This is the Vacuum You Are Looking For

My vacuum has been dying. Again. Story of our life, right? Which is why I accepted a chance to try a new vacuum. I didn't think it would be that great, but the value was listed as more than a couple hundred dollars, so maybe? Anyhow, my opinions quickly changed. Let me show you why! 

*Disclaimer: I was sent this product free in exchange for writing my honest review. I was not otherwise paid or endorsed. All opinions about it are my own.*

All the best features...

First off, this comes from a company called Levoit. I had never heard of them before. Mention a Shark or Bissell, and I know exactly what you are talking about. But this? Nope. Apparently, they are higher-end products. 

This particular one hangs on the wall, allowing for better storage. I love that it doesn't take up more space in an already limited home. It also means that it can be put wherever I need it. Which is the laundry closet zone for me. I will say that my husband used his own anchor pieces as the flimsy ones included didn't want to truly hold up as well. 

While it is lightweight, they did not skimp on quality. How do I know? My technically-minded husband put it together for me and was praising its quality parts. Coming from him, that is high praise! Being lightweight was important to me though. Why? Because my pain has made a lot of the cleaning more difficult. While I love having 4 kids capable of helping me, it is never to my standard. This vacuum helps me do at least that chore with minimal pain increase. 

The quality has greatly shown in how well it gets up the dust, dirt and other crud from the floors. We have 2 kinds of carpet in this old house of ours. The standard kind runs through the hallway and our sons' room. But the rest of the areas in the house with carpet are this indented squares style that I can't wait to replace. Stuff gets in the grooves and this makes the floors feel and smell dirty still. But I have noticed a great difference since using this new vacuum. 

Another feature I have enjoyed is that it lights up as you vacuum. Do I vacuum in the dark? No. So why does it matter? Even with lights on, there are areas that are dark, like some corners and under some furniture. This lights up the path I'm going in so I can make sure nothing is on the floor in front of me in those darker areas.  

A tangle-less brush?! I didn't know this existed, but I have been loving it! We have 6 people in this house and every single one sheds to some degree. Hair getting caught in the vacuum meant either I or my husband were having to clear the brush too often. 

This is a battery-powered device. However, the battery charges quickly and lasts me through the whole house. We have 5 rooms and a hallway. I can get the whole place done without needing to stop for a charge. 

The head swivels with amazing ease. I love getting into all the crevices and corners. Even under chairs. The filter pops out easily so that I can knock off anything holding on in the tank. Then you just click it back into place. You can also get replacement filter kits on the website. And the extensions are so easy to swap out! Everything is a single button click from taking apart or putting together. If I need to switch between the speed settings as I go, I can do so without stopping what I am doing. It is right there where my hand holds it. 

Where can you find these?

Well, there is the company website HERE. That is where I learned they are currently on discount for about $150.  

You can also get them on Amazon for the same price, but with the possibility of free shipping.  

One Little Thing

Time sure has sped up. Another year is drawing to a close. I sit here wondering where the time has gone. Contemplate the little accomplishments that have passed by. And feel blessed by each one. I have been trying to work on a single project at a time. To try to catch up on my back log. I fit these in between the times I spend on maintaining my family's needs. One of the most recent ones, was a picture frame. 

This wasn't meant to be a frame (that I know of). This bamboo thing was given to me as part of a trade I made. He counted it as junk he didn't need. But I saw a treasure in the making. After cleaning it up, I didn't quite have an idea formed though. So it sat in the crafting bin. Then I saw a new purpose to give it. A picture frame! I tacked the photo in, using semi-permanent glue dots. Well, why write it out when I can just explain it in a video? Enjoy! 

 Remember, it is the little things. Giving us joy. Purpose. A sense of accomplishment. I don't have to spend hours working on something to feel like I'm doing something worthwhile. So take a moment to appreciate a small accomplishment you have too. 

Bringing the Galaxy to Our Game Room

What used to be a closet, has become our Nerd Room. Or Game Room. Or Man Cave. It kinda fits all those descriptions depending on who you ask in this household. From the 3D printed light switch cover and electrical outlet covers, to the shelves displaying Star Wars, Star Trek, Minecraft, and Zelda collections, this room is being made into our dream room. We have been running out of space though lately. Which is where space comes into play....

