It’s not always as easy as it seems.

There’s the initial excitement that really gives your drive to be a healthy a great kick-start, but then something happens…something that stops a lot of people dead in the their tracks…and it’s called life.

Granted, life doesn’t stop you dead, but it can stop the actions towards a healthy life dead in their tracks.

We get busy, and soon that resolve and the desire that was so strong at the beginning starts to take a back seat to all the demands of day life.

It’s a conundrum.

How do you build a healthy life when life (the day-to-day) gets in the way?

Fortunately, there are tools that can help make keeping a healthy life easier (we’ve tried the gym membership, and it’s not one of those).

The tools are what you can have right at your finger tips.

They’re your weapons against an un-healthy lifestyle.

The more simple the tools, the easier that you can make use of them, and they’re the ones that after a lot of searching and testing that we use in our home on a regular basis.

Elegance Matters

Yesterday I was using my iPod Touch. Yes, it’s the first generation iPod Touch, and I’m still using it years later. Holding the device, it’s easy to see the quality of the metal backing, the elegant display, and how it fits perfectly in your hands.

Now I’ve had other music players that could play music just as well, but I don’t think I could find them if I went looking. They’re gone. Buried somewhere in some box or even given away.

Why do I still use the old  iPod.

It’s elegant.

It’s still relevant.

And even today, it still works great.

And using an elegant and relevant device helps me make that elegance a part of my life.

The same thing that keeps me using a first generation iPod, is what can help you stay on track to a healthy lifestyle.

The tools we use make a difference, and the better, more solid and more elegant the tool, the more we’ll use it over and over again.

It’s a War to Achieving Great Health – Choose your Weapons Wisely

Real war is grusome and terrible with lives litterally on the line.

A personal war against disease and desire for greater health is still a war with high stakes, your life, but the difference is that you’re working to build instead of break down, and the “weapons” at your disposal instead of being terrible can be beautiful and helpful.

The better and more elegant the options (just like the iPod) the more likely that you’ll use them over and over again.

The Juicer

We make vegetable juices on a regular basis (almost daily, and sometimes twice a day).

What’s helped us stay on track is a desire to be healthy, but also the tool that we have.

Juicing can provide the essential nutrients and enzymes that your body is starving for.

Too many processed foods destroy the delicate and beneficial components that your body needs to thrive and be healthy.

Juicing vegetables can unlock those nutrients in a very powerful way.

The Juicer we use is the Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain. It’s the most elegant juicer out there and super powerful making juicing something that’s fun and not a chore.

You can catch our in-depth review of the Breville 800jexl here.

Good health never tasted so good. If you mix in a fruit (apple or some grapes), you can make your juices very tasty.

The Bouncer

Healthy nutrients are an important part of becoming healthy, but there is an important element that most people miss entirely.

It’s the “E” word, and it’s despised by so many: Exercise.

Yuck, who likes exercise.

Hint: your body does.

Every cell in your body can benefit from exerciser, and that’s one of the reasons that we purchased a rebounder.

A rebounder puts the force of gravity to work and in favor of your health.

The gentle downward pressure benefits your whole body. The upward motion and the peak of the bounce is like achieving weightlessness as you come back down.

It exercises your whole body, in fact, each cell of your body. Rebounding can also help stimulate the lymphatic system which helps to keep your body and cells clean from cellular waste build up.

We researched for a very long time, and wanted to get a rebounder that we’d use over an over and that would be easy on the body (not jarring).

The JumpSport became our rebounder of choice, and we’re still using it because (like the iPod) it’s elegant, works great as ever, and is well made. You can get it with a handlebar too for support.

You can read our Rebounder JumpSport review here.

The Blender

One of our newest tools is the BlendTec Blender. You know, the Blender that can blend anything even iPods (I’m keeping my iPod away from it for sure).

The benefit we found in the blender is that we can make yummy smoothies, soups, and even desserts.

It’s another weapon for good health that is easy to use.

We like the blender because it helps unlock nutrients in what is blended but also keep important elements such as the fiber from fruits and veggies. So you can use is in-conjunction with juicing.

Here’s a detailed review of the BlendTec Total Blender.

Choose your Weapon

So choose your weapon, your tool, or use them all to help you achieve great health through healthy habits, and it’s the tools that can make that become so much easier.

So click on the tool above that most meets your needs or catches your eye and check out how the tool (or tools if you check out more than one) can help you.

Oh, not one of us. It wasn’t a person that was dead. It was…our gym membership.

