How To Be A Criminal In The Suburbs

My Hubby has been away for the better part of the week.  I’m not ashamed to admit this has made me a little extra tired, perhaps a tad more frazzled than usual.  My hat is off to single mothers everywhere. Looking after two girls, a house, a dog, a cat and everything in between all by myself?  This is no easy task.  The extra coffee was not keeping me going.

I had just finished dropping off BlueEyes at gymnastics and SweetGirl at dance.  A less then thrilling 1 1/2 hour round trip event on a gloomy rainy afternoon.  Pulled into my driveway and was ready to enjoy my first few minutes of down time all week.  Stuck my key in the door and shake, shake.  Wiggle, wiggle.  Huh?  No matter WHAT I did, that house key was not going to open the front door.  A small curse may have escaped my lips.  You see, for weeks I have been complaining to Hubby that the front door lock was on the super sticky side.  Something was not quite right with that old lock. Now here I was, standing outside in the rain locked out of my very own house! Oh, and did I mention, I really had to pee?  Darn Grande Chi Tea Latte! 

Not easily defeated, I did what any self sufficient Mama in my circumstances would do. Texted my man.  “Great. The door is stuck and I’m locked out. Thanks a LOT”.  You know, because this healthy kind of passive aggressive behaviour will get him to appear out of thin air from Chicago and save me.  I then took a deep breather and started my search of the perimeter. 

Made it around the back of the house, rattling doors and shaking windows on the way.  Why oh why had I chosen to wear my gorgeous fashion before function boots?  Dodged dog poop why had this not been cleaned up, through puddles, to the elusive back door.  Locked.  Damn!  My big old black lab was excited to see me through the windows. I usually find her ridiculous tail wagging endearing, at that moment her tail wagging and greeting was just annoying.  Seriously, if she wasn’t going to be helpful and open the door she needed to stop with the damn tail wagging and barking.

Back to the car to re-group.

Really have to pee now.

Ahh the garage door.  Nope.  Broken. More cursing of Hubby’s name under my breath.  How has he not fixed this!

Then out of the corner of my eye, a silver glint.  My daughters protractor sticking out of her backpack.  I know MacGyver could do something with this.

Back out to the house where there was one front window slightly ajar.  I took that protractor and started plucking at the window screen.  Made myself a little hole big enough to get my fingers through.  Did this in three different places and this Mama popped the screen out! HA!  Feeling like a super criminal, I easily reached my hand in and rolled open the window. Began to hoist myself up and through that window and paused for the briefest of moments.  What if my arse doesn't fit??  Sent up a little prayer.  Oh please don’t let me get stuck in this window with a very full bladder and my butt sticking out to the curb for all the neighbours to see.  That is not a 911 call I want to have made. 

I wriggled, I huffed, got scratched realized how out of shaped I was and hoped against hope the neighbours weren't looking and that my underwear was sticking out of my low rise jeans, cursed, and then I was in!  Victory. I broke into my own house.

Small victory.  Time to pee and then had to go and pick up my daughters.

The moral of my story, if your locks start to stick, don’t ignore them.  Oh, and never underestimate the power of a women armed with a full bladder and a protractor. 

We’ve Been Boo’d

As we rushed out the door this morning to try and make it to dance class on time, my youngest yelled out in almost hysterical excitement.  “We’ve been Boo’d!” 

This fabulous little package was sitting outside our doorstep in the frost, just full of treats and a sweet little note of explanation.  

The phantom ghost has come to town

To leave some goodies that you’ve now found

If you do not wish a curse to fall

Continue this greeting, the “Phantom” call.

And leave it there until Halloween.

This will scare away other Phantoms in town

And make sure other Phantom goodies are spread all around.

Second, make two treats, two Phantoms, and two notes like this-

Think of your neighbours who may have been missed.

You have only one day to act, so be quick!

Leave your treat at two doors where the Phantom hasn’t hit.

Deliver when your neighbour is out of sight-

Let no one suspect you, try as they might.

Be quick, be quiet and be sure not to be seen!
Come share in the fun of a a great Halloween.

So now it was our turn.  We get to Boo the neighbours!  After much discussion about who our neighbour would be, I dove into my stash of goodies courtesy of the Hallmark Press Pause Panel.

