For a totally foolproof way to store your Christmas lights and never deal with tangles or knots ever again, roll them in a ball. Don't put anything in the middle or wrap them around anything, just wrap them around each other. Works every time.
Showing posts with label Tips and How Tos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tips and How Tos. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
How to store Christmas lights
For a totally foolproof way to store your Christmas lights and never deal with tangles or knots ever again, roll them in a ball. Don't put anything in the middle or wrap them around anything, just wrap them around each other. Works every time.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Holiday Spreadsheet
Last year Ouiser introduced me to the idea of the holiday spreadsheet. And since EVERY DAMN YEAR I think I'm doing SO good only to realize I still have tons of odds and ends to tie up and buy, I thought I'd give it a try.
We have family and friends all over the country (requiring pre-planning so shipments arrive in time), as well as several birthdays between November and January, so present shopping is even more complicated here.
You guys, you NEED to do this. Christmas Spreadsheet has changed my life. In that same way where the Advent Activities calendar has been a simple way to bring the spirit of Christmas throughout all of December, Christmas Spreadsheet has brought so much calm and simplicity to the season.
The gift giving part truly feels more special because I'm not always remembering who I haven't bought for yet, what I still have to go out and buy, what gift I need to think of, etc. Every single stressful part about presents has been completely removed.
As a result, I've been done for days now. DAYS. And it's only the 15th. The only things left to finish are the ornaments from Charlotte that I make for our families every year (90% done), and B's homemade birthday present. Do you know how lovely it feels to know that there are ten days left until Christmas and I can mostly just relax, ship a few things, do some craft projects, make some cookies, and enjoy the season?
If you feel a little overwhelmed every year by the holiday season (and seriously, who doesn't?), then you need to implement this and be totally amazed at the results. Let's talk about the details:
You can either make your spreadsheet in Excel or in Google docs. I made mine in Google so that I can have access to it where ever I am. I also kept mine very simple: Person, Gifts, Total Price. Ousier is more elaborate with hers and includes a color coding system for which gifts are wrapped, which are shipped, etc. So go with whatever level of detail you'd like.
All gift ideas are written out and boxes are darkened when the gift has been purchased. I wanted an accurate financial record of everything Christmas related, so I included teacher gifts, Secret Santa gifts, the cost of our annual Christmas card, the amount I spend on craft supplies, etc.
I also found so many good deals on Cyber Monday that I've pre-purchased some birthday presents and even a few of NEXT year's Christmas presents already, so those ended up as side columns as well.
It might not take all of the stress out of your life if you start it now, but it's not too late for this year if you still have shopping to do. Give it a go.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Food Tips
It's important to prepare breakfast the night before to facilitate a smoother morning routine.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The best decision we've ever made... excluding Charlotte
Up until last fall B and I were sleeping on the same full size bed I had from high school. The mattress got a very bargain basement upgrade when my mom tried to drive the original mattress down to me about five years ago and got caught in a torrential storm that ripped the "protective cover" to shreds and soaked the mattress.
Full size. Do you KNOW how small that is? Even for two skinny people? Not to mention a few cats and a toddler. But an upgrade wasn't a priority, so we kept on with our doll-sized bed. But then B started having horrible back pain every morning. I told him it was just him being out of shape and being a bad sleeper and it wasn't the mattress. Until we went to a wedding and spent the night in a hotel and he woke up with zero back pain. Hmmm....
I still made him try one more week on the bed just to be SURE and then we went bed shopping. My reluctance to upgrade was due to the fact that we're both of the "do it once and do it right" philosophy. Especially when it comes to beds.
The way I see it, no piece of furniture in your house is more important than your bed. You spend half of your life in your bed, you relax in bed, your kids and pets cuddle up with you on Saturday mornings in bed, you can have some quiet time to talk with your spouse in bed. Nothing is more important in your house than your bed.
So we went ALL OUT. When I called my brother and told him we went "top of the line" he started laughing his ass off because he knows what a frugal cat his sister is and that she has literally never uttered that phrase once in her life.
We went king size, with a top of the line mattress, and a beautiful bed frame with two drawers in the footboard. Hands down, the best $3k we've ever spent in our lives. It's been about seven months and at least once a week we turn to each other and comment about what a good decision it was.
And when Charlotte gets sick and wants to sleep in our bed? There's plenty of room for her to snuggle in and still have the cats at our feet and have everyone get a good night's sleep.
So if you ever find yourself needing a new bed and if you have kids or pets in your lives I highly advise you to go big or go home.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Minty Goodness
Remember how a few weeks ago I was talking about finances and how important it is for someone in the household to keep track of what's going on? Well I have the next step for you and it's EASY, SAFE, and FREE. Seriously, I kind of freaked out with excitement when I signed up.
Introducing Mint!
You NEED to find an hour in your day - TODAY - and go set this up.
Mint syncs itself with your bank account, plus any loans and credit cards. It's been reviewed and certified as safe by every authority you can think of, so there's no need to worry.
Once you sync up all of your accounts you'll have a list of transactions from the last 90 days. Probably 90% of your transactions will be automatically categorized properly by Mint - restaurants, clothes, groceries, gas, etc. But to really make the system accurate, you need to go through and tweak the categories.
Change your Target purchases from Shopping to Baby Expenses; take that restaurant meal that you put on your card (but collected half in cash for from your dining patrons) and split it out so half is marked as Reimbursable and therefore doesn't show up as an expense; take your tax refund and exclude it from Mint calculations so it doesn't skew your monthly income, etc. The possibilities for personalization are endless.
But the best part comes after you've set the system up. Once you've perfected the past 90 days, you're up and running. From here on out you just tweak the categories every week or so and then get to look at EXACTLY what you spend every month on clothes, take out, travel, gas, etc.
Because how many of us really know exactly what our gas budget, clothes budget, and take-out budget is every month? I bet almost none of us, and that's kind of horrifying.
After living with credit card debt for years (not any more), and having to be a Money Ninja with only the one income around here, I feel so passionate (and a little militant), about all of us being more knowledgeable about our spending habits. Haven't you heard? Knowledge is Power.
Introducing Mint!
You NEED to find an hour in your day - TODAY - and go set this up.
Mint syncs itself with your bank account, plus any loans and credit cards. It's been reviewed and certified as safe by every authority you can think of, so there's no need to worry.
Once you sync up all of your accounts you'll have a list of transactions from the last 90 days. Probably 90% of your transactions will be automatically categorized properly by Mint - restaurants, clothes, groceries, gas, etc. But to really make the system accurate, you need to go through and tweak the categories.
Change your Target purchases from Shopping to Baby Expenses; take that restaurant meal that you put on your card (but collected half in cash for from your dining patrons) and split it out so half is marked as Reimbursable and therefore doesn't show up as an expense; take your tax refund and exclude it from Mint calculations so it doesn't skew your monthly income, etc. The possibilities for personalization are endless.
But the best part comes after you've set the system up. Once you've perfected the past 90 days, you're up and running. From here on out you just tweak the categories every week or so and then get to look at EXACTLY what you spend every month on clothes, take out, travel, gas, etc.
