It Seems Like Only Yesterday...

There are many inventions and discoveries that have drastically altered the path of mankind.

The wheel got us rolling and allowed us to move our families to more desirable caves with better schools.

Running water freed up hours and hours of time and allowed folks to say things like "Hey, I think I'll take ANOTHER bath, even though it's not my month for it!" People started living longer due to the decrease of diseases and the increase of women not smothering their husbands in fits of disgusted rage.

One of my own personal favorites is the invent of modern feminine hygiene products. After reading the 1970's version of  "Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret," in grade school, I was petrified of the whole idea of hooks and pulley systems to assure that my monthly menstrual cycle would not run down my legs in P.E. class. Yay for adhesives and absorbent cottons!

But I think that most people would agree that one of the most influential inventions was when refrigeration became a feasible option for a vast population; LIVES WERE CHANGED. I cannot imagine living a life without the ability to keep food cool from day to day. In fact, if you have ever gone camping, you will begin to touch upon just how much your life revolves around the life span of the food you are trying to serve. If it's exceptionally hot out, ice must be purchased almost daily to insure that the highly processed hot dogs and hamburgers don't begin to defrost. (If you are a serious camper, I don't have any clue how you manage eating anything other than granola bars and stale water...) And God forbid the overpriced $4 QUART of milk that you purchased at the campground store might
sour before breakfast!

When our refrigerator bit the big one last May, I learned just how difficult it is to exist in modern society without a functioning refrigerator. We cooked what we could and doled out food to our neighbors, but inevitably ended up tossing a vast amount of food that couldn't be salvaged. We lived out of a cooler for several weeks as we compared our bank account to the cost of a decent refrigerator. Naturally, Life threw extra Fun Stuff at us which made it all the more difficult to secure a decent fridge instead of just a glorified cooler. I decided to pull my SuperBlogger Cape out in an attempt to procure a better fridge for trade.

Lo and behold, Whirlpool took pity on us. After a few conversations about the services I would provide in return for honest reviews of their product, this lovely appliance arrived at our home.

And so began the year of blogging about a refrigerator. It's not as easy as it sounds! I really wanted to write informative pieces that would be beneficial to the company and to anyone who was in the market for a similar model. Our experience has not been 100% perfect, but the positives have far outweighed the negatives! In fact, discovering how attentive their customer service is was a fabulous surprise and worthy of a read, if you're interested...

I also like the post where I discovered the fancy schmancy alarm system that is INVALUABLE in a household of 3 perpetually moving children...

And it goes without saying that a sleekly beautiful fridge in the house can cause a tad bit of jealousy amongst the other appliances...

Would I recommend this refrigerator? Yes.
Would I endorse Whirlpool in general as a company? Yes. I've had nothing but good experiences this entire year.

Questions? Comments? Bring 'em on! I have the time to answer them because I HAVE REFRIGERATION in my house! God bless modern science...


*Disclaimer: I was given this Whirlpool refrigerator to review for a year but no monetary compensation was received. All views and opinions remain my own.

Don't Hate Me Because I'm Beautiful

You just don't know.

You have no idea what it's like to be me. To be this powerful and important; this insanely pivotal in the lives of the entire household; it's a massive responsibility. Added to all of that, I have to be blessed/cursed with an intensely beautiful countenance? With my sleek lines and everlasting glow, I appeal to more than just the average male's hunger; the women that repeatedly flock to me also cannot contain their desire.

I don't just draw attention: I demand it. I capture it. And I can retain it until you're shivering with joy.

You call me conceited? I call you jealous.

And justified.

After all,

I am not your ordinary appliance.

I am a freaking Whirlpool Gold Side by Side. I have 25 Cubic Feet of space available to store your heart's desire and keep it fresher than you could ever imagine, thanks to my built-in sensors and produce preserver.

Let me guess; Suddenly, you're finding yourself attracted to not only my attractive exterior, but to my brilliant abilities. I'll bet your mother's insistent words of "It's what's INSIDE that counts," are ringing like church bells in your head.

Momma was right. Cuz baby, I am gonna rock your world.

*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own. Also, my refrigerator cannot really talk. I do hope that this is obvious. But it would be a cool feature, eh? 

Thank you to Jocelyn Geboy for the idea... :)

Leftovers to the Rescue

The snow fell heavily in Illinois yesterday. So for dinner last night, we had chicken soup. Steamy and delicious and made from only what I could find in the house because I was NOT heading back into that snowstorm for food! I love using leftovers to create a second dish, and since Patrick is coming down with the sniffles, chicken soup was a perfect choice. Sadly, I only had the chicken bought fresh and cooked the day before. Everything else in my fridge was purchased before our trip to Florida! That means that the carrots I wanted to put into the pot were probably over 3 weeks old. Were they any good? I was worried and opened the vegetable drawer in my Whirlpool with caution.