 

We grabbed some candy from inside my “Hocus Pocus Treat Presenter” (love this creepy little box that dares you to take candy when you open it), added some toys from the dollar store, and topped things of with a couple of adorable Halloween cards.   How did I not think of giving Halloween cards before?  They are some of the cutest I’ve ever seen.

Oh, another adorable Halloween product sent to me was a skeleton that sings the “Hokey Pokey” and literally puts his whole head in!  Love!

The classic “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” book and this safe for kids to handle “Flickering Witch Candle”.     

With our “boo” kit complete we were ready to slink off into the night to do our dirty work.  This is much more fun then you can ever imagine.  (of course as I sometimes do, I may have taken things a wee bit to far)  The girls and I decided to dress head to toe in black.  We got our criminal on.  Drove to our victims house, and parked just down the street.  I turned the SUV off and sent my children…giggling, into the dark night.  They tiptoed up to the marks door, hands clamped over their mouths to try and stay quiet, dropped their package, rang the door bell and ran like hell.  Well as fast as two little people laughing like crazy and tripping in the dark can run. 

Operation Boo. A great success.

As a Hallmark Press Pause Panel member, products were received for the purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.

Win a $10,000 Dream Canadian Vacation

I don’t actually consider myself a dreamer, I’m more of a planner, unless of course it comes to vacations.  I am the girl who is always dreaming of my next vacation and trying to figure out how I’m going to get there!  There is nothing better then a well earned vacation, oh unless you win one?? 

CentreSourse.ca has made a huge announcement.  They are running a fabulous contest and the Grand prize…drum roll please…..a $10, 000 DREAM BIG CANADA travel voucher to go to any dream location within Canada!!

They are also offering eight weekly prizes of $500 gift cards!

Just imagine the places you could go. Where would I go?  There are so many places in Canada my daughters haven’t seen, that I haven’t toured!  From British Columbia, to resorts in Muskoka (love) to Quebec City.  Sigh.  I need a vacation. 

So what are you waiting for? Go enter!

Good luck!

CentrSource: Things you love, where you live@ CentrSource is the easy way to search for the latest and grates local offers where you live, work and play. 

Contest runs from October 11, 2011- December 11, 2011.

Grand Prize $10, 000 Canada Vacation Voucher

Travel Voucher must be redeemed between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012.

Open to all of Canada including Quebec (age of majority)

It’s Like A Disease

Asked to volunteer for something, I have to say yes.

Sent out a group e-mail only to realize I’m not being addressed in the replies.  Do something to fix that!

Heard the same story six times about the time your dog had a C-Section.  I just keep nodding along.

You can’t make it?  Oh I will shuffle everything to accommodate.  It’s in my nature. 

Misunderstood?  Must fix it right away.  Obsess about it until things are set straight.  I’m uncomfortable until everything is right.  Physically. 

Politely ask the woman blocking the cross walk to move her car, that little kindergartner just about got run over, and she gives me the finger? Oh wait…don’t really care about her.

I worry too much.

Plan to the extreme.

Try to please everyone.

Can’t we all just get along?

I want, need to make everyone happy.

It’s like a disease.

I belong to a very sad club.  The People Pleasers,  and I’ve had enough.  Time to join that other club over there.  The “I don’t give a crap what anyone thinks” club.  They seem pretty confidant, happy, self assured and are hogging all the fun.  Problem is this people pleasing thing? It’s hard to kick.  It’s kind of like a disease?  I’m tired.  Sigh.  Could someone please pass me a big old bucket of “I don’t care”?

Wordless Wednesday ~ Future Designer?

If you give a girl some duct tape….

…you may see some awesome.

I adore this little diva!

I Am Not Winning Mama Of The Year

Apparently I am the meanest Mama ever, I’ve been pushing my dear daughters buttons…

*I will not allow my children to do a little jig at the top of a slide.  Apparently they think there is zero possibility they will fall down from the top of the 7 foot slide and land head first on the cement that surrounds.  I’m pretty sure the odds are much higher.  Mean Mama says SIT.

*Candy.  It’s not for every day.  Harsh.

*Asked my dear daughter to have a shower and was met with stomping feet. 

