Dressed for Hawaii Beaches

All that time you’ve spent applying sunscreen may not help prevent skin cancer if you don’t think about protective clothing as well. Clothing works two ways to protect us from the sun. First, it in-effect provides shade which protects us from the UVB (burn) rays of the sun. It also is a barrier against the UVA (aging) rays, but a light colored shirt only has an UPF of about 6. (UPF is Ultraviolet Protection Factor, a rating for how well clothing protects from both UVA & UVB rays.) Darker colors absorb more UVA as do heavier fabrics, but in the hot summer or tropical sun? Yuck!

Over the past 10 years, awareness and technology have created a market for sun protective clothing for kids and adults. To get beyond the single digit UPF of summer clothes, clothing manufactures adjust the weave, color, weight and stretch of the fabric and include UV absorbers in the material. As a result, these clothes can cover more of the body and provide more sun protection while still being comfortable in water or hot, humid weather.

Where can I find UPF clothing?

Dressed for India Beaches

UPF clothing for kids’ swimwear is available almost everywhere now in a variety of styles and prices. Rash guards, or lightweight, quick dry shirts with UPF of 50+ can be purchased at discount stores for as little as $8. Sun suits, or rash guards that cover most of the body can be found in specialized stores online. Increasingly swim suits themselves are made with a UPF of 30 or greater. Search online for “UPF clothing” “UPF swim” or “sun protective” to get an idea of what’s available where and for how much.

Everyday UPF clothing for kids, a.k.a. play clothes, sadly is very limited. Land’s End introduced a Sun.Life line of UPF clothing in 2009, but have since discontinued it (ahem, please bring it back!) Cabana Life has a few UPF clothes but in light colors Mirielle I could never keep clean. SunDay Afternoons, Coolibar, Tulips & Turtles, NoZone, REI and other companies are adding beyond-the-beach clothing for kids, but it is still very limited and sells out quickly.

Apres Beach Wear

For adults, the selection of UPF clothing is more extensive and growing. Columbia, ExOfficio, REI, North Face, Patagonia, Mott 50, Athleta, athletic gear companies, and more are including UPF clothing in their lines. The style is improving and important to me, you can get long UPF 50+ shirts and pants that breathe well enough to be worn in 80/80 weather. (over 80 degrees and over 80% humidity).

What does Mirielle wear?

Hats with a 3-inch brim from Cabana Life most of the time and a baseball hat for soccer (though I should probably get a full brimmed hat with a strap instead.). A good sunhat should stay on when a kid plays tag while shading the face down to at least the chin (preferably down to a crew neckline.) I picked the Cabana Life hats for Mirielle because they are washable, reversible, cute, and have wide brims.

Beachwear. I have bought below the knee & elbow UPF 50+ sun suits to go over cheap swimsuits at Target, eBay, Costco and miscellaneous online sales. In the past couple of years, I have accumulated a bunch of Cabana Life matching rash guard and swimwear sets on sale so, that is the staple right now including a matching terry cover up. They wash well though the bright colors fade in chlorine pools.

Dressed for Rhode Island Beaches

Play Clothes. Right now Mirielle doesn’t have any UPF rated play clothes, because I want nice looking clothes that able to hide a little dirt and there isn’t much out there this year. I am tempted to buy a couple of women’s extra small, slim cut shirts for her outdoor summer camp this year.

Sunglasses. This is where I have failed Mirielle so far. We have a couple of 99% UV protection sunglasses that I picked up at a ski shop in Squaw Valley, but they keep getting lost. I naively assume that with Mirielle’s rigorous hat wearing, she can skip the sunglasses.

What does Mom wear?

Hat. The only mom/daughter matching clothing I own are my Cabana Life hats. I also have a crushable Mountain Hardware UPF wide brimmed straw had and and SF Giants baseball hat. All of them can be stuffed in a suitcase and I keep one in my car for forgetful days.

Meg in UPF Clothing for 95 F Weather.

