US Japan Fam

Sunglasses for the Whole Family!

4/5/2021

US Japan Fam reviews Sunglasses from DiscountGlasses.com

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by DiscountGlasses.com but all thoughts and opinions are my own, honest and unbiased! Affiliate links are contained below - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

Sunglasses are most certainly not a summer-only thing - kids and adults alike need to be sure to shade-up and protect their eyes year round! But with spring and warmer sunnier weather on the horizon, who couldn't use some new sunnies to liven things up, am I right?

Thankfully, DiscountGlasses.com lets you do so guilt-free because they're budget-friendly and allow you to shop and order online without leaving the comfort and safety of your home! AND they have a $100 credit in my $1,000 value jackpot giveaway - link at bottom of this post!!

I just got the below Westend Lewis Center for my husband and Picklez Ziggy for my son cuz I thought they'd be so cute daddy-and-me in their silver frames with blue mirror lenses!! And they are! In fact so cute I have to occasionally to "borrow" them to enjoy some mommy-and-me fashion LOL! So, you tell me, who is wearing them best??? The Westend fits us both really well, I love how gender neutral they are!! Both of these sunglasses have some different color options too, for the frame and lenses!

US Japan Fam reviews mommy-and-me / daddy-and-me sunglasses from DiscountGlasses.com

This is my second year as an Ambassador for DiscountGlasses.com. I honestly love them, I actually started out as a regular customer and couldn't be more proud to be working with them to promote their amazing products! Such a fabulous selection of sunglasses (prescriptive and non) and prescription glasses and for toddlers, kids, teens, and adults - and they've adapted through the pandemic to even offer a free online vision test so you can update your prescription from home!!

They also have free shipping, 365 day free returns, virtual try on for most frames, and great lens upgrade options for how thin and lightweight they are, blue light reflective, transitions, progressive, anti-reflective, and sun tint! I mean, awesome right!?

Check out this crazy collection of kids and adults sunlgasses we have collected from them over the years - basically one for every day of the week LOL! And of course I have a collection of regular prescription glasses that are just as fun!!

The key is finding a great provider like DIscountGlasses.com where you can find tons of great glasses for a super affordable price, so there's no guilt in having several (or half a dozen??) frames, am I right!?

US Japan Fam reviews DiscountGlasses - my collection of sunglasses!

And now,
enter to win $100 credit from DiscountGlasses
in my $1,000 value jackpot giveaway running through April 7, 2021!!

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mifold Booster Seat Review: Original vs. Comfort

4/2/2021

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US Japan Fam reviews mifold compact booster seat

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by mifold but all thoughts and opinions are my own. I am not a certified car seat expert, pediatrician, or any sort of professional - I'm just a mom, making the best choices I can for my own family and sharing things I love with others! Please do your own research and use your best judgement about the best car seat or booster for your own children :)

You can usually find an Uber with a single carseat, but for families with more children, sorry, you're out of luck. But... you're not out of luck if you have mifold booster seats!! They're so compact, you can throw a few in your suitcase during a flight, stow some in your backpack while traveling, keep them in your stroller's undercarriage, have your child keep one in their backpack so they're ready to be picked up by your sitter or grandparent after school, and keep a spare in your trunk for when you have carpool duty!

Watch my video below for a full demo, notes about the differences between their Original and Comfort designs, and some safety notes. Then read on for more details, and enter to WIN one in my $1,000 value jackpot Spring into Summer Giveaway (ending April 7, 2021) at the bottom of this post!!

10 times smaller than traditional booster seats, mifold is our family's LITTLE secret to traveling with kids, and I'm sure they will also come in handy next year when our kids are back to school and carpooling to activities! Below you can see the original mifold (in yellow) and the new mifold comfort design (in purple). Let me go over a few key features and what sets them apart!