Because how many of us really know exactly what our gas budget, clothes budget, and take-out budget is every month? I bet almost none of us, and that's kind of horrifying.
After living with credit card debt for years (not any more), and having to be a Money Ninja with only the one income around here, I feel so passionate (and a little militant), about all of us being more knowledgeable about our spending habits. Haven't you heard? Knowledge is Power.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Simple Composting
Composting is one of those things that sounds really hippish, annoying, smelly, and complicated. But it's NONE of those things, and if you really knew how simple it was, you would start tomorrow, so let's talk about it.
ONE THIRD of our landfills are filled with food. Food that if it was in your compost would break down quickly and easily, but food that when buried and compacted doesn't break down easily and releases TONS of unnecessary methane in the atmosphere.
The worst thing you can do if you're considering composting is to Google it. Don't do it! You'll get site after site after site about oxygen and nitrogen and greens and browns and worms and lasagna layers and on and on. I used to work with a real life, Cornell-certified Master Composter and she knows and approves of my easy system. So if you're the type of person who needs credentials, then look! I just got some for you!
Now, let's compost in 3 easy steps...
1. But a container of your choosing, put it somewhere, and remember this: No meat, dairy, oil.
Yes - Fruits, vegetables, bread, tissues, the daily coffee grinds and filter, egg shells, soda, etc.
No - Meat, dairy, oil
2. You can't just have food scraps, you need to balance out the gases or your pile will smell and attract flies. Do this with dead leaves, dead hay, or paper scraps. I keep our shredder next to our garbage and recycling. I shred all white, non-glossy paper and dump the shreds into the composter.
3. Put everything from Step 1 and Step 2 into your composter. You can certainly make a pretty one out of a used wine barrel or build your own, but you can also buy the ugly one at Lowes for $50. Stir it every so often and you'll have a pile of amazing dirt at the bottom of the pile.
We don't even do anything with our super special dirt since we don't have a garden. Our main reason is environmental so it just kind of sits there. We'll probably scoop out the bottom this spring to make room for the new stuff.
Now get on it. Seriously, there's no reason not to do this. It's easy and it's the right thing to do.
ONE THIRD of our landfills are filled with food. Food that if it was in your compost would break down quickly and easily, but food that when buried and compacted doesn't break down easily and releases TONS of unnecessary methane in the atmosphere.
The worst thing you can do if you're considering composting is to Google it. Don't do it! You'll get site after site after site about oxygen and nitrogen and greens and browns and worms and lasagna layers and on and on. I used to work with a real life, Cornell-certified Master Composter and she knows and approves of my easy system. So if you're the type of person who needs credentials, then look! I just got some for you!
Now, let's compost in 3 easy steps...
1. But a container of your choosing, put it somewhere, and remember this: No meat, dairy, oil.
Yes - Fruits, vegetables, bread, tissues, the daily coffee grinds and filter, egg shells, soda, etc.
No - Meat, dairy, oil
2. You can't just have food scraps, you need to balance out the gases or your pile will smell and attract flies. Do this with dead leaves, dead hay, or paper scraps. I keep our shredder next to our garbage and recycling. I shred all white, non-glossy paper and dump the shreds into the composter.
3. Put everything from Step 1 and Step 2 into your composter. You can certainly make a pretty one out of a used wine barrel or build your own, but you can also buy the ugly one at Lowes for $50. Stir it every so often and you'll have a pile of amazing dirt at the bottom of the pile.
We don't even do anything with our super special dirt since we don't have a garden. Our main reason is environmental so it just kind of sits there. We'll probably scoop out the bottom this spring to make room for the new stuff.
Now get on it. Seriously, there's no reason not to do this. It's easy and it's the right thing to do.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Tips for flying with a toddler
This is the backpack packed for the flight out. The black bag with white designs in the back was filled with snacks. The Magnadoodle was a new toy, and every other book and toy was in the checked bag on the flight back because she couldn't have cared less about my desperate attempts at entertaining her.
The Basics:
We flew from Albany, NY to Portland, OR on Southwest Airlines. We had a 40 min layover at Chicago, Midway, and Charlotte had her own seat. Flying time = approx. 7 hours.
DON'T:
- Expect the airlines to carry milk as one of the beverage options and then not buy any extra before boarding a flight for 7 hours, especially when your toddler is firmly in the stage where milk is a comfort food.
- Expect that "Family Boarding" is even remotely helpful because the moment your tickets get scanned, so do everyone else's and then it's still an awkward scramble to get to your seat, get the carseat in, and get everyone settled
- Expect to do ANYthing other than hold their legs and feet down for the ENTIRE flight. Once in the car seat, their poor feet are touching the seat in front of them, so even the slightest twitch means they're kicking the person in that seat. And if you've flown enough you know how MADDENING that is when it happens to you. (see pic below)
- Spend the world's shortest layover circling Chicago because the cloud cover is too thick to land, then deal with a cranky gate agent who won't look up your gate, then run to your gate, then have everyone on the plane move so you can put the car seat in the required spot (window seat), then fly for an additional 4 1/2 hours to your destination with the seat belt sign on, meaning your toddler has now been forced to sit for 7 hours without moving.
- Let your laptop break a week before your trip and then have no media or cartoons to rely on.
- Spend even two seconds feeling bad if you want to give your kid Benedryl. I didn't, but only because I learned on the flight out that I should have, and on the flight back she was sleep deprived and actually feel asleep once or twice.
DO:
- Pack tons and tons of food - both for you and for them. Assume that you'll need all meals for both of you for the entire day - don't count on layovers or airline food.
- Have a HUGE glass of wine when you land, or while you're still in the air if you want to!
- Attempt to have a layover longer than 30 min if you have your choice of flights
- Totally revamp your mindset on how early you should get to the airport. In order to get to the airport, return the rental car, get through security, and have enough time to buy food and let her run around, we left our hotel THREE hours before our flight departure time.
- Spend the money and get them their own seat (it's not required until they're 2). It's safer, and unless they're a newborn, I don't see how you can hold them for that long and keep your sanity.
- Relax and know that everything will go slow and awkward (security, seating, etc.), but it can still work out fine.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Free Flights
Remember when I told you that we were able to fly to Atlanta on the cheap because we got a free plane ticket through a Kodak Gallery promotion? According to the ads I've been seeing, they're running the promotion again, so I wanted to let you know what to do.
When I contacted Kodak Gallery several months ago to ask questions about the promotion, they really didn't know anything about it because it's a deal run through an outside company, so you won't get very far with their customer service. Luckily I've already done it myself and had a totally successful free flight that wasn't a scam, so rest easy.
In order to get the deal you have to actually click on the ad. If you visit Kodak Gallery a few times, the cookies on your computer should cue up the ads, either in your email or right within Kodak Gallery. Once you click on the ad it will take you to the website where you'll sign in. You don't have to make a purchase yet, but the promotion will be saved to your account.
Make a purchase of $50 or more and checkout.
When you're given a total, there is a link near the total that says "total savings" or "see additional deals" - something to that effect. It should bring up a check list of the promotions that they're running at the moment and the free flight will be one of them. Click the free flight box and checkout.
