Category: Reviews

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Why You Need a Poncho with a Zipper

girl wearing floral poncho with hand slits and hood
Elaine Searer Car Seat Poncho with Two-Way Zipper

If you’re shopping for a car seat poncho or a wheelchair poncho for winter, you need a poncho with a zipper! I’m not exaggerating. You don’t just want a poncho with a zipper; you NEED a poncho with a zipper!

When you’re buying an item that you’re going to use every day, make sure you buy the style that will benefit you most.

Elaine Searer car seat ponchos and wheelchair ponchos are all made with your comfort and convenience in mind. That’s why a two-way zipper that opens from the top and bottom is a standard feature in every poncho I make.

Five Benefits of a Two-Way Zipper

Put on and take off the poncho with ease. A zip up poncho can be easily slipped on your child by keeping the zipper partway open. You will never have to worry about the neck opening of your poncho being too small since you can adjust the opening with the zipper. If your child is one of those kids who does not like having clothing tugged down over his head, a zipper front poncho is the very best choice for you and your child.

In the words of one of my customers,
“A zipper is a must have. My kid has a giant head (he’s 2 and we wear the same size hat) and if there wasn’t a zipper I’d be fighting him to get it over his head.”

Quickly buckle your child into the car seat. The two-way zipper on your Elaine Searer poncho will allow you to put your child into the car seat, unzip the poncho from the bottom, and quickly and easily fasten the car seat buckles. Your child will appreciate your not having to throw the poncho up over his face to have access to the car seat buckles.
A happy mom writes,
“I ordered my poncho from you because of the features (2-way zipper, snaps to create sleeves, slits in the front,etc). The 2-way zipper makes it really user friendly for getting him strapped in and out quickly.”

Unzip from the bottom to quickly and easily buckle your child into his car seat.

Adjust your child’s level of warmth without having to remove the poncho. If your child tends to get warm in the car, you have options in a zip up poncho that you don’t get with a slip on poncho! You can adjust the poncho coverage in the car or stroller by partially unzipping the poncho from the top or bottom. This works well, too, if your child is wearing the poncho in a store. You can even totally unzip the poncho without having to completely take it off of your child.
One customer says,
“I love the 2 way zipper. My kids usually get too hot in the car so I zip the bottom (2nd) zipper up to open the poncho without taking it off. Then when it’s time to take them out of the car I just pull the zipper down. “

No more bad hair days! Being able to enlarge the opening in the poncho will allow you to put on the poncho and take it off without messing up your child’s hair. I know you don’t want to spend time fixing that hair bow just to have it pulled askew by an over-the-head poncho.

Another customer shared,
” The zipper is great! It is a selling point and one of the reasons I bought your poncho. I….unzip the poncho halfway all the time to get it over my daughter’s head without messing her hair up. “

little girl wearing happy kitties poncho
No worries about messing up your little girl’s hair with an Elaine Searer zip front poncho!

A zipper front poncho just looks great! I know, I know. This post is all about the benefits of a zipper, but I feel compelled to add that you will get compliments all the time on your zip up poncho! The two-way zipper lends a classic appearance to your poncho that you just can’t get from an over-the-head or snap-up design.

navy blue poncho with plaid lining
Zipper front provides a classic look.

These are just a few of the benefits of owning a zip front car seat poncho or wheelchair poncho. In addition to the two-way zipper, your Elaine Searer poncho will include other premium features like hand slits and wrist snaps that make the poncho easy to use for you and your child.

Order your custom zipper front poncho right now here in my shop. You can also browse my ready-to-ship ponchos in my Etsy shop.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my ponchos with zippers. Please share a comment below or contact me directly with any questions.



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Working Hands Hand Cream Really Works!


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For the past few years, I spent a week or two in Florida with my sisters.  I can tell I’m up north this winter just by looking at my hands!  While I was in Florida, I noticed that I had no problem with dry, cracking skin on my fingers and thumbs, but here in Pennsylvania, I’m dealing with the perils of dry skin.

The biggest reason for dry skin is the cold, dry winter weather.  Working with fabric and frequent hand washing would also contribute to this problem, I’m sure.

A year or so ago, I saw an ad for a new hand cream called Working Hands.  I’m always looking for a miracle cure for the painful cracks that Jack and I both have on our fingers and thumbs during the winter months.  Those tiny little splits in the dry skin on the ends of my fingers and beside my thumb nails really hurt!  I think they might be more painful than childbirth, but someone who’s actually gone through childbirth would have to verify that.

I figured this Working Hands stuff would be just another hand cream, but I was so wrong!

This stuff is amazing!  First of all, it feels different from the way hand lotions feel on your hands.  It’s not greasy, and it doesn’t come off on things that you touch after you apply it.  The package says, “A little goes a long way”, and that’s true.  Jack and I both have been using just a few dabs of this stuff on our fingers and hands a couple times a day, and our cracked, dry skin is completely healed!

Just for the record, I’m passing this information along just because I like this product very much.  I did not receive any compensation for reviewing this product on my blog.  I’m reasonably sure that the makers of Working Hands don’t even know that I exist!  When I find a good product, I like to spread the word!

I have bought several containers of Working Hands hand cream.  I have found it at Target, Lowes, and Walmart stores.  Compared to bargain hand lotions, it’s a little pricier (about $6 for 3.4 oz.), but it’s so worth it!  It’s also available at Amazon.
O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream 3.4 oz, 2 Pack (affiliate link)
According to the Working Hands website, the company also makes a foot cream.  I seriously need to find some of that stuff, too!

I recommended Working Hands to my sisters, and they both agree that it is the best thing ever for healing and preventing those painful cracks on the tips of your fingers.  If you suffer from dry skin, I’d highly recommend Working Hands hand cream.  Or I suppose you could just move to Florida instead.