We signed up for a gym membership a while back. We paid for a full year…and barely went. We’re pretty health conscious individuals (at least we think so), and wanted to exercise more, but the business of life soon took priority over trips to the gym.

So when it came time to renew our membership, we were looking for something else…

One reason we didn’t use the gym membership as much is because we thought my wife’s Rheumatoid Arthritis would be a little better.

After deciding that the gym membership wasn’t right for us, we were looking for an exercise that would be easy on the joints, but still provide a lot of benefit to the whole body.

Efficiency – How to get 5 Work outs in One

Busy as most of us are…I wanted something that would exercise the whole body rather than something that would require multiple workouts isolating different parts of the body.

We started to turn our focus to a workout machine that we could use at home, but that would provide the most bang for our buck.

Rebounders started to catch our eye. We did some research and found that Rebounding was a great way to exercise just about every cell in your body as the pressure of gravity is applied to the whole body (all the cells) on the down-bounce, and released to near weightlessness (at the pinnacle of the up-bounce).

We heard that NASA used rebounding for the astronauts because it was one of the most efficient exercises out there.

Convenience – Work out at Home

An important factor we were looking for was a device we could use at home, easily store, yet be able to bring out and use in just a couple minutes.

The rebounder was looking good here too. The elliptical machines were just too Huge, and other workout machines didn’t seem to work the entire body as well.

We felt that if we had it at home rather than at the gym, we’d be more likely to use it, and save the time, energy, and fuel it took to get to the gym.

Multi-tasking – Watching TV or listening to Podcasts while Exercising

There are lots of types of rebounders, and we researched a lot…a whole lot on the type we wanted. There were some that were more than $800, and there were some that were $50. We quickly learned that a big selling point for us was the noise…or lack thereof in just two different brands that we found.

The rebounders with springs were noisy. If we wanted to watch TV, listen to a podcast, or exercise while the kids slept, the metal spring based rebounders made annoying noises.

The bungee corded rebounders were essentially silent compared to the harsh sounds coming from the metal spring rebounders.

Quality – Reducing the Risk of Injury

Injury was something that we definitely didn’t want from our rebounder. We heard horror stories of people using the cheap $50 rebounders and injuring themselves.

The bungee rebounders, which were more expensive but looked softer on the joints appealed more to us than the metal spring rebounders, although there were plenty of high-quality metal spring rebounders.

The bungee based rebounders would make it easy to walk or jog in place while watching TV and provided a soft enough bounce without pronating (turning the joints inward when bouncing).

We could also adjust the tightness/strength of the cords in one model we were looking at: the JumpSport.

Can we Stick to it?

I’ll answer this question at the end. But starting out, we wanted something that we’d keep using over and over so it didn’t find a place next to our gym membership.

Our Choices…

We narrowed our search down to two models, the Cellerciser and the JumpSport Mini-Trampoline.

The Cellerciser had metallic springs, and the JumpSport had bungee cords. We weren’t 100% sure which one we wanted, but after reading a lot of reviews on Amazon, we decided to go with the JumpSport.

For reference, I’ve included a couple videos about the Cellerciser and the JumpSport if you’re curious about how they sound and look.

Video Review of the JumpSport

YouTube user roundlady shows us the JumpSport. She has many different rebounders and has picked the JumpSport as one of her favorites. She has lymphatic cancer and enjoys rebounding as a great form of exercise, and we’ve learned that rebounding helps clean out waste through the lymphatic system.

Did we Get a Rebounder? What about Continued use?

Yes, we got a rebounder, and we’re happy to report that we use it every week, multiple times per week.

I use it almost every day, and my wife uses often. We found out she was pregnant just after we got it, so she doesn’t jump on the rebounder, but she’ll put on a movie and just walk in place. It’s been very helpful during the winter months.

Can Rebounding Make You Feel Better?

Can it make you feel better? Well, that’s up to you, but I’ll jot down how it’s made us feel better.

Lymphatic Massage & Sinuses:

A rebounder is supposed to help the lymphatic system flow. The lymphatic system in your body is similar to your blood vessels. It’s all throughout your body and it collects cell waste that needs to be disposed of.

There’s just one problem. Your blood vessels (the circulatory system), has a pump to keep things moving. The lymphatic system has no pump. Fluid moves through the system when you move. Since we live ever increasing sedentary lifestyles, this is a problem.

Rebounding however helps the lymphatic system to flow and get waste out.