Absolutely Fine! I swear to God, the carrots were perfect. I am in a bit of shock, actually. In fact (confession time), I made the kids take a bite of one (can't poison the cook, you know) before I tried one myself and they were still crisp and sweet.

While this is obviously a sponsored post for the Whirlpool refrigerator that I'm writing about this year, it is 100% truth. The produce preserver on our Whirlpool side by side continues to lengthen the usability lifespan of all of our produce. While carrots aren't known to spoil crazily fast, I notice the greatest difference in any of the greens we purchase for salads. They actually seem to be EATEN before they spoil nowadays! This means that I purchase even more because I know it won't go to waste, which means my family is eating healthier as a result.

If you'd like to see more of my reviews of our experience with our Whirlpool refrigerator, you can check out my previous posts HERE or ask away in the comments section! I would be happy to tell you how we feel about it.

*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own

My Love Affair with Whirlpool Continues...

I never get tired of that view right there... Our Whirlpool fridge is one of the only appliances I have ever been able to actually pick out. We've lived in 3 houses, and had to purchase a few appliances here or there, but mostly they all came with the new home, so I never had the fun of picking and choosing something so, well, pretty as this fridge!

I do so wish it was always as clean as it is in this picture (and always had a box of wine up top, too. I wonder if that is a feature I can ask for? Free wine for life?). But overall, the storage space is fabulous and the water filtration system has saved us a ton of money on extra drinks for the kids. They just naturally gravitate towards the water! It's easy and free. What's not to like?

I have had some issues with the ice maker, though. At first, it was shooting the ice out with a little too much gusto, and now it is frozen solid, despite my attempts to correct the issue. I am on a mission to figure out what has happened, and solve the problem. So I am wrote a  letter to their customer service to ask for some advice..

Jan 11 - sent Customer Service an email asking for help to stop the ice from freezing into a solid chunk.
Jan 11 - Sent a tweet to @whirlpoolcorp asking for help on the situation.
 Jan 11 - got a tweet back from Whirlpool:

Jan 14 - Received a very courteous email from Customer Care with information on how to use the warranty to hire a maintenance worker to come and check out the issue.

Jan 16 - Received another Tweet from Whirlpool asking me to send them the information I have on the problem.
 
So, overall? My confidence that Whirlpool will continue to help me with this matter is high. The BEST part? To my knowledge, the Whirlpool team that has been contacting me has no clue who I am or that I am reviewing this refrigerator. They have been prompt and helpful, and I am very interested to find out what the maintenance contact will advise me to do for our ice issue!

*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

Whirlpool for the Holidays

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, eh? This is where I should be posting a photo of my beautiful Whirlpool fridge to talk to you about it for my monthly sponsored post. But you will NOT be seeing a picture of my fridge because, although it's beautiful, it's a MESS! I have been so busy with the holiday season and all of this peace on Earth and goodwill that I have been even more lax in my housework duties and, well... it's a DISASTER.

The kids have spilled chocolate syrup and maraschino cherry juice on the shelving. The freezer is full of popsicle wrappers and empty waffle boxes because no one in this house seems to be able to turn around and throw their trash into the garbage can that is DIRECTLY BESIDE THE FRIDGE. The ice tray and water dispenser is actually good. I could post a picture of THAT, because it's all clean and pretty from within the massive amount of paperwork for Christmas outings and karate tests that is magnetized to the freezer door.

So maybe not that, either.

Thankfully, I am reviewing the refrigerator to talk about how it is working out for our family; not because I am a fabulous housekeeper.

So, let's talk!

We have had the Whirlpool side by side refrigerator for 7 months now (ever since our old fridge sputtered and died during a heat wave around Memorial Day...) and I truly have only nice things to say about it. The options for changing temperature, filters, and other settings are absolutely simple to understand. I say this as a person who has been blogging for over 6 years and still can't truly figure out the whole "stumbleupon/tumblr" stuff. (BTW, if you can help me with that stuff? I'd love you forever!). If I can figure out how to update the  settings and change the filters on a refrigerator, then anyone can.

The water always tastes fresh and clean and that little dinging alarm for when the door is left open has saved my butt more times than I care to admit!

I'm not in the market for any other major appliances right now, but Whirlpool has proven to me that it is a good quality company and I am willing to stand behind that statement should anyone have any questions about them. So... Any questions?


*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

A Thing of True Beauty...

There are few things of genuine beauty in the world…

A baby’s smile…

The light that shines in your true love’s eyes for only you…

The majestic glow of a sunset over the cornfields in the fall…

But none of those stunning visions are quite as fulfilling as the view I am witnessing at this very moment.

BEHOLD!

Don’t they look so lovely in my Whirlpool Fridge?

My friends, that is over 200 cookies for Christmas.

200 cookies to taste and devour.

200 cookies to share and celebrate with.

200 cookies to make my bootie even more bountiful than it already was.

200 cookies to give me more reasons to exercise.

Suddenly it’s not so beautiful anymore…

 *Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

It's a chilly space to chat, but oh-so-clean!

I am finally, FINALLY feeling excited about the impending holidays. In fact, I almost didn’t use the word “impending” when I wrote that first sentence. (Almost). If I were able to purge the house of 35% of its contents, then I would probably officially able to use a more favorable adjective. Alas, the garage has a mouse ( AGAIN) and the basement has crickets, so I canNOT enter either space until they are cleansed of those vermin. It seems as though I am becoming quite the wuss as I grow up.

I have laid down the law that I will not enter any vicinity where critters would have the capability to run over my feet and up my legs, or to jump ridiculously high into my face where they might decide to peck and gnaw at my eyes. It’s just not gonna happen. Hence, the mess that has no place to go to now that it has accumulated.

There is one spot in my house that remains moderately clean. My Whirlpool Fridge.

Isn’t it lovely? Can you blame me for keeping it somewhat free of clutter? Though none of the clutter from the fridge needs to be packed up for future siblings to wear (like the clothing that has to go to the bins in the basement), or carted out to the garage for the garage sale that we keep promising ourselves we’re gonna have. If we’re done with the food? Straight to the garbage can. (Throwing away clothing and toys seems not only wasteful but also like I’d be losing a whole bunch of money!)

Speaking of my refrigerator, I would like to interject that my continuing review has only one minor gripe. The ice maker has the most powerful force behind it! If we don’t hold the cups up to the dispenser just-so, it tends to shoot little bits of ice across the kitchen floor. While I don’t particularly mind this (as it provides entertainment for our dog and actually causes several spaces upon my kitchen floor to be “cleaned” periodically), I can see that it might pose a problem for other clients. I have read on other reviews that this is a fairly regular issue. I will investigate any solutions to this quirk. Maybe there are ways to tweak the power on the fridge? I’ll check online…

Still. Having a clean(ish) fridge isn’t making my home feel very organized. Especially if anyone comes to visit. Maybe I could just cover their eyes and escort them to the opened refrigerator? We could have our conversation by the cool air and light while drinking wine and munching on leftover chili?

Or maybe I should stop being a baby and face my fears, eye-munching crickets and mice be damned?

Or maybe I should force my husband to finally rid our home of any possible eye-munching, foot-scampering critters? 

I vote for the latter.

 *Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

One Fish, Two Fish...

Do you know what you get when your husband goes fishing in Canada for 10 days?

Besides piles of stinky laundry and a very scruffy spouse?
(And reunion sex!) (blushing)

Stacks and stacks of lovely, delicious FISH!

Have you ever seen anything more beautiful?

Well. Ok, that's a bit of  a stretch. I have seen LOTS of things more beautiful...

But have you ever seen such a beautiful PILE OF FISH???

Don't they look awesome in my Whirlpool fridge? (It's so nice to know that THIS freezer actually keeps my frozen foods, well, FROZEN. Such a concept!)

I'll be guarding this fishy goodness till this weekend when we invite our family over for a little yearly fish fry. It shall be DELICIOUS and FABULOUS and, the best part is that it's a party that I DON'T COOK FOR!


*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

What's better than fresh summer fruit?

Ever buy a bunch of fruit because it's on sale and then fret over the cost and think to yourself "These kids BETTER eat this healthy food because I am NOT going to throw it away (again)!"

Ever do that?

Ever get distracted by life and then realize that HEY! It's been... 2 weeks since I went shopping for fresh produce. I wonder what's left? I wonder how nasty it is?

So you cautiously approach your fridge, open the produce drawer and...

What? What is this? The apples and pears are still good? The spinach and lettuce are mostly fresh and crisp? The berries are still perfect?!?

Yep. The Produce Preserver option on my Whirlpool refrigerator actually works. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. But the fruits and veggies, which should have been at least a LITTLE nasty at 2 weeks into it, were all edible and appetizing.

Yet another feature on our new fridge that I adore...


*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

Gimme my PUR water STAT!

A glass of water.

Simple, right?