*Make-up does not belong on the fresh beautiful faces of children under 13.  Apparently I live under a rock because “everyone else is wearing mascara and lipgloss Mom and they are only 12”. Sigh. Not ready.

*Homework.  Yep. it comes BEFORE play dates.

*I can be heard repeating at nauseam… “Elbows off the table.  Did you brush your hair?  Did you brush your teeth?  Please don’t leave your dishes in the TV room.  Pick your clothes up off the floor!  If these toys are still here ten minutes from now I am throwing them out!” I don’t like my voice when it gets all squeaky and naggy like that!!!

Distracted, frustrated Mama emerges….

Pretty sure I said yes to something? I don’t remember what the question was.  I wasn’t listening.

Forgot to fill out a field trip form. 

Shushed my daughter because I couldn’t hear a stranger on the phone.  Gee, who cares what some telemarketer has to say?

Told them “No dessert tonight”.  I really didn’t have a good reason.  Kids don’t need dessert every night?

Hoping they can find clean clothes to wear tomorrow because I was so busy today to do one stitch of laundry.

Today was that day.  Boo. 

I am not winning Mother of the year. 

My Priorities Have Changed

When I was “young” shh please don’t tell anyone that I’m admitting to feeling pretty ancient today both Hubby and I craved cars that were all flash.  We were after style and speed and not much else.  Now that I’m a Mama, I have to admit I still want style and speed, but you know what else?  I want safety too.  Nothing brought this home more then a couple of weeks ago when we were taking a drive through the countryside to go and visit my folks.  We ended up here…

That car pulled over there on the side of the road?  That’s mine. Stranded at the side of the deserted country road.  About half way through our trip…somewhere between NoWheresVille and and HicksVille we blew a tire.  Loudly.

This my friends is not a fun experience.  Thankfully,  Hubby is an excellent driver, was not speeding, and was able to safely get our vehicle and his entire family safely to the side of the road without incident.  He made a quick call to Ford Roadside Assistance while I called my Daddy.  Yah, don’t judge, it’s what I did. 

Ironically we were on our way to Thanksgiving and suddenly I had all kinds of new things to be thankful for.  I was thankful for my dear Hubby’s skilful driving. I was thankful for cell phones and to the tow truck driver who arrived so quickly.  I was thankful for the kindness of strangers!  Look at the nice people who stopped on the way to their Thanksgiving’s to see if we were okay! 

I am also thankful for this.  Ingenuity.  While at the ShesConnected Conference in Toronto I was introduced to the coolest new feature created by Ford.  It’s called MyKey™  and is a feature designed to help parents encourage teenagers to drive safely.  This new technology gives you the ability to designate a key and set it up to operate a variety of special features to help keep your babies safe.  MyKey™ can restrict the vehicle’s top speed, limit the entertainment system’s volume, and it can be set to give you a warning when the fuel tank reaches 120 kilometres to empty!  MyKey™ also lets you select speed alert chimes; and you can set the Belt-Minder™ System to chime until the safety belt is buckled. 

I already have nieces and nephews on the road, and my BlueEyed Girl will be driving in a little over 3 years!  I think a system like MyKey™ could save lives. Thanks Ford, every little bit helps.

So now that my priorities have changed, I’ll admit it, I’m thankful for safety features.  I may be getting older, but I’m pretty sure I’m also getting smarter.  

*Disclosure:  This is not a paid post. Just me, telling you what I think!

I’m The Boss; Of Shopping Anyway

Bean Bag Boss, a Review and discount from the Suburbs.

Once upon a time I was sure Bean Bag chairs were the answer to all of our problems.  You see, we had a couple of logistical and decorating needs.  The kids were fighting on the couch and we needed an extra seat in our teeny family room.  A Beanbag chair seemed like a good idea.  SweetGirl wanted a chair for her bedroom, but really we couldn’t justify the expense.  Picked up another cheapo and not so attractive bean bag chair.  My problems were solved, but my feeling towards these chairs?  They were meh.  The girls loved them, they looked cute, so for a while that was enough.

So to be honest when I was contacted by BeanBag Boss to see if I was interested in doing a review, my first response was, meh…..until I really looked at them. 

