Tag Archives: going review

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.

Parenting

biPro 100% Natural Whey Protein Isolate

01/26/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

I recently introduced whey protein back into my diet by being very cautious of the quality of the ingredients. When biPro offered to send me a few samples to try, I did a quick search for ingredients on their site and saw enough to spark my interest.

A short list of ingredients is usually a great starting point. Whey protein isolate and sunflower lecithin in their unflavored protein is as short as they’ll come. Which makes a very clean supplement facts list….

whey protein isolate

For their flavored products (just chocolate and vanilla), natural flavors, cocoa (for chocolate), monk fruit, and stevia are all that’s added. Stevia is my preferred natural, no calorie, and tasty sweetener of choice, so when I see it in products, I assume some level of quality care is used in the creation.

biPro 100% whey protein isolate

This holds true for biPro, but I would prefer to see the whey come from grass-fed cows and the rest of the ingredients to be non-gmo to truly stand apart. This isn’t a deal breaker, but would make me feel better about implementing biPro as a daily supplement.

biPro 100% whey protein isolate

Nevertheless, I found that their powder mixes easily in any liquid and tastes surprisingly good with such a short list of ingredients. Actually, I love vanilla, and their French Vanilla mixed just in water satisfied my sweet tooth. At first it was a little too much, but I just needed to add a little more water to dilute and it made a perfectly healthy and tasty pre/post workout drink.

I used the chocolate to mix into overnight oats which turned out amazing and was a real treat mixed with Greek yogurt and strawberries for a healthy, muscle-building “dessert”. I didn’t have enough to try, but can only imagine biPro Whey Protein Isolate would make a wonderful Protein Microwave Cake or even Whole Grain Protein Beer Bread if you use their Unflavored Protein.

If you’re looking for a high quality, naturally sweetened whey protein isolate that has no sugar, carbs, fat, or lactose, biPro is a good choice. While I wish it were non-gmo and the source of the whey was from grass-fed cows, I would still have it on occasion and offer it to others looking for a healthy whey protein supplement.

One thing that stands out about biPro is how they support giving back to our most precious assets; kids. They have fundraising options that anyone can take part of to raise funds for schools. To learn more on how you can discover a new whey to raise money and give nutritious protein to your kids’ school, click here or on the picture below.