The Chillow- Sweaty heads be gone!

My name is Jen and I am a pillow flipper. I flip my pillow constantly through the night trying to find a cool spot to rest my head. When I saw the ad for the Chillow I was stunned. It's as if they created this product directly for me. It seems to me, no matter how cold the house is, my room is still hot and uncomfortable when it is time to go to sleep. 
According to the infomercial, the Chillow will "cradle you in memory foam cooling comfort!". With that line alone I was sold BUT I wanted to see what other magic healing powers this product claimed to have. I'm glad I stayed tuned in because the Chillow helps out with migraines, muscle aches, and aching feet. I've had ALL of those! I couldn't place my order fast enough! 

Once my Chillows (buy one get one free) arrived, I couldn't wait to use it. I thought the set-up was pretty easy per the instructions, fill the Chillow with lukewarm water, let it sit on the counter for a few hours then roll it slowly while slowly releasing the air out the valve. Easy-peasy right? Well, for a normal person sure. For me? Not so much. However, one drenched outfit, a soggy kitchen counter and an annoying air bubble later my Chillow was ready.

That night, I placed my Chillow on my boring hot pillow and prepared myself for a dream sleep. At first, I was a little unsure of it as it sort of moves with you like a waterbed. I became accustomed to it and put aside my growing fear of becoming seasick. I was shocked that it actually worked. My head felt cool and the need to flip my pillow was gone. I drifted off to sleep content that my head and neck were sweat free. (sexy, I know). Around 3 am I woke up with a pain in my right shoulder. I realized my Chillow had slid off and folded itself so that it was jabbing itself into my shoulder while I slept. I put it back into place and fell back asleep. Around 5am I woke up again to find it had slid off again and was cooling my back. As helpful as that sounds, my back did not need cooling. Around 6 am after having to adjust it a few more times I ended up tossing it on the floor. 
The next night, I noticed  my Chillow had deflated somewhat. The directions stated to only fill the Chillow once, and I didn't see water leaking anywhere so I decided to follow the directions for once in my life. That night, I tucked the Chillow into my pillowcase to see if it would improve my cooling comfort. Epic Fail! It did not offer the same level of cooling which in turn pissed me off causing me to toss and turn. 
A few days later, I checked with my mom to see how she was enjoying her Chillow as I gave her my free one. She had the same complaint about it sliding off of her pillow all night. Her other complaint was a strong smell of vinyl. (a complaint I have heard from others as well).  I asked her if her Chillow had lost water overnight and she stated that she thought she noticed it but she had already thrown hers away.
The Chillow cost  $12.99 + 6.95 shipping and handling, then another $6.95 for my "free" Chillow. However would I buy it again? I suppose if I could figure out a way to anchor it onto my pillow so it didn't slide off and jab me in the neck and back all night I would. It really did what it claimed to do. It kept my head cool, while I slept, provided it stayed on my pillow. But in reality, I would probably just keep my portable fan running. That way the sound of it will lull me to sleep and hopefully drown out the sound of any upcoming infomercials on my tv. 

The Wax-Vac! Ear Cleaning in your home!

You know how when you try to use a Q-tip to clean your ears and you jam it in your ear too far causing you to scream out "OW!"? No? well, me either... However if you watch the infomercial for the Wax Vac, you will notice a gentleman who seems to have a really hard time with this. Luckily, the Wax-Vac was invented which is so powerful that you no longer have to pierce your brain with a Q-tip YET gentle enough that even a towel wrapped child can use it while his mother lovingly looks on.

Hopefully you all have seen this commercial, otherwise I sound like a rambling fool who may or may not have had a few cocktails. Basically, we are shown how difficult and painful it is to clean your ears with  a Q-tip. We also hear from a doctor that using a Q-tip in your ear is damaging. Then we are shown a hand held tool that looks like a  mini-power drill with a little suction hose at the end. The wax vac comes with 4 sets of different colored tips. This is so a family of four can use the same wax vac. If you are a family of 5+ you either have to share someone else's ear wax covered tip or you're shit out of luck.

The device is easy to set up. The tips just twist on and off and there is a switch to either turn the wax vac on or you can turn on a light to look into someone else's ear (Or find your cell phone in the middle of the night after you kicked it out of your bed). Also, there is a detachable piece in which you can empty out all the disgusting treasures you suck out of your ear.

