NewlyNested: Nespressos and Roombas [Product Reviews]

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a blogumn by Debra Goykhman

I remember learning how important Good Housekeeping was as an educational tool to some women in a Women Studies class.  I remember learning how women of the past would read about devices like the microwave, that would make their lives simpler.  I remember my grandmother blaming an older family member’s cancer on the lack of fridges.  That this woman in a generation above her mother couldn’t have enough red meat because they didn’t have a refrigerator or freezer at the time, so she would only have fresh meat once a month.  These devices are rarely appreciated in my daily life.  I can’t remember any days without a microwave, refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, food processor, or dryer.  Those are things I use every day, so how could I give them so little thought?

One reason I care so little about them is because I honestly don’t care to be too domesticated.  As much as I love being a wife, working from home and cooking, I still don’t love to read or think too much about my daily duties.  But there are a couple of gadgets that I have said, “this has changed my life!”  And I am always looking for more to add to my list.   Here are those gadgets.

Nespresso CitZ Espresso Machine

Why I love it: Because growing up my mom went out to breakfast almost every day of the week (she actually still does this).   She would eat a meal and sip on coffee for an hour completely relaxed and able to read a book.  It was her escape and she often woke up early so she could do this.  Like my mother, I love the idea of being waited on for my morning coffee, but now drip coffee doesn’t do it for me anymore.  I need fancy coffee like lattes, au laits, and freddos.  However, I can’t afford a five dollar cup of coffee every morning.  The Citz machine has made my morning latte easy enough so I don’t get that urge every morning to run out to my local coffee shop.  The Citz is a pod machine, so I press two buttons and I have my latte and the clean-up is just as easy.

iRobot Roomba Vacuum

Why I love it:  Because I hate cleaning and I am terrible at it.  However, regular vacuuming is a must in my house because I was blessed with allergies and asthma.   When I first looked into registering for this item (it was a wedding gift) I wondered if it really would work.  Since I’ve bought it, almost anyone who sees it asks me the same thing.  Yes, the Roomba does really work, but it’s not going to work like a regular high end vacuum cleaner.  I use it once or twice a week and it does a really good job of keeping my carpet clean.  I am happy about it, but still I would recommend doing a heavy duty cleaning once a month.

Those are the gadgets that have changed this nester’s life, but I’m always looking for more.  Do you have any gadgets that have changed your life?  They don’t have to be domestic centric.

Click on the pics to order your Nespresso and/or Roomba!