The DeBroff DeBrief

IKEA 2010 Catalog

The country of Sweden has given America many important things: a delicious type of meatball, ABBA, and Volvo automobiles, just to name a select few. Since the late 1980s, IKEA, everyone’s favorite do-it-yourself furniture conglomerate, has served as the benchmark for Swedish imports. Beyond the vast warehouse of a store and the quirky names for the products, IKEA has become a brick-and-mortar companion that accompanies families through many different stages of life. Whether you are looking for adorable accents for your baby’s bedroom, furnishing your first apartment after college, or searching for the perfect kitchen appliances for your new retirement condo in Florida, IKEA makes it possible. IKEA has weaved its brand into the very fabric of our home lives, and as consumers we attach memories and feel fondness towards many of the IKEA products we own.

Plus, visiting an IKEA store becomes an adventure in itself! The store sports gargantuan square footing and thousands of home furniture and other appliances to try. I need to block off an entire afternoon when I visit the local IKEA, and the model rooms they have on display there inspire me to improve my own home’s décor.

I haven’t even mentioned the most important factor: PRICE! The “do-it-yourself” philosophy of IKEA unexpectedly leads to many consumer benefits. With no production costs, and a warehouse-like sales strategy, IKEA can offer extremely low prices for high quality furniture. Most any family member can build an IKEA product (baby or toddler notwithstanding), but laying all of the parts out and completing the project together creates feelings of accomplishment and family pride. Scolding my kids for not using a coaster on the table that we all built together is so much more rewarding then if it were a pre-made table!

After looking at the 2010 IKEA catalog, I can safely say that the product innovations just keep on coming. My daughter is going off to college next year, so we are trying to get a jumpstart on the dorm design process, and IKEA is a great place to look. Especially in this down economy, shopping at IKEA proves to be a savvy money-saving move. When we are all cutting back on spending, small changes can make a big difference! Instead of re-doing my entire kitchen or dining room, I can buy a new lamp or accent rug. A few fancy throw pillows or scented candles can transform the feel of any room, and that strategy is a cheaper and easier alternative to a complete refurnishing. The room appears fresh and unique, and I save myself a lot of money by purchasing small items from IKEA instead of breaking the bank on entirely new items.

Swedish IKEA has become an American institution that is drastically changing the market of home décor.  When I need new home appliances or just want a small home accent, I always head to IKEA. But don’t be surprised if you leave with more items and decorating ideas than you came for – I always do! 

Take the Pantry Challenge and Win $250

Moms know that getting a healthy meal on the table can be a challenge, especially when we spend our days working, shuttling kids to practices, and doing all of the things that make our households run smoothly. Changes in the economy have impacted eating habits, and a new food inventory study commissioned by the Canned Food Alliance reveals that three-quarters of our diets come from foods we prepare at home.

The popularity of eating in reaffirms the importance of having healthy food on hand. And the study, conducted among New Jersey Moms with young children, found that most families do, in fact, keep an array of nutritious foods stored in their homes. The problem, according to researchers, lies in the fact that many of us could improve our cooking and planning skills needed to make use of the healthy foods we already have hanging around our cabinets and pantries. According to Rich Tavoletti, the executive director of CFA, “The CFA gives families ways to get those ingredients off the shelf and onto the table.”

We’ve found some great tips to help families make the most of their home-cooked meals. When stocking your pantry, try keeping cereals with at least 2 grams of fiber and less than 2 grams of sugar, always buy 100% fruit juice, and make sure you have a supply of canned and dried fruits available for snacking. Also, don’t forget that organization is key! The CFA recommends storing the foods you use most on the eye-level shelves and heavy containers (flour, pet foods) on lower shelves. Canned foods also serve as an essential kitchen staple. From saving you prep time to providing substitutions for less healthy items, canned items can come in handy for basically any meal. You can find these and other great tips at www.mealtime.org.

You can also find the Essential Kitchen Toolkit on the website, created by food and nutrition educator and author, Roberta L. Duyff, in partnership with the Canned Food Alliance. The toolkit serves to give Moms everywhere new skills by providing tips and advice about everything from grocery shopping and organizing to cooking and kitchen safety. “The economic downturn, coupled with the decline of consumer skills, means that the climate is ripe for the resurgence of learning At-Home Economics and the kitchen skills that go along with it,” Duyff said. The CFA recognizes Moms as the traditional “nutrition gatekeepers,” but encourages the entire family to get involved in meal planning and preparation. By working together, families can make mealtime a healthy and fun experience.

In order to help Moms and their families organize, save money, and learn how to put together nutritious meals from foods they already have on hand, the CFA started the Pantry Challenge. Intended to foster creative, resourceful, and healthy eating, the challenge provides a great way to start making a change in family cooking and eating habits. Recently, I used some of the CFA’s tips to get my pantry in order. Using ingenious pantry risers to organize items on my shelves, grouping like foods together with those most often used in the most convenient locations, and swapping out old, unused items for new, more useful products, I managed to get a good start towards making use of the foods I have. And, afterwards, not only did I feel better, but throwing dinner together seemed easier than ever. Plus, my kids can now find things when I send them to the pantry to help out. Next I’ll be tackling the freezer!

Now, I’d love to invite the Mom Central community to get involved and try the Pantry Challenge with your own family. Grab your partner and kids and get started! Plus, we are offering a giveaway – the winner will receive a $250 gift card to help them in their task. To enter, take a stab at reorganizing your pantry and leave a comment below telling us what you did. Receive an extra entry by sending us before and after photos! You can also enter by visiting www.mealtime.org and then leaving a comment letting us know your two favorite tips – and any of your own, if you have them! The giveaway will run until August 21. Good luck!

