Product Review: Moodeez

Have you ever been frustrated to discover a new, unused tampon or maxi pad has unwrapped itself in your purse, rendering it dirty and useless? Has it ever been the last one you had in there? Was it at a time when you desperately needed one? I think every woman on Earth has had that happen a couple dozen times.

During a recent shopping trip, I bought both tampons and maxi pads. The box of maxi pads had a free gift, something called a Moodeez. I had never heard of it. I figured if it was total crap I could always trash it when I got home, or give it away.

As soon as I got the Moodeez out of the box, I knew there was no way I was going to get rid of it. It was stylish and compact. The quality of craftsmanship is excellent. This pouch is made of two layers of fabric (a printed outer fabric with a color-coordinated solid inner fabric) for extra durability and stability. I immediately loaded it up. In over two weeks of being shamelessly abused and tossed around inside my purse, all the contents are still in perfect condition. I have yet to find the flap has come open. Quite frankly, I don't expect to. The hook-and-loop closure isn't made of the heaviest-duty material out there, but it isn't made of the cheapest, either. It fastens really, really well.

Isn't it beautiful? This print is called Patti Paisley. I was able to pack mine with two ultra-thin maxi pads and five tampons (two ultra size and one each of the super, regular and light size). I think I could stuff either one more PDF or tampon in there, but that might be a tight squeeze. The manufacturer says this will hold two pads and 4-5 tampons, so I'm already maxing this poor thing out, I think

One of the perks is it's fabric. With no batting or other filler. It can be washed if it gets a little grungy. I totally plan on washing mine in cold water and laying it flat or hanging it to dry when it starts to look filthy.

These retail on their website Moodeez.com for $14.99 each, plus shipping. They currently offer 12 patterns to choose from, with gorgeous names like Cherry Wallflower, Dainty Damask and Happy Dots. They are all absolutely fabulous looking. For a limited time you can snag one free in a box of specially marked Tampax® or Always® products.

You can also like the Moodeez Facebook page for Moodeez giveaways and more.

And now, for the obligatory fine print: I got my Moodeez for free in a box of ultra-thin Always®. I just happened to notice some of the boxes had extra writing on them. Turns out it was the above-photographed feminine product caddy. Moodeez is not compensating me for writing this review, except for the good fortune I had at my local Walmart in finding one free in my box of sanitary napkins. The good people at Moodeez don't even know I'm writing this review of their stellar product. Also, I like waffles.

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Android App review - Do It Tomorrow - FREE app

I found a totally cool, totally free app for managing my master to-do list. My written to-do list is my brain's dumping ground for every time I think, "Oh, yeah. I need to..." Paper lists frustrate the Dickens out of me. They look so... disorganized. Disheveled. They look like they should come with a raging case of bed-head and kickin' morning breath.
Not so with this app. You type in your item and tap on the Done button. That's it. Drag and drop makes reordering and prioritizing a snap. You can cross items off your list when they're complete, or move the items to tomorrow if you need to. If you don't complete a task by the end of the day it automatically gets moved to the next day.

There are even two font options. Regular looks just like a regular typeface. Handwriting is a really pretty font to give your list that pretty (duh) handwritten feel, but neater.

The only problem, for those who want to pencil in an exact date to do something, is you can only view today and tomorrow in the Android app. That doesn't matter to me, though, since I use this as my master to-do list. If I need to schedule and actual date or time to do something I write it in my spiffy momAgenda planner (more on that at a later date).
Do It Tomorrow is more than an Android app. There are also apps for the iPhone, iPhone HD, iPad, and a web-based version (found at www.tomorrow.do).  And if you have a need for more than one version (say, for instance, a phone app, an iPad app, and the web version) you can set it up to sync between all the versions you (or your family) use. You just have to use the same email address in each version that you want to sync. Totally cool!

I have personally only tried the Android app, but I love it. It caters to my ADHD.

And now, for the mandatory fine print: I have not been paid in any way to write this post. The good folks behind Do It Tomorrow don't even know I'm writing this. I do have the free Android app, which I stumbled upon in the Android Market completely by accident. No one recommended this app to me. I didn't read about it anywhere before I saw it in the Market. The opinions expressed above are mine alone. The only version of Do It Tomorrow I have tried is the Android app. I have no idea if the other versions are just as cool.

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Product Review: Udder Covers

Photo taken from www.uddercovers.com

I promised a review of my free-plus-shipping Udder Covers, and here it is.

Please note, I received my Udder Covers for free by using a promo code posted on someone else's blogger (don't remember who) the first time I ordered, and by using a promo code Udder Covers emailed out to, I'm guessing, their entire e-mail list, the second time I ordered. Udder Covers has not, as of yet, provided me with any free product in exchange for a mention on my blog, a product review, or anything else that might give them a little publicity. I love their product, and choose to blog about it, unbeknownst to them.

I bought scored my first {free} Udder Cover many months ago. I don't remember when, exactly. I tried to look it up on PayPal, but I must not have used PayPal to pay for the first one's shipping. Anyway, I ordered my first one back when they offered solid colors. I ordered a light blue solid. I was delighted when I received it in the mail. I was even more delighted when I used it the first time.

