Homemaker Monday: Two Things That Beautify - A Vacuum and A Razor

Welcome to the 48th weekly edition of...


Thank you for joining us! If you're new to this carnival and would like to enter your post, please check HERE for the rules and regs. (By the way, if you have been featured on Homemaker Monday in the past, your name is on my left sidebar. Check it out!)

YOURS: This week's "YOURS" goes to Sweet Pea at The Newlyweds! Posted on her blog is a scrumptuous how-to on making "Outback Steakhouse Bushman Bread". In addition to using typical ingredients, such as whole wheat flour and butter, this recipe also calls for molasses and cocoa! I am completely intrigued by this and can't wait to try it! Look at how lovely it turns out...


Thank you so much for your repeated inspiration here at Homemaker Monday, Sweet Pea! I can tell you always put so much thought and preparation into your posts and I truly appreciate your efforts! For The Newlywed's entire post, click HERE.

As for the "How I applied it to my life" weekly feature, in which I actually utilize the "YOURS" featured homemaking tip and report on it, I have been vacationing at my mother's home and have not necessarily had the opportunity to try the recipes and tips of the past few weeks. Thanks for your patience on that and I'll be up to par just as soon as I get back home!

MINE: This week's post is about two products that beautify my world, one in the form of removing dust, crumbs and other miscellaeous debris from my floors and one in the form of removing unwanted body hair for a more attractive me during the scantier-clad months of summer at the pool or beach. Let's start with the vacuum.

As of late, I've had my share of struggles with my various vacuums. My regular, all-purpose vacuum is in the winter of it's life. All of the attachments have been lost, as the sweet children leave it out for the toddler and twins to reach, and the cord is becoming increasingly alarming, as the rubber insulation is tearing and splitting up and down nearly it's entire length. This concerns me because sometimes, just sometimes, I find one or more babies chewing on the cord, and I certainly wouldn't want anyone to experience the feeling of 110 volts coursing through their bodies. Come to think of it, maybe that's why the cord has so many rips and splits in the first place. Either that, or because of the fact that the dear children continually run over the vacuum cord while they are vacuuming.

We also have a small cordless vacumm on which I posted previously, but that is too weak to succeed at picking up the immense amount of material that ends up on my floor. Also, during a major ovehaul of the food storage room, adjacent to the kitchen, one of the lovely children unplugged the charger cord from the outlet and I have not encountered it since. I hope I can replace it soon, as it truly did serve it's purpose while it was a vibrant, charged object in the prime of its life.

To get to the point, I needed a new vacuum. I hadn't really even planned on making the purchase during my visit to the states, but when I walked into Target and saw the huge display of Easylite Dirt Devils, on sale for $44.95, I took the leap and made the purchase...


I have to say, I LOVE this vacuum! One of the selling points, besides the cheap price, was the fact that it weighs under 11 pounds - perfect for the kids to help without having to haul around the dilapidated dinosaur we previously had. Here are the cons and pros...

Pros:

1. It's super-light weight and easy for the kids to maneuver, and even carry upstairs.

2. It has two functional attachments, one pointed-tip and one with a brush...



3. It sucks....really really well, surprisingly so for it's weight.

4. It's bagless, and the kids think it's really cool to watch the debris whirl around in the plastic canister.

Cons:

1. There is no release lever for when one needs to move the handle from the upright position into the standard vacuuming position. I find I have to place my foot on the front bottom portion when I want to begin the vacuuming.

2. It's so light-weight, the plastic feels like it came out of a Cracker Jack box. I keep thinking, "This is going to bust any time now." After all, you DO get what you pay for.

Even with the two cons, again, I do love this vacuum. I find myself actually looking for opportunities to plug it and push it around the house, thus beautifying our home in a much more pleasant way than before.

Now, for the razor. In my past life (which was two weeks ago) I used Daisy razors. They were what I grew up on and they were pink, therefore I was sure that none of the men or boys in my family would use them.

Then, about a month ago, a friend suggested that I try the Venus. She said it was the only one she would even consider using, so I took her advice.