ORIGINAL: has grippies on the seat, and the shoulder belt path snaps open and shut over the seat belt. Because it folds tighter, it stores a bit more compactly when stacking several of them together.
COMFORT: newer design with a few upgrades - thicker padding for child i.e. more comfy, but doesn't fold quite as compact. Doesn't have grippies on the seat but has a few on the underneath to help it grip the seat of the car better. Also has a VERY HELPFUL visual guide on the shoulder strap for how to properly install it, which is great if you're not using it often and need a reminder, or if sending it with child to school where someone else may need to install it. The shoulder belt path does not open and shut, you simply slide the belt in there, just like you do with the lap belt guides.
BOTH: are extremely compact and lightweight, have the same requirements for age (min 4 years old), height (40 - 59") and weight (40 - 100 pounds), and have adjustable width for the lap belt path and height for the should strap path.

US Japan Fam reviews mifold compact booster seat - original vs. comfort designs

Below you can see the visual guide that is on the new mifold comfort seats - this is probably my favorite change to the design!! On the bottom right, you can see the little slides used to adjust the width of the seat - super easy to use before or after the child is sitting on it!

Below you can see our kids in their regular car seats on the left (high back booster for our 8 year old, and our 5 year old twins still in their 5-point harness convertible car seats) compared to sitting 3 across in their mifold boosters on the right. mifold allows you to fit 3 across more easily into more types of vehicles (see safety note below).

US Japan Fam reviews mifold compact booster seat - sitting 3 across

SAFETY NOTES:

While we love mifold for being so compact, lightweight, portable, and budget-friendly there are a few safety points you need to keep in mind:

Be sure to check with car manual or directly with manufacturer, as every car has specific guidelines about whether or not you can install 3 car seats in a row, have 3 passengers of any sort in a row, if the middle seat may have issues with being on a hump or being too narrow - this goes for regular car seats, traditional boosters, and mifold. Car Seats for The Littles is a great resource, as well.
As per mifold's CEO, the lap belt should lay across the upper part of your child's thighs right at or below hip bones. Across the tummy is too high, across mid thigh is too low. The red clip of the shoulder strap should be about 1 inch above your child's shoulder, so the strap hits them between the neck and shoulder.
In any backless booster seat, including mifold, your child must be able to sit still and stay in proper positioning, which is hard for the younger crew especially. If they slouch, wiggle, scoot forward or to the sides, lean, take off the shoulder strap etc, it can become dangerous. As mentioned in the video, my son didn't do well in the mifold when he was younger, but now at 8 he's fine. One of our 5 year old twins didn't do well staying in position so I'm not comfortable with her using the mifold yet, but her sister did great. It's very individual - so make sure your children understand the importance of sitting properly, and then monitor to make sure they stay in position.
Triple check the installation guides regarding how to install the mifold on flat vs. contoured seats, how wide to adjust the lap belt guides, and exactly where the shoulder belt and lap belt should fall on your child.

US Japan Fam reviews mifold compact booster seat - traditional car seats and boosters compared to mifold

If used carefully and properly, mifold can be an amazing option for many families - for travel, carpool, or even regular use. Don't forget, you can enter to win a mifold booster seat in our $1,000 value jackpot giveaway running through April 7, 2021!!
Enter to win here!!

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Black+Decker Steam N' Vac Review

3/25/2021

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US Japan Fam reviews Black+Decker Steam N' Vac 2-in-1 steam mop & vacuum

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Affiliate links may be included below - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

We're all juggling a million things at once - the house, the kids, a job, our sanity! A good life hack here and there can save you lots of time and energy, and I've got a pretty major one for you. Are you ready for this!?

With the Black+Decker Steam N' Vac, you can steam mop and vacuum AT THE SAME TIME!!! That's right!!! Let the steam mop scrub and sanitize your floors while the vacuum picks up all the crumbs and dust bunnies. 2 birds 1 stone! Huge time saver and game changer - I couldn't love mine more!!

Watch my unboxing and demo of the Black+Decker Steam Mop & Vacuum combo, read below for more details, then enter to win one in my $1000 value jackpot giveaway at the bottom of this post!!

