Glandex Soft Chews

Buy them here: https://www.chewy.com/glandex-soft-chews-anal-gland-support/dp/118577

Having worked for a dog groomer, I learned more than I wanted to about anal glands. It was a messy job, but I learned a valuable lesson about nipping the scoot in the bud. So, while my pooch doesn't scoot often he has recently been scooting so I knew I needed to try something. Then I was presented with the opportunity to sample this product, perfect timing! Well, I can definitely say it worked for my dog and he seems to enjoy the taste, though he's never been a picky eater so that shouldn't be surprising. The chews are peanut butter flavored so I think most dogs would like it, because what dog doesn't eat peanut butter whenever presented with the opportunity? It's also important to note that Tippy only has minor issues with scooting/anal gland impaction so I can't vouch for how this product would work for a more severe case. If your dog has severe impaction you should consult your vet. You should also consult your vet prior to giving this or any other supplement to your dog.

INNX Ergonomic camping chair

I got this INNX Ergonomic camping chair at a discount to review.

My husband had quite a few of these style camping chairs, though none of this brand, before we married. Some of them have been lost or damaged since then so when I was presented a chance to get a new one at a discount I figure I might as well. We're going to need a lot of extra seating this summer anyway since MIL is having a family reunion here. My husband was the first to test the chair but he wasn't fond of it. I, on the other hand, really like the chair. I think it's really comfortable and the kids seem to like it too. I like that the chair has a mesh seat to allow breathability. Nothing worse than a sweaty but, am I right? My hubby's big complaint about the chair is how low it sits, but I don't mind sitting low though I do think a footrest is a good addition. I will probably buy more of these in the future.



#RORAIMA #CAMPINGCHAIR #OUTDOORCHAIR

Productivity Hacks EBook

I got this Productivity Hacks EBook free to review.

As a professional procrastinator, this book seemed like a godsend to me. I really need to be more productive sometimes, but it's a struggle. So I figured a book of productivity hacks would be a great help to me. But then I started reading it. There is first a section of the book about productivity killing habits. Seems like a good place to start a book about improving productivity, right? There are some noticeable grammatical errors early and often through out this book. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that everyone makes grammar errors. Hell, I do all the time right here in this very blog, but when you are publishing a book and expecting people to pay you money for it there is a reasonable assumption that the book will be edited for grammar and spelling prior to publishing.

But right now we're going to focus on the content of the book, specifically the bad habits section. First of all, the book lists watching morning news as a bad habit. Really? How is being informed a bad habit? That's just stupid and wrong. The author also considers "big picture thinking" to be a bad habit. I understand that sometimes you should focus on the details, but sometimes the big picture is more important. The author lists porn as a bad leisure habit. Okay, I get it, porn is a shameful subject we aren't supposed to talk about in civilized society, but let's be honest here: everyone watches porn on occasion. That's not a bad thing. It's okay to watch porn, as long as you aren't watching anything illegal or allowing your viewing habits to supersede your obligations. Under poor hygeine habits it lists not bathing every morning. Well personally I bathe at night, so I don't bring filth into my clean bed. It also lists "wearing clothes more than once a week" as a bad hygeine habit. I assume the author meant wearing the same clothes more than once without washing them. Otherwise we all need to become nudists to be productive.

Once you get through the bad habits section there is some good advice and info, though the book is still riddled with grammatical errors. I think the useful info in the later sections of the book outweigh the grammatical errors. I wouldn't buy this book at full price, but when it's on sale I think it is a worthy investment.

Janusz Korczak: The Man who Knew how to Love Children

I received a copy of the ebook Janusz Korczak: The Man who Knew how to Love Children to review.

This is a childrens book, and it's basically just a short biography of Janusz Korczak. I'd heard of Janusz Korczak before, but I didn't know much about him beyond his belief in treating children with respect, which I wholeheartedly agree with. This book was written and illustrated by a man who grew up in his care. It's a sweet little story with some good lessons, such as being accountable for your own behavior, tucked inside. It's a sweet story, but it's also sad. The book begins with the author being left at an orphanage by his mother, which is just a kind of soul crushing prospect to me, as a parent. I understand that the author had a good life and his mother was acting in his best interest in sending him to live somewhere that he could have more than she was able to give him, but still it is very sad to think about. The story also ends on a sad note, due to the fate of the real life Dr Korczak. The artwork in the book is nicec and just feels perfectly suited to the story, the book is well written and well edited. I think this book is a great addition to every child's library and is a great introduction to a troubling part of world history that we must always remember.

