I am a lotion and cream fanatic. I have a pump bottle by the sink in the kitchen and another in the bathroom just around the corner. I keep sample sized-bottles in my purse, my desk at work, and my car. I have a pot of body butter and some Oil of Olay in my gym bag. I have fancier, heavier face creams in my medicine cabinet, pump bottles of lotion for my legs in my bathroom cupboard, and a giant pot of what we call "Cow Cream" on my daughter's dresser.
Between the washing my hands dozens of times a day that is necessary when one has little children, the dryness of a wintery climate that forces one to have the heat on at least five months a year, and my own genetic proclivity towards eczema, I wear a lot of lotion. And I can't stand lotions that are overly scented.
So when the SkinMD people contacted me and asked me if I wanted a sample of their super hydrating "shielding lotion" to try, I jumped at the chance -- but not before asking for two bottles, one to try, and one to share with you.
Here's what I like about this lotion: it's light and not greasy, absorbs quickly, and definitely makes my cuticles and hands feel less flaky. It has no discernable smell, which is great if you are senstivie to the cloying scents of products at places like Bath & Body Works. (Just walking into their store gives me a headache some days.)
The SkinMD lotion contains lots of natural ingredients like aloe, comfrey, yarrow, and vitamin E, all of which are good for moisturizing. (In fact, I remember my mother opening vitamin E capsules and rubbing the oil straight onto her poor cracked knuckles in the winter.) There are still nine ingredients I can't pronounce, not counting the three active ingredients that produce the sunscreen, so I'm not sure the word "Natural" on the label is completely accurate; nonetheless, I do appreciate all the herbal rather than chemical help. I also notice that it does not contain one preservative commonly used in personal care products to which my sister and many other people are allergic, so that's a plus. SkinMD seems to have de-chemicaled to some degree.
And let's not let it slip by too quickly: this product deserves props for containing sunscreen. While SFP 15 isn't major, so you won't be using this instead of your normal sunscreen in the summer, I think it's always good to have a lotion with sunscreen as your everyday one. I use a face lotion with SPF 15 in it as my daily moisturizer, and then I know that if I end up outside for longer than I'd expected to be, at least I have a little something on my face. If I had ever been outside without gloves at all in the last month, I am sure the SPF in the SkinMD lotion would have been perfect for me. But, alas, in Michigan in winter, sunscreen on anything but your face is somewhat superfluous.
I really can't speak to the fancy claims about "transforming the outer layer of skin into a hydrating invisible shield," since while I've felt very good, I haven't felt like I have brand new, transformed skin this last month. And I certainly haven't become invisible. But I will say that this is a very nice moisturizer, scent free with SPF, and mercifully not greasy, and so it has become the latest bottle that I carry around in my purse.
If you'd like to try SkinMD lotion for yourself, leave a comment on this post telling me what your most important quality is in a hand lotion: what's the one thing you can't do without? Contest will last till Thursday, February 12 at midnight EST, and I'll announce the winner of the free bottle of lotion on Friday 13. Because everybody deserves a shot at a little good luck on Friday 13.
***** Edited to add: According to Random.org, the winner is:
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
2
Timestamp: 2009-02-14 03:46:14 UTC
And that means, Mrs. F with 4! Quebec must be harder on hands than Michigan, so I'm very happy for you. Congratulations.
Perhaps you remember the great time my family had this past fall at the circus? For us, performances of all kinds are things to adore. Having been involved in theater myself throughout high school and college, I eagerly took my son to his first performance of a play (a musical comedic version of Pinocchio) when he was just shy of two years old, and he sat like a stone throughout the whole near-two-hour show...and then burst into tears when the lights came up because he didn't want it to be over.
After that rousing success, we have jumped at the chance to take the kids to live performances whenever we can. Sometimes these are professional performances; sometimes they are university productions; sometimes they are free concerts in the park on balmy summer nights. Whether we're off to see a puppet show, a musical, a sporting event, or a circus, though, both kids (now ages five and nearly-three) are extra-excited that there will be real people there performing! In costumes! Singing! Or Taming Tigers! Or Running Around with Balls! Or, in the case of our exciting upcoming event: Ice Skating! (Childish enthusiasm requires the exclamation points, you understand.)
