I was taking a few minutes to stalk one of my favorite blogs (mostly because I feel like Andrea and I are very similar in real life), and came across a new feature that she’s doing which I really liked. There are so many products I use on a daily basis that I never get around to talking about, but that really are fabulous and deserve to be noted. My hope is that in reading this, you’ll maybe discover something that can help make your life just a little bit happier, easier or better…and that maybe you’ll share some of your favorite things with me as well so I can hack my life! 😉

Tefal Quick & Hot Instant Water Heater

I have yet to find an equivalent to this guy in the US (aside from the electric water cookers which just aren’t quite the same IMO), but I have had this water heater for nearly 5 years now and I am still completely in love with it. And with our winter seeming like it was going to drag on forever, I found myself making more and more hot tea each day (a girl can only drink so much coffee.)

What is so great is that it literally produces hot water in an instant (3-seconds according to the Tefal website). And because it has a 1.5 liter reservoir of its own, plus its own water filter, you can just pop a cup under the spout, hit the automatic “cup” button, toss a tea bag in the cup and brew yourself a cup of tea while you take care of something else quickly on the side. It was also super practical when Mackenzie was drinking formula and eating baby oatmeal like it was going out of style.

Doxie One Scanner

This is the coolest scanner I have ever had — and I will probably write more about it in a post of it’s own because it deserves it. But if you find yourself in the market for a scanner and would love something portable, compact and brilliantly easy to use, the Doxie One gets two enthusiastic thumbs up from me.

As you can see, it’s super tiny. And you can scan just about anything your heart desires. What is super smart is that you can put rechargeable batteries in to the Doxie and scan on the go (like in your car or out and about). And everything gets saved on an SD card which you can pop into your computer whenever you get around to it.

But better than just being able to scan stuff is the Doxie software on your computer. The scanner recognizes the size of the stuff you are scanning so you don’t have to do a lot of extra trimming later on (super practical for photos). And you can send the scans directly to Evernote, create a PDF or send the file as an email right from there. Plus, the “Staple” feature, that allows you to select a few scans and group them together into

I know. It sounds a little geeky and crazy to be so excited about a scanner, but I really do love this thing. And even though we have a big traditional scanner at home also, the Doxie One is definitely going to replace that scanner in the very near future! Imagine going to a conference, getting a bunch of flyers and business cards and not having to take any of it home with you! Oh yes, the paper hater in me LOVE this thing!

My (newish) Nerd Glasses

I’m not sure if I’m allergic to something in the air in Berlin and I doubt that it’s pollen since spring has barely started here…but I have been suffering from itchy eyes lately which just make me crazy. So I have been wearing my new glasses a lot. And in fact, am really lucky I ended up getting them because I hardly ever wear glasses (mostly because my other pair is 15 years old!) Strangely enough, when I went to get my eyes checked a recently, I found out my eyesight has actually improved! Definitely never expected that to happen.

White Grapefruit Essential Oil

Some mornings, I wake up and I’m just not quite ready to take on the world. It’s getting better now that spring is here and we’re having warmer, sunnier days…but on those grey, raining, chilly mornings when things just seem a bit more dull and gloomy, I need a little help to get going. So to brighten my mood and help me wake up in the mornings, I have been putting a few drops of white grapefruit essential oil on the shower head when I get into the shower.

It actually can be any color of grapefruit, most of them smell the same when it’s bottled. But the good thing about citrus oils is that they can help you get over winter doldrums quickly — and grapefruit essential oil is especially energizing and uplifting.

If you want to try this out, all you have to do is get a bottle of essential oil (you can use other oils if you prefer as well to target various moods) and grab you shower head. You can have the water on already or not — but try not to flood your bathroom. 😉 Let 2-3 drops fall on the shower head (the part where the water nozzles are) and then enjoy the fragrance. The water will heat the oils a bit and fills the shower with a sweet citrus aroma, which will get your fired up and ready for the day!

photo credit: Dan Zen via photopin cc

What are you in love with right now??