Breakfast Meat & Brothers

I've been working on this blog in my head for WEEKS now.

Andy has a major love for breakfast meat.. He asks for sausage in the morning, he likes bacon.. He is truly MY child. On a cloth diaper forum I post on.. once someone said " I mean, who REALLY needs more than 2 pieces anyway?" And I thought.... shit... Last time my sister visited when I was still pregnant, Mike made me like, a whole PLATE of sausage!! .. Then again..I DO tend to gain 40-60 lbs in my pregnancy, LOL.

So.. The other day we had abuddy, Sam come over in the AM so his mommy coul dget to work when her usual kiddo watcher was sick & Mike work oup & found a pound of thick cut peppered bacon I had in the fridge for a dinner. He spent the whoel time frying, and baking .. bacon. Attempting to find "the trick"

And our house smelled like bacon..and it was FABulous.


So.. It has been giving me this fond memory when I realized how TRULY wonderful my BROTHER, Matt ( my sisters hubby!) is..

Ahh yes.. I remember it all too well ((fog comes in as I recall..))))

We were visiting them at his parents house in FL, Andy was just a few weeks old.. Matt was inpressed with Andys massive farting ability ( which by the way..Matt.. he farted on Mikes back while sleeping last night.. a pusher, Mike told me..and he told me today in the car "Butt FARTED!!!" ...Hes so sweet, isnt he???)
But then the perfect moment came.. It was breakfast... bacon, ham, sausage, steak?? Mike & I were perplexed with the decision.... We stood there..debating.. Steak is a given.. but how would we EVER choose between the rest??

I cant recall the exact words.. the memory is just TOO intense.. but something along the lines of "can we have them all?" and Matt's "somethingsomething ...after my own heart" and I just thought "Wow..I TRULY know why Mischa loves him now.. he is AMAZING."

Ah yes... So.. Lately, in our love for breakfast meats.. I've been thinking lots of my meat faithful brother.. Matt.. I toast to you.. tomorrow morning..I will raise my sausage link in the air.. I will eat it.. and then..I will make some bacon. You are truly a brother of substance.. Greasy, fatty, meaty goodness substance. Just the way I always envisioned my perfect brother in law!!!

xo

Tons of pictures...

It is impossible to get a good picture of BOTH kids.. One is always doing something funky..Check it out..

Another attempt after the haircut...

Another day..

Some actualy cute ones.. where they look NORMAL & not in pain!!!!!

Dont you know?? Our dog is as sweet, soft & smells as good as an angel!?!?!

My happy boy =0)

Us today =)

Probably the best picture these stinkers have ever taken, LOL!

Ryan is going to be T-R-O-U-B-L-E.

Love them!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Turkey Day evewryone!!!

Guess what??

I HATE HOLIDAYS!!!!
Yep..being an adult REALLY takes all the fun out of it.. and then having kids, that just makes it even worse. You spend an hour in the car, then you have a nice time.. but its all quickly forgotten by the hellish ride home with over tired children screaming in your ear the ENTIRE way.Of course, if your a dad, its no biggie, but if your a mom it pulls these certain heart strings that make you yell at your husband.

Color me green & call me scrooge..

That being said.. we had a nice time today!! (Minus the car ride, obviously!!) I like Mikes family more & more the more I get to know them, we don't go over there too often, likely due to the rediculously crabby car ride, but we really should. Andy is simply smitten with Mikes sister Nikki & his brother Johnny. And he loooveess Gramps! He talks about the 3 of them quite often. There was lots of good food, Linda, as always was great & insisted on holding Ryan when he got crabby so I could eat. She was the only one who got to hold Ryan, he was a CRAB!! And I mean.. pinchers out, angry red C-R-A-B!!! Hes also covered in a red rash.. I'm worried its celery.. last night I was eating celery & I let him mouth a bit & this AM he's covered in a rash =(
I REALLY hope that's not the case.. he has a well visit tomorrow, so we shall see.

I dressed the boys alike today. Its horrible, but I love them EVEN more when they are dressed the same.. they can do no wrong. They are just TOO cute & impossible to resist!!
(as I hear Ryan calling out & then Andy screaming back in his face in the next room..(((sigh))) OH!! He's saying " No, its mine ball!" .. and to think..we used to wish he had a bigger vocab, HA!!!

