I was given the opportunity to review EcoClean Carpets. I was a little hesitant at first cause I figured my carpets were just too far gone. In the end I LOVED it and learned a lot. I was very happy with their service, quality, product and overall experience.

Having your carpet cleaned is a great excuse to clean up. I always find we do the best cleaning when company is coming over. This was a lot more thorough cleanup than just company though.  I wanted as much stuff off the floor as possible, which resulted in a lot of clutter sorting, finally finishing projects, clothes sorting, and even cleaning under things like my kids bed and the couch. Why under things you ask? Well  because EcoCarpet actually moves and clean under furniture. Not the big stuff like my huge entertainment center, or sectional, but things like chairs, couches and small tables. They even moved my daughters little toddler bed.  Granted I got pretty much everything off the floor before hand, but there were still a few things. If you need a good excuse to clean things out and de-clutter, getting your carpet professionally cleaned is a great way to do it.

I didn't say this to EcoClean when I scheduled, but I was very curious as to how different of a job they would do compared to the carpet cleaner I got for Christmas. Let me just say it wasn't a minor difference, it was a huge difference! My carpet cleaner only does maybe 20% of the job they did, and that's if I do an extremely thorough job. Overall the carpets were way cleaner, got more spots up and dried faster too. Especially in my high traffic area's. I tried to take before and after pictures, but the lighting wasn't as good. You can see in this picture the part they had cleaned on the right, and the part they hadn't on the left. My high traffic area's is where I was the most difference.

 

 

Also some companies use harsh or cheap products that strip carpets of their protective coats, which is another reason to go with EcoClean. They have all natural safe ingredients and also use a clean rinse to remove all chemical and give your carpet a more thorough deep down clean. If not done right, they can leave a sticky residue actually making carpet dirtier faster. EcoClean has a process done by professionals. They had great customer service and were very helpful, answering all my questions.

We moved into our home about a year ago already wanting to replace the carpet upstairs. I've mentioned before that I was waiting to finish the family room downstairs before doing it, but I may just hold off now. One thing I learned while they cleaned the carpet was time frames of cleaning your carpets and scotch guarding it. They recommend at least annually to get it professionally cleaned maybe even 18 months if you take good care of it. When you buy new carpet the protective coating on it usually lasts approximately 3-5 years. When most people hit the 7-8 year mark they think the carpet is just so done it just needs to be replaced. Did you know you can just get it scotch guarded again to help it last longer? I had no idea you could even do that! They recommend doing that about every 1 1/2 - 3 years depending on amount of foot traffic. I had him do my high traffic area's for more resilience. Now I don't get as mad when a kid forgets and runs across it with his shoes on.

Another tricky part can be stains. Especially red stains. They were saying if you try to get them out one way, and it won't come out, then you most likely set it. Their website has a post on how to handle stains like this. Check it out at www.ecocarpetutah.com/blog/juicespills.html

Overall I was very satisfied and next time I need a good carpet cleaning in Utah I know who I am going to call. (Not to mention they service way out in Eagle Mountain ;)

Follow them on Facebook, Google Plus or twitter for deals, discounts and yes giveaways for free carpet cleanings in Utah from time to time.

Right now is a great time to get it done, in getting a jump on your spring cleaning. Just tell them you read about the review on my blog and give them the code 'SAVE25' to save 25% off!

Find out more or schedule an appointment at

 

Many of you may or may not know I love to find good deals. I especially love when other people take the work out of couponing, price matching, and deal hunting for me. When we went from 2 working parents down to 1 I decided I couldn't make money any more, but I can find ways to save money. That's when I stumbled across pricematchwithrachel.com.

 

Price match with Rachel is my go to, bookmarked website. I never check out at the store without looking what's on sale first. Even if I am stopping for a second or splurge buying, I make sure I am getting the most for it before I check out. I just click on the bookmark on my smart phone and check while I'm in line to check out.

 

I love the way it is divided up into sections. Although I frequent the dairy, meats, fruits and vegetables sections the most often. That is usually where I save the most money. If you have read any of my healthy eating articles you know we eat a ton of fresh produce in my house, so if I can get it for less than even better!

 

She is even hosting a free seminar this Wednesday the 22nd.  It's at   Stevens-Henager College Business TA's Provo/Orem from 6:30-8pm in the auditorium. This is a great way to get free tips on organizing, shopping, price matching, and other ways to save time and money on grocery shopping. It's an unfortunate thing we have to do as mom's, and often too. I'll try any tip at least once if it will make my shopping experience faster or less stressful!