BeanBag Boss has a huge variety of colours, patterns, plaids, faux leather, lame and even limited editions to choose from!

The site also claimed “Comfort their when you need it”.  Suddenly, I was ready to do that review.

I made my selection and was immensely impressed by the easy check out process. A huge bonus when ordering from this site, FREE shipping.  Wow!

The Bean Bag Chair arrived when I was away.  My daughters were bursting at the seams, called me and begged permission to open the giant box.  Wish granted. 

I arrived home to this….

and a chair that looked kind of like this…..

This my friends is far more then any ordinary bean bag chair.  This is now the seat we fight over, and yes I include myself in this we. The chair is carried from the family room downstairs where it is the perfect “gaming” chair…to the living room upstairs where it is the most comfortable TV viewing seat in the house.  Can I just mention I am also a girl with a crappy nagging back injury?  At the end of the day, my back hurts.  Guess where I’m sitting blogging away at the end of the day?  In the BeanBag Boss!  Honestly, I kind of love it.  How on earth is this chair so comfortable?

Each beanbag is filled to perfection with lightweight foam beans. The filling is magic as it allows the beanbag to mold to your body like a second skin. Fabrics are made from mega-durable material for rugged good looks with the ultimate craftsmanship

The BeanBag Boss retails for approximately 169.00 but I have a discount code for you! If you buy before December 1st, 2011 and use the code HowToSurviveLife-999 you will receive $10.00 off! (1 use per purchase - unlimited usage) plus that free shipping!  Find them on facebook and twitter too.  Looking for a fun, comfy and functional addition to one of your rooms?  Take a peek at the BeanBag Boss site.  I don’t think you will be disappointed. 

Disclosure – I received compensation as a thank you for hosting this giveaway. The opinions on this blog are my own. Some pictures courtesy of BeanBagBoss.

My Strange Addictions

Have you seen this show? My Strange Addiction.  The television show that finds people who over indulge in rocks, chalk or even toilet paper eating?  The riveting ridiculous drama that thrills by exposing a women’s obsession with sleeping with her hair dryer ….while it’s on!  Quality TV?  Um, not in my opinion, but it did get me thinking, perhaps I do have a strange addiction? 

Here it goes, my confession:

I am addicted to my smart phone.  Yes, I heart my Blackberry Torch.  It’s the first thing I check when I wake up in the morning (well, after my kids) and the last thing I check before I turn the lights out for the evening.  It’s sitting on my lap right now.  Like a spoiled pet.  If I accidently leave the house with out it, I actually feel a bit panicked?  Where did I leave it, is it lost, is my blackberry in a safe place?  What if I’m missing an important message, what if my kids need me.  I get a little buzz, a sweet little high when I receive a short text message from my daughter, or a blackberry message from my hubby.  I love seeing the light on beside my twitter account knowing someone is reaching out to me.  I NEED to check and see if that DING that I adore is an important message, and yes, I even take and make the occasional phone call too!

My name is Stephanie and I am a blackberryaholic.

Think My Strange Addiction will be calling soon?

You Found Me How?

You may have heard me whine about the day my dear Mama found my blog.  I know how she did this, she confessed, she googled me!  (ummm who googles their kids?) Anyway, I have to tell you, this did get me thinking.  How many other loved one’s, friends, or family have stumbled across this blog of mine and just not fessed up?

So, I give up.  Hands in the air.  Blog is now full on covered in pictures of me, myself and I so I think it might be time for you to say hello!!!!  I’m waving!

In other news, I decided to take a peek at some of the keywords that are helping people find my blog.  What I found ranged from predictable to head scratching?

There were the usual:

-life in the suburbs

-surviving suburb life

-suburb life

But then their the one’s that made me giggle:

-stupid people in the suburbs (hope that’s not me)

-mom uniform (my Lulus)

-how do you get boogers off the wall (sigh, been there)

-happy trip wishes (huh?)

-non-aggressive e-mail generator for assholes (um can’t imagine how you landed on my page!)

