Reviews

While I've had to deal with fleas in the past, our home had been happily flea-free for years — until this past Winter that is. Since the only thing I hate more than fleas is introducing nasty insecticides and toxic chemicals into my home, I tried a natural, DIY approach to dealing with them. Using methods such as vacuuming daily (and emptying the canister into an outdoor garbage can), spreading diatomaceous earth on carpets, and using herbal flea sprays worked all right for a while, but it was time-consuming and definitely not foolproof. Plus, the flea spray I used made our house smell like the most unappetizing pumpkin pie ever baked.

The bottom line is that I just didn't have the time to deal with fleas in a manner that the more eco, DIY method required, yet I didn't want to use flea bombs or sprays that could negatively affect the health of our dog or our family. I was stuck for a solution — that is, until I learned about Fleabusters. Fleabusters is an environmentally friendly company that uses the least toxic or non-toxic methods of eliminating fleas from your home and yard. Best of all, Fleabusters guarantees its service for a year. That's right: one treatment will remove fleas for a year.

Keep reading to learn more about Fleabusters!

I'll never forget the day I was driving down the street with a friend, and we realized her daughter, who at three was just beginning to chat with ease, was singing along to "Get Low," by Lil Jon in the back seat. You know, the oh-so-pleasant "to the window, to the walls...til the sweat drip down my..." — I'll let you Google the rest of the lyrics.

Catchy pop songs may get a radio edit before they hit the airwaves, but even some censored lyrics are just obscene enough that it's uncomfortable to hear children repeating them. The options are to keep the radio off, give in, and let kids hum along (typically unaware of any meaning), or constantly switch the channel. The all too common conundrum must be why Kidz Bop CDs, which are kid-friendly collections of pop songs sung by kids, are such hits.

The latest release, Kidz Bop 19 ($14) features kids crooning to 16 hot tracks including Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling in Love," Katy Perry's "Firework," and Taio Cruz's "Dynamite." If you and the family are fans of the franchise, you'll be happy to play DJ with this album. It's a CD for children, but the upbeat choir arrangements are fast, fun (as always there's a definite "sharing is caring" theme, giving all voices ample solo parts) and won't make you cringe. That is, until they get stuck in your head.

Give it a squeeze! My home converted to the ways of squeezable nourishment as soon as my lil one started solid foods. We' now tote packs of pureed organic fruits and veggies with us everywhere we go. But to my older tot, the pouches are nothing more than baby food. He sees his younger brother suck down spinach, pear, and pea combinations that he wouldn't dare try himself. Even when I offered him all fruit versions, he'd tell me they were for babies, "not big boys like me."

So when Nature's Child sent over their Nickelodeon Squeezers ($3 for a box of four), I was sure he would turn up his nose. Rather, he took one look at SpongeBob on the packet and declared them a big boy treat. Having been around the block a few times, I was certain that this character-laden snack would be packed with sugar, preservatives, and other nasties like many cartoon products are. Much to my surprise, the packs (adorned with either SpongeBob or Dora) are packed with 100 percent all natural fruit, without any added sugar.

Who is this product designed for? The packs are great for families on the go. Stick a few in the car, mama's purse, or a tot's lunch box, and hungry kids can get one full serving of fruit with a single squeeze.

Is it practical? I'm already a believer in the wonders of squeezable packets, and these don't disappoint. Fruits can be consumed mess-free – without the need for utensils or napkins – and don't have to be refrigerated until they're opened.

Keep reading to see what could be better and if I'd buy them on my own.

Call me crazy, but I'm wary of products that are marketed "as seen on TV." Sure, the Magic Bullet looks pretty tempting at 2 a.m., but I've never actually made the plunge and picked up the phone to order. Perhaps someone was hoping to convert me. One recent day, the Prep N' Pop arrived in the mail. This contraption, which looks like a distant relative of a bike pump, promises to help secure foods while prepping them, thereby making peeling, chopping, and slicing easier, quicker, and safer. Did it completely overhaul my kitchen prep process? To find out, head right this way.

I never really had a problem with my Apple Airport router at home. It worked just fine, and since I live in a Mac household, I thought it would be the best option for seamless integration with the rest of my gadgets. But after getting the Valet Plus wireless router from Cisco, I don't think I'll ever go back. Not just because I've seen increased rage and fast wireless speeds, or that it was easy to connect all of my computers, gaming consoles, and printers, but the biggest plus: setup was incredibly simple.

Find out more, and why you'll love it after the break.

Sure, sure, we talked about Hotpot, Google's answer to Yelp, before, but I didn't realize how addicting it really was until I started using it more often.

Here's the deal: you can join Hotpot by using your Google account, then just start rating restaurants, hotels, parks, bars, whatever, around you. You can also leave a short review, and earn points for every place you rate. This is the part that gets me, cause I want to win. Sure, it's not a race, but I'm highly competitive and racking up points (therefore "beating" my friends) really motivates me. Not only that, but there's a ticker at the top of Hotpot that tells you how many more ratings you need to provide before getting more place options (in my mind, I call it leveling up). Google definitely got Hotpot right, and I'm fairly obsessed.

Have you used Hotpot yet? What do you think?

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and PatiBF is one of them. On her OnSugar blog, Baby Style, she identifies her favorite baby products. Just click on the image to find the actual items!

So I know this is a super simple and basic product but it turned out to be one of Sandra's favorite things. Forget the drum with flashing lights and all the other complex gizmos we got her. This step ($18), meant for potty trainers, is actually what she likes to play with most. She uses it to climb up on and sit. She also uses it as a drum! Sometimes the simple things are best.

Want to see more? Start following Baby Style or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site!

Figuring out which hotel to stay in can be tough, so thank heavens for TripAdvisor! In a recent survey, all of you said that you found consumer opinions on travel review sites really helpful, and a few readers left some great tips for sorting through reviews. Here are some of them:

• Check Their Bios: I also read where they are from and what their age is. Someone from the UK has different expectations than someone from Canada. And a 55 year old has different standards then a 23 year old  — Lovely_1
• Read the Content: I find them helpful, but I always make sure to read some statements, rather than just looking at the stars. Because sometimes there'll be some cranky person giving them one star just because the receptionist was on the phone for too long or things like that. — RoaringSilence
• Look at the In-Cetween Ratings: I LOVE trip advisor. I pay more attention to ratings between two and four than I do to the one and five star ratings though. (Unless there are a ton of one star ratings!) — onlysourcherry