 

 

 

You can also like her facebook page for other seminars, deals and giveaways at #/rachelspricematch That is how I found out about the 5 for $1 avocado sale recently. I stocked up and froze many of them. I did that the last time bell peppers were on sale for $.25 each too. I sliced, diced and froze them. Now I have plenty for fajita's, stir-fry's, soups, and quesadilla's. If you can't make it this week, make sure to like her facebook page for the next one.

It's that time to announce the winner. Looks like you guys saw some yummy choices out there. I was surprised how many people said they wanted to try the sweet hot mustard, now I'm intrigued by it as well. I love the uniqueness of the options, definitely nothing you would find at the typical grocery store.

The winner is...

 

 

Wen Budro

 "I would really like to try their bone suckin yaki sauce and the honey mustard bbq sauce....they sound yummy."

 

Ok, I am also wanting to try the bone suckin yaki sauce. Ooh on kababobs, and with mushrooms. I know what my husband is buying me for Valentines day ;)

 

Congratulations. Respond to my email within the next 48 hours or I will have to pick a new winner.

Days 5-7 went by slowly for me. Only because my son felt great, but still couldn't be too active. Around day 7 is when the scabs fall off, also being the highest risk of bleeding days. The more he gets his heart rate up, the more risk of bleeding he was. Those days were mostly about keeping my son on the couch. He is so active just when he had to use the bathroom he couldn't just get up and walk over, he had to jump off the couch and run to bathroom. On the way back he treated the toys on the floor like they were hot lava and hop scotched his way back summersaulting back to his sitting position. This was no easy task.

I mostly handled it by gaming it up. That's right I played more Mario Kart and Mario Bros in those few days than I have in the past few years combined! Not to mention, watching Pokémon, Spiderman, and several card games.

Kadan did really well eating. We started with soft rolls torn into tiny pieces than moved to mashed potatoes. Then he did some frozen go gurts, and spaghettio's. By day 5 he was ok eating spaghetti with no sauce and scrambled eggs. By day 7 he was fine with peanut butter and jelly, chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. After day 7 he was pretty much up to his normal picky diet.

 

Overall it ended up being a good pleasant experience. We had no problems, and enjoyed spending a week bonding together doing nothing but eating junk food and being couch potatoes. What 7 year old wouldn't want that?

Days 3 and 4 the doctor, nurses and friends all said were going to be the worst. I was gearing up for it. I made sure every 3 hours on the dot I would alternate his Tylenol and Motrin. I tried to keep him hydrated best I could. Honestly, my son did fine. I know every kid is different and mine is a trooper.

There were a few moments where I noticed he got quiet and just kind of sat there watching a movie. At that point  I would ask him, "Is everything ok? You just got really quiet." He would then tell me it hurts a little. Not a lot, but more than before. I would make him a slushie, and check the time. Usually that happened right before he was due for some more medicine. He did say he was more uncomfortable than day 1 and 2, but not in real pain, thank goodness. Since he was eating, sleeping, and drinking that played a big part in it.

When he went to bed on day 4 I didn't give him any more meds till he asked for it or needed it.

Keeping my son from being too active was hard. To keep him down so he wasn't jumping around too much I decided to do something fun. The girls bought and wrapped him 2 movies before his surgery that they had picked out. 1 of them was the first Ice Age. We had them all except the first one. My son went through an Ice Age stage about when the 2nd one came out on DVD, so he has a passion for them. Under the circumstances I decided to have an Ice Age marathon. Normally sitting around watching 4 movies back to back would be a no go, but what else were we going to do?

We had popcorn, my son had popsicles, Dad may or may not have fallen asleep, in the end it was a fun day.

 Is your kid about to have his or her tonsils removed? Then I suggest reading my posts about my son's tonsillectomy. Before my son had both his tonsils and adenoids removed I tried to find articles with tips on making it easier for both me and my son, and found hardly anything.  Besides what my Dr's office said and a few Dr"ish" websites about the facts I still felt in the dark. I did talk to a few people who had this done to themselves or to their children for some information, but never quite felt ready. I actually had a panic attack the night before. So I am blogging about our experience to help a few mom's out there hopefully not have a panic attack like I did!

Keep in mind every Dr, patient, and hospital are different. Not everyone has the same experience. All you can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best in these kind of situations.