It’s hard for me to test the lymphatic system to see how well rebounding works, so I’ll have to take the word of the experts, but we read in multiple sources about the benefits of rebounding and the lymphatic system.

In our use however, we’ve noticed something interesting. If I have a little bit of sinus congestion, jumping on the rebounder helps clear it up! It moves it out of the sinus cavity so I can breathe more easily. I think it’s helped keep a couple colds I was exposed to and felt coming on at bay.

In the winter months, I’ve usually felt congested, and if I had a cold, it seemed like weeks and weeks before it was gone, but not this winter. I could feel the effects of the cold begin to take place, but with rebounding and much healthier eating than I’ve had in the past, I’ve felt great in the winter!

Safety Precautions:

Of course with any workout or exercise routine, you need to make sure conditions are safe, consult your doctor, use common sense.

Good Workout:

Rebounding has provided a good workout, and when I have a good workout, I feel good.

You can put as much or as little into the workout as you like. The more the better, but some have suggested to take it slow and easy to begin with, and I agree. You need to get used to it.

I feel that my energy levels are better after having rebounded for a while, got the blood pumping, and movement in the body.

Where to Find the Best Rebounders

Our choice came down to two rebounders. Ultimately, we got the JumpSport, and have loved it, but if you’re wondering about the other model that came in at a close second, it was the Cellerciser.

The Cellerciser:

You can get the Cellerciser at Amazon here. On Amazon, you’ll be able to see the reviews for the various rebounders which helped us out a lot in our decision.

The JumpSport

You can find the JumpSport 350 on Amazon The JumpSport was less expensive than a lot of the crazy expensive rebounders, but we decided to add an extra (the support bar) which attaches to the rebounder for extra support. It’s optional, and we haven’t used the support bar very much, but we’ve got it for when we need it.

JumpSport Rebounder Reviews on Amazon

What we’ve been looking for to help our exercise routine.

We want something that is:

• Easy on the joints, shoulders, knees, etc.
• A good aerobic workout but is also low impact
• A benefit to the heart and lymph system
• Convenient to use
• Easy to use
• Easy to store
• Quiet
• Portable / Can be taken outside
• Safe
• A beneficial workout targeting multiple muscle groups
• Fun to do

Has the gym membership provided everything we need?

We got a gym membership and have wanted to try it out for the year to see how often we would really use and how beneficial the workout machines would be. Instead of buying a workout machine straight out, we thought it would be a good idea to try what they have to offer at the gym and see what we like.

Although the pool and the elliptical were our favorites there. We probably won’t be putting a pool in at the house, and the elliptical had some drawbacks.

The gym membership has been great, but probably as many people experience, we were really good about going when we first signed up and have gradually decreased the number of days a week that we go to the point that we’re skipping weeks now.

If we’re going to pay for access to exercise, we want to use it, but in the hustle and bustle of every day life (and the holidays) we haven’t taken advantage of the gym like we wished.

Elliptical vs the Rebounder

This brought up the question for us if we should get an elliptical for the home or some other type of exercise equipment. We like the elliptical, but in our situation, there are a few drawbacks. First, though, the benefits:

Benefits of the Elliptical Machine

• Low impact
• Fairly quiet
• Adjustable speeds and resistance
• Timed work out
• You can have a book in front of you when exercising, but it’s not all that easy

Drawbacks of the Elliptical

• An elliptical is huge!
  • Where are we going to put something that huge? It’s a great machine, but the space it takes up is just crazy.
• Really doesn’t get my heart going
  • Unfortunately, it’s just not quite the workout I hoped it would be. It’s good, but I’ve found that jumping jacks get my heart going faster and higher than the elliptical.
• Trouble on the joints
  • For my wife, if she uses the elliptical too much, it can really affect her shoulder and knee joints. That’s one of the main nails in the coffin for the elliptical. We want something that we both can use.
• Works a lot of muscle groups, but could work more
  • Although the elliptical does work a lot of muscle groups, I never really found that it works the abs really well.
• Not as much lymph system stimulation (see further down for more on that)
• It’s not as safe with kids around
  • If you’re walking too close to an elliptical, you could get knocked in the face real easy (depending on the type of elliptical). I’ve had people in the gym walk by way to close and almost get clipped by the moving parts on the elliptical. Now think about having kids in the home and coming up behind the machine or right in front. They could get a good pop to the face if they’re not careful, and if you’re really going, it doesn’t stop on a dime. The other danger with kids around is that they will climb up on it and start messing around which can be quite dangerous. It also requires an electrical plug, so that’s just one more thing to worry about with really little kids.

