The Banana Guard – Guard Your Banana

This plastic case is meant to guard and protect your banana from squishage or premature browning in transport from home to work or school.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably a good idea…I mean hey, I can’t even count the number of times that my banana has not made it safely to it’s destination…really, I honestly can’t remember one instance TO count…

But hey, if you have severe banana issues, then this is for you.  No more premature ripening or banana ooze in your lunch bag.  Because nobody wants that.

The Banana Guard – Guard Your Banana.  (yes, that’s their tagline…I can’t take credit for that genius at all.)

Fabulous Finds Friday – The Tervis Tumbler

I love Arizona.

I love living here.

I even love the heat…except….

Sometimes the heat makes it impossible for me to enjoy a glass of ice water (or anything cold for that matter) unless I drink it very, very quickly – and we are talking superhuman quick here…Ice headache quick…and I’m just not willing to do that.

With Tervis, I don’t have to.

These things are awesome.

That’s right, they go beyond fabulous.

They are insulated so they stay cold.

They are double walled – so they don’t sweat (which is good, because I can never find a coaster when I need one anyway)

And…

Drum roll please…

The come in this FABULOUS Design…


This thing has just overcome fabulous and awesome and has reached Bodacious.

I have two – one in 16 oz and one in 24 oz.  They come with awesome travel lids, are super heavy duty, dishwasher safe, microwave safe, and keep my drinks filled with ice water for hours on end…that is if I don’t drink it too quickly.

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond (I had a COUPON!) But you can get them at http://www.tervis.com too.

The only thing that would make these perfect?  If they DIDN’T sell them with these on them…



Just sayin’.

Towel Oragami – Just In Case You Wondered…

Ever have the uncontrollable urge to fold your towels into exotic palm trees or graceful swans and then thought, “darnit – if only there was a book out there somewhere that gave me step by step instructions with beautiful color photos…”

Wonder no more.

Yes, it really is a lost art.  I’m not going looking for it either.  (from our friends at Sky Mall..)

Automatic Everything…

Have you ever seemed to notice that almost everything is going “touch free” these days? 

Take the toilets and water faucets in public restrooms for example…they are activated by a tiny little motion sensor which when it no longer senses you – or in the case of the sink it DOES sense you it activates the running water.

Personally, one of my favorite past times is standing in the ladies room watching people do the “turn the water on” dance in front of the automatic faucets…trust me…this is good clean fun.

Now, while I agree, these things are very cool in a public (and admittedly germy environment – hence the “touch free” appeal)…at home, I just see this thing being a little out of place.

This is an automatic paper towel dispenser from our friends at Hammacher.  Maybe it’s just me (which I’m totally okay with) but having this thing in the kitchen would no more save frustration than it would money.  Here are my reasons:

1) I have five children.  A cool thing like this in the kitchen?  Right…enough said.

2) Because of number 1 I’m pretty sure the darn thing would always be empty.

3) I like to get up in the middle of the night from time to time to get my children drinks of water…(wait, did I say I LIKE to do that? huh…)  I can just see this thing “seeing” me and scaring the living daylights out of me at 3 AM.  I’m also pretty sure that the resulting hole in the window (from me throwing it through it) would not go over well with the HOA.

4) The motions of flailing my hands furiously in front of the motion sensor may immediately dry them…reducing the need for the paper towel in the first place.  On the plus side for me – less paper towels used.  On the plus side for my family – free “Mommy’s finally lost it” entertainment.

and finally 5) My husband is an engineer.  The chances this thing would end up as spare parts within a week of removing it from it’s packaging is pretty high.  Although, it might be entertaining to watch him attempt to attach the motion sensor to the television set for Jedi Mind tricks channel surfing….

There IS a How-To Guide For Everything…

Ever been to the book store and browsed through the “How-To” or “Self Help” section? 

There are guides for EVERYTHING!

Want to know how to knit?  There’s a book for that.

