Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Hometter 7-in-1 truck set review (Tomoson)

I received the Hometter 7-in-1 truck set, in exchange for honest review from Tomoson. With the set, you can make 7 trucks.  I wanted it for my youngest, who likes to play with trucks. I had an interesting time, putting the bull dozer together. You definitely need patience. The instructions were photo-based, instead of text-instruction based. I struggled with one section, where you used black washers. I figured it out by counting the number of pieces needed. 

I also recommend using ziplock bags to keep similar pieces together. I laid out the pieces needed for each instruction step out, then put it together, based on the picture. It took me over an hour to put the truck together. My youngest loved playing with the bull dozer. He even put down the phone and my tablet, at times, to play with the dozer. 


 I can't wait to put together a few more trucks. You can purchase the set, on Amazon, using the link above. The set is prime-eligible. 














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Saturday, September 10, 2022

Safuciv Blue 64 GB MP3 player Review (Tomoson)

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. 

64 GB Blue mp3 player. 

Arm holder, aux cord, head phones, and charging cord. 


I received the 64 GB Blue Safuciiv MP3 Player, in exchange for honest review from Tomoson.  The mp3 player comes with a carrying case; arm strap; SD card; charging cord; aux cord; and headphones.

Additional features include a radio; stop watch; eBook reader; and a recorder for the FM radio and your voice. Since I had the black MP3 player as well, the controls were a bit easier to use, the second time around. 

To set it up, you may need to connect Bluetooth. You also need to set the radio presets. You will need to connect the headphones as an antenna. 

Issues: 

Once again, I had issues with the Bluetooth connecting to my phone and laptop. It took multiple searches and turning the Bluetooth off and on, to get the mp3 player to connect. Another issue was some radio channels had a bit of static in them. Some stations came in perfectly clear.  Lady Gaga and paparazzi doesn't need the static lol. 

The radio also does not play without the headphones connected. 

The mp3 player is great for on-the-go, especially if your kids have your phone and you want to listen to music or read a book. 

You can purchase the mp3 player, using the link above. The player is prime-eligible.  

Thursday, September 8, 2022

No love for cooking

Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.





I lost my love for cooking. I don’t cook as much, especially since the pandemic started. I don’t buy as much meat or fresh veggies. Cans, frozen items, and pantry items have ruled the nest. 

Aroma 20 cup multicooker. I got a similar one from Target. Slow cooker and Rice cooker in one :-) https://amzn.to/3Da7NWm


With meat, I used to buy a lot of it. Stock up the freezer with mostly meat and ice cream. Chicken, ground beef, ground turkey, fish, and pork chops, but then my oldest was caught trying to eat through the frozen fish and beef. I found teeth marks on the packages and stopped buying everything but chicken. I was buying 10 plus or more packs of chicken, each month, because it was the only thing he did not bite through. Chicken left little room for anything else. If I wanted pork or fish or beef, I had to hide it between or behind the packs of chicken. I don’t want to eat the same thing all the time. 

With fresh veggies, my last apt did not keep veggies too long without them going bad. Either I had to cook them up fast enough or I had to throw them out within a week or so. My kids also did not help either. My youngest has eaten avocados, shell and all, and onions. He also loves fruit. He will eat a whole bunch of bananas, apples, or tangerines in one sitting. I started buying a small bunch of bananas or 1-2 apples or oranges, instead of a bag. My oldest ate a whole crock pot full of rice and beans, years ago, while everyone else was asleep and I had to cook again the next day. 


My oldest also threw out multiple gallons of milk, down the sink, when my youngest brought them home from school. I already have been using powdered milk in cooking because of his behavior. I also had to hide knives and can goods for a while, along with can openers, because I woke up one night, with my oldest standing near my bed, with a can over my head and can opener in hand. Definitely glad he did not drop the can. For knives, he decided to cut up all the veggies at my mom’s old house. 


Enter the pandemic, the kids are at home all the time. School and church were closed. No more walking and riding the bus because of my oldest son’s behavior. Brad would try to or would run into the road, with me trying to pull him back and keep my youngest, Kalen, in sight. Police have been called multiple times to get Brad to stay on the sidewalk. I had people offer us rides to get to where we were going, after they saw me struggling with Brad. 