Benefits of a Rebounder

• Stimulates the lymphatic system promoting better health
  • The lymphatic system is like the garbage collector for the cells in your body. It’s a system that is connected by nodes throughout the body, similar to your blood vessels, but instead of circulating by being pumped (as the circulatory system is pumped by the heart), the lymphatic system circulates based on your movement. Specifically up and down movement. There are valves in the system that once the fluids start moving up, prevent them from seeping back down. Jumping up and down therefore helps circulate the lymphatic fluid and helps clear out waste from your body’s cells. The elliptical doesn’t have as much up and down as a rebounder.
• Easy to store
  • You can get rebounders that have legs that fold up for easy storage under a bed, behind a couch (maybe), or in a large closet.
• Good aerobic exercise
  • Some tests have shown that you can burn calories faster on a rebounder than if you went jogging, and I can definitely get my heart rate up when jogging, so a more effecient way at burning calories is also going to help the heart.
• Good aerobic exercise
  • When I do jumping jacks, I can get my heart going faster than when I’m running. It doesn’t take as long to get a good workout. The problem with the jumping jacks, is that they have the potential to be hard on some of the joints. A good rebounder will help absorb 70% or more of the bound when you’re coming down from a jump. Without a rebounder your joints and body are receiving all of that force and pressure.
• Safer than an elliptical
  • In one sense, a rebounder is safer than an elliptical because if you’re kids get on it, it’s not as tricky and dangerous will all the moving parts that an elliptical has. You can store a rebounder out of the easy reach of kids where as an elliptical stays put. There is the problem that if you bounce too high and don’t have sure footing, you could fall off which is a problem. So you need to exercise caution.
• Quiet to use
  • A rebounder is quiet compared to lots of other exercise equipment and doesn’t require electrical power. You’re the power! Not all rebounders are created equal and some are louder than others, as we’ll point out below.
• Portable so you can get some fresh air
  • Because you can fold up the legs of the good rebounders, you can take it with you. Some people take theirs to the beach or a park. I’d rather just stick to inside the house, but I can take it in the backyard very easily and get some fresh air. It’s said that the air inside our homes is of poor quality compared to air outside. It’s also refreshing to be outside. Try taking an elliptical outside for a short exercise. The exercise would be moving the thing! A rebounder makes it easy to roll outside for a quick low-impact workout.
  • Another benefit of portability is that you can move the rebounder where you need to be. If you want to watch a TV show, you can move it to the entertainment room to exercise and then move it out when your done. You don’t have to create a special exercise room. You could keep the rebounder under you bed and pull it out when you need it.
  • The rebounders that fold in half or quarters make it even easier to store and take with you. Some of them like the Cellerciser are small enough when collapsed and in the case that you can take them in the over head bins on an airplane.
• Easier on the joints (depending on how it’s used)
  • Many bounders suggest starting out very easy the first week when using a rebounder and not even letting your feet leave the mat. This is so you get used to it. Compared to jumping jacks, the rebounder is very low impact; however, there can be some strain, that’s why it’s important to know your limits or use shoes if the joints in your feet are sensitive due to arthritis. A simple, gentle, up and down bounce keeping your feet on the mat will stimulate the lymph system and provide a low impact workout.

Drawbacks of a Rebounder

• Pronation
  • Pronation refers to the balance (or imbalance) of weight being placed on your feet. You don’t want your weight placed incorrectly upon your feet when you bounce, and if the rebounder you get isn’t high enough quality, you could magnify any pronation problems you have.
• Falling off
  • It is very possible to fall off a rebounder if you go crazy trying to do cheer-leading jumps, so stay away from those.
  • One solution is to get the handle bar stabilizers that you can hold on to.

Choosing a Rebounder, Which is the Best?

With most quesitons, the answer is, it depends. It depends on your weight, how sensitive your joints are, what price point you’re looking for etc.

What to avoid:

For sure, when looking at a rebounder, you’ll want to avoid cheap rebounders. The problems with the cheap ones are many but they can be especially hard on the knees, back, and joints because they aren’t made well. These rebounders are found for $60-80, and although that might not sound cheap, the design and materials are. If you’re going to be exercising on a device for a long time, you want something that will be good for you and last. If you’re in your twenties or younger, the cheaper rebounders may be okay for you, but as you get older, you’ll want better support.

