La Brea Tar Pits & Museum in Los Angeles!

 

While we were on our recent vacation to California one of the places, we stopped to check out was the La Brea tar pits & museum in Los Angeles. It is crazy to see this location tucked away in the middle of town, it has a lovely park to walk through to see the different tar pits. Everything is self-guided so you can walk at your own pace. The park and viewing the tar pits seemed like it is free to walk around at any time, there are multiple entrances into the park & there were lots of people walking their dogs, having lunch and just enjoying the nice day out on the grass. Watch where you walk though if you decide to wander onto the grass, you'll see spots where the tar is starting to seep up through the grass. Most of the spots have signs or cones around them so no one ends up sticking their foot into it & then tracking the tar around on their shoe. One of the tar pits you will get to see is an active site that they are still excavating so you'll get to see some of the bones they are bringing up. 

The museum itself is not free, you can either purchase tickets at the little ticket booth outside or buy them upon entry into the museum. Tickets are $15 per adult and $7 for children, they also have a gift shop on site. Inside of the museum you will find a number of skeletal remains they have found in the tar pits right on their own grounds! 

It was crazy to see how many sets of remains had been pulled up from the pits & how many different types of animals, bugs and even plants they have found inside of the tar. You'll get to see many of the remains they've pulled up along with information on the species and more on your tour of the museum. Some of the skeletons they have on display are absolutely massive and others are quite tiny. 

During your tour you'll find several interactive stations for any small kids in your group, it is a fun way to help keep them entertained and engaged during your visit to the museum. A few of the spots are fun for adults too like trying to pull an object out of real tar. 

On of the neat aspects of this museum is they have a viewing area where you can watch staff working on remains that have been excavated from the tar pits. It is pretty neat being able to see them removing tar and delicately working to give the remains the best appearance possible. I personally am not sure if I would be able to concentrate on working with dozens of people stopping to watch me work throughout the day. Do you think you would be able to do it?

My favorite part of the museum is the arboretum in the center of the museum. You'll be able to take a short stroll looking at the assortment of trees, plants and flowers they have on display. I also liked the small waterfall & river they installed in this area. It is a nice spot to sit & relax if you need a few minutes to rest your feet. In total I think we were at the tar pits & museum for around an hour, maybe a little longer. It was a neat experience to do with our kids, not only is it fun but it can also be quite educational. 

If you are planning a trip to southern California & are looking for other activities to do feel free to type in "Things to do in California" in the search bar of my blog so you can find some other great activities in California. This was not a sponsored review, we paid to get into the museum ourselves. I enjoy being able to share spots like this with my readers who may not be able to visit in person, but are still interested in learning more about these spots, or for anyone planning vacations in the area. 

The Young Scientist Club - Top Secret Spy Science Review

 

Craft kits & hands on activities have always been a big hit in our house which is why we love the Horizon Group USA brand & all of the lines they offer. They have a wide variety of kits for boys & girls of all ages to enjoy, some adults may even enjoy the kits as well to learn a new craft. We recently received a top secret spy science kit from their Young Scientist Club line to check out for a review & It was packed full of fun spy themed activities to complete. 

This kit includes ten different secret missions to complete in order to figure out the answer to the mystery you are presented with at the start of the kit. Missions include code breaking, analyzing fingerprints, making a print of a key onto clay, using vinegar to test chemical levels & more. All of which are easy for kids to complete on their own depending on their age. This kit is so much cooler than some of the spy kits I remember wanting as a kid. This kit can be purchased on amazon for $24.99, you can also find their products at stores such as Walmart, Target & Michaels. 

My son had a lot of fun completing this kit, there were only one or two times when he asked questions just to verify his findings such as when he did the PH test with the vinegar as one or two of the results looked very similar to two of the numbers not just one. They included plenty of extra strips for testing just in case you needed them & even if you don't need them for this craft it would be fun to test out other fluids in the kitchen such as orange juice to see what their levels are as well. 

