Therafit Shoes: Comfy gift for grandmothers and others

Therafit Shoes: Comfy gift for grandmothers and others

By the time you get to be a grandma, you’ve put a heckuva lot of miles on your feet. Most of us hope to have many more miles to go, though, and we want that mileage to be racked up in comfort. And style, too.

Which is why Therafit Shoes are perfect for grandmothers. They’re built for comfort yet are fabulously fashionable. I recently received a pair of Therafit Shoes for review and can fully attest to both claims.

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DOZZI Natural White Noise Machine by WITTI a doozy of a baby shower gift

DOZZI Natural White Noise Machine by WITTI a doozy of a baby shower gift

My newest grandson will soon arrive, and the baby shower for his mama — my eldest daughter — is on the calendar. With Brianna's shower scheduled, all things baby have been on my brain lately. She'll receive a nursery glider from her dad and me (not a secret, so no spoiler here) but I plan to present her with a few other little goodies, too, as grandmas do.

Yet as I peruse the possibilities, everything seems so, well, generic, typical, common. All that's on Brianna's registry is adorable, yes, but I'm looking for something a little different, useful gifts versus

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Utter Nonsense: Family Edition a hilarious game for holiday gifting

Utter Nonsense: Family Edition a hilarious game for holiday gifting

My husband has a thing about accents. He's long goofed off with our girls by speaking in (egregiously incorrect) accents, from Spanish to French to Australian and so forth. He gets a ridiculous kick out of hearing Siri speak in different languages, and has his own Siri set to the Australian male voice.

So when I mentioned I'd been offered Utter nonsense! The Hilarious Accent Game free for review, he was all over that. "Oh, you gotta get it!" he announced (in what I think may have been an Australian accent with a Spanish lilt).

I requested the game, and as soon as it arrived I saw its potential for wacky fun with my loved ones.

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Greedy Granny game a goofy good time for grandkids and grandparents

Greedy Granny game a goofy good time for grandkids and grandparents

Stereotypes of grandmas abound, and there's none more stereotypical than the star of Greedy Granny, the new offering from Goliath Games. Granny of the game is pin-curl coiffed, dons granny glasses, a lace-collared dress, and knee-high socks with pink slippers. She's wrinkled about the mouth and forehead and wears dentures that fly from her mouth when startled. She naps in a recliner, arthritic hands clutching the arms.

She's the stereotypical grandma caricature of comics and cartoons and commercials created by folks who apparently haven't seen a real grandma in several decades. A kind of grandma I can't imagine any child born in the past 30 years has ever seen, as grandmas are nothing like the stereotype. Or like Greedy Granny.

That said, It's silly to get one's grandma briefs in a bunch over the depiction, as Greedy Granny — stereotype or not — was surely innocently crafted for nothing but fun. And fun the game definitely is.

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Tender, tasty, quick, and easy meals courtesy Cosori Electric Pressure Cooker (review)

Pressure cookers have intrigued me for nearly 50 years. They've also scared me that long, thanks to the monstrous meal-making machine that spouted steam and terror in my mom's kitchen as well as my grandma's decades ago.

I've always wanted to learn how to make meals with a pressure cooker. It just seemed that's what grandmas are supposed to do. Or at least try. But the idea the pressurized pan might go kabang has prevented me from giving such culinary craftiness a try.

Until now. Until I learned there's an electric — safe and kabang-proof — pressure cooker. Until I was offered the opportunity to review for free the safe, sturdy, and stylish Electric Pressure Cooker by Cosori.

 cosori electric pressure cooker

When I first unpacked and prepared my pressure cooker for cooking, my husband asked, "Are you sure that thing's not gonna explode?" Which confirmed that he, too, recalled pressure-cooker fears...

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ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale: The key to perfect portion control

Portion control is key to a better bottom line, whether we're talking one's budget or body. Buying in bulk and portioning out pieces and servings saves money. Portioning out the correct serving sizes when gobbling goodies at snack time saves calories.

It takes a precise kitchen scale for perfect portioning, though, as eye balling just doesn't cut it. The ETEKCITY Digital Kitchen Scale — a handy dandy tool I recently received free for review — portions precisely, perfectly. Every time.

etekcity digital kitchen scale 

The sleek Digital Kitchen Scale has an 11-pound capacity and measures ingredients by grams, milliliters, pounds and ounces. It also has...

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Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack Tiles: Innovative magnetic fun (Review)

Before I delve into my review of Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack playsets, I must first apologize.

I must apologize for using the "C" word here. That "C" word being, well, Christmas.

See, if you're anything like me, you abhor the idea of considering Christmas before summer has even come to a close. But, as these nifty playsets are ideal, imagination-stretching gifts for girls and boys of all ages (well, age 3+ is the recommendation), I simply must note that Shape Mags are absolutely perfect for giving — and getting... for Grandma's playroom — for Christmas.

There. I said it. Forgive me and let's move on... to the review.

shape mags

I received free for review the Shape Mags Magnetic Stick N' Stack Tiles Starter Set...

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Pick and Draw game: Artistic fun for all ages, with a group or on one's own

A deck of cards plus a pencil (with an eraser) and paper are all that's needed for hours of fun — as long as the cards are from the Pick and Draw game.

The Pick and Draw game, created by picture book illustrator Rich Davis, makes me think of those painting places where a group of soon-to-be artists receive the very same instruction yet create fabulously unique paintings, each masterpiece just like the others... but different.

pick and draw game

That's the idea behind Pick and Draw, only, the creative result is a comical cartoon. Funky...

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