Ooooooh, I am so very excited!!!
I am nothing if I am not frugal. I love a good deal. I had narrowed my double stroller search down to my Top Three Strollers. Each had their good and bad sides. I then haunted craigslist looking for one of them for a good price.
And I found it!!! I found this stroller for $200 yesterday! And I was fortunate enough to contact the people first. This stroller is in beautiful, almost-new condition. I am serious, the little spikey rubber things are still on the tires and it is immaculate. It looks new. The owner still had the manual for it and everything. He even took $180 (because I always have to try and negotiate) because there were two tiny scratches on the handle.
Here's what I love about this stroller (and ultimately, why it made my Top Three List):
1) The one-handed fold. Seriously, this fold sells the stroller on it's own.
2) The individual recline seats that adjust to pretty much any position, rather than "fixed" positions.
3) The individual sun canopies that extend far down and the fact that they have little peekaboo windows in both the side and top.
4) The zippered pockets, mesh pockets, and under basket. This girl likes her storage!
5) It's a narrow profile, designed to go through any standard door.
6) The handlebar adjusts up and down, which my husband will really appreciate.
7) It is light weight and steers like a dream. Seriously, I think one finger could push this bad boy and it is lighter than my single all-terrain.
It's still kind of bulky (but aren't pretty much all double all terrain strollers?) and I will have to purchase the carseat adapter and rainguard separately, but even with those two purchases, we are still saving a lot of money!
Check item off list!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Things To Do
So, I had a list of Things To Do Before Baby Comes with Will. However, I started* it about a month before his due date and he came two weeks early. So, I only had about two weeks to do everything on my list and it didn't all get done. The bad thing about not getting something checked off of your list before a newborn arrives is that it's probably not going to get done anytime soon. By the time the dust settles and you are able to think about tackling a To Do List, it has grown by a million things to do, and with 20 minute naps (your own and baby's), it takes awhile to tackle even the smallest of tasks.
In fact, some things on this To Do List are leftover from that very list that I started with Will! In the spirit to getting everything crossed off of the list this time (and yes, I know that's most likely impossible), I am going to start earlier. A side benefit of posting it here is that you, my lovely audience, can keep me accountable for getting these things done!
- Reorganize Will's closet
- Organize linen closent
- Clean out freezer
- Make extra meals for freezer
- Empty out nursery
- Paint nursery
- Install organizer in nursery closet
- Organize master bedroom closet
- Reorganize small closet downstairs
- Get swing and bassinet down from garage storage
- Make "Willism" book for whoever watches him (daily schedule, meals, activity ideas, etc.)
- Purchase double stroller
- Sell single strollers on craigslist
- Hang bookshelves in playroom
- Tackle bedroom "hot spot" (which is already down to a very small pile, thanks to Fly Lady)
- Paint entry way
- Reorganize bottle/glass cupboard
- Carpets cleaned
*Actually, we had a list started and worked on for many months before that, but it was a mental list and I find that writing it down really accelerates getting things crossed off.
**List not necessarily in order of most important or the order in which I will do them, it's just what came/comes to mind.
In fact, some things on this To Do List are leftover from that very list that I started with Will! In the spirit to getting everything crossed off of the list this time (and yes, I know that's most likely impossible), I am going to start earlier. A side benefit of posting it here is that you, my lovely audience, can keep me accountable for getting these things done!
List of Things To Do Before Emma Rocks Our World**
- Organize linen closent
- Clean out freezer
- Make extra meals for freezer
- Empty out nursery
- Paint nursery
- Install organizer in nursery closet
- Organize master bedroom closet
- Reorganize small closet downstairs
- Get swing and bassinet down from garage storage
- Make "Willism" book for whoever watches him (daily schedule, meals, activity ideas, etc.)
- Purchase double stroller
- Sell single strollers on craigslist
- Hang bookshelves in playroom
- Tackle bedroom "hot spot" (which is already down to a very small pile, thanks to Fly Lady)
- Paint entry way
- Reorganize bottle/glass cupboard
- Carpets cleaned
*Actually, we had a list started and worked on for many months before that, but it was a mental list and I find that writing it down really accelerates getting things crossed off.
**List not necessarily in order of most important or the order in which I will do them, it's just what came/comes to mind.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Friday Night Leftovers
1. First off, what a relief to know I am not the only one that uses parenting "crutches" every once in awhile! It's nice to know I am not alone!
2. I have an old neck injury from a car accident I was in when I was 16 that comes up every once in awhile. Right after Will was born, when I was trying out nursing positions and getting used to my hefty little boy, it acted up. The way it works is that my shoulder starts hurting, then across the top of my back, and then something small will throw out my neck and it's awful. I see a physical therapist for it, but she is extremely popular. . . and booked out a month. Well, my shoulder has been hurting since Thanksgiving, so I knew it was only a matter of time. On Wednesday morning, I was toweling my hair dry and felt my neck seize up. I'm on the wait list for my PT, so fingers crossed I get in soon, since I can't take anything more than Tylenol for the pain.