Lightning Charger Cable Savers

Buy your own Lightning Charger Cable Savers to protect abd identify your chargers.

I wasn't entirely sure what the point of these was from looking at the listing, they info on the Amazon listing is vague and doesn't really clearly indicate the usage of the product. When I got them the packaging confirmed what I thought, they are cord "protectors" for charging cables. They're soft, flexible plastic (maybe rubber?) springs that you wrap around the end of a phone charger cord right where it meets the plug. The point of the product is that, in theory, it prevents the coating of the cord and wires within from cracking thereby avoiding dangerous exposed wires. I don't know how well they would do that, because they are just a soft, pliable spring which doesn't seem like a avery sturdy protection to me. I think their real strength is as a quick, easy way to identify which cord you're grabbing. I actually oredered the gray pack but they send me the color pack instead, which is one blue, one pink, one green (yellow, maybe?), and one gray. For me they are a nice addition to each cord because they allow me to quickly spot the cord I need without having to look at the ends of all of them. So they're a great item for helping to quickly identify the cord you need. I don't know how well they really protect a cord, but they are cheap enough that they would be worth the investment if you're one of those people who often breaks cords.

Terrafreeze Pain Relief Cream

I received this Terrafreeze Pain Relief Cream free to review.

I got this product after my husband hurt his shoulder in an accident at work. He's pretty badly injured, been off work over a month now, but he really hates taking pain meds so I thought this would be a great alternative for him. He hasn't used it much because he prefers to just suffer through the pain. But when he does use it he said it doesn't help much. I haven't used it yet myself, though I do have knee pain and I know from the ingredients in this that it would help because I have used similar products in the past. The problem is that it contains menthol so it smells horrible. I hate menthol, it is the worst smelling product on earth. It works great, I know, but the smell is horrible so I avoid it like the plague. If my pain gets bad enough I will use it myself, but until that I'll just suffer the pain to avoid the smell.

#terrafreeze #painreliefcream #jointpain #arthritispain

Innx Waterproof cargo liner

I got this Innx Waterproof cargo liner to review.

I have a new car and an often muddy dog that sometimes needs to ride in said new car. Well, I obviously don't want my nice, new car getting all muddy or getting scratched up by those pooch paws so this product seemed like a great investment. I know that I could just wash my car after transporting the dog anywhere but I hate washing my car. I could also just wash the dog before transporting him, which I usually do, but he yelps and fights whenever I try to wash him even though he has no qualms with rolling in mud or jumping in the creek, apparently shower water is evil and terrible stuff. He sounds almost like a human baby when he yelps, it's a little unnerving honestly. But anyway, this product seemed like a boon for me. I could transsport the pooch in a hurry without needing to scrub him, great in the event of an emergency-and given his propensity to harrass large animals emergency trips are sometimes required. Well, it was a little tough to install this because the instructions suck, but I just layed it all out and looked at it to figure out what goes where. It has some velcro to attach it to the side of the vehicle but I opted not to use that since I will likely be moving this between vehicle from time to time. Instead I used the suction cup attachments which are a little wonky to operate but once you get them on they stay pretty solidly. The product is also really sturdy, it's very thick and I don't think my dog could damage it even if he tried, and that's saying something. zthe only problem I have with this product is the smell. It smells really strong and really bad, kind of like tires. I'm sure the smell will fade with time, but for now my car smells like the inside of Les Schwab.

Getting reviews for Amazon FBA Ebook

I received a free copy of Getting reviews for Amazon FBA Ebook to review.

This book is great for anyone who is new to selling products on Amazon or anyone who is interested in getting into selling on Amazon. The primary focus of the book is getting reviews for your products but it also has information in it about getting set up as an Amazon seller, the different "levels" of Amazon sellers, and the tools made available to Amazon sellers. The author does a pretty good job of breaking down the pros and cons of each level of seller on Amazon to help you decide which one is for you. He also provides a lot of resources and ideas for how to get more sales and by extension more reviews, which helps with getting even more sales. It's a very useful book for anyone interested in selling on Amazon. It does, however, have quite a few grammatical errors, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker considering the amount of valuable information in these pages.