You won't see anything at checkout that mentions the flight again. About a week later you'll get an email from the promotions company with your login and password information. Whatever name you register under must be one of the people taking the flight. However, if you register under a family member's name, you can also use the flight for other people.
Once you're logged in you can see all of the prices, airports, available dates, etc. When I bought our flights, the few seats they reserve for the free tickets were used up for our town and we had to drive two hours to another airport. But this might be less of a problem at bigger airports. Even so, you would know this before buying your flight anyway.
And that was it. I bought the two tickets (one full price, one free), took the flight, and all was well.
****
Another promotion that I was emailed about is through Jet Blue. It's a great deal and I would definitely sign up if Jet Blue flew out of Albany, but unfortunately they don't. You can get TWO free Jet Blue tickets, good for anywhere with no blackout dates, by signing up for the Jet Blue credit card and making a $300 purchase within the first few months. But remember, you don't have to spend $300 you wouldn't have, all you'd have to do is put your groceries on the card and pay it off at the end of the month.
There is a $40 annual fee, but of course you could cancel the card after your flight and you still just received two flights for $40.
Happy Flying!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Advent Activities
At the end of November I mentioned that I had become aware of this whole world of advent activities as a way to ensure a happy, celebratory season throughout December without getting overwhelmed by the holiday madness. I made a quick list of ideas and then friends chimed in with their own lists as well. As it turned out, it was a great exercise even in it's most infant stages.
All I did was throw up a ribbon and some gold clothespins with the intention of writing out whatever we did that month as a reminder of all the fun things going on. The activities definitely came in spurts and not even close to the one-a-day method of a traditional advent calendar, but such is the nature of life. I think once it's planned out in advance it would actually be pretty easy to stack some simple things towards the beginning of the month when less is going on, put the good stuff in the middle, and then phase out towards Christmas Day to leave yourself plenty of room for all the last minute stuff that pops up.
I'm surprised - in looking at the full list now - how many activities we ended up with. There will be plenty to choose from next year when I build a more official list.
I also had the idea of doing a reverse advent list. Because life in general, and especially life with a toddler, is unpredictable and not really meant for one-a-day rules. Instead of having the activities assigned to each day, I think you could just as easily hang a list up with a rough idea of the order you want to do them in, and then put the activity into the advent pocket/tin/drawer/etc when it's completed.
2010 Activities List
1. Buy & decorate tree
(to be separated into two separate activities next year)
2. Dance with Charlotte to Christmas music
(We built a monster with this one, but it's the cutest thing ever - she puts her cheek to yours and then you hold your hands extended in a kind of baby-ballroom style)
3. Send Christmas cards
4. Hang Mistletoe
5. Hang ribbon sash for Christmas cards
6. Homemade hot chocolate
(Made with unsweetened Ghiradelli powder and TONS of marshmallows for sweetness)
7. Country Club Christmas party
8. Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas
9. Write thank you emails to blogs
(I thought the holidays would be a great time to write 4 or 5 brief emails to the blogs I read to say thank you for all of the great content)
10. Make snowball cookies
11. Make peanut butter kiss cookies
12. Make peppermint bark
13. Make peanut clusters
14. B's work party
15. Make pizzelles
16. Donate to various charities
(This year all donations were in honor of people - Parkinson's, MS, animal organizations for family pets, etc)
17. Leave cookies for mailman
18. Leave cookies for garbage men
(This required a large sign directing them to the back tire of the car where the cookies were so they wouldn't accidentally throw them away)
19. Watch Charlie Brown Christmas
20. Homemade ornaments for gifts
(pics and details coming in Friday's post)
21. Homemade gift tags
(Done totally impromptu while wrapping gifts and not even remotely fancy - just nice parts of old cards cut out and written on)
22. Open presents & Take Christmas PJ pictures
Possible Additional Activities for 2011:
* Watch It's a Wonderful Life
* Watch White Christmas
* Decorate a gingerbread house
* Christmas Eve drinks by the tree with B
* Have Charlotte paint branches for a Christmas centerpiece
* Make a jingle bell door hanger - since the sound of jingle bells is so lovely and Charlotte mangled the one I made years ago by using it as a toy
* Have B play Christmas songs on his violin
* Make holiday pancakes
* Salt dough ornaments or something similar
* Open Christmas PJs
* Make Christmas potpourri - orange peels, cinnamon stick, boiling water
So that was how our last minute list went, but I'd love to know how yours went. If you did one, what would you change next year? What worked great this year? Would you do one if you didn't have kids or is this mostly a kid-centered thing?
All I did was throw up a ribbon and some gold clothespins with the intention of writing out whatever we did that month as a reminder of all the fun things going on. The activities definitely came in spurts and not even close to the one-a-day method of a traditional advent calendar, but such is the nature of life. I think once it's planned out in advance it would actually be pretty easy to stack some simple things towards the beginning of the month when less is going on, put the good stuff in the middle, and then phase out towards Christmas Day to leave yourself plenty of room for all the last minute stuff that pops up.
I'm surprised - in looking at the full list now - how many activities we ended up with. There will be plenty to choose from next year when I build a more official list.
I also had the idea of doing a reverse advent list. Because life in general, and especially life with a toddler, is unpredictable and not really meant for one-a-day rules. Instead of having the activities assigned to each day, I think you could just as easily hang a list up with a rough idea of the order you want to do them in, and then put the activity into the advent pocket/tin/drawer/etc when it's completed.
2010 Activities List
1. Buy & decorate tree
(to be separated into two separate activities next year)
2. Dance with Charlotte to Christmas music
(We built a monster with this one, but it's the cutest thing ever - she puts her cheek to yours and then you hold your hands extended in a kind of baby-ballroom style)
4. Hang Mistletoe
5. Hang ribbon sash for Christmas cards
6. Homemade hot chocolate
(Made with unsweetened Ghiradelli powder and TONS of marshmallows for sweetness)
7. Country Club Christmas party
8. Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas
9. Write thank you emails to blogs
(I thought the holidays would be a great time to write 4 or 5 brief emails to the blogs I read to say thank you for all of the great content)
10. Make snowball cookies
11. Make peanut butter kiss cookies
12. Make peppermint bark
13. Make peanut clusters
14. B's work party
15. Make pizzelles
16. Donate to various charities
(This year all donations were in honor of people - Parkinson's, MS, animal organizations for family pets, etc)
17. Leave cookies for mailman
18. Leave cookies for garbage men
(This required a large sign directing them to the back tire of the car where the cookies were so they wouldn't accidentally throw them away)
19. Watch Charlie Brown Christmas
20. Homemade ornaments for gifts
(pics and details coming in Friday's post)
21. Homemade gift tags
(Done totally impromptu while wrapping gifts and not even remotely fancy - just nice parts of old cards cut out and written on)
22. Open presents & Take Christmas PJ pictures
Possible Additional Activities for 2011:
* Watch It's a Wonderful Life
* Watch White Christmas
* Decorate a gingerbread house
* Christmas Eve drinks by the tree with B
* Have Charlotte paint branches for a Christmas centerpiece
* Make a jingle bell door hanger - since the sound of jingle bells is so lovely and Charlotte mangled the one I made years ago by using it as a toy
* Have B play Christmas songs on his violin
* Make holiday pancakes
* Salt dough ornaments or something similar
* Open Christmas PJs
* Make Christmas potpourri - orange peels, cinnamon stick, boiling water
So that was how our last minute list went, but I'd love to know how yours went. If you did one, what would you change next year? What worked great this year? Would you do one if you didn't have kids or is this mostly a kid-centered thing?