3. I "cleaned" bathrooms yesterday that didn't need cleaning. This is so not me, but I liked how it felt, as if I was channeling my inner Martha Stewart. I wouldn't really say that I cleaned them, more than just wiped up and quickly mopped using my Swiffer. Oh, and thanks to the lovely Jen, I also purchased these reusable pads for my sweeper. It will save a ton of money over buying the pads that came with it. They arrived this week and I think it does take a little extra "push" to use them, but I like that you can also flip them over and use them again before tossing them in the wash. I haven't had to refill my cleaner bottle yet, but this tutorial will come in handy when I do.
4. Will broke through two molars this week. And he has a cold. Poor little bug. He didn't eat anything for three days and then last night, he ate more than me for dinner. I don't know if I will ever get used to this toddler way of eating.
5. Did I mention that I finally quit my job? My two weeks' notice was over last Friday and my boss is still calling and e-mailing me as if I still work for them. Weird.
6. Does anyone else feel guilty taking a nap when their kid does? I wish that I could just get into bed and not feel guilty about it, but I rarely can, even if I am tired (and I am always tired lately). I end up cleaning a bathroom instead. Or blogging, but at least I am sitting down for that!
Well, that about wraps it up for this week. Want to join the Leftover Fun? Go see Danifred to check it out!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
If These Walls Could Talk
I will admit to taking the occasional. . . shortcut. . . in parenting. The easy route, you might call it.
For example:
1) I never take Will out of his stroller at the mall or other random places because I know it is virtually impossible to get him back in without a fuss. Sometimes, I feel bad, keeping him penned up. But it's so much easier.
2) I will give Will Cheerios whenever I need a few minutes to get something done. The boy loves his "o's".
3) I get impatient with stairs (we have a lot of them in our house), so a lot of the time, I pick him up rather than let him climb them himself. He loves to climb stairs, so it's really not nice of me, but when going up them for the umpteenth million time in a day, I just am over it.
4) At bedtime, if I am really tired, I will pick short stories to read to him. He likes the longer stories and I usually try to do at least one long one and two short ones. We do read a lot during the day, so I don't feel too badly about this.
These are just a few examples. What are some of your parenting shortcuts?
For example:
1) I never take Will out of his stroller at the mall or other random places because I know it is virtually impossible to get him back in without a fuss. Sometimes, I feel bad, keeping him penned up. But it's so much easier.
2) I will give Will Cheerios whenever I need a few minutes to get something done. The boy loves his "o's".
3) I get impatient with stairs (we have a lot of them in our house), so a lot of the time, I pick him up rather than let him climb them himself. He loves to climb stairs, so it's really not nice of me, but when going up them for the umpteenth million time in a day, I just am over it.
4) At bedtime, if I am really tired, I will pick short stories to read to him. He likes the longer stories and I usually try to do at least one long one and two short ones. We do read a lot during the day, so I don't feel too badly about this.
These are just a few examples. What are some of your parenting shortcuts?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Boy and His Pillow
We went to Ikea yesterday, in search of shelving and the cool smock bibs they have. But of course, one never goes to Ikea "just" for what is on their list. They also go to buy some things that jump out at them as they browse through the maze (Side note: Does anyone else feel like a herded cattle when they go through Ikea?).
Of course, now that he is 18 months old, Will also sees things that he likes in stores, too. Usually, he is only temporarily interested in something and I will let him play with said object until we get to the end of our shopping trip. He isn't at the age yet where he throws a fit when we have to put it back. We just say, "Bye-bye [insert whatever thing he has been carting around]."
Well, yesterday, the thing that caught his eye was a $2 pillow.
He pointed to it with great excitement. It was very colorful, soft, and just his size. I handed it to him, thinking he would quickly bore of it and I could drop it off someplace else prior to hitting the register.
He grabbed that pillow, wrapped his arms around it, and then proceeded to hug and love on it through the rest of the store. He would lay his head down it and close his eyes. Several people stopped to ask me if he was really sleeping. He would pop up and say "hi" when they approached us, giving one lady a bit of a startle (which he thought was hilarious).
I am not sure what would have happened if I had tried to separate them. To be honest, I didn't even try. He got the pillow and hugged it all the way home. He can't quite say "pillow" - it comes out more as "pallob," but he said it quite a bit. And he slept for three hours with it during his afternoon nap.
Last night, when M put him down, he said that Will was really excited to see his pillow again and give it a hug. Has he finally found his transitional object?
