June non-challenge

Credit to:
S: http://anofferingoflove.wordpress.com
And
Strawberry: http://1invermillion.wordpress.com

I'm going to participate because who doesn't LOVE a non-challenge (motivates me well) and because I really need a swift kick in the ass or I'm closing the blog, I mean, what's the point if I don't write anything?

Here's the non-challenge:

Day 1 – Provide a picture of the space where you normally blog
Day 2 -Describe your high school self. What extracurricular activities, if any, did you participate in during high school?
Day 3 -What are your guilty pleasures?
Day 4 – (for parents) What has most surprised you about parenthood?
(for parents-to-be) What has most surprised you about ttc?
Day 5 -What do you prefer to do on your birthday? If you have children, what do you prefer to do for their birthday?
Day 6 – When was the last time you tried something new? What was it and what was the result?
Day 7 – What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? If you have children, what are their favorites?
Day 8 – If you had to teach something, what would you teach? (If you DO teach, when did you discover your love for teaching/the subject?)
Day 9 – What is the most important lesson you learned from your own mother (or other primary caretaker)?
Day 10 – Share your favorite recipe (or two)
Day 11 – In what ways does being a lesbian/2-mom family impact your experience of parenting?
Day 12 – Tell us about the first time you got drunk (as far as you can remember…)
Day 13 – Tell us about the best job you ever had, and the worst
Day 14 – How do you typically dress? How do you (or would you) like to dress your kid(s)?
Day 15 – What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc?
Day 16 – How many friends do you have in real life that you talk to regularly? How many friends do you have that you feel are ‘true blue’ and how long have you known them?
Day 17 – (for parents) What is your favorite thing about parenthood? Your least favorite?
(for parents-to-be) What are you most looking forward to about parenthood?
Day 18 – How do you feel about astrology? What’s your sign, baby, and do you think it matches your personality?
Day 19 – How do you (and your partner if applicable) feel about PDA?
Day 20 – What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you? Did you repay the kindness?
Day 21. What child(ren)’s names do you like that your partner hates and thus you could never use?
Day 22 – What is your most beloved childhood memory? What memories are you trying to create (or will you try to create) for your child(ren)?
Day 23 – What are your favorite activities to do with your kid(s)?
Day 24 – What are your favorite activities to do without your kid(s)? (keep it clean!)
Day 25 – What did you want to be when you grew up? Why and/or how did that change over time?
Day 26 – What is/are the best piece(s) of parenting advice you’ve gotten or can give others?
Day 27 – Which movies or tv shows do you think are the most accurate portrayals of parenthood?
Day 28 – What size family do you come from, what size family do you want, and why?
Day 29 – What do you think about giving kids an allowance, and what chores do you or would you expect your child(ren) to help out with?
Day 30 – What is/are the most memorable questions or reactions you’ve gotten in regards to being a two-mom family?



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Do you LOVE your stroller?

I know this is a rather vapid topic considering my recent silence but I need to get back into blogging.

So, do you, have a stroller you LOVE?

I'm asking because we don't love ours, or it's replacement and I'm only so-so about the replacement's replacement. If you're counting, that's three strollers and one 16 month old.

The first stroller, our Peg Perego Pliko Switch, seemed awesome. You could face the seat in either forward or backward direction and the seat was removable so it could be swapped with a carseat. It was awsome when we were using only the base for the carseat. Something that could have been accomplished with a snap-n-go (for less than 1/4 the price). Once the stroller seat was added it was a beast. Too big.


One day last summer I'd finally had enough. I went to Once Upon a Child and bought a Rock Star Baby umbrella stroller on impulse, the Pliko has been in our basement ever since. I think it would be harsh to say I hate this stroller. I just think it's annoying. The buckle bursts into 5 pieces (that Sadie always seems to be sitting on) when undone, the recline makes her slouch and the wheels suck indoors. Nevertheless we've used it - A LOT.