Beachwear. My first rash guard was an XCel purchased for surf camp. Over the years, I’ve added a couple from Athleta. I was shopping for a new swim suit last year and realized it doesn’t matter what I get because most of it will be covered by the rash guard. I got a Cabana Life terry cover-up as well, but it usually doesn’t make the cut when packing light.

Play Clothes. Last year I got to buy a new wardrobe after losing almost 50 lbs (go me!) I started with the Athleta summer sale and supplemented with a few fun pieces from REI’s summer sale. Almost all of the clothes I picked out were UPF 50+ including skirts, dresses, t-shirts and very lightweight jackets. Not purposefully, all of the clothes I packed for my India trip were Athleta UPF 50+ (and matched well with the clothes I bought in India.) When will they make kids clothes with the same level of style, comfort and sun protection?

Sunglasses. After years of sub-$20 (aka breakable/loseable) glasses from Target, under my eye doctor’s recommendation, I upgraded to polarized lens sunglasses that cost about $120. Not to jinx it, but I’ve had them over a year and a half without losing or damaging them and love wearing them.

Dressed for the Waterslide

Where to do find Sun Protective Clothing for your family? What is the most important sun protection to you? Do you think the sun-paranoia is overblown? What does a parent have to do to get fashionable UPF 50+ clothing for kids?

Read my 2009 article first for information on my sun protection crusade, basic sunscreen use, and a review of a few sunscreens.

Since 2009′s review of the safest sunscreens for kids, I have had one more skin cancer found and removed. Mirielle is acquiring freckles but still maintains a pasty white glow.  I have also tried out and investigated more sunscreens and have new favorites.

Sunscreen Reviews

Note – all sunscreens mentioned are SPF 30 or higher, paraben-free, and do not use chemical sunscreens.  (Find out why here.)

Neutrogena Pure & Free Baby. We tried the Neutrogena Baby sunscreens I mentioned in 2009.  I was especially excited by the stick sunscreen which a three year old can self-apply and they can be stashed in purses, glove compartments and backpacks so it is always around.  It is available in a wide variety of stores and goes on sale. Importantly, I found the Neutrogena Baby stick sunscreen provided effective sun protection.  No freckles appeared after an hour of kicking a soccer ball around in an open, sunny field.  It did, however, cause a light rash on Mirielle (though not on me) so we didn’t stock up.

Tru Kid Sunny Days. We sent Mirielle off to preschool in 2009 with a bottle of TruKid SPF 30. Rated one of the safest by EWG and about the same cost as Neutrogena Baby and Vanicream. It was available at retail in the Bay Area, CA, but definitely not in Connecticut, so I buy it online when there are specials or free shipping.  Since I first purchased TruKid, it has changed its formulation and now the liquid is a cream which goes on thicker and leaves a ghosty glow at application but fades quickly on light colored skin. We used TruKid as Mirielle’s primary sunscreen last summer and throughout our India trip with excellent results and no adverse skin reaction (A few more freckles but no sun burn and only a touch of color).

October 18, 2010, Before India

November 29, 2010, At the end of our India trip.

What I really love about TruKid is the stick! A touch on the greasy side, but I have learned that slickness helps kids with self-application.  The stick has a yellow tint which is great for darker colored skin.  The tubes of sunscreen comes in 3.5oz and TSA carry-on  friendly 2.0oz sizes. And, TruKid is water resistant.

Kiss My Face Kids. The 100% natural SPF 30 sun stick for kids comes in clear, pink and blue.  The pink and blue stay colored so it’s easy to tell when it’s time to reapply and if a spot is missed.  The clear went on more white than clear and greasy.  I only used it a couple of times but it seemed to pass the freckle test, leaving behind no new ones after an hour on the soccer field. I keep the one I bought to try in my glove compartment for emergencies, but it’s a last resort.

Elemental Herbs Zinc Sunstick. I have been hooked on their organic lip balm for years and was very excited to see that they finally came out with a higher SPF, chemical free sunscreen stick and ordered one when I restocked my lip balm. It goes on a little oily, but clear and the oils absorb within 15 minutes. I’m happy with it but haven’t tried it on Mirielle yet.

California Baby Sunscreens. I am a huge fan of California Baby products and am still buying the body wash and moisturizers for Mirielle. However, both the stick and lotion sunscreens were a big FAIL for us. The lotion is very thick and went on like I was applying paste, but I had higher hopes for the unscented stick. Freckles quickly appeared the first day we used the products.  After a couple more days trying very carefully to make sure it was properly applied, I didn’t have any better results and discontinued use.

Recommended by readers:

Dr. Robin For Kids. Dr. Robin’s sunscreens have a cult following in Southern California and get very good reviews from users who say it goes on easily and is effective. It has limited availability, but can be ordered online

Burt’s Bees Chemical Free Sunscreen. Widely available and free of chemical sunscreens and parabens, a reader commented “works but it’s a horrendous consistency.”

GO!Screen. A powder, mineral sunscreen similar to my favorite Sunforgettable but at half the price! This is on my list to try when my current powder sunscreen runs low.

What do we use now?

Mirielle uses TruKid Sunny Days cream on her body, neck and parts of her face and the TruKid Sunny Days stick on her face.  I use TruKid when we travel or if I am getting dressed at the same time Mirielle is and just apply to both of us. The rest of the time I apply Vanicream in the morning and keep my Sunforgettable brush in my purse for touch ups throughout the day. Our cars are stocked with stick sunscreens – Kiss My Face, Elemental Herbs and TruKid.

I won a pair of Ecco shoes at BlogHer last year as knew I was going to get the stylish, tall Ecco Cloud 2 GTX leather boots lined with Gore Tex I saw in the conference suite.  I fell in love with my boots and Ecco shoes the first time I put them on.  Super soft leather, comfort, and style, plus, with no break in period, I was hooked. And did I mention they looked HOT with my jeans?

Enjoying jumping in leaves in my new Ecco Boots

I have pronated ankles, aka flat feet, that have been a lifetime source of injury and pain.  One ankle was surgically repaired 6 years ago, greatly reducing my injury frequency, but I still have a hard time finding shoes that are both comfortable and stylish.  You know, the perfect travel shoes? While there isn’t extra arch support or footbed gimics in my Ecco boots, I have walked miles in them on sidewalks, navigated snow piles in them and did some light hiking sporting them with no foot or ankle pain.  (And let me mention again, no break-in time needed.)

Without extra lining and a pair of lightweight wool socks, my feet have stayed dry and warm in my Ecco boots. Traction has been surprisingly good though the soles don’t look like ATV tires.  There is extra elastic at top of the boot to allow extra room for those of us with “athletic” calves.

A month after I started wearing my  boots, I bought a pair of Ecco kids mary janes for Mirielle.  The shoes met Mirielle’s shiny or sparkly requirement while meeting my durability requirement as she treats all shoes like sneakers. On our last visit to an Ecco store, we added a pair of boots and another pair of mary janes for Mirielle, black dress loafers for my husband, a second pair of boots for me and a pair of red patent leather pumps for me.

Ecco shoes have really impressed me and my family with their style, comfort and practicality.  They are already in our travel shoe rotation, but we wear them all the time.

Mirielle's Ecco Boots Perform!

My first pair of Ecco boots were won in a contest; I did not pay for them. I was not asked to write a review or express any specific opinion.  All other shoes mentioned I paid for but shopped around for super deals.

For our trip to India, I wanted to bring a compact, point & shoot camera for convienence and so I might actually show up in a couple of pictures. I also was shopping for something Mirielle could use as she was asked to bring pictures back to her classmates.  In looking at all the options available, I chose to give up a smaller size and try a water and shock proof (pre-schooler resistant) camera.

The reviews led me to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 14.1MP Waterproof Digital Camera. Unfortunately, a couple of days into our trip, we discovered a HUGE design flaw in the camera.  There is not a lens cover or cap resulting in a continually smudged lens.

