In the works!

We have exciting news for our followers!  Coming soon you will find reviews on subscription boxes just in time for holidays, great gift ideas for the Goofy Goobers in your life!  Also, readers have emailed and asked for cloth diaper safe rash treatment reviews, line up style (best - worst) this too is coming VERY soon!  Stay tuned for those and then of course for our other 'normal' reviews! haha normal what is that anyway?!

Do you Sumo?

Okay so maybe you don't Sumo wrestle, but do you use the ZoLi Sumo?!  I'll be honest I had no idea what it was when I read about it!  I wanted something to hold a few snacks in the diaper bag for each Goofy Goober while we were out and about and that's when I discovered the ZoLi Sumo! 

So here she is in all her glory:

It has 3 compartments that all screw together to make 1 large stacked storage piece, or you can use the lid and only use 1 or 2 at a time!  Each compartment easily holds 1 cup of snacks! For this experiment I used wheat crisp cereal, grapes, and popcorn!  

 

Here are my thoughts on the ZoLi Sumo.  Does it hold quite a bit? Yes it does. However it takes up a decent amount of space in diaper bags.  It is 'beefy' that is for sure.  Its meant to hold the bigger type snacks, like fruits or cereals etc and it does this quite well!  Orange slices, grapes, strawberries or cheese cubes would all fit easily inside any of the compartments on the ZoLi Sumo! It retails for $18.00 to some this is a great deal and to others its a deal breaker!  I was a little on the fence with the price.

PROS:  Save yourself the plastic bag if you can and just use this guy!  The bigger snack items will fit.  It holds enough for each of your Goofy Goobers to have their own snack, or for them to pick a variety to all share! (sharing is a concept we are learning in this house!)  

CONS:  Because it is the Sumo, its almost super sized ha!  It does take up a chunk of space inside my diaper bag.  I think the retail price 'could' be a little over priced for what you get.  Just my frugal Goofy Goober mom brain thinking, the price may not matter to others tho!

So from 1-10 (1 being do NOT buy this and 10 being RUN and buy) I give this a 7.

Yes it'll be useful, but was it worth the hype I read on it? That part I'm not convinced on.  

If you're hungry and you know it.....

Happy Saturday Goofy Goober fans!!! 

  

 So, if your family is anything like mine, tomorrow the TV will be off limits to anything but football!    If you check out the 'Recipe' page here you will find a link to a yummy chili recipe! Toss it in the slow cooker during pregame and by the time your fan says hes hungry it'll be done!  Try it out tell me if you liked it! 

A homeschooling review just for you!

Lets talk ABC's and 123's 

Its time to tell you about my experience with Time4Learning!   As you may or may not know I am a homeschooling mom to our Goofy Goobers.  It is a personal choice and is not right for every family but for ours it is the perfect choice!   We started looking for a program to use when our oldest Goober was almost ready to start kindergarten.  I read a lot of reviews on boxed curriculum packages and other online resources, and most of them all mentioned Time4Learning.com which is when I decided to head on over and check them out! 

  At first glance the sample lessons look like mini games which of course peaked oldest Goofy Goobers interest!  After looking over the sample lessons on a few subjects we both agreed she would like this is as her 'school' actually I believe her exact words were " I want the mouse to be my teacher!"   She breezed through kindergarten and here we are a year later in first grade still on Time4Learning!

Does she get burned out on it? Yes.  Would she get burned out in public school? Probably, what kid doesn't at some point right?!  

I have found some of the lessons are a bit advanced for her development level, yes my Goofy Goober is a bit slower than others in some areas which is a reason why I LOVE Time4Learning.  Ready for this?  If your child is doing a subject and it is too difficult for them OR too easy even, you have the ability to go down a grade or advance a grade level in a subject!  Wow right?!  They don't have to struggle with it because they aren't ready for whats being covered, or at the same time if they already know it, they can move on to something that will challenge them! 

We use Time4Learning as our main curriculum, although we toss in added worksheets, art projects etc. that she is interested in just to try to keep learning fun and exciting.  

Would I recommend this program to other parents? Yes, and I have many times!  You do NOT have to be a homeschooling parent to use this! It can be an addition to public school for after school or use it on sick days.  It would be perfect for keeping up with skills learned or even getting ahead during the summer too!  Right now its $19.95 a month for grades PK- 8, and $30 a month for High School for what they learn I feel its worth the price. Oh I forgot to tell you, if you have siblings enrolled (like my Goofy Goobers) the price for each additional child is $14.95!  You can cancel your membership at any time too, so if you feel its not the perfect fit for your own Goofy Goobers you're free to cancel and find what does work for you! 