My husband and I both love space. But for different reasons. He loves true space. Vast, beautiful and unfathomable. I love space in movies. Star Wars, Star Trek, Serenity - I'm that space nerd. But they are essentially the same thing. So we came to an idea together. What if our Nerd Room was given a makeover that brought space inside?? It isn't a big room. Like I said, it used to be a closet for the previous owners. A large walk-in closet, but a closet still. 

So we looked up. After all, where are the stars usually? Up! There was an ugly popcorn plastered ceiling above us. Normally, I'd want to remove everything from the room. Lay down some plastic sheeting. Hit the tunes. And then begin the process of scraping or sanding off all that plaster. But that takes time. And removes the gaming room from existence for a period of time that would be unbearably long to my many gamers in this house. I thought we were going to have a nuclear meltdown when my TV quit working on me... We could only play from one console and it about killed the kids. 

So what do I do? The next best thing! We bought a gallon of black paint. Flat. Nothing too fancy. And because I couldn't remove everything from the room indefinitely, I carefully started painting the ceiling by hand with the biggest brush I had in my crafting supplies. Time consuming, sure, but totally worth the final effort. 

Each time I got to painting, I set timers or had the kids time me. About 20 minutes was my goal. Once or twice I was able to push it to 30-40 minutes. By then, my hands and feet had that painful tingling and numb feeling. As well as arms and neck that hurt from being upward turned for too long. 

My starting point was around the light fixture as my husband was planning to install a new fan/light combo that he chose. I slowly circled outward from there. And it looked much like those psychiatry ink blots.

So my kids came up with ideas on what the shapes looked like. My youngest would give me a 5 minute story to go with her ideas. And then a friend pointed out that it looked like the Nothing from The Neverending Story.

This is where I learned that my husband had never seen that movie! Which then prompted me to borrow it from the library and have a family movie night. My kids laughed at it and said it was cool, but weird. My husband thought it interesting. He laughed at the boy reading and said it reminded him of me.

My three older kids started chipping in to help me. It made the progress go by faster. And we had fun talking while we worked. Shapes and blackness kept spreading along the way.

Notice those shapes going from the ceiling to the wall? That was not me making a mess. Nor was it accidental. I did that on purpose with the idea that it would look like the roof had been torn away to let the galaxy in. I'm no artist, but I think it worked out alright.

The finished product of all this work was a scene better than I could have thought. See those white flecks? This is what happens when you paint over the popcorn texture by hand. It is nearly impossible to cover all the angles. So you are left with parts that look like stars shining through the darkness.

The final part of the job was to get the outline of a moon left white. My husband had to do this. My attempt had it looking like a stretched out half moon.

Now that my moon is in place, the entire ceiling is finished and we are ready to add some exploration vehicles!

Oh, didn't I tell you? We have these LEGO sets that were space themed. They have been sitting in their boxes for years. Just never had a place to display them. But we had this great idea. What if we could hang them from the ceiling? What if the land vehicles are parked on the shelf under the night sky? 

But then...

Before I could finish this post and share it with you, there was a bit of an accident. A hole was punched through the ceiling during a wiring attempt for another home project. So now we have a black hole. *Pun totally intended!* It was an interesting patch job that I hope not to have to repeat. How well can you tell the difference??

Eventually, my husband and I will start hanging the rocket and satellite builds. Then I have to figure out the shelf for the ground vehicles. But for now, I think we have a pretty unique setup going. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! I love hearing from you. Any ideas on how to improve this?

When a House Becomes a Home

I've been considering where we live. For me, it is so temporary. Waco isn't 'home' for me. For us. It has become just another step towards the goal. Yet, I want this place to be more like my dream home. We have been putting thought and prayer into where we are going next, but it is still to be seen. So in the meantime, I've started re-evaluating things that I've been saving for that "one day" of purchasing our first house. Wondering if we should even bother. Or are wasting our time? 

But the thought comes back to me every time - Live for today, for tomorrow is not promised. This means a lot to me. It means that I can't keep trying to gaze ahead. I can make plans in pencil, but I need to be open. I can save up for the future, but be ready to adjust course. 

Turning this place into my dream home.

