Outer Banks - Stop #3

After a day at the beach, the family hung out at home for a bit. Then we went to WalMart to pick up a few essentials. Even on vacation I can't get away from visiting that store. The girls and I painted nails and we played a game of Trouble and some card games.

The rest of the family ended up coming into town later than expected, so we took the girls to one of their favorite restaurants down here, Western Sizzlin. It's part cafeteria style, part sit down family restaurant. I had chicken tips in onions and peppers with a mushroom gravy, rice, and green beans. We spent around $45 plus tip for the four of us. It's a good value when you have a whole family to feed.

We're taking the kids to the beach today and then we'll see how the rest of the day unfolds.

Product Review: Swiffer WetJet

As a busy wife and mom, I was thrilled when Swiffer products made their way onto the market. They help me grab those wafts of cat fur in the corners of rooms, spend less time dusting, and now make cleaning my floors a breeze.

I've used Swiffer wet cloths in the past, but I find if I don't wash my kitchen floor often enough, the wet cloths have a hard time removing stains. Pushing hard on the wand has cracked it, so I decided to break down and purchase the more expensive Swiffer WetJet. My local WalMart carries this product for $19.99, and I had a $5.00 off coupon from our Sunday paper, which is the only reason I purchased it. I know, I'm a cheapskate. The original package came with the Swiffer WetJet, a 1.25 liter bottle of WetJet Multi-purpose solution, a scrubby strip, and two textured pads. I also picked up a package of refill pads.

This battery-operated model, uses a cleaning solution (comes in 4 different types) that is sprayed on the floor at a touch of a button. Then you spread the solution with the textured pad that picks up dirt and grime. There is a scrubby strip on the front of the unit to help remove stains.

The Swiffer WetJet does a fabulous job of cleaning tile floors. They make a special solution for hardwood floors, but I didn't pick that one up this time. I've cut the time spent washing my floor in half just by using this product. What I really like is that I'm using a fresh pad each time, so I don't have to worry about spreading germs with a used mop head. The floor also dries much quicker than using a traditional mop.

That said, I'm not ready to toss my old mop away yet. I couldn't quite figure out the easiest way to use the scrubby strip. I'll have to try my Swiffer WetJet a few more times to see if I can find a better way to move the unit to make it more effective. I'm thinking my Swiffer WetJet will be perfect to use most of the time, but during Spring and Fall cleaning I might want to drag out the mop, bucket, and liquid disinfectant.


I purchased this product to provide my honest opinions. Swiffer and The Procter & Gamble Company are not aware of this review. I received no monetary compensation of any kind to write this review.

Product Review: Kashi Honey Almond Flax Chewy Granola Bars

The kids and I love to tuck granola bars into our packs in case we get hungry while we're out. Problem is, most granola bars are so sweet--even the 25% less sugar versions--that I don't feel my family gets the benefit of the granola.

I had heard of Kashi in the past, might even have tried one of their products, but I kind of wandered away from them after that.

On my most recent grocery shopping trip to Walmart, I was browsing the granola bar section of the cereal aisle, and I saw four or five varieties of Kashi chewy granola bars, so I decided to take a closer look. I bought a box of the Honey Almond Flax variety for only $2.88. The yellow circle on the box that said, "no high fructose corn syrup" caught my eye. Turning the box to the side, the product label indicated each bar only contained 5 grams of sugar. I was sold.

The Kashi Honey Almond Flax granola bars taste great, they have 4 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein, and they are only sweetened with wildflower honey. One bar fills me up and they aren't sticky sweet.

I'll definitely be buying these again.