Shelly’s Journal

Around Christmas time, I got a brand new stove in my kitchen - a real treat. Our old one was a slide-in that had left us frustrated in the search for a worthwhile replacement at a reasonable price. Finally we got a break when we purchased this Kenmore Elite at the Sears Service Center. It was half price and had a few nicks on the sides - which slide in, so no problem here. Here’s the story:

The Good - It’s a fantastic and unbelievable range compared to our old one. I have grown to love the ceramic top. It does seem to take a little longer to get to temperature, but it seems like there is a greater control over the heating element - with 20 different settings (1-10 in 1/2 increments.) The stove top has 5 burners and a “bridge” burner where we could put a long griddle to cook on. The front right burner lets you expand it’s size to fit larger pans. The smaller burners are of decent circumference and I use them whenever I can to keep hot items in the back of the stove away from prying hands.

The oven portion takes about 15 minutes to preheat. But since I know that, it’s usually not a problem. It seems to get very hot and throughly heats food through. There were three racks in the oven - all ceramic and they can be left in for the self-cleaning cycle. I haven’t explored all of the baking options yet mostly because it’s probably more stove than we were looking for. I like the digital timer and even use it for non cooking functions. It’s very loud and can even be heard in the upstairs of my house.

The controls are super easy to use. It’s all touch pad - which is not what we really wanted, but have adjusted to it well. The pad is really heat sensitive, so all you do is hold your finger over the button, and ta-da, it goes on. From the control pad, you can lock the oven door and the control pad itself - to prevent little ones from playing with it.

Lots of people don’t like the ceramic top because of the cleaning requirements. I love it because it makes me keep my stove top clean. You can’t imagine all the junk that was sitting inside my old stove hidden under the trays. And how many times was something hidden on one of the burners or in the tray so that later when I turned it on, I got the smell and some smoke? The ceramic top is a breeze to clean when you wipe it down while it’s still a little warm. The oven has a display that shows you which burners are still hot. Once the light is out on the display, I wipe down the burner right away and 99% of the stuff comes off. Usually I don’t even need the special cleaner to tackle it if I do that. I also love the top because when I take baking dishes out of the oven, I can just lay it anywhere on the top rather than having to balance it on a burner or between burners.

I haven’t used the warming drawer yet, so I can’t comment. It really wasn’t a feature I wanted, but we may use it.

The Bad - Having bought a scratch and dent model, we didn’t get some of the accessories - the griddle that goes on the bridge burner, the rack for the warming drawer and the ceramic broiling pan. We kept the broiling pan from our old stove - which I never used anyway, but replacing the other two pieces will set us back about $150. I haven’t found anything that frustrates me about this stove otherwise. Other reviewers on the Sears website didn’t like the ceramic top (but I do) or the long preheat. But functionally, it is easy to use and a very good product so far - no functionality issues.

The Ugly - Installation was an all day affair. There were no directions really on how to do it. I guess they expect that you will hire Sears to come in for an install. Granted, some of Gil’s problems were of his own making. He tiled the floor under the stove, but didn’t measure up the stove before he did it and ended up having to tear up those tiles to get it to line up. It’s still about 1/4 inch higher than the counter top.

Overall - I love this stove. In a few years, we plan to move and I lament that we will have to leave this beauty behind. But I would definitely buy a Kenmore Elite again and I hope I can get a good deal to be able to get a little higher end model like this one.

Note: Despite buying this scratch and dent, we received the same warranty as a regular new stove and we offered the extended warranty as well. It’s a great deal to check out the Sears service center for appliances. Ours also had a lot of refrigerators and we plan on going there for our next appliance purchase. Also, we did not get a users manual until about 10 days after we had it installed. What little there was on the installation was included with the stove when we purchased. I would think that would be a necessity due to safety issues.

Title: 3 Seconds - The Power of Thinking Twice

Author: Les Parrot, PhD

Publisher: Zondervan

Pages:193

Disclaimer: I was not paid to review this item, but merely given a complementary copy of the work and asked that in exchange I review on my blog.