At the end of your spy adventure you get to break open a treasure chest to find some gem stones you are able to keep & collect. This along with all of their other kits make fabulous gifts or anytime kits to spend some one on one time with your kids. If you want to find reviews on some of their other kits feel free to type in "Horizon Group USA" into the search bar of my blog and it will bring up all of the reviews.

Disclaimer- Horizon Group USA provided the product above for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Explore nature with the Nature Adventure Pack!

 

Horizon Group USA is a well known name in our house, we love the craft kits & other products they sell. There are a number of lines that Horizon Group creates & one of those is the Young Scientist Club which currently has several STEAM related kits including the Nature Adventure Pack that I am going to tell you about today! This kit can be purchased on amazon for $24.99, however their products can often be found on sale & are also available in big box stores such as Target & Michaels. 

We enjoy being outdoors with our kids, whether it is hiking, camping or just spending the day at the park it is nice to learn a bit about the world around us. This adventure pack comes with some great hands on learning activities. You'll get to build your own mini bee house to stick outside & see if any fuzzy little bee wants to call it home, after you build this cute mini home you can read through their information booklet that teaches you about different bee species along with an assortment of butterflies. 

Your child will also be able to complete a scavenger hunt, there are fourteen activities in total include in this cute hard shell backpack. My nine year old son had a lot of fun completing all of these activities & was able to do them all on his own when he felt like completing an activity. The carrying case makes it nice to store everything since your child might not want to complete everything at once, it also makes it convenient for travel, you could even take it with on a camping trip to learn about nature while in the outdoors. I also think this would make a great birthday gift if you are looking for a fun & productive hands on present for a child in your life. 

Disclaimer-  Horizon Group USA provided me with the products mentioned above for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Arizona Science Center a great spot for hands on learning!

 

Phoenix families are you looking for a fun activity to do together before school starts back up for the year? Why not spend a few hours at the Arizona Science Center, where you'll have fun & keep the brain active while learning something new. The science center has four levels of exhibits to explore, along with their featured exhibit which changes frequently. The current featured exhibit is called "Survival of the Slowest" where you'll be able to see real life critters on display & learn fun facts about all of the different "slow" species. Tickets are $21.95 for adults & $15.95 for ages 3-17, admission includes all of their regular exhibits - tickets for the featured exhibit, planetarium, and theatre cost extra. They also sell memberships that are a one time payment & you'll be able to visit as many times through out the year as you'd like. The science center is located in downtown phoenix, the address is 600 E. Washing St. Phoenxi,Arizona 85004. 

Once you arrive, you can choose how you'd like to explore the science center, you can work your way up or down. We decided to head to the top floor & work our way down, we had arrived about 11am and wanted to attend the survival of the slowest show at 12:15pm so we made sure we were exploring the floor it was on so we didn't miss it. All the of exhibits offer hands on activities & experiences for both kids and adults to enjoy, ranging from building with Legos to digitally morphing a photo by pressing different buttons.  

The featured exhibit was personally my favorite part because they have close to two dozen different live critters for you to see up close. I was pretty impressed with how large their enclosures were for each animal, they were bigger than some zoo enclosures I've seen for animals of similar styles/species. Along the way you'll get to learn facts about all the animals plus other animals that aren't there in person. They have two shows daily where a staff member will talk about animals & even show you one or two of the animals. When we were there they pulled out the boa & let everyone touch it, then everyone had the opportunity to help feed the tortoises. 

We also stopped by to watch a presentation in the Planetarium. The kids really enjoyed the presentation on the solar system, it took you on a 360 degree virtual trip through the stars and planets. Along the way you'll learn about the solar system & take mini polls along the way answering by clicking the buttons on the handle of your chair. Who grew up learning that Pluto was a planet & thinks it should still be considered a planet vs a dwarf planet? 

