Epic Mess? Be Gone! With #EurekaPower Suction Seal

This shop has been compensated by #CollectiveBias, Inc. and its advertiser, Walmart and #EurekaPower Suction Seal 2.0. All opinions however are 100% my own. 

Epic Mess?

I've got that.

Scratch that. I've got LOTS of that.

I'm picky when it comes to my vacuums. They have-to-work. Wait, is that picky, or totally normal to want a vacuum to clean?

I should probably just invent one that I can carry in my pocket, or dangle around my neck as an accessory since I'm vacuuming more times during the day than I get to go pee.

I don't have a pet (besides a fish), so it's not pet hair, or a husband that wears muddy boots (he's an academic). I do however, have these incredible specimens living with me:

• Big Sister H. (3 yrs old) aka. painter extraordinaire & play-dough enthusiast

• Baby O. (2 yrs old) aka. crayon wrapper shredder, cornstarch interior designer

• The Bookend (7 mo. old) aka. baby wipe ripper-upper, cheerio disbursement machine

I love these kids like crazy, but not being able to count even on two hands, (yes all my fingers are intact) how many messes I have to clean up each day can be, shall we say..............tiring?

When we got married, back in 2003 my hubby and I decided to make a "big purchase" and get a big name brand vacuum, prior to this we always had some cheap sweep/broom/vacuum sort of thing.

Within a few months, this, shall we call it "tYSON" vacuum started making crazy loud, scary sounds and totally lost it's suction power.

We still have it. We still use it. We couldn't bear to give it up after spending real, grown-up money on the stupid thing. But, it takes me 6-7 passes back and forth to suck up any kind of dirt or paper bits. L-A-M-E. 

I was in the market for a vacuum that would save me time, one that would make me not work harder than it was working for me. So, I was excited at the chance to test the Eureka Suction Seal 2.0, available at Walmart during the month of November for a rollback price of $129 (normal retail: $148.88).

It wasn't too hard to find the Vacuum Section of my local Walmart. 

I lie. 

Well, I had three kids with me, and I didn't want to wander forever, so I did ask an employee.  

She pointed me to the Home Living Section, and under the Storage & Laundry Sign was where I found the vacuum motherload at Walmart.

 Take a look at that hot, shimmering pink vacuum! 

That's my new Eureka, baby!

Not to be gender role stereotypical, but I think someone has finally figured out who does most of the vacuuming in the house.....well our house anyway. 

Honestly, pink is personally my least favorite color. I'm just not a girly, girl, but this hot pink color is really cool - and this machine has some massive power to it.

It's not a joke that I seriously appreciate cleaning tools that work. Just look at what my 2 year old did in a matter of minutes while I was fixing lunch....

Baby O. (now 2 years old) somehow got into my desk drawer and found a tape, yes audio tape from some recording device I used to use for taping lectures in college and managed to simultaneously, pull the tape to shreds, while scattering a box of business cards I kept from blog contacts all over my bedroom floor.

Thanks, Baby O. 

Oh, wait. You're not done yet? You found the baby wipes and have decided to squeeze the "juice" out of them and shred them to bits on our carpet? 

Still not finished with the chaos? How about tearing some of my mail into tiny pieces? 

Solution? Get the vacuum out, mama! Which I did.

....and it works like an epic mess genius! 

Then, I found THIS video showing an "actress mom" encountering an "epic mess" which is pretty funny, but I'm not joking when I say that this kind of stuff happens to me x5 daily, seriously! 

One of my favorite favorite part of this vacuum was that I didn't have to bend over, winding the cord around and round when I was finished.  There is a simple button to press that ZIIIIP, winds the cord up for you!

Watch me using this feature on this Instagram video clip, here! 

Also, I found that it transitioned easily from my carpet to the linoleum in the kitchen. It was able to have great suction with both surfaces, due to it's suction seal design which raises and lowers based on the structure of the floor. 

Until these kids (below) find some way to break it, it's gonna be my new BFF!

Well, the Eureka Suction Seal 2.0 may not be able to sort out the marker, peanut butter and paint-in-the-hair messes of my kiddos above, but it can at least give me a clean floor to sit them on for their TIME OUT's (hee, hee). 



Please share with me.....how many times a day do YOU have to pull out your vacuum to clean?

Cool Gifts For Hard-To-Shop-For Men #OneBuyForAll

Who's the person you are dreading shopping for most this holiday?