Let me tell you....there is a difference between two blades and five blades. With the Daisy, I found that I would go over a spot on my leg several times before it actually felt smooth, then I would go over them all over again when I was finished to make sure I had gotten everything. With the Venus, it didn't even feel like I was shaving. The head is large, and oval and unlike before, when I would have to straighten my leg when I got to the knee area to avoid nicks, I simply shaved right over my knees in their bent position. It was amazing! I went over each portion of my leg just once, and I certainly did not have to repeat the process all over again as I usually did with the Daisy. I felt free and liberated from the bondage of having to shave and realized I could actually enoy it with the Venus, as there was so much less of a risk of nicks and it was exponentially faster. I won't be going back to the Daisy.....ever. Thanks, Girl (you know who you are), for your advice. That's what friends are for!

OURS: All righty then, let's see what all of you awesome homemakers have for us today. What's coming up in your garden? Are you using it at your dinner table? Let us know what's going on in your life. Thanks for joining us today and I hope you have a GREAT Homemaker Monday!

P.S. As you can see, I'm using a new Linky system called MckLinky. Mr. Linky has just been unfaithful too many times, so I'm leaving him for a younger model. Just click on the "Click here to enter your link" link. Couldn't be simpler. Please let me know if you have any problems at all. Thanks!



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Force of Habit and Death

While I was visiting my mother last week, a telemarketer called and asked if my father would like to donate money to the Michael Reagan campaign. I politely stated that if he were alive, I'm certain he would, but he no longer is, so could you please take us off your phone list?

The woman very empathetially said that, or course, he would be taken off the list, and that she was very, very sorry for our loss.

And I did NOT say, in an equally agreeable tone, "Oh, that's okay!"

Really, it's not okay that my dad is dead,...but I said it was...because that's what I always say when somebody tells me they're sorry for something. I'll have to concentrate harder next time. Thanks for listening.

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An Extended Breastfeeding Post

Yes, I'm still breastfeeding the twins. They are nearly 18 months old, and I'm still nursing. Extended breastfeeding is gaining more and more acceptance as time goes by, and I actually receive very few negative comments from well-meaning friends, aquaintances, and those in the medical profession. In fact, as I've been taking care of a few minor medical problems over the past two weeks and have had the opportunity to interact with various capable medical doctors, 100 percent of them have applauded my decision to continue breastfeeding this long. Truly, times are changing.

The twins have decreased their nursing sessions to only at night and right before they take their naps. During the middle-of-the night feedings, they often like to linger long after they have had their nutritional needs fulfilled. And sometimes, just sometimes, I need them to stop and try to get back to sleep. So....I've been trying to find a way to communicate to them that the session is completed. I've come up with...ready for this?... "All done." Ground-breaking, I know.

What's interesting is that they have learned, as, in the beginning, I'd unlatched them each time I said "All done", to unlatch themselves when the hear those words. It's actually an amazing thing to witness, that they will willingly finish their breastfeeding session just because I ask them to.

Last night, at about 3:00 in the morning, Joseph woke up for a feeding. After I knew he had had his fill, I said, "All done", and he released, rolled over, leaned his back against my chest and instantly went back to sleep. As I lay in the still of the night with my cheek against his soft hair, and my arm around his warm little body, I was so happy I'd made the decision to continue to breastfeed this long. It's a new experience for me, to be able to interact with my baby about the process and I'm finding it's a wonderful way to continue to bond into the toddler year. I can now understand why the world average for breastfeeding is 4.2 years. Why offer my babies another animal's milk when I can continue to provide nourishment and love in this manner myself, for many months to come? True, I can no longer nurse in public anymore, as the twins insist on playing with my shirt and pulling it as high up on my chest as possible, but for now, we are all going to continue this most intimate of mother/child interactions as long as we both feel comfortable.

Some say, "If a kid is old enough to ask for it, he's too old to breastfeed." I say, what a wonderful way to connect with your child by interacting and communicating about this special bond God has created for mothers and children. I say...bring it on.


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WW: Just how exhausting is it to get the 8 kids, including the twins, ready for church?...

This exhausting...


Alma 7:23: And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times....

I am pleased to list this post at 5 Minutes for Mom's "Wordless Wednesday" and Wordless Wednesday dot com.

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