Gear Review: Contigo Water Bottle To Keep Drinks Cold

Use the Flip Chill bottle when it’s extra hot outside to keep cold liquids cold longer.

little league baseball batter

My kids participate in sports leagues outside of school, and one of the must-haves that go with them to every practice or game is a reusable water bottle. We have at least 2 dozen of them in various states of cleanliness and in various locations at any given time: in my car, in their dad’s car, in their sports bag, in their other sports bag, or worst, left behind at the sports field or venue.

Sigh.

That’s better than getting a new plastic bottle of water every time we go somewhere though. And I hope that when we misplace or lose one, someone else finds it, washes it well, and makes use of it.

Now that summer is coming again and California is in a drought, leaving us all parched and dry and drinking more water than usual, those water bottles are even more important. My younger son plays baseball a few times a week, and when there are games, it’s usually blazing hot and the sun beats directly down on the dugout. That means that any water he brings, even if I put ice in the bottle, basically gets heated up while he’s on the field.

Contigo Flip Chill Water Bottle

FlipChill_Blue_Birdseye_alt

It’s a perfect time to test out a new bottle. Contigo’s new Flip Chill water bottle has Thermalock Vacuum Insulation – it’s a double wall of stainless steel between your beverage and the elements that is meant to keep the cold inside. I have been a fan of the Contigo water bottle for several years. This one has a flip-top spout that can be locked back down when not being used, keeping the sipping area hidden. That way the place where your child puts his mouth is less likely to be rolled in the dirt that accumulates in the dugout from the field.

We tested the bottle at baseball practices and games, and at school. Each time, I filled the bottle with cold water and ice and sent the boy on his way.

At school, it worked perfectly. The bottle comes into class with my son or he leaves it in his backpack, which is under shade most of the day. He reported that his water stayed cold until he finished it.

At the field, though, the sun was just too strong, and this particular bottle only comes in a 10 oz. size, which is perfect for younger kids. My 8-year-old plays hard, though, and while the bottle kept the water cold, that water was gone quickly. Refills from the baseball field’s water fountain were only mildly cold.

mom and boys hiking

The bottle is certainly an improvement on just a plain old single-walled one, and we do really like it. It’s good for car rides, school days, even short hikes. If it ever comes in a larger size, that will be the perfect one for my big sweaty boys.

Contigo AUTOSPOUT® Flip Chill Kids Water Bottle
$15.99

Christmas in February – our minted Christmas card, revealed

Back in December I posted some of the shots from our Christmas card photo shoot and I realized I never posted the final version. Here is what we sent out:

xmas card 2014 front xmas card 2014 backThanks to minted for the complimentary batch of cards this year. Last year. Whichever you want to count.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Spongebob Movie – Game Giveaway

spongebob game

In my house, we have one iPad. I was really excited when we got it because I thought it would make a lot of things easier for me. Well, after a few years of iPad ownership, not much has changed. I still prefer to do most of my work on my laptop. But my kids…well, it pretty much changed everything for them. They can spend way too much time surfing games, playing games, and messing around with Photo Booth. So, in one way it did make my life easier. I can use it to occupy them in a pinch.

Since they are the iPad game experts around here, I had them play Sponge on the Run to check it out so I could share something about the game for you. My younger son just loves it. He is a huge Spongebob fan anyway. My older son approached the game with a more critical eye. “It’s just like Temple Run,” he said on first launching the app, but he quickly got into it and reached levels of accomplishment that I will never see. What? I played the game too. But I suck at it. Still, it’s fun! Spongebob has grown on me over the years, so I enjoy flicking his little weird body around the screen collecting coins.

You can suck at it too while your kids rock it – Paramount has given me 5 free game codes to give away. I won’t make it hard for you. If you have a Spongebob fan who is also a game-player, just leave a comment on this post and make sure your correct email address is entered. I’ll give a code for a free download to the first 5 commenters (one per family please).

Bikini Bottom fans can venture off the beaten path with the all-new SpongeBob SquarePants game, SpongeBob: Sponge on the Run, based on the upcoming The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, in theaters February 6.  In the app, SpongeBob and Plankton are racing to find the lost Krabby Patty formula in 3 seaworthy locations including Bikini Bottom, Apocalyptic Bikini Bottom and a real-world beach.  When he is not running, SpongeBob is flying past obstacles with Plankton’s jetpack, floating in a bubble through a coral forest, racing through Bikini Bottom in the Patty Wagon, or has Plankton jumping through his surreal imagination.  When the running gets tough, SpongeBob gets heroic as he transforms into Super SpongeBob.  The new upgrade allows SpongeBob to knock through any obstacle in his way without risk.

I received a download code to facilitate this feature and giveaway.