This was clearly an issue with Mirielle using the camera, but it wasn’t much better for Jack or me.  In fact, we stopped to use the  lens cleaning pen I (thankfully brought,) before taking most pictures once we discovered the issue.  Stopping to clean the lens before each photo defeats some the convenience of a point and shoot camera.

Take a look at our walk through Old Delhi to see the results of a smudged lens.

I DO NOT recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 camera and advise everyone to look closely at the lens cover mechanism and placement before buying any point and shoot camera.

It happens.  To some of us, it happens a lot.  What do you do when you drop that new digital SLR camera and hear the crunch as it hits the ground/floor/desk/foot?  Or someone not of the age of majority tries to grab the video camera from dad ending in FAIL?

After my Nikon Digital SLR camera slipped out of its case (which someone I forgot to zip) and hit the floor, the battery door was clearly broken and the lens didn’t turn smoothly.  Everything else seemed O.K., but the sensitive electronics can easily be knocked out of calibration.

Clearly my warranty wasn’t going to help so I headed to the web to find camera and lens repair options.  It turns out the world’s largest camera and video repair facility, Precision Camera, is located here in Connecticut.

Testing my repaired camera on the campus of Precision Camera.

I used the pull down options at PrecisionCamera.com to select my camera make and model to get an instant quote.  The quote for repair is fixed price and offers different shipping options.   I was skeptical about what was in the fixed priced so called the customer service, number clearly posted on the website, and learned that the price covers evaluation of the camera and a range of repairs.  If for some reason the repairs needed were extensive, say a new motherboard, they would contact me with a quote.

When looking at price, consider the camera or lens cost and replacement time frame.  For me, the camera was a no-brainer; it was new and would hopeful last as long as my film SLRs (which I still have and still work.)  My lens on the other hand was the standard kit lens that came with the camera.  The replacement cost was about 2.5 times the repair cost and I hope to upgrade this lens in the next year so I passed on repairing the lens.

My repaired camera was ready in a few days.  When I picked it up, a report of the work done was included.  After over 200 photos everything seems to be working well and the picture quality seems slightly better than before the fall.

I sincerely hope you never need this service.  Maybe the simple fact of knowing about it will mean you won’t have to use it, but accidents do happen and it is nice to know where to go for camera repair.

Precision Camera http://www.precisioncamera.com/

I received no compensation for this review.  All opinions are those of the author.

Finally. A time, money and hassle saving solution to make your ski vacation easier (and save money).  This winter, Mountain Threads has opened to offer high performance skiwear for rent to visitors to Colorado’s two dozen plus ski areas.

By renting by skiwear, you can skip the investment in clothing and accessories plus skip having to constantly see if last year’s clothes still fit (the kids, of course.)  Renting is also a great option for beginners who don’t know if when they will pick up the sport.

I ran into this problem when my brother and I took Mirielle up to Squaw Valley last March. Winter clothes had been replaced with spring sets at discount and department stores.  The “on sale” ski clothes were still 50 to $80 for either a jacket or snow pants.  There was no way I was going to pay that kind of money.  While I expected we would need the clothes for our first Connecticut winter, I had no idea what size she would be come winter. Plus, who pays 100-$150 for a three year old’s ski clothes that she’ll outgrow in a few months (except grandparents)?

With Mountain Threads, I could have visited the website and clicked around picking clothing and gear I wanted to rent.  It’s not unlike online shopping, except dates needed are input when selecting sizes.  Pay Pal or major credit cards are accepted for payment.  Enter the delivery address and expect to see the skiwear when and where you need it.  A toll free number is available to talk with a live person.

Package deals are available if you are renting all the clothes, or you can just pick specific items.  Pricing seems reasonable.  Helmets at Mountain Threads rent for 20-40% less than the ski shops I have been checking out in New England.  Items are available for sale if you want a new pair of gloves or need extra thermals.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was not paid to write this nor am I getting any compensation.  I did however go to business school with Julie Petty, the founder of Mountain Threads.  We spent our first year together with four other people, in a 10 by 14 foot room almost every school night.

