weekend and such

[mamajoan]

One of the moms in Isaac's class has started this new thing of calling for all-class playdates at local playgrounds now that the weather is improving. Yesterday we went to the second of these and it was great. It's so nice that the kids are big enough now that we can go to the playground and they pretty much play while we parents sit around chatting.

Also, they've been at this playground near our house, which was just completely renovated. I hadn't been there since the renovations; I went there once or twice when Isaac was a toddler, and honestly, the place was kind of skeezy. The playground equipment was ancient and rickety, the sand was full of cigarette butts, the paved parts were cracked and pitted, and well, you just got a bad feeling about it. But now it's all new and REALLY nice. The kids are loving it. And did I mention it's in walking distance from our house? :)

Anyway, so that was fun. I really appreciate any opportunity to socialize with the other parents, since I don't get to do that at morning dropoff any more.

We finally found out which Little League team Isaac is on. He has been assigned to the "Royal White Laundry" team. Apparently all teams are just named for their corporate sponsors now. This kind of makes me LOL. ;) Isaac was a bit disappointed that none of his friends are on his team, but I think it will probably be better off that way actually. We can't WAIT until practices get started. Now that the professional baseball season has begun, Isaac's obsession is picking up steam very quickly. ;)

Over the weekend we also went to the mall to look at refrigerators. Did I mention this already? I think I did. Anyway, it was very confusing. There are way too many options ;) and way too few of the models on display at Sears were certified for the rebate program. (You can get up to $200 back if you buy an Energy Star fridge between April 22 and May 5.) Then I saw that Sears had some used/refurb fridges that still have the Energy Star label, so I thought, well if I buy a refurb and it's discounted, that's just as good, right? So I said that to the Sears salesman who was helping me, and he said that in fact he believes they'll be putting ALL Energy Star fridges on 30% discount starting on April 22nd (Earth Day). So if that's the case, I might just buy it that way and give up on the rebate. I mean, I like the idea of saving another $200, but not if I'm that severely limited in my choice of model, right?

I can't quite decide which style of fridge I want. I really like the idea of having the freezer on the bottom, so you don't have to bend down every time you get something out of the fridge; but the downside is that it might mean the kids would be unable to get their own snacks. I like that they're able to get a string cheese or yogurt or similar out of the fridge by themselves. On most of the bottom-freezer fridges we saw at Sears yesterday, Isaac could reach the cheese drawer but Ruthie couldn't. So, that's a downside, but on the other hand, that would only be an issue for another year or two, whereas this is going to be our fridge for, one hopes, many many years beyond that; so maybe I shouldn't make my decision entirely based on that. And anyway, Ruthie is already quite proficient in the general arena of bringing a stool to help her reach high-up things that she isn't supposed to be able to reach, ahem ;)

I know for sure that I don't want the side-by-side type of fridge, where the fridge itself is vertically on the right and the freezer is on the left. I don't like that style at all, and I don't need an icemaker or water dispenser so it isn't necessary. Of course, that style seems to dominate the rebate list.... *Sigh*

Anyway, hopefully that will all work itself out somehow. And then, having bought a new stove a couple years ago and now (maybe) a fridge, I think that means I'm officially a grownup! Drat! ;)

Comments

[glaurung-quena.livejournal.com]

On selecting a fridge: I tried to shop for one by visiting the appliance section at Sears as well, and got equally confused. Then I discovered that the sears website lets me filter their complete line of fridges by feature. Visit sears.com > appliances > refrigerators. Specifying "white" as the colour will cut out duplicate entries. Picking energy star, plus "single door bottom freezer" and "french door bottom freezer" cuts out all the types you know you don't want (and there are only 58 models left). At that point, you can narrow things further by specifying the cubic feet, or just sort by price and see what you can afford.

Tip: measure the actual size of the slot your fridge occupies now, including depth. Eliminating fridges that are too big to fit (or that will be way too small for the space) will almost certainly cut the list down to a mere handful. And it's easier than trying to figure out what X cubic feet means in practical terms.

[glaurung-quena.livejournal.com]

Forgot to say: once you've found a list of models that are going to work for you, then go armed with that list to the store to examine them in person (and to see if they have one of the ones you want in stock/on sale).

[lapenn.livejournal.com]

I really like the freezer on the bottom style. And, yeah, just have Ruthie get a stool. They are super nice to use.

Also, I'd worry less about the energy star label and just check out the estimated cost of use on fridges. That can vary so widely! also, think about cubic size. Do you use your freezer a lot? Some models have way smaller freezers than others.

[aelf.livejournal.com]

I love the standing playdate thing. I do that at a local park over the summer.

Buying a fridge seems like it should be such fun. A new fridge! Exciting! Instead, it's just daunting, comparing so many similar items to each other. I wish you luck.