We took them to see Disney on Ice this past fall -- back when the Incredibles were on tour, as it were. Despite the chill in the air around the open rink, and the fact that, as my son rightly pointed out, "that boy doesn't quite look like the real Dash," they had a wonderful time. It was fascinating to watch my son look for similarities and differences to the movie he loves, while his little sister was primarily interested in all the "bootiful" skating.
So in a few weeks, we are off the The Palace at Auburn Hills for another Disney extravaganza -- this time in the form of "Worlds of Fantasy." To be honest, it's not clear to me that anything about Disney is anything but worlds of fantasy, but the name aside, this show promises to have something for everyone. With vignette performances from the favorite characters of a number of recent classics, I am sure they'll both be thrilled. Lightening McQueen will be there, as will The Little Mermaid, the animals from The Lion King's "circle of life" and Tinker Bell and a passel of her fairy friends. As if this weren't enough, there is a complimentary Princesses fashion show before the actual skating performance starts.
My son is just interested enough in gender stereotypes that I am predicting this will happen: he will adopt a high-pitched, coddling voice, wrap his arm protectively around his little sister's shoulders, and usher her down to "meet the princesses" -- all because he is absolutely certain that this is precisely my daughter's deepest heart's desire. I'm not sure why he thinks she wants him to talk in a falsetto every time he mentions pink or princesses, but nonetheless, his effort to be kind to her is lovely, even if I later have to help undo the stereotypes by demonstrating to him that, in fact, she is quite as fond of racing cars as she is of dressing up in her pink fairy princess costume. (I swear, I'll post a follow up to let you know if this prediction comes true.)
The bottom line is: the show is sure to be impressive, fun, and delightful. AND, thanks to the good folks at MomCentral and Feld Entertainment, you too can get a great deal on tickets if you are in the Detroit area at the end of February. You can get a big discount by mentioning the code MOM when you purchase your tickets. This will entitle you to a set of four tickets for any performance for just $44.(Not valid on rink-side or VIP seats.)
This discount is only valid for shows at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Wednesday, February 25 - Sunday, March 1. There are matinee performance on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in addition to the evening performances throughout the run. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster or at 1-800-745-3000.
What could be better than the movies come to life?
The first time I heard about TOMS shoes was in a little magazine article that featured this progressive company and announced the upcoming launch of shoes for small feet. Never heard of TOMS? It just might be the most socially responsible shoe-making venture in the world. Started by a young entrepreneur determined to make a difference, TOMS offers the best "two for one" deal I've ever heard of: for every pair of shoes you buy from them, TOMS will donate a pair of shoes to a child in need somewhere in the world. It's simple and incredibly effective.
The first "shoe drop," as TOMS calls it, was in Argentina, and consisted of 10,000 pairs of shoes.
I was fascinated by the article, and immediately sought out TOMS online, hoping to learn more. The story of the shoes, their simple and comfortable design, and the decision to build a company that would not just create a product but would try to make a difference in the world was an inspiration.
And, the shoes were so appealing -- fun, lighthearted scuffs for skipping around in summertime parks. They have soft, lined canvas uppers with a flexible rubberized sole. There were all sorts of colorful designs that I could easily imagine wearing. I didn't buy a pair right that second for two reasons: I have exceedingly high arches, and I was worried that, like every other pair of ballet flats and canvas sandals I've ever tried on, these flat shoes would leave my feet aching half an hour after I got to the playground.
But also, TOMS was about to come out with Tiny TOMS, their styles for children -- and I wanted to wait to buy a pair for Daughter. What pink-loving little girl, who tries to keep up with her running big brother, wouldn't want a pair of these? While I was waiting, I got distracted by life and never made the purchase. Then, out of the blue, a representative from TOMS contacted me, and offered me a pair of shoes to review. I went to check out all the "Fall and Winter" shoes for women and found all sorts of designs I loved, in retro men's suiting plaids, and suede, and other fun styles. I also looked more closely inside the shoes and discovered something amazing: these flat shoes aren't ordinary flats: they have a suede, highly padded, shaped footbed with an actual arch built in. I was sold! So TOMS sent me these:In a word? I LOVE them. They are so incredibly comfortable that I never want to take them off. There is so much cushion in them that I almost feel as though I'm wearing an athletic shoe, except that they are light and airy in the uppers. I wish I could wear them to work, and running errands, and to the playplace with the kids. The only reason I haven't had them on every single day since I got them is this:
This is the only negative thing I can say about TOMS: they aren't exactly going to protect your feet if you're walking through calf-high snowdrifts.
