Trying New Things: April 2015
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Time for a little review of some of the products I tried for the first time this month. I love trying new things and I love sharing my thoughts about the things I've tried! Here's last month's post, if you're interested.
Also, it's probably worth pointing out that I get absolutely nothing from this post. There are no affiliate links or anything in here. I'm just sharing my thoughts with my friends (that's you)!
First, a new app! Namely, Balanced.
I've been feeling "out of control" pretty often lately. Mostly with keeping up with housework, but also keeping up with my mental and physical health -- which, let's face it, isn't an easy task when you're a pregnant mommy of three, am I right? (Tell me I'm right.)
I felt like I knew the things that needed to be done, and done regularly, but I just didn't have the discipline to remember to do them or to stick to a schedule. Set reminders wouldn't work, because they would need to be set for a specific time, and that time would inevitably come when I was away from home, or changing a diaper, or eating a taco, or doing something else equally important. So I'd make a mental note to do it when I could, and...I'd forget. Plain and simple.
The thing that I've loved about Balanced is that it doesn't require you to set a specific time to do something, but it still helps you to do the things you need to do as often as you need to do them.
As an example, let's looks at where Balanced has been the biggest help for me: drinking water.
Drinking water has always been a huge stumbling block for me. I know how important it is, especially while I'm pregnant. But I just could never find a system that would help me remember to do it.
Also, it's probably worth pointing out that I get absolutely nothing from this post. There are no affiliate links or anything in here. I'm just sharing my thoughts with my friends (that's you)!
First, a new app! Namely, Balanced.
I've been feeling "out of control" pretty often lately. Mostly with keeping up with housework, but also keeping up with my mental and physical health -- which, let's face it, isn't an easy task when you're a pregnant mommy of three, am I right? (Tell me I'm right.)
I felt like I knew the things that needed to be done, and done regularly, but I just didn't have the discipline to remember to do them or to stick to a schedule. Set reminders wouldn't work, because they would need to be set for a specific time, and that time would inevitably come when I was away from home, or changing a diaper, or eating a taco, or doing something else equally important. So I'd make a mental note to do it when I could, and...I'd forget. Plain and simple.
The thing that I've loved about Balanced is that it doesn't require you to set a specific time to do something, but it still helps you to do the things you need to do as often as you need to do them.
As an example, let's looks at where Balanced has been the biggest help for me: drinking water.
Drinking water has always been a huge stumbling block for me. I know how important it is, especially while I'm pregnant. But I just could never find a system that would help me remember to do it.
Balanced allows me to create a task that I want to do and then set how often I want to do it. Then it puts my list in priority order for me; it tells me what things I need to do now, what things I need to do soon, and when I last completed the task.
While you can easily create whatever tasks you want, the app also has a bunch of preset tasks to help you remember to do things that you might not consider "normal" to do list items, like "self improvement," "take a deep breath," "go outside," and "call an old friend," among many, many others.
Balanced has been the perfect solution for helping me to start forming good habits. It doesn't really work well for one-time tasks, or for things with a specific deadline, but it's wonderful for things that need to be done sometime, but regularly...if that makes sense.
Balanced is free for the first 5 tasks you track, and $3.99 to get unlimited tasks. $3.99 well spent, in my opinion!
Next, let's take a look at these: Lindt Lindor Caramel with Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Truffles
It feels borderline unfair to include these in this post, because really, is it possible that I wouldn't like dark chocolate and sea salt caramel in truffle form? It's highly unlikely, I'll tell you that.
I'll also tell you that I currently have two bags of these in my fridge. #noshame
But really, these are delicious. Even if you're not a fan of dark chocolate, I'd say these are worth a try. The chocolate isn't super dark, so it still has a good sweetness to it.
These are great at room temperature, when the truffle filling is nice and soft and truffle-y, but I actually prefer them right out of the fridge. The filling hardens up and then melts in your mouth when you bite into it, so you basically get the best of both worlds. Or all the worlds, really.
If this flavor still doesn't seem like your cup of Dr. Pepper, I'll just go ahead and recommend Lindt Lindor truffles in general. They're amazing.
Finally, something for the kiddos: Melissa & Doug Water Wow books
These are kind of like coloring board books, except that the only thing you need to color with is water! You fill the little brush with water and then when you brush it over the pages, the colors magically appear. When the water dries, the colors disappear and they're ready to use again.
The kiddos got these in their Easter baskets, and they've honestly been a hit, with all of them! Maddy likes carefully making sure that every inch of every page gets colored, Charly just thinks they're magic, and Parker loves being able to "color" something like his sisters. I love that they're basically as safe as you can get; the worst the kids can do with them is paint something else with water.
They are perfect church toys for us (I am SO not above giving my kids things to keep them entertained during church!), but my kids sometimes specifically ask for them at home. They'd be great on road trips or in waiting rooms, too!
So, there you have it -- three new things I tried in April. All big winners this month! Have you tried any of these things, or tried anything new of your own lately? I'd love to hear about it!