On a day like today, when the heat index reaches over 110 degrees Farenheit, and you can actually feel your brain melting while you are sitting in a neighborhood swimming pool; a simple glass of water can taste like the most exotic champagne in the world.

Especially when it's ice cold and from your fridge.

What is it about filtered water that just tastes... better? I know, it has 99% less lead and microbial cysts. Is that what makes it taste so fresh?

It must, because our water from our new Whirlpool fridge tastes fabulous.


*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

Red Alert

We were sitting outside, enjoying the lovely sun and breeze. It truly has been a beautiful early summer. My friend was trying to convince her children that it really WAS time to go home and I was thrilled to be drinking a COLD glass of ICE WATER!**

"Your new fridge is awesome!"

"I agree. Plus, it's CLEAN. That always makes an appliance really gorgeous. I am really excited to review all of the new features and details that this model has."

"Like what?"

"Well, there's the air filter, the water filtration system, the produce freshener and tons of fancy buttons and features that I still have to check out. It's kind of like Whirlpool dropped off a jet plane in my kitchen except that it doesn't fly to Florida when I climb inside and shut the door."

We continued to chat and relax while our kids ran circles around the house when a strange beeping interrupted our conversation. It was loud enough to get my attention, but not annoying enough to be an alarm clock...

"What IS that?"

"It sounds like a timer, or a mild alarm. Do you need to change the batteries on your fire alarms?"

Sure enough, it WAS an alarm. An alarm on my fabulous new Whirlpool fridge that will go off if one of the doors is left ajar. My darling daughter had managed to leave the freezer open after she realized that there was no ice cream to sneak and this brilliant appliance wasn't going to let a single item defrost.

That little red light says "Hey! Your door is open. Just wanted to let you know. And I will never, ever, EVER fly you to Florida, no matter how many times you press me."

Let it be known that I LOVE THIS FEATURE. Many elfin dances of joy will be jigged around my house...

**Let it ALSO be known that I love me some ice water. Crushed, preferably. And brought to me by someone else.

*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

The Countdown

You know you're an adult when you're more excited for a refrigerator delivery than you would be for a massive pile of Christmas presents.

But trust me: living in a household with 3 kids and 1 husband and NO FRIDGE for 3 weeks has been less than awesome.

But it has been entertaining... (If you consider walking into the house after an outing only to discover that both you AND your husband forgot to restock the cooler with ice and there is an interesting aroma permeating the air.)

Or, if you're the type of person who enjoys throwing away dozens of condiments, lunch meats and frozen foods because the fridge defrosted.

Maybe you enjoy slipping and sliding across the linoleum when the ice tray turns to water and spills out onto the kitchen floor? I must admit, that has been my favorite activity out of this whole adventure.

But nothing, nothing, nothing compares to how happy my face will be when the delivery man pulls up in my driveway with this baby in his truck:

I have a feeling that my face will be something like this:

Me and Audrey Berns just moments before Listen To Your Mother 2012

 Oh lovely, lovely Whirlpool fridge... Just a few more hours and you will be cooling my milk and creating ice. ICE! I can have ice water again! Cool and refreshing and even FILTERED with your PUR system...

**Updated with me standing in my fridge's CHILLED AIR!! I am so happy! What a great way to start Memorial Day Weekend!

*Disclaimer: I will be reviewing this Whirlpool refrigerator for the next year. Though these posts will be sponsored, all opinions and words will be my own.

Just what I needed...

I really needed today's event. It's been a crazy couple of days with lots going on and it was nice to be at the Whirlpool media event without having to be in charge of anything or anyone. All I had to do was enjoy myself and pay attention in between the delicious food they served us. (I am seriously craving that chicken dish. I have GOT to email their chef for the recipe. Divine!)

The Whirlpool Event Center is on LaSalle Street in the beautiful red brick building on the Chicago River that has the large clock tower on top. If you've ever seen pictures of Chicago, you know what I'm talking about.

Where are the pictures of this event, you ask? Well, it's hard to take photos when your children steal your camera's batteries for their Xbox remotes. AGAIN. (The corded remotes they got for Christmas are no longer quite as reliable. This is where it's important to keep the products you review instead of returning them. My kids recommend NOT buying the cheaper remotes and buying the quality ones, so that they last longer. FYI).

I digress.

It was at this event that I found what may just be the solution to our "Where to put the teenager" problem! (Yes. It's a problem. Trust me, he needs his own space. We ALL need for him to have his own space!)

Gladiator Garage is affiliated with Whirlpool and has the coolest modular system that I think is PERFECT for the teenager basement hang-out/future bedroom!! Spots for movable shelves! Sliding drawers and practically indestructible bamboo desktops!

I think I have about a zillion ideas to figure out on this one...