Of course, now that he is 18 months old, Will also sees things that he likes in stores, too. Usually, he is only temporarily interested in something and I will let him play with said object until we get to the end of our shopping trip. He isn't at the age yet where he throws a fit when we have to put it back. We just say, "Bye-bye [insert whatever thing he has been carting around]."
Well, yesterday, the thing that caught his eye was a $2 pillow.
He pointed to it with great excitement. It was very colorful, soft, and just his size. I handed it to him, thinking he would quickly bore of it and I could drop it off someplace else prior to hitting the register.
He grabbed that pillow, wrapped his arms around it, and then proceeded to hug and love on it through the rest of the store. He would lay his head down it and close his eyes. Several people stopped to ask me if he was really sleeping. He would pop up and say "hi" when they approached us, giving one lady a bit of a startle (which he thought was hilarious).
I am not sure what would have happened if I had tried to separate them. To be honest, I didn't even try. He got the pillow and hugged it all the way home. He can't quite say "pillow" - it comes out more as "pallob," but he said it quite a bit. And he slept for three hours with it during his afternoon nap.
Last night, when M put him down, he said that Will was really excited to see his pillow again and give it a hug. Has he finally found his transitional object?
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Imagining
Sometimes, I really miss the babies that we never held in our arms.
I wonder what they'd be like, what personalities they would have. I wonder how they would be like their brother and how they'd be different.
I am so grateful for my son (and now, my daughter, too). I know we were meant to have him, just as he is. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for all that we have been blessed with and for what we are being blessed with in the future.
But sometimes, I do think about the others. And wish we could have had them, too.
I wonder what they'd be like, what personalities they would have. I wonder how they would be like their brother and how they'd be different.
I am so grateful for my son (and now, my daughter, too). I know we were meant to have him, just as he is. There is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God for all that we have been blessed with and for what we are being blessed with in the future.
But sometimes, I do think about the others. And wish we could have had them, too.
Monday, March 1, 2010
27 Flings and Other Things
I mentioned in my Friday Night Leftovers post that I had started Fly Lady. I can't remember how/where I heard about it, but it has really been helping me to change some bad habits. I know I have posted here before, but cleaning and organization are not my strong points. I like to have a clean house, desire to have those closets that anyone can open without things flying out at them, and just generally would like to have more of a sense of order.
Before Will was born, I could make the time to clean and organize. I could "stay ahead" of the mess. Even after he was born, while he was taking two naps a day, I could manage. But now, pregnant and managing a very busy, one-nap-a-day toddler, I was falling behind. We looked at several options, but couldn't afford having a cleaning service, and honestly, the cleaning isn't the problem, so much as the STUFF.
So, I started Fly Lady and it turns out I picked the perfect month. February was Declutter Month and each day, you had to toss out 27 pieces of garbage and find 27 things to give away. Every day, people. It only took about 15 - 20 minutes each day to find my 54* things. The garbage was actually really easy, as sorting my mail would usually take up most of that, taking a few things out of the refrigerator, and I counted emptying a garbage can as one thing. Finding 27 things to give away wasn't so hard, either, especially since I really needed to go through my clothes and get rid of some knick knacks. As the days wore on, however, it got more difficult to find that many things. I am an emotional packrat, keeping things because they were given to me by someone special, and also a "what if" keeper, holding on to things on the very random chance that I might need them someday. There are articles and pieces of advice directly aimed at people like me.
Now, a few words of caution if you decide to do Fly Lady:
1) You will get a ton of e-mails. Each day (M - F) you get a Flight Plan, which tells you your "chore" for the day. I like this one and read it every day and was very good about following it. You will also get a lot of testimonials. If the title grabs me, I might read these, but most of the time, I delete them. There are also some advertisements for Fly Lady cleaning products and gadgets. Some of them look really neat, but I also skip a lot of these. Signing up and participating in Fly Lady is free, but it could get spendy if you bought all of the advertised products.
2) You need to not try and skip ahead or do more than is "prescribed". If you are like me, part of the reason why you are living with clutter is that it's overwhelming to know how to fix your problem. You look around your house and thing, "Gah, where to begin?" I had a lot of hot spots in my house and I didn't honestly think that "fifteen minutes a day" and a 27 fling would really fix them. The first few days, I was tempted to do more organizing and finding other projects to do. That really defeats that purpose. The whole point of the website is to take manageable pieces of time and make them work for you. The first week, I didn't see a lot of progress. But by the second and third week, I had completely gotten rid of 2 hotspots and was working on the third. By the end of the month, I now just have two hot spots left. And this was with no major cleaning projects, just fifteen minute intervals a day.
That's it. I really like it. I don't do everything, I don't read everything, and I am still seeing a lot of progress. My goal for myself is to have an organized home and no hot spots by the time Emma is born. This is a lofty goal for someone famous for her "Closets of Death," but I feel as if I have a game plan and it's not overwhelming.