Marigold Thermal Laminator, Rotary Paper Cutter, & Ring Binding Machine

This is a review of three items in one post, because those three items kind of go together. The first is a Marigold Thermal Laminator, the second a Rotary Paper Cutter, and the third a Ring Binding Machine. You can checkout out Marigold's website for more info on these product here, here, and here, respectively. I'm going to break this post down into three sections, one for each product. I will review them in the order they're listed above. So, without further adieu...

First we'll talk about the laminator. I like laminating important papers and my kids' artwork to keep it from getting destroyed quite so easily. Currently I'm working on laminating Zach's art because Scotty hasn't yet produced any art being that he's a baby. You're supposed to flatten out any papers before laminating to get the best seal, but I didn't do that for my video because I wanted to see how well it worked in real world conditions, and who in the real world is going to press paper before laminating it? I know I'm not. So, anyway, I laminated some of Zach's art that was curled up at the corners and it sealed just fine. The laminator isn't fast by any means, but what laminator is? It operates at a reasonable speed and does a great job. It's also priced reasonably, which is always a boon. It can accept 3mm or 5mm pouches but does not use rolls, and it is 9 inches wide so you can laminate anything smaller than nine inches wide. I would recommend this product to anyone who needs or wants to laminate for personal or business uses. I'm planning to buy another one for my dad to use at his shop.

Now, on with the show! I mean, on to the rotary paper cutter. I use paper cutters a LOT at work, but not as much at home. I'm currently off work, still on maternity leave, but when/if I return I plan to take this paper cutter with me because it is a way better product. You see, the model I use at work is a guillotine style paper cutter and I hate the guillotine style so much. The papers don't get cut evenly or in a straight line, especaially if you're cutting more than one paper at a time and with most guillotine cutters the cut edge of the paper gets rough and has little paper shards on it. Rotary cutter are much better in my opinion because they provide a cleaner, smoother cut. I really like this particular paper cutter because it has a nice, sharp blade that is, for the most part, safely tucked away where it won't cut you. Now, small hands could get to where the edges of the blade are and get nicked, but that's why this product is for uuse by adults or older children who have adult supervision. Of all the paper cutters I have used, this one is by far the highest quality. I strongly recommend it.

Alright, now for the pièce de résistance, my favorite part of this whole trio, an item I love with all my heart for the nostaligia it carries: the Ring Binding Machine! As a kid in school we used these a lot to make little books, but the teachers rarely allowed we the students to actually operatae the machines so when we got to what a treat it was! Anyway, as for this product, well it workds great. It's easy to use and doesn't require any instructions though it did come with them. The punch portion of the machine is limitted to only 10 sheets of paper at a time, so if you have a lot to punch through it may take a while to finish. The binding part is limited only by the size of bindings you use. The machine did come with a lot of small binding but no larger ones, which is kind of unfortunate. I think it would have been wiser for them to include bindings in a variety of sizes so people could more easily use it straight out of the box. A sort of plug and play functionality, if you will. Anyway, that said, it is a good machine at a reasonable price and I would recommend it. Especially if you're a parent, kids love making their own books and this machine helps to facilitate that.

SD Card Reader

I received this SD card reader at a discount in exchange for a review.

I thought this product would be really helpful since I use multiple cameras as well as my phone for taking photos and videos. Well, it turns out I was wrong. This SD card reader doesn't work, or at least the one I got doesn't. It also isn't compatible with the memory card from my Sony camera, which is my current preferred camera because it has the best image quality, but I could deal with that if it would at least work with regular SD and micro SD cards. I tried using a regular SD card and couldn't get it to work. I didn't try it with a micro SD because I don't have one. I tried plugging it into my PC which runs Windows 10, which the reader is supposed to be compatible with, and on my Galaxy S8 but it wouldn't work on either of them. I don't have any Apple products to try it with, so I don't know if it works with Apple products. I would not buy this product. I recommend staying away from this product.

Growth Hacking EBook

I received a free copy of this Growth Hacking EBook to review.

This book is a great resource for anyone looking to grow their business or brand. It is filled with a lot of information divided into easily digestible bites for maximum usability. It has quite a lot of information in it and it also lists some useful-and mostly free-resources to help you grow your own brand. It is geared more at selling a product, but you could easily tweak the advice to apply to other growth tasks, like growing your social media following. The book isn't very long, but it doesn't need to be. The author does a pretty good job of getting the point across in short and concise sound bites. There are a few typos in the book, but nothing major. It seems like a pretty well researched and edited book, only one typo really jumped out at me and that's because it was in one of the headers. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to grow their business, brand, product, or following.