Back to the no love for cooking lol 


Brad would stand over me, while I was cooking. If I moved to the sink, he would move to the sink. If I needed something out of the cabinet, he would move to the cabinet. I wanted freedom to move around my house and kitchen without bumping into a kid. Not to mention, Kalen was in the kitchen as well, because where I go, he goes. 


Kalen may have been playing with my phone or tablet or playing with toys on the floor. Brad wanted to help season food, with or without my help, so seasonings temporarily moved to the top of the closet until needed. Brad would also try to add items to the crock or rice cooker, with or without my help. Another issue was he would stand over the rice cooker or crock pot, while food was cooking, not understanding the steam.  Both kids would try to open the oven, while it was on. Stove knobs also got hidden when not in use. Kalen also would tear  up sliced bread so I started using hamburger buns or tortillas for sandwiches. For crackers, he now only wants jelly on them, then eats the jelly and breaks the cracker on the floor. 


I would sometimes make no yeast loaf bread or biscuits, maybe flat bread or dumplings (same recipe lol but sometimes I used broth instead of water). Next, Kalen threw eggs out of the fridge so I temporarily bought a 6 pack versus a 24 pack. I would hide the egg carton under bags of fresh veggies. 


Kalen currently eats up the sour cream, yogurt, hummus, and cream cheese. He thinks it’s all cheese. I stopped buying yogurt. I put cream cheese blocks in the freezer until I needed them. I bought small containers of cream cheese spreads to use in cooking. Kalen likes ramen. I forgot what he did with them, but I moved from the squares to the cups. I definitely need a mini fridge for some staples. 


I felt like I had to guard the kitchen, while cooking, even if I wanted to set it and forget it in a rice cooker or crock. I got tired of all the kitchen behaviors. I stopped cooking a lot of fave meals and sides. No more gravies. No more bread. Rice and veggies. Sometimes meat. Potatoes and other veggies. Sometimes meat. Maybe a salad or sandwich but they had to be bought and eaten, the day of. 


I did learn how to make ice cream, butter, and cheese. I also stopped buying as much in bulk. If I don’t cook as much, I don’t need all this meat, butter, pasta, and potatoes. Kids still act up. My oldest, this weekend, threw the potatoes and avocados off the counters. Brad threw food out of the fridge and freezer. Still can’t find a bottle of ranch dressing. The unopened container of sour cream was in the sink. I had to move the potatoes and avos in the closet, until Brad went back to the group home. Brad also poured out milk on the counters and in the sink, plus chocolate syrup. Kalen also throws food out of the fridge, looking for what he wants. 


I am glad my oldest is in a residential home because I can buy fresh milk again for cereal, even though someone poured out a lot of cereal on the counters and sink, this weekend. 


I moved the can openers back in the kitchen. I moved the cans back into the living room on rolling carts. I didn’t like the carts taking up valuable walking space in the closet. Brad does not mess with the cans or can openers when he is here. The knives are still hidden. Some seasonings are back in the kitchen, while the rest are at the top of the closet, until the kitchen supplies are depleted. 


Yet, I still don’t want to cook like I used to. I don’t want to stand over the stove or put food in the oven. I have used my oven in my new apt, 3x, since moving in. The stove has been used, but not as much. My youngest is picky. Some days, he may eat what I cook and some days, he wants fries or chips. He also still wants to eat up all the hummus, sour cream, and cream cheese. :-). I made some gravy for the first time in the new place, on the 31st. I cooked some whole potatoes in the slow cooker. I cooked a few thin chops. Maybe make a sandwich since I have hamburger buns. 


Over the weekend, including Thursday,  I cooked 4x. Brad ate a lot, including stealing his brother's bowl of food, before Kalen got a chance to eat one bite. Kalen still broke crackers and dumped noodles all over the floor after he was done with them. Brad threw noodles in the trash, after he was done with them, but then tried to pull them out later to eat them. This is my life. I do not enjoy cooking as much. 




Thursday, August 25, 2022

Safuciiv MP3 Player Review (Tomoson)

 Disclaimer: This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links. 






