Turbo...? Not so much

When I ordered this little beauty (Bissell Turbo Sweep) at walmart.com, I was impressed by the number of great reviews that it had. I wanted a quite little electric sweeper to pick up Cheerios and whatever else Helen drops so I didn't have to drag out the big vacuum. I got this for my office, actually. Well, it DOESN'T WORK. Contrary to the reviews, (of course there were some that do agree with me) it doesn't "suck" like it's supposed to. I tried to vacuums up some thyme I spilled in the floor (you know the herb that weighs NOTHING) and it took like forty passes to get it cleaned up. What kind of vacuum has so little suction that it won't pick up HERBS!

Ok, I'm done ranting.

The good thing is, that this little vacuum is the best thing for HELEN! I let her go around and play use it. She loves to push (and pull) it around and clean like mommy. Toy vacuums are fun, but this one beats them all. Even though this "real" one doesn't work very well, it is somewhat functional AND it's a kid pleaser! Who knew?

But here's the question, do I give it a good grade for being a good toy or a bad grade for being a rotten sweeper?

PS. I HAVE A NEW HELEN POST. SEE NEXT.

Our Lake Trip 2008

We all went to Mimi and Pawpaw's house last weekend to go to the lake. That is, Lake Martin. Since we've moved away to GA, that is something that happens ever so rarely. Helen loves to swim and loves her Mimi and Pawpaw, so we left her home with a babysitter....JK. She was thrilled to see them and to go to "PawPaw's Lake!"

We all loaded up and headed out mid-morning Saturday even though the forecast said there was a 40% chance of rain. The kids were ready to go and couldn't wait to get on the boat. I don't think Helen was quite prepared for the boat ride at the speed we were going. It took her a minute to acclimate herself to the wind blowing in her face. She didn't cry, but she seemed uncomfortable. I guess we all have to learn sometime! She eventually figured it out.

We ended up in the middle of the lake, "floating" as we always do. I must admit that it's my favorite thing to do, as long as it's really really deep water. That first jump in the water was a little bit shocking. Since the sun wasn't directly shining down, the water was a little cool. But it was fun and the kids liked it. The sun peeked out an hour or so, and it was nice, but then we started to sweat! I guess it all evened out.

I'm not sure why she wanted to touch her toes, but it was funny.

Ty rode the inter tube and the knee board; Brian road the inter tube and skied.

While Brian was on his first ski run, Helen's hat flew off. Brian, the heroic daddy he is, squatted down (keeping his balance no less) and reached down for the floating hat. Had he been about a 1/4 second faster, he would have grabbed it! What a sweet daddy! He let go of the rope to go fetch it for her. When he got back into the boat after his second ski run, I explained to him that he didn't have to go get it, it was just a hat. He said, "But it was a cute hat!" Wow.

Helen and Nathan played the hardest. They nearly wore out PawPaw and Brian. Those kids played and jumped and swam with all the energy they could muster and had just a blast!

Those are Brian's legs underneath Helen. What Nathan is doing....I don't remember.

Leslie and Brian made me laugh the most, however. They started playing around on the inter tube! I've never seen two people try so hard to get on an inter tube. I think they were trying to get on at the same time, but once Leslie was on, then she helped Brian on. You can't tell from the angle, but they are all laughing hysterically. If it weren't so funny, I don't think it would have taken them so long to get on! LOL.

Once they both finally made it, they played like they were five and on a see-saw, rocking it up and down. And then......they flipped. So much for the hard work. I laughed and laughed!

It started to thunder and lightening later in the afternoon, while Ty was knee-boarding. We pulled him in and headed to the car. It was a good thing too because the kids were tired and so were we!!

Believe it or not, that Helen of mine, fought it tooth and nail to go to sleep. I'm not sure why, but she was wired. After naps, the kids took their traditional ride with Pawpaw on his tractor. It wouldn't be a visit without getting on the big tractor.

Sunday morning came fast and we went to the Opelika church for services. I forgot Helen's dress at home Friday night, but I happened to pack her a sundress for the boat trip. It looked good on her, but it was no Sunday dress. She worked it though...! LOL! She got so many compliments about her hair that I doubt anyone even looked at her dress! (Those red-heads get all the attention!)

After services we had lunch and went back to Mimi's house to pack up and visit with Mimi's parents.

Pawpaw had ice cream and Helen helped him enjoy it.

This is our Lake Trip 2008 and I am so thankful that it was a good one.

Que?

Sitting inside a storage ottoman "reading" a spanish picture book. Go figure.

Just a boat ride

Helen getting a little sleepy.

Showing Papa the flag. She just loves flags.

Papa and Grammy's house from the boat. That lower level porch is Helen's favorite place to play. All of her toys were out there!! She likes to watch the boats go by!!

Picking Blueberries with Grammy

If you want to get a fish, you gotta hold your hat right

Helen spent the week with my mom a few weeks ago and while she was there, they went fishin'. They spent hours on the lake with Helen and even bought her her very own fishin' pole. It's a pink Barbie pole....must ride and FISH in style. Here is the stylish toddler in her pimptastic mode:

Isn't this the funniest thing!!

They wanted to try out the new pole and after only 15 minutes (fishing with crickets) she got a tug. Moma took the pole and reeled it in (with Helen's hand sitting on hers as she reeled). This little fella was on the hook:


After she got this guy (about a three-pounder) she went on to beat her own personal best with the next fella....a little smaller:

Her first question (out loud) was "BITE?" LOL!! Her face says it all. This one was smaller, about a pound and a half.

She had more adventures with Papa and Grammy, but more will follow. I'm still catching up from the summer.

Quick Update

I'm in Birmingham this weekend with Helen visiting my grandparents. While our trip was intended just for them, I made some pitstops on the way. Not only did we get to see my grandparents (on my dads side), we also got to to see my mom and stepdad for an hour or so, as well as, my GREAT WONDERFUL FANTASTIC friend Kim. She met me half way for a quick visit at the Summit. I love spontaneity....especially when it turns out to be a blast! Helen didn't want to leave her Grammy and Papa, but I know it made their day to get to see her for just a few minutes. The same for me and Kim. I didn't want to go so soon, but she's coming out to visit us this month, so I guess it was enough to tie us over until then!

On a different note....I have a universal question for any parent reading:

Did you ever say to yourself and/or your spouse prior to children,
"I'll never do/get/buy/have __________ when we have children! That's just ridiculous!" and months or years down the road, find yourself doing that very thing?!

Well my friends, I have and it happened this week....we got a DVD system in the car! Of course, this isn't the only "I'll never" statement that I've retracted, but this is a big one for me. I vividly remember telling someone (dont remember who and on several occasions) how insane I thought it was to put a TV in a car to keep a child occupied. But now I see the genius in it and while I tuck my tail and bow my head in shame, I perk up knowing that on long trips, my child is happy and entertained and Atlanta traffic doesn't seem quite as stressful anymore!

Please share your "I'll never"-s with me!