-old lady blouse (guess I have to own that one)

and my favourite

-blonde babes in sexy spandex (woot woot)

So hats off to you my readers, you really are some of my favourite people in the world.  Don’t be shy….leave a comment and as always, thanks for the giggle:)

Mwah

Clinging To The Bliss

I’m home.  Back from four nights and five days away from my family to attend Blissdom Canada.  Thanks to AccudDial for sponsoring me! Before I left I had the laundry up to date and the house ship shape.  You know, because I am such an amazing domestic goddess. 

Now that I’ve returned, I’m back to dog hair on the floor, crumbs on the counter, countless field trip forms and endless to-do lists.  Sigh, I’m exhausted and honestly, bordering on grumpy.  I’m in no shape to write up the powerful post that Blissdom deserves so for now….some pictures to try and show the friendships that were formed, the smiles that were shared and yes, the bliss. 

Hanging out with Cynthia, Loukia and Anne Marie at the Red Carpet CBC event.

 

Rubbing elbows with celebs Steven and Chris. 

 

 

 

Having a Red Carpet moment with umm Jordan Knight! Oh yes the  same Jordan Knight from the fabulous New Kids On The Block.

 

 

Drinks and time with more really important people.  Lena, Tammi, Kathryn, Loukia, Caitlin, Barbara, Sarah and so many more.  If you don’t follow these women, let me know, I will get you there links!!

Thanks to each and every incredible woman who spared a moment of their time to talk to me, inspired and shared of themselves.  Thanks for bringing the Bliss I will do my very best to hang on to it!

Squee Worthy Skechers Giveaway

A Twinkle Toes Skechers Review and Give Away From the Suburbs.

We are already two months into the new school year. How did that happen? The kids have finally settled into a routine and I am surfacing what must have been a case of the back to school blues. Yes, I am “that” Mom. I get the blues when my girls go back to school. (loser)

One thing that has truly amazed me this week. My youngest daughter is already outgrowing some of her back to school clothes!! How can this be happening? Pants are a bit too short, time for new sweaters and you know what else wouldn’t hurt. A new pair of shoes. Lucky for me the wonderful people at Skechers approached me with the opportunity to review their fabulous and fun new line. The timing is nothing short of perfect.

Sweet Girl and I poured over the Skechers site and looked at all the shoes they had to offer. For girls, the Skecher Twinkle Toes which feature sequins, lights, and colourful tattoo designs. For the boys, there is the Skechers Hot Lights line, sporty sneakers which feature smooth leather, synthetic, metallic mesh fabric, zigzag straps, and flashy lights.

So much to choose from.

So much cuteness.

Eventually she settled on these.

My “baby” has just turned 10 and is at that age where she is starting to think twice about what she will put on her feet. What’s cool, fashionable. and yes sadly what her friends will think is cool. These cute little babies fit the bill. Seriously I can’t say the word “adorable” and shoes in the same sentence to her anymore but, aren’t these adorable shoes??

Skecher’s new Twinkle Toes Shoes shows off an entire line-up of squee worthy shoes for the young fashionista in your house. Oh and of course the entire line of adorable and flashy fast shoes for the young man of the house!!

On to some super exciting news. Do you have a dear daughter or son who needs or would just love a new pair of fun and funky shoes? Are you Canadian? Then today is your lucky day! The generous people at Skechers have given me a pair to give away! Here’s how to win.

Again CANADIANS ONLY!!

Mandatory Entry:

Which pair of shoes do you think your little one would adore? You can check out the full line here at the Skechers website.

Easy Extra Entry's:

2) Visit Skechers Canada on Facebook and give them a like, then come on back and tell me that you did.

3) Follow me publicly, or tell me that you already do, that is an extra entry!

4) Follow me SassyModernMom on twitter and give this awesome giveaway a tweet! Just one tweet total please. You may cut and paste :

Cdns! #Win a Pair of Skechers for your little one from @SassyModernMom a Cdn Only #Giveaway Pls RT

5) Follow my facebook fan page. Please! Again, tell me that you do.

6) Leave a comment on one of my other posts. Come back and tell me which one:)

UPDATE: THE WINNER IS: Number 7! Congrats to Mary Lynn. Have fun picking put some brand new shoes!

Contest will close Friday Oct.21st. The Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond or new winners will be chosen.

Disclosure – I received compensation as a thank you for hosting this giveaway. The opinions on this blog are my own. Pictures courtesy of Skechers.