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Like Flintstones for grown ups
Oh... my... god. No, really. You will NEVER not take your vitamins again. I mean, that assumes that you love sour candy as much as the next person, and really, WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would rather swallow a horse pill than eat candy? Also, who are all of these people who just remember to take their vitamins everyday? You clearly don't have the lazy gene that I have. Except when I was pregnant, because it's fairly easy to want to not hurt your child, but other than that, I'm saying. Actually I guess it's more the willingness and not the remembering, but still.
Why can't this concept apply to more things in life? Turning something that no one wants to do into something that everyone wants to do. I bet there are plenty of examples of this that you'll be thinking of today now that I mentioned it...
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Fun way to announce a pregnancy
WHOA THERE! Not mine. Exhale.
B's lovely sister and her husband announced this week that they're pregnant with their second baby and due at the end of April. (I won't give the exact date to avoid the inevitable paparazzi onslaught that would surely ensue.)
One of the really fun parts about a new pregnancy is getting to announce it to your family and friends. There's a whole host of ways to do this and since my sister-in-law came up with a great one, I wanted to share her creativity so you can steal the idea if you'd like.
She invited all of the women in her family over to her house for a dinner party (about 9 people). Although not typical, this wasn't suspicious because we've all been trying to make a better effort to get together regularly. Two of her cousins live in New York City and couldn't make it, but their absence was a great way for the plan to be caught on video.
When everyone arrived I told them that I would be taking video throughout the night to send to the two cousins so they wouldn't feel left out of our fun night together. Also, my sister-in-law told everyone that after dinner we were going to play a little game where you had to write down one thing most people probably wouldn't know about you (something you've done, some place you've always wanted to travel, etc), and then we would guess which clue belonged to which person.
After dinner all of the clues were in a bowl and we started the game. A little luck came in to play here because ideally you don't want the pregnancy announcement to be the first one picked, but it's really not a big deal if it is.
We got about three or four clues into the game before the big reveal was chosen, which was great. And when her aunt chose the card that said "Megan is 12 weeks pregnant" it was quite a surprise for everyone. Here's a quick clip of the announcement:
B's lovely sister and her husband announced this week that they're pregnant with their second baby and due at the end of April. (I won't give the exact date to avoid the inevitable paparazzi onslaught that would surely ensue.)
One of the really fun parts about a new pregnancy is getting to announce it to your family and friends. There's a whole host of ways to do this and since my sister-in-law came up with a great one, I wanted to share her creativity so you can steal the idea if you'd like.
She invited all of the women in her family over to her house for a dinner party (about 9 people). Although not typical, this wasn't suspicious because we've all been trying to make a better effort to get together regularly. Two of her cousins live in New York City and couldn't make it, but their absence was a great way for the plan to be caught on video.
When everyone arrived I told them that I would be taking video throughout the night to send to the two cousins so they wouldn't feel left out of our fun night together. Also, my sister-in-law told everyone that after dinner we were going to play a little game where you had to write down one thing most people probably wouldn't know about you (something you've done, some place you've always wanted to travel, etc), and then we would guess which clue belonged to which person.
After dinner all of the clues were in a bowl and we started the game. A little luck came in to play here because ideally you don't want the pregnancy announcement to be the first one picked, but it's really not a big deal if it is.
We got about three or four clues into the game before the big reveal was chosen, which was great. And when her aunt chose the card that said "Megan is 12 weeks pregnant" it was quite a surprise for everyone. Here's a quick clip of the announcement:
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The case for Twitter
So, Twitter. Let's talk about it. I bet it sounds awful to you for two reasons: First of all, you think you have to write things, and second of all you think it's pointless. That it encompasses all of the worst things about Facebook: I just ate a sandwich, sandwiches are underrated.... Boy I need some coffee... Headed to the gym.... I'm gonna shoot myself if I have to read one more absurd update about your mundane ass life.
But what you probably don't know is that (according to some random techie article I read) 75% of people on Twitter don't ever write a thing, not one single thing! They just read.funny or helpful stuff that other people write. You just make it a resource for all of the things you like best in life. Every favorite hobby, magazine, website, celebrity, etc. And if you follow people like that, it's a great resource for all kinds of articles, links, and info that interest you most. No talk of any coffee habits anywhere.
Some of the people I follow: Slate magazine (they link great articles all over the internet), philosopher Alain deBotton, Everyday Food magazine, Shit My Dad Says (hysterical quotes a son puts up from his father), plus some design websites, and lots of writers and comedians.
Some of the people you could follow, based on your interests:
Outdoors Man: Orvis Fly Fishing, American Hiking, PBS National Parks
Creative: Craft magazine, DIY network, Design Sponge
News Junkie: BBC breaking news, Huffington Post, MSNBC Politics
But what you probably don't know is that (according to some random techie article I read) 75% of people on Twitter don't ever write a thing, not one single thing! They just read.funny or helpful stuff that other people write. You just make it a resource for all of the things you like best in life. Every favorite hobby, magazine, website, celebrity, etc. And if you follow people like that, it's a great resource for all kinds of articles, links, and info that interest you most. No talk of any coffee habits anywhere.
Some of the people I follow: Slate magazine (they link great articles all over the internet), philosopher Alain deBotton, Everyday Food magazine, Shit My Dad Says (hysterical quotes a son puts up from his father), plus some design websites, and lots of writers and comedians.
Some of the people you could follow, based on your interests:
Outdoors Man: Orvis Fly Fishing, American Hiking, PBS National Parks
Creative: Craft magazine, DIY network, Design Sponge
News Junkie: BBC breaking news, Huffington Post, MSNBC Politics
Friday, September 17, 2010
Beach Tip
When I was researching various things for our beach vacations this summer I ran across the single best tip ever. It sounded so bizarre, but then I tried it and it was magical.
If you're going to the beach, bring baby powder. Baby powder makes sand it's bitch.
There's not much you can do to keep half the beach from coming home in your car, but there is plenty you can do to remove all of that stubborn sand from your feet, your hands, and your legs. Not to mention that you will leave refreshed and smelling good instead of feeling like you're wildly uncomfortable because you're covered in grit and must find your way to the nearest shower.
Get a small bottle of baby powder and leave it in your car. Before getting in, put powder on everyone's legs and feet and when you rub it around the sand will fall off like magic. Sooooo nice.
If you're going to the beach, bring baby powder. Baby powder makes sand it's bitch.
There's not much you can do to keep half the beach from coming home in your car, but there is plenty you can do to remove all of that stubborn sand from your feet, your hands, and your legs. Not to mention that you will leave refreshed and smelling good instead of feeling like you're wildly uncomfortable because you're covered in grit and must find your way to the nearest shower.
