Zippy Loom Review

I'm a huge crafter. HUGE. I used to paint and draw,  I've tried woodworking a bit, I dabble in jewelry making, I can embroider fairly well - but my first and greatest love for the past twelve years has been yarn. I knit, I crochet, I can weave, I used to spin, but knitting and crochet have always been the things I come back to the most.

Maybe because there is something soothing about the feeling of yarn running through my fingers, maybe it's because yarn crafts are so portable,  maybe it's the satisfaction of watching a project grow. People also seem to enjoy yarny gifts the most, at least a few times a week a friend or family member requests a new pair of slippers, socks, a stuffed animal, hat, etc. My list of people I "owe" a project to at this point is about three pages long.

When I was younger, before kids and even after my first was born, I thrived on huge and complex projects. I knitted long cabled cardigans, elaborate socks, scarves with hidden designs.

Once more kids started arriving, and then especially after my divorce when I began working more and having no "kid-free" time, my projects changed substantially. I started crocheting more than knitting, although I loved knitting more, just because the projects went faster and I could feel that satisfaction of an item completed with less time investment.

By the time my 4th child was born last summer, I was barely picking up a hook or needles at all. It just seemed like there was never time or energy. Everything took too long.

And that, my friends, is where knitting looms come in! I first found an inexpensive set of round looms, and I love them, I've been making hats like crazy. Then I came across something I love even more. The Zippy loom by Authentic Knitting Board, pictured above with a scarf attached. I actually first thought my oldest son would like it (and he does, we've been having some wars over whose turn it is to use it and I think I need to buy some more!) but as I read the directions and explained it to him, I became totally enamored with the little loom myself.

Each piece has 4 pegs, and retails between 7.99 and 9.99 depending on where you buy it. (Look online for coupons for your local craft store, near me I know A.C. Moore and Hobby Lobby will email great coupons a couple times a week if you're on their mailing list.)

You can make a skinny scarf on one piece in about 30-45 minutes, even for a beginning. Personally, I live in Northern New Jersey where it gets really cold so I'm not a big fan of skinny scarfs. But here's the fun part. Each Zippy loom comes with a connector, so you can buy a few and in seconds, hook them together. Two looms together makes, in my opinion, the perfect width scarf. Since I got the Zippy looms, I CAN'T STOP KNITTING. It is SO easy and fun. I've been taking my projects to the pool, the playground, the zoo, BBQ's, literally EVERYWHERE. There is something so satisfying in watching a scarf grown an inch every row! I've made a ton of regular scarves and infinity scarves, and it's felt great to be crafting again.

The product itself is sturdy and well maid. The directions are dead simple. You can knit while watching TV, talking on the phone, waiting in waiting rooms...anytime you have a minute! It takes me about an hour and a half to finish an adult scarf, how can you beat that?

The only problem is that now I'm obsessed and I want more Zippy Looms. I want to buy about six or seven more so I can hook them together and make chunky, cozy blankets. I've also seen online that you can buy "corners" for your zippy loom so you can knit in the round rather than just straight - a Zippy loom hat sounds so toasty and comforting. And making an adult hat in an hour or less sounds perfect to me! I see Christmas gifts for everyone next year!

As I've been reading other people's reviews - which by the way it seems like I'm not the only person to fall into a deep, deep rabbit hole of Zippy loom obsession after being introduced to it -I've seen people say that these looms are also great for people who have trouble with fine motor skills, like elderly people who can't knit regularly anymore or those who have problems keeping calm and need something to do with their hands.

And here we are at the beginning of summer vacation - I don't know about you, but I'm all about keeping my kids busy this summer. My older children are definitely going to be spending some time with these looms also. If you can't find them near you, Amazon sells the looms and corners for a reasonable price and they ship quickly. Enjoy! And feel free to post pics of your Zippy loom creations below!

Facial Numbness Officially Diagnosed

For the last week, I've been dealing with an odd problem. I woke up last Friday morning with the lower left half of my face numb. No other symptoms, but it seemed weird. I called my doctor, and was told there were no available appointments for almost a week, but that I should go to the hospital to get checked out because facial numbness can be a sign of serious things.

 As I often do, I took to Facebook and asked my assorted family and friends if they had ever experienced numbness like this or knew what it could be. I was greeted by a barrage of messages to go to the ER immediately.That seemed really overdramatic so instead I went to the local MinuteClinic in a CVS. Btw, it was more like "90 Minute Clinic" but I digress.