Depending on if you buy this in an "As Seen on TV" store or from an infomercial, the price can vary. I bought one for $10 + Shipping & Handling and per usual, because I ordered in the next 10 minutes, I got one free! So for two Wax Vacs, shipping & handling (plus a total of 16 tips for 8 different sets of ears, and a weird little brush that I haven't found a use for yet) the total I was charged was $23.98  (I always love how one item that is $10 + a free item ends up costing double once you figure in all the extras)

Here is the real question...Does it work?

I really have a hard time answering this. If you have ear wax blockage (such as hard, sticky wax) no it does not work. The suction isn't powerful enough. You can however use the tip to get to any itchy parts of your ear. If the wax is soft  and runny then yes, it will slightly suck this out of your ear but the tip has to be cleaned often. It is pretty loud when you're using it so if your ears are sensitive, this is not the product for you.
After taking a shower or swimming, the Wax Vac is AMAZING at getting water out of the ears. It allows you to avoid doing that awkward hop while tilting your head and smacking your ear trying to get the water out.
The other EXCELLENT use I have found  for this, is cleaning between the keys in a keyboard on a computer. It removes dust, particles, and random Doritos crumbs that may become lodged in there.

Would I buy the Wax Vac again? It is nice for getting water out of your ears but by the time you find the Wax Vac that you have thrown under your sink with all the other infomercial products (oh wait, is that just me?) the water most likely will have worked itself out on its own. If you can find it in a store and only pay $10, I'd say go for it, but don't pay more than that. Better yet, just use a Q-tip, but unlike the asshat in the commercial, STOP when you feel resistance!

The Cat's Meow-

Most people who know me are aware that I am one cat away from becoming a crazy cat lady. I have 4 cats that I feel 95% responsible for making sure they are entertained. (The other 5% I leave up to the dog).
Like most cats, they are usually more interested in the packaging that the toy comes in rather than the toy itself. They used to enjoy little stuffed mice, however once they started ripping the heads off the mice and deposited them in my bed, I stopped buying them.

Approximately 4-6 weeks ago, I saw an ad that caught my eye. It was for a product called The Cat's Meow which would turn any cat (even fat, lazy cats) into highly active. The claim is "With Cat's Meow, your cat is so active, you'll turn lazy kitty into crazy kitty." How could I pass that up? 3 of my 4 cats are extremely lazy. Of course I wanted them to revert back to kittenhood! How could I know this could be done for only $19.99 (plus shipping and handling). Not only did I get the Cat's Meow, but I received a second one (only had to pay S&H) PLUS a free gift, but only if I called in the next 10 minutes.

The product arrived, set up was minimal and I'm pretty sure would fall apart if someone walked by it too quickly. It consists of a very wrinkly nylon tarp thing, that fits over a stick that rotates. Sounds remedial? Yeah, it kind of is. My cats initially were unimpressed and the noise seemed to scare them a little bit. Eventually, they all gathered around to have check it out. Once my cat, Truman,  attacked the "mouse" however the whole damn thing stopped. Party was over, everyone lost interest. I turned it back on about an hour later and there was mild interest but once they discovered a twist tie from a loaf of bread they ditched the new toy. 

I'm sure cats would have fun with it but after 10-15 minutes they'd be looking for something new. I suppose if it was brought out once a week or so, it would probably have that new toy on Christmas feel.

Overall, if I could do it all again would I buy it? I would say no, however, depending on how many rum & cokes I had, I may forget that the product wasn't that great.  However, all cats are different. It will defiantly call attention and have all the cats gather round to see wtf you have brought into their home. I just feel it was a bit expensive for a cat toy. I think one of those laser lights would be just as engaging, and a hell of a lot cheaper!

Notice Foster, to the left, wanting NOTHING to do with this thing.

Here is Truman stopping the fun. Party's over, go home.

New Adventure-Infomercial Style

I just wanted to give everyone a brief idea of what this blog will contain. I am an insomniac (two years and going strong!) with a horrible addiction to those God-awful infomercials that come on right after Jimmy Fallon. I wish I could say I was happy just watching the infomercials and laughing at the sheer stupidity, however I find myself ordering far too many of the products. 

If  they tell me buy one get one free? Forget it, you can pretty much guarantee I am buying it! Don't even get me started on if I can get a free gift if I order in the next few minutes. 

I have a strong suspicion that there are a ton of infomercial addicts afraid to admit it. Or at least a bunch of people curious if these products really work. I will do my best to give a review that will be useful, truthful and ALWAYS snarky.

If you read my blog now, I'll throw in some smart-ass comments absolutely free of charge!