And, every single pair you buy means a pair gets donated to a child who otherwise doesn't have shoes.
As soon as she can go outside without snowboots, Daughter will be sporting a pair of Tiny TOMS, and I'll be skipping alongside her at the playground in my grey-and-green pair...and two more kids in the world will also have a pair of shoes thanks to our purchases.
What could possibly be better?
I hope you go check out TOMS -- and if you live somewhere that you can actually wear shoes (instead of boots) right now, I hope you find some you can't wait to buy. A child somewhere will be glad you did. P.S. In case you didn't notice? This is MommyTime's new reviews blog. It won't have new post every day, but I can promise that things I do choose to talk about here will be things you'll be glad to have more information about. Whee! for new adventures. (And what do you think of the new digs?)
This has been a crazy busy week, and I find that here I am at Thursday without even mentioning the highlight of my kids' November -- the circus last weekend. I haven't been to the circus since I was a very little girl, and I think I might have been more excited than they were beforehand because I had images in my mind of what I'd been missing all these years. My memories of the circus (apart from the endless hours I spent pretending to be a bare-back rider on our toy spring horse) are of lots of very beautiful women in sparkly costumes adorned with long flowing plumes. I don't know if these women ever really existed at the circus. It would certainly seem that long peacock tails and Las Vegas showgirl plumes don't make a whole lot of sense for a trapeze artists. But those are the women in my mind: spangled costumes with fluffy feathery tails and plumes on their heads, standing on top of cantering horses.
The bare-back rider was, of course, the only act not in the particular iteration of Ringling Brothers' Circus that we saw on Saturday.
But it's hard to argue with the grandeur of a performance that has traveled cross-country with ELEVEN elephants, ten tigers ("three white and seven orange," Son will tell you), half a dozen zebras, lots of horses, two large handfuls of dogs, and countless clowns. The Ringmaster had a voice as velvety as Patrick Stewart. The stilt walkers were enormous and funny. The acrobats amazing.
There was preshow fun -- performers of all kinds working in two small rings, and all of us able to mill around and get up close. We watched clowns walk on giant balls, acrobats do incredible things with giant piles of hula hoops, and an elephant paint a picture. I was thrilled to be so close to the beautiful giants.
Son's verdict? "They're kind of smelly."
One of the most stunning acts in the show was the sway poles. These are about 40 feet tall, and performers at the top of them are quite unafraid to hang upside down, swing towards each other, and generally astonish us with their bravery and agility.
My very favorite was the tiger tamer. Although the tricks he got them to do were pretty cool, for my money, the most impressive thing he did was before the act started. The spotlight was on the tight-rope walkers while the center ring was set up for the tigers. In the darkness, they erected the steel cage (something like a giant circular wall of chain mail) that kept tigers separated from the audience. Then they wheeled out the tigers, in containers that locked to each other to form a long tiger train. Soon, the center ring was filled with ten GIANT tigers -- plump, strong, tigers sitting each on their own stool. One tiger tamer in the middle of the ring, surrounded by ten tigers in the dark. By definition, standing in the middle of the ring, he couldn't see them all at once. But they didn't move a muscle. For a good five minutes, he murmured occasionally, moved slightly towards one tiger or another, and somehow managed to keep them all in order until the lights came up.
Why do I find this so impressive?
I only have two children, and I can't keep them sitting still and quiet for five minutes together EVER. And neither one of them weighs five hundred pounds or has razor sharp claws and teeth.
Son, of course, liked the clowns best. ("And the tigers. And the guys in that giant spinning wheel thing. And the elephants. And the horses. And the funny dogs...")
And as you know, clowning is serious business. Especially when your red nose is a little too big.
May you have some serious family fun yourselves this weekend.
At various points in my life, certain songs have resonated so strongly as almost to become theme songs. Madonna's "Crazy for You" was the mournful lament of my (unrequited) loving heart for several years of high school. Maria's cheerful "I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty" from West Side Story carried me through many long days in the theater costume shop in college. (It worked because we sat in a windowless basement sewing room for eight or ten hour stretches, and none of us felt anything like pretty. But we did feel like we were completely hilarious in our perverse ability to be happy under the circumstances.) Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" was the love song that bouyed my first real relationship (made ever-so-romantic by his phoning me long-distance, drunk, one night at 2am to let me know that when the bar at closing time had started playing this song that reminded him of me, he'd made an excuse to his friends that he had to use the bathroom, just so he could stay inside and hear the song out before he had to leave with them *sigh* college boys can be sooooo charming).