As a parent, a traveler and a skier I am excited about this new service.  As an old classmate, I am excited to see Julie leaving her VP job at a Fortune 100 company to start such a useful and innovative businesses.  I have no doubt her passion, skill and focus on the customer will not only make Mountain Threads a successful business, but also a great experience for skiers visiting Colorado.

A couple of tips she gave me, first, specials on children’s skiwear should be arriving shortly so be sure to check the website.  Second, Julie mentioned that airlines have been using her service for passengers with lost luggage. If you gear gets lost en route to your Colorado ski vacation, let the airline know about Mountain Threads, so you don’t miss any time on the slopes.

I'm so glad I didn't buy her skiwear.

Mountain Threads wasn’t around when we went to Squaw, or in California. (hint, hint, expansion opportunity?)  A friend generously loaned us her son’s gear which did the job.  Considering Mirielle lasted less than fifteen minutes on skis, I am so glad I didn’t shell out the $100 plus.

If you are interested in learning more about Mountain Threads, or talking with the founder, I am more than happy to put you in touch with Julie.  Also, I highly encourage other bloggers to get the word out on this cool, family and budget friendly service.

This year, days after I had combed through the year’s photos and selected some for Mirielle’s annual photo album, MyPublisher contacted me to review their product.  Luck really does favor the prepared.  MyPublisher invented the PhotoBook in 1995 and 15 years later is still a leader in PhotoBook publishing.  They focus on easy to use software, high quality printed products and customer service to differentiate themselves.

Creating the PhotoBook

Rather than registering, uploading pictures and creating books online, MyPublisher gives users a very small application (11-20MB – less than a couple of photos!) to create the PhotoBook on a computer.  Not being tied to the internet made this process so much easier for me. I brought my laptop with me when I knew I would have a few minutes and most of my PhotoBook was created waiting at the kitchen table, in the car, and at the dentist.  As a busy parent who is disorganized, working offline gave me the flexibility to finish the book.

The MyPublisher software is both easy to use and flexible.  The steps are literally laid out one, two, three, four, five on buttons along the bottom. There is also an “Auto Build” button which allows the software to auto populate a book template with selected photos.

MyPublisher found a good balance between the choices of book sizes and styles and the decision paralysis when there are so many choices and customizations. The themed styles, including “Travel” were tasteful in my opinion (and free from licensed characters.) Page layouts and font choices were equally balanced.

I built the book myself and it was a straightforward “drag and drop” process with easy navigation between photos, pages and sections of the book. It was easy to add, swap, edit and re-size photos. The navigation was a huge plus for me as it was fast without the wait for a new web page to load.

Screen shot of MyPublisher software

The weakest area of MyPublisher and a source of frustration for me was organizing photos before putting them into the book.  In trying to figure it out, I contacted the 24 hour customer service via online chat which was quick and professional.  Unfortunately, they confirmed there was no way to auto-sort the photos by date or keywords.

To purchase the PhotoBook, I did have to go online.  The software guided me through registration, selection of book size, cover materials, and quantity. The final step is uploading the book and it was impressive how little time it took considering I had close to 200 photos.

To share an electronic copy of the book, there is a “Share” button which emails a link to a preview version of the book.

Final Product

Delivery was very quick.  One business day after purchasing my two books, I received an email with tracking numbers. MyPublisher promises 1-4 days for processing with a choice of Standard, 2-day or Overnight FedEx delivery.

Top is the MyPublisher book (linen), bottom is last year's book (leather).

The first thing I checked was print clarity.  Photos in bright sunlight seemed slightly washed out, otherwise the quality of the printing was quite good.  This year there were a lot of iPhone photos (<1 MB) and they looked as sharp as the 4 MB pictures printed in last year’s book, even when blown up to a full 8×11 page.

