Celebrities, Current Events, Health & Fitness, Northwest Indiana Mom Blog

In November 2011 I told you about my experience shopping for a Sleep Number bed.  My husband and I tried out all the models and decided that the Sleep Number i8 bed was the model for us.

In December, right before Christmas, our bed was delivered and before I tell you about how the sleeping experience has been on our new bed, I first want to tell you about delivery and assembly.

A Sleep Number bed is not like a traditional bed.  There is no “box spring” and the mattress itself comes into the house in quite a few different pieces.

Take a look at the before picture of our old bed:

Drooping, uncomfortable, sad...

Buh-bye

And now let’s take a look at the setup process:

The frame / base of the bed

Setting up the base

Adding the legs

Meanwhile in the hallway they began inflating the 2 sleep number chambers

Base almost complete

Base complete and adding base cover

Rolling out the mattress cover

Removing part of mattress cover to insert sleep number chambers

Installing foam that surrounds the air-filled chambers

Installing foam underneath the air-filled chambers

Adding the air-filled chambers

Replacing the mattress cover over the chambers

Removal of top-most layer and installing pillowtop padding

Replacing pillowtop cover

Viola!

Plush

And the after picture!

One thing that didn’t make it into the pictures is the pump.  The pump sits under the head of the bed and a tube comes out of each air chamber and connects to it.  The pump inflates or deflates the air chambers based upon where you set your Sleep Number using the included remote.

Obviously the install and setup of the Sleep Number beds is a little more time and labor intensive than slapping down the mattress on top of the box spring.  The benefit to this type of system is that with everything being modular, if something goes wrong, gets stained, gets ripped, stops performing, it is easier to replace a single part.  From my perspective this makes for a much longer life possible for the bed!

Stay tuned for more information about the features of the Sleep Number i8 bed and about whether or not our sleep quality has improved with this new bed.

I want to give some kudos.

I’m always complaining about the “BAD” stuff and I thought it was time to tell you about some good stuff from an unlikely source.  I think so many of us feel that organics are hard to find, expensive and out of our reach, and in some cases it takes work and a bit more money to make sure we are putting safe food in our bodies.

I think one of the big steps that has to happen is for the major brands to take a stand and start putting out organic options and letting people choose.  These large companies have more of an ability to provide a lower price point because of the sheer size of their organization, and with their name on a product I think there is an easier perception of trust.

In my switch to organic foods, I have come across two brands that I have been buying on a regular basis, Cascadian Farm and Muir Glen.  These two brands are a part of Small Planet Foods which is actually a division of General Mills.

Now, I’m a big proponent of making our food from scratch but sometimes it just is not possible.  I’m learning and growing and adapting and eventually I plan on making tomato sauce, granola bars and most of the food we eat, at home.  For right now however, as I make a bunch of small changes that add up to profound impact, I do have to resort to buying some packaged foods.  And frankly there are many families out there who will always rely on packaged foods for one reason or another.  With these products at least we can know we are doing the best we can to ensure pesticides and artificial preservatives stay far, far away from our food.

Thank you General Mills for giving us choices and embracing the idea that there is a better way.

My husband took this picture the other day.

How many people take their date to White Castle, let alone make reservations?

In the midst of a Chicago snowstorm, bloggers gathered on January 21st & 22nd for the 2nd Annual Kenmore Blogger Summit and I was proud to have braved a 3 1/2 hour drive in the brutal storm to attend.  Halfway into my drive I almost turned around to go home.  I thought I was nuts to keep driving in blizzard conditions during rush hour traffic just to attend an event about appliances.  Let me give you a quick reference for how long the drive actually took – I returned home from the Summit in about an hour.  But despite the stress involved in driving safely when all my van wanted to do was slide off the road, I’m glad I didn’t turn around.  The 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit is an event I am happy to say that I participated in and I would definitely do it again.

The Summit started on Friday night, the 21st with a reception and dinner at the Sofitel Hotel.  We enjoyed a presentation from Google+, yummy food and got to chat with the bloggers we would be spending the next day with, hands on at the Kenmore Live Studios.

On Saturday January 22nd we enjoyed breakfast together at the hotel (oh how I miss those chocolate scones), and headed out to the Kenmore Live Studios.

Before I go any further, I want to talk briefly about Kenmore.  Kenmore has been around since the 1920′s.  That’s a long time!  While they want us all to know that Kenmore is “NOT your grandmother’s brand” I think it is important to take note that they have a long-standing reputation and have come a long way adapting to changing technologies.  They have adapted and grown and as you will see, have a lot of innovative features that definitely bring them full circle into the modern age.

You will also see that Kenmore has done something that very few brands have – engaged the consumer in a way that connects beyond just the appliance purchase.  Through their Kenmore Live Studios they offer an interactive way to bring creativity and innovation to life in the studio and into our homes with a live video feed that broadcasts through the internet.

Kenmore Blogger Summit Attendees

There were 43 bloggers on the original attendee list but I know a couple were absent due to the weather.  Flights were cancelled and it was beyond their control.

During the event I got to spent time with old friends and made some great new ones!

Kenmore Blogger Summit Activities

The event was hosted by Kenmore Live Studios’ in-house chef Kari Karch, and there were discussions, activities, demonstrations, healthy competitions and presentations.  We learned about the history of Kenmore, their goals moving into the future and why they believe in the importance of sharing their message with bloggers.  Not only were they interested in helping us learn more about Kenmore and their products, they were very interested in our feedback and ideas for future product innovations.

So, what did I take away from the 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit?

I mentioned new friends already, but I wanted to reiterate that, but I also took away a new found respect for Kenmore.  I admit that prior to the Summit I never would have given Kenmore a second thought.  I had no idea they engaged the consumer (and bloggers, who are a great connection to the consumers) in such a thorough, creative manner, and I am impressed with the features they have implemented to help make our lives easier.

I also received a Kenmore Elite Stand Mixer as part of my attendance at the event.  Isn’t it purdy?  I actually gave the mixer to a good friend who is starting a cake making business.  She promised me free cakes for life and so far she has used it once (on her own birthday cake) and said her icing tastes much better mixed in the Kenmore Elite!!!!  The sad part is I have to wait til July for my birthday cake….

Another thing I took away from the 2012 Kenmore Blogger Summit is this:

Kenmore Elite 31 cu. ft. French Door Bottom-Freezer Refrigerator (AKA Grab N’ Go)

I am one of just two lucky bloggers who gets to review this amazing fridge and trust me that after the summit and the demonstration we got, the drooling you are doing right now is warranted.  I can’t wait to get it so I can share with you all the amazing innovations Kenmore has put into this fridge and experience it first hand.

You get to take something away from my visit to the Kenmore Live Studios – through February 4, 2012 you can get 30% any Kenmore regular-price small kitchen appliances, cookware, bakeware & kitchen gadgets at sears.com and kmart.com with the code 30KENMORE.