are your kids learning phonics?

Check out the great sale on phonics magnets at eagermind.com !

espresso at home

My husband bought us a Primula stovetop espresso maker (for the very small price of $7 at Ross), and with the addition of a milk frother (for about $12), we are making delicious mochas and lattes in our own kitchen. I am amazed that the process is this affordable! Two squares of Green and Black dark chocolate melt smoothly into the espresso (the Mayan Gold variety is especially nice) to make a silky mocha. What a perfect accompaniment to a morning quiet time or an afternoon writing session.

Product of the Week: Laura's Lathers Body Butter

Laura's Lathers

Laura is a homeschool mom who makes lovely soaps and lotions and other bath products. This week I received some Body Butter in Cool Mint and also in Sleepy Time (lavender and vanilla). The kids love these and so do I -- thick lotions that are great for eczema. The fragrances are long lasting (and helpful for migraine days).

I also bought some Lavender Foaming Sugar Scrub; it lathers and exfoliates with a very natural lavender fragrance.

celtic mugs

A friend of mine has this beautiful mug. I've always admired it, and I finally found an online retailer (with a little help from another friend): http://www.thedanugallery.com/colmdiris.html

The price is a bit more than I expected, though. I don't think I'll be replacing all our coffee mugs anytime soon...

In my searching, I also found these, which aren't as much fun, but are certainly more affordable.

There's a beautiful pitcher here, but I am trying to decrease my cream pitcher collection at the moment.

lip balm!

I love to try new lip products, but I always come back to this one. On the scorching days of our desert summers, or the windblown winter days of our holidays in the Northwest, I rely on Rosebud lip salve. This is not a new product; it's been around for more than a hundred years. It feels fabulous, it adds a little shine, and it heals chapped lips. My only complaint is that if I've just applied moisturizer to my face, my hands are too slippery to open the tin. I finally realized that I could scoop some Rosebud Salve into a more easily opened container.

I buy this at ebay, but I've also seen it at Victorian Trading Company. I'm currently using a minted version.

I misplaced my Rosebud Salve in my suitcase last time I was in Oregon. Two days without it in the cool March air left my lips dry and rough. Thankfully, I discovered the salve in an unexplored pocket, and my lips recovered overnight.

a gift to myself

I bought this lovely necklace from http://www.mompotter.blogspot.com/ (there's a link on the right hand side to her etsy store.

Oreck air filter

We ordered an air filter from Oreck. With all the construction happening near us, we thought it would help with allergy issues, but we mainly wanted the free vacuum cleaner they promised in the commercial. We've had the filter for almost a month now -- and the children and I have been sniffly the entire time. The filter makes loud snapping noises and blue sparks every time I open the front door; the children are quite frightened by this.

The commercials for these air filters make it sound as if the free vacuum arrives with the filter, but actually the filter comes first. Almost a month later, I'm still waiting for the voucher to arrive -- then I have to put a sticker on it, and return it, and then they send the vacuum.

I've given up. My husband bought a Bissell (see this post) and I'm going to return the Oreck air filter.

Product of the Week: Velocity skin care

No one told me that after I turned thirty I'd get pimples again! And the last few months, the blemishes have been more frequent than ever. I tried several different skin care systems, and nothing seemed to work. Finally I talked with a friend who sells Mary Kay, and she came over and let me try a few things. I decided on the Velocity products (the cheapest!), and a week later I am very pleased. No new pimples, much smoother skin, and the previous pimples have flattened and almost vanished. I bought the acne treatment gel too. Velocity is mainly marketed to teenagers, but my friend said lots of mature women use it too. It has a light pleasant citrus fragrance.

Soft Scrub: REALLY my product of the week

When Cathy brought her housekeeper to help me, she used Soft Scrub with Bleach to clean the kitchen counters and the sink. I was impressed with this product and I bought some Soft Scrub without Bleach (because bleach scares me: fumes! spots on clothing!).

I used it in the kitchen, and it works fine without the bleach. Today I tried it on the dining room table. I often forget to wipe the table after dinner, and by morning there is FOOD stuck all around the edges. I've scrubbed and scrubbed (not as frequently as I should) and I have not been successful in removing the gumminess left by small fingers and frequent spills. But today I finally accomplished it, with the help of Soft Scrub. I don't know that it's safe for fine furniture, but it works on our old table!

the batter blaster

I thought this was going to be my favorite product of the week: Batter Blaster. It looks like one of those cans filled with whipped cream, but instead it's pancake batter. Just point it at your griddle or skillet and spray. It sounded great. My husband used it with an electric skillet and he said it worked really well.

But it didn't work for me. I started out with the griddle on medium heat, and the pancakes burned. I kept lowering the temperature but they still burned. The bottom would be dark before they were firm enough to flip, which made a mess.

Nice concept. Not so great in actual practice.

If my husband gives me any tips on improving my technique, I'll pass them on!

Favorite Product of the Week: the ShMop

I am not a mopping expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I mopped my floors tonight and I must say that I love this mop:

ShMop mop

The mop head is a big flat rectangle, and there are big washcloths with elastic around the edges that go over the big rectangle. It's really like scrubbing your floor with a big washcloth, except you don't have to get down on your hands and knees! And it's so big (but lightweight) that the job goes very quickly.

I buy Mrs. Meyers cleaning products from drugstore.com, so when I mop downstairs it smells like lemon verbena, and when I mop upstairs it smells like lavender. I find this far more pleasant than PineSol.

Cathy's Vacuum

Cathy has this vacuum and she's been using it all over my house. She said she bought it 4 years ago and it's still working well. Considering that the price at Walmart.com is under 50 bucks, and we've gone through 4 cheap vacuums in the last 2 years, I'm impressed.

But I notice 2 things when Cathy vacuums. She empties the bin (it's bagless) after vacuuming half a room. She also removes the filter often, shaking out, and sometimes rinsing it. After rinsing it, she wraps it in a towel to squeeze the water out, getting it ready for immediate use again.

I can see that I have not done the necessary routine maintenance on my vacuums.

Meanwhile, we've ordered an air filter from Oreck that comes with a free vacuum.