Before I talk about the day of the surgery let me tell you about the night before. That is when I freaked out and pretty much broke down. I went to run a few last minute errands so my son could pick out some of his favorite popsicles, ice cream, drinks, and things like that. As I was pulling up to the gas station (so I wouldn't have to do it early the next morning) I got a phone call. I knew the hospital would be calling to let me know what time we were to arrive for surgery, so I was glad to finally get this call. Even though it was 5 O'clock and I already had my husband and my mom call twice each wondering what time to plan on, this call wasn't the one I thought it was. It was the office saying they hadn't received my paperwork. What paperwork? Well, apparently they emailed me some forms. Which I knew, I just assumed I was suppose to fill them out, print them and bring them in with me. I didn't realize it was a link for an online form that the anesthesiologist needed to look at the night before, and that he would be there in an hour to look over the paperwork.  Aaagh, I'm not only 30 minutes away from home, but will need to unload melting groceries, start dinner, change a diaper, and I had a responsibility through my church that tied me up Wednesday nights. In the end I got it done, and I ended up finding someone to take my place at my church.   The point of that rant is if you are suppose to fill something out before hand, do just that, fill it out before hand. That way you don't have a breakdown and find yourself crying in your bedroom during dinner. Even the Queen of Chaos has a breaking point- weird I know.

On to the day of the tonsillectomy. Around 6:30 PM the night before we finally were told what time our surgery was scheduled for. One thing I hadn't realized was no food or drink after midnight! Not even a sip of water in the morning. I can promise that would be hard for even me. I didn't even let my son brush his teeth in the morning because I was afraid he would swallow some of it. We brought a spare change of clothes with us because I had heard even though they give them something to wear, some kids wet themselves while on the anesthesia. When we arrived, of course the nurses and staff were fabulous. My son really enjoyed teasing and interacting with them.

The whole thing went by in half the time I thought it would. Maybe it was a good day, maybe I was lucky, who knows? All I can say is it took a little over 4 hours from setting foot in the building to my husband pulling up the car to the front.

In my mind I assumed they would put him to sleep with us and bring him back still sedated. I was shocked that we parents stayed in the same room the whole time. They took my son away awake and brought him back awake. I was happy to hear that they put his IV in after he was asleep, because that was one of my concerns. They don't take it out till right before being released though, just in case they need it again. That part kind of freaked him out, but only for a second. The nurse was real good about taking off the bandage carefully so that when the IV came out it was so quick he barely saw anything till she put a clean bandage over it ninja like. I told him before hand it wouldn't hurt, it would just be uncomfortable.

Since I was told that day 3 and 4 was the worst I figured if he asked to eat, I was just going to let him. On my sons first day he ate 2-3 of those soft Hawaiian rolls. He just tore off little itty bitty pieces. He ate that in addition to the yummy cold treats he had picked out the day before.

Overall day one was a success. Mostly tiring from lack of sleep the night before and waking up early to prep and get to the hospital.

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I love the holidays, spending time with family and traditions. I love to do old Traditions and start new ones.

My family for as long as I can remember always makes tamales on Christmas Eve and eats them on Christmas Day. The first year I had Christmas with my husbands family was my first traditional Christmas dinner. I remember calling home and telling my mom, "Guess what, I got to have Thanksgiving twice this year." I knew that a tamale dinner wasn't people's normal Christmas dinner, but I had never thought about what was considered an average dinner. So when we had turkey, cranberry, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pie I thought I was the luckiest person ever to have 2 Thanksgivings that year.

 

Last year we went and saw Monsters inc. with our kids on Christmas Eve. So this year the kids asked if we could start a new tradition and go see a movie on Christmas Eve again. Why not? So we ended up seeing Frozen in 3D with my sister and her kids. It was way fun, and good. I love musicals, which I didn't realize this had so much singing in it, I was in heaven. Not to mention the voice talents of Kirstin Bell and Idina Menzel, it was amazing!

 

 

 

Then we drove through the lights and Thanksgiving Point in Lehi. Then went home and had a yummy rib dinner and finished the night with the Christmas story from the Bible. Growing up I always wanted to open 1 present on Christmas Eve like all my friends talked about doing, but never was able to convince my parents. So when my husband told me that was his tradition growing up, I was thrilled to carry it on. So yes we are like the many millions who open pajamas on Christmas Eve, to make up for the years I wish we did as a family.

 

So yes it was a very full and fun day. I did it on purpose. That night all my kids were asleep within 5 minutes of tuck in, that has got to be some kind of Christmas Eve record! I purposely wore them plump out!