Bad bounce is something you’ll want to avoid. The cheaper rebounders make it feel jarring when you land from a bounce. If you’re getting a lot of hard resistance at the bottom of a bounce, you might as well be jumping up and down on cement with your shoes off! The whole point of the rebounders is to absorb a lot of the shock of the landing after a jump. Good rebounders will absorb that shock, the bad ones will give you more of a hard hit when you come down.

Top Brands

There are lots of companies that make rebounders. Some of the best tested and reviewed that we’ve found are the Bellicon, Cellerciser and the JumpSport. There are other pretty good brands out there, but these three are the best. The Bellicons are extremely expensive, while the the prices of the Cellerciser and Jumpsport are easier to swallow.

Comparing Rebounders

To help compare rebounders, there are some great videos where you can see the difference.

Video of the Bellicon vs JumpSport

The Bellicon is the Porsche of rebounders and one of the best rebounders without springs. No springs means a much more quiet bounce. The JumpSport also has no metal springs but is smaller.

Video of the Bellicon vs Celleciser

David Wolfe on the Bellicon and then the Cellerciser:

Video of the Cellerciser

David Hall’s Ultimate Cellercise Balance Challenge

Here David Hall uses the Cellerciser and demonstrates in front of an audience that reboudning helps strengthen and stabilize.

He shows that rebounding is better than just jumping (or shaking) in place.

Here’s another video o the Cellerciser. Skip to the end where he shows the Cellerciser parts, how it folds up, and some of his exercises he uses. It’s pretty cool.

Video Review of the JumpSport

YouTube user roundlady shows us the JumpSport. She has many different rebounders and has picked the JumpSport as one of her favorites. She has lymphatic cancer and enjoys rebounding as a great form of exercise, and we’ve learned that rebounding helps clean out waste through the lymphatic system.

All three of these rebounders are great rebounders. What you don’t want are the cheap ones that can injure you. You can injure yourself on any exercise equipment, so use caution, but your chances of hurting your joints on a cheap rebounder are high. The better quality rebounders are made for longer, sustainable and comfortable use.

Where to Get the Best Rebounders

The Bellicon:

With the Bellicon, you can have legs that screw on or choose folding legs. The bouncing surface (diameter) options for the Bellicon are 39″, 44″, or 49″. You can choose the weight class from their website Bellicon-usa.com. The Bellicons can cost from the lo $600 to upper $800. Yep. That’s a lot.

The Cellerciser:

You can get the Cellerciser at Amazon here. The great thing is that on Amazon, you can read the customer reviews and find out what others have to say about their experience using it. You’ll spend a lot less with the Cellerciser, but still get a great rebounder for the price.

The JumpSport

You can find the JumpSport 350 on Amazon as well. The JumpSport uses the bungee connections rather than springs making it quiet. The JumpSport is the least expensive of the options listed here. We decided to go with the JumpSport and have loved it. (Update) We’ve been enjoying our JumpSport for a while now, and the kids love it too! We decided on this one because it’s:

• Softer on the joints
• Very quiet
• Adjustable (tension in the mat)
• Sturdy
• Less expensive than other rebounders
• A lot of fun

JumpSport Rebounder on Amazon

Release your inner T-i-g-g-e-r and BOUNCE!

Find out in this fun video showing these three juicers side-by-side in a match to the death. Okay, not really to the death, but it is interesting to see the juicers compared side-by-side running at the exact same time.

Two different types of juicers are compared: Centrifugal and Masticating

What’s better, Centrifugal or Masticating juicers?

A centrifugal juicer whips the juice of the vegetables by spinning a blade and basket. The blade at the bottom of the basket cuts the veggies while the spinning action forces the juice out the sides of the basket mesh.

A masticating juicer uses more of a chewing action as it grinds the juice out of the veggies.

Some say one produces more juice than the other, but each juicer model will be different than a model from another company. One good way to tell is how dry the pulp is after juicing. If the left over pulp is still wet, there’s more juice that could have come out.

What are the juicers highlighted in the video?

Braun Juicer MP75 4235

The good points about the Bruan is that the juice and pulp containers and closed off which (compared to other juicers of the same caliber) produces less of a mess with spilling juice and pulp. It’s a centrifugal juicer which means that the spinning baldes and basket whip out the juice with centrifical force.

