We’d all like to pretend that it’s not going to happen, but pretty soon we’re just gonna have to face the facts: it’s starting to get cold. Sure, we’re still technically in the fall season, but the weather is going to rapidly shift from the chilly to freezing any day now. Then it’s only a matter of time before you look out your window in the morning and you see your car covered in a light dusting of snow. And it’s only going to get worse. For some of your unfortunate souls, you’ve already been hit with the winter beast known as snow. For others, there’s still time to prepare for its coming.
The Snow Windshield Screen (Things You Never Knew Existed, $8.98) is designed to help make your winter weather life easier. While a lot of people have garages, and some are even lucky enough to be able to store their car in them, there are a lot of us who just have to deal with the elements. Which means that whether there’s a snowstorm or a thin layer of hail, we’ve got to get up extra early to scrape it off our cars in the morning before heading out to work. With this screen, all you have to do is place it on your windshield and you’re protected from precipitation in all its glorious forms. Now, I should be more specific: you do have to put this screen on your car *before* the weather starts, or else it’s not going to do you any good. But if you can follow that little piece of advice, then you’ll be pretty freaking excited the next day when you just pull the cover off to showcase a completely clear windshield.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve showed up late to work because I forgot it snowed the night before or I went out to my car and wasn’t expecting it to be encased in a sheet of ice. If you can believe it, my boss never seemed to warm up to my weather related excused. Crazy, huh?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 82″ x 28″
-Tuck ends in doors to secure
-Suctions to windshield
-Stores conveniently in pouch when not in use
-Made of durable PVC
As the last days of summer elude us and we delve into fall, sometimes it’s nice to take advantage of an unseasonably warm day. You can’t just let it pass you by – you have to make the most of it! There are a few things you can do to fully enjoy an unexpected stretch of the sun’s rays. You could open up all the windows in the house and let the warm breeze in. Maybe take your kids to the park for a picnic or an afternoon game of Frisbee. Or even the simplest of things, you could enjoy a delicious cold treat. It’s getting to the point where tea, cocoa, and other hot beverages will become commonplace, so the days where you can sit down with a bowl of ice cream or a popsicle are numbered.
The Tovolo Freezer Jewel Popsicle Molds (Wrapables, $9.95) are a perfect warm weather accomplice. Not only are popsicles a fun little treat, but this mold is awesome because it allows you to create six frozen ring pops. Sure, ring pops are a little messier than traditional popsicles, but they’re a thousand times more enjoyable. There’s just something about the convenience of a treat that fits snugly on your hand. Anyways, since the molds are of the ring pop nature, each pop is shaped like a gem. Yeah, it’s a touch cheesy, but I like it (and I know you do too). Each pop has an insulated sleeve, so once you take the set out of the freezer, they won’t immediately melt. Also, the bottom tray helps prevent spills and such while your pops are setting up in the freezer.
I know it seems silly to make your own popsicles when you could just go out to the store and get some, but it’s just not the same. I mean, you could go the health route and say that making your own popsicles with fruit juice is better for you than those high fructose corn syrup laden pops, but I think it’s just the act itself of making them on your own. You can make them any way you want. You have the power! What more could you ask for?
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 6.5″ x 4.75″
-Set of 6
-Makes frozen ring pops
-Insulated sleeves
-Made of plastic
Halloween is my favorite holiday. Easter was always kinda lame unless you were had a big sweet tooth, St.Patrick’s Day is just an excuse to get loaded (I’m sure you could find another one without it), and Christmas loses its luster once you become an adult. So what does that leave, but Halloween! Sure, some might say that the beginning of September is a bit too early to be thinking about October 31st, but I beg to differ. Any Halloween enthusiast knows that both a good costume and a rocking party take time to plan. I mean, paper-thin store bought costumes and a couple of bowls of stale candy corn do not a Halloween party make.
The key to a successful party is in the details. For example, the Illuminated Pumpkin Ice Cubes (Sur La Table, $12.95) are crazy awesome, especially because they are something your guests wouldn’t normally expect. I mean, ice cubes that light up? That’s like some sort of futuristic party item, isn’t it? Nope, it is very real. Complete with an on/off switch, this set of three ice cubes can be set to solid or strobe illumination action. They’re made of food safe acrylic, so it’s not like they’re one of these great ideas that isn’t exactly practical. You know, like “light up ice cubes that are made of toxic materials so you can’t put them anywhere near a beverage” aren’t as cool as you might think. Oh, and they’re even dishwasher safe so you can just throw them in there with the rest of the party ware at the end of the night, because I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I hate to do dishes.
I think my favorite part about these ice cubes (besides the obvious fact that they light up) is that they look like little replicas of those leaf bags people put on their front lawns. Like I said, the details make the party. Now if only they came in little light up skulls, then we’d really be in business.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Set of 3
-Comes with on/off and solid/strobe button
-Place in freezer to chill cubes
-Ideal for holiday entertaining
-Dishwasher safe
-Made of food safe acrylic
There are just some things that unquestionably make me think of my youth. I distinctly remember my blue Skip-It, and how beat up it was after I had used it only a few days. Let me tell you, I was a Skip-It champ. Sure, anyone could master stationary Skip-It, but how many could work the mobile Skip-It? Walking while simultaneously rocking the Skip-It is a rare skill, one of which I wish was a noted job skill. Guess Who makes me think of middle school, when I was at a friend’s house and they didn’t own the game. Rather than be deterred by such an insignificant obstacle, another friend and I created our own Guess Who cards. Believe me, it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Somewhere in between Skip-It and Guess Who, there was the Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine (Perpetual Kid, $17.99). Oh man, Snoopy brings back some memories. I mean, what kid doesn’t love Sno-Cones? The answer is none. There is no way a child could resist a Sno-Cone, and as far as sugary treats goes, this one isn’t even that bad. Yes, there’s some high fructose corn syrup going on, but it’s also poured over a bunch of shaved ice, so it can’t be all bad. The main problem with Sno-Cones was the access. Besides, fairs and boardwalks in the summer, you don’t see a whole lot of Sno-Cones. And that’s where Snoopy came in. Snoopy made it possible for kids to make Sno-Cones at home by themselves (under adult supervision, of course, but basically by themselves). This machine really couldn’t have made it any easier to enjoy a delicious ice beverage at home. Ok, so they could have made it a little easier to turn the hand crank, but you’re shaving ice cubes here so that’s the easiest thing in the world. The point is, Snoopy has your back.
Ok, so a lot of people will quibble with the quality of the machine’s construction, but I think they’re just a bunch of babies. I mean, have you ever tried making ice cream from scratch with a hand crank ice cream maker? It’s tough as shit, right? Same thing here. You want to make Sno-Cones at home? Man up and get cranking!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 12.7″ x 10″ x 3.4″
-First introduced in 1979
-Transforms ice cubes into Sno Cones
********************************UPDATE*******************************
The Shark Fin Ice Tray is now available for purchase in the United States! Just head on over to Perpetual Kid, where you can get this item for only $9.99!
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I absolutely love to drink ice water. I know for most people water isn’t really the tastiest of beverages, but I’m telling you, the secret is ice. I think if you can at least tolerate drinking water, then this trick will work for you. I mean, who wants to drink lukewarm water? Nobody, that’s who. Even soda tastes like crap when you let it sit around and get room temperature, so why would you try to drink warm water? Come to think of it, most drinks only taste good in two temperatures: hot or cold. Hot coffee? Good. Iced coffee? Yum. Hot coffee that has cooled off? Yuck. Iced coffee that has melted? No thanks. Basically, the mere absence or presence of ice is a drink necessity.
Since it’s summertime, we’ll focus on the presence of ice and how the Shark Fin Ice Tray (Drinkstuff, £6.98) can impact your frosty beverages. First off, you’ve got ice in your glass, so good for you. Secondly, how can you not love this ice cube tray?! Just looking at it, with its shark fin molds and bite marks on the corners, makes one word come to mind: AWESOME. Yes, you only get five shark fins per ice tray, but it’s not like these things are breaking the bank and you can’t afford to buy another one or two (or eight, in my case). And I’m not complaining, but the shark fins do need a minute or two to settle into their upright Jaws-esque positions. My one little teeny complaint? You can’t get these things in the US or Canada.
Just think about how cool (pun intended) your next party would be with this ice cube tray. I mean, you could tell your guests about this totally boss ice cube tray you got, but that wouldn’t take all the fun out of it? No, instead I think you should whip these out when no one’s looking. Create a diversion of some sort. Maybe even make a movie about sharks attacking people at the beach, that’ll really get everyone’s attention. Then put their drinks in front of them, complete with floating shark fins. Make sure you have to camera ready to document their reactions.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 50mm x 180mm x 110mm
-Weight: 100g
-Novelty ice tray
-Produces 5 shark fin shaped ice cubes
-Tray made of blue silicone
-Ice fins may need a few minutes to settle before staying upright
-Not available for delivery in US or Canada