What to know how to program your VCR? There’s a book for that too (it’ll be right next to the one that’s called “Bringing Yourself Into the Twenty First Century”)

I have to say, however – this book caught me off guard.

I mean…Why didn’t I think of this one?

That’s right, Miss Vera’s Cross-Dress for Success.  Because there IS a How-To Guide for absolutely EVERYTHING!

Not Your Every Day Cookie Press…thank goodness.

This one is definitely sold as a gag gift.

At least, I sincerely hope and pray with all my might and with all that I am that this is considered part of the gag gift market and not part of the “serious and useful inventions” market.

Using the same idea that is behind your kitchen cookie press I present to you ….

The Turd Twister.

Yes.  I am not kidding.

Now you CAN poop four leaf clovers and then call in the family to marvel in it’s splendor.

Oh, and don’t forget – they are dishwasher safe…because that’s um, sanitary.

Itty Bitty Bible

Call me crazy, but I always thought the purpose of owning our own set of scriptures was to be able to read them, gain inspiration and knowledge from them, and to learn…

I’m pretty sure the men and women that were considered Heretics for translating ancient scripture from the Latin form were not thinking of this type of result…

That’s right – a Bible – microscopic so you can carry it with you everywhere, just don’t try and read it…unless you carry a pocket microscope as well.

I’m just guessing, a simpler (and cheaper once you factor in the cost of the portable microscope…) way to carry (and be able to READ) your scriptures might be to get an iPod or a Blackberry..but you know – whatever.

Fabulous Finds Friday – Melons

Okay, okay – sorry, I couldn’t resist.

You know you love me for it.

So you all know – today’s the day! 

SAVE THE TA TA’s GiveAWAY!

First – the best commenter…I admit this was tough – even with help from Frank (the UPS guy).  It was so hard to determine who should get the three entries for most creative as there were so many touching stories about personal growth and overcoming the odds…but…I did say creativity counts – and while I am truly inspired by all the stories of hope (you GO girls!)  The winner of the best comment goes to:

ROWDYGIRL – what can I say I’m a sucker for Dr. Suess.  Here’s her comment:

Where will I wear my TaTa's shirt?
I will wear it in the rain, I will wear it on a plane. I will wear it in the car, and I will wear it near and far. I will wear it here and there. I will wear it EVERYwhere!
My favorite spots to wear my TaTa shirt are The Womens Expo, The Home & Patio Show, various Womens Conferences, and at the Annual Walk.
I'm a "fan" of TaTa's via facebook. :)

Congrats Rowdygirl, you just earned yourself 3 additional entries (per the rules)!  And now, for some reason I have an extreme craving for some green eggs and ham…

Now for the important legal-ish stuff.  Entries were calculated based on the submission rules outlined in this post.  Winners were chosen AT RANDOM using random.org number generation.  All winners were loaded into a database and randomly shuffled, and then three numbers were drawn.    The number corresponding to the person in the database was chosen as the winner.  For more information on Random.org please click here.

Okay, now, as promised – here’s our winners of the contest – please make sure you contact me with your name, email address and mailing address (plus T-shirt size!) so I can get it out to you.   The THREE winners are:

Heather E. of Laveen Arizona

Brandy Muller. – I don’t know your city (sorry!)

Lisa McCaskill – Don’t know your city either!

Thank you all for registering!  And here’s the deal – I still have 3 t-shirts (or so!) so I’ll be doing this again!  And thanks Ta Ta’s Brand for sponsoring this, and for all the AH – MAY- ZING work you do!

Remember – whether you won or not it’s important to Save The Ta Ta’s!!!  And RowdyGirl – contact me – I’m going to send you a little something for that awesome comment, even though the random generator didn’t pick your number – I still think you should be rewarded!

Twilight…

I love Twilight.  That period before dusk where the sky is a brilliant shade of blueish blackish navy and the stars are just starting to appear…

wait – what?