Mom Central and Clorox: Five Tips for Summer Staycations

With summer now here, my husband and I continue to brainstorm family-fun ideas for the season without breaking the bank. This year, we plan to spend more time at home -- with talk of a summer staycation in the works -- and I’m looking forward to taking advantage of some of the great parks and outdoor events in our area. At the same time, I know that all of the extra time at home means more planning, bigger messes, and ultimately more chores for everyone.

As it turns out, more and more families are taking on extra housework because of the economy. According to a recent Clorox survey, over half of the Moms surveyed reported an increase in cleaning around the house as their families now spend more time at home. And, not surprisingly, Moms want to save time and money for all of this extra cleaning. Mom Central got together with the Clorox team and came up with a list of Five Tips for Summer Staycations to keep your family safe and your house clean during the summer months this year.

Staying Safe at BBQs. It can be tough to keep bacteria off of cooking surfaces when you’re not near a sink. To keep food safe, fill a spray bottle with 16oz of water and 3 tablespoons of bleach and pop it in your BBQ bag. Use the solution to spray down plates, cutting boards and utensils to clean bacteria on the spot.

Keeping the Pool Cool and Clean. If your kids love to spend hot afternoons in kiddie pools, you know the importance of cleaning the pool area. Dump out water after each session, and keep the pool clean by disinfecting it with a solution of ¾ cup bleach to one gallon of water. Don’t forget to rinse well and dry thoroughly after each cleaning.

Saving on Spills. Spending extra time around the house, especially with kids, often means more spills to clean up. Synthetic sponges and kitchen cloths can start to smell and carry bacteria, but you don’t have to toss them out after a few uses. Fill your sink with water and add ¾ cup of bleach to keep those sponges sanitized and clean your sink at the same time.

Staying Healthy and Hydrated. Spending time in the sun means kids will be more prone to getting dehydrated. Remind kids to take water breaks when playing outside and have them drink an extra glass with dinner if possible. As an added bonus, water spills on clothes or in the house are much easier to clean than juice or soda!

Having Peace of Mind at Playgrounds. Sometimes just getting out of the house is the best way to keep it clean, but before letting kids go nuts at the playground, ensure the safety of the equipment. Swing seats and slides can heat up in the sun – test them with your hand and, if they’re hot, use a towel or shirt to protect skin from burns. If a playground doesn’t look well maintained, you should scout your neighborhood for a better one out of a concern for safety.

Kmart Design Studio

When a giant unlabeled package was left outside my office door last week, I really didn’t know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see the abundance of goodies I had received, but was even more surprised once I learned they were samples from Kmart’s new Design Studio. 

Although I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about the Design Studio, Kmart’s latest venture into the design world does not disappoint. Worried about sacrificing style for price? Not an issue here. Offering both home fashions and apparel, the Design Studio was developed to be a resource for consumers seeking quality-oriented and affordable fashions. With the help of more than 200 designers from top retailers and fashion schools, Kmart was able to do just that. (You can find out more about the designers on Kmart's Design website.)

One of my (and my daughter’s!) favorite items from the sample shipment is the Colormate Mini Comforter set. The set comes with a comforter and pillow sham and is available in a variety of colors and patterns catering to both girls and boys. The comforter is light and soft with polyester filling (great for those of us who suffer from feather allergies) that is perfect for cooler nights but not too stifling for the summer. Priced at only 35 dollars, the Colormate Mini Comforter sets the standard for exceptional and affordable products made by Kmart’s Design Studio.

Tide and Bounce Make My Life Easier (Plus Exclusive Offer!)

I’m one of those Moms who has come to believe that the sun never sets on my washer and dryer. With two kids on sports fields every day, my own gardening, and messy dinners that always seem to make themselves part of my family’s clothing, I feel like I have more laundry than I can keep up with sometimes. And, as all Moms know, laundry can quickly become the bane of your existence.

Tide and Bounce are introducing two new products with this in mind. Both are not just great time savers - they actually do the hard work for you.

The Bounce Dryer Bar, which looks a lot like a bar of soap, takes dryer sheets to a new level. You simply attach it to the inside of your dryer and then let it work its magic – it freshens laundry and controls static for four months! Which is just one less thing to worry about every day – no more constantly bending over, forgetting to use dryer sheets, or having to look for them tangled up in your bed sheets. How’s that for convenient?

Equally inventive is Tide Stain Release, a new “in-wash booster” that blasts away stains while you’re doing the laundry. The formula is available in 3 forms, though my favorite is the package of little pouches that resemble dishwashing detergent gel tablets. Simply throw them in with the laundry (or use the powder or liquid forms) to fight difficult stains while you wash. Virtually every time I do laundry I know that my kids’ clothes are going to be covered with stains, from grass to marinara sauce, but if I don’t have time to find and treat every individual stain (and who does?), I no longer have to worry.

Besides the ease and ingenuity of these products, they’re both truly innovations against petty inconveniences. And anything that saves me time and enables me to take one more thing off my checklist isn’t just convenient – it actually becomes transformative. Those few minutes add up every wash cycle and become hours of my life that I get back. And what Mom doesn’t want that?

Although these products won’t be available in stores until later this summer, you can buy some Tide Stain Release today as part of an exclusive Internet presale. There are very limited quantities, so get there quickly! The presale starts today, July 1, at 4:30 at www.tidestainrelease.com.