Cozyna Coffee Grinder

I got the Cozyna Coffee Grinder to be able to grind my coffee while at work. It has turned out to be perfect for this task. I am using the default coarseness (and am happy with it, so I haven't worried about how to change that). For my little 4 cup coffee pot, you only need to fill the top cavern about half full (and grind to the top of the see through part) and that will be for a fairly strong cup of coffee.

The grinding itself is very quiet. If you put it on the desk, that will amplify the noise, but otherwise, it's not noticeable. The grind is very even and brewed nicely. I like being able to keep my coffee fresher by keeping whole beans. I don't tend to drink a lot of coffee at work, so I prefer that it stay unground for as long as possible.

The plastic part that you grind into appears that it will come out of the case so you can really clean it all. The entire unit breaks down fairly well so you can clean it thoroughly.

You do need to be careful not to lose the grinding handle. It is separate and you have to remove it to fill with coffee beans.

All in all, I am very pleased with this grinder and will be keeping it at work to use for a long time.


I received the product mentioned above for free or greatly discounted in exchange for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I like and use personally.

Cozyna Coffee Grinder

Athena Cup Menstrual Cup

I received this cup shortly after I had my first period post pregnancy. I have not yet had my second one, so I haven't been able to give it a real test run. I'll update my post after I have.

The quality of the material is very good. It's thick and stiff and holds its shape quite well. It was pretty comfortable to put in and once it was in, I really didn't notice it. I followed the instructions and folded it twice and inserted it like a tampon (after boiling it the first time) It will take some practice to figure out if it popped out correctly or not. I can't say if it will leak until I've tried it under real circumstances. It was easy to remove. It is much more comfortable than any tampon I've ever used. I'm excited to try it for real.

I am 5'11" and not small (and I'm over 25 and obviously been pregnant) but I got size 1 and I believe I chose correctly. I haven't tried a cup before, so I have nothing to compare it with, but it felt right.

I received the product mentioned above for free or greatly discounted in exchange for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I like and use personally.

Athena Cup Menstrual Cup

Mamaway Baby Ring Sling Carrier

I am very picky about the carriers I will put my son in (especially in terms of how it supports him and in what position, so I was interested in trying this Baby Ring Sling Carrier. It turns out that I like it quite a bit.

The first thing I really like is how light and portable it is. It has a pocket it can fold into, and it gets pretty compact, so I can always have it in my diaper bag just in case. It's also easy to pull out and set up. I watched the support videos on http://blog.mamaway.com/support/ before I tried to use it for the first time. That helped a lot and really had me ready to go. It still took a couple of tries before I was really comfortable using it with my 20lb wiggly son, but I think we're pretty good at it now.

Setup is very fast and much quicker than the other carriers I have. Most of the time, I have it in my car already set up (threaded through the rings) and so I just have to slip it on and pick him up and I'm done. Otherwise, it takes less than a minute to unfold it and thread it.

They recommended, and I found it to really be true, that you need to make sure the sling is stretched over your shoulder for maximum comfort. When I don't do this, it feels insecure and pulls on my neck and back. If I am careful to ensure it's stretched out as much as possible, it is much more comfortable.

If I had a calmer baby, I could go no-handed with this carrier quite easily, but my son likes to fling his head and body backwards with a lot of force, so I am nervous that he will pull himself out of the carrier and land on the floor. Because of this, I keep one hand around him at all times. It still makes carrying him sooo much easier since it supports his weight instead of my trying to support him with just my arm. He also tends to calm down more when in a carrier (seems to be how I "trained" him on accident). I have walked for a couple of hours through the store and only had mild shoulder stress from him constantly flying backwards. This is a win in my book!

Overall, I am very happy with this carrier. My son is not the easiest kid to carry, but it's much easier to do with the Mamaway Baby Ring Sling Carrier.

I received the product mentioned above for free or greatly discounted in exchange for my review. Regardless, I only recommend products I like and use personally.

Baby Ring Sling Carrier