Special K Fiber Cereal and Snack Bars **Giveaway!!**

We were contacted by BzzAgent.com and asked to do a review of Special K Fiber cereal and snack bars as part of a campaign with Kellogg.

We received a (free) box of Special K Protein cereal in Cinnamon Brown Sugar Crunch flavor and a box of the Chewy Nut Bars in Chocolate Almond flavor.

The shapes and smell of the cereal reminded me of Captain Crunch cereal and we all really enjoyed the taste.  It was sort of like a lighter version of Cinnamon Captain Crunch.
I had it for breakfast this morning and definitely enjoyed it.  I was satisfied after eating it and I would say it kept me fuller a little longer than my usual bagel.





The first thing I noticed about the bars was how light the box was.  It included 5 bars that did seem to run a little on the small side but were very tasty.  They are very filling and we noticed that the flavors dont run together.  You can taste each flavor separately.  Beau thinks they taste like a cross between a Snickers and Take5 bar.  I liked how they are easy to eat unlike Nature Valley bars that are rock hard.  They aren't gooey but the chocolate does melt very quickly so it will get all over your fingers if you take it out of the wrapper to eat it.  I wouldnt recommend keeping them somewhere that they could get hot either.

Jordyn says 5 stars!

For Scale

These are available at most major retailer, including Amazon Pantry, and as it is a new product, there are lots of coupons available.



And speaking of coupons, as part of our package from BzzAgent.com, we received 10 $1.00 off 1 box of Special K Cereal coupons so we are doing a giveaway!



The first 10 people to send an email to yourgotoreviews@gmail.com titled Give Me My Special K Coupon! will receive 1 of these coupons!  Be sure to include your name and full mailing address!

Secret Outlast Clear Gel Deodorant

I (Claire) was contacted by BzzAgent.com and they asked me to participate in a campaign to test and review Secret Outlast Clear Gel antiperspirant and deodorant and they sent me a travel size stick to try.

My first impression of the stick was that the product appears to be a bit gooey and oozy.  The manufacturers put a sticker over the top of the stick, under the cap, to keep the gel inside until you are ready to use it.



The first few times I used it, a good amount came out with each click.  After that, too much came out per click.  I've ended up having to try to use about half of what comes out on one side then the rest on the other.  Otherwise its very wet and sticky and I have to give it a few minutes to dry before I put my shirt on.

It does seem to work very well so far.  I shower every day so I'm not sure how well it wears as it says it offers 48 hour protection.  I like that its clear and stays clear.  I can wear a tank top without having any marks on my underarms and I haven't noticed any marks on any of my shirts either.  I also like the scent.  It isn't overpowering and is a nice, clean smell.

What I don't like is the amount that comes out per click and how wet it is when you put it on.  I also noticed that the sides of the tube do have a little bit of give to them.  I have had issues with gel deodorant in full size tubes leaking if they get pushed on like in a gym bag or a suitcase.  I would also be concerned about it leaking if it got too hot.  I have not traveled with this tube yet but I will definitely be putting it in a zip top bag when I do.  Also my regular deodorant has other benefits like moisturizers and helps sooth irritation from shaving but this one does not.

I would defiantly buy this product to use when I wear a sleeveless top but I don't think I would use it every day.  I think I will stick with my Dove Go Sleeveless stick for day to day.

Comcast Xfinity Internet Service

We switched to Comcast for our internet service in April of this year after we got fed up with our other provider HughesNet.  We use Direct TV for our cable and have only cell phones.
Our initial phone call with their sales department was fine.  We told them exactly what we wanted and they got us set up fairly easy.  We chose the option to buy our own modem and router rather than rent one from them as it was cheaper over the long term.  The do it yourself install was fairly easy.  They sent us a form with instructions and our unique code.  We set everything up then called the automatic setup line and entered the code from the form and we had internet within about 5 minutes.

They had told us that we would receive the first bill from them within a month with instructions on how to set up automatic bill pay and our online account.  I assumed it would show up as they said but I eventually noticed that it had been over a month and I had not seen it so I got onto the online chat to see what the issue was.

This first chat session was a mess.  The agent did not speak English very well and could not understand my issue.  She seemed to think that all I wanted to do was set up my online account but did not understand what I was talking about when I said we never got a bill.  I finally just gave up and had her set us up with an online account.  That way I had an account number and I could set up the bill for automatic payment so whenever it did kick in, it would pay on time.