Temporarily speaking, this place is my dream. I have the most important people in my life living within the same walls. Little by little, I'm making this place into what I imagine my future home will be like. 

Star Wars posters covering a wall. 

Minecraft figures will one day be lining a custom-made shelf. 

Star Wars figures will be on one shelf, and Wonder Woman on another. 

My husband will have a decent amount of shelves occupied by Star Trek, NASA, Alien, and other game themed memorabilia. 

You get the idea. My husband bought bookshelves that we lined with books for each person in our family. I treasure the ability to read. It is something I am teaching my own kids to enjoy as well. This was the start of bringing about that vision I've had for my dream home. On my Bucket List, I included wall-to-wall shelving as a library feature. 

We are Nerds. And our home greatly reflects that. I've decided to put a little more pride into that. I pulled things from bins, found places for them and started showing them off. This place is home. Time to truly embrace that feeling, no matter how little time we have left in it. 

What kind of a setup do you enjoy in your home? What theme do you find trickling into every room?

Do you grow anything?

I just learned something recently about growing green onions... Normally I grow them outside in a pot. Water, dirt, air, and sunlight. But now I know there is another way to do it. And it requires only a baggie in the fridge.

Yep, you read that right. I cut the roots off. Then I put those roots into a plastic baggie. I put that baggie into the fridge and left it there for a month or two. When I went to pull that baggie out again, I found they had grown again. Oh the applications I can use this for...Especially since I'm the kind who kills things more than grows them.

So what do you grow? And how do you do it? I, personally, have plans to one day grow roses, lilies, and orchids. And if my thumb will turn green - tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and maybe strawberries. Good to aspire, right?

We made it!

We are finally home! We made it safely to Texas and now can relax as we make this unit our home. At first we stayed with my in laws and then we got a hotel room for a few nights. Want to test your patience? Put a family of five in one room daily. Especially when 3 of them are five years and under.
Getting the keys was so much more exciting than most would think. It's a sign of starting fresh. Of feeling free. And so much joy that you could burst as you watch the children go wild.

This place isn't the Ritz by far. But it's not the ghetto either. Our garage was packed full of our things and I spent all day putting as much as I could away. After I get off work tomorrow, I'll get right back to unpacking.

There is a 10x10 back yard that the kids and I plan to grow flowers in the corner of. I've always wanted a yard and after 6 years of not having one... I can't wait to work in it. We spent about an hour or so clearing it up and even planted gladiolas and sun flowers. My boys love watching Curios George and after getting the Going Green DVD, they have been begging me to plant a garden that they can watch grow.

 The floors throughout the downstairs are stained concrete. I won't have to worry about spilled juice except for the possibilities of slips. It's cold, this is true. And I have a lot of sweeping to do. But I'll get a rug for the combined dining/living area eventually. We also ordered a couch and table set for the living room that should be here by the weekend.

 Yesterday, we finally got the things we left in storage which included the beds. So thankful for the help from my in laws as well as friends. While moving, we made jokes and caught up. It really helps the work go by smoother when you are having fun. My husband decided to let the dolly ride in the truck with him and his friend since all the other spaces were filled... I told him that every corner they turned would earn him a kiss from the tires.

Before getting those things, we only had two air beds that both leak air so I've been sleeping on the floor. Waking up with migraines wasn't working out too well.
We ordered a washer/dryer set that should arrive this week as well. I'm going to have a mountain of laundry to do... But I'm happy to say I'll finally have a set and they'll be in my own garage, another first for us.

This place has two floors so my kids will wear themselves out with all the up and downs they do daily. And we finally get to cook really good meals again! Tonight was Italian chicken, rice and sautéed veggies. Mmm... how I've missed my kitchen!

Oh and I love how this neighborhood has a sense of humor! The stop signs (a least two of them) have additions that make you laugh and possibly sing. This is one:

Another says "Don't STOP Believin'". I love it!

This kitchen is about the size I had before, but somehow seems to have more space. Or maybe I'm getting better with my organization skills.

Thanks for reading and sharing in my life's adventures! I'll post again soon with updated pictures that show how we are turning this place in a Home.

Super mom having a not-so-super day...

