Category Archives: Promo

nuSpin Kids BPA Free Zoomi Straw Sippy Cups Review

02/02/2016 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

For a long time, Avery was using the same Sharebear Sippy Cups since she transitioned from the bottle over a year ago. They worked well for anything from water to smoothies and hardly any issue with leaking. That is, until she chewed the nipples to where the rubber wore off and it was just a gaping hole she was drinking from.

We introduced Re-Play Spill Proof Sippy Cups several months ago and they work great too, but only for water, smoothies are too thick. Finally, we were ready to introduce the wonder of the straw and try the nuSpin Kids Zoomi Straw Sippy Cup.

I know many kids start using straws when only a few months old, but we just never tried much until getting these cups. I chose this cup because I was drawn by the simplicity of the parts (easy to clean), being bpa, phthalate, pvc, nitrosamines, and lead free, and good Amazon reviews.

A big concern we had was leaking since Avery was so accustomed to tilting her cups up to drink, but this cup claimed to have a patent pending silicone straw design that minimized spills. It even works when tilted! At first, Avery just gave her new sippy cup the staredown.

nuSpin Sippy Cups, sippy cup

She finally picked it up, but she was still unsure of this contraption with butterflies (you can get Monster Trucks too) a tiny spout.

After a little demo from her parents along with trial and error, and she quickly picked up on the straw.

nuSpin Sippy Cups, sippy cup

Now, this “butterfly cup” is her favorite cup, and just as claimed, when she tilts it up, the leaking is minimal. There are no crazy parts or extra layers that make it hard to clean by hand, but it’s dishwasher safe if you want to go that route.

The valve-free straw has a knob that prevents little hands from pulling it right out and throwing it on the floor; a very necessary feature! But, we do have a problem with her pushing the straw in. Just a little push like this…

nuSpin Sippy Cups, sippy cup

….will result in this…

Boo.

Not a big deal though, just a little wiggle or quick unscrew of the lid to put the straw back and you’re good to go. Until it gets pushed in again, and it will get pushed in again! See update below on how to fix this issue.

We’ve been using this cup as her water and smoothie cup and Avery has no problem with either liquid. At 7oz it holds enough liquid to not be too heavy and is small enough for her little hands to easily pick up.

nuSpin Sippy Cups, sippy cup

For smoothies, I’d suggest using both hands since they are more dense. She doesn’t always do this, but is getting better.

The nuSpin Zoomi Straw Sippy Cup is a great choice for little ones starting at 6 months and is made to last a while. I’m not a fan of having to clean the same cup every day, so I just ordered the Monster Truck cup to keep a nice gender neutral cup collection. Plus, monster trucks are just cool!

Pros:

BPA Free, Phthalate Free, Latex Free, Lead Free
Silicone straw not easily damaged from chewing
Minimal leaking
Easy to clean
Perfect for almost any type of liquid. Really thick smoothies or lots of sediment may pose an issue.
Good size for little hands and fits in cup holders
Graphics have a coating that will not peel off
Dishwasher safe
Durable from crazy toddler abuse

Cons:

Still leaks a little when tilted too much
Straw can easily be pushed inside (See update below)
Wish there was a lid/cover for travel
Made in China

Update: A nuSpin associate kindly left a comment below and gave me a useful tip to solve the straw issue. Just gently pull up on the straw through the hole until the little knob snaps in place. This keeps little fingers from easily pushing it down and prevents leaking even better!

Hope this review helps you with your decision for a good cup for your little ones. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions for other cups in the comments below.

Going Reviews, Promo

Kore Essentials Trakline Express Belt: Upgrade Your Style

01/29/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

I shared my review of the Kore Essentials Trakline Belt several months ago, and now they’ve introduced a new model; the Express Buckle!

Since my initial review, the Trakline is the only belt I’ve worn. From date night to family occasions, I never had to “waist” time with what belt to wear, the Kore Essentials Trakline was a no-brainer. And it’s wife approved!

*cough* Valentine’s Day is coming. *cough*

As a guy who despises having to wear anything that requires a belt, I find that this belt makes it easier for me to accept. And for good reason, it looks damn good and will last forever!