I tried not to drone on in my review, because I wanted to keep it short, concise, and to the point just like the book is.

#growthhacking

12-Week Food Journal and Fitness Tracker

I got a free 12-Week Food Journal and Fitness Tracker from the publisher to review.

I love journals, journals of any kind. I love them. I love writing down my thoughts, keeping my schedule, and tracking my dailies. I love blank journals that leave me free to write whatever comes to mind. I love journals/workbooks that give me blanks to fill in and questions to answer. I love writing things down. It's one of my favorite things to do. So, of course, I jumped at the opportunity to try this fitness and food journal because it combines my love of writing, filling in the blanks, and tracking dailies with my desire to get back in shape. It is perfect for me! I've been trying to lose the extra weight I've put on but it's difficult for me because I like to eat and I don't like to sweat. Well, having a journal to keep track of everything helps to make me more accountable, I can't lie to myself if it's written down for the whole world to see, now can I? I haven't written anything in it yet, but I have looked through it and planned my attack. I've decided on April 30th as my official journal starting date. Why April 30th, you ask? Well, quite simply because I believe that weekly planners should be started at the beginning of the week. As I haven't used the journal yet it is still pristine and unwritten, with nary a crease on it. I love the freshness of a new journal and making the first markings in it.

The pages are nice, sturdy paper of a clean, crisp white. The colors and ink quality are nice and rich, the lines clean and well defined. This is a quality print job and as a book lover, I really appreciate that. It has a nice guide to using the journal at the front as well as check-ins at the end of each four week period (roughly one month). At the beginning of the journal is an area to write your goals and current stats (weight and measurements) as well as your plan of attack. At each check-in, you can write notes about your progress, update your stats, rate how you're doing at achieving your goal (10%-100%), and write a renewed plan of attack. At the beginning of each week, you write down your meal plan and notes. Each day includes areas for recording three meals and three snacks with time, item consumed, calories and macronutrients. There are also boxes to tick for water and produce consumption as well as hours of sleep as well as writing down your exercise and rating how you're doing toward your goal. I look forward to using this journal during my fitness journey.

Compressor Filter

Buy your own compressor filter on Amazon.

I honestly wasn't sure what the point of a filter for an air compressor was when I first saw this. My dad used air tools all the time doing bodywork when I was a kid and he never mentioned an air compressor filter so I didn't even know such a thing existed. When I saw this I had to ask my husband if such an item would be of any use to him, it anyone for that matter, and he said it would. So I went ahead and ordered it for him. I honestly thought this thing was going to be way bigger than it is, so I was really surprised to open the package and see this little thing. I don't know why but I thought it would be really big and bulky and it isn't, it is small and compact. I thought this would only be useful because my husband paints, but it turns out compressor filters are actually useful for anyone who uses any air tools because they keep contaminants out of the line which extends the life of tools. I would definately say this product is a good investment for anyone who uses air tools, because extending the life of your tools is always a good thing.

Soccer Offense EBook

You can buy a copy of the ebook Soccer Offense on Amazon.

I used to love playing soccer as a kid but full disclaimer, I never knew how to play. I never learned the rules because nobody in my home town knew how to play. So as kids, we just kicked a ball around on a field and followed the rudimentary rule we knew: no hands on the ball unless you're the goalie. This book would have been of great use to me as a child and as an adult, it was an enjoyable and informative read. As evident from the title, this book focuses on the offensive side of the game, which means it's not a complete guide to playing soccer properly but it's a great start. The book is short, concise and laid out in an easy to read format. This book is a good choice for people who have an interest in soccer or parents of children who have an interest in soccer. The ebook is reasonable priced, though the physical book is more expensive. I think that this book is a good investment to improve ones soccer skills.

#soccer

Terry Treetop Collection ebook

I received this Terry Treetop Collection ebook for free in exchange for my review.

These stories are pretty cute, they seem like good stories for the kindergarten age set. They don't have a clear "moral" or learning lesson like some kids books do, but that's okay. Sometimes books should just be entertaining. The art isn't my taste, but it's cute and suitable to the subject matter. One major issue I have with the art is that some of the character art is clearly derivative. The cow in the first book is Cow from Cow and Chicken. The little kitten is Marie from The Aristocats. The fawn is Bambi. The chipmunks are Chip and Dale. There are probably more that I've missed, but it did bug me a bit to see such clearly derivative art. I worry that the author may face potential lawsuits over this art, because Disney seems to have a bit of a hair trigger about use of its intellectual properties. That said, it is a cute book series that's a good choice for young kids. I would recommend buying physical books rather than the ebooks, but that's just because I prefer physical books.