Omega 8005

The Omega Juicer is a masticating juicer which means that it has more of a chewing action rather than a spinning cut action of a centrifugal juicer. You can view the Omega J8005
on Amazon. As of this writing, it has 80 reviews with a 4.5 positive rating. The number of reviews usually indicate how popular an item is.

Breville 800jexl “The Cadilac of Juicers”

The Breville is also a centrifugal juicer. In the video you can see how super fast it is. You definitely get what you pay for. The Breville produces the driest pulp meaning it gets more juice of the vegetables. It has over 380 reviews at 4.5 out of 5 average rating. You can view more info on the Breville in our detailed review of this juicer.

Many people state that heating the juice will kill important enzymes that you want in your juice.

For this reason, many champion (ha, ha) a masticating juicer because it might not create as much heat.

What is a masticating juicer?

It’s a juicer that “chews” rather than whips the juice out of the vegetables or fruits. A masticating juicer generally works much slower than a centrifugal juicer.

What is a centrifugal juicer?

A centrifugal juicer has a spinning blade or basket inside the juicer that rotates usually much, much faster than a masticating juicer. The faster action allows for super fast processing of the vegetables or fruit through the juicer. Some say that a centrifugal produces more juice than a masticating juicer, but that is open for debate and many depend on the fruit or vegetable being juiced.

Does a centrifugal juicer really create heat? If it does, is the heat enough to matter?

Below is a YouTube comparison of a centrifugal juicer and a juicer that uses a slow auger.

The juicers highlighted in the comparison are the Omega VRT330 Dual-Stage Vertical Single-Auger Low-Speed Juicer (the slower one) and the centrifugal Omega BMJ330 350-Watt Stainless-Steel Pulp-Ejection Juicer.

As this video explains, a few degrees difference isn’t going to make much of a difference as far as the important enzymes you want out of your juice (probably the best way to know is to see it under a microscope, and his thermometer could have been better so you could dip it inside the juice).

But with little to no temperature difference, there’s little to worry about. The type of temperatures you want to watch out for are temperatures high enough to cook your fruits and vegetables. Juicing doesn’t get near to cooking in my book.

I’ve also seen other comparisons that show that a centrifugal produced juice that was three degrees warmer than a masticating juicer. With that little of a variance. If you have a warm/cold glass, you could probably influence the temperature of the juice by that much!

Below is a video comparing the masticating juicer (the Champion brand) with the Omega auger juicer. Sorry, it’s kind of long, but you can see that the masticating juicer leaked a little, but the Omega juicer isn’t all that fantastic either. Lots of health gurus use a centrifugal juicer (which was shown in the first video) and do just fine.

As is pointed out in the first video, you should be more concerned about the oxygen getting into the juice. But just as it takes a while for an apple to turn brown, it takes time for the oxygen to affect your juice, so you don’t have to worry about a little bit of oxygen getting into the juice. Almost all juicers pour the juice into a cup or container outside of the juicer and that action churns oxygen into the mix anyway.

So don’t get worked up too much about the oxygen content, you just need to drink it soon after making it just like you would want to eat a sliced apple before it turns brown.

Are there better juicers than the ones in the videos?

Our favorite juicer is the Breville 800jexl because of its capacity and speed. When having friends over or family that you want to share the juice with, you need a juicer that can make a pitcher of juice not just a cup of juice.

The Breville has much more power than the 350 Watt Omega shown above, the Breville juicer has 1,000 watts! Now that’s a lot of power which means it can easily handle an entire apple or pineapple strips with the rind still on them. It’s great and fast.

You can read our full review here: Breville 800jexl review.

Full DVD Storage Review

There are lots of different ways to store DVDs and CDs. With lots of cases and covers to choose from, it can become a chore to find something as simple as a good storage solution to all those DVDs or CDs in the house.

Our pick for a long time has been the Bellagio DVD Storage Albums by HandStands.

Before we got the DVD albums, our shelves were bursting at the seams with DVD cases.

If we wanted to find a particular DVD, we had to pull out the cases to get to the ones in the back, search high and low, and make a mess.

If the kids wanted to get into the movies, it could get even messier.

There are black, brown, and burgundy storage albums available.

We have a good mix of the black and brown albums to help us at a glance figure out what categories of DVDs are in which albums.

We put kid movies in the black albums because the black albums will be able to put up with a little more wear than the brown.

Having a bunch of them has really helped keep things organized around the entertainment center.

We’ve enjoyed using these albums, but everyone’s needs are different, so what sort of things will you need in a DVD case?