And Then She Danced Out The Door

It seemed like the exact same Friday night scramble we have had every Friday for the past two years.  Pick up my babies after school, run them home, dinner waiting on the table. Quick like a drill sergeant I am barking questions left and right.  I have to get my oldest to her gymnastics practise on the other side of town.  There’s no time to mess around.

BlueEyes! 

Is your hair done?

Clean body suit on?

Water bottles ready?

Have you had enough to eat?

Then wait a sec. Something is wrong. Very wrong. My BlueEyed girl usually bounces around the house on Friday afternoons answering my pepper of questions with a bit of sass, even a smirk. 

This weekend, she was dragging, there were tears in her eyes?  After a little digging I found out my sweet 12 year old girl was feeling very torn.  Friday night marked the occasion of the first Grade 7 and 8 Dance of the year.  After lengthy discussions all week she had decided she did not want to go.  This child of mine is completely committed to her gymnastics team, has a her first provincial meet coming up, feels ill prepared, and intended to skip the dance and work on her floor routine.  BlueEyes is a driven one, with a plan, I was not prepared for this change up she was throwing me.

After a little digging a confession spilled from those pre-teen lips that made my heart ache.  She wanted to go to the dance.  Everyone was going, all of the girls, she was afraid she was missing out on everything because of gymnastics.  Was she making a mistake skipping the very first dance of the year?  Oh no!  This would not do! 

Right then and there I took the decision from my child.  Wiped her tears, handed her a phone and a class list.  She called some girlfriends and tried to make some last minute plans while I held my breath and attempted not to eavesdrop.  A smile broke out on her face as she found a friend to ride to the dance with. The scramble began.  Shower, outfit, rules!!! 

Turns out when pre-teens are motivated they can move pretty quickly!  Hubby and I dropped two nervous, excited and extremely happy girls off at their first dance on time.  I will admit, I had a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

For the next three hours I tried to distract myself and hoped my “baby” was having a good time.

Finally…forever later, pick up time.  I saw her…walking out of the dance with a huge group of girls, giggling, chatting, skipping, arms linked, eyes shining.  Sigh.  Seeing your child this happy, this is a good Mommy Moment.  

I have survived my first school dance in the suburbs.  Happy pre-teen, happy Mom, Dad …with his head in the sand.  :)

Today, all feels right in the world.  I will enjoy this moment while it lasts.

Feeling Connected at ShesConnected

A little over a week ago I made the journey into Toronto to attend the ShesConnected Conference.  A social media conference bringing together 200 of Canada’s digitally connected women and an amazing group of forward thinking sponsors.  This is a conference I have been living and breathing for the last four months.  First as an advisor, then as a newly appointed Community Manager.  I’ve been chatting it up as the “Bloggerwomen~Steph” on twitter and become someone truly obsessed with the ShesConnected Facebook page. I’ve loved every second of it.  

As the big day rolled around, I had high expectations, big hopes and a sort of strange sense of responsibility.   I am a very small, but excited cog, in a huge wheel driving forward  this fascinating social media machine and could hardly wait to see what was ahead. 

After all the planning the long awaited for event went by in a blur, kind of like a wedding!  How do I begin to summarize all that is, and was the ShesConnected Conference?  I’ve seen some incredible posts on connections made between brands and bloggers, panels that were loved, twitter friends who were met in real life for the very first time, and of course pictures galore.  I’ve even seen posts on “What I forgot to Say” at ShesConnected.  So has it all been covered? 

Do I want to recap the entire exhausting, exhilarating, enlightening day and half conference down to the teeniest detail or do I want to talk about the spirit the feeling and the vibe?

I could cover all the specifics from the incredible Keynote speeches and speakers, to the fabulous panels:

• Product Reviews vs. Blog Tours vs. Brand Ambassador Programs
• Social Media Rock Stars: Veteran, New and Rising Stars
• What Brands Want From Digital Women
• What is a Blogger Worth?
• Rate Cards, Guidelines, and Disclosure
• The 10 Rules of the Road, Putting it All Together

I sat on the Panel “What is A Blogger Worth” and have some pretty strong opinions about this!  This is a panel I am certain could have gone in many different directions and been discussed by the hour.  Did I get my points across?       Some, not others.  I will admit to feeling a wee bit overwhelmed at some moments, frustrated at others.  I was even misquoted a couple of times!  This is new for me, and I don’t enjoy it.  (Hubby’s says get thicker skin).   I hope that people know that in order for bloggers to be valued they have to value themselves.