Here's a break down of the 2-in-1 Black+Decker Steam N' Vac's features and why I'm loving it:

usjapanfam reviews black+decker steam mp + vacuum - in use

STEAM MOP:

The steam kills up to 99% of germs without chemicals! That's right - just fill the tank with water and you're sanitizing - talk about great green cleaning products!!
2 settings: "ECO Steam" and "MAX Steam", used alone or at the same time as the vacuum! Huge time saver!
The 1,000-watt steam boiler takes less than 30 seconds for water to heat up and be ready to steam.
With a full water tank (0.38L), you can steam about 15-20 minutes.
Step release to pull the mop head off, pull off to wash (easy peasy, it's elastic on the edges), dry, ready to re-use!
Safe on any sealed hard surfaces around the home, including sealed hardwood, tile, stone, grout, wood, laminate, vinyl and granite. They do recommend testing a spot first, just to be safe, especially on hardwood.
When using steam alone, it's quiet, kinda sounds like an iron to me, and it didn't leave the floors super wet, just glistening, and clean!!

VACUUM:

This 500-watt vacuum works on hard surfaces and has a carpet attachment as well, just don't use the steam mop on the carpet - it's not a carpet cleaner.
Large capacity (1.2L) stainless steel washable dust bin is very easy to release, empty, and re-insert. That's right - it's bagless, meaning less waste and eco-friendly!
Includes a washable HEPA filter above the dust bin!!
It weighs just 10 pounds, has a 11.5" wide cleaning path, and has a 16' long cord, meaning unlimited run time!
Comes with a 3 year limited manufacturer's guarantee

Buy yours at Walmart or Bed Bath & Beyond.

Enter to win one in my $1,000 value jackpot giveaway, ending 4/7/2021!

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Happy Masks Review: Breathable Reusable Face Masks for Kids & Adults

3/17/2021

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US Japan Fam reviews Happy Masks - adjustable washable 99% filtering covid masks for kids and adults

Disclaimer: We received these masks free for review but all thoughts and opinions are my own and completely unbiased! There are also some affiliate links included - you don't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

Life in the time of COVID, I feel like I'm always on the lookout for the perfect face mask - adjustable with a great fit, washable & reusable, breathable, effective, cute design options... and you know what? I was able to check off every box with these amazing Happy Masks (we received ours free in exchange for promotion, but they didn't reach out to me, it was vice versa cuz I was so impressed!!).

Watch our YouTube video here for a fun unboxing and demo of the various features, and read on for more details as well as to grab your code for free shipping!!

SUPERB FILTRATION:
Made with a 3 layer nanofiber membrane filter, Happy Masks have been tested by Nelson Labs to show they filter out over 99% of airborne particles as tiny as .3 microns!! That includes allergens (pollen!!), dust, and smog. And they factually filter out 99.9% of bacteria, and viruses (including COVID-19 / coronavirus)! On top of that, the filter is not removable, so there's no concern about losing it or having to replace it.

US Japan Fam reviews covid face masks for kids and adults - Happy Masks Filters

UNIQUE "BEAK" DESIGN:
Happy Masks have a soft fabric with a unique "parrot beak" design which means they don't suck into your nose and mouth when breathing and talking! Your kids won't suck on them! And they don't feel like they're suffocating you!

US Japan Fam reviews Happy Masks - washable breathable adjustable face masks for kids and adults with unique

ADUSTABLE EAR LOOPS:
Our faces are not one size so face masks shouldn't be one size fits all, am I right? Happy Masks come in Medium and Large for Adults, and one size for kids, but feature super easy-to-use adjustable ear straps! They also feature a metal wire over the nose for added adjustability, and provide a great snug and comfy fit all around the nose, cheeks, and under the chin! They also sell a protective pouch, and a lanyard that easily snaps onto the ear loops, so you can put it on and off without touching the mask itself, and not worry about your kids dropping it onto the bathroom floor (or... into the toilet!).

US Japan Fam reviews Happy Masks - reusable face masks for kids and adults - with lanyards and protective pouches!

WASHABILITY & DURABILITY:
Happy Masks' efficacy have been tested for a minimum of 50 hand washes and 250 hours of wear. The trim is hand sewn for increased durability and snugger fit. Washing instructions: soak in cold water with a drop of dish detergent for 10 minutes (use a drop of dish detergent on a soft toothbrush to remove makeup or sweat), gently rinse (do not rub or wring), air dry. For added disinfection and deodorization, spray with 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol after each wash and place in the sun.

