I have loved all-natural fruit smoothies ever since I had the opportunity to try a small sample of one at a mall several years ago. Unfortunately, having gastric bypass surgery has made me permanently intolerant of more than 10-15g of sugar in a single sitting (I can handle 15-20 if I go slow), so smoothies are one of those foods I thought I’d pretty much write off forever.

Then again, maybe not. Jamba Juice recently introduced three of their most popular flavors in an at-home smoothie kit that requires nothing more than a blender and 8 oz. of apple juice to put together. Each Jamba All Natural Smoothies kit contains enough frozen chunks of fruit and non-fat yogurt to combine with 8 oz. of apple juice to make two 8 oz. smoothies. Each smoothie contains nothing but all natural fruit and non-fat yogurt, as well as a full serving of fruit and a full daily serving of Vitamin C. Additionally, Jamba’s All Natural Smoothies are free of artificial colors, flavors, additives, and preservatives. Best of all, the sugar content is fairly low. When combined with 8 oz. of low sugar apple juice, each 8 oz. smoothie contains no more than 15g of sugar.

As promised, the smoothie kit was easy to work with. All I needed was my blender and 8 oz. of apple juice and I was good to go. The smoothies whipped up smoothly (no pun intended) in less than a minute, and then they were ready to be enjoyed. And enjoyed them we did. Jamba’s smoothies were a huge hit with all four of us — myself, my husband, and our two children. They’re definitely a delightful summer treat that I will keep in the freezer so we can enjoy them at a moment’s notice!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

California Tea House is a family-owned tea company that is based in California. Their specialty is loose teas that are carefully cultivated for the best flavors. Flavors include custom loose leaf tea blends, organic tea blends, and imports that come from all over the world, as well as organic herbal teas that come directly from California’s lush land.

California Tea House sent us the following flavors to try:

• Vanilla Creme Earl Gray
• Yunnan Golden Buds
• White Peony (can be served cold!)
• Lapsang Souchong (great for use as a barbecue meat rub — something I plan on trying out this week!)
• Endless Summer Blooming Tea

Now, I freely admit to not knowing a lot about tea, and not knowing of many tea flavors besides the basic ones that are available in restaurants and cafes. So I was pleasantly surprised at the amazing selection of loose leaf tea available at their online tea store. My husband, who is more of a tea drinker than I am, was excited, particularly for the opportunity to try the Vanilla Creme Earl Gray and the Endless Summer Blooming Tea.

We’ve had the teas for a few weeks now, and have had the opportunity to try them on our own and with family. Our impressions? Wow! These teas are delicious! The descriptions and notations of flavors that are available on California Tea House’s website are right on the mark. The teas have both amazing smell and taste. Having loose blends on hand is definitely a unique experience — and it makes me glad that I purchased an electric tea kettle for my husband last fall! With summer in full force, both Chunky Cherry and White Peony are excellent when served on ice (something I wish I had thought ahead about doing in anticipation of today’s birthday party for my son).

I think our favorite tea, based on pure looks alone, is the Endless Summer Blooming Tea:

Our experience with California Tea House was a good one. The site is perfectly organized, so finding categories of tea blends or specific flavors is an easy and straightforward experience. High quality photos and detailed descriptions provide you with accurate information on the teas you’re selecting. Shipment was quick, and all of the loose blends come in resealable bags that clearly identify the contents inside, so it’s easy to keep them organized in your kitchen cabinets.

Want to try California Tea House’s amazing selection of teas? Use coupon code INMYBAG25 to save 25%!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Having a child with special needs can be difficult. But it’s not just the big things that can be difficult when you have a child with autism, such as I do. It’s the day-to-day things, like getting up in the morning, getting through the daily routine, etc., that can be the most troublesome. One battle I have with my son Ryan continually is over clothing. Well, it’s not so much of a battle as it is me reaching the point where it’s like, okay, if you don’t want to wear clothes, fine, but please stop changing them so frequently! It’s time like these I wish he were still a baby, when he could wear onesies that he couldn’t take off on his own, you know, those cute onesies that you get at baby showers, along with cute keepsake baby shower decorations.

Ryan will wear clothes, but if we’re not going out, or if he has just come inside, he’ll take off everything but his shirt and underwear. Usually the socks are the first to go, followed by the shorts. But then the socks may go back on. Only, he won’t put on the pair that he just took off, even if that pair had only been worn for a few minutes. Instead, he’ll go and get a new pair. This happens several times throughout the day. I’m pretty sure Ryan has a love/hate relationship with socks. He wants to wear them, particularly during the cooler months of the year, but he has sensory issues, and the pressure and friction that standard socks cause agitate him to the point where the socks just have to come off, and that’s that.