Get a small bottle of baby powder and leave it in your car. Before getting in, put powder on everyone's legs and feet and when you rub it around the sand will fall off like magic. Sooooo nice.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Vacation Preparation
Having left our house for three extended trips this summer, I have mastered the art of preparing your house for a vacation.
Before Leaving:
Before Leaving:
- Clean the house - there's nothing worse than coming home to a cluttered and dirty home. It doesn't have to be spotless, but do some basic maintenance.
- Clean sheets - after a tiring trip home, there will be nothing nicer than slipping into fresh sheets.
- Dinner and Snacks - your fridge is going to be mostly empty, but be sure to leave yourself something that you can make for dinner upon your return. The last thing you want to realize after a long trip is that everyone is starving and there's no food in the house. Pasta with jarred sauce or a frozen pizza is just perfect.
- Stop the mail - go to the USPS website and put in the dates for when you want your mail to stop and what day you'd like to have it all delivered.
- Arrange for pet sitters
- Alert your neighbors - if you're fortunate enough to have neighbors that you're friendly with, it's always a good idea to let them know that you'll be gone. This way they won't assume your nephew is playing hide and go seek when they see that guy crawling through your window.
- Take out all garbage and compost. Don't forget the coffee filter from the coffee pot - that baby will be nice and moldy upon your return.
- In the spirit of saving the best for last, this next trick has revolutionized by life. No, really. I read this on the Fly Lady website and knew that it just might be the solution to an extremely long-standing problem. For YEARS now, every time we left town for the weekend, we would return and the house would always smell weird. And not good-weird. Not in any way charmingly-weird. Bad, in fact. And I have finally solved the problem and it makes me so damned happy. Here it is - before you leave, pour a little bit of Pine Sol or Mr. Clean into your toilet, sink drains, and shower drains. Apparently that weird smell is the smell of stagnant water and doing that eliminates it!! And. It's. TRUE! I can't tell you how nice it's been to come home and smell fresh air with a hint of vanilla from the wall air freshener and not undefinable ickiness.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Life List #53: Visit Cape Cod
At first it was people mentioning here and there about their Cape Cod vacations, then it was everyone I knew in Boston talking about the Cape or their Cape house, or the bridge. Everyone talks about The Bridge. There is more stress and planning about Getting. Over. The. Bridge. than there is about anything else. Seriously. I felt more excited to be driving over the bridge than I felt about actually being on the beach. Because now I can talk with absolute authority about the bridge. Getting there early enough, crossing it, what's on the other side, whatever. I've never felt more in the proverbial loop than I did the moment I crossed that damn bridge. (And FYI: there's two bridges)
Sometime last year both families decided that they wanted to take beach vacations. Various states and beaches were researched, but it eventually came back to Cape Cod. And despite being on the Life List I actually didn't care where any of us went. That being said, I'm so glad we did go to the Cape twice in one summer because there is so much more there than just beaches, and going twice let us experience as much as possible.
The one thing that was incredibly annoying about researching such a popular vacation spot is that there's not enough basic information for the rookies. The are thousands of websites about what to do and where to go and which restaurants have the best seafood, but I needed Cape Cod for Dummies. And not a whole book, just a pamphlet.
This is what I wanted someone to tell me before I went that I now know:
- Yarmouth, Dennis, Chatham, tons of other little towns - Unless you have your heart set on staying up in Provincetown, it really doesn't matter where you stay. The Cape is small and staying in one town versus any other town isn't going to change your vacation in any appreciable manner.
- If you have small children, you want to go to the bayside beaches. The bayside has less wind, lots of tidepools, and is better all around. Mayflower beach is the best (suggested by two different locals and then confirmed with first hand experience), and you need to be there by 8:30a on sunny days.
- Getting a house walking distance to the beach is not nearly as important as it's made out to be. If you're going to spend a day at the beach you're going to have chairs, umbrellas, food, toys, towels, and about a hundred other things that will make it impossible to walk to the beach no matter how close you are. Renting close has it's benefits, but you'll save a ton of money if you don't.
- There are tons of interesting non-beach things to do:
- Walk around downtown Chatham
- Visit the Highland Lighthouse (skip the Chatham lighthouse)
- Walk around Provincetown
- Visit the Zooquarium or the Natural History Museum
- Eat ice cream at Sundae School or Lil' Caboose Ice Cream
- Buy insanely cheap Cape Cod gear at Cuffy's
- Pick out your favorite flavors of taffy at the Cape Cod Salt Water Taffy stand in Yarmouth
- Eat an amazing dinner overlooking Nantucket Sound at the Ocean House Restaurant
- Buy fresh lobsters from the local fish market and cook them yourself (freeze for 15 minutes, then steam)
I'm still dying to go to Hyannis and Martha's Vineyard, but I think that trip will be an extended weekend without the child. Maybe next fall we'll take a little mini-vacation to bike around the Vineyard, drive by the Kennedy Compound, and pretend that we care very deeply about sailing. Stay tuned.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Tips for making a photo slideshow
Lately I've become a fan of making slideshows of our various trips and events. Ever since we skipped out on presents last Christmas and bought the fancy camera instead, there are so many good pictures to share. Not to mention that between two sets of families, friends, Facebook, etc. there are so many people to share them with. Slideshows just seemed like the easiest way to accomplish that.
I have absolutely no technical advice on the subject. Windows Movie Maker came free with both our little netbook as well as our desktop and I've just been learning as I go. Like most scary technical stuff these days, it's actually pretty user friendly if you just click around and experiment. So I'll leave the technical stuff between you and your own software, but I've figured out a few helpful things that will streamline the process for you.
Gather all pictures - To have the best selection of photos you need to have everyone's pictures, not just your own. We started doing this just with our west coast family when they would visit - before they left we'd upload all of their pictures to our computer, and vice versa if they owned a laptop. We also did this recently with our local family by bringing our netbook on vacation with us and grabbing all of the photos before we left.
Segregate and delete - Both of our recent trips to Cape Cod yielded around 300 photos. But both 5 minute slideshows I made (and even that is a pretty long montage) only contained 100 pictures. That's a LOT of deleting. A lot. It took me most of a day to whittle down the pictures to a manageable number.
The easiest way to accomplish this is not to attempt to choose the good pictures, but rather to delete the inferior ones. Take all of the pictures you've gathered and copy them into a new folder marked "Slideshow." This way you can go through and delete with abandon. It'll take several rounds of editing before you have a final grouping. But remember...
Keep in the non-person shots - 5 minutes of looking at the same 6 faces is boring, even to the 6 faces. It's a nice break for the eye to see a nature shot. Also, it will give a sense of place, which is key to making people understand what your trip really felt like. Keep this in mind when you're actually taking the pictures too. Take pictures of your surroundings: where you're staying, the spot you're visiting, the stuff you're buying, etc. This will help significantly when you put together your story.
Arrange - Your slideshow needs to make sense to people who weren't there and it won't have the benefit of captions. This is where order becomes crucial. (This also relates to editing as well, so keep the overall story in mind when you're deleting pictures)
First choose a beginning and ending shot. I always have my first picture as some kind of non-person representation of the trip because that's the picture I overlay the title onto (for the first beach slideshow I used a picture of the house we were renting, and for the second I used a picture of the beach). For the last picture, any one you like will be fine. I just make sure to end on a really great one from the end of the trip.
