More coolness from recent weeks…
…and Thank You, Doc, For Not Saying Anything When I Forgot to Wax
The one time in my life I was totally dilligent about thank you notes was after the birth of my daughter. I couldn’t thank everyone enough for nine months of love, support, and yeah, the gifts.
Coffee Shop Music For Kids (Hold the Caffeine)
I have found a fantastic new kids CD. In fact if you play it with your eyes closed and a latte in hand, it’s almost like listening to a cool new indie band in your favorite coffee shop–if only coffee shops had Hot Wheels scattered around the floor. And the faint odor of soggy Cheerios.
Outcool The Playgroup
I am not apologetic that I use my daughter’s chest to promote my own interests, tastes and sports affiliations. It’s just a small part of my master plan to get her to agree with a few of them. If you share my perspective, you are going to have a field day at Reckon Wordwide, the online shop of poet, artist, and silkscreen master, Chris Weige.
Don’t Blame It On the Rain
After being quarantined for three months with a tiny infant thanks to the advice of some old school pediatricians, I was ready to get out of house – rainy fall weather be damned. This is where I learned that my child thinks that blankets are for kicking to the ground, even in 40 degree temperatures.
Tool Time
I may not be the handiest gal around, but I’m certainly not one to rely on my significant other to handle the "big stuff." And while you may not see me chopping logs in the backyard, I have been known to put together some tough toddler toys, some of which even required screwdriver usage.
mi SPA, Take Me Away
I am one of those people for whom one medicine cabinet is not enough. I have all manners of lotions and potions spilling out from every available crevice and corner in the bathroom. So when I run naked from the shower shouting about the joys of some new product, you have to believe it’s something special.
Balloon Animals
Ever since I got wind of the whole latex balloons are the devil stuff, I’ve been distraught. While I would hate for my daughter’s birthday celebrations to be entirely balloon free, I also don’t need to decorate the place with a bunch of colorful choking hazards.
Fun, Cubed
While my home has seen its fair share of battery-operated toys that never want to turn off, I’m proud to admit that my daughter prefers her cute little handmade cloth block my godmother made for her first birthday.
Little Creatures
Frequent readers of CMP will know that we’re not a big fan of barnyard animals on the kid duds, but we do love all things creepy, crawly, and traditionally unloved. So of course we were instantly smitten with the Beasty Baby monster rompers at indie emporium Aunt Beep.
A Totally Organic Experience
I listened to my mother when she told me, "Never underestimate the power of the rattle." However, after three plastic shakers and a stuffed bunny that sounds like it’s filled wtih a couple grains of rice, I was still faced with a screaming baby. I wish she had been a bit more specific about the kind of rattle.
Glide on the Peace Chain
Everywhere I go I’m seeing dogtags. And no, not just because there’s a military base in town. I’m talking about those blinged out engraved initial ones that look heavier than a bicycle lock. And while I like to keep up with the trends, this is one I’ve been keeping at arm’s length. Until now.
Sign Your Name To Someone Else’s Artwork
How many of us have wanted to chuck the soul-sucking corporate life and follow our hearts? (I’m raising my hand over here.) Jenni Gaynor actually had the guts to do it.
Project Runway, Here You Come
Since becoming a mother, I admit I’m a little lax about certain aspects of my appearance. However when it comes to my bags, I’m so picky that the folks at the local department store know me as The Crazy Purse Woman, who attacks them with questions like "can I get Purse A in the fabric of Purse B with the handles of Purse C?"
Play it Again, Bunny
When I was young, I had a beautiful wooden music box that featured a dancer pirouetting on a mirror inside. It was regaled to a high shelf in my bedroom except for the few times a year when my mom reluctantly pulled it down for me. I’m still bitter whenever I hear "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."
Brag Smaller
I’m not a brag book kind of gal. It’s not that I don’t love showing off pics of my daughter–just ask anyone who’s ever come within six inches of me over the past year–it’s that I don’t need yet one more big thing to weigh down my already overloaded bag.
A Stylish Alternative to Vicodin
If baby #2 is anything like baby #1, you will rarely see me without a tot in my arms. Combine that with the toil of chasing around a three-year-old, and my back just might not be able to hack it without heavy medication.
Wearing Your Heart Just Under Your Sleeve
I love the idea of lockets–the entire notion of keeping a photo of someone you love by your heart is just so cool. And yet lockets themselves? Not usually so cool.
Old and Improved
There is no shortage of great blankets out there to keep your newborn warm, from traditional baby blues and sweet pinks, to retro-modern hipster designs in every shade of chartreuse. But what if you’re yearning for a blanket like the one you had back (ahem,cough) years ago when you were a wee one?
Putting Your Fingers In Your Ears and Going LALALALA
I have mixed feelings about watching the news. I do wantstay on top of current events; but to do so I have to get through 20 minutes of tragic, ratings-trolling disaster stories just to get to anything actually of value.
Say Dada(ism)
There’s a fine line between pretentious and hip. Pretentious (and also sort of stupid) would be filling your toddler’s library with museum coffee table books. But introducing him to the board book, The Art of Shapes: For Children and Adults, well that’s something we can get behind.
Off The Pages and Onto Your Wall
If you’re anything like me, you love looking at children’s books as much as your kids do. Okay, so maybe not the one I have to read fifteen times a day. But I do fantasize about some of the illustrators coming over to my house and jazzing up my daughter’s room.