I could rant on about my beliefs:

Be yourself.  Be authentic.  Value your work.

I believe everyone starts as a “little” blogger.  Actually, I don’t think there is such a thing as a “little” blogger.  Words are powerful and there is value in all types, styles and sizes of social media presence.  As bloggers I believe in our power but I also believe in being generous, being nice, valuing all relationships, working hard, playing fair, being honest and having fun.

I could talk about the vibe: 

Yes, I pick the vibe!  When you walked into that conference hall you could feel the buzz.  Brands were connecting with bloggers.  Digital women were making old friends.  There was warmth, laughter and a sense of comradery. 

ShesConnected Conference 2011 left me feeling inspired, empowered and excited about the future of relationships between bloggers and brands.  It left me feeling all “girl power”. It left me with my hands full of business cards of brands who actually want to work with me, and my heart full of memories with old friends met for the very first time.

I can’t wait to do it all again.

Getting Nimble

An Electrolux Nimble Vacuum Review from the Suburbs.

You have heard me say it before, I am not a domestic goddess.  One of the chores I am truly tired of, vacuuming.  The problem.  Beige floors, white cat and a black dog.  I am vacuuming every single day.  Sigh.  Tiresome.

So, when I was asked if I was interested in reviewing the Nimble Electrolux Vacuum I figured, well, at this point I must qualify as a vacuuming expert, yes please!

Now just so you have a frame of reference, I do own a very high end vacuum as well as have a central vac (which I do not use because I find it to be a big old pain in the butt). 

The Nimble arrived in a great big box and literally snapped together in just a few steps.  I plugged this sleek little number in and was ready to go. 

The Nimble has two settings Carpet and Bare Floor.

I started out on the carpet and it sucked up every single dog hair in sight.  There is something very satisfying about removing black dog hair from beige carpet!  The Nimble seemed to have great suction and had no problem with the pet hair. 

I then tapped a switch and moved to the kitchen floor.  Easy.  The Nimble is true to it’s name! Very simple to manoeuvre, all of the turning power, none of the grunting and groaning I usually require when pushing the more traditional heavier vacuums around.  The Nimble with it’s “swivel technology” skimmed across carpet and bare floor, around the couches and under the kitchen and coffee tables with ease.

How does it do this?  How does it turn so easily?  The Electrolux Nimble Vacuum features an innovative design concept and is built on a swivel action steering system.  This must be what makes it so easy to move in and out of all those tight places in my house. The cyclonic technology helped to guarantee that during all those twists and turns I never lost suction. 

Some things I liked about this product:

The Nimble tag line brags “More Swivel, Less Struggle”.  This is absolutely true! The Nimble turns easily in tight spaces, or let’s say between shoes you just don’t have the energy to pick up.

The Nimble has a quick release wand and hose that is 14 feet long!  For me this means the cobwebs by that front hall chandelier no longer stands a chance.  With that other vacuum…my hose just didn’t reach, I had to hold up the body of the vacuum, balance, and hope like crazy that I didn’t lose my balance on the stairs as I sucked up the scary webs and dust.  The Nimble truly made this icky chore a breeze! 

The wand also has the coolest stair attachment I have ever seen!  It opens up like a claw and grabs those stairs..dog hair didn’t stand a chance!

 

The Nimble has LED headlights to help reveals dust and dirt in those hard-to-see places!

I also appreciated that the system boasts a washable filter.  No running to the store when you run out of filters!  The filter is a sealed HEPA filtration system and captures 99.97% of dirt, dust, and allergens.  I’m cleaning and filtering?  Better for the environment.  Fabulous.

It wasn’t long before I handed the Nimble off to Hero Hubby, truth be told he does even more vacuuming then I do. Not because he wants to, but because I ummm encourage him too.  :) His thoughts “Love that it’s quieter then our current vacuum, corners well and the stair gadget is ingenious if not a bit tricky to figure out at first.”

