Teddy Grahams Trail Mix Anyone?

I belong to a website group called BzzAgent.com. It's a really cool thing. They send you free samples; you get to try stuff out. In exchange, they ask you to give your honest opinions to those around you (that's the buzz part). Kind of like making you into a walking commercial, I suppose. Well, if I get free stuff, then walk and advertise I will ; ). So, that said, (because it's required by the group to disclose your membership) I will tell you about a recent product I tried out.
I was sent 2 boxes of Teddy Grahams Trail Mix: Bears & Cheese Crackers and Bears & Bees. The former consists of honey graham bears, pretzels, raisins and small Cheez-It type crackers. Now, the cheese crackers have very little actual cheese taste. That was kind of disappointing, but the rest of it was really good. It's a dash of sweet and salty, which many people like. The latter, Bears & Bees, was my fave. It had chocolate bears, honey graham bees (these are the tastiest of the 2 to me, even though I am a chocoholic, b/c the chocolate bears don't have a strong enough chocolate flavor), yogurt covered raisins (the BOMB!), and pretzels.
My kids loved these things and fought over them. They are a tad expensive ($2 something) to come in this small size, so they will have to be a special snack. I do recommend them as a healthier alternative for snacking. Kids love 'em. Heck, I hid some away for myself. If I could get a bigger box without it being way overpriced, I'd love to buy them regularly.

Robotic vacuums, or "Mom's finally gone hi-tech!"

So, I'd seen one of those little robotic vacuums at my aunt's home several Christmases back and I was thoroughly intrigued. I noticed that she didn't have carpet and figured that the robot was her way of dealing with the necessary daily cleaning that comes with non-carpeted floors. However, since there were so many folks there (my family is HUGE), I didn't bother to stop her and interrogate her on the qualities of her little robot friend. But, that little robot had firmly implanted itself in my subconcious for a later date. Shoot forward about a year to when we decided to get rid of our carpet due to family allergies and laid down wood laminate. It took me all of about 3 days to realize that I would never, ever be able to keep my floors looking pristine, nor even decent without a daily sweeping. And since I homeschooled with 3 kids (at that time), I simply couldn't do all that broom work. As I lamented my situation, that robot resurrected itself in my mind. "Oooh, that's what I neeeeed." So I began researching prices and, after the initial shock wore off, quickly relegated the little robot back to the recesses of my mind. At around $350, definitely NOT in my budget. Lo and behold, one day a month or so later, what did I see at my local Big Lots? A shiny, refurbished Roomba Discovery for $149. My husband quickly agreed on the purchase and we snapped up one of only 2 that were there. Score!
Now to the meat of it - My experience with Roomba: it is not perfect in it's capability to thoroughly clean, and it definitely loves hard floors better than carpet. It leaves dirt in corners, but it cleans under stuff, like my sofas and dining table. It can be set to clean while you do other things, but it will only clean one large floor before it needs recharging. While it is awesome for cleaning your hard floors, you will still need a regular vacuum for things like couches and drapes, etc. Sadly, my refurbished Roomba had to have a new battery within the warranty period (for free) b/c one of the battery brackets wouldn't stay "locked in". About half a year later the mechanics of it stopped working properly so I took it to a regular vacuum repair guy who fixed it up for $40. Then, later (about a year and a half) we had to buy another battery, as the life of this one was depleted (they run a hefty $69.99). Still, I gladly shelled it out in order to avoid my vacuum and broom on a daily basis. However, after about 3 years, the little robot passed on. It just ceased to function one day. I was definitely out of my warranty period, but, when I called iRobot, they let me know of their "out of warranty" program, whereby I got a discounted Sage Roomba for a mere $99, because they didn't need to send me virtual walls, remote and such because I already had that stuff. Pretty good. So, now I (or really my oldest son, who is in charge of roomba-ing the dining room & kitchen nightly, and the living room a couple of times a week) can breathe a sigh of relief. Because, let me tell you, for the couple of months that we went without our robotic friend, I was sooooo missing that little guy. And my floors were pretty gross. Now, I'd probably buy it again, even at full price, after saving up for it. But I'd probably look for a good deal on ebay first ; ) So, refurbished may not be a great idea, seeing as how we had a number of issues; and I probably wouldn't get it if I had mostly carpet. But for us, I'd rather spend my time with my kids, so it's hi-tech cleaning...or else...well...dirt.

Introducing - The Real Mom

Welcome! Necessity is the mother of invention, right? Well, necessity has just given birth again. I always wished there was a trusted resource to help me wade through all the junk, all the hype, all the wasted dollars, and get to the really good stuff. I would find myself drawn to the beauty editorials in mags, desiring to find out which products worked, which ones worked wonders, and which ones only worked over your wallet.
In this age of blogging, I've finally decided to create that which I've always longed for; a real mom giving honest reviews of products and services with no worry about someone having paid for the review. After all, that would make it advertisement, and that's not what I'm about.
Why label it with "mom"? Because I will review things that are of interest to moms. Non-moms may benefit, as may men, possibly. However, I will be blogging from a decidedly "mommy" perspective. We homeschool, so you will see some items that relate to home education. If this doesn't apply to you - skip it. If it does, check it out.
Why do this at all? To save you all dollars and discouragement, of course! As a sahm of four great kids, ages 8 months through 14 years, I NEED to be super-frugal. We homeschool, so you will see some items that relate to home education.
Also, you might wish to note: I'm a Christian, so you will probably notice my beliefs, and a kind attitude, woven throughout my blog. It's part of the fabric of my being, so it naturally comes through. This is a safe place where you won't find ugliness or hate. Always respect. Even in criticism one should always show gentleness and respect. No flames, no games, just a real mom reviewing!