At the MinuteClinic, the nurse practitioner said she suspected it was Bells Palsy, but she seemed very nervous and didn't want to make a definitive diagnosis without absolutely ruling out anything more serious, so she advised me to go to the emergency room right away. This is what I was trying to avoid. I have four kids, the oldest is seven. The idea of sitting in a hospital for hours with four kids didn't seem like something I really wanted to do. And it all just seemed so dramatic...I mean I'm 37, this couldn't really be anything serious, right? All I really wanted was for someone to say, oh that? Don't worry about that, it's no big deal. But no one was saying that.

Luckily, I have great friends, family and a man I love to help me out. Within an hour people were offering to sit with the kids, keep me company at the hospital, whatever I needed. So in the end I didn't have to bring the kids with me after all. Thank God!

It took over four hours in the ER. I had a CAT scan of my head, an x-ray of my head, and a ton of bloodwork. At the end of it all, the doctor said all the tests had come back clean and he was pretty much at a loss. It could be some kind of nerve impingement, could be early Bells Palsy...he didn't know. He advised me to follow up with a neurologist. (The closest neurologist appointment I could get is two and a half months away, BTW.)

I was sent home with pretty much no answers. Over the next six days, things got worse. Soon the numbness spread up my face and my left eye began to tear for no reason. My ear and head on that side began to ache.  The left side of my throat became numb, it felt like I'd been sucking on a Halls cough drop all night. I was miserable. I called my own doctor several more times trying to get in sooner, but no dice.

Finally this Thursday, two days ago, I got in for my appointment. I wanted to cry with relief - I was so uncomfortable by then. It took all of about five minutes for the doctor to find out what was going on. Apparently when you go to an emergency room, test results and your chart are electronically sent to your primary care physician.  As soon as my doctor looked at my tests, he said I had Lyme Disease, and that it had caused the Bells Palsy, which I definitely have. He said either the doctor didn't notice the Lyme result in my blood work, or those results came in after I had been discharged. Either way, I should have been told immediately so I could begin treatment. Lyme Disease is no laughing matter, and is irritatingly prevalent in Northern New Jersey.

I was prescribed a very strong antibiotic to take for the next month (which I started right away), and a twelve day course of steroids which I haven't started yet due to other issues I'm considering. The lesson I have learned from all this is that you HAVE to be proactive about your health and doctors don't know everything, they make mistakes too. Follow up after bloodwork to make sure your test results haven't slipped through the cracks, and if you don't feel better push for a second opinion, another test, etc.

Has anything like this ever happened to you? Either Bells Palsy, Lyme Disease or a doctor making an error with your care? Tell me about it in the comments below, please!


  

Can't Stop Loom Knitting

I learned how to loom knit only a couple weeks ago, but I am OBSESSED. It is so easy, so fast, so oddly satisfying! I have been having some weird health issues for the last week, and have spent quite a bit of time in waiting rooms, on hold with the insurance company, and in the ER. This has provided lots of time with my looms.

I can't believe I didn't discover these things a long time ago! I can make a scarf or hat in just a couple hours! I have yet to branch out into more complicated designs, but I still have a whole bunch of family and friends to make hats and scarfs for, so I should be good for awhile anyway.

Do you loom knit? What do you make? How many strands of yarn do you use?

Why Geocaching Is a Perfect Hobby

T-Shirt: Geocacher (Treasure Map). Pink Shirt by advphotos

View more Geocacher T-Shirts at zazzle.com

We are about to embark on a long, LONG summer. Is anyone else wondering how to fill the days without breaking the bank?

A few years ago, I discovered geocaching, and it's something me and my kids have enjoyed ever since.

For those of you who haven't heard of this, here's how it works. People, lots of people, all over the country, hide geocaches, which are usually containers of various sizes that often have a logbook and small prizes inside. You download a free or inexpensive app on your phone (there are a few to choose from) and you search for geocaches near your location. Once you get the general location, you use GPS and the compass within the app to locate the geocache. Once found, you sign the log in the container (if there is one) log it in the app as well, and if there is a prize, you take it out and replace it with something else.

Prizes are small, it's more just for the fun of finding something. A cute pen, bubbles, a pack of cards, etc. My kids and I buy things at the local dollar store to replace them. Even in our rural location, there are tons of geocaches all over the place. I've never done this in the city, but I bet that's awesome too.

So what makes geocaching a good hobby?

1.  It's cheap. A couple dollars worth of prizes to switch out in the geocaches, a little gas to drive around (unless you live somewhere where they are in walking distance) and possibly 5 dollars for an app on your phone and you have days worth of entertainment. And as I said, there are free apps as well so if you don't want to spend a thing on that, you don't have to. The advantage of paid apps are that they usually allow you to sort geocaches more than the free version, such as sorting by the difficulty level of finding it or by size.
2. It's something the whole family can enjoy. I'm not big into many kids activities, I can admit that, but geocaching is something adults do also, it's not a "kid" thing, although my kids love it too. But activities everyone has fun with and can be done even with a wide range of ages is rare.
3. Geocaching is a great way to spend some time outdoors. Want to get yourself and your family away from TVS and video games. Try geocaching? It's easy to spend an afternoon outside "searching for treasure" as my 6 year old puts it, without even realizing you are also getting some exercise and breathing fresh air.

Are there any downsides? Eh, not really. The worst I can really come up with is it's more a nice weather thing, geocaching in the rain or snow really isn't very fun. Also, you do need to be aware of your surroundings. I was once geocaching with my son - who was 4 at the time- and came across a bear rather than the geocache. And because we were so focused on the compass, we didn't see the bear until we were kinda close for comfort. But other than that, it's a really enjoyable and very inexpensive way to spend time as a family and do something a little different.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Children's Day Is Ridiculous

I woke up this morning and checked Facebook. Immediately, a notification came up reminding me that today is Children's Day and to let my friends know if I was celebrating. With a scoff, I x'ed out of that and was immediately greeted by my friends pics of their kids and details of how everyone was celebrating their children for Children's Day.

To this, I say.....seriously? Let me tell you about my day yesterday. And this wasn't for Children's Day, this is just what we call "Saturday." My kids were all awake before 7. They begged for waffles for breakfast, which I made them. Two children who begged for them didn't touch them at all, another ate half a waffle. Twenty minutes later they were all starving again. What I said to them at that point isn't really fit for putting on a public blog.

A little later, we went to our town's festival day, where they saw a reptile demonstration, ate ice cream and cotton candy and hotdogs, climbed on a firetruck, and ran around like crazy people for a few hours. THEN we went to the mall, where I let them pick out a movie for themselves that I bought them, they played in the play area, and when we got home I let them all stay up late to watch their movie and eat popcorn. I went to bed feeling pretty satisfied with what a good day I gave them.

This morning as soon as my eyes were open, I was greeted with three little people around my bed (the baby can't get out of her crib yet, or she probably would have been there too) demanding breakfast and wanting to know in what ways I planned to entertain them today. I told them that one of their favorite people would be over to visit, and then we would be going to a butterfly release nearby.

And what did the little ingrates do? Everyone burst into tears and started whining because we "never do anything fun" and "I don't care what they like to do."

When did this happen? How did we become a society ruled by children where adults are basically around just to be servants and chauffeurs for their children and pay the bills so they can have every material thing they desire? It's nuts!

As far as I can tell, EVERY day is Children's Day. And I don't know what to do about it. I work, I'm the only adult living in the house, and I have hardly any money - ever. So how did even MY kids become so spoiled and entitled that think every moment of their live should be filled with fun things that THEY want to do?

There was a time when children were supposed to be seen and not heard, and were mostly valued for how much labor they could contribute to the family farm or business. While I'm not advocating going back to THAT (well, not on most days I'm not) I do think the pendulum has swung way too far the other way.

Now, children assume that the only food purchased will be things they like. They think they deserve a present every time they walk in a store. They expect parents to run themselves ragged driving them to sports, karate, art classes, chess club or WHATEVER 7 days a week. And the part that I find most shocking is that PARENTS DO IT!

How do they have time? Do they ever do anything for themselves? Do they ever spend time with just their partner? How do they afford this? And WHY?

Personally I try to give my kids a good life. I do try to take them places they want to go and get them treats when possible. I love my kids, but they aren't my entire life. I have friends, and family and love and hobbies and work. There has to be balance. I have been known to send all the kids upstairs and commandeer the big TV to watch my OWN movies. On most night, they have to ALL be in bed by 8 so I can have time to myself and to have a life. And even so, my kids still get to have fun, still aren't lacking for anything.

So on this Children's Day, I will not be running myself extra ragged trying to "celebrate" my kids. They will have fun, but I don't think a day encouraging kids to think they are the center of the universe when they already THINK they are the center of the universe is really necessary.

What about you? Do you celebrate this day? And if so, how? Tell me about it in the comments!