Appliances that help

There are a couple of appliances I have purchased that really save me time and make my life easier.  I would like to note (as always) I am not affiliated with any of these products or the companies that sell them.

First issue:  Owen still spends a lot of time on the floor, we have a cat that drops hair, an elder child who drags in all sort of things from his sports training, Owen is a messy eater. We have carpet and wooden floors in our main area, so sweeping is not enough but I obviously need to keep the floor clean.

Solution: I bought a Dyson upright rechargeable stick vacuum.  I leave it charged up in the cupboard and do a quick vacuum of our main areas each day.  It is quick, easy to use and I'm done in 5 to 10 minutes.  Best of all it actually works and does not lose charge gradually (works 100% until the battery needs charging again).  I'm not going to tell you what model I have but there are heaps of them to choose from and I'm sure if you do your research there are possibly other brands that do the same thing, with the same performance too.

Second issue:  Owen eats mainly purees and has a restricted diet.  I often have to make him individual meals, custards and rice puddings with special ingredients, then pureeing what needs to be pureed.  I don't have time to sit there and stir these things and hate having to transfer a cooked meal into food processor to blend. The result can still have lumps and I hate the extra dishes.

Solution:  I bought a "thermo" style of cooker (Target's Bellini version of the thermomix).  With that I cook a meal (risottos, pasta's etc)  and puree in the same jug, so I only have one dish and lid to wash.  I make custards, puddings etc and don't have to stir while they are cooking  I can carry on feeding or bathing Owen whilst the machine is doing it's thing.  I can even add calorie laden "extras" to what I make for him.  They do lots of other things like mix cake batters, grind nuts, knead dough etc.  I won't list them all. There are a huge range of options out there that range in price from around $230  to over $2000.  Really up to you as to what you afford but I have had no real issues with my Bellini (currently $229 at Target).  I have had to replace one under warranty but Target replaced it, no issues and I got a whole new warranty.