Summary:
We are stuck in negative thinking. Our automatic responses hold us back from achievement and breaking through personal walls. Parrott asserts that by taking 3 seconds and going to our second response, we can overcome barriers in our life that are holding us back. There are many areas where we can do this, but he covers six:

1. Empower Yourself
2. Embrace a Good Challenge
3. Fuel You Passion
4. Own Your Piece of the Pie
5. Walk the Extra Mile
6. Quit Stewing and Start Doing

Each chapter discusses the concept in depth - what our first response typically leads to, and how taking that extra three seconds can make a difference. Parrott uses real life examples, his own and those of others, to drive his points home. He peppers the chapter with other interesting quotes related to the topic. Each chapter ends with a short set of questions to take you further on each of these points.

What I liked:
I have read many, many self-help books and books of encouragement - both Christian and non-Christian. I found Parrott’s approach refreshing. His points and sub-points were short, but powerful and to the point. He wasn’t a cheerleader telling you that “you’ve got it in you”, but really came off more like a mentor in his approach. We’re always so busy going through our day-to-day. I like the encouragement to stop and think about what we’re doing and saying. You can apply it even beyond his six points.

Parrott is a Christian, but this book wasn’t a “you need Jesus” approach. He talked about prayer, the Bible and mentioned God, but really wasn’t overtly trying to get you saved, but more trying to make you think overall about things. I enjoyed this perspective and find that it will draw in other non-Christian and non-practicing Christians without laying guilt or condemnation on them. His views are not Biblically based, so to speak, but certainly have a Christian heart behind them.

He hit the nail on the head for me in a few chapters, and I am planning to go back and spend some more time studying them and answering the questions at the end of the chapter - and discussing them with my husband and family.

I also found that the quotes he selected to include in various parts of the book were encouraging and appropriate without being too sappy or overbearing.

What I didn’t like:
That he didn’t cover more of my flaws! I really enjoyed this book and can’t say that there’s anything bad about it.

Overall:
This little book is a gem. It has lots to say if you are willing to listen with an open heart and be critical of your own approach to life.

I purchased an Ergo Baby Carrier in February of this year. My nearly 5 month old son was approaching 20 lbs. and had already grown out of his baby carrier car seat. While I had a Baby Bjorn carrier, I just didn’t like the way he fit in it, and in fact he was almost too tall it seemed for it. I had been scoping out the Ergo, and decided, in desperation to order one.

I have not been disappointed.

Initially, it took some time to adapt to using the Ergo. Fortunately, they send you this nice DVD that shows you all the different ways to wear your baby using the Ergo and how to get them on and off. The front carry position is very fast and easy. The first time I put Zach in the carrier, I had him set in less than 30 seconds. My initial challenges with this product were more in how to set the strap length and make the adjustments so that I could get the buckle easily clipped behind my head.

My Zach really responded to being worn, and it was such a great relief for me to have my baby on hand while he was still small and unable to sit up in the shopping cart. He loved to be close to me as well. At times when he is fussy, I wear him in the Ergo and he quiets right down, finding his comfort spot close to me. He now prefers to be worn over riding in a cart, even though he is plenty big enough for it.

When he was 6 months old, I started wearing him on my back some - mostly in situations where I needed both hands free. I had a little trouble adjusting to putting him on my back, but after some practice, it is now “old hat” to me. I primarily use this position for grocery shopping or other expeditions with my 3-year-old where I want to have a great range to my front. While Zach prefers the front, he will ride around in back happy as a clam and often fall asleep back there.

Just before Easter, I slammed the buckle to my Ergo in my car door, breaking it. While Ergo agreed to ship me one right away (from Hawaii), I still ended up being without the carrier for a week. Let me tell you, that’s when I realized how much I depended on it. I finally got a replacement piece, and we haven’t looked back. Every time we leave the house, the Ergo comes with us. My son is now 26 lbs., and I still love wearing him in it as opposed to other options for taking him around. I also use it around the house at times when we are playing with the 3-year-old or at the park.

I often think to myself, “How did I ever do it without this carrier with my first one?” I was so stroller dependent for my first child, but have really found a lot of freedom in being able to wear my baby - especially since I do have another child who is in the “I need Mommy’s attention” stage of his life. It’s just a blessing. A real blessing.

What I like about it
The ease of putting the baby on.
Always feeling like the baby is close to you.
Great Customer Service.
Wearing a big baby, and not feeling any back pain.

What I don’t like
Really nothing.