Right now, the song I'm humming is the 1966 classic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'."
And I feel every bit as sassy, fabulous, and powerful as the go-go-iest go-go girl ever could. Here's why:
Oh, yes, they are. Knee high, buttery soft leather boots with decorative buttons and 3+" heels. Red. A perfect glorious red. The color is blissfully nothing like bad lipstick. I've been trying for nearly four years to find red boots I could fall in love with, and I have found to my astonishment that most of them come in an overly-shiny color that can only be described as trampy and street-walkery. The ones that come in a good color -- something more like oxblood or cranberry -- are invariably chunky. They're awesome in their "girl cowboy" or "hip biker chick" vibe, but not really styled in a way that suits my work wardrobe.
Finally, my search has ended. And -- are you sitting down? All that style, all that class, and they are CROCS!
When the lovely new (perhaps my new best friend, I'll admit) "social media PR" person from YOU by Crocs emailed me to ask if I would like to try a pair of boots from their new fall line, I did the email equivalent of stuttering and blathering and perhaps drooling slightly, accidentally, on myself. That is, I did precisely what I would have done if David D-- had asked me out in high school. You know David D--, the hunky boy in Political Science class who always smelled so good, had devastating green eyes, and could have any girl in the school? The one who only knew you were alive when it was time to pair up for projects and he knew he could smile in THAT WAY that would make the shy brainiac without a boyfriend secretly sigh and then do the entire project herself because there was no way she was not getting an "A" on it, just because he was too lazy to do his part very well. Well, when Mr. YOU by Crocs emailed, I was nearly sure he must have been aiming at the blogger standing right behind me, and I was just accidentally in his sightline delusionally thinking that he was talking to me. But, of course, email doesn't work that way. And he was in fact talking to me.
And so I agreed to blind date and marry his boots.
Now, lest you think I've sold my soul for a pair of boots, let me reassure you that I am under no obligation to be anything but honest here. So, Fact 1: the first time I tried to wear them to work for one of my Marathon Mondays (on campus 8:30am-10pm), I only lasted three hours before I had to cancel my classes for the day and come home early. These boots will not, I repeat WILL NOT, cure stomach flu. Truth be told, they won't even really take the edge off, even though they are an awesome cherry red.
Fact 2: Back in realism land, I wore them again yesterday. For 14 hours. On my feet. Teaching. I, who do not normally wear stilettos. And all day long, I felt like a fashion model. My colleagues couldn't get enough of them. Even my students couldn't help but commenting on how great they looked. Every where I went, we had conversations about my footwear fabulosity. If you want to feel like a million bucks, get yourself some Crocs. Not a sentence you ever thought you'd read, is it?
Not quite accustomed to such high heels (heels for me are usually more like 2"), I couldn't walk the way I normally do. Instead of striding purposefully and fast through the halls, like a woman on a mission, I had to slow down slightly, and step more stately. I felt like I always imagined I would feel wearing heels, back when I was a little girl and used to listen to my mother's spectator pumps clicking smartly on the wooden floors and think it was the most glamorous sound in the world.
Fact 3: These boots are comfortable. The body of the boots is shapely without being binding. (By contrast, I have some black tall boots that make me feel like I'm wearing a tourniquet by the end of the day, and they aren't even styled to be super snug.) Also, I am notoriously klutzy when it comes to basic walking, and my heels slide out from under me all the time. I twist ankles. I slip on stairs. But yesterday? Never once. There is something fantastic in the design of these shoes that makes it possible for me + high heels to = graceful. I'm hooked. They have some padding in the footbed, which is nice if you're going to spend all day posing as a foot model for Barbie. Honestly, there could be a bit more padding for my taste, but then the balls of my feet aren't really used to spending 14 hours in stilettos.