Interactive Panda Toy

You can buy your own Interactive Panda Toy on amazon.

When I saw this cute little toy panda my first thought was how much my 91 year old grandmother loves pandas. They're her favorite animal and the last item she needs to check off her bucket list is seeing a live panda in person. While I can't help her with that, I can buy her a cute toy panda. So that's what I did. When it arrived I checked it out and played with it for a few days first to see if it actually works, and it really doesn't to be honest. It's supposed to respond to blowing kisses but it didn't. It's supposed to make a different noise when cradled, but it didn't. It's supposed to make a silly sound when turned upside down, but it only made the silly sound when shaken aggressively. Mostly it just makes a munching noise all the time. Seriously, if it's on it's munching. So, no, it doesn't do what it's supposed to do. But it is kind of cute and, more importantly, gramma likes it so it's not a total loss. That said, I wouldn't recommend buying it as a toy. As a decorative item for a panda fan, sure, but not as a toy.

UProtective Adjustable Knee Support

I got this UProtective Knee Support at a discount in exchange for my review.

I injured both of my knees when I was in the army, one worse than the other, so being presented the opportunity to get a new knee support option to try at a discount was something I couldn't pass up. When I received the item in the mail and opened it up I was pleasantly surprised to find that it didn't have any weird odors and was soft to the touch. I wore it a few times for short periods and it was okay but when I wore it yesterday to go to town I had terrible knee pain. I can't say for sure if the brace made the pain worse or not, but while wearing it I had worse knee pain than usual. I do know that the pain was eased considerably when I took the brace off. I tried wearing it a little again today and it was too uncomfortable. I find that any knee brace/sleeve U try that has a patella support hole does more harm than good for me, though it is the kind the doctor says I should use.

I do really like that it is adjustable, because most knee braces aren't so it may not fit properly in one area even if it does fit in another. This one is fully adjustable with three separate Velcro straps for each area. I doubt I'll be using this product ever again, though I may give it to my dad to use as he also has knee troubles. I think for people who prefer the patella support style knee braces this one would be a great choice.

Dual USB Port Wall Charger

I got this Dual USB Port Wall Charger in exchange for my review.

This charger comes with a lightning cord for iPhones, but since I don't have an iPhone I used the cords that I have for my other devices. It's a nice, compact little charger with a plastic cover for holding cords. It's a good charger for travel because you can stuff a cord in the box that attaaches to the front and you don't have to worry about losing the cord or damaging it. I also like that I can plug two smart phones in to it and it will still fast charge-something all the other multi port USB chargers I've tried can't do. It's not too wide, but it is long which makes it impossible to fit in some plug in locations. I like that it's only two prong instead of three, because many of the outlets in my home are only two prong. I do wish it had a couple more USB ports, because I have a lot more than two devices that are USB charge, but it is a nice quality item. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a multi port USB charger.

Urban Organic Gardener April Box

Just got my april box from UOG and every thing in this one is for the garden.

This month I got borlotti bush beans (appx 10 seeds), brandywine pink tomato (appx 5 seeds), jalapeno pepper (appx 5 seeds), blackbeauty eggplant (appx 20 seeds), and black beauty squash (appx 5 seeds). This will be my first year growing eggplant or squash, I can't wait to get them started and watch them grow. There such beautiful plants.

My tomato and cucumber sprouts from the feb box did good untill we got a freezing spell and I didn't have them covered properly in my make shift greenhouse but one cucumber and 3 tomatos survived. The peas and beans from last month are doing amazing.

Marble Run fun!