During our visit we had a lot of fun exploring all of the various exhibits & getting to interact with what was available. There are so many things to enjoy at the science center that this post would end up being gigantic if I told you about everything they have to offer which is why it is best for you to check out the fun for yourself! I will also be putting together a Instagram reel highlighting some of the things we did while at the science center & you can click here to see a quick reel of some of the critters they have on display at Survival of the Slowest. 

I really enjoy that the science center isn't geared towards just younger children, teens & adults will have a great time as well. I personally like the "My Digital World" Exhibit & the "Forces of Nature"! One of the hands on activities in the my digital world area is this cylinder that is filled with tiny yellow & blue beads with one singular red bead thrown in. You are able to spin the cylinder round & round letting the beads roll as you turn it so you can try and spot the read bead, I was pretty excited when I was the first one out of my group to spot the red bead! In total we spent about three and a half hours exploring the science center, we arrived at 11am on a Saturday & were happy to find it was super crowded, plus with the way they have everything set up it allows everyone to have room to enjoy the exhibits. 

A few things to know before you go! Parking is not included with your ticket, there are several parking garages in the area however the science center will only validate your parking if you park in the Heritage & Science Park garage, you can google it or there is a map on their website showing where it is located. This will allow you to park for cheaper. They do have a snack vending machine that I spotted near the front entrance, but they do not have a restaurant at the science center so you may want to look into eating before you go, or stopping at a near by restaurant once you are done. The science center provides a list of close restaurants on the back of the map of the science center to make it easier for you to find a place to eat. If you want to really make the most of your day & beat the Arizona heat by staying indoors the Children's Museum of Phoenix is located quite close to the science center, you can find info on that by clicking here.

My family & I had a wonderful time at the science center and will definitely be keeping an eye on their social media pages to see what the next featured exhibit is. They also have various events & programs you can participate in, all of which can be found on their website. A little extra info; if you are a EBT card holder the science center is park of the Museums for all program where you can get tickets to the science center for $3 per person (you'll need to reserve your tickets ahead of when you want to visit).

Disclaimer- The Arizona Science Center provided tickets to the science center + tickets for the featured exhibit/planetarium for the review free of charge, no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Girls Can! Crate Review.

If you've been a reader of my blog for a while, then you will know that I love children's subscription boxes that are not only fun, but also educational. I recently came across a subscription that is geared towards young girls providing them with interactive crates that also teach them about inspirational women throughout history such as Irena Sendler and Wangari Maathai. That subscription service is called Girls Can! Crate. They sell boxes that cover a wide range of interests so there is something for almost every girl out there from cooking to a mechanics box there is a lot of fun to choose from.

We were lucky enough to be sent a crate for a product review and we received the Creative Chief Crate which comes with a Girls Can! activity book, hands-on kitchen chemistry experiments, a apron you are able to paint, some paint, a cute button and more. The activity book has what you need to figure out the experiments with the ingredients they send you. The paints included are so you can use different food items such as celery as stamps to paint the apron, however my daughter wanted to add her own flair to the apron and pulled out some extra paints so she could really make the apron all her own.

She had fun painting the apron with some logos from her favorite shows and enjoys the fact that she now has an apron that suits her interests for when she is cooking. She loves to bake and cook whenever she gets the chance, she has also had a lot of fun making dog treats in the past so this apron will get a lot of use.

She also enjoyed using the different ingredients they sent in some interesting kitchen experiments, perfect for kids who like expanding their minds with hands on activities. For $34.95 a crate, it isn't a bad price considering the fact that your child will be entertained for a few hours while finishing the projects inside of the box. I also like the fact that depending on the age of your child they can easily complete the projects and activities on their own, if they are independent and prefer doing things themselves. 

Disclaimer- Girls Can! Crate provided me with the products mentioned above for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Coin & Currency Club Review & Giveaway!

 

When I was younger my mom worked at a thrift store for a little while and sometimes would bring home neat things from the store. A few of the things she brought home were coins from different countries, I always thought they were really neat to see and have and so over the years collected a few other coins and a few bills. I don't have anything overly crazy just basic coins and bills that are easy to get such as coins from Mexico  & Canada along with a euro or two and a bill my cousin brought back during his time in the military. 

