Living a DIY Life

I teach students with special needs and I'm always on the look out for new fidgets (things they can mess with in class).  This one is somewhat pricey at $11.99 on Amazon.  I've seen several for under $5.  The difference here is in the quality of the materials.  The cheaper ones are usually plastic.  This one is aluminum and has a nice weight to it. The idea behind fidget devices is that if the person is physically distracted, then their mind can pay more attention to the task at hand.  I let one of my students with anxiety use this one for several days and he says it has helped him a bunch.  There is a great weight to the spinner and you can really feel how high quality it is.  It spins super smooth without any catches or hiccups.  One push of the blades and it will spend for at least a minute.   I know there is a bunch of people who think the spinners are really distracting.  These are intended for people with a disability...

This work light is super bright!  We previously had a name brand one that we bought from a big box store.  I husband was a bit resistant to trying a brand he had never heard of but after seeing how bright it is and how great it works, he's changed his mind.  This Daway light is going for $32.99 on Amazon right now.  This is comparable to how much we paid for our name brand one.  The name brand one only has white light and the lights only have one mode, so in the long run, this is a much better deal. The light is rechargeable and it comes with a wall plug and a cigarette lighter plug so you can charge it at home or on the go.  It has red and white lights and the lights can be on solid or flashing.  The flashing can be helpful if pulled over at night working on the car. If there was anything I could change about the light, it would be the off switch.  To turn the light on, you click the one button.  To cycle through the m...

I bought these lights to put in my yard so that there was light, but I didn't want extension cords across the yard.  These lights are about 30 feet long.  They are $10.99 on Amazon . The unlighted part of the power cord is about 80 inches long or almost 7 feet long.  This made is easy to run the lights up the tree trunk.   The lights have 8 different modes.  My favorite is the slow fade one.  Another nice feature is that the lights have a sensor to turn on when it gets dark and turn off when it gets light.  I don't have to go turn them on or off all the time.   These would also work great in the fairy light jars that are so popular right now and since they don't require being plugged in, the jar can sit anywhere there is ambient light to charge them. I received this product for free for my honest opinion.

I was in desperate need of new baking sheets and I love this set from Vremi.  It's going for $27.99 on Amazon right now.  This set includes 3 sizes.   The smallest is about 10 inches long, the middle one is about 12 inches, and the biggest is about 14 inches.   Each pan has silicone handles.  If you aren't accident prone, the silicone handles are cool enough to the touch to use them to pull the sheets out of the oven by.  Each handle is only about 3 inches long.  I am accident prone, so I still used pot holders when pulling them out of the oven.   The nonstick surface worked well and I haven't had any issues with foods sticking to them.  I've used them to bake cookies and for cooking chicken strips on.  One thing to note, since these are non stick, it is advised to not use metal utensils on these pans as that can lead to scratching the surface.  I have rubber coated spatulas so this wasn't an issue for me.  ...

If you love mermaids, have ever wanted to be a mermaid or just like really soft blankets for laying around this mermaid tail blanket is for you.  $10.99 on Amazon is a cheap price for something so awesome! The blanket is about 6 feet long. This means that you can cover your whole body comfortable.  The tail is dark blue with white interwoven in.  It is super soft and warm.  I live in Texas and it's in the 80's to 90's outside, but I can still use this blanket comfortable.   The blanket is open for the top 4 feet, joined together for about 1 foot and then the fin section is about a foot long.  The fin is ribbed so it really stands out for the rest of the tail.  I don't usually like using afghan-style blankets because I tend to stick my toes in the holes.  That is not the case with this blanket.  I have had no issues with sticking my toes into the holes in the fabric.   The blanket also comes with a canvas drawstri...

This charging squid (that's what it reminds me of) is very convenient. I'm a teacher and students are constantly asking me if I have a charging cable they can use.  Everyone has different brands of phones so before this squid, I couldn't help all many of them out.  It is going for $7.99 on Amazon right now which is a great deal considering you are getting 4 charging cables in one. The unit has a micro-usb, mini-usb, lightening and type-c ports.  This should cover all Apple and Samsung brands and pretty much all the off brands, too.  I've seen other pieces like this that were all black, so the ports all blend together.  With this one, I just had to learn what color went to what port.  For example, a student has an iPhone, I tell them to use the green one.  This makes it easy for quick recognition. The USB port that plugs into the wall dongle to power the cables is about 10 inches long.  Each charging port is about 5.5 inches long. ...

I love this foot soak from Calily.  These bath salts are infused with tea tree oil which makes them smell floral and piney.  Tea Tree oil is noted for it's anti-microbial and decongestant properties.  Using this foot soak can help treat or prevent common foot issues like athlete's foot.  It is also great for encouraging healing of the skin, so if you have blisters or abrasions on your feet, this will help those things heal.  The dead sea salt helps pull toxins from the body.   The ingredients list is short - dead sea salt, tea tree oil and fragrance.  I am allergic to many man-made chemicals that go into beauty products, so I love the purity of Calily's stuff.  The salts are very easy to use - just put 3 tablespoons into a hot foot bath and soak your feet in it for about 20 minutes.   Afterwards, my feet were really soft and many of my calluses were starting to slough off.  I used some of the soak as a scrub to get the rest...

I love these bath salts from Calily .  Normally, I use Epsom salts once a week in my baths.  I have found a great replacement!   These bath salts are infused with eucalyptus oil which makes them smell kind of citrusy.  Eucalyptus is noted for it's anti-inflammatory, stimulating and decongestant properties.  If you are starting to feel sick, this feels great in a hot bath and can help flush toxins out of your body.   The ingredients list is short - dead sea salt, eucalyptus oil and fragrance.  I am allergic to many man-made chemicals that go into beauty products, so I love the purity of Calily's stuff.   The salts are very easy to use - just dump some in your bath while the water is running so that the salt can dissolve; step into the bath and relax.  Afterwards, my skin was really soft and I smelled amazing (according to my husband).  The bottle is just shy of 32 ounces (about the size of a yeti-style cup or a large soft drink c...