I got this MagicJourney Marble Run in the mail the other day and it is awesome! I got my first marble run for my ninth birthday. I can't remember the brand, but I do remember it was so much fun to play with and I've always wanted to get another one for my kids (and myself. Okay, mostly myself), so I finally did. This marble run form MagicJourney though is way more fun. It's got a lot of cool little parts to try and there are just a lot of pieces in general so you can build some huge towers if you want too. We have played with this every single day since it arrived. The first thing I built was the "very hard" run shown in the accompanying booklet. It was easy enough, once you get into the habit of making sure you align the pieces the right way so the marbles don't get stuck. Nothing ruins the fun like having to disassemble and reassemble your marble run because you did something wrong and a marble got stuck. I also decided to build a tower as tall as I could just to see how tall of a tower I could make with the parts in the box (answer: about 8 feet, though it lacked a solid foundation for structural support and also I'm too short to m=put marbles in it at that height so I had to shorten it a bit). Zach really enjoyed building different tower set ups, but he wasn't as interested in watching the marbles go through it. He really likes building. Scotty is still to young to play with the marble run, but he did enjoy watching the marbles run through the maze from the safety of his baby octagon.

This thing is fun for all ages, and you can even use it as a game if you divide the pieces among a few groups and let them build their own towers and then have a race. Marble run races are good fun. I plan on buying more of these to create an epic awesome mega marble run.

#marblerun #toys #toyz #stem #marblemaze #magicjourneytoys

Healthy Finds $10 gift card giveaway!

Guess what, lucky readers!? We have a special surprise for you all! Today we're hosting a giveaway of $10 Healthy Finds gift cards which can be used at a variety of websites.

From there website: "Healthy Finds connects you with innovative health brands that are carefully reviewed by their Wellness Team. The gift cards are good at dozens of these cutting edge bra." You can check out the brands at http://healthy-finds.com/wgcn10. To get your free $10 gift card follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my Youtube channel at http://youtube.com/c/spartanpilot01flappyhands

HSI PROFESSIONAL Argan Oil Heat Protector

I received this HSI PROFESSIONAL Argan Oil Heat Protector free in exchange for my review.

I thought this product would be nice to try out and see if it would help smooth the frizz and flyaways in my hair. Usually I don't care about my hair frizz, but sometimes I do like to have it smoothed out and looking good. For example, when attending events and/or being photographed it is sometimes nice to have nice, smooth hair. This product, especially when used with a straightening iron, works pretty good at smoothing out the frizz and flyaways. It is reasonably priced when compared to similar items available online.

The product doesn't leave any kind of sticky or oily feeling or residue behind on hair, which is great-nobody wants oily or sticky hair! It does, however, have a pretty bad smell to it, at least in my opinion. It smells a lot like Bounce dryer sheets. Or that cheap air freshener that I have at work. Either way, I do not like the smell at all. And of course, the smell lingers so when you use this product you'll be stuck smelling it all day. Which is fin if you like the smell or dryer sheets.

HSI Professional GliderPlus Pink Hair Straightener

I received this HSI Professional GliderPlus Pink Hair Straightener free in exchange for my review.

I already have straight hair so one might assume that a hair straightener would be useless to me, but that's not quite correct. A straightener can help smooth flyaways and other weird hair anomalies, like those moments when some part of my hair decided it wants to be wavy or curly. But for this review I had my sister use the straightener because she has curly hair and that is much better for assessing the abilities of the straightener.

So my sister has very stubbornly curly hair, so I thought using this straightener on her hair would be a good test of its ability to effectively straighten hair. So we plugged it in and warmed it up and then my sister worked on straightening her hair, starting with the most stubborn curly cue at the front. She kept the heat fairly low, so it took a long time to successfully straighten her hair, but it was a success. It lasted for the rest of the day before her hair sprung back in to full curl. It's a pretty easy straightener to use, the button are on the inside of the straightener which is a bit annoying but they are still fairly easy to access. It's isn't the most user friendly device around, but it is easy to operate though it may require a little practice to get it right.

Crazy straws!

I received these Crazy Straws for free in exchange for an honest review.

I remember as a kid getting crazy straws at parties at school and they were always so awesome. I mean, it was so great to have your drink doing loops on the way to your mouth. As an adult, they aren't quite as much fun as they used to be though. They're still great to buy for kids or for fun retro or nostalgia parties for the grown ups. We've used a few of the straws at home, but I plan to use most of them as party favors at the kids' birthdays because that seems like the best use for them. All kids love crazy straws, right?

The straws are definitely of a nice, high quality. They withstand biting and bending quite well and they appear to be dishwasher safe, at least when placed on the top rack. They have nice vibrant colors that don't seem to fade with exposure to light or dishwashers. I may buy more of them for the kids' parties or events in the future. The color varieties are okay, but it would be nice if there was more variation in the shapes of the straws.