never gets excited about anything other than football said he wished we could get this in wall-to-wall carpet. And how does it look in my house?

Fabulous. You can buy your own or look at the many other great rugs at Plaza Rugs right here. Or, you can win your own or get a 10% discount on a special collection of rugs right here at one of my many other blogs, Shak In Style.

Heather says:

In most areas of my life I am a function over form type of girl.  Really, to verify this all you need to do is take a peek in my closet.  No, you may not go in there right now.   How great is it to find a product that is both hip and functional? I would like to introduce you to Zosephine Diaper Bags.    They are cute without being cutesie and stylish without being trendy. As an added bonus these bags look great without being an advertisement.The bag is sturdy, the seams are strong, straight, and tightly stitched.  The nylon lining easily wipes clean.  The compartments were designed by someone who knows what it is like to have children.  There is a large inner compartment, with dividers on each end useful for holding bottles, sippies, bottled water, or separating the clean toys from those that were thrown on the floor.  There is a small zippered pocket on the inside, perfect for those items you do not want older siblings throwing on the floor of the waiting room as you allow them to rifle through the bag, as you sigh, realizing the appointment is now forty-five minutes late, and there is no sign of your name being called.  Under the flap, in easy reach, but out of sight is a cell phone pocket.  All of this is put together in a cute messenger bag.  The wide strap is comfortable and adjustable for a one shoulder or an across the body carry.

Lastly, they make fantastic laptop bags.

Home Ec 101 readers will receive a 10% discount by entering the code: HomeEc101

Heather says:

Every once in a while there is a product that sounds great in theory, but in practice, just turns out to be a pain in the rear.  The Swiffer SweeperVac is just such a product.  For transparency, I have never found a Swiffer to be any more effective of a cleaning tool than a regular mop, broom, or dust mop.  I also have personal issues with the idea of the waste created by the disposable nature of the pads.  In the past, I have cut rags to fit the head which works fairly well for the damp mop.

The SweeperVac works fairly well for its size.  It sucks up a fair amount of dirt and hair, while the pad catches what is missed. The dust cup is easy to empty, but the filter is mildly aggravating to scrape free of debris.

The battery is the failing point of this cleaning tool.  It has a running time of ten to twelve minutes, which is enough to do a medium sized, hard surfaced room.  However, to fully charge it requires twelve to sixteen hours.  Frankly, in my house, anything that needy had better be breathing.

If you live alone, are never home, or have a small area to clean, this tool may be useful.  As for my house? We’ll stick with a broom or dust mop.

If you are in the market for a serviceable, adjustable apron without the frump, you may wish to check out Callie Micks. She has recently launched a site selling cute aprons with a modern look. There are four designs and several colors to choose from. The aprons are made from salvaged material by a team of domestic employees. (Hear that? No outsourcing.)

Callie sent along an apron for us, OK me, to review. The linen material is lightweight and breathable; this is a huge bonus for you ladies in humid areas. The garment is well made with close attention to detail. As I am six feet tall I particularly liked the adjustable shoulder straps. Did I mention it’s cute? Well, it’s not just cute, it’s freaking adorable.

If you have a moment, check out Callie’s site, www.calliemicks.com When you’re through, click on over for a chance to win your very own Lily Apron in espresso and aqua.

Heather says:

As you well know, I am not big on kitchen gadgetry. Typically I resent the space they take up or find the amount of clean up they require makes the gadget more time consuming than the original chore. However, I am sold on Reynolds Handi-Vac. This new vacuum sealer is small, convenient, cordless, powerful, and mess free. Mr. Heather has been like a kid at Christmas finding ways to use this fun new toy timesaver.

Vacuum sealing is a great way to store food for the freezer. Air is the enemy of frozen food, no air - no freezer burn. I have used a vacuum sealer for the past six years, but I have never been in love with mine. The product I currently own uses heat to seal special bags. There are times when creating the seal is an exercise in frustration, especially if the items are saucy. Once thawed the bags must be cut open to remove the item. If the bags are to be reused (as long as they didn’t contain raw meat), they are now smaller, this bothered me to no end.

The Reynolds Handi-Vac is sold for $9.99 and is smaller than a box of gallon freezer bags. I can stash it in a drawer rather than hiding it in a cupboard or losing counter real-estate. I am ecstatic to note that Reynolds makes the packaging easy to open. I groaned when I saw the plastic box, assuming it would be another struggle with a razor knife to get to the product. Not this time, the packaging pops right open; other product manufacturers should take note*.

The gadget’s first set of batteries and several bags were included in the starter kit. Even cordless, this sucker has some power. Mr. Heather tested the vacuum around 15lbs. (That’s pretty strong). He also chased me around the kitchen trying to give me a vacuum hickey**.

Now, I am sure some of you traditional vacuum sealers are saying, “What about the cannister and jar sealing?” We lost the tubing some time ago and those portions of our sealer have been useless. The universal jar lid works perfectly with the Reynolds Handi-Vac and the cannister required only the smallest modification to fit our new favorite toy.