I havent been blogging much lately, been busy.... and.. crabby..... and tired too. Ryan has had a fever which hasnt been fun to deal with, I've had appointments, needing to wake early.. it all just sucks. Basically!

But don't you worry your pretty little heads..there are some FABULOUS things coming up for my few readers.. I have a serious plan in motion..its just a matter of time ( this is where I tap my fingers together..and cackle...)

So.. Happy Thanksgiving!! I hope you all ate so much you felt like you were about to puke...And then you had pie.

xo!

Tears of Inspiration

Book Three..

11pm..Saturday..

DOOOONNEEE!!!!!!!

Oh..and I cooked a Thanksgiving dinner today.. Yeah.. I know.. I'm AHHHMMAAZZINNGG!!!

I finally got the whole Twilight series today...I started New Moon at 5pm..I'm on 175 now..
Dont expect to hear much from me until Sunday.. I'll likely be reading a book a day..

I'm officially a Twilight geek now.. I am SO into it! I cant even imagine where book 2 is leading to right now, and I LOVE that. Usually by page 100 of any book I can typically guess the ending & be right.. not the case here!! Unfortunately, someone on a message board didnt put a SPOILER ALERT in front of a post & I do know something that will be in book FOUR. Which basically sucks ass.. but.. I'm trying to ignore it, unsuccessfully.

Happy reading!!!!!!

...Mike wants Wii..

and then..when he gets that Wii...


..I want a Wii Fit.

If you need our current address to send said Wii & Wii Fit... please, PLEASE..just let me know.

Thank you.

As we all know...

Mike & I have both banned ourselves from cutting our poor childs hair.

SO!!! Andy went & had a pro do it today ( a monther of several boys, of course!!!)

Here he is before....

AANNNDDD...

AFTER!!!!!!!!!!

She did an AMAZING job!!!! Mike said he did SO well, he didnt cry or anything!! WTG Andy!!!!

I am a victim of the Target/Britax Scandal!!!

Well.. Let me see..

Sunday I thought was about the best day..E-V-E-R!!!

I got 2 pairs of Kitson boots for $19.99 each at Gabes..

THEN I got basically a $300 car seat for $43 shipped from Target.com!! Andy has out grown his car seat in Mikes car & they are SO expensive to get a good, safe seat. I skimp on myself, but never my kids, ESPECIALLY when it comes to safety, like car seats. Only the best for my kiddos.. So to find a Britax for $43 was a MIRACLE.

And you know what they say..if something is too good to be true..It usually is.

Lets just say..I personally know of over 200 really pissed (ex!!) Target shoppers as of Monday... And those are JUST from cloth diapering associations. I spoke to several "Target Team Members" and was basically told "Sorry, go buy it for $200.. thats outr ACTUAL sale price" even though my order had already been processed.. They claim it was supposed to be $43 OFF the original price, not $43 in general.. HOWEVER.. A FEW peoples orders slipped through, so SOME people go their $300 seat for $43.. every one else's order just dissapeared with a ageneric email that eventually followed.

There are Facebook groups, Cafemom groups, messages board, etc over ridden with angry mothers.I'll say.. I'm ticked too.. but now, I'm just more angry at the lack of customer service, when I finally got an english speaking supervisor on the phone, he was rude, bored & annoyed sounding. I get it..I bet he WAS annoyed by that point..but a SALES job means being nice.. Believe me..I know its hard..but its your JOB. I didnt even get offered an apology.Just a flat, bored tone of sheer annoy-ism..

So now, I've been searching high & low trying to find the best car seat possible now, for the least amount of money. Andy flat out does NOT fit in his seat anymore. We cant safely wait any longer,I've been trying to stretch until Christmas but it just isnt an option any longer. I finally decided on the Nautilus from Walmart, $122 with 97cent shipping.. Thats $20 less than if I drove to Target & picked one up right now. And realistically, as tall as Andy is, this seat will last him until he is 10 years old, or can ride with oput a booster. It IS a better deal for us, but I dont like being "taken" and I beleive Target took quite a few people.. and quite a few people are PISSED.

Stupid Target...I'm on a Target Ban for as long as I can manage... BOO TARGET!!

Thats all =0)

I have lots more to say about lots of things, but Ryan just woke up.. So.. Ta Ta for now my friends..

