Second Life:Mesh Hamper

Giftwrap, ribbons, tissue paper, bows, gift bags, what I collectively refer to as "giftcrap" felt like a huge space-hog in our new place, which mysteriously lacked closets and a hanger-rod. In the process of whittling down items and containers in order to make everything fit, I started putting all the giftcrap into one pile on the floor and then it hit me-

Could it all fit into one container?

Turns out, it can!



Tips:

Sort the giftbags however you like, but save a few you're not going to use for gifts to store small stuff like ribbons and tools.

Honestly ask yourself, how many baby showers/bat mitzvahs/quinceaneras do I really go to a year? Then save the appropriate ratio of themed gift bag. Try it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Second Life:Mesh Hamper

Awesome Gift Idea!

Courtesy of Boing Boing.net, a mother created a stuffed toy out of her child's drawing and the result is achingly adorable. Now I am definitely going to go for that kids-quilt-from-old-baby-onesies idea I've been putting off for the past 5 months!

Awesome Gift Idea!

Kid's Room Needs a Lift?

Found via crossing paths on Boston Mamas' blog, Cheeky Monkey Murals will do custom murals for kids' bedrooms, playrooms or wherever you wish to put one of their unique works of art. (they also do murals for businesses)

I love the style these murals are done in and the artist, Holly Johnson also does portraits of "loveys" that are a wonderful way to capture your little ones' loved ones.

Kid's Room Needs a Lift?

Should lollipops, m&m's and mini-cupcakes fail...

You could always try the potty-caddy.

I coulda been a contender. While still pregnant, I saw an article in People about mothers who trained their kids in infancy and avoided the whole diaper scene altogether. I was all fired up to try it out with my still-theoretical spawn until I got the book out of the library that showed happy earth mommies holding their infants over porch railings and park benches, beatifically letting nature take its course. I just didn't think that would go over too well at a neighborhood barbecue or on the playground. I don't have a dog, on principle, and I grudgingly change the cat litter, so I didn't want to find myself following my own kid around with a plastic bag.

And of course, it's come to get me in the end. After a great start with the potty chart/sticker technique, I could have sworn Chloe would be trained by Thanksgiving. Then, it became Christmas, and now it's before she goes off to college, hopefully.

Of course, friends all have similar war stories about stonewalling and regression battles. And of course both nanas have started their greek chorus of "Well my kids were all trained by 2 and a half." I'll just keep up the bribery. She's bound to crack soon.

Should lollipops, m&m's and mini-cupcakes fail...

My New Form: 5 Mantis Pickup

1. Child pulls out the legos (butterfly horse stance)
2. Mom helps build a castle (kneeling horse stance)
3. Mom lunges to grab cell phone (side to side with mantis hook)
4. Mom cleans up the toys (duck walk back and forth 3 times)
5. Mom sweeps the floor (deep lady horse stance across the floor)

My New Form: 5 Mantis Pickup

Second Life: Old file crates

As any parent will tell you, having kids + a bathtub = A plethora of little cute plastic bath toys. After searching high and low for a good way to store everything, I had an epiphany when I was cleaning out some old files. I grabbed a terrycloth bathmat, folded it so it fit in the bottom of the crate-



Yay! Instant tub-toy caddy!


The reason I was so picky is that so many of the "official" types of tub-toy caddies rely on suction cups, which any half-way intrepid toddler is just going to pull off, and/or contained little nooks and crannies which are a haven for mold.

Second Life: Old file crates

Bringing Up Baby

I had a flashback yesterday when I was wheeling a squealing, clapping 11-and-3/4 month-old down our winter ravaged street. I was thinking about the first time I ever took her out in the same stroller. It was a mercifully warm day halfway through April. After 4 straight days of taking approximately 5 minutes to sit down on any kind of surface, I could finally make it up and down enough to go outside. Also, I was carrying about 30 extra pounds that I was determined to walk off in a week.

As I wheeled the stroller down the street for its maiden voyage, I carefully avoided every crack and twig. I painstakingly eased the wheels over the curbs, terrified that the slightest bump would permanently dislodge her brainstem. It took me twenty minutes to go 4 blocks.

Now, we treat the same stroller like a little ATV. Running over cracks in the sidewalk and through puddles just makes her laugh harder. Maybe it's all the early, first-baby paranoia, but her sheer durability continues to amaze us. Granted, we've managed to avoid any Britney Spears-type mishandlings, but still, it feels like yesterday that I couldn't stomach the idea of leaving her alone within 20 yards of our cat. Now look at them.

As far as the child proofing goes, it's astounding how much money one can save when you just use whatever's around the house. We spent the dough on plastic outlet covers and a couple of zip-tie cabinet locks, but I drew the line at some things:


For now, we just put her now-outgrown carseats in the opening between what we call the "green zone" (the living room) and the "triangle of terror" (at least for us) that is the bathroom, kitchen and Daddy's Big Room of Chemicals. I was going out of my mind trying to find a way to block off the cat box until I realized that if I just put the cooler in the way then I could also have a convenient step stool for the cabinet.

So there you have it. Parenting advice that you won't read in any of the magazines. I know I wish someone had just told me to relax and not stress about buying every last little thing on the official "baby-proofing" list.

Of course, check back with me in a couple of weeks after Chloe's actually started walking upright.

Bringing Up Baby