Channel your inner geek

I'm a geek. I always have been one, I will always be one. Perhaps I'm a nerd. Maybe both? Either way, I'm a gamer. I've always loved gaming, and even though my gaming days have been limited since parenthood, it never leaves my blood! It's part of who I am.

I was poking around a retail website (you could probably guess which one after the rest of this sentence) a while back, and I saw one of those awesome D20 necklaces. I wanted one, but, as usual, it was out of stock. I got curious and poked around on Etsy.

I found them.

I found LOTS of them.

Not all of them were that great, though. I mean, many of them were okay, but I'm rather picky. If a picture is slightly off-center, I must fix it. I was given a ring (previous boyfriend) that had a marquis stone and two accents... and the marquis was crooked. That was the first thing I noticed, and it bugged me daily. So yeah, not all of the things I found were stellar, but one shop stood out.

PROJECT NERD

This shop had beautiful spiral caged D20 necklaces. I mean beautiful. Other shops had some that were crooked, uneven, etc., but Project Nerd had so many necklaces and perfect spiraling.

I got a necklace for myself, but Bobble got jealous. I got him one, too.

The quality was great both times. Bobble even had his shipped in this cute little box with tissue paper around it. He was ecstatic.

The die comes out easily, though I wouldn't recommend it for young children (like Bobble) who like to tug on things. His necklace got stretched a bit too much (the caging). It still holds nicely, but it bothers my quirky, perfectionist self. Of course, mine looks as perfect as the day I got it, and I've taken the die out numerous times. It wasn't taking the die out that caused the issue, it was a 4 year old thinking he should tug a bunch and stretch it out.

As you can see, he did tug a lot on it. I have taken my die out at least a dozen times, and it has maintained proper shape. I assume he just tugged and tugged. (I say "assume" because he took it to school for show and tell one time... and it came home like this.)

I also don't let Bobble wear his necklace without an adult around, because the die is tiny. Four is plenty old enough to know better, but that doesn't stop him from doing things he know he shouldn't any other time. Better safe than sorry!

Not only has this necklace made me friends that I might otherwise never have met (random conversation starter with strangers!), but it has saved me from a screaming child in doctor office waiting rooms. The die makes a great distraction for Squiggle! I had pictures of that, but they all came out blurry because she was playing and moving around so much.

She also loves it as a nursing necklace.

Project Nerd has more than just spiral D20 necklaces, though! Check out these neat die earrings and the MTG pendants!

Ohhhhh, but wait! The best part! Not only is the craftsmanship fabulous on these items, but the prices are awesome, too! The price varies by the die selected, but they are between $7 and $10 (excluding shipping) for the D20 necklaces.

Did I say that was the best part? I guess I was wrong... because this is the best part:
Project Nerd is going to give one of my readers a d20 necklace of their choice! YES! GIVEAWAY!!!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. The items mentioned above were purchased by me. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Thoughts of Fluff is not responsible for prize shipment. Giveaway is open to US only.

Wooden Spoons for mugs or baby (Sage Spoonfuls review)

I'm a pretty big fan of tea, but I dislike the lines in the bottom of my mugs that eventually become full-on cracks. I won't drink from a mug that is cracked, as I am a bit leery of what is used in the manufacturing process.

Now, I know it's probably super obvious, but the metal spoons I'd use to stir my drinks were causing the marks that eventually became cracks. Looking back, it's super obvious. I'm honestly surprised it took me this long to realize that.

Still, the realization (which actually occurred months ago, but I've been MIA for a while on the blog!) prompted me to search for alternatives. I used the little take 'n toss spoons that we've had, but I dislike plastic (in general), and rarely even let the kids use them, much less want to use them in a hot drink.

I searched online and found some wooden baby spoons by Sage Spoonfuls. You might recognize the name as a company that creates BPA free containers for storing baby food, or maybe from their hand blender. I remembered hearing the name of the company before as a fairly "safe" company (in terms of "Green"), so when I saw their bamboo spoons I decided to try them out.

This is where I'd like to point out that I was not given these spoons to review. I purchased them with my own money, and without contact with the company.

The spoons are eco-friendly, and supposedly dishwasher safe. I say "supposedly" not because I've had a negative experience, but because I've only handwashed them in hopes of extending their lifespan.

The spoons come in a 3 pack, and are an ideal size for a baby to use. No worries, they are non-splintering! Seeing as how I bought these for my personal use, I was really more concerned with how long the handle was for my mugs.

Thankfully, it is plenty long enough!

I have been using these spoons for a few months now, and my mugs have no signs of wear, the spoons show minimal signs of wear (only slight discolouration), and everyone is happy!

Spoon pictured after use for a few months

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. Product(s) mentioned above were purchased by me, and all opinions are my own.

Missing

Well, I've successfully gone missing from here. I had mentioned I would be stepping back a bit before writing again, and writing more about myself in future posts... so this will be ALL about me. Not much, but a brief explanation!

My new class started, and I have to admit that it's really difficult doing school with children. Like, REALLY difficult. Perhaps it's just the ages of them children, but taking a class is challenging. Even more challenging, and the reason I've been missing so much, is taking a law class with two young children.

Yes. Law.

On the bright side, I'm only a couple weeks away from the end of that class, and I'm hoping that the next class will be a bit easier on me. Not that I dislike the challenge, but man! Law and wee ones do not mix!

We've also had a tough time with our eldest fur baby. She is at the end of her life, and we are forced to decide between putting her down or letting her try to go naturally. It's not an easy choice at any time, and certainly made more difficult by children that are old enough to ask about her. Bobble has been asking about death more and more the last few months, so I'm not sure if I should let him be there if we put her down, or if we should do it while he is elsewhere.

We've never gone through this with children. In fact, I haven't had to put down an animal I was attached to. Never. I had animals run off. I had rescues I had just gotten need to be put down. I've never had an animal for this long, and I've never had an animal this close.

Anyone with input on this situation, I'd love to hear from you. What did you tell your children? We've been trying to explain that she's an old, grandma kitty, and we've mentioned her body is old and isn't healing itself anymore.

Again, I promise to write more, soon. Really!