Is there anything better than new books?

Tea with Grandmama

NayNay & Grandaddy

I have gotten very backed up on posting over the last week – there is just so much to post and, well, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in school and trying to get ready for our trip. But these photos are just too good not to post!

Disappointed . . . .

Remember when I told you something fun was coming? Well, it came . . . . but as I suppose should be expected, these things don’t always turn out the way we hope.

A while back I was contacted by CSN stores about doing a product review and a giveaway on my blog. I was thrilled. I would be reviewing a Dirt Devil Steam Mop, something I have been wanting to try out for a long time. My floors are pretty much always dirty. With a dog, a cat, a husband and 2 children tromping in and out of the back door all day long . . . let’s just say it isn’t pretty. Vacuuming takes care of the pet hair (and there is a lot of that) but it doesn’t really leave the hardwood or tile floors feeling clean. I Swiffer periodically, but I always feel bad about throwing away all those cleaning cloths. (Did I mention my floors get really dirty – we can go through a lot of Swiffers.) And try as I might I am just not a bucket and mop kind of girl.

Maybe you’ve seen the infomercials on TV. The beauty of a steam mop is that it cleans hard floors quickly and easily by using nothing more than water, heated to temps steamy enough that they lift off grime, sanitize the floor and dry almost instantly. What could be better??

I was way too excited when my Dirt Devil arrived. I mean, seriously, it is still mopping the floor. But it was fun! And it really seemed to be working! The Dirt Devil is a lower end steam mop, and it felt a little flimsy. It didn’t get into the corners very well, despite the triangle shaped head. Plus I would have really loved for it to flip up and clean the baseboards as well. But all in all, I was pretty thrilled and thinking this was an exceptional deal for the money! I loved that it cleaned without chemicals and loved the machine washable microfiber cleaning pads. Plus the floors looked fabulous. And they just felt clean under my feet.

But then . . .

it broke! Seriously. On the first day. I cleaned the entire downstairs, carried it upstairs to the kids bathroom, plugged it in and . . . nothing. Just minutes earlier it had produced steam within 30 seconds of turning it on. Now, nothing. Ugh.

Thinking, perhaps this was just a fluke, a dud, whatever (it happens, right?) I shot off a quick email to the rep who had contacted me about the review. And again . . . nothing.

Nothing.

No response whatsoever.

I sent her several emails. But come on, folks, is it really worth that much of my time? And I have to tell you, I was really excited about being able to do my first giveaway on the blog! Now I don’t think I can do it. I just don’t trust them to follow through. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am.

But the takeaway here, besides not trusting things that seem to good to be true, is that maybe steam mops really are worth the investment! I’m thinking about going out and buying one now. Not a Dirt Devil, perhaps. There are lots of other brands out there. I’ve heard good things about Shark and Bissell. I think my preference would be to find one that heats the water a little hotter than the Dirt Devil and one with a pretty large water reserve. Plus it would be great if I could also use it to spot clean rugs (did I mention the dog, cat and kids?) and maybe even clean my baseboards.

Am I dreaming? Maybe? But what’s wrong with a little dream, right?

Ballerina

You have never seen a little girl so excited about putting on makeup and a fancy costume and twirling around on stage!

Or maybe you have. Maybe you have even been one of those girls . . . I was, a long, long time ago.

And seeing my daughter up there on the stage brought back all those feelings like it was just yesterday. She was so proud of herself. And I was soooooo proud of her.

tomorrow’s the big day!

Go Gnats!!

Heros for My Son

I can’t wait to get this book for Fletcher. And Lola Gray, too.

Tuesday afternoon and nothing to do

But play Bakugans in the back yard . . .

And watch the figs grow . . .

It is amazing what fun games can develop out of boredom! I think we don’t allow our children (or ourselves!) to be bored often enough these days . . . .

This is where I am happiest . . .

with cucumbers in flower . . .

And tomatoes we hope will ripen before we have to leave . . . .

And jasmine finally, amazingly in bloom . . .

Just a Tuesday afternoon with nothing to do.

Hipstamatic Mother’s Day

Is there anything in the world better than a card handmade by your child? See all the little yellow circles? Fletcher tells me that is the pollen. And yea, his handwriting is pretty rough. Frankly, Lola writes more clearly. But his teacher says it is pretty common for gifted boys to have bad handwriting – and I don’t think she was saying that just to make me feel better, because she also said it is something he really needs to work on.

My card from Lola Gray was a stunner. The girl can move some watercolor! This one is going in a frame.

We walked to the Feed & Seed, but they were closed.

No worries. We found plenty of dandelions to entertain us along the way.

And spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out in the back yard.

Risotto for dinner. Made, in part, by Mama’s little helper. She also made her own bed and dusted the livingroom – and only broke 1 picture frame in the process.

And she discovered Han Solo’s butt. I mean, what’s funnier than that?

And Fletcher, who is quite possibly more sentimental than even me, read Goodnight Moon to me before bed. To be fair, he has done this every night for more than a week. “Because you used to read it to me every night when I was a baby.” That’s my boy.

What more could a mother want?