I’m not by any means one of these people who’s obsessed with essential oils, but I acknowledge that the right ones can calm us, put us in a better mood, and even cure certain minor physical ailments. I know for a fact that smelling lavender makes me sleepy, mint makes me relaxed, and any citrus oil makes me feel refreshed.

You’re obviously not getting real wood hand-turned on a lathe for this price point, but the plastic is very convincing and comes in four different tones. Most people wouldn’t know it wasn’t real until you touched it.

Capacity is where this diffuser stands out above its competition. Even at its highest mist setting, it’s still going to diffuse for over 10 hours. You can expect a run time of 12 to 14 hours on the lowest setting.

There is a waterless shutoff switch that activates when the diffuser runs out of water so that you don’t damage the unit. I recommend using only distilled water, as minerals will damage the ultrasonic components over time and your diffuser will die a slow death as it eventually just spits water instead of creating a fine mist. A gallon costs around a dollar and you can find it at any grocery store.

Expect a very low level of white noise from the mist depending on which setting it’s on. Personally, I prefer this sound over total silence. Water in any form – flowing, trickling, or steam – has a calming effect for most people, as it represents life to our reptilian brains.

There’s a total of seven different colors of lights you can choose to display. You can keep it on one color or set it to rotate among all of them. Each light has a bright and a dim setting.

While a diffuser’s primary job is to diffuse essential oils into the air, a unit with this capacity also serves as a small humidifier. It’s not going to make much of a difference in the relative humidity of an open floor plan house, but you’ll notice it for sure in a small office or bedroom. Increasing the humidity during spells of dry and cold winter weather is better for your skin and makes the air feel warmer than it actually is.

The timer is conveniently located on the front of the unit. You can set it to run constantly or for one, three, or six hours.

When I think about racking out, I think of the sleep I used to get before I bought this weighted blanket and the sleep I’ve gotten ever since.

Weighted blankets promote deep touch pressure (DTP), which helps stimulate the production of serotonin and dopamine – two hormones that are known to have a calming and relaxing effect on the body. Translation: this product will improve the overall quality of sleep. Most people who use a weighted blanket report falling asleep faster and remaining in a restful sleep until they intend to wake.

While I don’t toss and turn in my sleep, I dislike when my blanket slips off part of my body in the middle of the night. This doesn’t happen with a weighted blanket, as the weight keeps it in place for the most part.

I am 6’1″ and weigh 250 pounds. The 25-pound blanket was perfect for me. You need to be careful about how much a weighted blanket weighs with young children, but I recommend going on the heavier side with teenagers and adults in order to realize all of their benefits.

I started off using my blanket with the winter cover (which comes pre-attached from the factory) since I purchased it shortly before Christmas. I removed the winter cover in early summer to switch it out for the lighter summer cover, but I discovered that several of the ties on the winter cover had pulled off and wouldn’t be able to be reattached. I was going to install the summer cover, but the process of attaching each corner of the blanket to the corresponding point on the cover and then again on several spots in between each corner was going to be very tedious as you have to manipulate the blanket while it’s inside the cover.

I decided to just use the blanket without either cover and am very pleased. The weighted material in the blanket used to occasionally bunch up in certain spots and I’d have to shake out the blanket while holding it in the air to even it back out. I no longer have this problem now without the cover. Surprisingly, the blanket by itself is still light enough to use in the middle of summer and heavy enough for the winter.

Some people put off buying a weighted blanket because they aren’t sure whether they can be washed. You wash the covers just like any other piece of bedding. You can wash the lighter weighted blankets themselves at home, but I wouldn’t try to wash 20-pound or heavier ones at home. You risk burning up the electrical motor in your washer with the combined weight of the blanket and the wash water. You’re better off taking it to a laundromat and using their commercial strength washers. Visit this website for more information on how to safely wash your weighted blanket at home.