Twilight is a book?

and a movie???

Okay – yes, I did know that…and out of principle alone I’ve not read it (or seen the movie(s).  I can appreciate a good book and a great movie – it’s the MERCHANDISING that drives me bonkers.

Yes, of course there’s the obligatory Twilight Lunch box (which of us as kids DIDN’T have a lunch box with our favorite movie character or super hero on it?)  I can leave that alone.

I can even appreciate the Twilight bedding set for the teenage girl who is absolutely without a doubt on Team Emeril  (what?  whatever his name is then.)

But – I mean --- Really???

How about a onesie for the not yet addicted (as far as they know)

Or a bra…

how about your very own Edward to cuddle with (in Pillow form of course?)

No, not like that….One more like this:

I gotta tell you, I really don’t see what all these women see in him…

Seriously though, the minute I see an Edward or Bella toothbrush, I may have to have myself temporarily committed to a home for the insane…just promise not to have me roomed with any vampires.

Goodnight, Irene.

I’m going to tell you a story.

The story of Irene.

She was tired…so tired.  She worked very hard in her job as a product quality tester in the Neckline Slimmer factory, and by the time she got off of work, she had a hard time holding her head up…

The ride home on the train was usually unbearable…

I mean, it really sucked.

Night after night, she’d fall asleep in her easy chair thinking – there has got to be a better way…

Sadly, there just was no answer to poor Irene’s problems…except for leaving her job as a quality control inspector at the Neckline Slimmer factory and moving on to something else that would ease her aching neck…

 

Too bad the only open position was Quality Control at the deodorant factory.

Umbrella Rain Tube

I have to admit, I’ve looked all over to find this item for sale in the US, and sadly, it just doesn’t seem so.

Nope, this baby is being hoarded by the Japanese. 

Darn those selfish Japanese inventors, merchandisers and retailers…

Hmmm… on second thought – they can have it.

Handy Peel Gloves

Okay, I don’t know if these make me laugh because they are basically dishwashing gloves with a sandpaper surface – or because they are made by a company called “HANDy Gormet.”   Either way – these things are just, um….interesting.

Handy Gourmet Vegetable Peeling Gloves

Supposedly (and I say supposedly because there’s numerous videos out there on YouTube of folks trying to use these things – and failing MISERABLY but hilariously, I say sometimes it is okay to laugh at the failures of others…as long as they are laughing as well) you take a potato in your hands and rub until the skin is massaged away.  For reference, here is a video clip:

“And it must be a good exfoliator in the shower…” 

Uh. yea.  Probably.  Remind me not to ever eat at Ellen’s house.  Not potatoes anyway.

The Flip Fold…

I hate laundry. 

I hate washing it, drying it and mostly I hate folding it.  Maybe, just maybe someone can invent an automatic folding machine that will fold my laundry for me…

Then again, maybe not.  Nice try anyway.   The Flip Fold – because we all have time for this.  (Riiiiggght…)

Please Wash Your Hands…

So for those that don’t know, I have five children.

Five children that were, at one time, babies.  Little teeny tiny, defenseless babies.

They’ve since grown out of that…

Anywho…

One thing about babies in public places is this – everyone wants to touch the baby.  Including people that don’t KNOW the baby.  True story – in a grocery store I had a lady actually lift up the protective germ barrier fortress surrounding my baby (IE the blanket over the car seat) and stick her head UNDERNEATH to get a closer look.  Can we say invasion of personal space?

Too bad I didn’t have one of these:

Yea, because that’d keep Nosy Nillies away from your kids.   Sure it will…

Fabulous Finds Friday – Smart Shopper USA

Ever gone to the grocery store to grab a few items – you know, the essentials milk, eggs, cheese, exotic vanilla…and come home with the Vanilla, bread, and a new pair of shoes?

No?  That’s just me? Huh.

My other habit?