For Kore’s new Express line, they are running a Kickstarter campaign to help get this belt out to the men that want/need a good belt. Even my good dad blogger buddy, Gary (aka Mr. Skipah) is raving about Kore. He better make sure his style is upgraded now that he’s upgraded his living arrangements! 😉

Joking aside, do Karl from Kore (that flows well, huh?) a huge favor and head on over to support their new Trakline Express making it to production. As a small business turning out high quality products, every little bit helps. Plus, you even get a reward when you give your support!

To help with further persuasion (if you even need it), I have my original review below. You can thank Gary for giving me the idea.

No belt holes, but it’s still a belt?

This was my initial thought when I first heard of Kore Essentials and their Trakline belts. They have zero holes, are made of 100% full grain leather, and can be adorned with several unique, fashionable buckles that are solid stainless steel or high-grade alloy.

I love being limited to how my belt fits based on the one-inched spaced holes it has and how ragged it looks after wearing it a while. Said no one, ever.

But this is the case for those primitive belts with holes. Thanks to Kore Essentials, that’s all changed. Their Trakline belts are not only appealing to the eye, they’re high quality pieces of wearable waist art that will last virtually forever!

There’s a reason they are the #1 rated men’s belt on according to customers on Amazon.com, and it’s not because they smell pretty. Actually, the leather is quite pleasant. 🙂

Here’s the 411 on why the Trakline Belt is better than those other belts, direct from the Kore Essentials site:

FUNCTION
NO more belt holes to stretch out, wear out, or punch out yourself. Instead a hidden track sewn into the back of the belt and unique,
patent-pending buckle create a precise fit every time you put it on. The track features 40+ sizing positions (1/4″ increments), making
Trakline belts 8X’s more adjustable than a tradional men’s belt (5 one-inch holes). A discreet tab under the buckle allows you to easily
adjust, or remove the belt fast. Honestly guys, it feels like the belt of the future.

FASHION
We’ve designed a limited collection of classically cool men’s belt buckles for work, play and dress. At last, a mens belt that’s smart, stylish,
and simple to use. Makes a desirable gift for fathers, dads, grads, groommen and any guy looking to upgrade.

FORM
Our men’s belts are constructed of premium Full-Grain Leather (the best grade of leather). Full-grain leather improves with age, conforming
to your actual waist shape. The stainless steel buckles are handformed, 16 gauge, solid stainless steel and the alloy buckles are a high-grade
zinc. We built our belts – to last.

SIZING
Trakline belts fit any waist size from 24” up to 44” (XL sizes to 54″). Try on the belt, then trim off the excess leather (using household scissors)
to attain your optimal size range. Then the 10″ track creates a precise fit as your waist fluctuates in and out every day.

GUARANTEE
If you don’t completely love yourTrakline belt, just send it back within thirty days for a full refund. And of course all our products come with a
one-year, warranty against defects and breakage, to keep you happy.

MISSION
We set out to redefine those basic, essentials items you use each day. Our approach is pure >> blend innovation with superior materials to create
unique, more exciting products that exceed expectations

Annndd, if that weren’t enough, it doubles as a bottle opener! Sold. Where were they when I had a date night with my wife and spent forever trying to open our beer with my crappy, worn out belt with holes?

No funny thoughts..... — No funny thoughts…..

Yes, we were in the car, no, nothing like that. We ate and drank before in the parking lot before going inside to see the Imagine Dragons in concert. It was a great time, but could’ve been better if I had a better belt like the Trakline.

Thanks to the wonderful Karl and all of the Kore Essentials team, I am now the proud owner of their black genuine leather belt with stainless steel Evolve Buckle they sent me to review.

It comes with a handy belt hanger (that plastic thing that looks like a giant two-prong fuse), that allows you to easily hang your prized pants-holder-upper right next to your pants!

The included instructions on how to measure and trim the belt to your appropriate size confused me at first, but then I realized it was just the user….me! Essential-y (see what I did there?), if you have a good idea of your pant waist size, you can go with that number and trim off the excess leather that’s conveniently marked.

Then just clamp the buckle receptacle in place and you’re good to go. Being the goof that I am, I failed to take a picture of the full process, but lucky for you (and me), Kore Essentials has a handy dandy video to watch if needed.

After trimming off your excess leather, do NOT throw it away! It’s a little known fact that things not intended to be toddler toys, are in fact, perfect toddler toys!