Even as I've grown older I think seeing the different bills and coins they have around the world is so neat, so when I found about the Coin and Currency Club I thought it was something my kids would enjoy seeing and receiving in the mail. This subscription is surprisingly affordable at only $12.99 a month with free shipping, or you can upgrade your subscription to a PCGS pack which comes with better protectors and your coins/bank notes will have a professional grading on them which can be registered online. 

This subscription box was started by Zachary Lowry and his wife Jessica. Zackary started collecting coins when he was ten years old and carried that love into adult hood which also helped spark an interest in finance, history, the world and how money not only connects all three but also the stories they can tell. Thus the Coin & Currency Club was founded and now the pair run it together. Their customer service is fantastic, speedy and you can really tell they enjoy what they do and want to share it with everyone else who has similar interests. 

I am happy to be sharing this review with you and excited to say there is a giveaway as well! I was gifted three mystery bundles to check out & review, I had no clue which countries I would end up with so I couldn't wait to see what was included. All three packages were well wrapped, I like the presentation of the envelope stamped with their logo on the front and everything arrives wrapped in a layer of brown tissue paper so the contents stay together. Each month you will receive one coin, one banknote, a sticker with that countries flag and information on where in the world your bundle is from. Here is what I received in my packs:

North Macedonia - The banknote included in this set has one of the most unique features I've seen on any bill I've ever held in my hands, it has a section where it is a thin clear plastic and you can actually see through it. The banknote also features a colorful & lovely illustration of  the archangel Gabriel. The coin features a Sarplaninac which is a dog that is seen through out the Balkans and known for their sheep-herding abilities. It is so cute seeing the dog on the coin, I wish more of our coins had cute animals! 

Democratic Republic of The Congo - When you think of different aspects of African wildlife one of the main animals you think of is the Lion, and that is exactly who is featured on the coin in this pack. The coin itself is surprisingly light weight. The banknote has two beautifully done prints showing some aspects of Congolese history, the back has some men playing long drums which was a way they used to communicate with neighboring villages. I really like the pink, purple and grey coloring seen through out this bank note

Nepal - This banknote features Mount Everest and Blackbucks which are a type of antelope. It has a nice mixture of greens, orange, purple and bronze shades. The coin also features Mt. Everest and is a bright gold color. I also learned from the flyer that the antelope shown on the banknote can also be found in Texas! Due to a smell population of them being introduced to the region in 1932. 

 I think this subscription is a really great way for adults and children to explore the world from home, it isn't always affordable to travel and this gives an extra level of interest in learning about each country as it gives you something physical to collect and look back on. I love the fact that the subscription isn't just a banknote and coin, the addition of the postcard, flyer with information on the banknote/coin and the flag sticker is fantastic. This subscription is great for anyone wanting to start coin/banknote collecting, it can be an educational gift for kids and also would be great for teachers to share with their students.

Prize Alert:  Three winners will each receive a envelope in the mail containing a bundle from a random country.

This is open to U.S & Canadian Residents ! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 12/06/2021

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a blog comment letting me know what country you might hope to get, or leave a comment with a country you'd like to visit.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  Coin & Currency Club provided me with the products mentioned above for the review + giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

The UPside Delivered Giveaway + Review.

 

The last year has been hard on many of us, being stuck inside for long periods of time can be draining. It has been difficult on adults, but it can be even harder on young children who may not understand why we've been spending more time indoors instead of out at the park, etc. I recently found a fantastic company that was helpful before Covid, but I feel like their boxes make an even bigger impact now. 

The UPside Delivered is a subscription company that was the brain child of two counselors (Jenna & Kristin) who wanted to provided families with an additional set of recourses to help their children deal with stress and their emotions. Each box has a number of tools in it to help provided some stress management, tools for working with your child and information on everything provided in the box. 