You can buy these great face masks for kids and adults at happymasks.com and use code USJAPANFAM for free shipping!

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Straightening My Teeth From Home with Candid

2/12/2021

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If you read my last blog post, I was knee deep in researching brands who offer an invisible clear aligner system for straightening your teeth at home. There are many out there, but ultimately I decided to go with Candid (who agreed to provide my treatment free in exchange for sharing my experience with you guys)!

**Updated 3/16/21 (new videos throughout the treatment process will be embedded at the bottom of this post!)

US Japan Fam - straightening teeth at home with Candid

Disclaimer: I'm not being paid but am being provided complimentary treatment by Candid in exchange for promotion. But don't worry, all thoughts and opinions are 100% unbiased! As always, I tell it like it is!! There are also affiliate links in this post, you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

I'll walk you through why I chose Candid, why I want to straighten my teeth at home, and the process of using their Starter Kit in my video below (or keep reading for everything in text & photos), but the video is more fun, I promise ;)

Why I chose Candid:

They're thousands cheaper than Invisalign (who doesn't offer a virtual option), AND you can get $70 off your Starter Kit with code USJAPANFAM!
I can do this from home, while minding 3 kids during a pandemic!
They have really great reviews.
They use only orthodontists (whereas some brands only use dentists, or a mixture of dentists and orthodontists).
They have some Candid studios available if you want to get a free in-person assessment rather than do the DIY kit at home.
They include teeth whitening, so after you get them straight you can get them nice and white, too!

Why I'm straightening my teeth:
My teeth are not currently a hot hot mess. I had braces when I was a teen, however I failed to continue wearing my retainer, and my teeth have been gradually moving since. My dentist recently confirmed it's normal with age for teeth to move gradually forward, and yes, my bottom teeth especially are getting crowded and bothering me. My mother's got so bad by around 60 that she had to have a tooth pulled and wore braces to straighten them out. Her dentist warned her that if she didn't, she'd start experiencing pretty major tooth damage and decay!! Knowing what happened to my mom, I was anxious to go ahead and get my teeth straightened out again, and keep them straight this time!!

US Japan Fam - Straightening my teeth from home with Candid - Starter Kit

Using the Candid Starter Kit:

I ordered the Candid Starter Kit online and it arrived within a few days. The package is fun, very Apple-esque in a big pretty white box. They have very detailed instructions and video tutorials for how to take your EIGHT photos and FIVE dental impressions. I felt a bit of pressure to get these right, otherwise they'll get rejected and you'll have to start over. The reason is that they'll base everything off of these - your whole treatment plan and printing your aligners. They need to see every tooth, gum line, bite from different angles, ALL OF IT!

US Japan Fam - Straightening my teeth from home with Candid - photos with cheek stretcher

They send a "cheek stretcher" to help you get the photos of your teeth just right, and you simply use your phone camera with a flash, upload to their website, and boom. Done. Easy peasy, though kind of horrifying seeing your teeth like that. You have to keep the cheek stretcher til you finish treatment, I'm guessing you'll have to do finished photos with it, but if I'm being honest, we'll probably play some pretty funny games with them for some future videos!!

The impressions were harder to get done but I'm fairly confident, or hopeful??, that I got some good ones. The issue is that you have to mix in your hands 2 tubs of putty and once you start mixing you have only 60 seconds before they start hardening!! So, about 30 seconds of mixing, then the next 30 seconds rolling out to a 4" line (they give you a measuring tool), putting it into the impression mold, marking it with a tooth pick where your front teeth will go, getting it into your mouth and holding it in there for 3.5 minutes. 3 times for top, 2 times for bottom. Kinda fun, kinda gross, kinda nerve wracking!! But that's it - they give you a pre-labeled no-stamp-required box and you ship them back to Ohio!

Stay tuned to my blog / social / YouTube channel as I'll be posting updates regarding if my Starter Kit was accepted or I have to redo it, starting my aligners, how they feel, etc etc!! I'm eager to hear what the orthodontist I'm assigned has to say about my treatment - I've heard most do the 22 hours a day plan but some have a nighttime only plan, and treatment usually lasts 4-6 months or so. Eeeeek!!! Wish me luck, and throw any tips, comments, or questions below!!!