Note: I was not paid or even given an Ergo to provide this review, but I am so pleased with this product that I felt it necessary to spread the word on the Ergo the best way I can.

Title: From the Heart - Seven Rules to Live By (Read excerpt.)

Author: Robin Roberts - CBS Good Morning America Co-anchor, former ESPN anchor

Publisher: Hyperion

Pages:170

Disclaimer: I was not paid to review this item, but merely given a complementary copy of the work and asked that in exchange I review on my blog.

Summary:
This books almost seems like a self-help book from looking at it, but really it’s the story of Ms. Roberts’ personal journey of perseverance in overcoming obstacles to achieve success. It’s about making choices that will lead to this success, recognizing who you are and the road that we need to travel to reach our goals - no shortcuts please. In the seven key points that she mentions that affect her life, she shares doses of her experiences that tell her story.

What I liked:
Not the average biography, From the Heart’s format made for enjoyable reading. Instead of following Ms. Roberts’ story from beginning to end, we bounced around to those key moments that applied to each lesson. These moments could be from any part of her life.

Ms. Roberts’ sports background helped make a connection in several of the points. I always find these type of analogies useful in trying to discuss approaches with young people.

I loved the honor, integrity, and character that her family has along with the love for one another. It’s not typical in many families today, and another great example to reflect upon.

Ms. Roberts certainly doesn’t take the credit for her successes in life. She recognizes how key her upbringing has been, and acknowledges God as part of that formula. While her books is not a faith handbook, it’s refreshing to see a mainstream media personality own that part of her life.

Ms. Roberts believes success is the result of hard work, not about being given opportunities because of race or gender. She dedicates one entire chapter to discussing this point.

What I didn’t like:
I understand that this book is not about faith. Although one chapter acknowledges the importance of faith, it seems a little light and fluffy. Other areas of the books seem void of this recognition in light of content of antidotes. In other words, I wouldn’t know Ms. Roberts was a Christian if you removed Chapter 7 from the book.

Overall:
I enjoyed reading this book. It’s a light read and fun. Although I have never seen Ms. Roberts on GMA, I frequently have enjoyed her sports reporting over at ESPN.

Product: Turbo Jam Workout DVDs

Description: 2 DVD set contains 5 Turbo Workouts

• Learn and Burn
• 20 Minute Turbo Jam
• Turbo Sculpt - Workout with Weights
• Cardio Party - 45 Minute Turbo Jam
• Ab Jam - 20 minute ab routine

Available from Beachbody.

My Experience with the DVD set: I purchased this set in January off of Ebay and have tried all of the workouts - some many times and used them for about 3 months.

Summary: Fitness instructor, Chalene Johnson, developed the Turbo Jam concept - holding abs and tucking tail bone under while doing a variety of aerobic/kickboxingish moves (11 elite moves are featured in the Learn and Burn workout). Generally a high impact, aerobic workout featuring kicking, punching and aerobic activity. Two of the people working out in the group are doing lower impact modifications for beginners. While Johnson leads the segment - 7 or 8 others are participating in the workout.

Overall Review: I’ve been exercising at home with videos and DVDs for 13 years. I’d rank Turbo Jam as average in the group. It’s based on a “gimmick”, so to speak. It offers a variety of different workouts in this DVD package, but does not particularly appeal to me as a “serious workout”. It’s challenging in places and goes high intensity, but most sequences (I feel) don’t offer enough reps to really be toning anything. So I look at it as more of a calorie burn type workout. Is it possible to tone up using Turbo Jam? I’m sure that someone working out 30 minutes or more with this or any other calorie burn product can achieve the same results. I find the segments to be more of a “party” atmosphere than a serious workout, but that may just be my personal preference. I am providing comments on each of the workouts below:

Learn and Burn - This section is actually two segments - a tutorial to learn the “turbo” concept and a short workout to try them out. I viewed this segment two times upon receiving the DVD, and never looked at it again.

20 Minute Workout - A quick calorie burn. Has a few intense segments.

Turbo Sculpt - Probably the workout I enjoyed the most on this DVD set. While I’m sure that with this workout you can sculpt your body, I felt that some exercise received too many reps and others not enough to make a difference. Some of the modifications on the exercises seemed a little goofy to me in comparison with previous experience working out with weights.

