My New Vacuum Sucks!

A true Libra, I am obsessed with balance in my life. As a young child, I insisted that my hotdogs were cut into equal pieces, and I always made sure that an equal number of pieces were dipped into mustard as into ketchup. As a teenager, I resisted piercings and tattoos because they ruined the natural, beautiful symmetry of one's body. And as an adult, my Libra-ness comes out in my purchasing patterns. I don't think I've ever bought a single stick of deodorant or just one carton to Diet Coke. Everything must come in twos. Including pets (and babies).

Therefore, we have two dogs and two cats (and two babies). We failed to consider the shedding issue when we moved our black lab into a home with off-white carpeting, but have spent the last three years trying to find a solution. Those of you who have lived with a lab know what I am talking about, and while Aunt Gigi calls the endless supply of relinquished hair "little pieces of love," I call it disgusting. The other day I got the boys' cheese out of the refrigerator and there was a stray black lab hair stuck to it. Gross. I shudder to think of how many Remy hairs my babies have ingested.

I am sure the other three pets contribute to the issue, but Jud is a cairn terrier, one of the few breeds of dog that does not shed. Princess Izzy, our exotic shorthair cat, does let the fur fly sometimes, but at least it's white and blends in with the carpet. And I'd wager that all three of them together do not contribute a tenth of the hair that Remy leaves around the house.

We've had an Oreck vacuum for three years, which until yesterday, I thought worked well. It seemed to pick up the dog hair, and it definitely worked better than the two Hoovers that Larry and I brought into our relationship. Still, though, I was intrigued by the Dyson Animal, as the name implied it was vicious enough to confront our problem. But who can afford a $600 vacuum? Certainly not us.

Then Woot ran the Dyson DC 33 refurbished on special last week. I started doing some research, and found that the DC 33 is nearly identical to the DC 28 Animal, minus a few attachments. And the price was a mere $199. It seemed a worthy credit card purchase if it could rescue my babies from a sea of fur.

So far, it's the best impulse buy I've ever made. When it arrived yesterday, I tested it on a small patch of carpet that had been vacuumed by the Oreck less than 24 hours before. I ran the Dyson over an area about 6 feet by 3 feet, and this is how much dog hair it reclaimed from the carpet:

I was amazed. I waited to vacuum the rest of the living room until Larry came home, because I needed a witness to this spectacular machine and a co-celebrant in my victory over dog hair. We vacuumed our living room and the boys' room last night and had to empty the canister SEVEN times before we finished. The Oreck missed seven bags worth of black dog hair. Larry and I feel like we have new carpet now.

My college roommate was asking for vacuum recommendations on Facebook recently, and one responder said "Anyone who recommends anything other than a Dyson has never used a Dyson." I have to agree. And I mean nothing but the highest praise when I say "My new vacuum sucks!"

Historical Moments at Harris Teeter

Today is a momentous day. Not because LSU and Alabama are meeting in the National Championship (don't get me started on either the BCS system or Nick $atan. There is not enough blood pressure medicine in the county to get me through that conversation). No, it is a momentous day because my boys rode in the race car shopping cart at Harris Teeter. Check it:

Despite the clear asymmetry in Ren's face here (yes, I know I should get over it), this picture brings joy to my heart. It signals the end of the supermarket struggles which we have endured these last 15 months. You simply cannot appreciate the simplicity of grocery shopping until you tote two babies into the store with you. For short trips to the store, we used a double umbrella stroller. I'd struggle pushing and steering the stroller with one hand while toting a basket, but then I discovered if I contorted the basket's handle, I could get it to sort of fit over two handle bars and it would support a bit of weight. I couldn't buy anything heavy, like milk or cat food, but it worked well for formula trips.

For more extensive trips I had to use the big stroller. It has a push bar handle, so it is easier to steer one-handed. I'd push the stroller and pull a shopping cart, which sounds quite easy. I assure you, it is not, and several witnesses at Harris Teeter and Publix can attest to the fact that I clipped corners and ran over feet every time I was there. It's even more difficult when you have one child who grunts and whines loudly every time you stop moving. I would stop to read a label or search for an item while still using only one hand to rock the stroller. It was a nightmare, and needless to say, I've hated grocery shopping for the last year and three months.

But today that all changed. The boys got into the race car shopping cart without any complaints and I was able to use two hands to push the cart, read labels, and steer. It gets easier!