Enter SmartKnitKIDS Socks. These socks are blissfully free of the standard seams, bums and elasticized areas that normal pairs of socks have. They are completely seamless (in case you’re wondering, there is a slightly elasticized seam along the top of the sock, which holds it up, but this seam is on the outside, so the wearer does not feel it against their skin!), and even lack the standard defined heel, so that children who have sensory issues or other specific needs can wear them comfortably, however they choose to.

Knit-Rite, the company behind SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks, very generously sent me several pairs of socks to try with Ryan — and a pair for my daughter, Alyssa, too! She isn’t autistic and doesn’t have any sensory issues, but still, it’s nice for her to be included in things.

Ryan seemed to quickly adapt to the SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks. He took them off like he does his regular socks, but he also put them back on. He also complained to me when he somehow got a few drops of water on one of the SmartKnitKIDS socks (normally he’ll just wrench off any offending garment with nary a complaint, so the fact that he took notice to these particular socks being “sullied” with water says something), and asked me to clean them.

Ryan has worn his SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks on several occasions now, and it seems as though he likes them. They do come off when he gets home from preschool or in from playing outside, but they don’t come off as quickly, and he does seem more willing to keep them on. I also noticed that he doesn’t fidget with his sneakers when he is wearing these socks — that is something he has done in the past with regular socks.

As for my daughter, she is quite happy with her spiffy purple socks. I don’t think she even noticed the lack of seams!

If you have an autistic child or a child with any type of special needs or sensory issues, and can’t seem to get them to keep socks on their feet, give SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks a try! They’re truly seamless and lack the usual bindings and restraints of regular socks, they absorb moisture and wick away odors, and they’re available in several sizes and colors.

SmartKnitKIDS Seamless Socks are available for purchase here.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Last week I told you about the Robby Wash Ball. I’m back to say that I love it. I have been using it non-stop for several weeks straight, and I’m impressed at how well it’s cleaning my laundry. As I have surely mentioned many times, I have a five year old daughter and a three year old son. So far everything they’ve managed to get on their clothes — dirt, grass stains, ketchup, paint, pastel crayon, etc. — the Robby Wash Ball has managed to get out.

Robby Wash works by activating ions in the wash water that penetrate deep into fabrics to pry loose stubborn stains and even dried, set ones that you would normally think there is no hope for. Case in point? A pair of my daughter’s capris had a faded grass stain that I thought was there forever. They were in the wash last week, and when they came out that stain was nearly gone! I wish I would have taken a before photo, to show how faded the stain was after the capris went for a spin with the Robby Wash Ball.

The Robby Wash Ball is compatible with traditional and energy-efficient washers, and it works just fine in hot and cold water temperatures. Its detergent is hypoallergenic, so if you have baby clothes to launder or are simply careful about the types of laundering products you use on your own clothes, you’ll be happy to know that Robby Wash is appropriate for use. Best of all? It works. Several weeks worth of clean, vibrant looking clothes have proven that to me!

You can purchase the Robby Wash Ball Kit, which includes a pre-filled ball and three refill packets (altogether that gets you 120 loads worth of laundry cleaned) for just $32.95 here.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A few weeks ago I asked my husband to pick up some deodorant for me, as I had just run out that day, and didn’t want to have to go a single day without any. He came home with Degree Invisible Solid, which isn’t a brand I normally use, but hey, if it’s a choice between deodorant or no deodorant, bring on the new stuff!

Degree Invisible Solid provides deodorant and anti-perspirant that is provided via a soft stick, which differs from the normal “soft solid” or “conditioning solid” (read: deodorant that has the consistency of cake frosting). The first thing I noticed is that the scent is definitely pleasant, and it doesn’t take much rubbing to apply a full, generous coat of deodorant.

Degree Invisible Solid is long-lasting, and does a great job at keeping perspiration to a minimum. Unfortunately, I am slightly allergic to it, as I deal with itching around my armpits by the end of the day. This is unfortunate, as I otherwise really like the product, and would definitely recommend it as a cheap, effective deodorant! While wearing it, I don’t have to worry about breaking a sweat, whether I’m shopping for baby gifts in a hot store or am simply running around outside with my kids.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Laundry is an evil necessity. I have a high quality energy efficient front load washer and a high efficiency dryer, and I use good smelling detergents and fabric softeners, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy laundry. But I enjoy clean clothes, and I know my family does as well, so I chug away at it. I typically do three to five loads of laundry per week, which isn’t bad. The kids’ clothes are small, and my washer and dryer are large capacity, so unless we all go through a bunch of outfits, or it’s one of those weeks where I’m stripping beds and washing towels and laundering curtains, it’s not too bad, in terms of sheer quantity of clothes to wash.