Make sure that you note the dimensions before you order. Just because the product description says that it’s for a king-size bed doesn’t mean that it’s going to be the same size as your king-size comforter. I have a king-size bed and ordered the 80″ x 87″ set. I love the blanket itself, but I wish I would have ordered the next larger size (104″ x 88″, which is available in either 25 or 30 pounds.

This blanket set would make a great gift for someone going off to college to help them sleep better in their new setting. There aren’t many gifts you can give that will be used every day, but this is one of them.

I drink a lot of hot tea during the school year – especially at the beginning of the school year and after returning from breaks – as I’m not used to speaking nearly that much outside of school. The right tea can do a lot to help your throat from feeling scratchy (for the record, Egyptian Licorice is my favorite for this purpose.) My Mueller kettle allows me to enjoy a cup of hot tea in the peace and quiet of my classroom during my prep period without having to walk to the other end of the building to the lounge to microwave my water.

In addition to water for tea and coffee, this kettle is perfect for making oatmeal and ramen. You could even use it to “jump start” your water for boiling pasta if you’re in a rush.

I couldn’t believe how fast this kettle brought the water to boiling. You will have boiling water ready in as little as 45 seconds depending on how much water you are heating. There are very soothing blue LEDs that light up the water from underneath the carafe as the water heats up to let you know that the unit is on.

Mueller has all its bases covered when it comes to the safety of this unit. A thermostat controller automatically turns off the kettle 30 seconds after the water reaches a full boil. There is also a boil-dry protection that will prevent the kettle from heating if it detects that there is no water. The kettle itself is stout and seems like it would stay upright if you accidentally bumped it. The handle even has an anti-slip coating on it to prevent you from dropping it.

I was impressed by the quality of the materials – borosilicate glass, 304 stainless steel, and BPA-free copolyester – given its relatively low price point. I’ve only had my kettle for less than a year, but it feels like something that I will be using for many years to come.

My only complaint is that the lid should have been engineered to open wider for cleaning. However, if you use distilled water like I do, cleaning it really isn’t going to be an issue. It’s still by far the best electric kettle for the money even with this small drawback.

The Contigo SnapSeal stainless steel mug is available in six contemporary colors that just have the best names: grayed jade, gunmetal, matte black, monaco (a steel blue), stormy weather, and vivacious (sort of a magenta red). There are three sizes available: 16 oz., 20 oz., and 24 oz, however not all of the colors are available in all three sizes. I have two of the 20 oz. mugs in the gunmetal color. The 20 oz. mug still holds plenty of coffee without being unwieldy to hold with one hand.

I bought my first Contigo mug four years ago and a second a couple of years later so that I didn’t have to wash my lone mug every night. They’re both still in great shape and I use on or the other every day.

While Amazon’s prices change on a regular basis, at the time of this writing these mugs are about a $1.50 cheaper than they are at Target. Amazon’s color selection for this style was also better.

I was hesitant at first to put a travel mug full of coffee inside my briefcase bag that I use to keep my laptop, phone, and planner. Neither one of my mugs has ever leaked inside my bag. The only thing you need to be careful of is accidentally flipping up the pop-up tab on the lid by tossing the mug into your bag or pushing it down at just the right angle against something hard like the corner of your laptop. The seal on both the lid and the pop-up tab are both otherwise very secure. The “SnapSeal” feature leaves no doubt that you’ve closed the lid before you put it into your bag or purse.

One of my favorite features is the rubber grip. It’s perfectly oriented to provide a secure one-handed  even when it’s wet. The grip hasn’t discolored or deteriorated in the least bit since I’ve had these.

You’ll want to hand wash the main part of the mug. I flip up the tab on the lid (in order to keep the seal clean) and send just the lid through the dishwasher once in awhile.

Bearing in mind that I use this mug almost every day of the year and that it spends considerable time in my briefcase bag, some of the protective coating on the stainless steel has started to wear off on the exterior of the mug, specifically on the bottom. Fortunately it just chips off rather than peeling so it’s not too unsightly. The actual metal underneath is just fine.