As summer arrives so does the mosquitoes, gnats, horse flies, beetles, wasps and whatever else flying biting little insects that feel like invading my home and garden. I am one of those few people who truly dislike summer! I prefer the coolness of autumn and spring.

Being diabetic the high temperatures quickly drop my blood sugar levels which leads me on a physical roller coaster for days. The other think I dislike about the high temperatures and muggy nights is the incredibly aggravating number of biting bugs. for most this is just an inconvenience for me as a diabetic this causes health issues. Numerous times I have had to be on antibiotics from a "simple" bug bite taking over my compromised immune system.

Each summer we are in a constant battle to decrease the amount of bugs that seem to have settled in our back yard as a breeding ground. We clean the gutters constantly, we added drainage pipes to eliminate the accumulation of water in our back yard, we even removed dying trees and stumps. We place zappers, sprays and citronella candles everywhere. No change. So when I was contacted by a representative from DynaTrap to try out their DynaTrapXL I requested a little information and agreed to try it.
I will be honest when I say I was surprised at the size of this thing! When the box arrived I just thought ok that is a lot of packaging for a bug zapper. I opened the box to find it filled with the DynaTrapXL. This thing is a monster and it is not a zapper! The DynaTrapXL is a heavy duty all weather bug trapper that covers a full acre of yard.

How the DynaTrapXL works...Place the trap between where you want coverage (the porch) and the source of where the insects breed like ponds, heavily wooded areas, tall grass, old tree stumps, or areas of poor drainage. Plug in the DynaTrap and turn it on. That is it.

The magic happens once you turn on the trap. The ultraviolet light warmth attracts the insects closer to the trap while Co2 is being passed in the air to attract the insects, Once they are close to the trap the quietly humming fan sucks and traps the insects into the mesh retaining canister. Here they remain and until you empty the canister (suggested every 1-2 weeks). There is even a brush included with the DynoTrapXL so you never have to touch any of the insects.

Now here is the best part...The DynaTrapXL attracts numerous insects including: mosquitos, Moths, Gypsy Moths, Black Flies, No-see-ums, Sand flies, Horse/Deer Flies, Asian Lady Beetles, Japanese Beetles, Wasps, Yellow Jackets, and more. However it does not attract the helpful insects such as honeybees or dragonflies.

I truly love this thing!!! We have been able to have family BBQs in our back yard without being bit up. My kids are able to play in the yard without needing to be sprayed with chemicals and I am not worrying about getting bit and having to take antibiotics.
Now here is an awesome deal for you my loyal readers. DynaTrap is offering a Father's Day Giveaway of the DynaTrapXL. Enter each day for the next week for your chance to win.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have you heard of the amazing new plastic teaching instruments? If you are not from the U.K. then it is likely you have not. The Warwick Music Group has recently extended their services to the U.S.

Who is the Warwick Music Group you are wondering...well they are a team of British musicians that wanted to spread the love of music to little learners in a cost friendly way and the P instruments were born. They created the pBuzz which is the perfect introduction to brass playing for early learners. It is brightly colored, light weight with easily seen notes for early learners to get the hang of. The pTrumpet is the world’s first-all plastic trumpet with remarkable sound quality, playability and comes in some really cool colors. The pBone is the equivalent of a trombone. The pBone is so well crafted that professional musicians use it.

So What does the Warwick Music Group want you to know? I will tell you...They are on a mission: to get as many people as possible to pick up an instrument for the first time – and just play!


It's all part of "make music month" – to encourage all those who've yet to play music to give it a go. The first-time initiative, which is focused on June, is Warwick Music Group’s commitment to encourage would-be musicians and coincides with worldwide activities and promotions such as

• Celebration of UK-wide BBC Music Day on June 15th, 
• Worldwide celebration Make Music Day June 21st 
• June and charity Music for All’s Learn to Play Day on June 24-25th.

Warwick Music Group – the company behind the award winning pBone, pTrumpet and pBuzz – is offering 10 people in the UK and a further 10 in the US to "pick up a pBone and play". The music company is loaning instruments for free to help people begin their musical journeys in June.

With funding for music education in schools increasingly at risk, the opportunity to start learning a musical instrument is a luxury for many. 37% of UK schoolchildren have never had a lesson on a musical instrument.
It is more important now than ever to place value on learning an instrument, and this June, Warwick Music Group wants to encourage as many aspiring musicians as possible to dedicate June as Make Music Month.

How To Enter

To take part in Make Music Month, all you need to qualify is to be a non-musician or absolute beginner, and send a few lines about why you’d love to start your pBone or pBuzz journey to info@pbone.co.uk

Now is the perfect opportunity to start to play in 30 days, with support and guidance from the team of musicians at Warwick Music Group and with online tutorials to assist.

If you’re interested in learning to play a new type of instrument, or you know someone who might be, Don’t hesitate to email info@pbone.co.uk to be be one of the lucky 20 people.

Bonding with your child is difficult. Kids are different these days. Smartphones fill their day with friends and entertainment, and kids seem to do less and less with their parents. But it doesn't have to be this way.

Kids can enjoy indoor activities that aren't boring to them (that's the key to having fun). If your child gets bored, she'll be off talking to their friends or watching television in minutes. You can start the summer off right by planning some super fun crafts for the whole family to get involved in together.

You'll find that you can bond with your child in an entirely new way. And your child will have something fun and exciting to show her friends. It's a great way to break the cycle and get your family engaged in something else besides electronics.