Avery loved running around with this quality leather strap and completely ignored her actual toys for a full day! Even Going Mom was impressed.

I made use of my fancy new belt for a date night with Kelley last weekend and simply loved how perfect if fit around my waist. No in between holes where it’s too tight or too lose, it was just right. Hence the boyish smile I had when posting my attire on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by RC Liley (@going_dad)

The shirt was tucked in to give a good view of the belt, but I quickly had to un-tuck after the picture was taken. We never had to open a beer bottle that day, but it was nice knowing I could if I needed to!

One of the great things about the belt is how easy and fast it is to adjust. After gulping a liter of water, I needed to loosen up a little, and with the Trakline, I could even do it on the “fly”. Bam, I’m on fire!

I love having a belt I can count on and quickly get on and off, and this belt allows just that. Plus it looks good, will last me a long time, and it looks good. Wait, did I already say that?

This would make a perfect gift for the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, or as a “just cuz” gift to the man in your life. Head over to the Kore Essentials site and pick one or a few belts and use code SAVE15 to save 15% off your order.

Going Green, Promo

Cloth Diapering: What You Need to Get Started

01/27/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

We’ve been cloth diapering since Avery was born two years ago. Making the decision to use cloth instead of disposable diapers was a bit daunting at first (especially the cleaning part!), but it turned out to hardly be an issue.

cloth diapering, cloth diapers — Avery at 4 months helping me “organize” clean diapers.

Other than the obvious reason that cloth diapers are less wasteful than disposables, they actually save money. Another big reason is that so many disposable diapers are full of chemicals that found to be toxic to humans but still allowed use in diapers; at least in the U.S. Since I’m just here to show you our cloth diaper setup, you can read all about cloth diapers vs disposables on the Real Diaper Association site.

While I won’t claim that cloth diapering is enjoyable, far from, it is rewarding and poses many benefits to your wallet, baby’s skin, and the world. That said, cleaning crap off of the diapers several times a day can really get to you. So, in full disclosure, I admit that we do use disposables every now and then. Not the ones full of chemicals, but eco-friendly diapers from Honest Company are our go-to choice.

Just had to get that out of the way.

Our Cloth Diaper Setup

We use all BumGenius cloth diapers with most being their 4.0 model along with some Elementals and Freetimes. These are pocket diapers that require inserts. We use the BumGenius One Size inserts and stuff them into each clean diaper so they’re ready to go. They are all ~~nicely placed~~ crammed into a drawer in Avery’s room.

cloth diapering, cloth diaper

We never tried other brands, but we would if we could start over again. These work great, but now that Avery is older and so active/drinking and eating more, we have more leaks. The elastic can also wear out over time, but that’s probably a common issue in most cloth diapers.

For cleaning that precious bottom, we use bumGenius Natural Flannel wipes and a homemade spray solution that Going Mom makes.

cloth diapering, cloth diaper

To deal with the messy diapers, you NEED a diaper sprayer! The Bumkins Cloth Diaper sprayer is what we use and it has served us well. It does leak a little after spraying, but not much, and installation is easy with included instructions. We used heavy duty 3M double-sided tape to mount it on the side of the toilet and it’s been there ever since.

cloth diapering, cloth diaper

I also recommend the Spray Pal to avoid, ummmmm……splatters. It helps, trust me.

spray pal, cloth diapering

We use the Dekor Diaper Pail with the Dekor Diaper Pail Liner (of course) to store dirty diapers until it’s time for a dirty diaper load of laundry. Just remove the diaper inserts and toss everything in. Make sure you get rid of most of the poop!!

The liners come in a 2 pack, so when we take one liner bag out, we simply replace it with the other.

cloth diapering, cloth diaper

To wash, we the turn the liner inside out to get all of the dirty diapers out and run everything, liner included, on a quick wash/rinse cycle with no soap. What you clean your diapers with is very important as to avoid skin rashes on your kid. Make sure it’s natural and unscented. We have been using Charlie’s Liquid Soap without issue and highly recommend it for all of your laundering.

This is our basic setup that works for us. Some might have more of an elaborate setup and some may have less, it’s all personal preference. Since we’ve been at it for 2 years, I feel we have enough experience to share what we use in hopes it will help others interested in making the switch or just getting started.

Do you currently use cloth diapers?

Has this helped or deterred you from starting?