The best way to use your non-person shots is as introductions. Start with a global view, then get specific: start with a picture of the beach you're at, then move to all the shots of the kids in the sand; start with a picture of the maple syrup shop, then move to the picture of you illegally sucking the sap out of the tree tap. This will help your trip feel more like a series of events (which it was), and less like a series of 100 nice but confusing photos.
Choose a song - This was difficult for me because I'm not a music person. I have no idea who sings what, what artists are in what genre, who the upcoming singer/songwriters are, etc. Despite that, I was able to find two songs for the Cape Cod montages that I really liked (Beautiful World by Colin Hay and Better Together by Jack Johnson)
I started with Google searches and it was totally useless. Every search yielded the same grouping of songs, all of which were cheesy and snappy and not at all what I wanted. We're not the Griswolds. We weren't on a slapstick road trip to a closed theme park. These specific trips were calm and relaxing and I wanted that reflected in the slideshows.
It worked much better to first go through our own iTunes music collection (that's how I got the first song) and then to move on to some more targeted internet searching (that's how I got the second song.) Instead of searching for "vacation slideshow music" I started searching for things like "upbeat acoustic songs." They're harder to come by than you'd think.
All of those song suggestions weren't right either, but I did get a few artists that were frequently mentioned, so I was able to go through their catalog of songs and find something that fit (hence, Better Together). The song you choose sets the tone for the whole thing, so it's important to get the tone right.
It can be a time consuming project, but it's something you'll have forever and they're SO wonderful to revisit from time to time. Much nicer than just clicking through pictures.
I have absolutely no technical advice on the subject. Windows Movie Maker came free with both our little netbook as well as our desktop and I've just been learning as I go. Like most scary technical stuff these days, it's actually pretty user friendly if you just click around and experiment. So I'll leave the technical stuff between you and your own software, but I've figured out a few helpful things that will streamline the process for you.
Gather all pictures - To have the best selection of photos you need to have everyone's pictures, not just your own. We started doing this just with our west coast family when they would visit - before they left we'd upload all of their pictures to our computer, and vice versa if they owned a laptop. We also did this recently with our local family by bringing our netbook on vacation with us and grabbing all of the photos before we left.
Segregate and delete - Both of our recent trips to Cape Cod yielded around 300 photos. But both 5 minute slideshows I made (and even that is a pretty long montage) only contained 100 pictures. That's a LOT of deleting. A lot. It took me most of a day to whittle down the pictures to a manageable number.
The easiest way to accomplish this is not to attempt to choose the good pictures, but rather to delete the inferior ones. Take all of the pictures you've gathered and copy them into a new folder marked "Slideshow." This way you can go through and delete with abandon. It'll take several rounds of editing before you have a final grouping. But remember...
Keep in the non-person shots - 5 minutes of looking at the same 6 faces is boring, even to the 6 faces. It's a nice break for the eye to see a nature shot. Also, it will give a sense of place, which is key to making people understand what your trip really felt like. Keep this in mind when you're actually taking the pictures too. Take pictures of your surroundings: where you're staying, the spot you're visiting, the stuff you're buying, etc. This will help significantly when you put together your story.
Arrange - Your slideshow needs to make sense to people who weren't there and it won't have the benefit of captions. This is where order becomes crucial. (This also relates to editing as well, so keep the overall story in mind when you're deleting pictures)
First choose a beginning and ending shot. I always have my first picture as some kind of non-person representation of the trip because that's the picture I overlay the title onto (for the first beach slideshow I used a picture of the house we were renting, and for the second I used a picture of the beach). For the last picture, any one you like will be fine. I just make sure to end on a really great one from the end of the trip.
The best way to use your non-person shots is as introductions. Start with a global view, then get specific: start with a picture of the beach you're at, then move to all the shots of the kids in the sand; start with a picture of the maple syrup shop, then move to the picture of you illegally sucking the sap out of the tree tap. This will help your trip feel more like a series of events (which it was), and less like a series of 100 nice but confusing photos.
Choose a song - This was difficult for me because I'm not a music person. I have no idea who sings what, what artists are in what genre, who the upcoming singer/songwriters are, etc. Despite that, I was able to find two songs for the Cape Cod montages that I really liked (Beautiful World by Colin Hay and Better Together by Jack Johnson)
I started with Google searches and it was totally useless. Every search yielded the same grouping of songs, all of which were cheesy and snappy and not at all what I wanted. We're not the Griswolds. We weren't on a slapstick road trip to a closed theme park. These specific trips were calm and relaxing and I wanted that reflected in the slideshows.
It worked much better to first go through our own iTunes music collection (that's how I got the first song) and then to move on to some more targeted internet searching (that's how I got the second song.) Instead of searching for "vacation slideshow music" I started searching for things like "upbeat acoustic songs." They're harder to come by than you'd think.
All of those song suggestions weren't right either, but I did get a few artists that were frequently mentioned, so I was able to go through their catalog of songs and find something that fit (hence, Better Together). The song you choose sets the tone for the whole thing, so it's important to get the tone right.
It can be a time consuming project, but it's something you'll have forever and they're SO wonderful to revisit from time to time. Much nicer than just clicking through pictures.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Leave Your Mark
In the spring of 2002 my friend and I - who had just quit our jobs and left Boston - backpacked around Europe for six weeks. Before we left I bought us each a sheet of tiny glittery pink heart stickers. They were super tiny - maybe the size of the end of a pencil eraser - and the point of them was to discreetly leave our mark.
I wanted some way to leave of piece of myself in Europe. A tiny invisible way to leave something behind and, in an odd way, take something back. So that's what we did. Every time we ate somewhere, or stayed somewhere, or visited somewhere that touched us, we'd put a tiny pink sticker someplace totally invisible to say I Was Here.
So if you stay at the Hotel de l'Esperance in Paris or you rent a room from someone who is CLEARY a witch in Kilkenny, Ireland, or you eat at an outdoor restaurant on the Greek island of Santorini, you may be able to see a little piece of my history.
It's an excellent travel idea and I highly encourage a little non-invasive artwork during your next trip.
I wanted some way to leave of piece of myself in Europe. A tiny invisible way to leave something behind and, in an odd way, take something back. So that's what we did. Every time we ate somewhere, or stayed somewhere, or visited somewhere that touched us, we'd put a tiny pink sticker someplace totally invisible to say I Was Here.
So if you stay at the Hotel de l'Esperance in Paris or you rent a room from someone who is CLEARY a witch in Kilkenny, Ireland, or you eat at an outdoor restaurant on the Greek island of Santorini, you may be able to see a little piece of my history.
It's an excellent travel idea and I highly encourage a little non-invasive artwork during your next trip.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hydrated drumroll, please...
Remember The Lotion Situation? The one where I cleaned out and organized our linen closet and realized that I had amassed WILD and DISPROPORTIONATE amounts of lotion, none of which was purchased by me? I still don't know how that happened. Was it briefly trendy to give lotion as a gift?