Here are some ideas to consider:

Style - The Bellagio DVD Albums are classy and really create a better looking shelf.

Capacity – The albums hold up to 48 DVDs. Just think of how much space 48 DVDs in the jewel or DVD cases would take up!

Organization – With multiple albums, you can categorize your discs such as Adventure, Kid Movies, etc. with a storage album for each category.

Portability – These albums are easy to take around with you (just be sure not to tip the album upside down or some of the discs may slide out of the sleeves. If you put the little tab down over each DVD, that shouldn’t be a problem though).

Below is video of the Bellagio-Italia HandStands DVD binders:

To find out more details, read our review of the DVD Storage Albums by HandStands.

If you want to see the storage albums on Amazon and read more customer reviews, you can view them here:

Bellagio-Italia CD/DVD Storage Binder (Black) on Amazon.com

In the Breville video below, you see the different parts that make up the juicer and how to assemble the parts. It’s pretty easy and straightforward, but hey, why not demonstrate it?

The parts that you’ll be working with are:

• Filter bowl
• Filter basket
• Filter lid
• Unit Base
• Pulp container
• Frother Catcher

Make sure to hand wash the filter and to use the included cleaning brush.

Tips on using the juice extractor:

You can put the parts in the dishwasher, but you’ll probably want to keep the filter out and wash it by hand so it doesn’t get damaged in the dishwasher and so you can better clean all the little groves in the plate with the included brush.

Taking the Breville 800jexl out of the box for the first time, you instantly get the feel that this is a quality juicer.

The parts are substantial (not cheap), and you can tell that this will last a long, long time.

Compared to other plastic juicers we’ve tried in the past, this one takes the cake, and it’s why we bought one for ourselves.

Because the parts have a good weight to them, they prevent the juicer from bouncing around (like other juicers will) when juicing vegetables.

To read more about the Breville Juice Extractor and what we’ve learned using ours, check out our in-depth review of the Breville Juicer.

Breville 800jexl Juice Fountain Elite

Breville makes awesome juicers.

Our favorite is the 800jexl.

We’ve been making juices with our Breville juicer (almost) every day.

It’s an extremely powerful juicer (it does get pretty loud on the high setting, but because it’s powerful, it’s also fast).

It’s important to take care of your juicer and make sure all the parts are clean, and that can help eliminate a lot of problems.

As you use your juicer, you may notice a few things that don’t seem quite right.

Don’t get all in a panic, there are some ways to prevent juicing problems when preparing to use your juicers.

The juicer stalls or doesn’t start right:

The video below helps explain what the problem might be.

Always remember to start your juicer with a clean feeding tube. If there’s food already in the tube or down by the blades, the juicer may stall.

So even though cleaning isn’t always our favorite thing to do, remember to keep it clean inside (it’s more sanitary that way any way).

Juicer stops in the middle of juicing:

It may have been going for too long and needs a break for 10-15 minutes or it may have been overloaded.

Unplug it and give it a break for a bit. If it still doesn’t work, it could be that a fuse has been blown in the unit in which case you’ll want to call Breville’s customer support.

Irregular juicing/trouble juicing:

If there is an excess of pulp build up in the bin or tube, you’ll want to empty the bin and clean the unit.

Since the juicer comes with a quality cleaning brush, it’s easy to clean the juicer.

Juicer won’t turn on:

If nothing at all happens when you go to turn on your juicer, make sure the locking arm is set.

Juice leaks when juicing:

To fix a juice leak, make sure that your filter basket is clean to prevent juice leaking.

Prevent or clean stains from top cover of juicer:

Vinegar can work wonders.

Pulp from the juicer doesn’t come out as dry anymore thus extracting not as much juice:

Cleaning the filter can really help.

Simple maintenance and cleaning can really help make the most of your juicer. For more information about why the 800jexl is our favorite, check out our detailed juicer review.

Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven

The Breville bov800xl is one of the top smart toaster ovens available. One reason that it’s so popular is its versatility. You can make some toast or cooks ribs, pizza, and a whole host of other foods. It’s amazing.

The oven comes with some key accessories:

• 13-inch non-stick pizza pan
• 12-by-12-inch enamel baking pan
• 12-by-12-inch enamel broil rack
• Removable crumb tray
• Wire Rack

Below are two videos showing the accessories. The accessories above come standard with the Breville Oven itself. In the videos, some of the other accessories are shown with the oven and it’s regular accessories.