The paper felt different from other photo books – smooth, thicker and a little like the paper photos would be printed on.  Time will tell how well it will last but it is archival quality paper so the photos should not fade or discolor.

MyPublisher books are assembled by hand and you can tell when you look at the binding.  I compared it to the book from last year and you can see how much more securely the pages are bound and the end-sheets look like they are hand glued.  The picture books I made for our trip a year and half ago began to lose their pages after less than six months of use so I am sensitive to binding quality.

Comparing binding quality

Pricing is competitive with other PhotoBook providers and promotions are available if you check on their website, open the MyPublisher software or are registered to receive emails.

Conclusion

Will I use MyPublisher again? Yes. The ability to work offline, responsive customer service and possibly the best product quality in the consumer PhotoBook space won me over.   I have three unfinished books online from our travels and the year one book which I am going to queue up in the MyPublisher software and see if I can get them done before it is time for the year four book.

Giveaway

Congratulations to Carolina who won a $75 coupon from MyPublisher.

Leave a comment about the subject of your next PhotoBook.  For an additional chance to win, tweet about this contest including a link to this page  (http://bit.ly/4Wfbbc) and #MyPublisher.  Maximum two entries per person.  A winner will be randomly chosen this Friday, December 18th at noon EST.  (Download the MyPublisher software today, design your book before Friday, and if you upload the book by noon EST on December 20, you can receive it for Christmas with FedEx overnight.)

Disclosure: MyPublisher did give me a credit to try their product. My reviews are honest and based on my experience with a product – good and bad.  Acceptance of any editorial discounts or product for giveaway is in no way a commitment to positively review the product.

Wanderlust & Lipstick: Traveling with Kids by Leslie Forsberg and Michelle Duffy succeeds in putting together a comprehensive reference book on traveling with kids that is not patronizing or condescending.  It is relevant to all travel styles, covers travel with infants to teens, and will help with trips to grandma’s or the Great Wall.

None of the family travel guides I browsed when planning our first trips felt relevant to me. I did not want to spend my vacations at Disney now that I had a kid, nor did I want to travel with a full suitcase of safety equipment.  This is the book I needed.

With a variety of trips under our family’s belt, it is still a great reference.  Inter-generational travel has come up a lot in our discussions lately.  I keep going back to Traveling with Kids‘ pointers on addressing mobility issues and juggling traveling styles to help ground my husband’s expectations.

While a few years off, I loved reading about the teen “head swivel” evolving into dating while traveling.  The authors posed great questions to ask as a parent in this situation and even provided a basic set of rules. (Spoiler: It shouldn’t be that different from managing dating at home.)

One of the reasons this books stands above others is the great balance between detailed suggestions, like packing tricks or special documentation, and broad topics like picking a destination or what to see when you are there.  The secret may be that ideas are presented only as suggestions and web addresses are provided throughout the book if the reader wants additional details.

Differentiating the Wanderlust and Lipstick series are the first hand stories on almost every topic.  While the authors are extremely experienced with family travel, many other family travel stories are included broadening the voice of the book.   There are stories from overseas adventure travel with the kids to loading up the family in an RV to visit a National Park in a neighboring state.

Are you stressing about flying with your kids to see the grandparents for Christmas, thinking about what to do for spring break, or know new parents hesitant to travel with baby in tow?  This is a great, low cost holiday gift that will give back for years travels to come.  It is available at Amazon.com or check with your local bookseller.

One lucky reader can win a copy of the book.  Just leave a comment on why you need to make traveling with your family easier.  Next Wednesday (12/09/09) I will randomly select a winner.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Shannon Cooan who has won the copy of Traveling with Kids.

Soon after Mirielle was born, I discovered Tea Collection children’s clothing at a small shop in Petaluma, CA.  It was super-cute with a globally inspired aesthetic and a pallet of interesting colors that complemented a red head including purples and unusual greens.  (The normal little girl “pinks” are just dreadful on her.)  We bought a bunch and I went straight to the web to find more.  It turned out Tea Collection is based in San Francisco.

