At the start of the summer, I finally acquired a Dyson, after hearing its praises from many online and offline friends. Indeed, I was happy with its performance.

We’ve gone through many vacuums in our family. Many. My first vacuum was a canister-type. It died right as I was attempting to clean up my old apartment as I moved into a new one with my soon-to-be-husband. We tried a bagless at the beginning of our marriage, but it failed miserably. We were happy with a combination of a bagged-upright and small canister (for the attachments) for awhile, but we weren’t completely “wowed” by it. Still, the combination served us well at our old house; that is, until we put the old house on the market.

We needed some serious cleaning action!

Our steam cleaner had already gone to sleep with the fishes; alas, it couldn’t hold water, which was the problem. We’re still looking for a suitable replacement other than inviting Stanley Steemer into our house every two seconds.

I have confidence in my ability to dance. After all, I took lessons for 15 years, was part of a performing division, won awards, and represented the USA in Australia during the World Expo.

Likewise, I am not a shabby singer. Or at least I wasn’t in my youth. I got the solos in church choir, I was a Chamber Singer in high school, and I don’t do too horribly at my husband’s staff retreat when everyone does karaoke. (I still tear up a little when I think of my husband’s VIP boss sitting in a corner singing karaoke alone when the rest of us had moved on to other things. He stopped when we brought him a birthday cake.)

When the Parent Bloggers Network asked me to review Wii Boogie, I completely did a dance and whoop of joy. “This will be fabulous!” I thought, envisioning myself busting serious moves and singing the night away. I am already a Wii addict, so why not add another title to my obsession?

Well, here’s the deal: I am not good at Boogie. At least not yet.

Shortly after the Cat was born, we moved from NYC to CA. I think I was wearing worn-out loafers or something. I doubt I had a pair of athletic shoes to my name. But, I was eager to get back in shape and had visions of walking to the store, baby in stroller. And so, I went to TJ Maxx and was thrilled to see a bright-white pair of Tommy Hilfiger sneakers that fit me.

I still had images of junior high in my head in which everyone wore bright-white sleek Reebok shoes, but my wide hobbit-feet could only accommodate these puffy ivory ones that looked like knock-offs, even though they were “real.”

So back to the Hilfiger: I thought I was cool. But that was nearly seven years ago. Since then, I’ve worn them to death. Several times I considered replacing them, but figured they still looked okay and felt fine. (In reality, even if old shoes feel comfortable, they aren’t providing the appropriate support.)

My old shoes took me through the Cat’s post-partum period, plus Spliggle’s pregnancy and aftermath. Last year I wore them while losing 20 pounds by walking around my local reservoir. I have since gained 10 back, but was ready to hit the pavement again when I heard that the Parent Bloggers Network and RYKÄ were teaming up to enable active bloggers to try out some spiffy shoes.

The Cat and Spliggle have been interested in space for a long time, and not just because of Buzz Lightyear. One of their favorite videos as young toddlers (and even older) was Baby Galileo. Even adult shows capture their attention.

In preschool, the Cat enjoyed the unit on planets and asked plenty of questions. In Kindergarten, the Cat brought a star chart to share with the class. His teacher taught the class fun songs about space, which he sang at home frequently. He owns a glow-in-the-dark constellation shirt which he loves.

The Parent Bloggers Network provided the opportunity for my family to review the Zula Patrol, a television show aimed at children to increase their curiosity for science.

I put the DVD in our van for the first time during a roadtrip. I don’t recall the kids asking, “Are we there yet?” but I do remember hearing, “Could you press play again, Mommy?” They loved going “way up where the planets do the hula - spin and shout, ‘til you find yourself on Zula”

The Cat came home one day last school year announcing, “I know how to count to three in Spanish! Pedro knows the rest!”

“What?” I hadn’t recalled any boys in his Kindergarten class named “Pedro,” but I did know that there were many Hispanic kids at the school.

“Pedro knows the rest.” He insisted.

I finally realized he was mispronouncing “Uno! Dos! Tres!” by creating an English sentence that made sense to him. After a lot of coaching, I was able to separate the words for him. Then he wanted to go up to ten. And then up to twenty. And then to one-hundred.

Later, he started running around announcing “Wii!” the way the Wii sounds when jumping over hurdles in the scarecrow-tipping game: high pitched and abrupt.

“It means ‘yes’ in French,” he explained to me.

I had to counter that “oui” is pronounced without the raised eyebrows, crazy eyes, and super-screechy register. Still, I was glad that he was learning little bits of another language.

And so, when the Parent Bloggers Network asked if I might be interested in receiving the Kids Love Spanish DVD set, I was thrilled! I knew the Cat would love to learn more Spanish than during his brief introduction in Kindergarten. Plus, I want to get Spliggle started on the concept of bilingualism.

Gimme a “Wilbur Wiggle:” it must be time to read a book!

I definitely agree that instilling interest in books early in a child’s life is critical. Of course, the irony is that there are several television shows on the air to promote this. While it is imperative that parents, caregivers, siblings, and so forth take the time to read one-one-one with their children, television shows can become “friends” that can teach children through storytelling. A parent telling a child to share doesn’t necessarily get the same response as a cheerful puppet peer.

To this end, I was happy to review the Discovery Kids Channel’s “Wilbur” through the Parent Bloggers Network. The show revolves around a calf named Wilbur who teaches his friends through reading books. His catch-phrase is “Books are Moo-velous” Wilbur is performed in shadowmation.

At the start of each episode, Wilbur’s puppet barnyard friends have a dilemma. Wilbur gets a little tickle, starts to wiggle, and exclaims “Moo! Moo! Moo! What should we do?” His friends respond, “Moo! Moo! Moo! Read a book with you!”

The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia (of Project Runway and Elle fame) in a nutshell: Confidence is key, but a tailor is a must. Exude confidence, but not while wearing a sweatsuit!

I find this book more inspirational than “practical.” It is a pep-talk. And WOW, what a talk it was. I read the book in full twice, and skipped around to favorite sections a number of other times. The quotes are fabulous, and give me motivation to dress carefully and confidently. The little pieces of history educate me, and encourage me to believe that I know more about fashion than I do.

Unfortunately, my enthusiasm meant that I purchased more “trendy” items than the good-quality basics that Nina would have insisted I buy first. Yes, I was tempted by a sale, a big no-no (I got a designer skirt for less than $30!) but I am thrilled with what I received. One pair of pants is currently out being altered, because I wanted to do it “right” this time instead of slogging around in too-long jeans. The other pieces are more “special occasion” than everyday staples, but I am excited for those events to arrive, and have plans to put them in a more casual rotation after their big debuts.

Or perhaps I have mistaken “fashionable statements” for “trendy” and Nina wouldn’t chew me out after all: I’ve usually been of the “better just get it in a neutral color” mentality, so getting a bright red and white bold print skirt and a crazy-wild geometrical dress seem outrageous. I am excited to enable myself that “freedom.”

The familiar orange-pink swirled envelope came in the mail last week. This time, enclosed within was a DVD offering a free trial of NoodleNet, a safe way for kids to browse the internet. Sometimes it will be a fabric softener sample, or a DVD of a new television show, such as when "Meerkat Manor" came out.

I still have fond memories of the show "Cover Shot," for which I voted on a "final shot" as one of the original VocalPoint members. I was in "the Club" so early in the game that I actually voted on the design of the envelopes in which VocalPoint sends their product samples, coupons, and announcements!

Why did I become a member?