Making dinner, and running out of something like – let’s say sour cream – and then thinking to myself, “Next time I go to the store I need to pick up some sour cream”  - then I continue with my dinner.  Then I go to the store and stand in the middle of the grains aisle thinking - “What the heck was it that I needed to buy?  Must have been hot dog buns.”

It’s this second reason especially that I love today’s fabulous find.  Smart Shopper USA.

This little magnetic do-hicky is amazing.  You see, it sticks to your refrigerator (or other convenient place in your kitchen) and when you realize you need something at the store you hit the little blue button and say the item into the machine.  It searches through all the pre-loaded items (thousands of them by the way!) and it’ll add them to your list.  Then next time you go to the store, you push the button it prints out the list and away you go.

By the way it can simultaneously keep more than one list at a time.  So the husband can keep one list of car parts while you manage a list of vegetables – or trashy romance novels…whatever.

Of course, while you are making your list – make sure you put on there to get your Save The Ta Ta’s t-shirt.  Not sure what that’s about?  What are you, living under a rock???  Well then make sure you check out our giveaway here.

Liquid Cereal

Ok, so you just poured yourself a big bowl of Apple Jacks complete with milk, and the phone rings.  An hour later – you find your once crispy cereal is now a bowl full of mush – green and orange colored mush.

Now, most normal people would pour the cereal down the drain, and start over.

Notice I said – NORMAL people.

But this site isn’t about normal…no, so the alternative to the mushy cereal down the drain?  Can it and sell it as the newest awesome breakfast food!

mmmmm….liquid cereal.  Because we’ve all become just a little too lazy to chew our own food.

Save The Ta-Ta’s GiveAway!

If you missed our Fabulous Finds post on Friday – Shame on you! 

I mean – er…you can go here to read it – just Like Jessica over at Savethetatas.com did.



And you know what?  She liked it  - she really liked it…(*in my best Sally Field*)  And since Save The Tata’s is so committed to finding a cure, and one way to do that is to raise awareness about Breast Cancer and research – Jessica is sending me a T-Shirt to give to one of you lucky folks.

Before the men that read this blog check out simply because they are men, let me just say…Yes, men can wear Save the Ta Ta’s shirts too.  Last time I checked, many men were also on board with the whole “Ta Ta’s” cause.  In fact, I think they might be one of the most vocal supporters.

So, here’s how you enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me where you would wear your TaTa’s shirt.  Yes, creativity counts – each comment counts for one entry, but the BEST comment counts for 3 entries.  (Comments will be judged by an independent panel – mainly comprised of myself, my husband and perhaps the UPS guy…only if I need a tie-breaker, of course)

2. Become a fan of Someone WIll Buy This on the FACEBOOK PAGE by clicking "LIKE" AND update your status with information about the giveaway and the link to my blog – http://www.someonewillbuythis.com (you know, the page you are on NOW).  Make sure you tag Someone Will Buy This in your post, so I know you did it – you tag us by typing @someone – Facebook will take care of the rest. (2 entries total, 1 for becoming a “fan” and one for the post.)

3. Add a Someone Will Buy This button to your blog.  Then, leave a comment with your blog address, or email me at tj@yoktom.com with the blog address.  (3 entries.  Show that Linky Love! – button and code can be found on the bottom right of this page)

4. Write a post on your blog about the giveaway and include a link to my blog AND http://www.savethetatas.com. (5 Entries!  Mostly because I love to see my name in print…)

5. Become a fan of Save the TaTa’s on Facebook!   You can do that HERE.  This equals 1 entry as well :) 

Contest ends on May 21st 2010.  Winner will be chosen AT RANDOM from the above entries. Different entries carry different weight, so you are in control of the number of entries you get! 

****additional message****
While NO PURCHASE is necessary to win this contest – Save The Ta Ta’s is a valid cause to support.  If you feel like you might want to buy your own shirt or other awesome TaTa’s product, you can do so here: http://www.savethetatas.com.  I recommend the lip balm.