Another month went by and I noticed that we had still not gotten a bill or been charged for the 2 months of service so I again tried the chat line to see what the issue was.  Again the agent had no idea what I was talking about.  I ended up just telling her that I had not gotten my bill and could she resend it.  She said we would have it by the end of the week.  Nothing.
So this time I decided to just call the 1800 number and speak to someone.  It took me explaining my issue to several different people before I was able to find someone who was able to help me.  The 2nd person I spoke to was astounded that this had happened and said that I probably could have just left it as is and gotten several months of free service.  She said their system would have turned it off automatically at some point.  She said basically what had happened was our account was never completely activated.  Our internet service had been but the system had never pushed the account through as an active account so it was still listed as pending.  Like it was still waiting for us to call and activate it with the code we received earlier.  She couldn't fix it from her system but she transferred me to a sales person who ended up just setting us up with a new account number.  It took me almost an hour on the phone to get everything figured out.

Overall I spent a little over 2 hours total between the chats and on the phone just to pay the bill.  It was almost like they didn't want to be paid for the service.  Next time this happens I think I'll just enjoy the free internet until the service turns of then just call and set up a new account.

So far the service is just fine and we are paying what we were quoted every month.  We will continue to post any updates as we go along.

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Lowes: Fence Installation

We purchased our house (in Southwest, VA) where we are living now in December of 2014 long distance while we were still living in San Diego.  While we were waiting on closing, we contacted a Lowe's store near our new house to see about having a backyard fence installed for our dogs.  Robert, in the fencing/install department was great.  He was willing to go above and beyond to work with us long distance and after a few phone calls and emails, he got us all set for our install.  We closed on a Wednesday and they started work quickly after.  Once the install was complete, he even sent us pictures of the finished product and we were thrilled.
Until we got there.
When we got to the house for the first time, the very first thing we noticed was a HUGE rut in the front yard.  Once we got out and started looking around we noted that there were 5-6 ruts in our yard in total.  We thought some kid must have driven their truck around in our yard or something like that but a neighbor said that it was actually the Lowe's delivery team.  They use a small 3 wheeled fork lift to take the pallets of wood off the back of the delivery truck and place them in the yard.  Now, rather than do all of this in the street and place the wood in the yard, they drove it in the wet grass and left the ruts.  Our neighborhood is a bit rural so we do not have curbs or sidewalks.  The grass simply ends where the asphalt starts.  So there was nothing in the way of them keeping the forklift on the road instead of in the grass.
We emailed Robert back and said we were not happy with the state of the yard.  He emailed back saying that because the yard was wet the 3 wheeler left ruts and there was no other option except to delay the project until the yard was dry (this was after the fact and we were not given any option to delay).  He said he hoped it wasn't too big of a problem and that he saw them but didnt feel it was major.  Here is what the yard looked like when we arrived...

The spray paint can is for scale.

There were ruts similar to these along the side of the yard and in the back as well.

We called Lowe's and spoke to the Store Manager named Angela who said she would get to the bottom of it and make it right.  We then received a call back from a man named Gary who was the Install Sales Manager.  He said he wanted to come out and take a look.  He came and looked at the ruts and said that he would send someone out to correct it.
At that point Beau went out of state for work for 5 weeks and we ended up under 9+ inches of snow for weeks.  So after he got back and the weather had improved enough, we called Lowe's back to make sure someone was still coming out.  They weren't able to tell us when someone was coming but they assured us someone was.
A couple of weeks later, I was standing in our kitchen when a white, unmarked truck pulled up and a young guy got out and started working on the yard.  He was out there for a while or so then I noticed that he had let himself into our back yard to fix the ruts there and my dogs had a fit.  We have 2 very large Rottweilers and it made me very uncomfortable that he did not ask to be let into the yard and make sure the dogs were put away.  He had made eye contact with me several times through the kitchen door and both dogs had been watching him work from the living room window and barking.  So he knew I was home and that we had the dogs but he did it anyway.  This was a huge concern of mine because of the dogs.  What if they had decided he was a up to no good and bit him?   Or run out of the gate while he had it open?
I was home alone with my infant and as he was obviously not a Lowe's employee, I wasn't comfortable just going out and confronting him myself.  He left us no instructions about what was going to happen next or what we needed to do.  He just filled the ruts in and put a bunch of straw over them.  Beau got home that night and discovered that the dirt this guy had used was full of rocks and very hard lumps of clay so the entire area was very uneven.  He had a lot of difficulty mowing over it later on.