True, the claw might be a learned skill.

 

In summary if you are looking for a fairly light, easy to manipulate vacuum that deals well with everyday foot traffic and has some innovative features to make your life just a little bit easier, the Nimble is worth a peek!

 

 

The Electrolux Nimble is available at Sears, Canadian Tire and other independent retailers, or online at Electrolux.ca.
Approximate retail value: $329.99

Disclosure: I did receive a Nimble as compensation for my review, this in no way affected the opinions expressed in this post.  All opinions are my own.  Some pictures courtesy of Electrolux.ca

The One Where I Rant About Being Torn

Children come with guilt. It seems it’s just part of the package. From the moment we pee on that stick and see those two pink lines, our lives are forever changed. Our bodies, our lives, they are no longer ours alone. We are now Mom’s. What we don’t know is that from then on out, we will feel forever torn.

Torn between coffee or a caffeine free pregnancy.

Torn between breast feeding or bottle…..or both!

Torn between comforting that helpless little whimpering creature in her crib or “febreezing” her. Letting that little soul cry it out as we weep big hot tears right outside her closed bedroom door.

Go back to the career I love, or give it all up to stay home with my little miracles? Torn.

Some decisions are easier then others, and before long you are lulled into a state of complacency, thinking you have got it all figured out. Don't get comfortable, you don’t.

This summer my 9 and 12 year old hit a really sweet spot. A little bit independent mixed in with a whole lot of fiery energy and fun. My job; to play, supervise, chaperone, schedule and occasionally beg them to carve out some time for me, the Mom! They are truly in an exciting place of I can “do it by myself” and yet still have moments of needing ME, all my attention, every ounce of my energy, all the patience I can spare, and every second of my time. They still need their Mommy and I am more then okay with this!

Yes, I am a woman. I value my girlfriend relationships. I treasure my time with my Hubby. I am loving my hobby that has turned into the biggest time suck in the world, this blog and all it’s business, but first and foremost I am a MOM.

So here is my rant. If you don't hear from me for a while, or if we have plans and suddenly one of my children, my babies needs me, I’m sorry, but they will come first. Wait, I take that back. I'm not sorry! I'm lucky that I have two girls who love and need me! Time with them is fleeting and I am going to try and treasure every moment, be there to wipe every tear, and cheer like a crazy person for every victory.

I will admit I’m sure there are days I’ve “over mothered”, “under wifed” and neglected friends. I’m still struggling to find the magic balance we all seek, I'm doing the very best that I can. What I know for sure, no kid ever went off to college saying their Mother had just loved them too darn much. If I’m going to survive life in these suburbs I have to remember that first and foremost I am a Mom, and you know what, I’m done making apologies for it.

End of Rant.

9 Strange Wishes on a Road Trip to the City

Driving to Toronto from my home town for the ShesConnected Conference was 30 minutes of relaxed, cruising, enjoying the scenery, bopping to my new CD, and about 2 hours of white knuckled, muscles tensed, don’t want to get lost or crash kinda driving. 

During my drive..I had a few feeble wishes….

-I wished my stupid “loaded” car had GPS.

-I wished the bumper of every car displayed where that driver in front of me was going!  Then if I located a driver who was going to Spadina and Queen in the middle of the circle of hell Toronto I could just tag along like a puppy and stop trying to read the directions I had printed from MapQuest. 

-I wished the “estimated times” on MapQuest were a little more accurate. 

-I wished I didn’t have to pee.  I now understand why so many people end up peeing in empty Tim Horton’s cups.  It’s true!!  I didn’t, but I get it.  Traffic in the city sometimes resembles something akin to a parking lot.

-I might have wished for a time machine.

-When I reached my destination, I wished my big beautiful SUV had a wee button on it to turn it into a suitcase ala Jetsons. Parking in downtown Toronto is not for the timid.

-I wished for a valet and he appeared!

-Then I wished I had left the CD player cranked up high blasting some Miley Cyrus or Selena Gomez, you know, for the Valet. (because he might like it, and I think it would have been funny)

-Now that I’m here, I wish I had printed off directions to get home….

 

Don’t forget to enter my great Dempster’s Giveaway.  It ends today at 5pm!