The bags are sold for $3.29 a box (either 14-ct quart or 9-ct gallon). This may seem a little pricey until I remind you these are zipper closures and do not have to be cut open. Was that a cheer I just heard from the frugal corner?

I think the Reynolds Handi-Vac is a stroke of genius and it earns the Home Ec 101 Seal of Approval.

* Do you see this obnoxious toy industry? Christmas morning can be happy once again if you quit requiring a cutting torch to open your products. Leave the lead out while you’re at it. OK? Thanks.

** I am sure that Reynolds does not condone this type of activity.

Ivy says:

Funny that we should have just 2 reviews up here at the new Home Ec 101 Reviews, and they’re both for lotion. But that’s how the world works, oddly.

The product we’re reviewing today is Gloves In A Bottle. It is another shielding lotion, much like the Skin MD that we reviewed. I liked it quite a bit. I loved how frequent hand washing didn’t make any difference in how well the lotion worked- I used it when my husband got home from the hospital and I was washing my hands very frequently. It withstood the hand washing test very well.

The only thing I wasn’t really a fan of was the scent. It wasn’t overly powerful , the scent was not heavy, but it’s not a scent I am a fan of.

Overall, I would say it’s a great lotion and the price is quite reasonable: $12.95 for an 8 ounce bottle.

Heather says:

I also liked Gloves In a Bottle.  My two year old is potty training and for anyone who hasn’t been there, that also requires a LOT of hand washing. The lotion takes a moment to rub in, but does not leave a greasy feeling behind.

I really liked how well it worked on my feet.  I’m not consistent with applying lotion and I have the feet to prove it.  For the past few days I have actually remembered to apply it in the morning and before bed and my feet are quite soft.  I wish I had this before sandal season was coming to an end.

I nagged asked my husband to try it, he is an industrial electrician and mentioned seeing similar products at the plant.  He liked it as well and said the goop at work felt more like axle grease.  Now, if I can only get him to put it on his feet.

It’s a good product for a decent price.  You can check out their website at www.glovesinabottle.com.  They have a handy tool to plug in your zipcode to find a retailer in your area, or you may order it directly from the site.

Ivy says:

I love using lotion, but all too often, I end up with lotion that makes my hands feel sticky, has a cloying scent, or both. I normally use Lubriderm Unscented, and it works okay. Nothing special.

We were sent a generous sample of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion to try. I was skeptical, because it came with a ton of literature about how fabulous it is. I don’t know why, but literature about how fabulous your product is always makes me skeptical.

I tried the lotion and found it had a very, very light scent and didn’t make my hands feel sticky. So far, so good. But what I noticed that was even more interesting was the fact that it made my hands appear less wrinkly. Ever since I was a teenager I have lamented my wrinkly looking hands. Something about this lotion makes your wrinkles less noticeable, and just for that, I’d buy it.

I noticed it said for face, hand, and body. So I tried it in place of my usual moisturizer. Now, this is during my usual breakout time of the month, and I was concerned that it would make my breakout worse. No need to have worried, I had one pimple, which is about the same as my usual breakout when using the Clinique moisturizer. As far as how well it worked, I’d say it was better in reducing the crow’s feet around my eyes than the Clinique, but Clinique moisturizer seems to work a bit better in controlling my oiliness. If one had dry skin, the Skin MD Natural might be better, however, with oily skin, I’d stick to what I generally use.

I have excessively dry legs and feet, and the Skin MD did such a good job I was able to skip a day when I had to drive to Indiana and my legs and feet didn’t get ashy on me like they normally would.

To sum it up: Skin MD Natural is a great product. A little goes a very long way, so a bottle would last a long time. It’s great for anyone on body and hands, but is better for people with dry skin as a facial moisturizer.

Heather says:

Being a fair skinned redhead, I’ve always had the aggravation of extremely sensitive skin. I was a little nervous about trying out Skin MD Shielding Lotion as I was worried I might get to spend the day blotchy. Thankfully, my concerns were groundless and I’m definitely a fan. The lotion is very light and leaves only a soft, not greasy feeling. I’ve also been pleased with it as a facial moisturizer and am happy to report it didn’t cause any breakouts. I do tend toward drier skin.

With a newborn in the house I am constantly changing diapers and washing my hands. I’ve noticed I do not have to reapply this lotion after each washing. Who has time for that, anyhow?

I passed some of the sample packets along to an acquaintance with eczema who also favorably reviewed the Shielding Lotion saying she would purchase it in the future if she found it for a reasonable price. A 4oz bottle is $25.00, but the directions aren’t kidding when they say apply small amount, a little goes a long way.

Finally, where can Skin MD Shielding Lotion be found? Their website has a store locator or you can ask your local pharmacist to order it for you*.

I’ve had to do this with sunblock for my ridiculously sensitive son, it’s not nearly as complicated as it sounds.