Cardio Party - 45 minute cardio workout. I find Turbo Jam too much for 45 minutes. It’s not too hard. I want to say, “too boring.” But that’s not it either. While the 20 minute one didn’t seem so bad, I just felt like I was doing a 45 minute cheerleading workout rather than an exercise routine.

Ab Jam - I really wanted to like this abdominal workout. However, I felt like the standing abdominal routine was not as effective as floor workouts and overall less effective than other ab routines I’ve done. I never had sore abs as a result of doing this workout - not even the first time.

Overall, while this video series is pitched as a fun workout, it did not in general appeal to me or come across as being as effective a workout as other aerobic and kickboxing type exercise. Although I bought it on ebay for much less than what it sells for on the beachbody website, I still feel like the price was high and the workouts gimmicky.

The Thing I Liked the Most: Watching all of the other exercisers look perky and excited about working out - actually like they were really having fun. I got a good chuckle out of it.

The Thing I Liked the Least: Finishing a segment and feeling like I had plenty of workout left in me.

Note added 12/07 - Do not waste your money on this product. Check out workout DVDs by Cathe Freidrich. I have written more about TJ vs. Cathe here.

I love children’s literature, and having children has given me the opportunity to explore so many things I’ve missed since my own childhood. There are lots of great books out there. I’m going to try to write, on a regular basis, about some of the ones that come our way.

Title: Roller Coaster
Author: Marla Frazee

I found this book randomly while browsing library shelves. Of course, Bump is a HUGE roller coaster lover. Everything is a roller coaster - belts, ties, strips in quilts - anything that looks like a track. So I figured he’d love this. I was right.

The book follows the roller coaster experience - from standing in line, to getting in the cars and then finally up, up, up and Whoosh. A little girl who is riding for the first time sits in the front car. Not only does every page capture the roller coaster, but the expressions of the various riders in their string of cars from the old folks who love to the macho guys who get sick. I doubt Bump noticed that part, but he did pick up on little details like the one boy losing his hat. It’s a book for 2 years and up, with simple phrasing capturing the essence of the roller coaster.

To say Bump loves it is an understatement. It’s one of those books that we bring home that gets read at every moment of reading time for the first few weeks (we have a 4 week checkout.) This is the book that he will recite while he’s “playing roller coaster” with his cars or other various coaster imagined toys.

I’m hoping to add this book to our collection next time I have to order from Amazon. This one is a keeper.

This is baby carrier #4 for me.

Infantino Euro Carrier - Started out with Bump. It always felt like he was going to fall out, and the buckles were too cumbersome. I couldn’t even give that thing away at the kids consignment sale I sell stuff at.

OTSBH - Over the Should Baby Holder - a Sling - Used it with Bump some. He sat indian style in it a lot, but it was still very awkward and I had a hard time getting it to sit just right. It’s a Shelly thing. I’m very uncoordinated. I tried it with Zach. He hated it, hated it, hated it.

Baby Bjorn - Yes, I combed yard sales far and wide to find one of these for $10. I really liked how it was set up. It seemed to circumvent every issue I had. In application, I wasn’t very comfortable in it. Zach and I used it a few times, but now that he is the GIANT baby, it’s not going to happen for us.

So enter, carrier #4. I’ve been reading about it all over blogland, and wishing that I could get my hands on one. Finally I decided to use some Ebay money I had saved up to jump in and get one. I present to you -

The Ergo Carrier

We got it today, and I’ve already had both my kids in it. I read the directions, as suggested, and in less than a minute, I had Zach in place in the front. The really cool thing about thing carrier is, you can wear your baby on your back as well.

And they say that you can wear your baby up to 5 years old. Bump fit in it all right and had a great time. He didn’t seem too heavy. This carrier more evenly distributes the weight on your entire torso (rather than just your shoulders) with its waist belt.

Right now, Zach’s too young (I won’t say too little) to ride on the back. But he’s doing great in the front.

I’m going to write a real review in a few months - once I’ve used the carrier more. Visit their website here.