I'd bet my savings (about $25 bucks, heh.) that it's one of the males in your life.  It's so hard to find cool gifts that dads, brothers, uncles and grandfathers would love to receive, right?  In my circle, my dad is probably the hardest person to shop for, since he says he has everything he needs, and if he wants something, he'll go buy it himself.

So, in honor of my dad, I decided to get a little holiday shopping inspiration at Best Buy Gift Center and create my own holiday gift guide for men that are hard to buy for!

I do a lot of my holiday shopping online, so I was dreading actually stepping foot in a mortar and brick store, for fear I would be attacked by sales people and forced to buy something I didn't want.

Luckily, I had a very pleasant experience in the showroom at Best Buy. Just the right amount of sales person interaction, "Are you finding everything okay?" and when I said "Yes, yes I am" they left me alone to hunt for the perfect gift for my dad.

Shopping in the Best Buy showroom gave me so many more ideas than I previously had when shopping online. 

There's just something about holding a camera in your hand or flipping through a stack of DVD's that creates an excitement that online shopping just doesn't bring. So, join me in my adventure at the Best Buy Gift Center, creating the perfect holiday gift guide for my dad, which may also work for one of the men in your life!

#1. Tablets

Starting as low as $60, this is a fantastic gift option for the traveling man in your life. When laptops are too cumbersome to lug around, your favorite guy could pack along his new tablet, like the Galaxy Note in his carry-on, instead.

Note: I just saw the #GALAXYNOTE is trending on Twitter, so it must be a hot gift item this year! Click here to see what other top ranking Best Buy gifts are trending right now!

 

  

 #2. Smart Phones

When I was in California visiting my dad recently, my phone had survived it's last toddler chew session, and the sound conked out. So, good ol' dad bought me the NEW iPhone 5, even though HE still had an older model. It would be nice of me to return the favor, no?

Note: If you're ready to trade in your current smartphone, Best Buy is offering a $50 Gift Card for you when you purchase an iPhone® 5c.

#3. Small Appliances

I don't know how my father would survive, if my mother wasn't around to cook for him. Old school, but true. So, when left to his own devices, he'll make microwave bean burritos and crack open a soda can for dinner. He's also a popcorn junkie when it comes to movie time, so some of these ideas for gifts are right up his alley:

A. SodaStream

B. Crock Pot - "Just press the button and it's done, dad!"

C. Stir Crazy Popcorn Popper

Note: I had no idea how many small gadgets and appliances Best Buy carries. They have everything from curling irons, to irons and electric toothbrushes!

                                     

#4. Gamer Gifts

My dad loves his video games, and I found that Best Buy is the perfect place to find holiday gifts for the gamer in your life. Everything from game guides, XBox, PS3 Game of the Year Bundle, special mouses just for gamers, and exciting video games.                 

Note: Current gamer gifts that are trending on Twitter and available at Best Buy are: #PS4, #DISNEYINFINITY, #FIFA14 and more!

#5. Personal Grooming

Hey, I've never used one, but the men in my life always seem to have an electric razor on their wish list during the holidays, and Best Buy has an incredible selection.  Did I mention, they have some cool looking electric toothbrushes as well - which my husband swears by. 

Note: The #NORELCO seems to be trending right now on Twitter as a popular electric razor, so I'd go in that direction if I were looking for an electric razor for dad.

#6. Stocking Stuffers

Yes, Virginia! They DO have a bunch of great stocking stuffers at Best Buy. I really had no idea that they were so stocked with candy and other little do-dads that are perfect for the stocking!

These are some of my picks for my dad's stocking:  

• Candy - he's got a serious sweet tooth for a grown up!
• Guitar Strings - still has that 40 year old acoustic guitar.
• Batteries - who ever has enough of these?
• Ear Buds - great for stashing a pair in your carry-on bag
• USB Chargers for the Car
  

 

#7. Gift Cards

And if all else fails....there's always a gift card that's sure to be a welcomed present from any man in your life.  iTunes or a Best Buy Gift Card are great picks, if all that inspiration from being the the showroom was just too overwhelming or you simply cannot nail down a decision. 

Hey, don't forget that between now and December 24th, 2013 for every $25 or more Best Buy gift card you purchase online or in store - gives you a chance to win one of the $50, $100, $500 or even $10,000 daily prizes!