It's been almost two years since I wrote that and I have hit the end. I have exactly two bottles of lotion left. One of which was part of a larger Christmas gift given after that post, and one which was recently acquired because I deemed it my favorite of all the lotions and stole a second bottle from my mom (who happens to have a similar situation, lotion-wise).
Of all the many MANY varied lotions in that basket - so many of which were hotel lotions, which is totally baffling because we don't even stay in hotels - I present to you the best and the worst:
The Worst: An allegedly pomegrante holiday lotion (special edition) from Bath & Body Works that smelled so horrendous that I nearly took a second shower after putting in on. I was so incensed at the nasal assault (Pomegranate Martinis are so good... Shouldn't the lotion be as well?) that I flipped the bottle over to investigate and found all other kinds of bizarre fragrances - pine, musk, etc.
The bottle went directly into the Goodwill box and won the dubious title of the one and only bottle that was so bad I actually had to give it away. And that says a lot because my sense of frugality prevented me from giving away any - even the ones that B declared so awful that I wasn't to wear them in his presence. (I thought all of those were fine, just not his taste)
The Best: Goat's Milk & Honey scented lotion from VI Soap. The "VI" stands for Virgin Islands and is a local product that my mom bought for me while she was on a nursing assignment on the island of St. Thomas. It's only $10 a bottle and is the perfect consistency - not too oily or thick, but not too runny either. So perfect!
Now I think it's on to the basket labeled "Small Samples." If you order from Sephora online, you know exactly how this happened. Every time you order they send you three small samples, and every time you have enough points you get five small samples. See? If I dive in to that project, I'll keep you updated.
It's been almost two years since I wrote that and I have hit the end. I have exactly two bottles of lotion left. One of which was part of a larger Christmas gift given after that post, and one which was recently acquired because I deemed it my favorite of all the lotions and stole a second bottle from my mom (who happens to have a similar situation, lotion-wise).
Of all the many MANY varied lotions in that basket - so many of which were hotel lotions, which is totally baffling because we don't even stay in hotels - I present to you the best and the worst:
The Worst: An allegedly pomegrante holiday lotion (special edition) from Bath & Body Works that smelled so horrendous that I nearly took a second shower after putting in on. I was so incensed at the nasal assault (Pomegranate Martinis are so good... Shouldn't the lotion be as well?) that I flipped the bottle over to investigate and found all other kinds of bizarre fragrances - pine, musk, etc.
The bottle went directly into the Goodwill box and won the dubious title of the one and only bottle that was so bad I actually had to give it away. And that says a lot because my sense of frugality prevented me from giving away any - even the ones that B declared so awful that I wasn't to wear them in his presence. (I thought all of those were fine, just not his taste)
The Best: Goat's Milk & Honey scented lotion from VI Soap. The "VI" stands for Virgin Islands and is a local product that my mom bought for me while she was on a nursing assignment on the island of St. Thomas. It's only $10 a bottle and is the perfect consistency - not too oily or thick, but not too runny either. So perfect!
Now I think it's on to the basket labeled "Small Samples." If you order from Sephora online, you know exactly how this happened. Every time you order they send you three small samples, and every time you have enough points you get five small samples. See? If I dive in to that project, I'll keep you updated.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Baby Registry Recommendations
If you've never had to tackle the monster task of doing a baby registry, let me warn you to do one of two things before you go: bring a friend who already has a baby, or take a Xanax. It is so much worse than the chaos of a wedding registry. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I almost don't know anyone who hasn't had to go back to Babies R Us to register because when they walked in the first time, they got overwhelmed and turned around and left.
I had it a little easier because I wasn't working at the time and devoted massive amounts of time into the organization of the task. Because of that, when B and I walked in there, it was a seamless, fast, and stress-free process. Feather Nester had sent me a big random list of all of her registry tips. Then I compiled that with a list of stuff I actually needed, separated into categories. Then I looked up reviews of some of the bigger items beforehand on the Babies R Us website.
If you find yourself having to undergo the baby registry process and you want help with the sanity part of it, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll send you what I wrote up.
However, despite all of the planning, you obviously can't really know how useful anything is until you're actually using it. So in an effort to take even 10% of the chaos out of the process for you, and to pay forward all of the help that was given to me, I have a short list of items that I really love that you can't go wrong in purchasing:
Leachco Shopping Cart Cover - There are tons of shopping cart covers out there and they all have the basic purpose of keeping the germs away from your baby, but that is the least important reason why I love this item.
As the parent who stays home, the grocery shopping falls to me. This means that there isn't one person to baby-wrangle and one person to shop. When she was little I was able to do some shopping by putting her in a Baby Bjorn, but it didn't take long until my back couldn't handle the weight and that wasn't an option anymore. However, that time came before she was able to sit up. Enter the big pillows.
See those big pillows on the edges of the cart cover? They're KEY. They held her up when she was too small to do it herself, and they also make it so that I can lay her down with a bottle if I need to. Also, and this alone is why I'll be using this five years from now, there are huge pockets that hang into the cart to carry your keys, wallet, list, toys, etc. Doing a full scale grocery shopping trip with a baby is nearly a full day event (the diapers, the food, the list, the toys, the reusable bags, the menu planning that has to precede it all, etc.) so anything that breaks up the chaos is gold.
Graco Contempo High Chair - A high chair was one of those things during the registry process that went like this: "Uh... I don't really care which one we get. Which one is the least ugly?" And while there were plenty that looked fine, we happened to see a little tag on this one that mentioned that it folded flatter than any other high chair - only 7" wide.
Storage space is something we lack in spades, so anything that pitches that feature to me is successful marketing. I'm so happy we saw that little tag because these babies are awkward! Their footprint is huge and they can be a pain to have around. Being able to fold ours up and slide it next to the wine cabinet, or behind the shelves in the dining room has been wonderful. And honestly, you don't even need a high chair. Plenty of people just use a booster seat attached to a dining room chair. I didn't know that when we were registering though.
Combi Cosmo Stroller - Again with the space. Not only does this stroller fold flat, then it folds in half! Our huge stroller is literally still in the garage in the box! And I'm glad we have it because when she's older and we're on longer, all day outings (zoo, festival, park, etc.) the bigger seat and storage areas will be great. However, she's been in this since she was a week old and I don't see us moving up to the other one any time soon. The overall size is significantly smaller than a full size stroller so it makes outings to the mall, a restaurant, etc. much less troublesome.
I keep this in the back of the car, along with the shopping cart cover and booster seat (see below), and then we're always prepared.
Safety 1st Booster Seat - This recommendation is not necessarily because this is the greatest of all booster seats, just that you should get a booster seat. That wasn't on any list I saw, but Feather Nester mentioned it to me one day as a crucial item that she kept in the back of her car and I'm so thankful she said something.
Think about this - does every relative of yours, every friend, and every restaurant have high chairs? No. In fact, most of those places won't. If you get one and keep it in the back of your car you'll never be faced with a squirmy infant on your lap while you inhale your food with one hand. The key to parenthood is preparation and this helps significantly with that. I registered for this specific one because I have an allergy to primary colors and this was tame enough to look at for the next 10 years. The one drawback is that it doesn't fold down any smaller, so if you don't have a big car you may want to get one that does.