Ya know, breastfeeding your first child is hard the first couple of months. It's clumsy, it hurts, and innocent bystanders are apt to get a surprise view of Mama's Tatas if you're not careful, or if the baby moves, or if.......

Anyway, I found it really hard those first few months to nurse my son in public (meaning outside of our house, or outside of the bedroom if we had company). I wanted to nurse my son on demand, but I wanted to retain my modesty and dignity. I didn't want my brothers-in-law getting flashed in the process. One of my grandfathers wasn't bothered in the least by my nursing in the same room as him (as long as I tried to keep some modesty about it all), while the other preferred for me to go into another room, even if I covered up.

Strangers in the grocery store all had their own opinion, and I had them voiced to me more than once. (Thankfully for them I only got the good-for-you-I-nursed-my-babies-too-and-at-least-you're-modest-enough-to-cover-up-in-public, and not anyone who tried to convince me to nurse my child in a bathroom stall.) I always covered up if someone was uncomfortable by my nursing (family members - mostly the males) or if I was out in public. This was difficult because my baby was born in the middle of June. In Alabama. Do you have any idea how hot it is in Alabama in the middle of June? (Not quite as hot as it usually is in August in Alabama, but close enough for discomfort.)

I worried that the blanket, even receiving blankets, made him too hot. They trapped carbon dioxide. I had read that researchers now believe this to be a contributor of SIDS. My baby liked to fall asleep while nursing if you didn't watch him. Blankets had to be held in place if you or the baby were moving around. I couldn't grocery shop, carry the baby in my front carrier, hold my boob in his mouth, and hold a blanket up (while juggling shopping list, coupon book, copy of our menu plan, etc. etc. etc.). I was new at this Mommy stuff. I hadn't yet developed the ability to juggle five things at once while holding baby and nursing while retaining my "modest blanket".

Enter the Udder Cover. I had seen similar items on the internet, and even tutorials for making your own. I liked the idea (I have a couple of totes full of fabric-by-the-yard-or-five). I have a sewing machine. What I didn't have was time in my busy day to sit down, cut out one or a dozen, and sew them all up. I didn't have time to sleep hardly. (At least it felt that way, with the baby needing sustenance every 2-3 hours.)

The Udder Cover is a large piece of fabric, big enough to cover a nursing baby from your collar bone to your hips. It has a long, thin, piece of fabric at the top, and two D-rings. You thread the long piece of fabric around the back of your neck and through the D-rings. Ta-da! The cover stays in place. The top edge has a rigid neckline, which makes it stand out away from you slightly, allowing you to peek in on your little nursing cherub.

This product is simply amazing. I love it so much I have already ordered and received a second cover. I just ordered a gift set for myself. I want to try out the breast pads. If they are anything as good as the Udder Cover itself is, I'll be ordering quite a few of them the next time we get crazy and decide to breed (another) spawn.

I have used my Udder cover everywhere. Wal-mart during grocery shopping? Check. My hands stayed free for buggy pushing, item grabbing, list marking, and coupon culling. Christmas with our families (times three)? Check. No male family member was made to look at my boobies. Pumping breast milk in the car (not while driving, but while riding shotgun) or at work? Check. Co-workers and other people on the road were not shocked by the sudden sight of two stark-white boobs. Nursing our son in the living room, and unexpected company shows up? Got it under control. Throw this on and we're good to go.

This thing has lived in my diaper bag, my work bag, on the back of the couch.... I usually kept my strap ran through my D-rings and loose enough that I can slip it on over my head if need be. Then I could just throw it on the back of the couch behind me, and if company showed up I could grab it and throw it on without getting up or disturbing my son. That was handy.

I am hoping to order a few Gift Sets and a few Udder Covers to keep on hand for gifts. I think every breastfeeding mother should own one when they first start out. It would have made my life so much easier in the beginning.

I do have one complaint, but it is minor (to me). This cover wrinkles pretty easily. I am somewhat lacking in housewife skills, so mine usually sits in the dryer and the laundry basket for a while before being folded, so maybe it's just me. I'm sure if I took it out while still warm and folded it, it would not be near as wrinkled. It could also be ironed, if one was so inclined. (I own an iron. Somewhere in my house. Maybe on the shelf above my dryer? I haven't used it in forever, but that's where I think it is.) However, the trade-off is the fact that it is made out of a very lightweight, very breathable cotton fabric. Great for summertime. It wasn't too unbearably hot underneath it, unlike receiving blankets. Add in the convenience of the strap and the rigid neckline, and this is a great product. The fact that the prints are beautiful is a bonus. There should be a style for everybody.

****I have not received any direct compensation from Udder Covers. I did receive both of my Udder Covers for free (plus shipping charges), however, I received them for free using a promo code open to everyone who wished to use that code. Udder Covers has not, directly or indirectly, compensated me in any way for blogging about their awesome product. If they wish to do so, I would be more than happy to take some free stuff off their hands. {Wink, wink!}

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