Stroller number three has come to us by way of an awesome deal. We'd been casually looking at strollers and had wanted a new lightweight. We were pretty set on a Joovy Kooper until we saw a Phil and Teds Smart buggy. It's stylish, compact but it's reviews were very mixed if not leaning more towards negative. D fell in love with it yet the basic stroller was $250 and not in stock. I honestly thought it was off our list (too expensive) until D called all excited to say it was on sale at a store in North York. The bundle + accesories for $150! It was a deal that was so good that I had to agree. We got the stroller, a bassinet, travel bag, seat cushion and raincover. Total price before discount, $500. Holy shit. So now we have a 3rd stroller. It's OK but still not our
"dream stroller" but it's fun!

Now our next stroller issue is going to be Florida. We're flying on an airline with strict Gate Check rules and will only allow umbrella strollers. We're going to have to check the Phil & Teds for $50/direction, take the Rock Star or rent from Disney ($13/day). Or maybe we'll just buy a 4th stroller!! Just kidding.


Sort of. (;



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Sadie and the Easter Bunny

From our trip to Binghamton (Thanks to Laurie from Creating a Miracle for taking these great pics):

Don't call me crazy, thankyouverymuch

OSHA REGULATORY STATUS
This material is considered hazardous under the OSHA Hazard Communications Standard (29 CFR 910.1200).

POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS:

a. Silicosis Respirable crystalline silica (quartz) can cause silicosis, a fibrosis (scarring) of the lungs. Silicosis may be progressive; it may lead to disability and death.
b. Lung Cancer Crystalline silica (quartz) inhaled from occupational sources is classified as carcinogenic to humans.
c. Tuberculosis Silicosis increases the risk of tuberculosis.
d. Autoimmune and Chronic Kidney Diseases Some studies show excess numbers of cases of scleroderma, connective tissue disorders, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic kidney diseases and end-stage kidney disease in workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica.

Would you guess that the above text comes from a product labelled as "Play Sand" and/or "Natural Lake Sand"? If you knew this warning BEFORE purchasing the sand, would you buy it? I didn't seek out this info, I found it when I was trying to find sand to fill our new sandbox and apparently in the state of California there is a law to lable carcinogenic products and SAND is one of those products. Of course, this makes me the "paranoid freak parent who is going to deny her daugher a childhood" but I can't take back this knowledge.
The only sand that I've been able to find that seems to be OK is Crayola sand which even in California does not carry the typical warning. It appears that it's been processed in a way that reduces the dust (which is the dangerous part of the sand) significantly, and is asbestos free (yeah, that's in Sand too). It has been lab tested at Duke University to qualify for its safety rating.
So, Pink sand, no sand or Rice. I haven't decided yet.

ETA: This relates to a backyard sandbox. No, I'm not going to keep Sadie away from playgrounds and beaches.

No excuse

Wow, I've become a really bad blogger. I have so much to write about (Easter, Binghamton trip, etc.) but I'm just too tired and/or lazy to get around to it.
Sadie's illness quite fortunately ended shortly after my embarassing rant and before we had to go back to the hospital. We think it was likely Roseola but only based on our own Internet research resulting from a comment Shannon left on this blog. No thanks to our ped who saw the rash the first time I did and simply commented ir was "part of the virus". I'm annoyed but I won't get into it because it's over and done.
Through the sickness I ended up spending the week home with Sadie. It was so nice and the longest time we've spent together since January.
After the week iff It was hard going back to work last Monday and then the week itself was a awful with TWO co-workers passing away suddenly. It really puts life into perspective when stuff like that happens. Unfortunately as a constant worrier these are things that I do not need to be reminded of because they send me into a panic. No day but today.
Good stuff has happened too. We got an awesome tax refund (did I file it wrong?) and we've made final plans for our summer and fall vacations. I booked a hotel in Manhattan for a couple of nights to go along with our trip to Sesame Place and Long Island for July 4th. We've also just upgraded our Disney vaction to include dining. That one is a bit out of control. Our $62/night hotel
deal has snowballed into a 2 week, $4000 vacation. I don't even want to get into how that happened but a lot has to do with FLYING. Another post is coming on that one! Yikes! Also one on my backyard obsession and another on Sadie's development lately. For now though, I'm all blogged out. (;

ETA: I think I've fixed my blogger cookie problem!











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