I sat down the other day and had a cup of coffee with Phil Vischer of VeggieTales fame. He told me his whole life story and I hung on every word…

Okay, that really didn’t happen, but after reading Me, Myself, and Bob a recent release by Vischer, I feel like it did. Vischer’s book details his life and the road from teenage video geek to the creation of VeggieTales and Big Ideas to it’s fall into bankruptcy and his rise from the ashes into the arms of a loving God. Here are a few thought I had on this book:

• Vischer shares his story through his unique and humorous perspective which always keeps you reading and often has you laughing.
• The story of the rise and fall of Big Idea Productions had me smiling, cheering and then crying. There were actually parts during the “fall” that I verbally said - “Phil, no don’t do that. You can’t do that!”
• As an outsider to computer animation, I found the details on the beginnings of VeggieTales fascinating. Vischer shares stories of the creative process, the origin or certain characters and other inspirations (like how the Hairbrush Song came into being.)
• Through the entire story, many factors and people contribute to the downfall of Big Ideas, but Vischer ultimately takes the blame for letting things slip away from him.
• God is always a part of this story. Even though God didn’t save Big Ideas from bankruptcy, Vischer struggles, but never loses his faith. The experience changes him, grows him and gives him a clearer perspective on chasing his dreams.

I really enjoyed this book. It has forever changed the way I will look at Bob and Larry (past, present and future) and my own life. Dark days come, but joy comes in the morning.

Thanks Phil for a great read! I look forward to your future projects.

You can check out Vischer’s website here and his new company jellyfish here.

**************************

Note: I am not a VegHead. In fact Bob and Larry have been a part of my life for less than a year, when we introduced the videos to our almost two-year-old son last spring. In that time, however, I have grown as fond of the stories as he has and enjoy not only the values and lessons, but also the subtle references to pop culture from the 70’s.

I also have a copy of Phil’s latest children’s offering - Sidney and Norman and will be posting thoughts on it soon!

The postman brought me a little box from Amazon that had the sewing books I ordered to browse while in the hospital and dream of small projects I can do as I raise my boys.  I had ordered two things.

First, I ordered Amy Butler's new book with 25 different sewing projects in it.  I'm going to try some handbags, but I wanted some things with a little more pizzazz and variety.  After reviewing her stuff, I realize that a lot of what she does is not really "my style", but these little projects can be easily modified to fit me and my household.  I just glanced briefly wanting to have something to look at in the hospital.

This book is already boxed up to go back to Amazon.  It's just not me.  The bags are ultra-trendy and go beyond just simple sewing.  I opened the first page and nearly threw it right back in the box at that point.  I did go through all of the 20 bags and there are probably 2 that I would try to make - but not even be that thrilled about them.  I found that the directions were not as clear as other things I've seen.  I'd rather buy some handbag patterns from our local fabric store than this book!

I also have an Amy Butler bag pattern that Linda sent me.  I'm probably going to try that one first.  I have material all ready to be cut, but am still trying to finish up my quilts. I haven't done any sewing today.  Just sleeping and walking my lonely dog and hanging out with Gil and Bump.  

This past week, I received the Spring Issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. What a treat it is to see it in my mailbox. I’m in a major HS swing right now, so this really pumps me up and gives me some steam to keep moving.

This issue had lots of great articles -

TOS 2005 Excellence in Education Awards - TOS recommends curriculum in various categories. I haven’t even gotten into the curriculum game yet. It’s always interesting for me to get tips on the various systems out there so I can investigate them and keep my ears open for positive or negative feedback.

Unschooling - Education Outside of the Box - I have been reading a book on Unschooling, this article was a nice quick summary of this concept. While I don’t think that we’ll head in that direction, there are some great concepts embraced by unschoolers.

10 Reasons to Bring Your Child Home Now - I didn’t need any more reasons, but this is a great summary of why and what homeschooling does that our public schools don’t.

Socialization or Socialism - I must admit I wanted to clip this one out and mail it to a few of my relatives - one of my sister-in-laws in particular. Of course, this is the homeschool perspective on socialization at home verses that of the public school system.

This month’s homeschool testimonies also included two moms from my little circle of blogging. It was great to see pictures of them and their families and hear their stories.

Many other great articles fill this 200 page magazine. There’s something for every phase of your homeschooling life - curriculum overviews, interviews, lesson ideas, contests, great ads (I love the ads) and more. You can enjoy this wonderful magazine four times a year by purchasing a subscription. You will also receive 19 free gifts from various HS suppliers.

TOS has also just opened up their own online store. Buy materials from them and receive free shipping. Check it out!