I was recently sent The Begin Box along with a Story of Tomorrow book and a set of Fox Feeling cards to review. I am pretty excited to share this review with you as we are all pretty impressed with this box, plus there will be a bonus giveaway at the end. 

Before I get to the Begin Box, I am going to share the card set and book with you first. Let's start with "The Story of Tomorrow", this is a spiral notebook that has a calming cover that features a field of purple flowers in the forest. 

This book was written and designed by Kristen who created it to help her own daughter who was dealing with anticipatory anxiety. We've all had the days when we are worried about what the following day will bring, maybe we have a big event coming up or will be doing something new and we aren't sure how it will play out. Writing in this book can help alleviate some of the worries about how your day will go, as it allows you to take a few moments to write a bit about how your day went and the main events you'll do the next day, some of the examples they give are "Tomorrow my day will start with getting up, getting dressed an having breakfast". I think this is a creative way to help your kids deal with anticipatory anxiety in an easy to understand process. You can purchase this journal for $12.99, I counted fifty nine "Tomorrows" so the journal will last you for two months. 

Next up is the Clever Coping Cards, these are perfect for at home and I believe they would fit in quite well in a classroom setting. To use these cards you'll look through the stack to find your current feeling and look on the back where it will give you a number of activates you can do that relate to that feeling. Each card has four different activates or things you can do, I will give you an example of a positive feeling that makes us feel great and one that makes us kind of sad.

Feeling Loved; You can give a hug, write or draw a poem, smile or share the love by doing something nice for someone.

Feeling Frustrated; You can ask for help or a hug, take 5 deep breaths, Play & Squeeze clay or play-doh, blow bubbles real slow. 

In total there are fourteen different emotions listed on these cards and each one features an adorable fox expressing that emotion. I enjoy these cards, they are easy to access and each suggested activity is easy to do and doesn't cost anything to complete. As mentioned before I think these are great for using at home with your own children, but I can also see them fitting into a pre-school or kindergarten setting quite nicely as well since teachers often have to deal with a wide arrange of emotions from their students. Each card set can be purchased for $12.99 and the cards come on a metal key ring to make them easier to keep together and flip through. 

Now we can move onto the Begin Box. I want to first state that this box isn't just for children, it can be a lot of fun for adults as well! My box had seven different products in it, each of which has it's own reason for being in the box. As you can see above the inside of the begin box has a small chart with a blurb of info on each item and why/how it is helpful. 

Inside of the box I found a post card which has lesson one on it, lesson one states "Begin to understand the connection between thoughts, feelings and actions". The goal of this lesson is to help you understand that changing the way you think about a situation, helps change how you feel and one of the examples it includes is if your child states "I'm going to fail my test tomorrow" they could be feeling stressed, upset or worried about the situation so to help chance their mind set you can get them to think |"I'm going to remember this is only one test" or "I will study what I can tonight and then do my best".

This is actually something we work on with our kids, yes we try to help them strive for good grades but we also let them know that it isn't the end of the world if they don't get perfect marks on everything. We help them study, answer questions they might have and offer help when needed along with assuring them that they did their best which has been a huge help. 

Now we can dive into the tools they provided to help ease stress, anxiousness and more. Inside of our box we found a mini thinking putty, the color provided is gorgeous and this putty is just the right consistency that it isn't sticky or droppy like slime, instead it is a little more like play-doh to where you can shape it and pull it without making a mess. A brain shaped stress ball is perfect for if you are feeling overwhelmed or upset, squeezing it helps take your mind off of what it is that is bugging you and helps to calm you.

The scratch art is quite useful as well, being able to just doodle or write something out and seeing the various colors is a great way to help change your mood. The bubble brand they included in this is pretty great, it produces a lot of bubbles and the formula they use doesn't pop right away so you can watch them float all the way to the ground before they pop, and if you blow them over carpet they make kind of a funny sound when they pop. 