Mommy I’m Here!

Ok, so I knew I was glutton for punishment when I went out and Googled “Bad Mother’s Day Gifts” but you know – anything to keep you all entertained.

One thing I didn’t expect though – a GPS device designed with the ultra paranoid, super sensitive mommy in mind.  Look, I’m a paranoid parent…I find myself audibly counting to five often when I’m in public with the kids (you know to make sure we haven’t lost – or even worse GAINED one in our travels…)  But I don’t know that I’d stoop to this level…at least not until they are teenagers.

That’s right ladies (and gents) it’s a cutesy wootsey little GPS device disguised as a bear with a belly button homing beacon.  Tie this to your kids’ shoe and never lose them again.  Or at least never lose them as long as they are within the pre-determined radial distance and within ear shot.

That George Foreman…he’s fantastic…

Ever been sitting at your desk and thought - “Gee, A quarter pounder with cheese sounds really good right now…too bad I don’t have a George Foreman Grill for my desk so I can cook myself one…”

That is, of course if you have a fridge, a freezer, a bread pantry and all the fixings there at your desk too.

So, assuming you have all these things…back to the original question, ever wanted to cook a hamburger at your desk?

Well, now you can, thanks to the Champ himself.

The iGrill…cooking foods for engineers and geeks everywhere.  The USB powered grill requires no external power source, has a very small footprint and is a lean, mean, fat-reducing, grilling machine.  (provided that you actually get up from the desk and move around once in a while – this just might be the weight loss solution you’ve been looking for…then again, maybe not.)

Fabulous Finds Friday – Save the TaTa’s

Cancer sucks.

I think we can all agree on that one.

I am always supportive of companies and products that give back to Cancer research, regardless of the form.  I love that many, many companies and fine upstanding citizens of the world – such as yourself – are banding together to beat this monster.

However – I especially love it when someone can donate to the cause to cure cancer – and do it with a sense of humor.

This is why today’s Fabulous Find is Save The TaTa’s.  (www.savethetatas.com)

First of all, because calling boobs  “Ta Ta’s” is funny.  I don’t care who you are.  It reminds me of being four years old and having my parents change “adult” words into cutesy things so that I can (or in most cases cannot) understand.  Calling boobs TaTa’s is funny – and it gives me warm fuzzy feelings from childhood – it’s a win-win.

Secondly – they do have some awesome products.  The one I’m absolutely in love with is the lip balm.  (Stop – do not EVEN let your minds go there…)  I’m allergic to Menthol, and most chap stick products have it in them…or they are fruity flavored and really do  nothing for your lips but make you smell like an orchard.  The Save the TaTa’s brand is All Natural, smells of honey, and is only $3.50 a stick.  I got mine at the local Harley Davidson Store (I was there buying a Guardian Bell – which is another post entirely…)  They also have shirts, onesies, key chains, water bottle belt clips, an entire line of soaps….the list goes on and on.  There is something TaTa’s for every budget.

Lastly – and most importantly – Save the Tata’s is a not for profit organization committed to a cure.  Every single sale creates a donation to the cause.  And every single penny counts.

So, that is today’s Fabulous Find.  For the record, no – I am not a breast cancer survivor or victim.  I do know someone very close to me who is.  My life has been touched by cancer in several ways – not just breast cancer…and I truly believe this monster has got to be stopped.  Every little bit helps.   And while cancer is a very serious thing, we can learn from TaTa’s…laughter heals.  Every moment counts.  And… an existence to bring joy and healing to the world is not a bad thing.

Got Monkey Butt Yet?

I’m not really certain why people refer to a highly irritated tuckous as “Monkey butt” – I’m fairly certain that those primates that do indeed have large red (and in most cases PINK) bottoms aren’t annoyed by them.