Learn more about Candid here and get $70 off your Starter Kit with code USJAPANFAM!

Update 1 - March 16, 2021:
Unboxing my aligner kit, going over treatment plan, putting in first aligners, submitting first scan to my orthodontist!!

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How to Get Rid of White Residue in Dishwasher

1/27/2021

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Disclaimer: this post includes affiliate links - you don't pay more but we receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

So if you're wondering how to clean your dishwasher, more specifically, looking into removing residue from hard water, this is the post for you! I too have that icky white film on dishes, glasses, and inside of my dishwasher! My husband even complained that the glasses SMELLED! WHAT!?

I'm not quite up to the task of making a homemade dishwasher detergent, and read how damaging vinegar and other things can actually be for your dishwasher. But I wanted something environmentally friendly, a more natural dishwasher detergent. I checked the EWG Database, they have great guides and a huge database where they rate products' safety based on the chemicals they include (THE best to search for the best environmentally friendly cleaners).

Please note, this is NOT SPONSORED, I simply bought some products that scored REALLY well on the EWG database and seemed to have great reviews for getting rid of white film in dishwasher, and figured I'd share how they worked for me, in case they might work for you!

Supposedly Lemi Shine products use citric acid to break down hard water residue and whatever is contributing to your cloudy dishes. Seventh Generation Dishwasher Detergent is a great environmentally friendly dishwasher detergent (and according to GE, dish detergent packs do better than liquid, but be careful if you have little ones at home who may mistake them for candy), but the Lemishine Booster is what really really did the trick. It didn't get my glasses 100% crystal clear but got them to about a 90, and cleaned the dishwasher completely.

Watch the video to see how they did (links under the video to purchase, if so inclined):

Do you have another technique for getting rid of white hard water residue? Are your glasses completely clear and spotless?? I'd LOVE to hear your tips, share in a comment below!!!!

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Burst Electric Toothbrush Review

12/30/2020

1 Comment

US Japan Fam reviews Burst Electric Toothbrush

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links - you won't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking. However, this is not a sponsored post - I purchased both sets of brushes :)

Our kids' dentist recently recommended them to all upgrade to electric toothbrushes (see more tips for kids' teeth here), apparently they do a MUCH better job at cleaning teeth than traditional toothbrushes (Burst says they provide 91% better plaque removal!). Turns out, we ALL should be using them! There are several brands out there to choose from, so it can feel a bit overwhelming. One of my friends is a dental hygienist and rep for Burst, and I'd been seeing their targeted ads on Facebook (you know, the ones where they brush charcoal off of a cob of corn) and decided to bite the bullet and buy one for my husband's Christmas gift (one for myself too, of course)!

Check out my unboxing video here:

Not only is my Rose Gold brush BEAUTIFUL, it does a great job and I'm truly loving it, as are my teeth!
Here are some key points:

It helps you brush smarter - it has a 2 minute timer, with a quick pause every 30 seconds so you can switch zones (my 4 zones are top outside, top inside, bottom outside, bottom inside)
Burst uses soft charcoal infused PBT nylon bristles designed to remove surface stains better. (And they are much softer than my old toothbrush, I was shocked!)
It has 33,000 sonic vibrations per minute - super powerful without damaging gums.
It has 3 modes: high, low, and pulsing (they call it whitening, sensitive, & massage).
It holds a charge for FOUR WEEKS when brushing twice a day!
Comes with USB cable plus wall plug adapter, giving you lots of charging flexibility.
You can subscribe so they'll send you a new brush head every 3 months ($6-7 per head)
Lifetime warranty (as long as your subscription is active), otherwise 90 day money back guarantee.

SAVE MONEY!!

Make sure you have Rakuten installed and you'll get 3% cash back!
They have a DEALS page listing current deals!