Taking it out for the first time, there’s a little bit of TLC that needs to be given to the oven in it’s first use. Below are some instructions as well as some details on the accessories for the smart oven.

The accessories that need to be purchased separately include the:

• Breville Smart Oven Bamboo Cutting Board and Serving Tray
• Breville Smart Oven Pizza Stone 13-Inch
• Breville Smart Oven Non-Stick Pizza Crisper Pan

Details about the extra accessories:

The Bamboo Cutting Board

Breville Smart Oven Bamboo Cutting Board and Serving Tray

The cutting board is Breville Branded and looks good on top of the Breville. At first it seems like placing the cutting board on top of the oven wouldn’t be safe, but the feet that keep the wood from the oven are made of silicon which if you’ve ever used silicon hot pads, you know that silicon can withstand incredible heat without being affected.

From what we’ve learned bamboo is naturally anti-microbial so bamboo cutting boards have become increasingly popular after this was discovered.

The Breville Smart Oven Pizza Stone

Breville Smart Oven Pizza Stone 13-Inch

Made for the bov800xl Breville oven, the stone can also be used in a tradition home oven. Some people really like cooking their pizzas on pizza stones, and others stick with the regular pizza pans. Since a pizza stone is porous, it is said to absorb the moister contained in the pizza dough and provide a more crispy crust.

The Breville Non-Stick Crisper Pan

Breville Smart Oven Non-Stick Pizza Crisper Pan

The non-stick pan is an alternative to the pizza stone. The pan creates a crispy crust and is made so that the pizza does not stick to the surface.

The Breville Smart Ovens are very versatile and handy. You can view our detailed Breville Bov800xl review here.

Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven

Having problems with your Breville toaster oven?

Don’t worry; some of the “problems” are actually by design (you might call it a feature). Since it’s a complicated machine, there’s a lot that goes into these smart ovens (other than food that is).

In response to some common questions, Breville has posted some videos answers if you’re having some problems or questions concerning your bov800xl toaster oven.

Although they can’t address all the issues that might arise, these videos offer some quick tips for helping to make the most of the oven, cooking evenly, and making it last.

Worrying about the heating elements pulsing on and off?

If elements are pulsing on and off, it’s normal according to the video. Watch to check out the answer.

Frozen function doesn’t work with all the other options?

The frozen function doesn’t work on all the presets. So if you’ve been frustrated that you can’t get it to work on the other functions, don’t worry, it’s normal. The function works on Toast, Bagel, Pizza, and Cookie. see the video for more details:

Auto rack coming out too far?

If the auto rack is coming out too far, just open the door slowly. Pretty simple solution. Why be in such a hurry anyway right? It’s not a microwave afterall.

Water is on the counter top after cooking?

If water is left after cooking (on your countertop), it’s usually from condensation from the cooking process especially if if you’re cooking frozen foods.

Steam coming out of the unit or front pain is fogging up?

If Steam is coming from the oven, it’s probably from cooking frozen bread. He says it’s normal in the video, but seems a little weird. I’d probably stick to cooking non-frozen breads.

Pizza cooking un-evenly?

It’s unfortunate, but if the pizzas you have don’t cook evenly, you need to rotate the pizza once during the cooking cycle. It doesn’t happen on all pizzas fortunately, but if the type you cook have this problem, just rotate when cooking but be careful not to burn yourself.

LCD screen not turning on?

The oven is probably in standby mode. Just press one of the buttons to take it out of standby mode.

Oven remembering last cooking settings, but you want to reset them?

If you want to reset the functions for cooking, just unplug the oven and keep it that way for a few minutes, then plug it back in.

Breville smart toaster oven not turning back on?

If you have the problem that your oven doesn’t turn on, make sure it’s plugged in (loved that suggestion), and if it is, unplug it and plug it back in listening for the beep. If no startup beep happens after plugging it back in, you might want to check a breaker in your electrical panel to see if the switch was thrown for some reason.

Tips for Breville Smart oven first use:

Here are some tips for using the oven for the first time:

• Hand wash the accessories
• Place the tray with the prongs or supports on top
• The middle rack let
• Slide in the crumb tray
• Make sure there’s about 4 inches
• Run for 15 minutes without any food in there for the first time to clean out any particles from the manufacturing process
• Toasting bread may create some condensation when cooking bread. That’s normal according to Breville.

Check out the video for more details:

Those cover some of the questions, but probably not all of them.

To learn more about the Breville bov800xl smart toaster oven, view our detailed review of the smart oven.