A journal called "Begin to think aloud" is included in the box as a way to help both adults and children understand the connection between their thoughts and feelings. It allows plenty of space to write and even doodle if you'd like. The two items in our box that we have used the most and will get the most use out of are the Budda Board and the flow rings. When I had first pulled the flow rings out of the box, I thought it was a set of metal bracelets to play with, so I was quite surprised when they sprang open into a neat looking sphere. Reading the blurb they provided we tested out using them on our arms, once you flatted the rings back out again you can put them on your upper arm and allow them to open onto your arm which then makes it to where they roll up and down your arm. This is quite interesting to watch it is also very calming. I took the flow rings with us over to my mothers house when we went for dinner and it had all four of us adults just standing there watching it, because it is both fun to play with and see. The Budda Board is also a lot of fun to use because you use water to paint, and then it will dry and you can keep creating over and over again. A begin box can be purchased for $49.99 plus $11 shipping, and you can purchase some of the box items by themselves such as the flow rings and budda board if you want an extra one. Four of the items in this box (stress brain, putty, flow rings and budda board) can be used over and over again.

PRIZE ALERT: One lucky winner is going to receive their own copy of "The Story of Tomorrow" and a set of coping cards.

This is open to US Residents only! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 02/22/2021

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment telling me one emotion you experienced today and what made you feel that way.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer-  The UPside Delivered has provided the products mentioned above for the review + the prize for a giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase. 

Four great books from Candlewick press for toddlers!

It is never too early to start reading to your child, they absorb a lot even before they begin speaking and reading. Candlewick Press recently sent me four great books to check out that are perfect for reading to your infant/toddler or with them as they begin to read. Two of them are perfect for when they are learning new sight words and the alphabet, and the other two are just fun to read with them.

100 First Words By Edward Underwood (Retail $9.99)

This book has an assortment of easy to learn words, most are words used on an everyday basis such as spoon, fork, bowl, etc however they also include items found on farms, at the store and more. To help make the book more entertaining and help keep your toddlers attention you'll find several fun flaps to explore within the book. The thick board pages are sure to withstand your toddler putting it through quite a bit.

Alphabet Street By Johnathan Emmett (Retail $17.99)

Candlewick Press offers a ton of neat books that offer unique ways of reading and I think this is one of the coolest books I've reviewed with them. The Alphabet Street book helps your child learn their alphabet while seeming almost like a game. The book not only has interactive flaps through out the book, but it also unfolds like an accordion with illustrations and information on both sides of the pages. Instead of each page having a single letter and an image or two of words that go with that letter, the book is set up so that each page has an entire scene with multiple words to go with each letter.  Each page is full of color and creativity, I wish I had this book for my kids when they were younger and first practicing their alphabet.

Guess How Much I Love You By Sam McBratney (Retail $24.99)

This book is a classic and it is celebrating it's 25th Anniversary with a gift set that includes a hard covered copy of the book, a thick case and a beautiful print of the cover art that can be framed and hung up. I enjoy reading this adorable book and reading about how much the baby and mama rabbit love each other as it reminds me of my own mother and of my children as well. We enjoy playing a similar game with our children, one of us will ask "Guess How Much I Love You?" and then after that person asks how much we will give them an answer such as "I love you a billon times every grain of sand in the world". This book is a great addition to any collection.

The Little Snowplow Wishes For Snow By Lora Koehler (Retail $16.99)

This story follows along with a cute little snowplow who loves plowing snow. It can't snow all of the time so during the spring and the summer when there is no snow he keeps busy happily helping out the other work equipment around town as he enjoys being helpful. Although he enjoys helping out everyone he really wishes it would snow, because he loves when it snows. The weather starts to chill but there still isn't snow, so instead the little snowplow concentrates on having a good time with his friends for his birthday. It finally snows on his birthday! So he rushes off to go plow the snow and then head back to enjoy his party. We all thought this book was cute, and enjoying to read.

Along with these four wonderful books, Candlewick Press also offers dozens of great books for kids of all ages.

♡ Which of the four books do you like the best? Do you recall any books that were a favorite of yours when you were a child?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.