BURST ORAL CARE PRODUCTS:

Sonic Toothbrush in white, black, or rose gold
Cordless Water Flosser in white, black, or rose gold
Toothpaste with fluoride, without fluoride, or charcoal fluoride
Coconut Whitening Strips
Oral Probiotics
Expanding Floss

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Our Kids' Gender Neutral Bedroom Makeover (Easy Copy Cat!)

11/11/2020

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We recently moved from our tiny Brooklyn co-op to a big house in Hudson Valley, but our twins were still sleeping on their crib mattresses on the floor under big brother's Ikea Kura loft. They just turned 5 and were ready for new beds so we did some researching and I am SO excited to give you a tour and let you know exactly what we used in our kids' gender neutral bedroom makeover (so you can easily copy cat your own makeover if so inclined)!! Watch our 2 videos (1 is the loft / bunk build, the other is the rest of the makeover and final reveal) and read on for details!!

THE BEDS

It took me a while to figure out what type of beds to go with. I thought about a triple bunk but our (not even 8' high) ceilings weren't tall enough. I also thought it'd be really hard to change sheets, and not enough space between beds for the kids to sit and relax. I also considered a twin over full bed where the twins could share a bed, but thought they should have their own space. Ultimately we settled on a Twin Loft Bed and a Twin over Twin Bunk Bed from AdultBunkBeds.com (by Francis Lofts & Bunks) because:

they are aesthetically very pleasing and go with the fresh modern look I wanted
they are aluminum and SUPER sturdy, holding a whopping 2,000 pounds per sleeping platform!!
when we move to our (hopefully forever home) in about 2 years, we can divide the kids up into separate bedrooms if space allows - our son can take the loft in his own room and the twins can take the bunk in their shared room - perfect long term beds, even when they come home to visit from college!
not having 3 separately standing beds leaves us with a bit of open space in the room that can be multifunctional - after travel resumes, it can be a spot for cousins to sleep and even my husband and I can use the beds and 2 of our kids can sleep on the floor when family visits and we give them the master bedroom. It can also be a place to put a mat down for gymnastics, can be a little spot for playing board games, etc! The space under the loft is also flexible, we decided to use it for their clothing storage.

us japan fam gender neutral kids bedroom makeover - twin loft and twin over twin bunk bed from adultbunkbeds.com

The beds came in a million pieces, 14 boxes weighing a total of 500 pounds to be exact, and we were completely overwhelmed. Thankfully, they have extremely helpful assembly videos on their website that totally saved us and it took us a few hours to get them all up. AdultBunkBeds.com has a bunch of great add-on accessories including a tray, bookshelf, pull down desk, pillow support, trundle, corner shelf, fire pole (!!!), curtains with stainless steel cable, headboards, drawers, bed skirt, and staircase with or without a hand rail. After speaking with the representative, I felt the traditional ladders would be the safest option for our kids, and was impressed with how securely they latch on! You can attach them to basically anywhere around the bunk - on the side, head, or foot of the bed, which gives you so much flexibility in arranging the room!

neutral kids bedroom makeover - safe bunk bed ladders

The feet of the beds are kind of a rubber foam which makes them really grippy, adding to their sturdiness. However, it means you can't simply slide the beds around to their best location after building them, and the bunk was HEAVY, we couldn't lift it!! The trick we did find was sliding cardboard under each leg and I was able to slide the beds around by myself this way.

THE BEDDING
Finding 3 sets of matching or coordinating bedding was my next challenge. I focused on black and white and settled on this super affordable but awesome bed-in-a-bag set from Amazon Basics (affiliate link). They have Twin/TwinXL ($40) and Queen ($50) in a ton of designs. I can't tell you how well it'll hold up long term yet but they washed and dried nicely and are really really soft! They also have a little pocket on each side of the fitted sheet which is handy for lightweight things such as chapstick, flashlight, even a phone.