Frankly, I didn't expect to come home last night and feel like I'd been walking in sheerling socks all day, and when I first saw just how high a 3 1/4" heel is, I was a little worried that I'd need to walk through the door and rip them off my feet in a fit of agony. But instead, I'll be wearing these again as soon as is fashionably possible. (It might be a little silly to wear chili pepper red boots every single day; they are quite noticeable.) Honestly, if you're going to spend all day in HIGH heels, you should do it in these. There are boots and shoes, all equally scrumptious in their leather and details. And if you want a bit more of the flat shoe comfort of the original Crocs in a super stylish alternative, you can prance around in the cozy, fleece lined, snow bunny boots.
And don't forget what is perhaps the most important thing: If you were the consummate wallflower in high school; if the David D--'s of the world got you to do their chemistry labs and poli sci projects just with a smile, but didn't ask you out afterwards; if you have any need to do something that will make up for all that high school angst and prove that 38 is not too old to be a "late bloomer," then get yourself some glorious red boots.
Those silly high school boys have no idea what they were missing...
Go on, click play. You know you want to see Nancy Sinatra and all her friends dancing around in sweaters and black satin briefs. And boots. Don't forget the glory that is boots.
You know how easy it is to find baby gifts for first-time parents. Between the registry, and the adorable clothes in such teensie tiny sizes, and the desire to help in practical ways, there are so many things to buy for baby #1 that it's hard to narrow down the options.
Well, I'm about to make it a little harder -- or a little easier, depending on your perspective.
If you want to stand out from a sea of diaper bags and burp cloths, or you favor gifts of a more crafted and heirloom quality, or you need something to give a mother of a second child, or you have your very own little one who just keeps dashing off in a store, look no further than this great idea:
These beautiful, adjustable, sterling silver baby anklets are hung with little silver bells that tinkle softly when baby wiggles, kicks, or walks. They come in two sizes, for babies and toddlers. They would make a gorgeous and unique gift for a friend.
Or, if your children are anything like mine were as younger toddlers, they would be a very practical gift for yourself. If I'd had Bumble Bells on Daughter the day she ran away from me in Kohl's, I certainly would not have severely sprained my ankle trying to dash after her between the racks. I wouldn't have had to keep her in sight, you see, only within earshot. And I would have caught up to her just the same. Except without the week of being on crutches afterwards.
Those of you who are concerned about safety (aren't we all?) will be glad to know that Bumble Bells are ASTM certified. For you who don't click outbound links, that means that THE international organization that regulates product standards attests to the fact that these bells cannot be removed by a curious child and swallowed. Now that is peace of mind.
The main site for Bumble Bells has more information, photographs, and testimonials from other mothers who have fallen in love with Bumble Bells. You can buy them right now on the Bumble Bells Etsy shop, and in select retail stores, although the small company is expanding and soon will offer more purchase options.
One of the reasons I agreed to review Bumble Bells is that I prefer to support local business whenever I can. Bumble Bells is a Chicago-based company owned by a mother whose own daughter wears Bumble Bells, and as soon as I started talking to her, it became clear that she not only offers a great product but cares about children everywhere. After I'd already agreed to write the review, I asked Jill from Bumble Bells if she would be interested in making a donation to the Literacy Funding Challenge as part of Help Our Schools Saturdays; she responded right away by telling me that a portion of their profits already goes directly to Head Start and that she would be very happy to consider making another education-based donation as well. The goodness and integrity of small businesses in this country never fails to inspire me. All I had to do was explain the project to her, and within a few hours, I had this email response from Jill,
"I have donated! And man does that always feel good."
What a fantastic company to give your business to, if you're in the market for a unique and beautiful baby gift! I only wish I'd known about Bumble Bells before my children were too old for them.
Thanks to the generosity that is BusyDad, as well as his good friend, Jeff Day (M.D. and cartoonist extraordinaire*) -- and also thanks in no small part to the wonder that is the Random Number Generator -- the Time household was the lucky recipient of one of the coolest books EV-AH. I have to rave about this book because Son adored it instantly, preferred it over all other bedtime stories, and wanted to have the entire thing read to him in one sitting. Yes, all 112 densely packed pages. Don't Touch That! The Book of Gross, Poisonous, and Downright Icky Plants and Critters is a fantastic read -- funny, incredibly informative, and endlessly interesting in both pictures and text.**
If you have kids, there's a high likelihood that they are fascinated with the natural world. Darwin might have called them "budding naturalists." I would call them "inveterate ant pokers." Some people might simply call them "boys." I will admit that Daughter is much more inclined to crouch down very very close to the ground, put her face about 4 inches above the ant, and wave gently while repeating over and over, "Hi Ant. Hi Ant. Hi Ant." And Son is more likely to ask hopefully (as he did a few nights ago about a moth that flew out of our pantry and landed on the kitchen floor), "Can I squish it?" Nonetheless, they are both pretty much equally fascinated by bugs, plants, and all manner of critters. I would imagine that Son might embrace a snake more readily than Daughter, but I think it's an age thing and not a gender thing. For the record, both of them were equally enamored of the illustrations in this book. But, the Time family's efforts to thwart gender stereotyping aside, I'll get to the point:
Kids of either sex, unless terrified generally by spiders and plant life, will LOVE this book.