I recently received the Robby Wash Ball, and to be honest, I couldn’t wait to start using it! I love the idea of not having to measure out detergent and carefully pour it into the dispenser. With the Robby Wash Ball, it’s as simple as tossing the ball, which is white, plastic, and features dozens of small beads inside of it, the beads being actual detergent, into the washer, and starting the cycle. In between uses, the Robby Wash Ball should be left out of the washer in order to thoroughly dry out and prevent the possibility of molding.

The Robby Wash Ball is safe for use in any washer, and designed to work in both hot and cold water temperatures. It’s available in two varieties; the blue ball is for any and all laundry and any water temperature, and the pink ball is geared for color loads and cooler water temperatures. One package features the Robby Wash Ball, which is pre-loaded with a three month supply of beads; the package also comes with three refills. Each pack of beads will provide enough detergent for, on average, 30 loads of laundry.

I have used the Robby Wash ball on two loads of laundry, and so far I’m really liking it! It’s not loud at all. The last washer ball I used made the inside of my washer sound like a bunch of mens wedding bands were rolling around inside of it, but this one is pretty quiet. But I want to give it a full run for its money, and have it do up all of our normal laundry, whites included, before writing my full review on it.

If you know anything at all about me, you know that I am very much into digital photography. I treated myself to a DSLR camera three years ago, and between then and now have taken over 50,000 photos. So when the opportunity to review Corel Paint It!, I said heck yes! I’ve used numerous Corel products in the past and have always gotten great results, and I definitely wanted to get my hands on a product that is designed specifically to create unique and stunning frame-worthy effects on my favorite photos.

Description:

Corel Paint It! provides a quick and easy way for anyone to turn their favorite photos into unique works of art. Paint it! features a variety of brushes and preset painting styles, giving users everything they need to add stunning painted effects to their photos. Both Windows and Mac users can now create painted photographs in as few as three mouse clicks.

Ideally suited for photography enthusiasts, scrapbookers, families and creative minds of any age, Paint it! features art tools and painting presets that faithfully replicate their traditional counterparts and a user interface that is both simple and intuitive. This makes it easier than ever for anyone to use their photos to create unique digital art keepsakes that are perfect for framing or sharing as special gifts with family and friends.

Corel Paint It! was easy to install — I simply popped in the disc, waited for the setup to auto-launch, entered in my serial number (provided with the packaging), and let the installation proceed. It was ready to launch within moments of installation, and program usage couldn’t be easier. Corel Paint It! offers many effects for photos, all of them centering around watercolored effects. The options include oil painting, impressionist painting, watercolor, pastel, and pencil drawing. You can also use brushes to add additional effects to your photos. Brush options range from solid brushes to spiffy textures, neat smudge and swirling effects, and even fairy dust (multi-colored stars of varying sizes). One really neat thing about the program is that you get to see it “painting” your photo — the effects are painted on, in real time, so you can watch your photo transform from its original form to an illustration, or a watercolor, or a pastel, or whatever else you might have in mind!

I could continue blathering about how neat the program is, or I could simply show you what one simple click has the potential of doing within the program:

original photo

Hands down, Corel Paint It! is an incredibly easy program to use. And it’s fun! Both my three year old and five year old were quite enthusiastic about creating “painted” photographs with me, and it wasn’t long before my daughter was importing photos to play around with within the program. Corel Paint It! truly is perfect for anyone who likes to do more with their digital photos. Hmm… I think I sense a great Christmas present. After all, the holiday season will soon be upon us!

Corel Paint It! is available online at corel.com/store and in select retailers in the US and Canada for $39.99. Windows 7 touch users can optionally purchase Corel Paint It! Touch, which allows you to use your touch-enabled system to create unique masterpieces out of your existing photos.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Giveaway!

Want your very own copy of Corel Paint It!? Leave me a comment telling me what kind of photos you would transform with the program, and you’re automatically entered to win!

Additional entries:
(each additional entry earns you one additional entry into the giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each entry)

• Follow @CorelPaintIt on Twitter
• Follow me, @kissmykitty, on Twitter
• Leave a comment telling me what other Corel product you’re interested in (please include a link)
• Tweet the following to your public Twitter account: Win a copy of Corel Paint It! (http://corel.com/paintit) at In My Bag! http://bit.ly/imbcorel
• Blog about this giveaway, being sure to include a link to this giveaway and to Corel Paint It!

Giveaway details:

• The Corel Paint It! giveaway begins on July 12th, 2010 and runs until July 19th at 11:59pm EST.
• All entries must be in by 06/19/10 at 11:59pm EST in order to be counted for the final drawing.
• Winners will be notified by email, and will have 48 hours to respond.
• No duplicate entries (IPs are logged).

Good luck to everyone who enters!