THE MATTRESS & PAD
Since the guardrails on the bed are completely adjustible, we could go with any depth mattress we wanted. I decided on the Zinus 6 inch gel-infused green tea memory foam mattress (affiliate link) because my son already had one and we like it. It's CERTI-PUR US certified meaning the foam is made without fomaldehyde / ozone depleters / PBDEs TDCPP or TECP ("Tris") flame retardants / mercury / lead / heavy metals / phthalates regulated by CPSC and are low VOC emissions for indoor air quality (less than 0.5 parts per million). It has a 10 year warranty and supports up to 250 pounds. They came vacuum packed and rolled up, and need 24-72 hours to completely expand to correct size. Of course we want to protect the bed from accidents (puke, nose bleeds etc) and protect our kids from allergens, so we also got the AllerEase Waterproof Zippered Mattress Protector (affiliate link) which fully encases the mattress, is waterproof, and protects from allergens, bed bugs, dust mites, and dander!

THE STORAGE
I wanted to avoid particle board dressers and storage units because of their potential toxic VOC off-gassing, so instead went with a wire frame cube storage unit (affiliate link) with fabric collapsible boxes. The frame was a PITA to assemble, but once together it seems like it'll work out. nicely, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it looks!! You have to be careful as the boxes can get caught up on little round disks that hold it together (you can see this in my video) but overall I think it's going to work out fine.

neutral kids bedroom makeover - white wire cube storage

They have a decent sized closet in their bedroom so I added parts of an old hanging / storage unit we had to allow us to make use of the bottom half of the closet. We use it for all 3 kids shirts and dresses. Their pants, pajamas, undies, socks, and other items will go in the new cube storage unit - folded and rolled Marie Kondo style of course!!

neutral kids bedroom makeover - closet before and after

OTHER ITEMS

We love the GE Color Changing Smart Nightlights (affiliate link), we have one in the kids room and one in the bathroom. They come on automatically when it's dark, and change color with the push of a button (or you can have it on auto-changing option). Some of the colors are brighter than others, so you can play around to figure out the right setting for your room. They come in packs of 1, 2, and 4.
We love love LOVE QuickZip fitted sheets (affiliate link) - they never pop off and the top part zips off for super easy laundering, especially handy for bunk beds!! We're not using them in our current set up because I rally wanted a cute design black and white, but... if the current ones start popping off, I'll be switching back to QuickZip for sure! The fleece topper is SO minky yummy soft and cozy!

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Making Over our Garage with Shelving.com

9/17/2020

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US Japan Fam's Garage Makeover with Shelving.com

Disclaimer: Product was provided free of charge by shelving.com in exchange for this post, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This post may also include affiliate links - you don't pay more but we'll receive a small commission from purchases made after clicking.

Do you have a room (or rooms) in your house where you just walk in and feel suddenly stressed out. Clutter and disorganization are an anxiety trigger for me, so getting our home organized ASAP after we moved here in July was a top priority for me. We quickly unpacked and to keep our living spaces neat and spacious, I haphazardly threw all other boxes and items into the attic/playroom and garage. On top of that, my husband keeps a constant stream of boxes and boxes of work stuff in the garage. So, these spaces were atrocious. Shameful. No fun at all. Which is why I jumped at the chance to work with shelving.com to do a makeover of our garage (discount code at bottom of post)!!!

US Japan Fam's Garage Makeover with Shelving.com - the BEFORE

You can watch my full before, assembly, and after video here, and keep reading for more details!

We desperately needed more shelving, ideally lower profile and sturdier than the ones we already had, so we went with Shelving, Inc. Black Wire Shelving. The black epoxy coating protects them from scratches and makes them rust resistant, so they're suitable in moist/humid environments like the garage, shed, and basement! Perfect for us and our un-air conditioned house - our garage was about 100 degrees and 75% humidity most days over the summer.

They've got shelves in many different dimensions, and it's really interesting how they work - you snap a plastic clip on each post where you want the shelf to sit, meaning you can adjust the shelves to any desired height in 1" increments along the posts. So flexible!! You can build the shelf to be a specific height for one use, and next year decide to change it up and use it in another way! You can even have the poles custom cut to a certain height. We had one of our sets cut to fit our garbage can under it (seen below left). So that we could keep it open at the front, we ordered 1 hanger rail for width and 2 hanger rails for depth. These allow the lowest shelf to be raised without losing stability.