Mirielle in her first Tea Collection.

Flash forward almost three years and I would say Mirielle wears about 75% 90% Tea for a number of reasons:

1. She looks great in the colors and cuts.
   

   Meeting horse (shirt, shorts)

2. It washes and wears really well. One set of clothes lasted from crawling through the monkey antics of a toddler. (Yes, over a very active year with lots of laundering.)
3. I love that the clothes are unusual in style and color.
   

   Spring "snow" (dress)

4. Tea is adding more organic options to their line.
5. The clothes are designed to be layered so a summer dress can be worn year round if you add leggings and a long sleeve shirt.
   

   Layering (shirt, leggings, dress)

6. Color pallets tie together so you can wear multiple season (aka multiple sizes).  It makes packing light for travel a breeze.
7. They have a reasonably priced Daily Tea line and if you keep an eye out, you can find great specials and sales.  If you live in the Bay Area catch the twice a year sample sales at their SF headquarters.
   

   How to keep a child from talking (dress)

Tea Collection launched a Facebook page this year and I immediately became a fan.  The discount codes posted only on Facebook are a bonus. When they announced a contest for a “Little Citizen of the Month,” I entered one of my favorite pictures from our trip to Bali and won the first Month.

I am totally showing off my little winner!  (And take a look at the runners up who include Mirielle’s beautiful day care cohort. NoCal has some hip, global kids.) Become a fan on Facebook, dress you child in Tea Collection clothing, get out your camera, and enter for a chance to win a $200 gift certificate.

Not that we have left the San Francisco Bay Area, I am glad to see the brand growing because it is available in more and more stores.  One of my favorites stores is diapers.com where I  buy leggings one at a time to get to free shipping. While browsing the web or your local children’s clothing store, look for Tea Collection & Daily Tea for unique, great wearing clothes for your own “Little Citizen of the World.”

This is my opinion.  I was not asked to write a review and did not receive compensation for this review. I did win the $200 gift certificate but have spent significantly more than $200 on their clothes prior to and after winning.

While talking about coffee, I want to share my review of the new Starbucks VIA™ Ready Brew coffee.  At BlogHer and TBEX this year, Jennifer Miner (SoCalGal) of the Vacation Gals handed out samples.  “Ready Brew” is the new marketing term for instant, but don’t think VIA™ is like other instant coffees. Packaged in small envelopes with three single serving tube-shaped packets or multi-packet boxes, the powder in the packet is mixed with hot water for a cup of coffee.

VIA™ three pack envelopes

Travel friendly?

Yes.  The compact envelopes and individual serving packets are easily tucked in nooks and crannies of suitcases, backpacks, or purses and carried through airport security.

All that is needed to make a cup of VIA™ is access to a cup and hot water. Most hotel rooms have a coffee maker which will make hot water. Free hot water is found in hotel lobbies, bars or anywhere tea is served. I also tested making the coffee with hot tap water and it made a good cup (even at our lower, child safe temperature setting).

How does it taste?

Good, strong and smoother than many brewed coffees.  Even making a generous mug (10-12oz) both the Italian Roast and Columbia flavors did not taste watered down.  With six ounces of water added to the Italian Roast, a spoon would probably stand up which I know is important to many coffee drinkers.  Those taking their coffee black will notice the lack of tannins or tanginess found in brewed coffee which makes for a smooth cup. I added 2% milk and found it better than most road coffee and Starbucks’ in-store brew.

VIA™ Ready Brew is now my wake up coffee on the road (though it is still Kona Coffee at home.)

This is my opinion. I received free samples of VIA™ from a fellow blogger, not Starbucks.  I was not asked to write a review and did not receive compensation for this review.  (I did write this review in a Starbucks store, used their free wifi and took a couple of bags of ‘grounds for your garden,’ but I bought my own brewed coffee and fruit cup.)