It's got fantastic cartoon illustrations that give you a sense of what these plants and critters look like, as well as light-hearted visions of their most salient traits. The text is much more thorough than I ever would have expected. It gives clear descriptions of habits and habitats, things to worry about and things not to fret over. (How often are spider bites deadly? Can a Venus Flytrap snag your finger? What should you really do if a snake bites you? What are the effects of a snake's venom? Of rubbing up against Poison Ivy? What are the biological mechanisms that create those reactions?) It will give you information about how to deal with the things you shouldn't touch, as well information that will satisfy your intellectual curiosity with all kinds of details you'd never imagine knowing.
And let's face it, if you have kids anything like my kids, you need some kind of reference for what to do when they invariably touch precisely what they aren't supposed to touch. Buy this book, and I swear, you will never go back to staid old reference tomes again.
Son insisted on taking Don't Touch That! with him to preschool a few days after we got it. And then he proceeded to flip to the page about tarantulas and explain to the teacher about how some of them can shoot spiky hairs out of their behinds, which was shortly followed by details of the relationship between the tarantula and the Italian dance, the tarantella. I have to admit, I was impressed at how much he'd retained after just a single reading the night before. I'm sure the great illustrations help in this regard. And so do all the crazy fun facts tucked in and around the useful information. (No, a tarantula bite won't kill you, or even be very harmful. And yes, the tarantella really is a dance named after the tarantula. Read the book to find out why.)
While I personally would have loved to have a little diagram of footprints with arrows to teach me the tarantella (kidding. sort of.) this book far exceeds any reasonable expectations you might have for a book about bugs and plants. And probably many unreasonable ones too.
So here's what I'd do, if I were looking for a present for a child ages 4-8 (and especially feel free to take this as a tip if you're a mother of girls seeking a present for a boy birthday party): I'd buy a copy of this book and then (because it's a bargain at $9.95), I'd pair it with an insect and butterfly net and this super cool bug magnifying jar for endless good times for any budding backyard scientist. In fact, I think I just might be taking my own advice come holiday time for at least one nephew of mine...
So, do yourself and your kids a favor and go check out this book. It's the most fun you'll ever having grossing yourself out.
* Yes, this is the same Jeff Day who is responsible for BusyDad's fantastic new header, as well as his collaborator on the cartoon-straveganza that is BusyDad Tales -- the series of stories written by BusyDad and illustrated by Jeff Day in comics faintly reminiscent of the cartooning style of Bill Watterson's magnificent Calvin and Hobbes.
**Nope, no one has coerced me to write this post, or made writing it a condition of getting the free book, or anything of the sort. I just had to pass on this great recommendation, since the book is such a hit at our house, and I'm so grateful to have won a book that will clearly lead to many good times of exploration in the future.
We know that ALL the stuff in the world -- no matter what its advertisers claim -- can't be the best stuff. And we know you know it too.
So here's the deal: the MommyTime family is game to check out almost anything, and we promise not to waste your time or intelligence beating around the bush about what we find. If we love it, we'll tell you why. If we'd really use it in our everyday lives, we'll tell you how. And if we're not sold, we'll give you enough details so that you can figure out if it might be right for you anyway.
You'll find reviews here of all sorts of products and activities -- some solicited and others voluntary because we found something so BEST it just had to be shared. We'll always tell you which is which.
If you're a small business (we LOVE to support small businesses), or a PR or marketing firm, and you have something you'd like to see reviewed here on The Best Stuff, contact us at thebeststuff2009 [at] gmail [dot] com. We can't promise to adore everything you send, but we can promise we'll be completely honest. And that is surely worth something.
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