And remember..We no longer like Target..

It will be hard.. but I'm going to try to stear clear as long as possible.. Not that they will notice or care..but damnit, in my head, its *doing something*!!!!

As requested...HOP BALLS!

OOkkayy..

Finally..its here, the long awaited.. HOP BALL REVIEW!!! ((insert WHOOPPWHHOOPPP here))

My mom took Andy for dinner the other night.. I was laying on the floor with Ryan while Mike folded some laundry & it hit me.

I CAN BLOW UP THE HOP BALL!! ANDY ISNT HERE!!!

I was excited..to say the least. Mike got out the automatic pump thingy that we use on the air mattress & we pumped this baby up!

I hopped on.. and..... I fell off.. on my ass.. It needed more air..

So.. we pumped again... and I just sort of stumbled on my ass...

More air... FINALLY.. I HOPPED!!!!!!!!!!! ..Sort of.. it was no "three feet in the air" like the website says though...


This is my view (listen..you can hear it sticking to the floor..Nope, that isnt my ass sticking to the ball..THAT came later..)

Thats me..hopping along in the hall.. Its pretty hard to hop and take a video.. I might add..And no.. I'm not that fat that I was squashing the thing..It STILL needed more air..but I lack a little thing called...PATIENCE.. So.. I hopped anyway.

Ryan digs the hop ball too... He thought it was hysterical when I held him on it by himself.. Its very very very hard to hold a baby on a hop ball & take a picture.. all by yourself..so.This is the best I got.

Thats right.. No makeup.. free Miller High Life shirt & sweatpants.. Getting a mustache ride..
(I cant believe I'm putting this here b/c my family reads this but omg.. how could I NOT..LOOK AT HIM! He's got the handlebar stache!!!!)



another unsuccessful try..

So.. oh we half bounced.. damn me & my impatience... I will say this..I actually LOL'd..Yes..I laughed OUT LOUD.. All alone by myself as Ryan watched me from the living room & I said..and I quote... "WWHHHHEEEEEE!!!" and then died laughing because.. I am alone, by myself.. 24 years old, in my hall way, bouncing on a giant plastic ball & saying WWWHHHEEEE.

Let me tell you. that thing IS a work out.. I broke a sweat bouncing around.. And you reallyu do get a good butt/thigh work out..I felt the burn!!!
So yes..I bounced around in my underwear..those sweatpants got very hot.. ok??? And I also will say..the ball DID in fact stick to my ass when I stood up from bouncing..and that made me laugh too.. I called Mike to tell him, I thought it was so funny.

I also may have called out "whhooohhoooo" at one point.. I dont remember..Things get a little fuzzy..

I've been asked several times..so I'll add quickly..No..my boobs didnt knock me out. FYI ;-)

Then, worrying Andy would come home & steal my sunshine, I stuffed mustache man in my closet, with a blanket over him..

And then yes... the next day..I shut the bedroom door while Andy napped & bounced for a minute.. And it was fun..and mine. ALLLL MIIINNEEE!!!!!!!!!!!

I give Hop Balls an A+. One I find the "correct amount of air" as the website discusses, I fully do believe I will bounce.... not 3 feet..but perhaps one, off the ground. Maybe if I get back to my once tiny statue..I COULD bounce 3 feet off the air..but uh.. Not for now.
And if I never do reach maximum height, the excitement & happiness of feeling like a child again were worth it all in their own!!!

A boy & his cat.

Well.. Mike went to pick our kitty up from her "surgery" today.

He said he waiting in line behind 2 people & when he came up, they said "Fluffy?" ( the name we gave for her) he said Yes..and then a doctor and a few nurses walked out somberly..

They asked "Your here for Fluffy??"

Yes.. Mike said.. This is where he told me "It was like, taking your mom to the hospital & they were about to tell me she didn't make it!!"

They told him that Fluffy has had a positive test for feline leukemia.. and they are REALLY sorry.. So Mike says "like,..cancer??" They explain it as an autoimmune deficiency, and that she needs to come back in 2 weeks for more blood draws so they can send it off to a more comprehensive facility to be tested to be sure. So Mike says "..Autoimmune..like.. AIDS???"

They tell him "Yes..sort of .. feline AIDS"

Mike comes home & tells me "Dude..shes got the HIV" ( pronounce HIV..not H-I-V)

WHAT!?!??!?!?!?!?