I received the 32 gb Safuciiv MP3 Player, in exchange for honest review from Tomoson.  The mp3 player comes with a carrying case; arm strap; SD card; charging cord; aux cord; and headphones. I was definitely surprised when I opened the box. I wanted it for on the go. 

The player plays music well. I had no issues with that :-). Other features include a radio; stop watch; ebook reader; and a recorder for the FM radio and voice. It took me a minute to learn how to control the player (still learning). The instruction manual was torn by my youngest. The player also does not charge with my USB C to C cord, that goes to my power bank.

Issues: 

I had issues with the Bluetooth connecting to my phone and laptop. It took a few searches to find both devices, as well as connect. I was able to put music on the mp3 player using a hard-wired connection. I also removed the SD card and placed it in my laptop to add music, either one song at a time or added a folder of songs. I am also struggling with the shuffle and repeat functions. The shuffle does work now. I also noticed some of the songs play in the same order, when I turn it on. Definitely have to add more music. 

 




You can purchase the MP3 player, using the link above. The player is prime-eligible. 


Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Summer of Kalen

It is the summer of Kalen. Last year, it was the summer of Brad. Some things have changed but it all remains the same. Wrote this as a writing sample for Cortena. I love writing and need to get back into it. 



Summer of Brad





In 2020, the pandemic changed everything, including my oldest son's behavior. As soon as he realized, he wasn't going back to school, his behavior got worst. Brad stopped sleeping through the night. He started hitting me and his brother more. Brad started putting bigger holes in the walls, but I learned, with help from a poet named Rodney, how to fix the damage with sheetrock versus a wall patch. 





Brad was breaking furniture, hitting walls, and hitting doors.  He also learned how to escape the house, while I was distracted cooking, cleaning, or in the bathroom. Public meltdowns increased. I gave up walking through the neighborhood; catching the bus; and even going to the laundry room because his behavior was unpredictable. No more parent breaks. 


Brad's behavior intensified after he threw a glass at me, while cleaning. He also bit me and drew blood, while we was waiting for my youngest's (Kalen) bus to arrive. 




Another public meltdown gone wrong. I could not take it anymore and had to call the crisis line, multiple times, to calm me down. I called them in the past for my oldest, but they could not help him, like I wanted them to. Brad could never be admitted to a city psych center because of his severe autism and that he was not potty trained. 




Eventually, during one of the calls, someone asked about his current psych. The answer put things into motion to place him in a group home, in another city, under his intellectual disability diagnosis, versus the Autism diagnosis. Brad has been placed for almost a year and is doing better. 


I was given a massive depressive disorder, shortly after he was placed. I was on depression meds for a few months and sleep meds since. I am still tired and exhausted. I still need sleep. 


Summer of Kalen

Enter the summer of Kalen.  Sure, I can ride the bus again and walk the neighborhood again, but it comes with drama sometimes. Kalen will refuse to move, while we are walking. Just stop and plop down in the grass or sidewalk, bearing his weight down, making him hard to pick up, so I got a wagon to help move him in 2021. 


The wagon does not stop him from screaming fall or I hurt, while moving, because he doesn't like ramps or when we have to go over a bump. He also does not like to nap. He has not taken a day nap since 2020. Kalen wakes up early and goes to bed late, even with prescription sleep meds and melatonin. It can be draining because Kalen is active and does not slow down until he goes to bed. He clings to me and wants to follow me around.  I want to cook, clean, and do other things throughout the day, like find part-time, flexible work. I want to breathe. 


Kalen is also hitting and kicking the walls and doors; throwing toys; throwing food; and hitting me when upset. Kalen is breaking things, such as a silicone cupcake pan, I use for bath bombs and shower jellies. Kalen also has days where he only wants to eat certain things, such as fries, chips, sour cream, or cream cheese, and won't touch anything I cook. I have issues getting him in and out of the tub, in addition to getting him to sleep in his bed through the night. 


Deja Vu. It's happening again. I just want a release, a break. First day of school is weeks away. Still looking for additional work. Still need sleep. Still dealing with noise and destruction. Being a special needs parent is definitely not easy.


End scene

Stacie D. Wyatt