So, it turns out an 8-month-baby is an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ENTITY than, say, a newborn. In many ways they are a vast improvement on their squashed, red-faced little counterparts, but unlike a newborn, an 8-month-old does not sleep all day. Nor can you plop an 8-month-old on their back, dash out of the room to use the bathroom, and be confident they’ll be in the same spot when you get back. Which, um, I may have learned the hard way recently. What? He was fine, just a little tangled up in some chair legs.

Also, they want stimulation. My god, always with the “learning” and “developing” and all. My son Dylan is in constant movement: grabbing at this, pounding on that, eyeballing all the many, many items he plans to shove in his mouth. He gets frustrated and squawks if he’s left in one place too long, because the world is quickly revealing itself to him in its many sights, sounds, and flavors, and he’s got stuff to DO.

Much as I might want to, I can’t always spend every minute of the day engaging him in Baby Einstein calculus flash cards and immersive Latin lessons, so right now I’m pretty interested in various baby-appropriate distractions. What, OH WHAT, can I give my baby to occupy his time for five or six minutes in a row? Here are my current top picks: Read the rest of this entry »

I recently complained on my own blog about a search for flush-mount (flat against the ceiling, rather than dangling from it) light fixtures for our new dining room. I went to a local lighting store, where almost Every Single Option looked like a BREAST.

This Ashton Manor fixture from LightingUniverse.com gives the basic idea.  It was even more comical as I stood in the display room looking up at row after row of similar choices.  And, er…..I needed TWO. Read the rest of this entry »

You guys, how did it get to be October already? How is almost Halloween, for crying out loud?

Well, at least if we have to say goodbye to summer, it’s while ushering in such a beautiful time of year. I love fall, and I especially love Halloween. Skulls! Monsters! Pumpkins! And most importantly: fun-sized candy bars, all the better for cramming in my mouth by the fistful.

We’ve got a few archived Halloween posts you might be interested in: Kristen’s baby costumes and Amazon gift certificate giveaway (hurry and leave a comment, the contest ends on Friday, Oct 3, at 12 PM PST), and from last year, some craft ideas and general Halloween product picks.

Today I’m featuring some fantastic Etsy alternatives to that boring pumpkin-shaped plastic Halloween treat bucket, so you can add just the perfect little unique touch to your kid’s costume this year. Or, you know, just hang these bags around the house as decorations, because they’re just that awesome. Check them out: Read the rest of this entry »

I’m supposed to be researching Halloween costumes for my two 3-year-olds (Amazon.com has a free shipping deal I want to take advantage of). But I keep getting distracted by baby costumes because OMG TEH CUTE.

I’m also supposed to be writing a post announcing a giveaway of two Amazon.com gift certificates, which I will definitely do in just a second.  I just have to look at these baby costumes for a few more minutes.

Seriously.  A sock monkey costume?  I don’t even LIKE sock monkeys, but this looks so snuggy I just want to SQUEEZE and maybe BITE. Read the rest of this entry »

Fall is officially here, and at least for those of us living in the Pacific Northwest, that means a lot of wet weather between now and next summer. A WHOLE LOT. *sob*

It’s easier to focus on adorable kid-themed rain-gear than it is to contemplate nine solid months of grey skies, so let’s get to it: cute stuff that keeps your child dry. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is how crafty and artistic I am:  not crafty and artistic.  And so if you have been wondering to yourself, “Goodness, how DOES she do craft projects with FIVE children?,” the answer is “HA HA HA HA HA!”

Still, the children do like to do crafts, and so now and then I make an effort.  I don’t have much patience with messes, and it’s best if nothing watery or painty or glittery can be spilled by a wandering toddler or careless older child.  And I don’t want to spend much time on it, either.  Here are a few crafts that have satisfied even my picky, reluctant nature:

Read the rest of this entry »

After some initial, ah, resistance, my 7-month-old has embraced the concept of spoon-fed solid foods. He eats like a champ these days, mowing through YoBaby yogurts, puréed fruits, sweet potato, corn, oatmeal, smashed-up muffins, and basically anything goo-oriented that isn’t bright green. (I know, I know, he should probably be eating more strained peas, but listen, I tried a bite and frankly I don’t fault him for having a sense of taste.)