To register to win, just visit Give It To Win It, and enter your gift card number or receipt information.

 
Now, if that didn't give you some solid ideas for gifting the man in your life, I'm not quite sure how else to help you. 

Oh, wait! Here's one last ditch effort:

Best Buy will be partnering with Google on December 17, 2013 for a Google+ Last Minute Deals : Best Buy Shoppable Hangout that you can join in on to get ideas for the "stragglers" on your shopping list.

 
Have Fun Shopping at Best Buy...I sure did! 
#OneBuyForAll

Do YOU have any great ideas for cool gifts for the men in YOUR life to share with us? I'd love to hear about them in a blog comment below!

Give Me My #CupOfKaffe And No One Gets Hurt!

I love coffee.

I started drinking coffee in high school.  I remember feeling really grown up when I ordered a Hazelnut Latte at the coffee shop next door to the mall.

Anyway, now it's less of a novelty and more of a necessity with a 2 year old and her 9 month old sister who has practically refused to sleep since she was born. 

Yesterday, I realized I was out of coffee and almost went into a panic. Don't judge. My hubby agreed to go into work late (his schedule is flexible), so I could run down to Walmart and grab a few things.

Check out my first Google + album here, showing the photos from my shopping trip.

I'm not really picky about my coffee brand, but I know when I'm drinking a good cup, and when I'm not.  Last month, I purchased some new coffee from a name brand on sale, and was totally disappointed, enough to not finish the bag.

So, I was excited when I heard about this opportunity to check out Gevalia's NEW single serve cups (aka. K-Cups). I was in the mood to try something new. Plus, I was tired of the mess of grinding my own beans and filling my own refillable K-Cups.

The kids have been sick this week with a nasty cold/flu, so I left them at home and set out on a mission to find the NEW Gevalia coffee for use in the Keurig® K-Cup® Brewer.

Before I left on my little adventure, I looked up Gevalia on Facebook to see if they had any coupons - THEY DID! I was able to print off a coupon for $1.50 off! You can find the coupon under the "Rich Rewards" section of their FB page. 

Once I got to the coffee aisle, it took me a minute or two to find the Gevalia K-Cups, they were on the tippy top shelf! I used my ballerina toes and carefully grabbed the bright yellow (gold?) boxes from on high.

Shhhh, don't tell....but I may have lingered in this aisle for a bit longer that necessary, hey a moment without kids on the hip is a moment to enjoy...even if it is in the middle of a grocery store. 

I ran around the store, grabbing a few more staples items for the kids, you know the drill: goldfish, boogie wipes, PB&J etc. and was ready to head back home to check out my new Gevalia K-Cups.  

There were only two roasts available from Gevalia at Walmart - the Signature Blend and Colombia, so I grabbed both to compare.  I'm a pretty bold coffee drinker, so figured I'd prefer the Colombia - which is a medium roast, but I am game for anything at this point.

It's brew time, baby! 

A nice, dark liquid from the Signature Blend filled my cup. The aroma, not too sweet, not too pungent. I really enjoyed my Signature Blend #CupOfKaffe from Gevalia.

I added a little milk next, but honestly probably didn't need to. This blend was mild enough to enjoy black. I enjoyed this coffee on an empty stomach, and really appreciate that Gevalia wasn't too acidic, like some brands tend to be.

I almost forgot to try the Colombia blend, but didn't need much pressuring to do so.  By mid-afternoon crying babies and snotty noses begged me to brew another #CupOfKaffe  to keep me going strong 'till dinner time. 

This time, I reached for the Colombia roast and fell ever so slightly in love.  This coffee had the perfect rich flavor I'm looking for in a coffee without being bitter or astringent. 

My 100% whole wheat, dark chocolate chip cookies, made the night before were a perfect match for the NEW Gevalia K-Cups.

When I run out of K-Cups next, I have a feeling I'm going to be donning those ballerina toe shoes and reaching to the tippy top shelf to grab myself some Gevalia again. 

I'm into it.

If YOU are into it: You can purchase Gevalia K-Cups directly from Gevalia's website or at your local Walmart.

  
Have you tried any NEW coffee recently that you can't seem to get enough of? 


  
Disclosure:  I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias®  and Kraft Foods #CupOfKaffe #cbias #SocialFabric.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own and are not influenced by the complimentary products or compensation.