This is one after about a month after they "fixed" them the first time

So we again called Lowe's back (after giving them a week to call us first but we never heard from anyone).  We told them that it was not fixed correctly and someone needed to come out and do it again.  Gary again came out and looked at them and said he would speak with the owner of the landscaping company and get back to us.  Never heard from him so we called the store manager Angela.  Once she got involved again, Gary finally got back in touch and sent someone out to "fix" it again.  This time I wasn't home when they came.  I was gone for an hour and fifteen grocery shopping and no one was there when I left, and no one was there when I got back.  But there was straw all over the yard again.  How they managed to shovel out all the bad dirt, replace it with new dirt and spread the straw and seed in that short a time I have no idea, maybe they brought a bunch of extra people.  But they again let themselves into our back yard (I've ordered a Beware of Dog sign and am putting a lock on the gate...) AND missed a huge rut on the side yard.  We never heard back from Lowe's to check how things went or to give us any instructions on how to care for the grass.

At this point, we were done with the store so we decided it was time to call corporate.  Beau called the 1-800 number and spoke to a customer service rep who was astounded that this was not dealt with the first time.  Beau said he either wanted cash/store credit and we would just fix it ourselves or for it to just be done right.  She assured us that our complaint would be sent to the district and this would be taken care of ASAP.  A few days later, Beau got a call from the store's delivery manager Mike who asked to meet him at the house so he could take a look.  He looked everything over and said no this is now how we do things and that he would be back the following weekend to fix it himself.  Sure enough, he was here when he said he would be and spent several hours doing the work himself.  He was very, very pleasant and also left us with clear instructions on how to care for the grass seed so it would take properly.  He also left us with a bag of seed/fertilizer to treat the spots in the fall to fortify the grass.

Overall, this Lowe's was just hopping we would give up and go away but at the end of the day, we paid thousands of dollars for a product and service from them and part of that service was that everything would be left the way they found it after they were done.  The fence install and product itself is fine.  But the lack of professionalism and caring about providing a good experience for us is just disappointing.  We have a lot of loyalty with Lowe's.  We have used them for new windows, a bathroom remodel, new carpet twice and now the fence.  The Lowe's in San Diego we dealt with were prompt, professional and would bend over backwards because they wanted us back for more projects.  And we expected the same service here.
While we will still, and have since, used  Lowe's again, we will not be returning to this particular Lowe's for any product or service again.  We would not recommend this store.

The Lowe's is the Lowe's located in Bedford, VA, Store #2809.

Also see:

Lowe's Flooring Install Part 1

Lowe's Flooring Install Part 2

V-Tech Sit to Stand Learning Walker

When our family came to visit last month, my grandparents brought Jordan a V-Tech Sit to Stand Learning Walker.  She purchased it off of Amazon for around $35.

It is a plastic learning walker with a detachable panel on the front that is covered with lots of different buttons and parts that make sounds, flash and play songs.  According to the instructions, it has over 70 different songs, music, sound affects and phrases and is meant for children ages 9 months to 3 years old.  It uses 2 AA batteries which come included and comes with a little pretend phone.

 It has a volume switch with a low and high option as well as a a switch that has the option to turn the panel off, the music setting and the story setting.  Right now she prefers the music setting as the story setting does not keep her attention as much at this point.




















Jordyn is 9 months now and she absolutely loves it.  We have it in our living room and every time she comes in she starts clapping her hands and is all over it.  She does not get very excited about the panel by itself.  She prefers to stand in front of the walker with the panel attached and play with it that way.  She will crawl up to it then sort of climb up the front until she is standing then stand there to play.

Because she is only pulling up and crawling but not walking yet, we have had to be careful to make sure it is pushed up against the sofa or the hearth to keep it from going out from under her.  It does have the option to lock the back wheels which lock in place to provide more resistance but that did not make the walker stay put on our laminate floors.  Even on the carpet with the wheels locked, she is not stable enough on her feet to be able to use it as a walker yet.  I'm sure as she gets stronger and more stable she will be able to better use it as a walker.

Pros:
She LOVES it!
It is very interactive and has lots of options for Jordan to play with.
The walker is a nice V shape that allows for extra stability.
It does go to sleep after a little while which we like because we don't have to remember to turn it on and off for her.

Cons:
The phone is not attached to the panel.  It does have a cradle it can rest in but there is no cord or string keeping it on the panel.  This is a double edged sword as it does tend to get lost but I imagine a cord that long would be a choking hazard.

Overall, we would definitely recommend this walker.  She has enjoyed it so much, it is definitely worth it.

~ Claire & Beau