Basically, if she catches a cold, she could die from it. She got it from her mother, who before she died got all wonky, got a cough & basically went nuts. Feline leukemia attacks the neurological system when very far gone.. Coughing is a symptom.. So.. our little kitty was born into this sad cruel disease.

I cant lie..For the first few hours, I looked at Fluffy with new eyes.. I mean.. shes sort of like a transsexual hooker whose got an STD!!!

We always thought she was a boy..until she got pregnant.. by some random guy she likely met in a back alley ( or..her brother..eh!) so..she puts out for anyone, obviously.. And well..now we know..she's got the FIV!!!! That dirty kitty...

I think most of my shock was that "now we have TWO indoor cats" If we let her back outside, its a death sentence for her. She will catch a cold, or a sickness from the other cats that roam our redneck hood and..well.. die. And as Mike said "I spend $80 on her..shes not going outside to die damnit"

So, after the appropriate research ( no, humans cant get it, no dogs cant get it.. Max is neutered so unless they fight & draw blood or bite.. he wont get it either) I feel ok.. She potentially could live a very long life, as long as we keep her healthy & keep her from getting sick. I will add this though.. According to her papers & online..FIV and cat leukemia are 2 different things, which often coincide..She technically doesn't have cat AIDs.. she has cat leukemia..but it sounds WAY more dramatic to say that our cat not only had an abortion but shes got AIDs too.. So.. Yeah.. I'm always one for dramatics! =0)

We have a new cat..And I got to name her..

HER name.. is Chuck.

On a completely unrelated note..I read the entire Twilight book today. All 498 pages.. from 8am to 3pm.. I'm a fast reader.... Obviously..

I really want to go see the movie, the book was AMAZING!! I see what everyone raves about! One of the things on my "To Do" list is to see a movie by myself.. I am thinking this might be my one.. We shall see!

Argh.

Well..Mike just dropped "Flussie" off for her..big day...

And I decided to clean the crap out of the closet... yes..AGAIN.

Why, you may ask?? WELL! Let me tell you..

Last night my mom took Andy to her house for dinner so I..... BLEW UP MY HOP BALL!!!!!!!!!!!

That is a WHOLE different post in itself, which dont you worry, will come soon. BUT! Now I had to.. well.. hide it!!! Its mine & I'm not sharing damnit, so until Christmas comes & Andy gets his.. mine will remain hidden except for when I sneek into the bedroom alone to hop around on the floor. (And yes..I have already done this..that thing is a GOOD work out!!!!)

So!! Its too big to hide under my little table where I hid the exercise ball Andy is obsessed with so I stuffed it in the closet with a blanket over it for last night.. This morning, I opened our ONE hall closet & tackled the mess that I call "Mikes hording of junk given to him by people"

Yes.. You see.. My dear husband can not say NO. People give him stuff.. often with the "we were just going to throw this away but I thought I'd give it to you instead" which is OH so sweet..and Mike just CANT say NO. It doesnt matter if he will NEVER EVER EVER even touch the thing, he will say "Oh wow! Thanks!!" and then KEEP it. SERIOUSLY..People he meets at SCHOOL..even our NEIGHBOR give him random CRAP!!!

Not "Oh wow thanks!!" and then donate it to GoodWill later with out them ever needing to know..

Nope..I love my sweet sensitive husband, but he attaches love to objects.

While he does have great parents, he didnt have the childhood, or connection or, in my opinion, secure, wanted feeling that children deserve, as unfortunately, most children of divorce wind up with at some point in their life, so now.. He seems to attach the feeling of being loved or cared about to people giving him THINGS.

Please dont get me wrong, I'm not "dissing" Mikes family yo.. I'm just saying, that in general, often children who come from divorced families wind up with their own issues, or insecurities, or sadnesses from that divorce & lack of 2 biological parents. Not always, but from what I've seen, quite often.

