Household Game Changers

My very own infomercial blogpost. Enjoy!

one. Everyone knows Labs are the friendliest dogs, great with kids, etc. but I'm not sure the mounds of hair that Caesar sheds every day really go hand in hand with little G crawling on the floor and putting everything in his mouth. I was having to vacuum a lot and it was getting pretty tiresome! We didn't have the strongest vacuum so that wasn't helping the situation. One night before I went to bed, I was dead set on splurging on a Dyson, but little did I know, the marketing reps at Bed Bath and Beyond had a different idea in mind. I woke up, checked my email, and there it was...the "game changer" from BB&B in my inbox advertising for the ROOMBA. It wasn't long before Brian was out the door, with a 20% off coupon in hand, to purchase our first robot. 

The Roomba definitely has its pros and cons, but overall, it's absolutely amazing! Yes, I have to clean it out often, it gets stuck under some furniture, Graham chases it around and turns it off, and it's loud, but to take vacuuming off my to do list makes it totally worth it. I run it almost every day and there is a very noticeable difference in the amount of dog hair that lingers on the floor. It's a purchase that just makes sense if you own a dog that sheds too much. I can sit on the floor in black yoga pants and not feel nearly as self conscious when I walk out the door as I used to. 

two. Rug pads have always bothered me. My rugs still move and I'm constantly fixing both the rug and the pad. I decided it was time to branch out and try a new method. I brought home this rug tape to try out and I love it! 

We had recently gotten a new entryway rug and there had been tons of rain and dirt in our front yard so Brian suggested moving the rug until the mud dried up so we didn't risk ruining it with dirt stains. This tape does its job so well that I hear Brian ask, "Why is the rug stuck to the floor?" 

You can still move the rug once the tape is applied, it just takes a little more force than the rug pad that never worked very well. 

three. It's hard to argue that theres a store with a scent more intriguing than Anthropologie's. My mom and I decided why not make "their scent" "our scent" so we both purchased the Volcano candle and couldn't be happier that our homes resemble Anthropologie. 

The only downside to lighting a candle used to be remembering to blow it out, but now I have Graham and there are a whole new set of "downsides." My little Nomad tries to reach EVERYTHING on tables and countertops and I'm sure a candle wouldn't be any exception. So, I recently discovered that the Volcano scent is made as a diffuser. It is absolutely amazing! I only own one in my entry way, but I'm going to slowly acquire more of them throughout the house. I love that I don't have to light it, and I put it inside of a jar so it's discreetly doing its job. Anthropologie also offers Volcano in a room spray, but I haven't tried it yet. 

four. My husband has developed a slight obsession with all things cooking. It all started with the Big Green Egg, and I'd say it's border lining out of control at this point. Brian has gotten really into slow cooking pork, ribs, and brisket and apparently keeping the temperature at a steady level is challenging in itself. When you add opening the lid to check on the meat, it creates an added dilemma because you've let most of the heat escape. So, Brian discovered this little gadget called the ThermaPen which reads the temperature in seconds. It's not cheap, and I thought it was a little crazy to get this involved in cooking, but Full Confession: I love this gadget more than he does and I probably use it twice as much. 

I'd say we eat some kind of chicken dish at least half the week. I used to always overcook chicken because who wants to deal with the risk of salmonella. Well, all has changed in our house. According to my live-in chef, chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees so that's what we aim for around here. It usually makes it up to 170-175 by the time it gets out of the oven, which Brian is quick to remind me, "is overcooked." I pull out the trusty little Thermapen and quickly check each piece in several spots. I can remember the days we used to cut into the chicken and hold it up to the light to decide if it was cooked enough or still a little pink. That sounds like the pioneer days now that we have the Thermapen.