Tag: advice

Posted in Products, Reviews

Product Review – HUE HD Webcam

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies! Forgot to post this Saturday, but I wanted to review this webcam since it was something that I ended up getting for myself when I was doing Facebook lives all the time.

One of the reasons as to why I was looking into webcams that were overhead, was because I wanted to record videos of my crocheting so that I could post them on my blog and/or to YouTube.

Most of the camera’s that I found were between $99-$200. Since I didn’t know anyone else, I figured to see how well the cheaper camera would do. Now, a lot of the time it is a hit or miss when you buy something that is cheaper, so I took a chance.

When I got this item, I paid $50 buck for it on Amazon, which wasn’t too bad, I just hoped that it would do the job that I was hoping it would do, which is sort of did. It also came in four different colors: green, red, blue, and of course black. I got the green one.

Here is the link for the Webcam: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000TTFEWG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you have been following me since the beginning, you know that some of my lives are used with my phone and a tripod, but in some of the other videos, you couldn’t see the tripod, which was when I was using the HUE Webcam.

Now, before I purchase any products, especially on Amazon, I always just see the reviews, both good and bad, which for this product, it was kinda split in half. Meaning it worked for some and others, not so much.

For me, the first few times I worked with the camera, it worked great, downloading the CD program worked on my computer and it worked with no problems, but after a few times of trying to record longer and live, it started cutting out or not working.

I’m not sure if it was my computer or not, but it made it really hard for me to want to record or try to go live. I would even uninstall it and reinstall back onto my computer, sometimes it works that way, other times, not to much.

The good thing that I liked about the camera when it was working for me, was when I could adjust the picture or video clearly by turning the lens of the camera. I also like how there is a light to indicate when the webcam is plugged in, however, there is no manual control to turn it off and on.

Also, another feature is that you can attach and detach the camera from the base, which I found really helpful because if the base doesn’t want to work for you, you can always plug the camera directly into your computer base.

I might have to try it out on my laptop, and see if it works or not, and I will update when I do that.

Overall, for the price, it was okay, I wouldn’t get it again unless it was a last resort or they had it upgraded to something that was better than before. If anything, I would try out one of the more expensive ones, just to see if there is a major distance.

The good news is that, in good lighting, it records great! I just don’t understand why it was cutting in and out all the time. One of the options that I found very helpful, was that you could adjust the camera very easily, to any angle you needed it to be.

Have you tried out this camera? How was it for you? Or did you have the same problems as I did? Let me know in the comments down below and if there are any products you would like me to try out, let me know in the comments as well.

Posted in Products, Reviews

Product Review: Puzzle RollUp Mat

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies! I am back with another product review! So, if you don’t know, I LOVE to do jigsaw puzzles in my free time and especially during this time, they help not only pass the time but it also keeps your eyes from staring at a smartphone all day either.

Not to mention, my 2-year-old daughter loves to watch and help me with them, so we have a few puzzles that are perfect for her to do. This product is more for those who are like me and LOVE doing the bigger puzzles, such as a 1000 piece puzzle. They are lots of fun but can take a lot of time and patience to complete.

This is when this product comes into need! Especially if you can just leave the puzzle where it is because it’s either in the way, or you have little ones that will try and ‘help’ to get it done.

This roll-up mat can not only keep your unfinished puzzle intact, but you can roll it up an store it for another day or when you are ready to finish it.

I got mine a few years back and have only used it a few times. My big problem with these is if you have a puzzle that you have done multiple times, meaning the pieces are a little wore down, they don’t like to stay on the mat together very well.

Not to mention that the mat is felt, so it’s hard to move pieces. If you were doing a newer puzzle, it wouldn’t be so difficult, but you do have to push some of the pieces back together, when you roll it out, again.

However, I do not recommend leaving the pieces, that aren’t connected, by itself on this mat. I’ve had a few times where they have fallen out and I lost the pieces to those puzzles, which is never fun to go closet search for puzzle pieces when your closet is full of open boxes.

Leaving the extra pieces in the box would be a better idea, or try putting them in a sandwich baggie and attach the baggie to the storage roll or inside of it.