The inevitable introduction of solid foods has a couple of downsides; for one, the diapers. It’s no longer a relatively inoffensive milk byproduct in there, you know what I mean? And also, the sheer chaotic mess of mealtimes, my god.

Well, kids are messy, and I’ve discovered it’s really easier on everyone’s sanity if I try and be zen about this fact and not go fussily wiping down surfaces after every bite. There’s not much that can be done about a baby who loves to stuff his feet into his yogurt-filled mouth — who am I to deny such pleasures? — and it’s inevitable that at some point, the feeder will receive a sneezed faceful of banana slime from the feedee.

Some products do help smooth the process a bit, though. Here are some of my favorites:

Munchkin Soft-Tip Spoons. I really like these spoons. They’re long enough for me to get bites in Dylan’s mouth while dodging his grabby little hands, and the bowl of the spoon is just the right size. Plus, they’re groovy and colorful.

The First Years Take & Toss Bowls. I’ve had a bunch of these bowls forever, despite the fact that they’re “take and toss”. They’ve held up fantastically through a million washes, and they’re a great size for sending little goo-meals into daycare. They’re BPA-free, never leak, and can be nested for easy storage.

Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair. My friend gave me this chair when her boys outgrew it and it’s amazing. We use it at our kitchen nook table for our 3-year-old — I stashed away the giant toe-stubbing highchair and he’s been sitting in this ever since (uh, is it weird to put a 3-year-old in an infant seat? Whatever, it keeps him in one place during mealtimes). It’s designed for travel, but it’s a great space-saver at home. I’d like to use it for Dylan, but I’m guessing he’ll need a tray — this seems like a good similar product, I think I might buy it soon.

Circo Bibs. I know: bibs, DUH. But man, some bibs just suck. You want either a thick enough fabric so stuff doesn’t soak right through, or something like these handy Circo bibs that have a vinyl backing. I like these because they’re cheap, they don’t stain too easily, and they hold up through many, many launderings.

What sorts of things do you find useful when it comes to feeding babies?

I am so tired of having to talk about balance, think about balance, read about balance, re-evaluate balance. It never settles into “Ah ha! THIS is the right balance for us!”—or if it does, it gets knocked out of there by the next change that comes along: The kids get a little older and make different kinds of demands on your time than you’re used to. The job that was so satisfying asks you to work more hours, or different hours, or it gets boring. The other adult in your household leaves, or gets a different job, or feels dissatisfied with some aspect of the household. Your parents get older and need more help from you.

You don’t have to be a “working mom” (sigh) to have trouble balancing, and you don’t have to be a mom. Did you notice I didn’t say “You don’t even have to be a woman”? I’ll bet men struggle for balance sometimes, too, but I don’t notice it as much with them. I don’t notice Paul, for example, wondering if he’s doing the right thing by going to work. I don’t notice him suffering because his in-laws think he should cook more often or keep a cleaner house and he secretly wonders if that’s true, or if his wife might agree.  I don’t notice him worrying that his clothes are out of style, or that his hairstyle is looking daddish, or that the living room could really stand to be painted if we’re ever going to have anyone over. Read the rest of this entry »

Lately I have been feeling entirely overwhelmed by the sheer amount of children’s stuff in our home. We’ve got baby detritus everywhere — exersaucer, bouncy chair, jumpy suspended-from-doorway chair, Bumbo seat — and dealing with the eighty million toddler toys on top of all that was just getting to be a little too much.

So I made some small changes, and they have worked out so well I honestly feel like part of my brain has been cleared out and now can contain much more useful distractions than fretting about my cluttered house. You know, such as being able to quote Season 5 of The Simpsons in its entirety.
Read the rest of this entry »

The last time my mother-in-law was coming for a visit, I got a bee in my bonnet about having Good Dishes for guests instead of the mishmash of clearance open-stock dishes we usually use.  I did a lot of searching for the perfect set (I wanted dressy in a grandmotherly way, and not too delicate), and finally chose Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles in blue.  Here’s the platter so you can get an idea of the style:

Now please imagine the effect when I set the table for her first meal with us and realized all we had were plastic cups in assorted bright cheerful colors.  Yes. Read the rest of this entry »