I've been sick the last couple days. Something in the vicinity of allergy or cold... I hate getting sick. It's disgusting and draining. Then I also have three munchkins ranging from 1-5 years of age. The oldest seems to be holding off the illness quite well. The middle child is wiping his nose on anything EXCEPT tissues. And the youngest has started showing signs of the sickness which has her quite miserable. Plus, she's learned to climb on just about everything and in the past 24 hours has fallen and managed to hit her mouth 3 times. I can tell she takes after me already.
I seriously wanted to curl up in bed and sleep until I'm all better. Then I made the mistake of looking around the apartment. Dishes in the sink, floor un-swept and needing to be vacuumed. There's a load of laundry in the dryer plus I should be starting another load.... I went to pick up my sons cup and found his grilled cheese sandwich that he said he had eaten, floating in his Koolaid. This is an average day for me. But normally I can keep up with demands. Feeling like I have the plague... Not so much!

I was faced with the choice of going to bed and calling the day quits... Or putting on the big girl undies and getting to work. Can you guess which one I chose?
Yep... An hour later and the floors were cleaned, counters wiped, dishes done, daughter awake from her nap and eating. I'm still holding out hope for a nap or quiet moment to rest. In the meantime I'm going finish the laundry, plan this weeks meals, make a shopping list to match and try not to pull my hair out in the process.
It's difficult some days, not gonna lie. I want to curl up and growl at everyone that comes to me for something. Husband comes asking what I deem "stupid" questions every five minutes, my oldest son asks to play a game about a hundred times a day, middle child wants to sit around watching movies all day, and my baby girl wants to be held and/or fed often. I would clone myself if possible! Then one of me could work while the other me handles home issues. But alas... its not possible... yet.
Tonight is a win though. Italian marinated chicken, rice, apple cobbler, and garlic bread for dinner. Score!

 

Paper Lanterns by Divine-Planet.com review

I love to decorate our home using unique things. Unique and colorful! So I was really excited when I was granted the chance to review 3 paper stars from Divine-Planet.com. They are vibrantly colored and so easy to fold out. It adds a cheery lighting option to any room. Each paper star lantern is hand-made; from the glue, paintings and folding!

I requested the The Fire Star Lamp, Butterfly Star Lamp, and the Hologram Lantern in Silver. The Hologram Lantern in Silver is covered in a holographic shiny material. The light actually reflects off it and catches in a pretty way. It goes in any room!
The Butterfly one I hung above my daughters bed. It's like have a cheery lighted mobile that glitters and catches her attention.

The Fire Star hangs above my kitchen bar and adds a bright edge to my fiesta-styled kitchen decor. It is reminiscent of the Harley style and colors.

I decided to include a video showing you just how easy they are to put together and enjoy.

 

They measure 24 inches from point to point.

You can also choose not to order the light cord if you just want to hang the star around your home.

They also have a Facebook page you can check out for updates.

We put one in my sister's closet. It adds a soft glow inside.

***I was sent these items for free for the sole purpose of doing this review. I was not paid or otherwise reimbursed. I was not told what to say. These are completely my opinions of the products***

Madison at Main Jelly Bean Rug review and giveaway

Lets face it, as moms we are always looking to simplify things. Having three young children means I look to make everything as easy and smooth running as possible.
Also having kids while renting a place, I enjoy having rugs to cover the floors. It not only protects the floors, but adds ways to doll up the living spaces, make a home seem more cozy, and give those little feet running around something soft to run on.

Madison at Main gave me the chance to review a Jelly Bean Rug for you guys. It was so hard picking a style since there are so many to choose from! I settled for the Fiesta Chili's one to put in the kitchen.
It's so fun, washable, and kid friendly. The colors are so vibrant too. It's made from 35% recycled post-consumer PET plastic. While it isn't non-slip, it doesn't slide around too much.
For each type of rug, they have care instructions on their website. The person I was in contact with about receiving my rug was exceptionally friendly. I look forward to possibly getting more rugs from them for our home. In addition to rugs, they have blankets, throws, and afghans.

If you'd like to know more about Madison at Main, keep up with their latest and greatest, or just want to check out what they are currently offering - you can check any of the following links; Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or their website Madison at Main. They also have a blog right here on Blogspot you can subscribe to.
So now for some fun. I get to offer my US resident readers a chance to win their very own rug from Madison at Main! Just submit your entries below and good luck! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway