Tool Reviews
Don't forget to read my reviews of tools I own and use and other household products.

The Ninja Blender

You've seen it advertised on T.V.  The Ninja is a great kitchen tool to have and we have not had any problems with it for over a year now.  My wife uses it to make slushies, fresh salsa, frozen fresh fruit smoothies, and even to chop up meats.  It is easy to set up, clean, and to store, and it is very powerful.  It is sturdy and dishwasher safe.  Having four kids in the house and being summer in Florida, we use the Ninja a lot for slushies (just add ice and your favorite flavor).  I like to make frozen coffees with it.
All in all this great and compact kitchen tool is a wonderful find.  No more frustrations with unevenly chopped (fill in the blank).

Tips For Above Ground Pools

If you own an above ground pool or want to own one, here's some tips to help you save money and keep it clean.

1.  Don't throw away your filters unless they are damaged or falling apart like I used to for the first few years of owning a pool.  These things can be sprayed out either with a garden sprayer or a pressure washer (low power of course) and can be used over and over.

2.  Keep your pump clean.  I clean mine out everyday along with the filter.  As you can see to the left, pumps can be expensive, so don't let it burn up from having leaves and sticks caught inside it.

3.  Keep the "O" rings lubricated.  All you have to do is rub a little bit of Vaselline on all of your connections to make them slip on and off easily.  This extends their life also by preventing dry rot.  I put it on all of the connections once every couple of months.

4.  Do your kids use a mask and snorkel?  I know I do.  The snorkels are not what they used to be; just a single, simple, tube.  I am not sure why manufactures see the need to make everything over complicated except for the fact that the more parts there are, the more things can go wrong and therefore lead to another sale.  These new snorkels have what's supposed to be a check valve on the bottom underneath the mouth piece.  These leak and fail 100% of the time.  The snorkel comes apart into six pieces.  I take some silicone caulking and seal bottom 3 parts with it.  Take off the very bottom piece and fill it (both sides) with the silicone.  You can keep the valve in, or take it out, but fill it up so that the caulking plugs both sides and wipe it flat with your finger.  Takes care of that nonsense!

5.  Got sand?  Save those old vacuums, not just so you can cash in on the motor and cord for the copper, but for the hoses.  Vacuum hoses are expensive and come in handy for all kinds of things.  You can also check your neighborhood on trash day.  Someone is always throwing away a vacuum.  If you have problems with sand in the bottom of your pool like I did, read on.  Collect your hoses and duct tape them together until you have enough to stretch from one end of your pool to the other without having to pull real hard on it.  If parts of the hose are the same size you can either butt-splice them together, or cut one end into a "V" and push it into the other hose end.  Duct tape an end to the intake side inside the pool.  You shouldn't have to drain your pool down because the duct tape will hold in the water.  Now you have a pool vacuum and using your mask and leak-proof snorkel you can make sure you get all of the sand and debris off of the bottom of your pool.