So I may have quit caffeine back on January 1st, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a nice iced coffee treat every now and then – especially on a hot summer afternoon. But the biggest problem with iced coffee (whether you make it yourself or buy it at a store) is that it’s tough to keep ice-cold…especially since when you add ice, it melts and waters it down.

{I was given an Iced Coffee to Go Bottle by SmartPlanet in exchange for a review – and they’re giving one away to a lucky reader, too! Read on for more info on how to enter.}

So how do you keep your iced coffee as delicious, strong, and creamy as it was when you first made it? Here’s how.

1. Make Coffee Ice Cubes

Well, if this isn’t an ingenious solution. As they melt, they don’t water down your coffee! In fact, Starbucks began testing these in a couple of markets back in May – but they’re charging customers 80 cents for them. Instead, brew some coffee, pour it into an ice cube mold, and freeze it. Then pop a few out and add them to your coffee. I found that a 12-ounce brew filled up one ice cube tray perfectly.

2. Use an Iced Coffee Tumbler

So you want iced coffee but you didn’t plan ahead. Your choices are to 1) buy it somewhere, 2) brew a cup of coffee and stick it in the fridge to cool off, or 3) just dump as many ice cubes as you can in there to cool it down. Now, there’s another option. SmartPlanet sells a tumbler that’s designed specifically for iced coffee, their Iced Coffee to Go Bottle. You just keep the tumbler and freezing rod in your freezer, and when you want iced coffee you pour the coffee right into the frozen tumbler, insert the freezing rod, and let it sit for five minutes.

Boom. Iced coffee – cold, immediate, and not watered down. Genius.

3. Make Cold Brew

Cold brew is coffee that’s steeped in the refrigerator overnight. It can be stronger – but less bitter – than traditionally brewed coffee. And the good news is that one batch of cold brew makes a BUNCH so you can enjoy your coffee all week long! Check out this simple recipe on how to make your very own cold brew.

Once you’ve got your coffee cold, add all the things that will custom-make it to your liking, depending on how sweet, rich, or creamy you prefer your iced coffee to be. Some ideas are:

• Milk or milk alternatives
• Cream or half-and-half (this will make a creamier/thicker iced coffee)
• Sugar (add this while your coffee is still hot so the sugar granules dissolve)
• Regular or flavored coffee creamer
• Sweetened condensed milk

I’ve found that using a combination of the techniques listed above will keep my iced coffee chilled for a long time. For good measure, I threw a few of the coffee ice cubes into my frozen Iced Coffee to Go Bottle, and even on a hot day working in the garden, it stayed cold. I even found myself sipping the coffee instead of inhaling like I usually do – because I hate when my coffee gets watered down. It’s always a race to beat the clock. This was a really great solution!

Now that you know how to make the perfect iced coffee, we’ve got a surprise for you. SmartPlanetis giving away one of their Iced Coffee to Go Bottles to one lucky reader (U.S. mailing addresses only, please). There are lots of ways to enter below – see if you’ll be the lucky one!

SmartPlanet has been offering innovative ways for us to take and store our food for years.  This year they introduce the new Pure Glass Bento Meal Container.  The Pure Glass Bento Meal Container by Smart Planet is made of thermo temp glass.  Allowing you to take this food container directly from the fridge and right into the oven.   This container also boasts a food divider so you can conveniently keep two portions in the same container without them mixing together.  This feature is a huge selling point when preparing meals for my kids since no unrelated food items are allowed to touch or meal time is ruined.

This glass container is very sturdy.  My kids love picnics and the new Pure Glass Bento Meal Container works great.  It is easy to travel with and the divider makes it perfect for serving up dishes for everyone to graze from during our picnics.

The Pure Glass Bento Meal Container has a lid that seals at four points.  Press down and close to get an air tight seal and keep your food fresh.

Buy It!

The Pure Glass Bento Meal Container is available for purchase online at Smart Planet Home.

Win It!

One lucky reader at The Children’s Nook is going to win a Pure Glass Bento Meal Container by Smart Planet.

Car trouble and vehicle accidents are things we all hope to avoid.  Unfortunately, these events can happen and being prepared in an emergency can be a life changer.  The Sharper Image 4 in 1 Emergency Tool is a small yet handy tool to keep in your vehicle.  The Sharper Image 4 in 1 Emergency Tool is a vivid yellow color making it easy to find in dark storage areas of a vehicle.  This tool may be small but it contains an emergency hammer, seat belt cutter, road flare, flashlight, and a magnetic base.

The seat belt cutter will allow you to quickly escape the vehicle if needed.  The emergency hammer will allow you to break auto glass.  The magnetic base conveniently holds onto small items such as screws or keys.

The Sharper Image 4 in 1 Emergency Tool requires two AA batteries in order for the flash light and road flare features to work.  Simply twist off the top part of the tool to insert the two batteries and it is good to go.  The Beacon Button will turn the road flare on when pressed.  The button closest to the top of the tool will turn the flashlight on and off.

I love how simple this tool appears yet offers so many uses.  I have even walked my kids through the features of this tool.  I want them to be familiar with it in case of an emergency since I am often traveling with them in the car.

Buy It!

The Sharper Image 4 in 1 Emergency Tool is available for purchase online at the SmartPlanetHome website.  This affordable tool is a must for every vehicle.  With many summer adventures ahead it never hurts to be prepared when on the road!