PROS: Its easy to use! It keeps kids attention (which with a child with ADHD this is a HUGE bonus)  The ability to customize the grade level if a subject is too hard or easy has been very nice.  Plus they just added a High School levels now too! Now I can't predict where we will be when our Goofy Goobers are in those grade levels, but I think I would come back to this if nothing else than to help them retain what they've learned already at that point!

The fact you can pay monthly is very nice as well, you don't have to prepay for an entire year and hope your child will enjoy it all year long! If you find you or your child no longer like it, you're able to cancel! 

CONS:  The only real con I can find so far is she does get burned out on it.  However, I don't know a single kid that will happily go to school every single day without complaining at least once in a while, ha ha!   

So our final review of Time4Learning on a scale of 1-10 (1 being do NOT buy and 10 being RUN and buy)  we give this an 8. 

The only reason we give it an 8 is because she does get burned out but this is not the programs fault entirely!   They are always improving things to make it a better place to learn! 

Please note the following:

As a member of Time4Learning, I have been given the opportunity to review their program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. For more information, check out their standards-based curriculum or learn how to write your owncurriculum review.

Run, Skip, Jump or Hop....

Did you skip or hop over here to read this?!  

Up next on our review list are Skip*Hop Zoo Packs!  I'm sure you have seen them in stores, or online in photos right?!  If not, you're in for a visual treat! They come in SO many fun animals each one is unique and fun! 

 Recently each of our Goofy Goobers recently got one of these to try out!! 

They hold quite a bit for being a toddler/preschool sized backpack I was very surprised!   I was able to put 2 books, a water bottle, a toy, ZoLi sumo snack container, fruit snacks, and a few pull ups in it.  I could have possibly fit more if I really wanted to! (I was just packing things in it I had within reach)  Perfect for a day trip to the zoo, park or for traveling! 

PROS:  They have the cute factor going on that is for sure!  I like that because there are so many choices to pick from hopefully you wont have the typical sibling fight over one bag! ( I said hopefully!)   

They hold quite a bit more than I thought they would which is always nice! These would work nicely for plane rides as carry on bags for 'busy toys' too. 

CONS:  The zipper pull tags they use seem a bit thin, to me it feels like that part of this bag wont last as long as the rest of the backpack.

The straps on them don't adjust very much either, they're okay for a younger toddler, but if you had an older almost school aged child who wanted one it may be a tight fit! (depending on the size of your Goofy Goober!)  

So our final thoughts on Skip*Hop Zoo Packs 1-10 (1 being do NOT buy and 10 being RUN and buy) I give these a 9.   

They are quite cute and kids love them plus the fact they all have matching lunch bags is a HUGE bonus! 

Attention please... Calling all Eco Nuts ...

Are you an Eco Nut?

Okay, okay so maybe you're not an Eco-nut, but have you heard of Eco Nuts laundry detergent?  I'll be honest, I was a huge huge skeptic when I saw that a nut/berry could clean anything!  (yes I may be a semi-crunchy mom to three Goofy Goobers but even I wasn't convinced!)  

If you haven't heard of them, you're probably asking yourself Eco Nuts... whats that!? So let me tell you what they are first.   

 "Eco Nuts®  Soap Nuts are a berry that grows in the Himalayas that naturally produces a soap.  The soap is called saponin, a natural cleaner that works as a surfactant, breaking the surface tension of the water to penetrate the fibers of your clothing, lifting stains from the fabric and leaving dirt suspended in the water that is rinsed away.Eco Nuts are gentle on both clothes and skin, making them ideal for those with sensitive skin, eczema, allergies and psoriasis. Because they are so mild, they are perfect for baby clothes and cloth diapers. All-Natural Eco Nuts are also great for septic and grey water systems."  

So now that I've told you what they are... here is what they look like! 

I love how SMALL the packaging is, I mean for 100 loads its pretty slim! Here is the box next to my 'old' laundry detergent, same amount of washes per container! (less clutter makes this Goober mom very happy!)

