It’s time for another round up of things that we like, from new purchases that work to familiar tools that always get the job done.
As always, NB: Some of our links are affiliate coded, which sends a portion of your purchase price back to us at no extra cost to you. It’s one of a few ways we keep the hot pink mayhem going at SBTB HQ, so thank you in advance for your support!
I also want to recommend shopping through the Rakuten portal. Many of the stores have kept their increased percentages. I have a referral link good for a $30 cash back bonus when you spend $30. You’re welcome to use it and get extra cash for yourself!
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Last month, Shana said, “I bought these headphones to sleep in and they are amazing:”
CozyBand Wireless Headphones, $40
“They’re also great for spicy audiobook listening when my family is around.”
I also purchased a Cozyband and I freaking adore it! It’s not too small for my giant noggin, and the flat rectangle on the top doesn’t bother me at all, nor do the speakers on each side.
I do have to move the wee disk speakers around to sit over my ears, but when the mask is pulled down over my eyes and I have a long (like, 99 hours long) brown noise track playing, I sleep so well.
I’m already a meticulously obsessive sleep diva, and this has brought my palatial sleeping arrangements to a new level of excellence.
Currently the Cozyband is $40, but there are often sales that move the price a bit.
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Speaking of sleep – sort of – Varian, one of our podcast Patreon members, recommended an app that I’m really impressed by. Given that a lot of you have invisible disabilities, I thought you might want to know about it. It’s called Visible.
It’s designed to help people with Long COVID, POTS, EDS, Fibro and/or ME/CFS track symptoms and manage energy levels, and focuses on rest and pacing yourself.
There is also a wearable component and a membership option, but the free tier includes a lot of features, with a morning check-in and an evening check-in of symptoms and energy levels.
If you’d like to try the membership, this link will give you $20 off the paid levels, but again, the free version is extremely great.
Have you tried this app?
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Tara: The Happy Color app helps me sit still and pay attention through long meetings that I have to attend, but am not contributing to.
I find tapping away to colour in pictures is just enough to keep my mind where it’s supposed to be and not bouncing away into Slack or email.
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My younger child has long hair that curls in a way that I am rather jealous of, and, after a friend suggested one, went looking for a bonnet or silk hair covering for when they sleep.
I found this satin bonnet beanie, and they love it:
Adjustable stay on silk lined Beanie, $15
If you’d prefer a ribbed knit style beanie, Kin Apparel has a whole bunch of colors, including this gorgeous orange:
Kin satin lined beanie, $35Kin also has satin lined beanies in a whole bunch of different styles, too!
Silkvana has one that’s cashmere, but I can’t find the percentage of cashmere in the knitted part. (I love cashmere hats. They don’t make me itch.)
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I was sent a sample of Barb Hair Pomade for folks with short hair, and I’m about to order more because I love it. I have short hair, and it’s also very fine and when it gets too long, it wants to make waves in every possible direction.
Barb is a lightweight pomade that my hair seems to really get along with: it has a matte finish, it holds my hair where I put it, and it gives me a lot of styling options. Straight up in the air? Sure. Swept to the side? Also good.
It has a very light scent, it’s not sticky and rinses out easily. There is also a fragrance-free option, never fear. Barb was made and designed by barbers and hairdressers, and their focus is on gender neutral hair products, plus enabling people to get gender-affirming haircuts.
I freaking love this stuff and love how it keeps my hair from surrendering to the flatness, and I love the scent and I really dig the company, too.
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Tangentially related to hair: the number of products inhabiting our shower and my kids’ shower seems to have increased – probably because it’s dry and everything needs moisture.
I just bought this 5 pack of shower caddy organizer shelves to try to corral all the bottles (which are never the same size or shape what is WITH that?!):
Adhesive Shower Caddy Organizers, 5 (three sizes) for $10-24
They use adhesive that should be able to support up to 40 pounds (I don’t think I have a 40lb. bottle of shampoo but I’ll check Costco next time I’m there). One of the reviews says, “Once these are stuck on, they aren’t moving!” That’s what I needed to know!
I’ll report back once I’ve used them for a bit, but honestly, organizing tools make me GIDDY.
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Sneezy: My mom has been struggling to find a moisturizer that works for her for a while now, and recently landed on this one:
The Parnell Cicamanu Gel Cream is available in a 1.7oz size from Amazon ($17) and in a 2.5oz tube from StyleKorean ($28).
Sneezy says, “There’s no added fragrance. I couldn’t smell anything but my mom says she can smell a light grassy scent which she finds soothing.”
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I wish I’d seen this sooner, but it appears to be available past Valentine’s Day: look at this cute Lego LOVE kit!
It’s $80 at Amazon and at Lego.com, and I hope one of my children isn’t reading the site today. Ahem.
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Fellow travelers with short legs: have you tried foot hammocks for air or train travel?
I’m very curious after two different people in two different Facebook groups I’m in recommended them. I have very short legs and struggle to be comfortable on an airplane seat when my feet don’t quite reach the floor. Folks in the FB groups swear by them – which is really persuasive! Have you tried these?