US Japan Fam's Garage Makeover with Shelving.com - custom cut and adjustable height shelving

Another of my favorite features is the leveling feet! You can unscrew each foot individually so that it sits perfectly level! In a space with crazy cracked and uneven flooring like our garage, these came in handy big time (see an example in the bottom of the shoe rack in the above right picture)!

US Japan Fam's Garage Makeover with Shelving.com - connectable shelving units

Another fun feature, which you probably can't tell by just looking at the above photo, but those two big racks in the center are attached!! You can kind of see in the below right photo, but if you watch my building video you'll better understand how it works. Basically it's 1 full shelving unit with 4 posts and 4 shelves, and another 4 shelf unit with just 2 posts. Then you have these little S-hooks - you add 2 per shelf and the add-on shelving unit attaches to the other. It's really really easy, and so practical, allowing you to extend your shelving to conserve space. You can even attach the add-on at a right angle to create an L-shaped unit perfect for maximizing corner space!

Beyond the shelving units themselves, shelving.com has tons of accessories! We got 2 baskets which hang right on the edge of the shelves (see below left photo). Haven't figured out what we're going to put in them just yet, but they simply slide in and out of the shelf so we can move them around easily when we decide where and how to use them.

We also got shelf liners so that we could throw little stuff on the shelves if we need to without worrying about it falling through. See below - They're so pretty, I hated to cover them up with our boxes!! They're very cleverly constructed with cutouts at each corner so they fit in perfectly and don't slide around! They're easy to wash, are made in the USA, and are recyclable.

So excited for how much more organized our garage is now! No, it's not pinterest perfect and stunningly gorgeous (maybe upgrading our storage boxes and beautifying the space will be our next project...hmmm...) but everything has a safe place to be stored out of the way, and that was my priority! We no longer have to move several boxes or bikes to get to something! And we now have a huge open space in the middle of the room where the kids can go do gymnastics or sit down and play cards (or watch a tablet, if we're being honest, which seems to be the most frequent occurrence) HA!

Be sure to head over to shelving.com for all of your storage and organizational needs! I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised by what goodies you'll find over there. Heck, they've even got desks, lockers, storage bins, kitchen carts, you name it!!
Get 12% off your wire shelving order with code USJAPAN12 (valid through 9/30/20)!!

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Mead MotherWord Deluxe Magnetic Family Calendar Review

9/15/2020

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US Japan Fam reviews Mead MotherLoad Deluxe Magnetic Monthly Family Calendar

Disclaimer: This review was sponsored by Mead and includes affiliate links where I'll earn a commission from purchases made after clicking, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Every family has a million things going on - from school events and sports to birthdays and vacations. Having an easy and practical way to organize everything and allow all family members to stay in the know is essential. Which is why I'm thrilled to be working with Mead on this review of the Mead MotherWord Deluxe Magnetic Family Calendar! Watch the following video as I walk you through the various features of the calendar, and read on for more details as well as the chance to win one in my $500 value jackpot Back to School Giveaway!!

This calendar is large and keeps you in charge - each month's page is 18" by 13.5" giving you plenty of space to write in each day, and has a notes section on the bottom of each month as well. Each month features a cute illustration on the top, a touchy feely or inspirational quote, and key dates such as national holidays and even moon phases! There are also tabs at the bottom so you can easily flip through to any future month.

It has a heavy duty magnetic strip on the back so you can throw it up on your fridge or front/back door, or you could pin it to a wall or use on your desk.

I think my favorite feature of this calendar are the hundreds of tiny stickers it comes with!!! Trash, recycling, yard waste, compost, parent teacher night, babysitter, the list goes on!!! Really great for quickly noting regular or one-off events for everyone to be aware of. It has a growth chart and a chore chart, so you could put the stickers on the calendar itself or directly on the chore chart for individual kids to be in charge of handling. It also has a pocket in the back for storing key papers and documents (for example your list of key phone numbers / passwords / allergies for your babysitter).

Pretty great calendar if you ask me, and for only $16.99!! Buy one now at Mead.com (affiliate link) and don't forget you can
enter to win one and the entire $500 value jackpot in my #2020B2SGiveaway here!!

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