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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Fridge-To-Go product review

Okay. So you've survived term one of the school year. [For me, it was the first year of school. Ever. Kindergarten! Times two!]. But... has your child's lunchbox fared okay?

I was offered the opportunity to trial these most-excellent lunch boxes called Fridge-To-Go for my kiddies and you know what... they're really fab. They've last term one. And I have no doubt they'll continue to survive being knocked about for several years.

Initially [and this whole thought process is a really big deal for mothers of first-timers] I wondered: do they put the strap on their little shoulders? Do I take the long strap off? And they can carry the lunch box by the sturdy handle? Do I pop it in their backpacks? We started off this way but my kids are teeny, so now they carry them in one hand, and pop them in their plastic tubs inside the classroom. Little kids - and mums - find their groove with a lunchbox as they get to know what suits.

In the first few months of school, being the summer months, the Fridge-To-Go was brilliant. Keeping sandwiches cold even by home time [seriously, at 3pm their cheeky leftover cheese sandwiches were still edible] was a surprise I discovered with the special lunchbox. Here are some examples of the large version:


Fridge-to-go is in fact so clever it's an award winner. Lunch packs that keep food fridge cool for up to eight hours, which makes healthy “nude food” lunches completely possible, eliminating the need for processed, preserved and over-packaged lunches.

Standard lunch boxes - even those with an ice drink or bulky ice brick in them - just don’t keep cold for long. Especially on hot summer days. In a test, the contents of Fridge-to-go lunchboxes remained at a temp of 3.4°C throughout the five hours – still below the crucial 4°C level, whereas a standard cooler bag had a temperature differential of 13.9°C during the five hours. The result is significant in terms of temperature, enjoyment of the product and the potential for bacteria to reproduce.

By the time those carefully prepped 'sangers' are consumed; the temperature inside the box may have increased enough for food-borne bacteria (such as e-coli and listeria) to start breedng.

Fridge-to-go lunch packs use a patented 'Surround Cooling Technology' to keep food cool, fresh and bacteria-free for up to eight hours, and minimise risk of food poisoning.

In a range of colours [we have the red for my girl, the blue for my boy] and compact enough to fit in backpacks without weighing kids down too much, the Fridge-to-go is loved by fussy kids and parents alike. Kids can personalise them with clips, gel pens and key rings.

More features:

EASY TO CLEAN: After use simply unload the remnants, put the cool panel into the freezer to be ready for the next day and wipe clean with soap and water - baking soda and/or vinegar can be used for those nasty spills. Its slimline design is fab to pop in a freezer corner each evening.

ECO FRIENDLY and SAFE TO USE: Fridge-to-go products also use bio-degradable
panels. The bags are bpa-free and lead and pvc. The panel is non-toxic and contains
purified salt water with biodegradable panels.

PATENTED TECHNOLOGY KEEPS FOOD and DRINK FRIDGE-COOL FOR UP TO 8
HOURSContamination of food can occur for a number of different reasons, but one key cause of bacteria growth in food is temperature. Most mesophiles, which include bacteria such as listeria and e-coli grow at temperatures between 5°C and 63°C, commonly referred to as the growth or 'danger' zone. They have an optimum temperature for growth of about 37°C. Listeria bacteria will grow very slowly below 5°C, but they start to multiply more rapidly as the temperature rises above that level.

All in all, I am very happy with the Fridge-to-go as the perfect choice for my kids' lunch. I highly recommend this system not only for school, but for work lunches, picnic lunches, and for any food transportation that requires long-time cooling.

Fridge-to-go® lunch packs retail at RRP$29.95 for the small and RRP$34.95 for the
medium sizes. For more, visit the website at www.fridge-to-go.net.au

Monday, April 1, 2013

Hi-5: 'Some Kind of Wonderful' Movie

How fabulous are the group of young funsters which comprise the ever-evolving children entertainer's group we know as Hi-5?

My family and I recently went to 'Some Kind of Wonderful' - and they loved it.


Here is the trailer:


The doco-style film centres around the group's quest to find three new members for the enduring, international phenomenon.

It's suitable for ages five and up, and older kids [say, 8+] will appreciate it even more, as it's a kinda fly on the wall approach to showing how the team auditions new members.

It hit screens on March 23 and will screen throughout the [NSW] school holidays, until April 28, 2013.

And look! Here is the new team! That's Mary Lascaris, old members Stevie Nicholson and Lauren Brant, and Ainsley Melham [he's a Fairfield, NSW boy!], and Dayen Zheng.

For screening details, check local guides. And to like the group on Facebook, click here and to follow them on Twitter, click here.




Here are the appearance dates for the group - yes, they'll be at various screenings: