Busy Mom Reviews

It's well documented that we are serial appliance abusers around here.

OK, so we don't hurt them on purpose, we're just REALLY hard on things.

Therefore, when we buy something, it tends to be from a standby, quality name like Kenmore. In fact, our washer and dryer (such as they are, they tend to be on life-support since they've been around a LONG time, and are used multiple times a day) and refrigerator are from Kenmore

Now, I know what you're thinking, especially in light of the recent proliferation of appliances from fancy makers, Kenmore is...is...your mother's brand.

(No, I don't actually know your mother, much less what appliances she likes, just work with me here, mmmkay? Also, if you type "appliance" enough, it starts to look really, really funny.)

You know: white, reliable, functional (whispers: *boring*).

The Kenmore name has been around since 1928. It has a rich heritage, and the name has become synonymous with quality and dependability, but not so much style.

Guess what?

Things have changed.

Go on, go look at the Kenmore website.

Not what you expected, huh?

They like to think of it as KenMORE!

I know a little about this, because I attended the Kenmore Style Blogger Summit event at Sears Headquarters in Chicago last month with 19 other bloggers where we met with designers and brand managers to find out what's going on at Kenmore.

In 2008, Kenmore undertook a complete redesign of their appliance line. They sought inspiration from modern, popular electronics, even going to CES for ideas.

Since Kenmore thinks of themselves as the “brand of the people” they are committed to high end design at affordable prices. Even though their new appliances are all fancy, the prices are still comparable.

We got to see all of the redesigns up close, and I don't say this lightly, I'm very impressed with what they've done (photos shamelessly yoinked from Short Pump Preppy as my kids downloaded mine from my camera into computer folders unknown right now):

From the refrigerator with a capacity 465 cans of Coke ("soda" or "pop" to you Yankees) to better understand how big is it, to the dryer with 5 different motions, depending on the fabric, and washers with the ability to handle a king-sized comforter, it's clear that Kenmore has spent time talking to consumers, finding out what they need and want, and putting into practice.

One innovative feature with their washers and dryers is Kenmore Connect.

If something goes wrong, you can send real-time diagnostic information to a repair technician over the phone using Kenmore Connect,

You can get your questions answered, and maybe even save a service call. Seriously, you just hold your phone up to the appliance and magic happens.

If a service call is necessary, the service person will arrive with the correct parts, so there's no more "come back later" to get it working again.

(What? Correct parts for the washer or dryer. What did you think I meant?)

Did you know that Kenmore also has a line of small appliances and a line of cookware? I wasn't really aware of how much stuff they had, and these rank right up there with the popular fancy brands.

We capped off the day at the Kenmore Live Studio where they host weekly live events featuring their products for the Mommy Bloggers v. Food Bloggers Throwdown (includes recipes), where we had a fun evening cheering for our favorite bloggers, and sampling the great food.

If you're in the market for appliances, do check out what's new at Kenmore for style and innovation at a great price.

Disclosure: Many thanks as I was invited by Mom Impact and Kenmore to participate in this event. Food, lodging and transportation were paid for by Kenmore, I was also paid to participate in a focus group, and will receive a couple of small appliances.

However, I am free to write what I want, and I can tell you I'm truly impressed with what they've done, and you really oughta go look at them.

Kenmore sent me a vacuum cleaner to check out because, for people with an old house with many wood floors, we seem to go through them as if they were disposable.

More specifically, I received a Kenmore Canister Vacuum Cleaner to put through the Busy Household Test.

It's got lots of great features including (from the website):

* Cross Over Powermate: Built in bare floor nozzle detaches to clean all floor surfaces
* Electronic control pad handle with all settings and indicators at your fingertips
* Lightweight telecopic wand with light and swivel action for ease and convenience
* Variable Power can adjust for all your cleaning needs
* Quiet Guard 2 sound insulation for quieter vacuuming performance
* Infrared dirt sensor indicates locations to help you locate and remove embedded dirt
* Quick Release and deluxe tools on board to make above floor cleaning a snap
* HEPA filtration for cleaner exhaust air

But the truth is that I don't often get to vacuum, as Busy Dad may or may not (I'll never tell) be a compulsive vacuum-er, so he's the real expert on how this Kenmore Canister Vacuum works.

Please note the following:

1. I am not a video editor. A video editor would have made an actual video out of these clips.
2. Busy Dad really likes vacuum cleaners.
2. Busy Dad actually has a head.

The Kenmore Canister Vacuum has easy to access and useful controls right on the handle, and even features an infrared dirt sensor that lets you know when to stop vacuuming.

And, one of my favorite features, the quick release:

Isn't that cool?

Another great feature is the Pet Powermate for removing pet hair (and kid miscellanious fuzz) from furniture.

The Kenmore Canister Vacuum is very powerful with great suction (resisting "it sucks!" jokes, here) and cleans floors and carpets well. The tools are useful and easily accessible, and easy to change to with the quick release functions.

The HEPA filtration is important for us, as I have a couple of kids with asthma. It's pretty quiet (as far as vacuums go), and is reasonably easy to transport.

For the wish list: re-tool the wheel on the canister a little as it doesn't always move as predicted, and you sometimes have to tug on the hose itself to get where you're going, and that puts strain on the hose connection at the canister.

Overall, we really like this vacuum (and by "we" I mean Busy Dad, as I think I've gotten to use it twice since we've had it), and we he looks forward to using it for a long time!

(Disclosure: Didn't you read the first sentence? Kenmore gave me the vacuum. However, I'm under no obligation to write a positive review, or any review at all, for that matter. These words are the honest opinion from my family, I just thought you might like this product, too.)

Last week, I had the honor of hosting 7 friends for a Kellogg's Mom's Breakfast Club breakfast.

it was a beautiful Friday morning, and people came to my house after school drop-offs to enjoy some coffee and talk about breakfast routines, breakfast choices, and, yes, cereal.

We had a great conference call with Kellogg's, they gave us information, and answered questions. Everyone agreed that mornings can be hectic, especially during the week, and cereal can play a role in making sure everyone gets a nutritious breakfast in, even when they have to rush off.

It was interesting to have the conversation about breakfast and morning routines with moms, especially those with teenagers since it can be hard to get them properly fed in the mornings.

Participants were very surprised to learn that cereal provides a small proportion (only 5%) of the average child’s daily intake of sugar, and the Kellogg's brand has several low in sugar cereals such as Kashi.

Many of the cereals, even the "kid" ones, are lower in sugar than you might think. Many people said that their families enjoy snacking on dry cereal, and that it's not just for breakfast.

We had a coffee cake made with Rice Krispies, and I thought I'd share the recipe with you. (I made Strawberry-Lemon coffee cake, and it turned out great):

Blackberry Lemon Coffee Cake

Preparation Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients:

3 cups Rice Krispies® (crushed to 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1egg
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup seedless, blackberry spreadable fruit

Directions
1. In large mixing bowl, stir together KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal, flour and
sugar. Using pastry blender, cut in margarine. Remove 1/2 cup mixture and set
aside for topping. To remaining mixture, stir in baking powder, soda and salt.

2. Beat together egg, buttermilk and lemon peel. Add to cereal mixture, stirring
only until combined. Spread 2/3 batter evenly over bottom of 9 x 1 1/2-inch
round cake pan coated with cooking spray. Evenly spread fruit over batter to 1/2
inch of pan. Dot with remaining dough and carefully spread over fruit. (All of
fruit will not be covered) Sprinkle top completely with reserved topping
mixture.

3. Bake at 350° F about 40 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes
out clean. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into wedges to serve.

Want to know more about cereal and a good breakfast? Check out Kellogg's Love Your Cereal.

This event was part of a paid campaign, and I'm proud to be working with The Motherhood and Kellogg’s. Kellogg’s supplied some cereal, small participant gifts, informational brochures and a stipend to cover other breakfast expenses.

Eggland's Best Eggs, a leader in quality and nutritious eggs, is proud to announce their pink ribbon partnership with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

As part of the program, (has sound) Eggland’s Best will stamp the running Pink Ribbon logo alongside its EB logo on all sizes and varieties of EB eggs, as well as update its packaging to demonstrate this commitment.

The newly stamped EB eggs will be on shelves from mid-September to mid-November and Eggland’s Best will donate $50,000 to support Komen for the Cure in its promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever.

Along with several other bloggers, I'm a member of Eggland's Best "Pink Dozen" to help spread the word about this partnership and more.

In case you are wondering, I don't take my involvement in this lightly.

I know this is a paid campaign (nothing to hide! really!), and, I know the topic of breast cancer, and even the awareness campaigns may be a sensitive one for lots of reasons.

I know you are probably already "aware" of breast cancer. However, as a nurse, and someone who works in the area of cancer screening, I believe someone has got to do something about this disease, and it costs money to fight it.

We may never come to a consensus about how to go about it, but there are people out there working on it, anyway.

Also, Eggland's Best Eggs, really are good. My husband started buying them several months ago, and I didn't pay much attention at first, but I quickly realized they are different, and also good for you (assuming that you eat eggs in the first place).

Here's a little more about them:

Don't forget to check out Eggland's Best Eggs on Twitter and Eggland's Best Eggs on Facebook where you can find information, conversation, recipes and coupons.

Bonus points: they even have an Eggland's Best blog.

I am being compensated for my participation in Eggland's Best Eggs Pink Dozen campaign. However, my opinions are my own, and I enjoy sharing things you might find useful. That's all. Really.