We've been working really hard on it, trying to remind him that the memory isnt in the sweater, or the ball, or the shirt, but the memory is with HIM. After his step dad, Greg passed away Mike held on to all of his old clothes.. Thats totally okay, but it got to the point where Mike had no room for more clothes ( that fit him) and he was getting rid of clothes that he wore, and clothes that fit him, to keep 5 identical shirts that are 3 sizes too big & he never wore. So, we took some time to take pictures of objects/clothes/etc and to make a little "memory piece" out of his 2 favorite shirts & donate the rest to people who could really use them.Which, in the end Mike said he felt good about, because he knew that Greg was a giver too, and we both remember one time he tells us about these pretty glass coasters we have "If you have them use them. Dont just keep them around, actually use what you have." And Mike felt that giving them to people who would be able to use them, was a good thing in the spirit of Greg.

I'm lucky he's such a sweet, caring, thoughtful man. I hope I dont sound like I'm complaining.. I'm complaining more about the massive amounts of things he is hording in the TINY amount of storage space we have.. Which is ONE closet. A SMALL one..closet..We use my moms basement for storage right now & I cant even tell you how much stuff down there, are Mikes things that I could bet money on, he doesnt even know what is in there!!

SO.. The whole point of this.. duh.. I've been trying to stress to Mike .. NO BIG CHRISTMAS GIFTS.

I personally, would really like to ask of people to only get each child ONE toy. Pamela gave the suggestion to ask for people to put money towards an extra year of Preschool for Andy,which I LOVE. I also like the idea of Gymboree/Little Gym/etc classes for the kids.. We dont NEED more toys.. Both boys have a savings account, both kiddos have a college account. I'd MUCH rather, while we are in a SMALL house and they are young, have people give to this type of thing.. in a few years the kids will "know" and have gifts they actually ask for.. I'd like to be able to do this while we can get away with it, so to speak. My family has always done "Christmas Lists" where you write down a few things you'd like.. As a kid, mine was always changing..making sure my BIG #1 was at the top of my list!! I just figured, everyone did that? I mean.. why would someone want to get you agift that you dont need/want/already have/dont have room for??? I would much rather get someone something they actually WANT or can use.. Right??

I already over did it on the gifts for the kids.. not in quantity. but a select few special toys that are bigger than I'd prefer.(Damn co-op pricing..) I've passed the word on "SMALL gifts!!!" to my family, but then Mike told me that his family doesnt do that.. No lists, no mentioning of what people would like, etc..

And I was suprised..I guess I thought Christmas Lists were something most people did..I mean.. When you "go see Santa" dont kids have their little list in mind to tell him what they want??

So, it got me wondering..Do you do Christmas Lists?? I know I read in a magazine one lady keeps a Word document all year & adds little notes to it when she comes up with an idea through out the year so she can pass it on to family & I thought that was a great idea! No doubles of toys, everything you KNOW the person will like!!Right??

Am I just crazy???? I might be.. I go from "Man this closet has alot of junk.." to wondering "Does everyone to Christmas Lists??"

...I often wonder if other peoples minds work the way mine does..or if I'm actually crazy...

The world may never know.

=*(

I saw this video today on a fellow blogger & mamas page...

I started out thinking "Oh dear.." as her title was "get your tissues..."

Well..just watch it..then we'll talk..




Ya know..I started it with "Okay....this wont be that bad..."

..then I went to" .....this is really touching...How beautiful.."

THEN I went to.. "Wow...this is so emotional!!.... wait..why is dad bending over her stroaking her..shuddering holding back tears??"

Then I thought.. "wait..why would 50 people be at this birth, taking ALL these pictures...no..no...oh..Mom seems so happy..No..."

And by the time it was over I was HYSTERICAL with tears...

I can honestly say..I admire & am SO jealous of this family. To have the strength, the courage and THE FAITH to find the happiness they did in sorrow, the courage they found to be the way that they were with the sad situation they had found themselves in, the strength they had to carry on through their breif time with smiles, and the ...the just FAITH that they have..

I admire people who have such a strong faith that when they lose a loved one, they can comfort themselves by knowing their loved one is with Jesus.
I just..I'm not religous.I dont know exactly what my beliefs are..and me & the big Man are a-ok with how we roll..
But to have THAT kind of relationship... I just..I know if I was ever in these shoes..I could never be that strong, that brave, and that wonderful as this family has been..

I admire them, so VERY much to have found the happiness, the grace, composure & the strength to turn what some people could never do, into the most joyous thing that they could. A celeration of what little time they got, instead of a mourning over what they would never have.

Weeell...

Lets see..whats new..

The gray kitty is just..gone.. =*(

The little orange one is pregnant & all alone.. So, my gift to myself, "doing good to cat-kind" is that tomorrow she is going to a local Planned Pethood. they operate on donations & voulenteers & spay, neuter & vaccinate, as well as provide well care, flea treatment & screenings at a VERY VERY VERY low cost so people can take in abandonded & feral cats & have them cared for instead of being taken to a shelter & eventually killed.

So.. since they dont spay cats until they are 6 months old (as she is..) this happens alot.. outdoor kittens get pregnant themselves.. and as sad as it makes me to think about it.. She will no longer be "in the family way" when we pick her up on Thursday.

Both Mike & I felt really bad thinking about it, but after reading online how cats under the age of 1 who have kittens can die from child birth, give birth to still borns or disfigured or deformed kittens & have a high chance of complications. I know its whats best for all in the end. Brining more kittens into the already over populated animal world is never good & I dont advocate people breeding for any reason actually. Not show dogs, not designer dogs, not to teach kids about nature..Nothing.

So.. she'll come back to us Thursday still a kitten who wont be a mommy. And its sad..but I know its whats best. We'll continue to treat & vaccinate her but I think she's going to be an indoor/outdoor cat. Let her in at night, when its cold.. but once Andy gets going chasing her yelling "Nononon kittens..and..lots..MITTENS.. nonononn.. shal NO PIE!!!!" her ears go back & she looks somewhere to hide.. SO. I think especially when the weather is nice, she'll be find outside for most of the time. But, she'll be up to date on all her vet care so when she is inside, it wont be a worry around our indoor pets or children, of course.

We have such a small house & with the air mattress blow up, we've had to keep the door to the bedroom shut & it doesnt leave her much room to hide right now!

So.. wish us luck & her some speedy recovery vibes. =(

So..Ryan has suddenly developed a LOVE for food! Its hilarious, Andy never really got into eating until he was over a year old, so I never got to see this, but Ryan opens his mouth & *chews* with this little old man face, it cracks me up! He LOVES it. He's like everything we've tried, sweet potatoes, squash, apples & pears. Andy, ALSO likes it. He says "Andy bite....Ryne bite...Andy bite..Ryne bite" and they each eat a bite out of the little dish.. Its probably the most vegetables Andy has eaten in MONTHS. Which is fine by me! He also likes to wipe both of their faces with a cloth when it gets messy. He's a goooodd helper!

Ryans second tooth has broken through.. and he is in LOVE with standing. He holds on to things with one hand, waves his other hand & then plopshimself down when he sees something he wants to go after next. He squeals & laughs & just loves being up. He "4 walks" at a lightening fast speed now.. He doesnt have time for his knees to touch the ground..he just GOES.

Its been really sweet to watch the 2 of them lately, they're starting to actually play together. And boy..Ryan is BIG. He took a block from Andys block train he was building & Andy took him down to the groud trying to get it back.. Ryan held on the whole time & just went down.. no giving up the block for him!!! Andy has shot up a few inches ( maybe 2?) in the last 1-2 months so Ryan now comes to a little below Andys shoulders.. which for a 21 month difference, isnt much. They're sweet... My 2 "bes friends" as Andy calls them...

Andy is really talking..SO much! he sings his fvaorite songs & rhymes.. He has a new favorite book. The Third Story Cat. ( my old book!) and he reads it to himself.. talks about " and..OHH!! the cat jump..and OHH butterfly!! OOohh dogs barking!" ( these all actually happen in the book too...) Its pretty very adorable to watch. He tells us "Big turd in da butt..'s go fush it!!!" And we change him & flush it.. and he waves bye bye.. lol.

His new favorite song is "All I wanna Do" by Sugarland. He sings "whhoo ho ho ho hooo" and when he watches the music video, it shows a chicken so anytime he hears the song, at the point the chicken would be shown he whispers "LOOOOKK!! CHICKEN!!!!!!!!!!" in an amazed voice..Mike is very annoyed with the song by now..but I like it =X

Hm.. Think thats about it for now! Both boys are napping so I'm going to go watch The Hills from last night & relax while I can!!!

You dont understand..I DONT mop..

I can honestly say, I have no memories of my mother mopping..I'm not saying she didnt..but I can not recall ever seeing her mop ( that beign said.. for some reason I dont remember ANYTHING about my junior year of high school either....)


Mike on the other hand, recalls his mom mopping daily..


Well... I DONT mop.I just...dont do it! I did in Florida b/c the whole house was hard floors.. then I nearly cracke dmy head while slipping & pregannt & have maybe mopped.. a handful? Of times since then..If I need mopping done, I ask Mike.. which ..I never ask Mike..maybe once every few months.. I know..gross.. but I mean.. its just the kitchen really.. and we dont exactly eat off the floors.. ( ok..Andy occasionally pretends to be a dog & he does but WHATEVER!!)

ANYWAY!! I get down on the floor & spray & wipe..l but I just DONT like that big stupid mop & bucket..its annoying..I'd go as far as to say..I HATE IT!

I clean the bathroom floor with Clorox Wipes, LOL..




...I'm feeling suddenly embarrassed..


No no..I'm sharing my embarrasingness to help others like me..

SO!!! I was reading a thread on "environmental friendly mopping" on DS, and I learned about hard floor cleaners..steam mops!


DUDE. I had NO idea these excisted mmkay??? So..I checked the out a week & a half ago.... and then.. a few days ago..I was STILL thinking about it, SO.. I figured, that means i REALLY do want it.. SO.... Mike told me to buy it =)


(it was my Christmas gift!! Last year...I got a dust buster.. YAY!!!)


It came super quick..Walmarts 97cent shipping aint bad 'yall ;-)


Annnddd.. here is my product review!!


Bissel Steam Mop

Before starting...

• Easy to assemble..only 2 screws!!





• You fill it with lukewarm water...it says wait for light to light up to start....Light was on from the start..so, no waiting time.. Niicee!!!





• Its a microfiber washable mop head.. which at first, since it was so clean/un used..it sort of stuck to the floor.. which was akward but as it became wet/used it moved acrossed the floor alot easier..but it did smell a little funny at first....





• Your supposed to hold it for 15 seconds over each spot.. I.... probably held it for 5 seconds..LOL





• It lacks *scrubbers* so while yes, it does steam the stuck crap off the floor, its not a bad idea to wipe over it with a towel of your own just to get the little stuck stuff off of the floor.. ya know what I mean?? It doesnt pick things up along the wall, or the corners, so I wiped along the edge with a towel of my own, which did the job & wasnt hard to do..

Here is half of the floor clean vs the unclean half...



I would say "look closely" but um..its pretty obvious.. that top layer of .....scum...LOL.. Yeah..well..it takes it off!!!!!!!

I did think it left a good amount of water on the floor, which I'm sure in hindsight I could have taken the mop cloth off & wrung it out, but it did bump my leg when I took it over a baby gate & it was actually pretty hot!!!!

So..I did this....



which not only wiped up the excess water, it picked up anything the mop didnt after it had been steamed off the floor!!!

And the end result of the kitchen AND bathroom...




And that baby STEAMS.. The bathroom filled up like a hot shower was running!!!

I'll say..I'm impressed!! It takes longer than mopping since you do spot by spot, but it does a very good job, there are no chemicals involved, its easy to use. The mop heads are washable & it comes with 2, but when those 2 wear out, they are $20 for 2 more..Considering I paid $70 for the whole machine, thats a bit much, and I will probably make my own out of my own microfibertowels. I give it a B+ because it could leave less water behind, it had a very small tank so it needs to be filled often, but those arent big deals, just inconvient & it really does the job!!

So.. I decided I should be aproduct tester.. techincally I already do this *for work* but..i think I should upgrade..So, if there are any products your curious about..you can go ahead & send me the money to buy them, try them & then review them for you!! Good idea huh????

Well..

Yesterday we went to the super awesome red playground to play with Sam, Jack & Ellie...

Andy was reeally excited but told me before we left he didnt want to see Ellie ( shes Ryans age)

We ended up getting there an hour earlier than everyone else & by the time they got there, my batteries died..but here are the pictures I got =)

Andy & Sam.. I think he was getting tired by the time they got there b/c he just sort of hung out on this car for awhile...

He decided he liked baby Ellie.. and held her hand for awhile!! =)

I love this..

He LOVES the big slides!

my sweet boy!

Love this!!

up up...

It was a long play..Andy fell asleep on the couch waiting for Ryan to get put to bed last night!!! Thats a first.. ;-)