Overall, if you live in a small place or just can’t leave the puzzle out by itself, then this would be ideal for you. I also want to note that there are mats that are bigger or smaller for whatever size puzzle you plan on doing, so be sure to make sure you check out the size of your puzzle before buying one of these roll-up mats.

The ideal is to have a puzzle table, but those can run from $90-$150 bucks, but if you don’t have the room or have kids or pets that like to be ‘helpful’, then these mats are perfect and only run from $15-$30 bucks, depending on the size that you want, I would always go the biggest, if you can, just because you never know when you are in the mood to do a big puzzle.

What do you think about the Puzzle RollUp Mat? Have you used one, or are you thinking about getting one? Let me know in the comments down below!

 

Posted in Mom Talk

Mom Talk: It’s Okay To Not Keep Everything (Baby Stuff)

Posted on by Katie Night

Hey Dearies, I wanted to talk about another big problem that us moms have that I don’t think anyone has mentioned. What’s worth keeping and what’s not worth keeping from your baby’s stuff.

I know a few are you are problem screaming at me through the screen saying, ‘WHAT?!’, but let me tell you why.

As a mother who has lost a child and is currently raising one at the moment, we want to keep stuff that they have ever use, such as outfits, blankets, shoes, bibs, toys, etc. The list goes on and on, to the point you have to ask yourself one question:

Where am I going to put this all?

But, I’m here to tell you, it’s okay that you don’t keep everything. If you are like me and live in a tiny trailer, then you understand where I’m coming from. When you have a baby, you get lots of stuff and most of the stuff is NEVER used or is used maybe once or twice.

When my son passed away, I wanted to keep all of his stuff, even stuff that he had never used, not just for memories, but for our next baby. Not to mention, I made sure his stuff, that he did wear, would be in his own tote.

Growing up, my mom make sure us kids had 3 totes. Inside, she had a few of our favorite outfits, first pairs of shoes, baby books, and some other stuff. I loved the idea of keeping a tote for each of my kids, which is exactly what I did.

Even when I kept my son’s stuff, I still had a LOT stuff that I was never been able to use, not to mention, a lot of family member also get you stuff for the baby to be, which can be super helpful, but sometimes you feel like you HAVE to keep stuff like that. But let me tell you something:

ITS OKAY TO NOT WANT TO KEEP IT!

Don’t let friends and family make you think you HAVE to keep stuff that you don’t have room for or you just don’t want to keep. There are plenty of parents and parents-to-be who are in need of stuff as such.

Yes, you can save those items for the next child you plan to have, but if you don’t have space, sell it or give it to those who need it! Don’t have your house cluttered just because you want to save it for the next baby because when you do plan to have another baby, someone else will be willing to give you the same stuff that you gave them.

So, I bet you are probably wondering, why I even wanted to bring this up. Well, let me get to that because it wasn’t just because I had a lot of leftover stuff, it had more to do with the fact that my daughter was getting older and her room was turning more into storage, than an actual bedroom.

Yes, we do have closets, but living in a small trailer, you don’t have much room to begin with, so you have to work with what you got.

Since my daughter was getting older, I decided that it was overdue for me to go through her stuff and figure out what I was going to do with it all because she needed a room that she can actually play in.

I went through any baby stuff, such as clothes, rockers, bouncy seat, bibs, walkers, etc. Since my daughter was too old to be using those, I sold them. Which, to me, isn’t a big deal because they didn’t have any attachment to it.

So, what did I actually keep?

  • Baby Book
  • Hospital Bracelets
  • First outfits
  • First pairs of shoes
  • An outfit that she wore, only one from each size.
  • First pacifier
  • First blanket
  • The first dress I crocheted her
  • The crib
  • The bassinet
  • Baby swing

That’s it. The last three are because they had a meaning to me, which I am going to keep for that sake, but everything else fits in her tote. Also, when I mean I’m saving an outfit from each size, it’s one outfit from newborn to 12 months. Anything else, I have either donated or sold to those who really need it.

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But as moms or new moms, don’t feel pressured to keep everything, it’s okay to not want to. And it’s okay to keep everything, if you have the room and space for it, go for it!

Whatever preference you decide, it’s okay. Just remember, the moments and memories you create, is worth more than items itself.