What do you use to keep your skin soft and smooth? 

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What Customers Say About Extra Warm Car Seat Ponchos


I’ve been selling fleece car seat ponchos in my Etsy shop  since 2015.  The first year that I sold ponchos, I offered only one style of car seat poncho.  My regular car seat poncho was and still is made of two layers of anti-pill fleece.  Here in Pennsylvania, my grandchildren have found them to be cozy and warm.

Extra Warm Poncho

But what about those kiddos in extremely cold climates?  Would two layers of fleece be warm enough for a child in Minnesota or Wisconsin or Canada?  I wasn’t sure it would be.  That’s why, in my second year of poncho making and selling, I offered the option of choosing a layer of cotton quilt batting that I added between the two layers of anti-pill fleece.

Last year, one third of my poncho orders were for extra warm ponchos.  Most of those extra warm ponchos made their way north to colder states and to Canada.

This fall I asked some of those customers whose children used the extra warm ponchos last year to take a short survey.  The results were overwhelmingly positive, and every one who responded said that she would make the same choice to purchase the extra warm poncho again.

Survey Results

1.  In what state or province do you live? 

The women who answered my survey were from Nebraska, Michigan, New Jersey, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and New York.

2.  Did the extra warm poncho provide adequate warmth? 

Everyone agreed that the extra warm poncho provided adequate warmth.  One mom said that on the coldest days in Michigan, she would layer the poncho over a fleece jacket.

3.  Where there times when the poncho was too warm? 

Some responded that the poncho was too warm for fall and spring weather.  Another mom added that if the temperature were forty degrees or warmer, the poncho was not a good choice.  The others assured me that the poncho was not too warm in their winter climates.

4.  How would you describe the weight and feel of the extra warm poncho? 

I wanted to get some opinions on the feel and weight of the extra warm poncho since I’m often trying to describe it to potential customers.  My survey-takers described the extra warm poncho as a thicker fleece, not too heavy or thick, warm and cozy, substantial without feeling stiff or cumbersome.  One mom was concerned that the extra layer would make the poncho stiff, but it did not.

5.  If you were to purchase another poncho, would you choose the extra warm style? 

All of the survey participants agreed that if they purchased another poncho, they would, without hesitation, purchase the extra warm poncho again.

There was that one mom who said that since she already had an extra warm poncho, she might choose a regular poncho to use in spring and fall weather.  I like this idea!  Everyone should buy two ponchos:  a regular and an extra warm one.

Contact Me About a Poncho:

If  you’re interested in ordering a regular or extra warm car seat poncho, please contact me.  You can use the contact form here on this site, contact me in my Etsy shop, or visit my business page on Facebook.  I’d be happy to work with you to create a poncho for that special child in your life!

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Yada Yada Prayer Group Books … Good Reading!


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I do love a good series!  It saves me from having to decide which book to read next.  I’m just now starting the third book in the Yada Yada Prayer Group series, and I highly recommend these books!

My friend Ann referred me to these books, and this is shaping up to be one of my favorite Christian fiction series of all times.

The books are written about a group of twelve women who are randomly assigned to a prayer group at a women’s conference.  They are a diverse group of women who makes a decision to continue their prayer meetings after the conference is over.

My favorite thing about these books is that the characters are like real people.  They have problems, some of them very big problems.  Their problems are not always solved by the end of the book.  Their relationships are real, too, and they work at being available to each and at trying to understand each other in spite of their differences.

The women in the books come from varied back rounds and attend different churches, yet they are bound together by their growing love for each other and their ever-strengthening faith in God who hears and answers the prayers of His people.

If you’re looking for that next good read in the Christian literature genre, look no further!

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Noise Putty, a Dollar’s Worth of Fun


I’d never seen nor heard of Noise Putty until I went on a shopping trip with my sister, and we stopped in a Dollar Tree store.  She advised me to pick up a few containers of this marvelously disgusting substance that was sure to delight children of all ages.  My sister has rarely ever steered me wrong, and she wasn’t about to start now!

I bought three containers of Noise Putty with the idea of trying one out myself and then giving one container to each of my great-granddaughters on Thanksgiving Day.

If you’re wondering what Noise Putty is, it’s a kind of jelly-like substance that comes in a small plastic container.  When you push your fingers down into the putty, air bubbles occur, and when the air bubbles are forced out of the container, they make noises.  Weird noises.  Funny noises.  Noises not unlike the sound of breaking wind or passing gas.  I think you get the idea now.

On Thanksgiving Day, it did take the great-granddaughters a little while to get the noise putty warmed up.  Once they caught on to it, they perfected the art of noise-making and had a hilariously good time.

Makaila making “noises”.

 

Everyone in attendance pretended to be grossed out by the the noises emitted by the putty which only added to the girls’ enjoyment.

After just a little practice, both girls were able to make incredibly authentic sounds with their fingers and this slimy stuff.  I knew this only because the guys verified that  the sounds were just like the real thing.  We ladies, having no firsthand experience with such things,  just had to take their word for it.

Kyra makes music with her putty.

 

I was the coolest Grandma ever bringing Noise Putty to the Thanksgiving Day celebration, and I reveled in that coolness and it was all fun and games until someone left her Noise Putty lying on the couch.

If you’re contemplating buying some Noise Putty for yourself or someone else, my advice is to keep the putty in the container.  It is possible to remove it from furniture and clothing.  It’s not as bad as chewing gum, but my standing as coolest grandma ever dropped a few levels after that.

Noise Putty is not for everyone.  If you are grossed out by imitation toots and the accompanying jokes, then by all means, steer clear of this stuff.

For our family, it was about as much fun as we could have for a dollar.  I’d highly recommend it!