Okay, so as I said before I was skeptic but I tried, and I don't ever see my family going back to 'normal' detergents! All you do is put 4-5 'nuts/berries' in the included satchel tie it (you get 2 satchels in the box), and drop in the washer.  When the load is done you take the satchel out to dry or toss it in the next load right away!  4-5 nuts will last you approximately 10 loads.  Then get this, you can either toss them out OR compost them in your garden! (can you do that with other detergents?!)    Oh did I mention if you are a liquid detergent user you can either buy the liquid version of this or make your own from the Eco Nuts in the box?! 

Pros: EASY to use! My Goofy Goobers think it is fun to help count the Eco Nuts out and put them in the satchel.   

They leave our clothes really soft and smelling very clean. 

 Works on our cloth diapers too and because it comes with 2 satchels, you can use one for normal clothes washing (4-5 Eco Nuts) and one for cloth diapers (2-4 Eco Nuts) if you wanted to!   

Straight from nature, you can't get much better than this, no chemicals at all!

Cons: The ONLY con I have to this review was that I didn't try them sooner!

So my final review of 1-10 (1 being do NOT buy and 10 being RUN out and buy) this is a 10! RUN don't walk, skip or hop to buy/try them! 

 If you want to try something that is completely chemical free, fragrance free, hypoallergenic, non-toxic that actually kills odors too, then this is it! You can give up your detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets and SAVE money by switching to EcoNuts

* Eco Nuts are NUT ALLERGY SAFE*

Psst... Here's a hint at our new review coming tonight!

Here is a hint at our next amazing review hitting computer screens, facebook and cell phones everywhere tonight!!! Whats small, brown and found in nature that does a great job at cleaning! Stay tuned to find out! In the mean time what do you think it is?! Comment with your ideas. I'll be watching!  

READY....SET....GO!!!!!

       Here we go ladies and gents! Our first ever review is on FunBites!   Have you heard of them?!   Yes, No? Drum roll please because here we go!

       FunBites is a kitchen tool that will make even the pickiest eater want to eat!  I know this because one of my Goofy Goobers is an extremely picky eater and well, when the food was cut into these fun shapes she magically ate it!  Awesome right?! Its like a parents dream come true, a simple EASY way to cut up healthy foods into shapes and designs that make food 'FUN'!  

       What are they? Well let me show you! Ta-da these are FunBites!    

They have the rocking base that cuts the foods (fruit, cheese, bread, tortillas, pancakes ANYTHING!)  and a plunger to pop the foods out of the holes!  

For this review I did bread, cheddar cheese and apples to make mini snacks for my Goofy Goobers!  

Ok so ready for my final thoughts?!! Yeah I thought so too! 

PROS:   Great idea to help picky eaters try new things, or for school lunches for a fun surprise!  

Easy to clean, they suggest hand washing 

however say dishwasher is okay if you wash them pieced together! 

CONS:  Maybe it was just me, but it took a bit of force to get through the cheese.  I made it through but It wasn't as fast as the apples or bread! However, this is my only con I can find! 

    hmm.. I wonder if these would work on spinach so I can build up some muscles! HaHa (Just kidding, maybe!)

So my overall rating from 1-10 (1 being do NOT buy and 10 being RUN and buy it!!) for FunBites is an 8!!

 My Goofy Goobers love it, so that right there is worth it to me! FunBites has offered my readers a special coupon code! Head over to FunBites and use "Goobers" to get yourself 20% off! 

Like my review on FunBites? Have you tried them yet? Leave a comment if so, I always like to read other parents opinions on things!! Oh, and be on the look out for a GIVE-A-WAY yes you read that right! I'll be posting details on how you can win one of these to try out and use in your own kitchen with your Goofy Goobers! 

Ready or not here we come!!

Our very FIRST review is coming!!! Get excited, get VERY EXCITED!!! Could be a give-a-way , could not be... you'll have to follow us and find out for sure!!! After all... you wouldn't want to miss it if there was now would you?!  Here's a hint at the product, it comes in fun colors and shapes, and may help your picky eater, be not so picky! Got your attention?! :)  -The anticipation is a killer right?-

Welcome to Three Little Goofy Goobers!

Here on Three Little Goofy Goobers you will find my personal reviews on products aimed towards making life with minis 'easier'!  I am a cloth diapering, homeschooling semi 'crunchy' mom so each week I will review a new product, service or recipe (yummy right?!)I'll include photos and links to where you can find the item should you decide to try it out on your own!! OH, and make sure you check back often, because while I will be reviewing items... you'll also get the chance to win items on occasion too! (who doesn't LOVE freebies!)