BabySense Infant Monitor - Oh. My. God. Best $130 I've ever spent in my whole life. And believe me, on one income, something better be CRUCIAL for me to spend $130 on it.
Before having a baby I can honestly say I had experienced anxiety maybe twice in my whole life. Afterwards? Yikes. No one warned me about what post-pregnancy hormones will do to your anxiety levels. Like how for months I was convinced that someone was going to put a ladder up to Charlotte's window in the middle of the night and take her.
It sounds crazy, but ask any new mom and I guarantee you she's got a story just like that. Logic doesn't matter because fear is fear. And B had anxiety before he became a father so imagine his anxiety after becoming one. This monitor has an alarm that senses the tiniest of movements and will alert you if your baby has stopped breathing because of SIDS. Or, I guess, because someone has kidnapped her. I know, not funny, but telling myself that is what allowed me to fall asleep sometimes.
B jokes that she's going to use this until she's at least 5 because she sleeps face down, buried in her blanket, often under a stuffed animal of some sort. There are other monitors on the market but some of them have several reports of false alarms (that happened to some dear friends of ours), and this one didn't seem to have those.
Shermag Glider & Ottoman - Unless you are lucky enough to have your grandmother's rocking chair, you're gonna need a place to rock that baby. And I suggest getting something that will look great in your living room one day, not something that looks like it belongs in a nursery.
We've loved our glider and use it for everything from reading books to feedings to rocking her to sleep. Additionally, it's great to have someplace to sit down so that you aren't forced to sit on the floor while they're playing in their bedroom.
I had it a little easier because I wasn't working at the time and devoted massive amounts of time into the organization of the task. Because of that, when B and I walked in there, it was a seamless, fast, and stress-free process. Feather Nester had sent me a big random list of all of her registry tips. Then I compiled that with a list of stuff I actually needed, separated into categories. Then I looked up reviews of some of the bigger items beforehand on the Babies R Us website.
If you find yourself having to undergo the baby registry process and you want help with the sanity part of it, please don't hesitate to email me and I'll send you what I wrote up.
However, despite all of the planning, you obviously can't really know how useful anything is until you're actually using it. So in an effort to take even 10% of the chaos out of the process for you, and to pay forward all of the help that was given to me, I have a short list of items that I really love that you can't go wrong in purchasing:
Leachco Shopping Cart Cover - There are tons of shopping cart covers out there and they all have the basic purpose of keeping the germs away from your baby, but that is the least important reason why I love this item.
As the parent who stays home, the grocery shopping falls to me. This means that there isn't one person to baby-wrangle and one person to shop. When she was little I was able to do some shopping by putting her in a Baby Bjorn, but it didn't take long until my back couldn't handle the weight and that wasn't an option anymore. However, that time came before she was able to sit up. Enter the big pillows.
See those big pillows on the edges of the cart cover? They're KEY. They held her up when she was too small to do it herself, and they also make it so that I can lay her down with a bottle if I need to. Also, and this alone is why I'll be using this five years from now, there are huge pockets that hang into the cart to carry your keys, wallet, list, toys, etc. Doing a full scale grocery shopping trip with a baby is nearly a full day event (the diapers, the food, the list, the toys, the reusable bags, the menu planning that has to precede it all, etc.) so anything that breaks up the chaos is gold.
Storage space is something we lack in spades, so anything that pitches that feature to me is successful marketing. I'm so happy we saw that little tag because these babies are awkward! Their footprint is huge and they can be a pain to have around. Being able to fold ours up and slide it next to the wine cabinet, or behind the shelves in the dining room has been wonderful. And honestly, you don't even need a high chair. Plenty of people just use a booster seat attached to a dining room chair. I didn't know that when we were registering though.
I keep this in the back of the car, along with the shopping cart cover and booster seat (see below), and then we're always prepared.
Safety 1st Booster Seat - This recommendation is not necessarily because this is the greatest of all booster seats, just that you should get a booster seat. That wasn't on any list I saw, but Feather Nester mentioned it to me one day as a crucial item that she kept in the back of her car and I'm so thankful she said something.
Think about this - does every relative of yours, every friend, and every restaurant have high chairs? No. In fact, most of those places won't. If you get one and keep it in the back of your car you'll never be faced with a squirmy infant on your lap while you inhale your food with one hand. The key to parenthood is preparation and this helps significantly with that. I registered for this specific one because I have an allergy to primary colors and this was tame enough to look at for the next 10 years. The one drawback is that it doesn't fold down any smaller, so if you don't have a big car you may want to get one that does.
Before having a baby I can honestly say I had experienced anxiety maybe twice in my whole life. Afterwards? Yikes. No one warned me about what post-pregnancy hormones will do to your anxiety levels. Like how for months I was convinced that someone was going to put a ladder up to Charlotte's window in the middle of the night and take her.
It sounds crazy, but ask any new mom and I guarantee you she's got a story just like that. Logic doesn't matter because fear is fear. And B had anxiety before he became a father so imagine his anxiety after becoming one. This monitor has an alarm that senses the tiniest of movements and will alert you if your baby has stopped breathing because of SIDS. Or, I guess, because someone has kidnapped her. I know, not funny, but telling myself that is what allowed me to fall asleep sometimes.
B jokes that she's going to use this until she's at least 5 because she sleeps face down, buried in her blanket, often under a stuffed animal of some sort. There are other monitors on the market but some of them have several reports of false alarms (that happened to some dear friends of ours), and this one didn't seem to have those.
We've loved our glider and use it for everything from reading books to feedings to rocking her to sleep. Additionally, it's great to have someplace to sit down so that you aren't forced to sit on the floor while they're playing in their bedroom.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Quick Lunch
It's my general theory that anything can be added over pasta or into eggs to make a quick lunch and to clean out your fridge. You can handle the eggs yourself, but for the pasta, do some variation of this:
Boil any kind of pasta on one burner
While that's cooking, do this on the other burner:
Heat plenty of olive oil
Add garlic. (Every dish needs garlic)
Add chopped anything. Whatever can grow in a garden can be added. Tomatoes, onions, zucchini, etc.
Saute until soft
Right before you strain the pasta, grab 1/4C of pasta water and add it to your veggies.
Add a dollop of sour cream or a little half and half or a little lemon and some more oil - whatever you want.
Mix
Coat pasta
Cover with plenty of fresh grated Parmesan and some salt and pepper
Enjoy!
Boil any kind of pasta on one burner
While that's cooking, do this on the other burner:
Heat plenty of olive oil
Add garlic. (Every dish needs garlic)
Add chopped anything. Whatever can grow in a garden can be added. Tomatoes, onions, zucchini, etc.
Saute until soft
Right before you strain the pasta, grab 1/4C of pasta water and add it to your veggies.
Add a dollop of sour cream or a little half and half or a little lemon and some more oil - whatever you want.
Mix
Coat pasta
Cover with plenty of fresh grated Parmesan and some salt and pepper
Enjoy!
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