Backyard Pool Party with Bestway!!

That's right, you read that correctly! We got such an incredible opportunity this Memorial Day weekend! Tryazon picked us as one of the hosts for their latest party - Bestway Splash on the Grass - where they sent us a brand new pool to test out and review. I was kinda shocked but I knew my 5-year old water bug was going to be so pumped!! Thankfully the package arrived just in time and I was able to set it up before we had all of Dan's family in town for the long weekend.

Bestway (check them out here: http://www.bestwaycorp.us/) has a ton of amazing products from camping, to swimming, to snow! We were lucky enough to be able to test out one of their latest in above-ground swimming pools. The Power Steel Swim Vista Series II has a bunch of awesome features - first off, it's huge! Plenty big enough for a group of adults, and absolute heaven for a bunch of toddlers! The one we tried out was 18feet across, but they also have a 22foot size. The steel construction means that the pool is sturdy  - which is good because after I first had it set up and started filling it, we had some pretty nasty winds for a day! But it stood strong.

They've also created this pool with "layman construction skills" in mind. Once we had it figured out, setup was really pretty simple and didn't require any tools other than a screwdriver (and a little old fashioned elbow grease). I will admit I was pretty frustrated by the instructions provided (or lack thereof) for setting this pool up. The manual was extremely minimal and the few pages showing diagrams for setup were vague, at best. There were no words, and with so many parts that looked so similar, it meant I had to basically do it all through trial and error. Honestly, it was worse than trying to assemble IKEA furniture! They at least have their parts clearly numbered/labelled. It took quite a while and was annoying. The instructions say it should take 2-3 people only 20-30 minutes. That was an absolute lie. For the trickier bits I had Dan help me, but the whole process ended up taking me a couple hours. It was not nearly as quick as they make it out to be. The worst part was trying to assemble the ladder. Mine came with NO instructions whatsoever. I'm not sure if that is standard or just got overlooked in my box, but it was definitely not something that could be assembled completely through common sense. I spent FOREVER trying to find an instruction sheet online, and searching Youtube, until I finally found one video showing a ladder fairly similar to mine, which helped me finally get it sorted out. Once I understood what I was doing, it was all quite simple, but there needed to be more initial direction so that you could actually get it started.

Anyway, once the hassle of setup was complete things went smoothly. Obviously, for such a large pool it's going to take a fair bit of time to fill completely. Due to time constraints, and the fact we had a bunch of small children who would be utilizing this a ton, we opted not to fill ours completely until after the inital Memorial Day party. I think this was best - it allowed everyone to splash and cool off, without having to worry too much about kids drowning while everything was a little crazy. But when it's a little calmer, this pool is totally big enough for kids to learn how to swim in!

One of the unique, cool features about these pools is their windows! Yup, the pool has windows. Four, to be exact. The kids at our party loved looking through them and being able to see what everyone else was doing. AND, having a window means I can let the kids play while I sit outside and look in to check on them from my chair (yay for mini "almost" breaks!). I also appreciated the thought they put into the design on the outside of the pool. It has a wicker pattern, making it look more natural and appealing in your yard than other above-ground pools I've seen.

We had a fun-filled weekend (and many hours since) thanks to this cool new backyard addition! The kids were beyond excited to have their own pool and it has brought over the neighbor kids since they found out.

Verdict: this seems to be a high-quality, sturdy pool that will stand up to many, many hours of splashing, and has a nice look to it. My only issues are that it took way longer to set up than they indicated, and that was partially due to the completely horrible set of instructions, or the complete lack thereof for some parts. It all worked out in the end though, and the kids are loving it, so I'd say this was a definite Summer-time mom "win!" @Tryazon @Bestway_official @BestwayUS #Tryazon #Bestway

 Check out the fun through Bestway's innovative pool windows!

 Best way to beat the heat of a Texas Summer!

 All set up and ready to fill!

Brainiac Kids Yogurt Party

My kids LOVE yogurt. Heck, we all love it. We go through quite a bit of yogurt at our house, especially the kids. Jax would literally eat it for every single meal, every single day, if I'd let him. Needless to say, we were excited about this party pack sent to us from Tryazon and Brainiac Kids Foods.

These yogurts are filled with "BrainPack", the brands unique blend of brain-fueling nutrients such as Omega-3 DHA, ALA, and Choline, which have all been proven as vital components in a healthy diet to aid growing minds! So I mean, pretty cool to have a food that is not only fueling your kids body physically, but their developing minds as well! Even better, when it comes to the basic ingredients, these ones definitely rank better than some on the market. Many "kids" foods are loaded with extra sweeteners to ensure that children will actually prefer them, but Brainiac Kids yogurt has less sugar AND more protein. Less of what they don't need, and more of what's going to keep them feeling full? I'd say that's a win. Throw in the fact that Jax loved it and immediately downed one of each variety, meaning it obviously still tastes good - well, that right there is a win-win!

We tried out 2 flavors - Strawberry Banana, and Cherry Vanilla. I was a little nervous because my kids usually prefer pretty basic flavors when it comes to yogurt, but both were a hit. The yogurts come in 3 different serving varieties - cups, tubes, and drinks. We couldn't find the cups at our store, but with such young kids the tubes and drinks were better anyway. Less mess, and more portable!

Our party pack also came with other goodies besides product coupons as well. The puzzle was bit too difficult for the young kids, but the yo-yo's were a hit for child and adult alike! Everyone had a good time trying to remember tricks we had learned years ago when we used to have them, and even though none of the kids were able to do it, they enjoyed playing around with them nonetheless, and seeing them light up! We also got a sheet of stickers for each child. And as anyone with young children knows, stickers are always a hit!

So far I have encountered just 2 downsides to these products. First, the price. One package (4 drinks or 8 tubes), is $4.99 at Central Market. Not gonna lie, that's a fair bit more than I typically spend on yogurt for my kids! So that's something that dissuades me from purchasing when given the option, despite the other positive benefits. The other negative is product availability. So far the only location you can purchase Brainiac yogurt is at Central Market stores - and those are only in Fort Worth and Dallas, both about a 30-45minute drive from me. I don't know about you, but driving that far out of my way just for a specific brand is a little unfeasible for me and my kiddos! It kinda stinks, because if it's just too far away and not where you actually do your shopping, of course you're not going to buy it!

Overall though, it was a delicious, well-made product and a great idea to get more brain healthy foods on the market. We had a fun time trying them out and sharpening our minds with the included "brain games", and appreciated the opportunity to try them out. Thanks Tryazon and Brainiac Kids!

 Our Party Pack - puzzle, stickers, yo-yos, and delicious yogurt (with coupons for guests as well)

 Even big kids like Brainiac yogurt!