who needs tv?...

It's not often that a washer excites a child, especially an 11 year old boy.  Last night, however, was a different story. 

Tim and decided that since our dryer was getting worse by the day and the washer had begun to sometimes walk it's way out of the laundry room , it was time for a new set.  Granted, they could've lasted us another year, but they just as easily could've broke down next week.  The timing wasn't great in that a refrigerator was also a big need too, as I was replacing the towel from in front of it to soak up the leak a couple times a week. 

We scoured the sales ads, went in more stores than I care to ever repeat, and read countless reviews and ratings to make our final decision this past weekend.  Since many stores were offering sales for President's Day, and many of those same stores already had energy savings sales, we made the most of the situation.  A big ticket purchase like those is never really fun, but in our diligence, we saved a huge chunk of change.

Now, as adults, I expect us (especially women) to be excited about new appliances.  Budget headache aside, it is nice to have updated and modern appliances.  This was especially true for us, since the refrigerator came with the house, and was at least a decade old, and our washer/dryer was not a matching set. 

After much research, we selected appliances that were all energy-saving, high efficiency, low water usage, and better all around for the earth and our wallets, at least on the back end.  I was excited that my ice and water in the refrigerator would actually be filtered and has a nifty little sensor to tell me when to replace, and that it has a locking feature for when little fingers come over to visit.  It also interested me to move toward a front load washer, which washes more clothes with less water and uses less detergent than my dinosaur did.  The spring cleaning fever which has seemed to hit me was also eased by the fact that I got to get behind and inside nooks and crannies which don't see much attention from me on a normal housekeeping day.  All in all, I was a happy camper!

What I did not expect was for my 11 year old son to be excited.  On the first shopping trip we went on, he came along and regretted it after the first fifteen minutes in the store.  "When will we be done?"...  "How many more stores?"..."why don't they have toys!" seemed to be the common sentence theme that morning.  The next day he very quickly announced he wouldn't be accompanying us on our next trip.  I assumed he'd remained holed up in his room during the delivery, especially since he was feeling under the weather yesterday, but excitement soon gave him the burst of needed energy to be present for the entire ordeal.

He enthusiastically began peeling the saran-wrap like film which protected the frig and was all about helping remove tape, paperwork and any other task the guys gave him.  He was even helpful in loading/unloading the groceries and stocking the freezer, a task he's normally conveniently busy for.  Once fully installed, the delivery men were no further than the end of the driveway when he returned proudly with his hamper, ready to wash.  He was ready to jump in head first but the mom and slight OCD in me kicked in and I had to supervise each step.  Once satisfied there was nothing he could to mess it up, prompted mostly by the locking click I heard the washer make, I left him to be. 

Honestly, I expected him to follow soon after and when he didn't, I returned to make sure he hadn't attempted to open the door or some other crazy idea boys his age might have.  What I found was a very peacefully content boy, nearly hypnotised by the gentle swish and sway of the wash.  He sat cross legged on the floor, directly in front of the washer, watching each phase.  Every now and then he'd say, almost chant-like, "this is so fascinating!"  It cracked me up, I snuck in a few pics of course, and it certainly gave me a big helping of joy to cap off the night.