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Shana: I’m really excited about these plus-sized hiking pants that are possibly the best designed booty-friendly pants I’ve ever seen.
The Brecken Pant, $125.00The Thicket Adventure True Plus-Size Hiking Pant is available in sizes 16-30, comes in two colors, and oh my gosh, do their customers LOVE to share pictures of themselves getting up to all sorts of fun in their hiking pants.
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This charging station now lives in my luggage for when we travel and there are never ever enough outlet. And if there are some, they’re in weird, difficult places:
Ultra Thin Charging Station, $12-23
The charging station is available in a 5′, 10′, or 15′ length, comes in two colors, and has a FLAT PLUG – I love that part. I’ve noticed some hotels have upgraded with lamps that have USB plugs in them, but more often than not I’m hunting for outlets to charge my phone, watch, and headphones.
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Speaking of electronics, I saw this on someone’s desk at an appointment and I immediately wanted one. I might be the last person to know these existed:
Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Mouse, $20
It was on sale when I bought it, and should still be discounted. I honestly thought I’d have a hard time adjusting to it, but it took maybe an hour and I stopped thinking about it and how I was using it. The mouse comes with a USB receiver to plug into the computer, and that set up was extremely easy, too.
I do knock it over if I’m gesturing wildly with my arms, a thing I tend to do, especially when recording podcast episodes, but other than that, it’s responsive, easy to use, and holy crap comfortable. I also like that I can turn it off and preserve the batteries.
Do you have an ergonomic mouse? What’s yours like?
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Finally, this is a service I have used for a very long time because I was a bonehead who set myself up on the internet using my real ass name. DeleteMe is an identity protection service that scours public listing websites and asks that your information be removed.
I joined in late 2018, and have received quarterly reports on how many listings of my name, my address, or my age had been removed by their request. Since then, according to their dashboard, they’ve searched 146 data brokers that sell consumer information and removed my information from 77 and counting.
With this link, you can get 20% off a membership. Annual individual memberships are $129, and there are also family plans. You can also use their DIY Opt-Out Guides for specific platforms like Experian Health.
How good are the CozyBand headphones at canceling/blocking out noise? I’ve been looking for an alternative to earplugs (which hurt my ears) for trips. Thanks!
I’d say 3.5 out of 5 on fully blocking noise, but I am very noise sensitive. For example, I use them at night with a brown noise playlist so it’s mostly blocking out noise by using other noise. I haven’t tried them walking around or for travel/errands.
If you’re looking for noise cancelling and you don’t want earplugs, headphones that go over your head/ears may work better, or the new bone conduction headphones – but I don’t know how effective they are at noise reduction/elimination.
Also for those who have invisible disabilities, I strongly recommend the buttons made by Sootmegs on Etsy. She makes them purposely so others will know what issues may distress you or inconvenience you without having to ask. I frequently wear my “Hard of Hearing” button when at doctor appointments and in crowds so people will know they need to speak up. I also have ones to wear when I have depressive episodes or liver issues. She makes special sets for autism, pregnancy, and other conditions to keep people from inappropriately touching you or triggering you in any way. There’s a very wide range that covers most conditions but she will also make custom buttons as needed. They are small and discreet but brightly colored enough to get attention.
@Jennifer Estep @SBSarah”
I also agree about over-ear headphones. I don’t use the noise cancelling on mine, since I usually use a fan, and it is my experience that if there isn’t a lot of noise happening they do a pretty good job of passive noise cancellation. Mileage may very here, since that does depend on the size of the ear cups.
@EC Spurlock:
I have complicated feelings about these, but I know people love having buttons which say I’m blind or I’m Visually impaired. Does she make these.
I love my vertical ergo mice! My first was a Logitech one that was pricey. I use it in office, which is my primary work location. I wanted one for home and gave the Anker a try because it was so reasonably priced and it’s a solid brand! Both are great. The anker is narrower, which may be a positive or a negative depending on hand size. I notice the difference for about a second when I first grab whichever mouse I’m using (it’s like my brain is making note – that’s right we are using the bigger mouse today) and don’t really notice after that.
I have a similar Anker ergonomic mouse that I’ve been using at work for the past couple of years. I’m very happy with it. If I use a regular mouse instead, I get hand pain very quickly, so the ergonomic mouse really does help.
I have the Humanscale mouse mate which attaches to any regular mouse. It’s like having a wrist cushion that moves with you. At my last job we could meet with an ergonomic specialist and he recommended it over a vertical mouse. I love it so much I bought oe for home too.
I love seeing the recommendations, but can the list exclude recommendations to Amazon(or at least minimize)? My boycott of Bezos is permanent. For example, purchase legos through the company or they are also available at Costco, which offers free delivery. Maybe promote some small businesses that are starting to grow – help get the word out. I can recommend T Capri tequila – have started drinking since January and T Capri is a great woman-owned brand! https://tcapritequila.com/ Thanks!
I just signed up for Visible yesterday, darn it!
Excited to get my band shortly.