I mean, really – I’ve been to the monkey cages at the San Diego Zoo – and I’ve seen things (Monkey's really Have NO shame) but not a single one of them was standing itching it’s bottom like it’d never sit down again.

That being said – because you know you needed the full Monkey butt explanation – this product name makes no sense to me.

“Anti Monkey Butt Powder”

Thanks Janene – you are right.  It’s funny.  Funny Ha Ha funny.

Big Book of Home Remedies

Ok, I know – there’s probably a lot of really great information in here.  HOWEVER – I’m sitting here at home with ZERO voice, two small children, and with rising health care costs being what they are – I refuse to go to the doctor.

So I started looking into home remedies.  I have to admit there’s a lot of great info out there.  And again, I’m sure this book has lots more great and valuable information for those looking for simple home remedies.

But, when I looked up “Laryngitis” in  The Big Doctors Book of Home Remedies: Quick Fixes, Clever Techniques, and Uncommon Cures to Get You Feeling Better FastI couldn’t stop laughing (well, more of a wheezy, forced air type of sound – but you get the picture)  when I found out that the number one home remedy is….

are you ready?

Wait for it…

wait for it…

STOP TALKING.

Number two?

DON’T EVEN WHISPER.

Um….thanks for the info big helpful doctor book.  Now, do you know what might be a helpful side item to sell with this book?  How about “The Big Book of Morse Code” because with cures like this, I’m gonna need some way to communicate.

(yes, I know “stop talking” is something a doctor would tell me also – but I think that really goes into a book called “The Big Book Of Common Sense Answers” or something like that.  Now, please excuse me, I need to go frantically wave my arms at my kids who are fighting over a Barbie.  This ought to be entertaining.)

Inflate-a-potty

Who is on Latrine duty?

Aw man?  Really????

Inflate-a-potty.

Ok, I see the idea here, really I do.  I’m a camper.  I like the outdoors.  I’ve even dug my fair share of latrines. Something soft to sit my tush on would be fabulous when out in the wilderness – but I’m not sure I’d go the route of

“inflate like you would a beach ball”

That involves my mouth doesn’t it?

Thinking…thinking…

Yes, yes it does.

I suppose I could technically pass that task off to one of the kids while setting up camp.

*shudder*

I know how kids are.  No thanks.

The Better Marriage Blanket

Because I couldn’t possibly make this up – yet again, here is the word for word information from the website:

Almost everyone knows the silent but deadly effects of flatulence on relationships.  For couples, nothing can spoil the romantic aura more quickly!  It can be funny but it can also be a nuisance.

Yes…why yes I do understand that.

The Better Marriage Blanket is made using the same kind of activated carbon fabric found in Military Chemical Suits.  Chemicals and gasses are absorbed in millions of microscopic pores in each tiny particle of activated carbon.

*snicker*

…

First person to shout “DUTCH OVEN” wins a prize…

For those that don’t know what that is, well then, consider yourself lucky.  Very, very lucky.

Thank you Leanne W for this one, no – I hadn’t seen it, and it’s helped me through the better part of the day while I try to recover from this illness.  Laughter really is the best medicine.

So Sick…

Sorry folks.  I know there was no Fabulous Finds post yesterday.  You see, I’m not feeling well – so the only things I considered fabulous were pillows, blankets, cold medicine and sleep – lots of it.  Short of reclassifying the Remote controlled tissue box to a Fabulous Find, I simply couldn’t post anything.

I did however find this.

Playing on the fear in the hearts and minds of mothers and germaphobes everywhere – it’s the H1N1 eliminating vacuum.  I’m sure there’s some super technical jargon as to how this thing works – something about the UV light destroying the outer shell of the germ itself and then working it’s way inside and rendering it useless and unable to reproduce…but still.  In my germ infested and totally ill state – I think it’s ridiculous.  Probably because I didn’t think of it first…because I’m totally petty and shallow like that.

I’m going to go lay back down … ah – ah – ah ---- Choooo!   (ouch…)