A couple of updates:
My sister sent me a text message at about 7 PM last night. It said, "Made it home safe and sound around 2. Thanks for a fun weekend." I think that she, like me, would rather remember our fun weekend and forget about how it ended. So, hopefully, that is the end of the drama for now.
I had an OB appointment on Friday. We scheduled the rest of my appointments and my c-section. Unless she decides to come a bit early on her own, her birthday will be July 19. The doctor mentioned that her abdomen was measuring a bit small on the ultrasound and her approximate weight is on the low end. On it's own, not much to be concerned with, but he wants a follow up ultrasound in a month and also wanted me to add 300 calories a day to my diet to gain a few more pounds in the meantime. He thinks the reason she is small right now is because of how much weight I lost in the beginning and that I have not gained a lot since then. So, time for a bowl of ice cream!
*Ha! Obviously, as my lovely anonymous poster pointed out, I might need remedialmathskills.net (I just made that up, but I am sure it's actually a site) next. Or that could just be my very latent desire to not give up my crap! I did actually get rid of 54 pieces, in case anyone was wondering, I just accidentally typed 52.
Before Will was born, I could make the time to clean and organize. I could "stay ahead" of the mess. Even after he was born, while he was taking two naps a day, I could manage. But now, pregnant and managing a very busy, one-nap-a-day toddler, I was falling behind. We looked at several options, but couldn't afford having a cleaning service, and honestly, the cleaning isn't the problem, so much as the STUFF.
So, I started Fly Lady and it turns out I picked the perfect month. February was Declutter Month and each day, you had to toss out 27 pieces of garbage and find 27 things to give away. Every day, people. It only took about 15 - 20 minutes each day to find my 54* things. The garbage was actually really easy, as sorting my mail would usually take up most of that, taking a few things out of the refrigerator, and I counted emptying a garbage can as one thing. Finding 27 things to give away wasn't so hard, either, especially since I really needed to go through my clothes and get rid of some knick knacks. As the days wore on, however, it got more difficult to find that many things. I am an emotional packrat, keeping things because they were given to me by someone special, and also a "what if" keeper, holding on to things on the very random chance that I might need them someday. There are articles and pieces of advice directly aimed at people like me.
Now, a few words of caution if you decide to do Fly Lady:
1) You will get a ton of e-mails. Each day (M - F) you get a Flight Plan, which tells you your "chore" for the day. I like this one and read it every day and was very good about following it. You will also get a lot of testimonials. If the title grabs me, I might read these, but most of the time, I delete them. There are also some advertisements for Fly Lady cleaning products and gadgets. Some of them look really neat, but I also skip a lot of these. Signing up and participating in Fly Lady is free, but it could get spendy if you bought all of the advertised products.
2) You need to not try and skip ahead or do more than is "prescribed". If you are like me, part of the reason why you are living with clutter is that it's overwhelming to know how to fix your problem. You look around your house and thing, "Gah, where to begin?" I had a lot of hot spots in my house and I didn't honestly think that "fifteen minutes a day" and a 27 fling would really fix them. The first few days, I was tempted to do more organizing and finding other projects to do. That really defeats that purpose. The whole point of the website is to take manageable pieces of time and make them work for you. The first week, I didn't see a lot of progress. But by the second and third week, I had completely gotten rid of 2 hotspots and was working on the third. By the end of the month, I now just have two hot spots left. And this was with no major cleaning projects, just fifteen minute intervals a day.
That's it. I really like it. I don't do everything, I don't read everything, and I am still seeing a lot of progress. My goal for myself is to have an organized home and no hot spots by the time Emma is born. This is a lofty goal for someone famous for her "Closets of Death," but I feel as if I have a game plan and it's not overwhelming.
A couple of updates:
My sister sent me a text message at about 7 PM last night. It said, "Made it home safe and sound around 2. Thanks for a fun weekend." I think that she, like me, would rather remember our fun weekend and forget about how it ended. So, hopefully, that is the end of the drama for now.
I had an OB appointment on Friday. We scheduled the rest of my appointments and my c-section. Unless she decides to come a bit early on her own, her birthday will be July 19. The doctor mentioned that her abdomen was measuring a bit small on the ultrasound and her approximate weight is on the low end. On it's own, not much to be concerned with, but he wants a follow up ultrasound in a month and also wanted me to add 300 calories a day to my diet to gain a few more pounds in the meantime. He thinks the reason she is small right now is because of how much weight I lost in the beginning and that I have not gained a lot since then. So, time for a bowl of ice cream!
*Ha! Obviously, as my lovely anonymous poster pointed out, I might need remedialmathskills.net (I just made that up, but I am sure it's actually a site) next. Or that could just be my very latent desire to not give up my crap! I did actually get rid of 54 pieces, in case anyone was wondering, I just accidentally typed 52.
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