For the most part, I've long since given up buying gimmicky kitchen gadgets. I've learned to save my pennies for the better knife instead of the 'world's most perfect plastic garlic mincer'. At first blush, the Zoku can seem like another superfluous kitchen took, and Lord knows I've bought my share of new fangled popsicle makers in all shapes and sizes over the years. I started seeing it show up in my favorite eye-candy kitchen catalogs a couple of years ago. The price scared me off on more than one occasion. I'm not gonna lie, these suckers are pricey. Then last summer I got a gift card to one of the aforementioned kitchen stores for my birthday. I'll admit, I was swayed by the pretty pictures in the idea book...and hey...gift card...it's like free money, right? I had nothing to lose. I bought the one that makes 3 popsicles for my birthday and The Girl loved it so much that we got her an individual one for Christmas. That way we could remove the big one from the freezer during the months that we're not baking alive in the Texas heat. She makes them almost daily, but none of the rest of us feel the need to when the weather is mellow. We've reached ridiculous temperatures this week, so we'll be swapping back out for the big one this weekend. The only downside of the Zoku is that it has to freeze for 24 hours before you can use it, so when we swap 'em out, The Girl will have to go a day without her afternoon homemade popscicle. First World Problem. I know. I also know that I have friends that wanna know what the big deal is about this thing...and they're wondering if it's worth the chunk of change. Well. It's summer y'all...in TEXAS...and your kids can make their own. damn. popsicles. In the amount of time it takes them to have a ridiculous argument with their sibling, or run through the sprinkler 3 times, or tell you how boredhotboredtiredhungrybored they are, they can go to the refrigerator, get out the juice or the Superfood, or kefir, or almond milk and make a popscicle. They can watch it freeze on the countertop, they can watch the timer tick down, they can think about which kind they'd like to make next. And in 7-10 minutes (seriously) their popsicle is ready. It's like the reverse microwave that my brother and I used to fantasize about when we were melting in the heat when we were kids. It's the future! It's here! Freeze Ray! Okay, not really...but STILL! All I know is that over the years, I have spent sillier amounts of money on stupider things in the name of trying to maintain sanity in the home with my children when it's 109o outside. For whatever reason, the Zoku works for us, and my swelteringly sweaty-hot little heart is, you guessed it...grateful.